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china_shop
Here's the scene from the book (vol. 2, ch 12-13).
At the words “Crow tribe,” Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei both stopped dead in their tracks.
At the same moment, a painfully hoarse voice rang out and interrupted Fourth Uncle. “Hold it!” Some note in that voice sounded inexplicably ominous.
Shen Wei pulled Zhao Yunlan behind him, gaze growing cold. A line of short, unremarkable-looking people in black robes stood in a neat row across the entrance to the Yao Market. Every one of them had pitch-black wings on their backs.
The Crow tribe had arrived.
“SHEN WEI!” Zhao Yunlan grabbed Shen Wei’s wrist. Even blind, there was no missing the piercing-cold killing intent that was suddenly radiating from him.
When Shen Wei spoke, his voice held no trace of his usual refinement. Instead, it was dark and ominous. “How dare the Crow tribe harm you? Wretched, ungrateful things! Even death by a thousand cuts or their total extinction could never make up for—”
Every syllable dripped with bloodlust, but his seething was broken off when Zhao Yunlan wrapped both arms around him. Instinctively, Shen Wei began to struggle fiercely, but then inspiration struck Zhao Yunlan.
“Xiao-Wei!” he exclaimed. Shen Wei went utterly still in his arms.
After a moment, Shen Wei turned and gave Zhao Yunlan a disbelieving look. Voice trembling, he said, “Wh-what did you call me…?”
“Shhh. Listen to me. Don’t move.” Zhao Yunlan closed his eyes and opened his Heavenly Eye. His perception through it had become a bit blurry, overwhelmed by the Yao Market surrounding them. He tugged Shen Wei slightly back, and the two of them blended into the crowd of yao.
( Context. )
I think this scene is a fascinating illustration of the differences between the Weilan relationships in the novel and the drama. (I'm only halfway through the novel, so please do feel free to correct my takes! And for the drama, too, of course.)
My reading of the novel version is that, when faced with the Crow that caused Zhao Yunlan's blindness, Shen Wei is overwhelmed with rage and darkness. This could be read as losing control and his "true" or base nature rising to the fore. His "bloodlust" rises, and he's going to commit murder out of vengeance.
Compare this to the drama, where Shen Wei is furious, sure, but mostly because Ya Qing is working with Ye Zun to threaten the peace. He uses his energy to fling Zhu Hong across the clearing, trusting Zhao Yunlan, even while blind, to catch her. And then he explicitly passes judgement on Ya Qing as the stern Envoy (despite Ya Qing being outside his jurisdiction), not personally. He's protecting Zhu Hong (a proxy for the SID?) and the world, rather than Zhao Yunlan explicitly.
( Continued... )
Thoughts? Preferences? What have I misinterpreted? How do you feel about the drama adaptation of this scene? (Does it come down to "prefers politics" vs "prefers violently protective relationships"? *g*)
Note: I also posted a few scrappy quotes and notes from the Li Qian case in the novel.
