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sid_guardian2025-11-30 04:53 pm
china_shop) wrote in sid_guardian2025-11-30 04:53 pm
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Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 7, part 1
Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!
Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.
Episode 7, up to 24:30
Summary
Shen Wei starts to get serious with the muggers, but just then Zhao Yunlan shows up and "rescues" him... only to be caught unawares with a metal bar. They go to Shen Wei's place for first aid and verbal sparring.
Zhao Yunlan asks Shen Wei to be an official consultant to the SID, and Shen Wei refuses. Zhao Yunlan accidentally implies he's been in Shen Wei's place before. The next day at the SID, Lin Jing is telling ghost stories when a call comes about a new case: one of the muggers is dead. When the SID review nearby CCTV footage, they don't see much, but rewinding to earlier reveals that Zhao Yunlan met up with Shen Wei in that alley. Zhao Yunlan unconvincingly laughs this off. The "bears" call: Zhu Hong grudgingly conveys a laptop to Shen Wei for a Zoom call with Zhao Yunlan and the others. After Shen Wei's extensive and illustrated lecture on different kinds of bears, Da Qing pipes up to suggest the attacker might be a Youchu; Shen Wei produces a relevant sketch. Zhao Yunlan, Lin Jing and Chu Shuzhi visit the surviving mugger in hospital; he's out of his wits, babbling about a monster. Lin Jing sees the crime scene photos and makes the connection with his favourite web novel.
Quote
Shen Wei: There are some questions that, out of principle, I cannot answer. But when the safety of people around me are at stake, I will surely not watch from the side and hide information from you. You can count on me for that.
Detail
The moment they're inside his apartment, Shen Wei
Questions
Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 7? Do you think Zhao Yunlan's arrival at the mugging was coincidence, or had he been tailing Shen Wei? Do you think Shen Wei had qualms about letting Zhao Yunlan take on the muggers? Shen Wei doesn't show any surprise at the job offer -- do you think he was expecting it? Which of them do you think was most turned on by the "first aid"? We didn't see Zhao Yunlan in Shen Wei's bedroom while searching the apartment -- did he? We now know Lin Jing and Da Qing read web novels; who else at the SID reads them? What do the others think is going on when they see Zhao Yunlan with Shen Wei in the CCTV footage? Did Zhu Hong volunteer to take the laptop to Shen Wei for the video call, or was she assigned to do it? Why a video call instead of Zhao Yunlan paying a visit? At the hospital, why is Chu Shuzhi so grumpy? Lin Jing draws a connection between the case and the web novel -- but how does Wang Zheng already know about this when she calls?
Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?
(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)
And here is our schedule -- if you can, please sign up to host a post!
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Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 7?
LINIMENT!! Every second of it, from the entrance to Shen Wei having a just-for-ZYL first aid kit to... all of it!!
Do you think Zhao Yunlan's arrival at the mugging was coincidence, or had he been tailing Shen Wei?
Tailing, but a bit too far behind. (And I think Shen Wei was well aware of it, too.)
Do you think Shen Wei had qualms about letting Zhao Yunlan take on the muggers?
I don't think he shows any sign of having qualms. I love that he even steps back for the iron bar, thing. He's sure ZYL can take care of himself, and if ZYL does get srsly hurt, Shen Wei will either take him to a hospital or (if urgent) give up his secret to heal him, with or without a mindwipe afterwards.
Shen Wei doesn't show any surprise at the job offer -- do you think he was expecting it?
I think he must have been expecting it sooner or later, with the regularity with which ZYL keeps coming around to consult with him.
Which of them do you think was most turned on by the "first aid"?
Shen Wei -- finally getting his hands back on Kunlun after all these years!!! (I think ZYL being off-balance and squirrelly about the break-in is half-distracting him. But only half. And maybe the pain is a bit distracting, too, but that goes away ~surprisingly quickly~.)ETA: I was being glib last night. Having slept on it, I think Shen Wei is probably a bit aroused by Zhao Yunlan's obvious arousal as well as the touching, but he's also distracted by the healing (how much concentration does it take to do that surreptitiously?) and more importantly, there's too many lies embedded in the situation to really do it for him: him having to pretend to be the rescued damsel, Zhao Yunlan pretending he hasn't broken in (and being very fidgety/squirrelly about it), and Shen Wei pretending he's not healing ZYL. Like, Shen Wei wants the genuine version of this, and while he might find himself turned on by the contact and stuff, I don't think it's 100% doing it for him.
