Episode 29: This scene encapsulates why I love Shang and Sai'er perfectly.
They are both quite rude and fierce as individuals in general. The way they treat each other is rough and abrupt. Neither of them changed when they started spending time with each other - but the fact that they had someone who accepted that about the other, allows them to reveal that those characteristic traits are nowhere near as one-dimensional, as most actors portray in an oversimplified way.
Every feminine hygiene commercial ever: • Joyfully leaping off of the stairs. • Trailing your hand through flowers. • Chasing butterflies. • Laughing. • Spinning in delight. • Wearing white. • Declaring "My body feels so light."
Room-mates and AI levels of the Game targeting their Specific Emotional Addictions (Post Episode 6)
I am worried about both the room-mates. It was pretty obvious to me from the get go that when Doudou (the injured room-mate) entered the game she would become addicted to it, as she wouldn't be using crutches in the game.
The first room-mate is addicted to being a victim. It is pretty obvious the game is using her role as the Toxic Handmaiden to convert her into a Sleeping Monster and then claim her as a Converted Monster. The announcement when she came out of the coffin (Episode 6) was super-ominous, "The evil spirit has been determined." Not "defeated", "determined". This highlights both that while she was in the coffin she had decided that the FL has abandoned and betrayed her and was thus an “evil spirit” and that while she was in the coffin the game had successfully transformed her into a Sleeping Monster. The way the camera did close-ups of both of them was pretty poignant.
The last room-mate (I assume she is joining at some point) is pretty clearly addicted to attention through her social media platforms, which in this game might get her killed super fast.
27 Lessons in Subtle Flirtation with Shi Yan [Only For Love] [Medium-ish Length]
Vote for Your Favourites. (Mine are: 1, 4, 6, 10, 13, 17 & 18)
1. His response of “That’s not that difficult” to Shuyi’s declaration of “If I could have this kind of food everytime I wake up, I would be so blessed,” while eating several dishes she is unaware he cooked himself. Did he..did he just offer to make her breakfast every morning? (Episode 11)
2. “If I take a step further with you, what benefit does that offer?” (Episode 6)
3. Honestly, the way he stared directly at her while walking onto the stage reminded me of Paul Walker’s “Stare and Drive” move from Fast and Furious (I may or may not have been influenced by the entrance music playing in the background as “macho CEO Mr. Shi” entered the conference hall.) (Episode 8)
4. Updating the description on a photo Shuyi liked and then unliked on his WeChat account to be: “The flower path has never been visited by anyone. Now the gates are open for you.” (Episode 16) - - - Fans self - - - Um, sir - I don’t think it is appropriate to post such things on a public platform
5. What are you looking at?” “You” (Episode 10)
6. “Not bad…your logic flows smoothly” in response to Shuyi telling him he wanted to see her, because he requested 3 draft revisions. (Episode 6)
7. Telling her it will rain at 8 o’clock tonight, spring-boarding off of her weather-centric flirty texts from Episode 6. (Episode 9)
8. His monosyllabic motivational speech of “Zheng Shuyi, Head up” after she hides in the bathroom to avoid running into her ex-boyfriend. (Episode 14)
9. When Shuyi responds that she will come pick up the clothing from her shopping trip (aka visit him) to his query of if she has been busy making desserts (aka seeing other men), he decides to cook dinner for her - which we later learn is something his father does for the family every night, despite the family’s wealth and obvious tight schedules.
Basically, in the mentality and tradition of his family, this is a hard provider and husband move. (Episode 11) His father immediately recognizes the significance of this gesture when his grand-daughter tells him that her “Uncle says he’s already cooking. He won’t be coming back.” He promptly asks his granddaughter for the phone and asks his son about the rumor he has heard about him seeing an actress.
10. Shi Yan turning to Shuyi to check with her, when Uncle Guan asks “Any plans for later?” (Couple Mode activated) (Episode 12)
11. Responding “The red one,” to Shuyi’s text “Which outfit looks nice on me?” and photo of outfit options, when there was not a red outfit. It was a nice call back to her in the riding outfit from Episode 3 and proof that he has been paying attention all along. (Episode 10)
12. “It’s New Year’s Eve today (aka liminal threshold) After tonight, you can ask me whatever you want.”(aka the rules that apply to everyone else won’t be relevant anymore, because you will have a different status than them) (Episode 18)
13. Telling her there was “No need to change.” That he liked her and was developing feelings for her the way she was. (Episode 10)
14. “Confirming the media list and sending out the press invitations is not my job.” To soothe her concerns about Xu Yuling (aka ‘I choose you. This was a miscommunication. Don’t doubt your worth.’) and to let her know that he had put extra effort into personally arranging to have a seat at his company’s conference reserved for her. The only other seat that was reserved aside from those for the board. (Episode 8)
15. “You…take your time.” when she told him “I haven’t decided yet.” about his question as to what her future plans were and if he was included in them. (Episode 16) (Swoon)
16. Leaning over the car’s arm-rest and asking “Is it clearer now?”, so Shuyi can get a better look at his face when she says “It’s not clear to me who you really are.” (Episode 11)
17. Publicly declaring what she has permitted to be declared and nothing else.
• Holding her hand as he walks through the fore-entrance to his office (Episode 16), which she gave him permission to do twice during their business trip to Ancheng (Episode 15)
• Telling others they are/were on a business trip together. Immediately after she informs Shanshan that she is on a business trip with Shi Yan, he awkwardly and forcefully works the topic into his very next phone call “I’m on a business trip with Miss Zheng. She’s sitting right next to me.” (Episode 14) to let her know they are on the same page. He later mentions it again to Yu You “When I went to Zhanlan with her, we discussed this issue.” (Episode 17)
Honestly, this is such a gentleman move. He wants her to be his, but he isn’t taking more than she is permitting.
