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I've written a couple of the missing interviews with Zhao Xinci during his loyalty test in episode 16. :-)


Title: Surface Tension (1540 words) by china_shop [General Audiences]
Characters: Zhao Xinci | Zhao Yunlan's Father, Zhang Shi, Chu Shuzhi
Additional Tags: Episode 16, Missing Scene, loyalty test, Secret Identity, Anti-Dixing Bigotry, Zhao Xinci’s A+ Parenting, Summary:

In Zhao Xinci’s day, he’d never have countenanced one of Them on his team. When races mingled, discord and divided loyalties were inevitable. But of course Yunlan thought he knew better, was apparently willing to bet Haixing’s security on the strength of the Dixing Envoy’s judgement and so set in place the perfect conditions for his own downfall. Zhao Xinci’s hand clenched on his tea mug, unthinkingly borrowing some of his stowaway’s strength.

Careful, murmured Zhang Shi, you’ll break it and give us away.

Title: Cold Blood, Hot heart (1238 words) by china_shop [General Audiences]
Characters: Zhu Hong, Zhao Xinci | Zhao Yunlan's Father
Additional Tags: Episode 16, Missing Scene, loyalty test, Zhu Hong’s crush on Zhao Yunlan, Zhao Xinci’s A+ Parenting, Summary:

Zhu Hong was not a shrinking violet. The only way she knew to cope with conflict was to barge into it. So she knocked and entered without waiting for an invitation, all fired up to give Zhao Yunlan’s father a piece of her mind.

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 19, up to 20:18

Summary
Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng are taking Ye Huo's proteges to safety when Zhu Jiu ambushes them. He puts Chu Shuzhi out of action and claims responsibility/credit for Bo Bi's brother's death. Ye Huo arrives and fights Zhu Jiu. Between Ye Huo and Chu Shuzhi (now back online), they get the upper hand, but Zhu Jiu explodes the fight club prize belt, knocking everyone out.

At the SID, despite knowing all the reasons not to, Zhao Yunlan contemplates using the Hallows to find Zhu Jiu. The Awl activates, and he takes it as a sign. It gives him a vision of being in a freezing lab where Guo Changcheng, Chu Shuzhi and Ye Huo are laid out on guernies, frozen and possibly dead; Chu Shuzhi wakes up and starts choking Zhao Yunlan while laughing maniacally. The nose bleed scene! Shen Wei is furious to find Zhao Yunlan unconscious again! The SID receives a ransom demand from Zhu Jiu: he wants the Hallows in exchange for the hostages.

In the lab, Ye Huo is badly hurt. Changcheng defies Zhu Jiu to insist on giving Ye Huo first aid. Chu Shuzhi distracts before Zhu Jiu can kill Changcheng. Meanwhile, Shen Wei and Zhu Hong head to the Snake village together; on the way, they talk about Zhu Hong's crush on Zhao Yunlan and the science of love.



Quote
Shen Wei: I don't know too much about love. But based on the aspect of bioengineering, at least three days, at most three years, dopamine and norepinephrine will stop secreting. Maybe at that time, you won't have any affection toward him anymore.

Detail
Zhao Yunlan's previous visions have just been flashes of the past or future; this is the first one where he's entered the vision himself and interacted with it. He even shields his eyes against the glare. Is this a symptom of dark energy corruption, the Awl trying to be helpful, or something else?

Questions
Do you have a favourite scene or line of dialogue from this half episode? (If it's the nosebleed scene, do you have a second favourite as well? ;-) How much better would Chu Shuzhi's day have gone if Guo Changcheng had just done what he was told? Which part of the fight did you enjoy the most (Chu Shuzhi vs Zhu Jiu, Ye Huo vs Zhu Jiu, etc)? Why does Zhao Yunlan persist in hoping that touching the Hallows will be at all helpful? What are the best things about the nosebleed scene, for you? What does Zhu Hong think about Shen Wei being the one to go and talk to Fourth Uncle? On a scale of 1 to 10,000, how brave is Guo Changcheng? Any thoughts about Zhu Hong and Shen Wei's conversation about love?

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!)

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