Meanwhile, I think ZYL is very turned on, and that's contributing to his off-kilter squirrelliness. He knows something's up with Shen Wei, and he's in a potentially dangerous situation, but his body is on-board anyway. ;D (I forgot I'd written fic for this, ha. Holding Back (M-rated).)
Also, the way ZYL segues from "skilful hands" to "you academics are so smart" reminds me of CSZ and the Envoy: the Envoy makes overtures of friendship, and CSZ can't get past the status differential. With ZYL, he's always flattering SW for his big shiny academic brain. And Shen Wei's all, I'm trying to approach you as an equal!!
We didn't see Zhao Yunlan in Shen Wei's bedroom while searching the apartment -- did he?
I never thought about this before, but now I really want him to have shamelessly rifled through Shen Wei's bedside table and underwear drawer. (Shen Wei would be fine with it, after all, and DQ would just roll his eyes and make rude remarks about alley cats.)
We now know Lin Jing and Da Qing read web novels; who else at the SID reads them?
Everyone! I think CSZ reads epic historical romances, Zhu Hong reads contemporary martial arts, and Wang Zheng reads everything.
What do the others think is going on when they see Zhao Yunlan with Shen Wei in the CCTV footage?
Stalking/pining.
Did Zhu Hong volunteer to take the laptop to Shen Wei for the video call, or was she assigned to do it?
I can't decide. I think she doesn't trust SW *and* she's holding a grudge about the interrogation, but I don't know if that would make her want to scope him out at work (looking for cracks in his good-guy facade) or keep her distance.
At the hospital, why is Chu Shuzhi so grumpy?
Because he's no longer partnered with ZYL, and this time it isn't even GCC. Now it's Lin Jing?!?! Bottom of the barrel!!
Lin Jing draws a connection between the case and the web novel -- but how does Wang Zheng already know about this when she calls?
She reads everything. :-)
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Lolol! :D *two-days-later high-five* xD
"And I think Shen Wei was well aware of it, too."
Hah, yeah, I don't think anyone can tail Shen Wei without him being aware of it. :D
"Shen Wei -- finally getting his hands back on Kunlun after all these years!!!"
I know you took it back, but I'm grabbing it anyway for my personal argument that they are both equally turned on, hah. xD :D (I also do think that with the way this scene goes later, Zhao Yunlan gets momentarily distracted away from his arousal
which is probably a good thing because he needs to stand up, but then it switches right back on, as proven by him being in a really, really good mood in the morningand also tired at the hospital. :D)"He knows something's up with Shen Wei, and he's in a potentially dangerous situation, but his body is on-board anyway. ;D (I forgot I'd written fic for this, ha. Holding Back (M-rated).)"
A lot of the time these are the reasons why Zhao Yunlan's body is on-board, lmao. :D :D (Turns out I've had this fic saved for a while. ♡__♡ *EYES IT SOME MORE*)
"I never thought about this before, but now I really want him to have shamelessly rifled through Shen Wei's bedside table and underwear drawer. (Shen Wei would be fine with it, after all, and DQ would just roll his eyes and make rude remarks about alley cats.)"
LOL YESSSS, and I'm sure he did. :D :D (Even more so because this scene is the equivalent of breaking into Shen Wei's 'bedroom' in the novel, and the reason novel ZYL originally does that is because he's still partially blind and didn't see Shen Wei's underwear in the closet. xD) And now I want to hear Da Qing's commentary. xD
"Everyone! I think CSZ reads epic historical romances, Zhu Hong reads contemporary martial arts, and Wang Zheng reads everything."
Lol, I have no idea which genres they would read, but ITA that they all read web novels! :D (And unfortunately don't talk about them enough because Lin Jing was surprised by Da Qing. :P)
> > Lin Jing draws a connection between the case and the web novel -- but how does Wang Zheng already know about this when she calls?