18. After bribing her with an interview with her idol (Uncle Guan) to return from her business trip, he asks her “Will you come home now?” (Episode 12)
19. Organizing all the fortune sticks with an auspicious fortune into one jar, so she will receive pleasant blessings. (Episode 15)
20. Telling his friend over the phone “I think her acting skills are just average. The one in my car right now is a much better actress.” to let her know he is over his ex-girlfriend and willing to let his inner circle know he is pursuing her. (Episode 10)
21. “What we eat isn’t important.” When Shuyi asks him what he wants to eat when she offers to treat him to a meal, as a thank you for arranging an interview with Uncle Guan. (Episode 13)
22. Suggesting they take a walk after dinner, because he remembers she wanted to take a walk with him on Uncle Guan’s horse farm. (Episode 16 & 12)
23. “Weren’t you asking for marriage?” (Episode 17) Both inquiring about the status of her other dating relationship and indicating he is on-board for a commitment by asking “Weren’t you asking for marriage?” in response to her telling him the fortune she had drawn at the temple they visited together had brought her luck in something she had been pursuing for a long time.
24. Offering her his arm before they enter the family banquet (Episode 10)
25. Remembering she likes lemon water on her second trip to his house. (Episode 6 & 4)
26. Cheekily thanked her for her “proactive gesture” of offering to treat him to a meal, after overhearing her phone call with her mother. (Episode 16)
27. Remembering she asked for help with her belt the first time she visited the horse farm. (Episode 18 & 3)
Choosing a Partner Like a Venture Capitalist with Shi Yan [Long] [Analysis]
At first glance Shi Yan and Zheng Shuyi appear completely mismatched for each other. He is taciturn, solemn, methodic, “unreasonable and annoying little elf” (Episode 8),who is “like a cow” (Episode 14) and “should grow old alone” (Episode 10). Zheng Shuyi is expressive, dynamic, aggressively provocative, flippant and quite outrageous. So how on earth did this man fall head over heels with her?
Initial Interest
Shuyi has actually been on his radar for a while. He read her article “Zhu Xing Guo on the Currency War” a while ago and it left a deep impression on him - the scope and depth of understanding she has in the financial field.
Then in the first episode we see him choosing her as his interviewer, because of the elevated quality of her outline and the introspective nature of her questions that would actually allow a true reflection of Cloud Innovation’s philosophy and aims to the readers. He also indicated that her interview style resonated with his views that an interview should be “an enlightening conversation and reflection”.
On the drive to the horse farm (Episode 3) and her visit to his home to pick up her “dowry” (Episode 4), he is genuinely shocked and impressed that she is able to weed through all the glamour and veneer of gossip and official press releases to infer what his motives and thought processes are, as well as deducing what the actual situation in the market is vs. the reported situation in the market.
And while she relentlessly pushes and prods her way onto the farm he tolerates her invasive nonsense and enthusiasm, because he can see she means no harm and is just excited. Contrast this with Yuling’s behavior when she manages to get on the horse farm. She eavesdrops on a personal conversation in hope of gleaning some insider information (Episode 5). (While Shi Yan is not present during this scene, he has doubtless met dozen others like her.)
Shared Values
In these early interactions, she essentially reveals to him that they share several of the same foundational values. Discernment. Discretion. Faithfulness. Work ethic. Commitment to follow through no matter the difficulty. Dismissal and devaluation of hearsay. She also has a deep understanding of financial current events and market trends, and understands the mindset and perspective of risk management in regards to investment.
While he does find her amusing, the truth is he would not tolerate her nonsense and allow himself this amusement if not for her integrity, business acumen, strong work ethic and sound judgment to provide a counter-balance to her particular brand of over-the-top, zany, provocative nonsense. Also, despite her behavior, he does not overly worry about her ridiculous nature, because it is grounded in shared values. Even if he is uncertain as to if he can trust her, he knows he can trust those values.
The matter of shared values is central to his attraction to her and only grows throughout the entire series.
There is a recurring theme that she does something, he misunderstands her motivations and is even somewhat offended and then later finds out she actually did that thing because of a standard or principle which he is whole-heartedly aligned with.
In Episode 13 she turns down numerous interview opportunities, including one Shi Yan arranged for her, because while they would have helped her career, they would have distracted her from where she wanted to put her passion, focus and effort - that is exploring the mechanical safety of Zhanlan’s car batteries.
And while this initially frustrated him, he ultimately understood it. She did not want what others had defined as success, even if it was handed to her. She had a vision of how she wanted to contribute to society and was unrelenting and undistractible in her pursuit of it. That laser-focus vision while going after what she valued and not being satisfied with other’s definitions of success and what she should want - well, that sounds a bit like someone else’s story, doesn’t it?
