[ Episode Nineteen ] [ Masterpost ] [ Episode Twenty-One ]
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A new villain appears as they conclude Zhu Jiu's arc. Featuring team dinners, knee touching, and hand-holding.
Rescuing Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng
The episode opens with this snazzy entrance to the SID. I love the complete lack of personal space when Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan first entered the frame.
Zhu Jiu is hurt too badly to answer to interrogations, so they re-watch his hostage video to look for more clues.
Watch Shen Wei's eyes closely when the close-up is on him and Zhao Yunlan is talking. That little once-over / eye movement!
Thanks to Sang Zan, the team spots a clue that they can use to track down Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng's location.
Another dramatic entrance, Zhao Yunlan right on Shen Wei's heels.
Who needs words when you have such tacit understandings with each other?
Shen Wei heals Ye Huo and Guo Changcheng, but Guo Changcheng still remains unconscious... because he fainted from hunger.
Time for a celebratory team dinner!
Zhao Yunlan scolds his team for eating before their Chief has even said a word. Troll!Shen Wei comes out to play and asks for a speech from Zhao Yunlan. SO MUCH SMILING from the both of them.
Zhao Yunlan gives up on the speech and tells the team to just go ahead and eat. Meanwhile, he takes this opportunity to have a private conversation with Shen Wei. All these close-ups amidst a big group scene really emphasize on how these two sometimes just enter a world of their own.
Da Qing calls them out on whispering sweet nothings to each other and ignoring the rest of the team. Zhao Yunlan turns around and tells him that Shen Wei will explain what they've been talking about, in a blatant attempt to get Shen Wei back for forcing him into a speech earlier.
Shen Wei then turns that around and announces that Chief Zhao will buy the team as much food as they want.
Zhao Yunlan: Touché.
The dinner ends when Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are called away to the Haixing Supervisory Department.
Zhu Jiu's Escape
In a very auspicious sign, Zhao Yunlan hears a creepy a voice in his head before getting in the car.
Shen Wei brings up the topic of Zhu Hong's unrequited feelings for Zhao Yunlan, and he very matter-of-factly responds that she's not in his heart. The complete lack of jealousy on Shen Wei's part and the steadiness of Zhao Yunlan's response shows just how much they trust each other. They're more concerned about Zhu Hong's welfare than they are about any potential threat to their relationship.
Zhao Yunlan starts having strange flashes/visions again.
Shen Wei there to steady Zhao Yunlan when he wakes up from a nightmare of Zhu Jiu escaping and grabbing the Hallows.
Zhao Yunlan tells Shen Wei to go handle the bureaucrats while he tries to prevent the Hallows from being stolen.
A reassuring kneepat before leaving.
A New Villain Appears
As they really should have expected when they left Guo Changcheng in charge of supervising a prisoner, Zhu Jiu escapes. Although he doesn't end up with the Hallows because Zhao Yunlan's vision warned them in time.
Unfortunately for Zhu Jiu, he doesn't end up escaping, and instead is eaten in order for his real boss to manifest behind him.
He introduces himself as Ye Zun, and he is incredibly extra.
Zhao Yunlan, being his usual disrespectful self towards powerful Dixingren wearing masks, asks this guy to take his mask off.
"As a big-shot villain, why are you trying to imitate my/our Black-Cloaked Envoy?"
That's a very possessive tone you're taking with the Envoy there, Zhao Yunlan.
Meanwhile, right before his meeting, Shen Wei's "Zhao Yunlan is in danger" radar goes off. (Or I guess more likely, he senses Ye Zun's presence.)
Shen Wei arrives just in time for the big damned hero moment, saving Zhao Yunlan and Zhu Hong and driving off their enemies.
And here we get the only canonical instance of hand-holding, but what a lovely "Please be okay please be okay" moment.
I basically cut out everything but the close-ups on the hands (prying away the longevity dial and then clutching Zhao Yunlan) because it is a LOT.
Zhao Yunlan smiles and wakes up. Shen Wei's smile in response is brighter than the sun.
And we end the episode here in this happy moment where surely everything is going to be okay.
...
Just kidding. This is a c-drama. The episode ends on a distraught Zhao Yunlan discovering that he has lost his eyesight.
[ Episode Nineteen ] [ Masterpost ] [ Episode Twenty-One ]
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