"She reads everything. :-)"
:D :D :D This is my favorite explanation by far! :D
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Hee! Fair. Shen Wei is having A LOT of intense, capital-F feelings, either way, for sure, as evidenced by the pendant touching at the end. :D :D :D
A lot of the time these are the reasons why Zhao Yunlan's body is on-board, lmao. :D :D
Ha, you make a compelling point! :D I do have a habit of expecting TV characters to be more rational than they in fact prove to be. ;-p
Re the bedroom ransacking, I'm not sure I take the novel as evidence (the drama is its own thing, in my mind), but the fact that he blurts out about the window and then has to scramble for how he knows about it does strongly suggest that there's more to the break-in than we see. (I wonder where it fits into the scene, though.)
And now I want to hear Da Qing's commentary. xD
Haha, yes!
:D :D :D
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Asdfghfdjskljkl;; YES. ♡♡♡
"Re the bedroom ransacking, I'm not sure I take the novel as evidence (the drama is its own thing, in my mind), but the fact that he blurts out about the window and then has to scramble for how he knows about it does strongly suggest that there's more to the break-in than we see. (I wonder where it fits into the scene, though.)"
It absolutely does, otherwise what he said about the window wouldn't have alarmed either of them. :D (Ftr what I meant about the novel is not that the same thing happened, just that the drama often takes keywords and puts them in other contexts, so that's possibly where 'bedroom' came from. :))
Where IS Shen Wei's bedroom though? Do their apartments actually have the same layout? Because Zhao Yunlan's apartment kinda IS his bedroom (+ the couch area + kitchen), and there's no space for anything else other than the bathroom, right? But if they were sitting in/adjacent to Shen Wei's bedroom in this scene, then the conversation wouldn't make any sense. xD
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Oh right, good point!
I am 100% sure someone's made floor plans of their respective apartments, but I have no idea how to find them. Maybe Trobadora can dig them out when she has time to catch up. ;D
(There is a door in ZYL's flat next to the bathroom which I think leads to a kind of box room? Maybe that's officially a bedroom, but ZYL decided it was too much trouble to, idk, have an extra door in his life? ;D
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In case anyone else is confused too, here it is:
And btw now I'm freshly confused all over again - so the other door in the above screencap is the bathroom? I spent the entire time thinking that the bathroom was the room behind the bed, with a door somewhere in the kitchen, but now I see that it literally only has windows and no way to enter it from either side?? xD (Is it Da Qing's room, and he enters it through the windows?? :D)
And re: Shen Wei's apartment, for bts reasons I know that their apartments have the same layout, but I didn't know if it was true in-world. And now I see that in Shen Wei's apartment that other door is even easier to spot, so yep, they must have the same layout, and this is indeed where Shen Wei's bedroom is! :D
(I haven't found any floor plans, just lots of screencaps. But they're very comprehensive, so I feel like a plan is not necessary, though I would love to see it regardless. :D) (I miss
"ZYL decided it was too much trouble to, idk, have an extra door in his life? ;D"
So on brand tbh, lol! :D :D
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I'm so amused that there's a light on in ZYL's spare/junk room. I suspect it's just where he dumps stuff he doesn't want to have to deal with, but maybe he was looking for something and just... left the lamp on? LOL.
I spent the entire time thinking that the bathroom was the room behind the bed, with a door somewhere in the kitchen, but now I see that it literally only has windows and no way to enter it from either side?? xD (Is it Da Qing's room, and he enters it through the windows?? :D)
Oh, I thought that was a lightwell, rather than a room.
so yep, they must have the same layout, and this is indeed where Shen Wei's bedroom is! :D
\o/!!
So does that mean that Shen Wei's kitchen is behind the bookcases that DQ is investigating during the break-in?
So on brand tbh, lol! :D :D
LOL, right?!! He does most of his chief-ing from the couch in the main room of the SID; why wouldn't he do all his living in, essentially, his living room? ;D
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Not gonna use a nsfw icon in a sfw thread, lmao. xD :D :D"I'm so amused that there's a light on in ZYL's spare/junk room. I suspect it's just where he dumps stuff he doesn't want to have to deal with, but maybe he was looking for something and just... left the lamp on? LOL."
Lol, I didn't even notice that! I guess he's more concerned with his father's bullshit than with the light, and he's not someone who generally worries about bills. xD
And if he does, he can cut a bonus or two. xD"Oh, I thought that was a lightwell, rather than a room."
That makes so much sense, and I didn't consider it at all! Yep, it probably is, though now I'm into the idea of Da Qing having his own cat-accessible room, hee. :D
"So does that mean that Shen Wei's kitchen is behind the bookcases that DQ is investigating during the break-in?"