In Episode 1, he sees her response to his attempting to offer her a ride when she is stuck in the rain, which at first glance may feel like it worked to her detriment, but in the long-run revealed two things to him:
First, she has a backbone. It honestly doesn't even matter what she has a backbone about. When a person puts a resolute “No” around a certain type of behavior, it reveals that they, no matter how silly or frivolous they appear, have actions they simply will not permit and values they will not compromise on.
Secondly, the fact that the item she stood firm on was faithfulness and her absolute intolerance to even allow the potential advances of another man to enter her purview, when she is in a relationship didn’t hurt. (This also explains why later on, despite his abundant jealousy over it, Shi Yan “tolerates” [on a relative scale] her allowing the advances of multiple men [Cafe worker with the tarts in (Episode 14), Yu You, getting Ho Be Ming’s number while attending Shi Yan’s 1st Annual Press Conference (Episode 9), the secret date he deduced she was having at the cinema (Episode 13)]. He is aware they are not official yet, but he is also confident that should they become official she would shut that nonsense down in a heartbeat.)
In Episode 12 he learns he completely misunderstood her motivations of dining and dashing on him in Episode 11 (she had received a last-minute work assignment that required she travel the next morning) and needing the clothes from her shopping trip so urgently (she wanted to return the clothing, so she could reimburse Shi Yue).
In Episode 6, he is amused to discover she genuinely flirted her way into his house at night using revising her article as an excuse to actually revise the article and get his feedback, so that the draft would meet his requirements.
This pattern is so well established that he begins to operate on blind trust with her - he begins to assume her surface actions do not reflect what is going on under the hood and that she ultimately has not only the best intentions, but intentions that align with what he values and eventually with his interests.
He stops assuming she is flirting because she is a flirt or has ulterior motives and just accepts the pieces of theater she performs and coquettishness as just a part of herself that she feels comfortable sharing with him.
In Episode 15 she informs him, she does not ask, just tells him she is gate-crashing his meeting with Zhanlan. Despite the sheer audacity of this statement and intention, it does not even garner an eyebrow quirk from him, because he has learned to trust the values that guide her actions and the ultimate goals she is working toward through her actions.
This is even further demonstrated at the conclusion of the meeting, when Zhanlan’s CEO got in one final parting shot at Shi Yan. Shuyi whirls around and starts speaking FOR Shi Yan. She tells the CEO exactly what Shi Yan is going to do and exactly what he is going to tell the shareholders and her opinion on the man’s character and his lack of responsibility. She makes business decisions for Shi Yan and she declares them publicly. Shi Yan allows her to say her piece, without turning around. He leaves his back exposed to Jiang Shao Yuan the entire time. He knows it is safe and her actions won’t allow him to be hurt or be unaligned with his intentions. (Brilliant use of blocking by the director.)
What He Is Thinking
If you struggle understanding Shi Yan’s approach to Zhuyi at any time, just watch any of the board meeting scenes and substitute the nouns being used.
“Regarding Zhanglan, [Shuyi], we’re only in the stage of deciding whether to invest or not. We can’t rush into such a significant investment. So before the results of the new round of evaluations come out, I don’t approve of making any further moves.” (Episode 13)
And that is precisely what he does. Shuyi just turned down a huge career boost he arranged for her. He is infuriated and frustrated, yet rather than either assuming rejection, he waits to understand and evaluate her motives before continuing to pursue her. (Text about late night snacks in Episode 14)
“From what you said, Jiang Shao Yuan [Shuyi] is nothing more than a bit arrogant in his attitude. Once we invest in him [her], he [she] won’t be like this anymore. We all know that there are so many companies [men] interested in investing in him [her]. It’s normal for him [her] to be proud.” (Episode 17)
“Maybe we don't need to convince them [her], just find a better option for them [her].” (Episode 16) After he swallowed his jealousy when they were in the noodle shop in Ancheng and she was texting Shi Yue, but he thought she was texting You Yu. Later he swallows his jealousy a second time when he overhears a phone call with her mother asking how her relationship with You Yu is progressing.
Seriously, rewatch any of the board meetings or business discussions this way and they become unintentionally hilarious and reveal how he is processing Shuyi’s latest shenanigans.
This is such a creative way for the writers to handle the narration of the seemingly absent thought-process Shi Yan has in relation to all of Shuyi's outlandish behavior.
Risk Management
We all date the ghosts of our Exs and Shi Yan is no exception. Shi Yan’s interactions and responses to Shuyi’s flirtation and behavior have more to do with Bei Lin than with Shuyi. He is carrying some very specific wounds and hesitations when it comes to entering into a relationship. And being a venture capitalist that comes with a mentality of constantly evaluating how secure investing in a relationship would be and what losses could potentially occur. Most of the concerns he has stem from his previous relationship with Bei Lin.
Rumours
Rumours seem to be a sore point for the whole family. “Don’t believe rumors so easily. Gossip spreads this way.” ( Song Le Lan to Shi Yue, Episode 10) “The Shi family is very strict when it comes to privacy protection.” (Shanshan, Episode 2) “You can’t find the source of most rumors.” (Shi Wenguang to Shi Yan, Episode 11)
But Shi Yan seems particularly sensitive to them. In fact, the first “test” he ever tested Shuyi with was taking her to a family banquet (Episode 10). He knew she would be forced to interact with gossip in two ways:
First, everyone would begin gossiping about her and secondly, she would no doubt hear quite a few rumour versions of his life story - from his ex, to founding his own corporation, to leaving his family’s company.
