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In this episode, the SID investigates a disappearance linked to mirrors, and our two lovebirds celebrate the first case where Zhao Yunlan consults Shen Wei without being suspicious of him.
Late Night Office Hours
Shen Wei's conversation with the Flower Tribe Yashouren is interrupted by the sight of Zhao Yunlan riding by in a motorcycle. Because late nights are the perfect time to visit professors at their universities.
In yet another hilarious double identity stunt, Shen Wei teleports to his office, pretending he's been working there all along.
Shen Wei teases Zhao Yunlan, saying this is the first case where he's being consulted without being a suspect.
Zhao Yunlan retaliates with flirty puppy dog eyes. "But you don't mind, right?"
Shen Wei earnestly reviews the facts.
Zhao Yunlan is both impressed and super into it. And you can kind of see him channeling his thirst into that lollipop more and more as the scene goes on.
The two of them being competent together is my bulletproof kink, so I absolutely love this scene with the two of them saying out loud the same conclusion at the same time. It's the mirror!
Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are both quite pleased (and possibly giddy) that their opinions align as well.
The Case's Conclusion
With the help of sepia-toned flashback!Shen Wei, who is looking even prettier than usual, Zhao Yunlan unlocks the key to opening the mirror world. I choose to believe flashback!Shen Wei is prettier looking because it's Zhao Yunlan remembering him.
As usual, the Black-Cloaked Envoy swoops in when things start going south.
Zhao Yunlan and the Envoy share similar reactions to having to take Zhou Weiwei away.
Afterwards at the SID, the Black-Cloaked Envoy says possibly more words than he ever did in all his combined encounters with the previous SID chief. There's more openness and trust here, with the two of them talking it out at the end of a difficult resolution to a case.
Shen Wei belatedly realizes he's said too much, maybe been a bit too revealing about his own thoughts, and ducks his head. Zhao Yunlan also looks a bit shook.
The Girlfriend Jacket (TM)
Yes, this deserves its own heading.
This was just a throwaway line in this episode where Zhao Yunlan goes through pictures of Zhou Weiwei and Ji Xiaobai, and off-handedly asks: "Where did you buy this jacket? I'd like to get one for my girlfriend."
But looking ahead to Episode 15...
Zhao Yunlan Goes Stalker
Now that they have a bit of downtime, Da Qing starts poking at Zhao Yunlan about Shen Wei.
Somebody's attitude towards Dixingren has taken a 180 turn since he met Shen Wei, and the cat has noticed.
"Let's do a more thorough investigation on this guy before you go and bone him." - Da Qing doesn't say this explicitly but you know it's what he was thinking.
So the two of them go and snoop around in Shen Wei's apartment. I love the little touch with the old-fashioned calligraphy.
Just as they find the folder of SID personnel files in Shen Wei's apartment, Shen Wei comes home.
Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing sneak onto the balcony, while Shen Wei walks in. He allows himself a sneaky smile at the end when he figures out it's them.
Because of the suspicious folder, Zhao Yunlan requests information about Shen Wei from the smoke man in the incense burner, and also sends Lao Chu to gift Shen Wei with a surveillance camera masquerading as an award.
What follows is a hysterical scene where both Shen Wei and Lao Chu try to pretend this isn't the tackiest thing they've ever seen.
Back at the SID, Zhao Yunlan is suddenly reminded of the Black-Cloaked Envoy while watching Lao Chu interact with Shen Wei. Da Qing takes this opportunity to tease Zhao Yunlan, yelling to the Black-Cloaked Envoy that Zhao Yunlan is thinking of him/missing him (想你).
Zhao Yunlan kicks him off the desk and continues to watch Shen Wei.
Of course, why settle for watching Shen Wei on a tiny screen when you can go hit him up at the university during your spare time instead? Here we see Shen Wei being unhappy that Li Qian quit university, and while he's being very earnest and emotional about her, Zhao Yunlan swings by and watches him.
Poor bb Shen Wei is so invested and protective of her, I think she must have been his first grad student.
Noticing Zhao Yunlan there, and seeing that he's not going to be able to convince them to let Li Qian back, he leaves with Zhao Yunlan. More synchronized walking as they chat!
Zhao Yunlan tries to comfort Shen Wei, telling him he can't take the world on his shoulders. None of this breaks their synchronization.
Much like their long walk in the park in Episode 4, this chat is a nice heart-to-heart between the two of them, just two friends talking. And the synchronization is not only impressive from how perfect it is, but how long it lasts too. You could ask me to do this on purpose with another person, and I'd need practice to get that rhythm right.
And thus ends this episode! (The mugging I'll save for the next episode, since it's split between the two episodes.) I didn't remember much about the mirror girl case aside from how sadly it ended, but I'm really surprised at the amount of shippiness they put into an episode where most of their interactions consisted of three long chats (one business, one between Envoy & Zhao Yunlan, one personal). I'm really glad I got the chance to re-watch this episode in detail!
[ Episode Five ] [ Masterpost ] [ Episode Seven ]
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