I'm still not 100% clear on anything in Shen Wei's apartment, lol, but the bookcases seem to be on the opposite end of the room, right by the extra door, and to the left from the window nook.
(Drowning in helpful screencaps. :D :D I didn't take any of them, they're all from dragoncityinteriordesign.)
"LOL, right?!! He does most of his chief-ing from the couch in the main room of the SID; why wouldn't he do all his living in, essentially, his living room? ;D"
Hahah, yes! xD :D Just plonk down in the middle and surround himself with everything he needs, there's no need to switch rooms. :D
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When he gets there with his dad/Zhang Shi, he just sulkily slouches down on the couch, so the light must have been on for ages... (Ha, yes, I don't think he wastes brainspace worrying about bills at all.)
though now I'm into the idea of Da Qing having his own cat-accessible room, hee. :D
Hee! :D :D :D
but the bookcases seem to be on the opposite end of the room, right by the extra door, and to the left from the window nook.
Hee, that means that Shen Wei has a huge bookshelf in the same spot where ZYL has his TV. *hearts* Anyway, that makes more sense with ZYL's gesture when he mentions the library/archive. :D
Ohh, hey, given Shen Wei has a balcony, maybe the "lightwell" is actually a balcony too. Except then we're back where we started, with no way to access it...
Thanks for the caps! <3
:D :D :D :D :D
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Oh, I didn't rewatch the scene, so I didn't know it was on before he came in. Zhao Yunlan whyyy. xD (I'd say maybe Da Qing was using the room, but idk how long it's been since he was there either. But hey, Da Qing in his cat form can't easily turn off the light, so at least that would make sense. xD)
"Hee, that means that Shen Wei has a huge bookshelf in the same spot where ZYL has his TV. *hearts* Anyway, that makes more sense with ZYL's gesture when he mentions the library/archive. :D"
Hee, AWW, this is weirdly adorable. :D :D And yessss, he is pointing directly towards the bedroom, I didn't catch that until you said it! :D
"Ohh, hey, given Shen Wei has a balcony, maybe the "lightwell" is actually a balcony too. Except then we're back where we started, with no way to access it..."
Ooooh!! Both of them have the lightwell (whatever it actually is, lol), so that's probably not it, BUT the balcony is behind the window nook (as we can see when they're hiding from SW) and there's no way to access it from there either, so I just realized that the door to the balcony has to be in the bedroom, and that means we did see ZYL and DQ in SW's bedroom! :D And then I looked it up and I'm not the first person to realize that, hah. :D (Except that the window they're hiding behind is slightly different, so it would have to be the bedroom window/balcony door, but Shen Wei can see it from the doorway. But that's a tiny enough inconsistency that it can be ignored. :D)
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But hey, Da Qing in his cat form can't easily turn off the light, so at least that would make sense. xD
Maybe DQ likes leaving it on and the windows open, so there'll be lots of moths to chase. :D
And yessss, he is pointing directly towards the bedroom, I didn't catch that until you said it! :D
:D :D :D
so I just realized that the door to the balcony has to be in the bedroom, and that means we did see ZYL and DQ in SW's bedroom! :D
Ha, brilliant! (That is very strange apartment layout! Why would you have a balcony you can only access through the bedroom?? Weird.) And SW catching them in his bedroom is so much more loaded than just ~in the apartment generally~. \o/
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Hee! Excellent reasoning! Also, see
but Shen Wei can see it from the doorway.
Oh, you're right! And there's a shot from outside looking in at Shen Wei, but there's definitely no balcony opposite the front door in Shen Wei's flat ... I guess it's just an inconsistency for drama's sake.
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Ooh, YES! Great point! :D :D :D
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LOLOLOL!
Oh, I thought that was a lightwell, rather than a room.
I think the building just has weird corners.
So does that mean that Shen Wei's kitchen is behind the bookcases that DQ is investigating during the break-in?
SW has bookcases a) against the wall to the second room, and b) against the wall to the corridor. There might be a kitchen nook in the same place where ZYL's kitchen is? Behind those glass sliding doors, the entire outside wall is glass too and there's a shelf on the wall to the right, but there might be a cooking nook on the left? (My headcanon, because I think there has to be SOMETHING SOMEWHERE, and that's the only place unless his kitchen is in his bedroom, LOL.