While she was a bit overwhelmed with all the rumors and assumptions about her identity, in execution she was barely even fazed and just politely told people that they must be mistaken, that she was a journalist, not an actress.
He later asks her if she believes all the rumors about him that she heard that evening and she responds by saying that ‘Of course she didn’t, she will believe what he told her’. This pleases him so much that he clarifies with her if she is in a hurry to go home. When she decides to spend more time with him, he voluntarily offers to share information about himself with her and asks her what she wants to know.
It is almost like he has been in a situation in his past where people were saying things about him and someone (*cough* Bei Lin *cough*) choose to believe the rumors rather than believing in him. Rather than trusting his version of what unfolded.
In fact, her trusting him and not listening to all the fabricated hearsay surrounding him impacted him so much that he proceeded to lean in for a kiss. Ladies pay attention: Men want women who trust them and don’t doubt their words.
Benefits of Status and Family Connections
Shi Yan avoids talking to Shuyi at the conference in Episode 7, because he believes she took advantage of Shi Yue’s connections to get an invitation (and you know, possibly because she called him an unreasonable and annoying elf).
He is later pleased when he finds out through Shi Yue, that Shuyi did not reveal how she got the interview with Uncle Guan. She told her co-workers she “got lucky” and did not flout her friendship with Shi Yan. (Episode 13)
In a quite deliberate evaluation of how she would respond to potentially receiving the benefits of knowing him, during the business trip to Ancheng he deliberately drops her off at her interview with Zhanlan’s CEO and then waits outside to pick her up after its conclusion. (I am not saying this gesture was not sincere on his part, this is simply Shi Yan’s energy-efficient MO in their interactions. Almost everything he does with her is simultaneously a demonstration of trust, but also a test to see how she will react. This makes perfect sense given he is a venture capitalist. Risk management is his bread and butter. - You will notice that he seems quite visually nervous about the outcome of this interaction)
He is well aware that an official and public relationship with him will shift her into a position of having people attempting to use her to gain access to, approval of or benefits from him. Jiang Shao Yuan proceeds to attempt to bribe Shuyi with rare teas and local delicacies. When she continually rejects him, he has the audacity to explicitly point out the relationship between her and Shi Yan. In a somewhat interesting turn of events he offers to work with Shi Yan to please Shuyi (get her bury the investigative story and write a fluff piece for Zhanlan).
After denying that she held any influence over Shi Yan’s business decisions and leaving - Jiang Shao Yuan’s assistant continued to aggressively insist she take the bribe his boss was offering. When Shi Yan appeared, she acted surprised by his presence, asking if he was there on business.
You will notice that Shi Yan was so revealed that she passed this test, he didn’t even care when her mother called Shuyi to ask how her relationship with another man (Yu You) was progressing. Instead, he cheekily thanked Shuyi for her “proactive gesture” of offering to treat him to a meal.
Later in Episode 16, Shuyi had a meeting with a department head at Cloud Innovation and ends up having to wait all afternoon. She could have complained directly to Shi Yan and had the situation rectified immediately, but doesn’t. Upon discovering the situation Shi Yan chews out his subordinate and makes certain everything is arranged the way Shuyi likes it. He has no problem giving her the benefits of being with him, as long as that is not her motivation to be with him.
Validation
In episode 7, Shuyi sends Shi Yan two texts. If you wade through the cheesy pick-up lines and over the top flirting, you will find that these texts include two specific sentiments: “You’ve worked hard.” and “Even if you ignore me today, I will text you tomorrow.” Not only is she validating the time and effort he is pouring into his company and passion, but she is acknowledging that his passion often comes with scattered attention and that she understands his demanding schedule and will persist. Is it any wonder that she receives his prompt attention the next day when she has the audacity to summon him to come pick her up?
Later in Episode 14, after presenting her with a veritable shrine to his accomplishments (this poor man needed quotidian visual reinforcement of the merit of his choices and actions, due to the constant undercutting of his efforts and vision by someone who shall remain nameless *cough* Bei Lin *cough*) Shuyi tells him. “I think you're very brave. It takes a lot of courage to break away from the established framework and pursue your own dreams and visions. Especially considering what you gave up which many people would envy. Throughout this process you had to withstand pressure, endure people’s criticism and quietly work hard. But you did it and you did it well.”
This reserved man literally grabs her and pulls her to him. She understood him, believed in him. Once again she is affirming him and he literally can not keep his hands off of her in response.
Wealth
When Shuyi literally runs out of his house after eating dinner and picking up her shopping, he concludes that she likes free meals and taking things. (Episode 11) Yet, later he finds out that the reason she needed to urgently pick-up the clothing was so that she could return it and reimburse Shi Yue the funds she spent on the clothing.
