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WeiLan is the slash ship between Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei from the Zhen Hun fandom.
Canon[]
Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are the two main protagonists originating from author Priest's web novel Zhèn Hún (镇魂) which translates to "Guardian" or "Town Spirit". A live-action drama of the same name, based off of the novel, was released in 2018. The drama gained a large following despite having to circumvent Chinese censorship.
Novel[]
Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are first shown as having met after Guo Changcheng--a then-intern of the extraordinary criminal investigation unit Zhao is the chief of--falls off of a window ledge during the investigation of a case at the school Shen works at. Zhao introduces himself and as he does so, he notices that Shen Wei looks at him as though they have met before, unbeknownst to him that they have. Shen proceeds to lead Zhao to his desired destination in the school and Zhao continues to be suspicious of Shen Wei, noting that he is too calm in the midst of a murder investigation. When they part, Xiao Guo realizes that Shen Wei is staring after Zhao Yunlan longingly despite refusing to make eye contact with him earlier. Not 10 minutes later, the two meet again when Zhao Yunlan is falling off of a building trying to save a girl who attempted to jump off of it. Shen Wei catches him, and pulls the two dangling humans back up. Thus begins Zhao Yunlan's incessant flirting and Shen Wei's self-restraining denial as they start to work on cases together.
Three months after the two work in tandem for the first time to solve the case of the first Sacred Artifact, the Sundial of Reincarnation (one of four objects that hold special powers that keep the universe balanced), Zhao Yunlan is still struggling to attract Shen Wei. This is much to his dismay, as he is a self-proclaimed "playboy" and can normally win the heart of whoever he is pursuing, no matter their gender. Shen Wei's obstinance and refusal to give in to his true feelings motivates Zhao Yunlan even more. He even goes so far as to beat up some people who are attempting to mug Shen Wei just so he can impress him, not knowing that Shen Wei is one of the most powerful beings on the planet, the Ghost Slayer.
One day, a member of Zhao Yunlan’s team, Wang Zheng, finds that her homeland is in trouble (due to the second Sacred Artifact, the Pillar of Nature, wreaking havoc for the locals). Zhao uses this as an excuse to get closer to Shen Wei who is also heading in that direction, masking his journey to protect the Artifact as a school trip. Ultimately, the two meet up and Zhao eventually convinces Shen to travel with him. Once they arrive at their destination, they find a hut to stay in and head to sleep. However, Shen does not sleep and instead spends the night gazing at Zhao and reminiscing. In the middle of the night, Zhao wakes up to the sound of skulls rising from their graves and he finds Shen staring at him. Later, he starts to speculate Shen Wei's true identity. He intends to question him, but is interrupted by Wang disappearing. The two separately set off to fulfill their duties of finding the Pillar of Nature, but meet again with Shen in the form of the Ghost Slayer this time. Once they subdue the Artifact and help Wang Zheng bring back the only other remaining member of her tribe, her lover Sang Zan, the party celebrates. Shen Wei becomes very drunk, surprising Zhao, and loses his restraint, kissing him and making sexual advances. Although Zhao Yunlan accepts the former man, he notes that Shen is being very aggressive. Ultimately, because Shen Wei is a ghost, he passes out from the alcohol consumption, but to Zhao Yunlan, it appears as though the Ghost Slayer has died as he has no heartbeat. This is when Zhao determines Shen's true identity.
Live-Action Deviations[]
Due to Chinese censorship, explicit elements of romance between the two main leads found in the novel were severely dampened, painting the relationship between the Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei as simply a "bromance" or "close friendship". This included eliminating most physical and venereal contact, romantic gestures, and language used to explicitly convey their love. However, strategically-placed motifs and subtext were implemented by the directors to preserve the original relationship and hint at an implied romance. Many aspects of the novel were altered to make the drama more consumable to a screen audience, but the general plot outline is the same.
FIRST MEETING[]
Shen Wei meets Zhao Yunlan for the first time when Zhao Yunlan is sent 10,000 years into the past by a portal opened up by the combined power of the Four Hallows. To camouflage himself into the Kun Lun of thousands of years ago in the drama is merely a Zhao Yunlan who has time-traveled. Contrastingly, the novel's Kun Lun of the past is truly Kun Lun and the present Zhao Yunlan is a reincarnation of him. Zhao Yunlan saves Shen Wei from an attacker, but Shen has to run so that he can aid his wounded compatriots. They meet again later and have a heartfelt conversation. Shen asks Zhao how he can repay him for saving his life, and Zhao tells him by removing his mask. Shen does not respond, but Zhao Yunlan takes the opportunity when he is not on his guard to remove Shen's mask. Shen Wei then confesses to Zhao Yunlan that he becomes scared when he has to kill his enemies, so he wears a mask so that they won't see the fear on his face. As Shen is speaking to him, Zhao gently shoves the lollipop he was eating into Shen's mouth, and they share an indirect kiss. The wrapper of the lollipop Zhao Yunlan gives him is one Shen Wei goes on to keep for 10,000 years, hidden . They finally introduce themselves formally, and Zhao Yunlan "renames" Shen Wei, as Kun Lun does in the book. Shen tells Zhao that he still doesn't know how to repay him for saving him and for being the only person willing to get to know him, but Zhao Yunlan tells him he doesn't have to because he has already repaid him many times over--much to Shen's confusion. After the two succeed in their mission to retrieve the Four Hallows, they are separated by the appearance of Shen Wei's brother (Ye Zun in the drama, Gui Mian in the novel). With the Four Hallows together again, a portal is reopened and Zhao Yunlan heads back to the present, not without ensuring Shen Wei that they will meet again and entrusting him with the formidable task of guarding the Hallows.
ENDING[]
This section is in need of major improvement. Please help improve this article by editing it.
As opposed to in the novel (where Zhao Yunlan plans to sacrifice himself to save the world and die with Shen Wei, but Shen sacrifices himself instead only to reappear soon after), both Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan sacrifice themselves to prevent Ye Zun from destroying both Haixing and Dixing. Zhao Yunlan uses his soul as a wick for the Guardian Lantern, making it so that he is in a state of insufferable pain for an indefinite amount of time; Shen Wei impales himself to cause his twin's downfall. In the last scene, Shen and Zhao convene briefly in an alternate dimension where Shen is waiting for Zhao. Tearfully, the two make a bet that no matter how far they go, or how long it takes, they will meet again someday.
Quotes[]
- “You're the only person in the world who doesn't have to apologize to me”
- — Shen Wei to Zhao Yunlan; Chapter 75
- “If you say it yourself, no matter what, I will not hate you”
- — Zhao Yunlan to Shen Wei; Chapter 90
- “Let's bet that no matter how long it takes, no matter where we go, there will be a day we will meet again”
- — Shen Wei to Zhao Yunlan; Episode 40
Fanon[]
This section is in need of major improvement. Please help improve this article by editing it.
On AO3, the ship has 3376 fanfics, from the ship being canon in the show and fans giving WeiLan their support.
Fandom[]
FANFICTION
- Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan tag on AO3
- Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan tag on FanFiction.net
Trivia[]
- WeiLan is a portmanteau of Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei's names coined by the fandom. When the characters 巍 (wēi) and 澜 (lán) are combined, they roughly translate to what would be referred to as a tsunami in English. With 巍 meaning "towering" and 澜 meaning "swelling water", combining the two can create the image of a tsunami.