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It's the bathroom, yes - right to the left as you enter the flat. The corner you took for another room is really just a weird corner of the building - the windows just lead outside, as far as I can tell.
I miss
*clings right back*
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My headcanon is that ZYL just put all his boxes into the second room when he moved in, intending to eventually unpack them and move the bed to make it a bedroom, but he got used to things as they were, and also, years later, he doesn't feel like actually unpacking those boxes. So they're still taking up space in there where the bed should have gone. *g*
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I love your headcanon. That sounds 100% right. *noogies him lovingly* (I bet some of the boxes have some of his mum's stuff in them, and that's part of why he can't bring himself to go through them.)
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Though really, old boxes are reason enough on their own. I for sure have some that I haven't opened in 20 years ... *g*
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Yes, they do! The furniture is arranged very differently, ZYL's bed is in his living room, and SW apparently doesn't have a kitchen, but he does use his bedroom as a bedroom. *g* (My headcanon is that there's a small kitchen nook behind the sliding glass in SW's flat, smaller than ZYL's kitchen.) And you've already found ZYL's second room that we never actually go into. *g*
Here is
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Do you think he'd have dealt differently with the muggers otherwise? And do you think he took ZYL's presence in account when he decided to handle the would-be pendant thief?
Like, Shen Wei wants the genuine version of this, and while he might find himself turned on by the contact and stuff, I don't think it's 100% doing it for him.
Meanwhile, I think ZYL is very turned on, and that's contributing to his off-kilter squirrelliness. He knows something's up with Shen Wei, and he's in a potentially dangerous situation, but his body is on-board anyway. ;D
Ooh, yes, all this! I especially love how you put that, ZYL's body being on board. :D
Also, the way ZYL segues from "skilful hands" to "you academics are so smart" reminds me of CSZ and the Envoy: the Envoy makes overtures of friendship, and CSZ can't get past the status differential. With ZYL, he's always flattering SW for his big shiny academic brain. And Shen Wei's all, I'm trying to approach you as an equal!!
Ooh, what a neat parallel! I completely see what you mean, yes!
I never thought about this before, but now I really want him to have shamelessly rifled through Shen Wei's bedside table and underwear drawer. (Shen Wei would be fine with it, after all, and DQ would just roll his eyes and make rude remarks about alley cats.)
LOLOLOL!
Everyone! I think CSZ reads epic historical romances, Zhu Hong reads contemporary martial arts, and Wang Zheng reads everything.
Yeah, totally! Do you think Zhao Yunlan reads webnovels too?
I can't decide. I think she doesn't trust SW *and* she's holding a grudge about the interrogation, but I don't know if that would make her want to scope him out at work (looking for cracks in his good-guy facade) or keep her distance.
I think overall it was ZYL's idea, but she might have volunteered to be the one to go, because of those reasons?
Because he's no longer partnered with ZYL, and this time it isn't even GCC. Now it's Lin Jing?!?! Bottom of the barrel!!
Awwww! :D
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Ha, I'd forgotten I'd said that. ZYL's body might be on board, but he's still running for the door, so... (I like that. I enjoy the conflicted feelings - delicious, delicious tension. :D)
> Yeah, totally! Do you think Zhao Yunlan reads webnovels too?
Ooh, idk. I think he has some manga series he follows (mostly for nostalgic reasons; they remind him of his childhood when his mum was still around), but I don't know about webnovels. He might be too lazy. ;-D
> I think overall it was ZYL's idea, but she might have volunteered to be the one to go, because of those reasons?
Hm, interesting. Why did ZYL opt for that, rather than an in-person visit? Do you think he's deliberately keeping physical distance?
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Yes, that's why it's such a good description! His body, his heart and his mind are all in different places, and it's so much fun!
He might be too lazy. ;-D
Haha, yeah, I could see him as someone who looks at it that way!
(Every other media takes more effort for me than reading, but I expect Zhao Yunlan is not like me in that. *g*)
Why did ZYL opt for that, rather than an in-person visit? Do you think he's deliberately keeping physical distance?
Yeah, I think it's deliberate, but I'm not 100% sure about his reasons. Post-ointment, post-being-caught-on-surveillance-camera awkwardness? Not wanting to give his team more fodder? Idk.
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And yet he goes over to gratuitously debrief once the case is closed...