This demonstration of Shuyi not chasing after material goods is particularly potent to Shi Yan, because it demonstrates that she truly is not putting on an act, as she thought she was reimbursing someone else and so this is a matter of principle for her and not something that she only does when he can see it. He immediately begins to compose a text to her to potentially arrange getting together with her the next evening. (Episode 12)
After finding out through Shi Yue that Shuyi had intended to treat him to concert tickets and her offer to pay him back her hospital expenses, he not only adds her to WeChat, but literally pays her for her time/performance. He is more than willing to grant her the benefit of his wealth, but just as with the benefits of his connections - he wants to know that that is not the motivation to be with him. (Episode 10)
In fact, in an unintentionally direct comparison - when he asks her how much money she wants, her response is that she wants to have dinner with him the following evening. (Episode 10)
~~~~~~
Shi Yan clearly came to the table with specific things he was looking for (shared values) in a significant other and distinct concerns (wounds from ex-girlfriend) that he had about entering a relationship. What are your criteria for choosing your future significant other?
1 
https://twitter.com/hazelnyd22/status/1808634236964122760
• Joyfully leaping off of the stairs.
• Trailing your hand through flowers.
• Chasing butterflies.
• Laughing.
• Spinning in delight.
• Wearing white.
• Declaring "My body feels so light."
The first room-mate is addicted to being a victim. It is pretty obvious the game is using her role as the Toxic Handmaiden to convert her into a Sleeping Monster and then claim her as a Converted Monster. The announcement when she came out of the coffin (Episode 6) was super-ominous, "The evil spirit has been determined." Not "defeated", "determined". This highlights both that while she was in the coffin she had decided that the FL has abandoned and betrayed her and was thus an “evil spirit” and that while she was in the coffin the game had successfully transformed her into a Sleeping Monster. The way the camera did close-ups of both of them was pretty poignant.
The last room-mate (I assume she is joining at some point) is pretty clearly addicted to attention through her social media platforms, which in this game might get her killed super fast.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CDrama/comments/17sgslr/reflections_a_photo_essay_on_vulnerability_only/
(Mine are: 1, 4, 6, 10, 13, 17 & 18)
1. His response of “That’s not that difficult” to Shuyi’s declaration of “If I could have this kind of food everytime I wake up, I would be so blessed,” while eating several dishes she is unaware he cooked himself. Did he..did he just offer to make her breakfast every morning? (Episode 11)
2. “If I take a step further with you, what benefit does that offer?” (Episode 6)
3. Honestly, the way he stared directly at her while walking onto the stage reminded me of Paul Walker’s “Stare and Drive” move from Fast and Furious (I may or may not have been influenced by the entrance music playing in the background as “macho CEO Mr. Shi” entered the conference hall.) (Episode 8)
4. Updating the description on a photo Shuyi liked and then unliked on his WeChat account to be: “The flower path has never been visited by anyone. Now the gates are open for you.” (Episode 16) - - - Fans self - - - Um, sir - I don’t think it is appropriate to post such things on a public platform
5. What are you looking at?” “You” (Episode 10)
6. “Not bad…your logic flows smoothly” in response to Shuyi telling him he wanted to see her, because he requested 3 draft revisions. (Episode 6)
7. Telling her it will rain at 8 o’clock tonight, spring-boarding off of her weather-centric flirty texts from Episode 6. (Episode 9)
8. His monosyllabic motivational speech of “Zheng Shuyi, Head up” after she hides in the bathroom to avoid running into her ex-boyfriend. (Episode 14)
9. When Shuyi responds that she will come pick up the clothing from her shopping trip (aka visit him) to his query of if she has been busy making desserts (aka seeing other men), he decides to cook dinner for her - which we later learn is something his father does for the family every night, despite the family’s wealth and obvious tight schedules.
Basically, in the mentality and tradition of his family, this is a hard provider and husband move. (Episode 11) His father immediately recognizes the significance of this gesture when his grand-daughter tells him that her “Uncle says he’s already cooking. He won’t be coming back.” He promptly asks his granddaughter for the phone and asks his son about the rumor he has heard about him seeing an actress.
10. Shi Yan turning to Shuyi to check with her, when Uncle Guan asks “Any plans for later?” (Couple Mode activated) (Episode 12)
11. Responding “The red one,” to Shuyi’s text “Which outfit looks nice on me?” and photo of outfit options, when there was not a red outfit. It was a nice call back to her in the riding outfit from Episode 3 and proof that he has been paying attention all along. (Episode 10)
12. “It’s New Year’s Eve today (aka liminal threshold) After tonight, you can ask me whatever you want.”(aka the rules that apply to everyone else won’t be relevant anymore, because you will have a different status than them) (Episode 18)
13. Telling her there was “No need to change.” That he liked her and was developing feelings for her the way she was. (Episode 10)
14. “Confirming the media list and sending out the press invitations is not my job.” To soothe her concerns about Xu Yuling (aka ‘I choose you. This was a miscommunication. Don’t doubt your worth.’) and to let her know that he had put extra effort into personally arranging to have a seat at his company’s conference reserved for her. The only other seat that was reserved aside from those for the board. (Episode 8)
15. “You…take your time.” when she told him “I haven’t decided yet.” about his question as to what her future plans were and if he was included in them. (Episode 16) (Swoon)
16. Leaning over the car’s arm-rest and asking “Is it clearer now?”, so Shuyi can get a better look at his face when she says “It’s not clear to me who you really are.” (Episode 11)
17. Publicly declaring what she has permitted to be declared and nothing else.
• Holding her hand as he walks through the fore-entrance to his office (Episode 16), which she gave him permission to do twice during their business trip to Ancheng (Episode 15)
• Telling others they are/were on a business trip together. Immediately after she informs Shanshan that she is on a business trip with Shi Yan, he awkwardly and forcefully works the topic into his very next phone call “I’m on a business trip with Miss Zheng. She’s sitting right next to me.” (Episode 14) to let her know they are on the same page. He later mentions it again to Yu You “When I went to Zhanlan with her, we discussed this issue.” (Episode 17)
Honestly, this is such a gentleman move. He wants her to be his, but he isn’t taking more than she is permitting.
18. After bribing her with an interview with her idol (Uncle Guan) to return from her business trip, he asks her “Will you come home now?” (Episode 12)
19. Organizing all the fortune sticks with an auspicious fortune into one jar, so she will receive pleasant blessings. (Episode 15)
20. Telling his friend over the phone “I think her acting skills are just average. The one in my car right now is a much better actress.” to let her know he is over his ex-girlfriend and willing to let his inner circle know he is pursuing her. (Episode 10)
21. “What we eat isn’t important.” When Shuyi asks him what he wants to eat when she offers to treat him to a meal, as a thank you for arranging an interview with Uncle Guan. (Episode 13)
22. Suggesting they take a walk after dinner, because he remembers she wanted to take a walk with him on Uncle Guan’s horse farm. (Episode 16 & 12)
23. “Weren’t you asking for marriage?” (Episode 17) Both inquiring about the status of her other dating relationship and indicating he is on-board for a commitment by asking “Weren’t you asking for marriage?” in response to her telling him the fortune she had drawn at the temple they visited together had brought her luck in something she had been pursuing for a long time.
24. Offering her his arm before they enter the family banquet (Episode 10)
25. Remembering she likes lemon water on her second trip to his house. (Episode 6 & 4)
26. Cheekily thanked her for her “proactive gesture” of offering to treat him to a meal, after overhearing her phone call with her mother. (Episode 16)
27. Remembering she asked for help with her belt the first time she visited the horse farm. (Episode 18 & 3)
Initial Interest
Shuyi has actually been on his radar for a while. He read her article “Zhu Xing Guo on the Currency War” a while ago and it left a deep impression on him - the scope and depth of understanding she has in the financial field.
Then in the first episode we see him choosing her as his interviewer, because of the elevated quality of her outline and the introspective nature of her questions that would actually allow a true reflection of Cloud Innovation’s philosophy and aims to the readers. He also indicated that her interview style resonated with his views that an interview should be “an enlightening conversation and reflection”.
On the drive to the horse farm (Episode 3) and her visit to his home to pick up her “dowry” (Episode 4), he is genuinely shocked and impressed that she is able to weed through all the glamour and veneer of gossip and official press releases to infer what his motives and thought processes are, as well as deducing what the actual situation in the market is vs. the reported situation in the market.
And while she relentlessly pushes and prods her way onto the farm he tolerates her invasive nonsense and enthusiasm, because he can see she means no harm and is just excited. Contrast this with Yuling’s behavior when she manages to get on the horse farm. She eavesdrops on a personal conversation in hope of gleaning some insider information (Episode 5). (While Shi Yan is not present during this scene, he has doubtless met dozen others like her.)
Shared Values
In these early interactions, she essentially reveals to him that they share several of the same foundational values. Discernment. Discretion. Faithfulness. Work ethic. Commitment to follow through no matter the difficulty. Dismissal and devaluation of hearsay. She also has a deep understanding of financial current events and market trends, and understands the mindset and perspective of risk management in regards to investment.
While he does find her amusing, the truth is he would not tolerate her nonsense and allow himself this amusement if not for her integrity, business acumen, strong work ethic and sound judgment to provide a counter-balance to her particular brand of over-the-top, zany, provocative nonsense. Also, despite her behavior, he does not overly worry about her ridiculous nature, because it is grounded in shared values. Even if he is uncertain as to if he can trust her, he knows he can trust those values.
The matter of shared values is central to his attraction to her and only grows throughout the entire series.
There is a recurring theme that she does something, he misunderstands her motivations and is even somewhat offended and then later finds out she actually did that thing because of a standard or principle which he is whole-heartedly aligned with.
In Episode 13 she turns down numerous interview opportunities, including one Shi Yan arranged for her, because while they would have helped her career, they would have distracted her from where she wanted to put her passion, focus and effort - that is exploring the mechanical safety of Zhanlan’s car batteries.
And while this initially frustrated him, he ultimately understood it. She did not want what others had defined as success, even if it was handed to her. She had a vision of how she wanted to contribute to society and was unrelenting and undistractible in her pursuit of it. That laser-focus vision while going after what she valued and not being satisfied with other’s definitions of success and what she should want - well, that sounds a bit like someone else’s story, doesn’t it?
In Episode 1, he sees her response to his attempting to offer her a ride when she is stuck in the rain, which at first glance may feel like it worked to her detriment, but in the long-run revealed two things to him:
First, she has a backbone. It honestly doesn't even matter what she has a backbone about. When a person puts a resolute “No” around a certain type of behavior, it reveals that they, no matter how silly or frivolous they appear, have actions they simply will not permit and values they will not compromise on.
Secondly, the fact that the item she stood firm on was faithfulness and her absolute intolerance to even allow the potential advances of another man to enter her purview, when she is in a relationship didn’t hurt. (This also explains why later on, despite his abundant jealousy over it, Shi Yan “tolerates” [on a relative scale] her allowing the advances of multiple men [Cafe worker with the tarts in (Episode 14), Yu You, getting Ho Be Ming’s number while attending Shi Yan’s 1st Annual Press Conference (Episode 9), the secret date he deduced she was having at the cinema (Episode 13)]. He is aware they are not official yet, but he is also confident that should they become official she would shut that nonsense down in a heartbeat.)
In Episode 12 he learns he completely misunderstood her motivations of dining and dashing on him in Episode 11 (she had received a last-minute work assignment that required she travel the next morning) and needing the clothes from her shopping trip so urgently (she wanted to return the clothing, so she could reimburse Shi Yue).
In Episode 6, he is amused to discover she genuinely flirted her way into his house at night using revising her article as an excuse to actually revise the article and get his feedback, so that the draft would meet his requirements.
This pattern is so well established that he begins to operate on blind trust with her - he begins to assume her surface actions do not reflect what is going on under the hood and that she ultimately has not only the best intentions, but intentions that align with what he values and eventually with his interests.
He stops assuming she is flirting because she is a flirt or has ulterior motives and just accepts the pieces of theater she performs and coquettishness as just a part of herself that she feels comfortable sharing with him.
In Episode 15 she informs him, she does not ask, just tells him she is gate-crashing his meeting with Zhanlan. Despite the sheer audacity of this statement and intention, it does not even garner an eyebrow quirk from him, because he has learned to trust the values that guide her actions and the ultimate goals she is working toward through her actions.
This is even further demonstrated at the conclusion of the meeting, when Zhanlan’s CEO got in one final parting shot at Shi Yan. Shuyi whirls around and starts speaking FOR Shi Yan. She tells the CEO exactly what Shi Yan is going to do and exactly what he is going to tell the shareholders and her opinion on the man’s character and his lack of responsibility. She makes business decisions for Shi Yan and she declares them publicly. Shi Yan allows her to say her piece, without turning around. He leaves his back exposed to Jiang Shao Yuan the entire time. He knows it is safe and her actions won’t allow him to be hurt or be unaligned with his intentions. (Brilliant use of blocking by the director.)
What He Is Thinking
If you struggle understanding Shi Yan’s approach to Zhuyi at any time, just watch any of the board meeting scenes and substitute the nouns being used.
“Regarding Zhanglan, [Shuyi], we’re only in the stage of deciding whether to invest or not. We can’t rush into such a significant investment. So before the results of the new round of evaluations come out, I don’t approve of making any further moves.” (Episode 13)
And that is precisely what he does. Shuyi just turned down a huge career boost he arranged for her. He is infuriated and frustrated, yet rather than either assuming rejection, he waits to understand and evaluate her motives before continuing to pursue her. (Text about late night snacks in Episode 14)
“From what you said, Jiang Shao Yuan [Shuyi] is nothing more than a bit arrogant in his attitude. Once we invest in him [her], he [she] won’t be like this anymore. We all know that there are so many companies [men] interested in investing in him [her]. It’s normal for him [her] to be proud.” (Episode 17)
“Maybe we don't need to convince them [her], just find a better option for them [her].” (Episode 16) After he swallowed his jealousy when they were in the noodle shop in Ancheng and she was texting Shi Yue, but he thought she was texting You Yu. Later he swallows his jealousy a second time when he overhears a phone call with her mother asking how her relationship with You Yu is progressing.
Seriously, rewatch any of the board meetings or business discussions this way and they become unintentionally hilarious and reveal how he is processing Shuyi’s latest shenanigans.
This is such a creative way for the writers to handle the narration of the seemingly absent thought-process Shi Yan has in relation to all of Shuyi's outlandish behavior.
Risk Management
We all date the ghosts of our Exs and Shi Yan is no exception. Shi Yan’s interactions and responses to Shuyi’s flirtation and behavior have more to do with Bei Lin than with Shuyi. He is carrying some very specific wounds and hesitations when it comes to entering into a relationship. And being a venture capitalist that comes with a mentality of constantly evaluating how secure investing in a relationship would be and what losses could potentially occur. Most of the concerns he has stem from his previous relationship with Bei Lin.
Rumours
Rumours seem to be a sore point for the whole family. “Don’t believe rumors so easily. Gossip spreads this way.” ( Song Le Lan to Shi Yue, Episode 10) “The Shi family is very strict when it comes to privacy protection.” (Shanshan, Episode 2) “You can’t find the source of most rumors.” (Shi Wenguang to Shi Yan, Episode 11)
But Shi Yan seems particularly sensitive to them. In fact, the first “test” he ever tested Shuyi with was taking her to a family banquet (Episode 10). He knew she would be forced to interact with gossip in two ways:
First, everyone would begin gossiping about her and secondly, she would no doubt hear quite a few rumour versions of his life story - from his ex, to founding his own corporation, to leaving his family’s company.
While she was a bit overwhelmed with all the rumors and assumptions about her identity, in execution she was barely even fazed and just politely told people that they must be mistaken, that she was a journalist, not an actress.
He later asks her if she believes all the rumors about him that she heard that evening and she responds by saying that ‘Of course she didn’t, she will believe what he told her’. This pleases him so much that he clarifies with her if she is in a hurry to go home. When she decides to spend more time with him, he voluntarily offers to share information about himself with her and asks her what she wants to know.
It is almost like he has been in a situation in his past where people were saying things about him and someone (*cough* Bei Lin *cough*) choose to believe the rumors rather than believing in him. Rather than trusting his version of what unfolded.
In fact, her trusting him and not listening to all the fabricated hearsay surrounding him impacted him so much that he proceeded to lean in for a kiss. Ladies pay attention: Men want women who trust them and don’t doubt their words.
Benefits of Status and Family Connections
Shi Yan avoids talking to Shuyi at the conference in Episode 7, because he believes she took advantage of Shi Yue’s connections to get an invitation (and you know, possibly because she called him an unreasonable and annoying elf).
He is later pleased when he finds out through Shi Yue, that Shuyi did not reveal how she got the interview with Uncle Guan. She told her co-workers she “got lucky” and did not flout her friendship with Shi Yan. (Episode 13)
In a quite deliberate evaluation of how she would respond to potentially receiving the benefits of knowing him, during the business trip to Ancheng he deliberately drops her off at her interview with Zhanlan’s CEO and then waits outside to pick her up after its conclusion. (I am not saying this gesture was not sincere on his part, this is simply Shi Yan’s energy-efficient MO in their interactions. Almost everything he does with her is simultaneously a demonstration of trust, but also a test to see how she will react. This makes perfect sense given he is a venture capitalist. Risk management is his bread and butter. - You will notice that he seems quite visually nervous about the outcome of this interaction)
He is well aware that an official and public relationship with him will shift her into a position of having people attempting to use her to gain access to, approval of or benefits from him. Jiang Shao Yuan proceeds to attempt to bribe Shuyi with rare teas and local delicacies. When she continually rejects him, he has the audacity to explicitly point out the relationship between her and Shi Yan. In a somewhat interesting turn of events he offers to work with Shi Yan to please Shuyi (get her bury the investigative story and write a fluff piece for Zhanlan).
After denying that she held any influence over Shi Yan’s business decisions and leaving - Jiang Shao Yuan’s assistant continued to aggressively insist she take the bribe his boss was offering. When Shi Yan appeared, she acted surprised by his presence, asking if he was there on business.
You will notice that Shi Yan was so revealed that she passed this test, he didn’t even care when her mother called Shuyi to ask how her relationship with another man (Yu You) was progressing. Instead, he cheekily thanked Shuyi for her “proactive gesture” of offering to treat him to a meal.
Later in Episode 16, Shuyi had a meeting with a department head at Cloud Innovation and ends up having to wait all afternoon. She could have complained directly to Shi Yan and had the situation rectified immediately, but doesn’t. Upon discovering the situation Shi Yan chews out his subordinate and makes certain everything is arranged the way Shuyi likes it. He has no problem giving her the benefits of being with him, as long as that is not her motivation to be with him.
Validation
In episode 7, Shuyi sends Shi Yan two texts. If you wade through the cheesy pick-up lines and over the top flirting, you will find that these texts include two specific sentiments: “You’ve worked hard.” and “Even if you ignore me today, I will text you tomorrow.” Not only is she validating the time and effort he is pouring into his company and passion, but she is acknowledging that his passion often comes with scattered attention and that she understands his demanding schedule and will persist. Is it any wonder that she receives his prompt attention the next day when she has the audacity to summon him to come pick her up?
Later in Episode 14, after presenting her with a veritable shrine to his accomplishments (this poor man needed quotidian visual reinforcement of the merit of his choices and actions, due to the constant undercutting of his efforts and vision by someone who shall remain nameless *cough* Bei Lin *cough*) Shuyi tells him. “I think you're very brave. It takes a lot of courage to break away from the established framework and pursue your own dreams and visions. Especially considering what you gave up which many people would envy. Throughout this process you had to withstand pressure, endure people’s criticism and quietly work hard. But you did it and you did it well.”
This reserved man literally grabs her and pulls her to him. She understood him, believed in him. Once again she is affirming him and he literally can not keep his hands off of her in response.
Wealth
When Shuyi literally runs out of his house after eating dinner and picking up her shopping, he concludes that she likes free meals and taking things. (Episode 11) Yet, later he finds out that the reason she needed to urgently pick-up the clothing was so that she could return it and reimburse Shi Yue the funds she spent on the clothing.
This demonstration of Shuyi not chasing after material goods is particularly potent to Shi Yan, because it demonstrates that she truly is not putting on an act, as she thought she was reimbursing someone else and so this is a matter of principle for her and not something that she only does when he can see it. He immediately begins to compose a text to her to potentially arrange getting together with her the next evening. (Episode 12)
After finding out through Shi Yue that Shuyi had intended to treat him to concert tickets and her offer to pay him back her hospital expenses, he not only adds her to WeChat, but literally pays her for her time/performance. He is more than willing to grant her the benefit of his wealth, but just as with the benefits of his connections - he wants to know that that is not the motivation to be with him. (Episode 10)
In fact, in an unintentionally direct comparison - when he asks her how much money she wants, her response is that she wants to have dinner with him the following evening. (Episode 10)
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Shi Yan clearly came to the table with specific things he was looking for (shared values) in a significant other and distinct concerns (wounds from ex-girlfriend) that he had about entering a relationship. What are your criteria for choosing your future significant other?