Because of You Episode 1 Recap
> Because of You Recap
In the late 1990s, Golden Thread Embroidery, with its centuries of history, stood as a leader in bespoke hand-embroidery. Its reputation was further elevated when famous movie star Zhang Man Jia wore a gown co-created by the Head Embroiderer, Dong Lijun, and her two apprentices, Song Xiuhua and Xu Huijie, making headlines and earning the piece a place in the Embroidery Art Museum.
Due to her advanced age, Dong Lijun decided to choose a successor from her two disciples, who were also her daughters-in-law. Song Xiuhua was gentle and kind, exceptionally skilled but slow, while Xu Huijie was intelligent and capable but fiercely competitive, always seeking to surpass Song Xiuhua, though her embroidery speed was superior.
The competition would consist of three rounds: the first, to embroider a dress tailored to the opponent's preference; the second, to replicate a design on-site; and the third task, kept confidential. Xu Huijie was determined to win the competition, even forgetting her promise to attend her daughter Jin Yibei's drawing contest.
When she saw Song Xiuhua preparing to deliver the celebrated gown to the art museum, Xu Huijie intercepted her, convinced that Dong Lijun was unfairly favoring Song Xiuhua, especially since the museum curator was a competition judge. Xu Huijie spoke sharply, even making a cruel remark about Song Xiuhua being childless, to pressure Song Xiuhua into letting her deliver the dress.
Xu Huijie succeeded, but by the time her husband Jin Zhiming called, she had completely forgotten about Jin Yibei's competition, telling him she was busy and he would have to go alone. At school, a joyful Jin Yibei waited for her mother, but when she didn't arrive, Jin Yibei began to draw, thinking of her busy mother. Xu Huijie never appeared, and Jin Yibei was left alone until her father, Jin Zhiming, arrived late.
Overcome with guilt seeing his daughter maturely express understanding for her mother's work while missing out on maternal affection, Jin Zhiming suggested they move to America so Jin Yibei could experience a more normal childhood. Unable to take Jin Yibei home due to his own work, Jin Zhiming ordered a pizza delivery to compensate her. Meanwhile, in another house, a crying boy named Li Yunkai, Song Xiuhua’s nephew, was distraught.
His father planned to marry a woman named He Juan, who would become his stepmother, and insisted Li Yunkai accept an older brother, Li Yunzhe. Li Yunkai's father, frustrated by his son's crying, snatched his Transformer toy and reprimanded him before leaving. Li Yunkai sought comfort from his Aunt Song Xiuhua, but she was out. As he was leaving, he encountered Jin Yibei, who teased him for crying.
Annoyed, Li Yunkai ran off and collided with a pizza delivery bicycle, ruining Jin Yibei's pizza. Though he felt bad, Li Yunkai fled without looking back. Without her pizza, a hungry Jin Yibei waited for Xu Huijie to return. When her mother finally arrived, Jin Yibei excitedly greeted her, eager to show her the drawing she had won first place with. However, Xu Huijie, preoccupied with her work, merely glanced at the drawing dismissively.
Sensing her mother's impatience, Jin Yibei stopped insisting and simply said she was hungry, but Xu Huijie told her to find food in the kitchen herself. A dejected Jin Yibei sat alone playing with a doll when Song Xiuhua returned. Seeing Jin Yibei by herself, Song Xiuhua offered her some snacks she had bought and even braided her hair. Jin Yibei sadly wondered why her mother never had time for her.
Song Xiuhua, at a loss for how to explain, gently reassured Jin Yibei that her mother would spend time with her once her work was done. Jin Zhiming approached Dong Lijun, hoping she would simply appoint Song Xiuhua as the Head Embroiderer to make Xu Huijie give up embroidery and move to America with him and Jin Yibei.
Dong Lijun refused, explaining it would be unfair to Xu Huijie, emphasizing that she could not intervene unless Xu Huijie demonstrated flaws in her conduct or skills. Unbeknownst to them, Xu Huijie overheard their conversation. Outraged that her husband was undermining her efforts to win the competition, Xu Huijie confronted Jin Zhiming. He urged her to abandon embroidery and join him and Jin Yibei in America, but she vehemently refused, saying giving up now would be like killing her.
Hearing their argument, Jin Yibei tearfully pleaded with Jin Zhiming not to go to America or leave Xu Huijie. Jin Zhiming left in silence. Jin Yibei ran out after her father but couldn't find him. Instead, she bumped into Li Yunkai, who was on his way to buy a new Transformer. Remembering the ruined pizza, Jin Yibei insisted Li Yunkai take her to get pizza immediately. The two children happily went together, and Jin Yibei temporarily forgot about her father.
After their pizza, Li Yunkai walked Jin Yibei home, where they met Jin Zhiming. Jin Yibei begged Jin Zhiming not to leave Xu Huijie. Moved by his daughter's plea, Jin Zhiming agreed to give Xu Huijie another chance, and the couple decided to reconcile. Troubled by Jin Zhiming's words, Dong Lijun confided in Song Xiuhua. Song Xiuhua's wise counsel, emphasizing the importance of a couple's happiness, uplifted Dong Lijun's spirits.
However, this interaction deeply hurt Xu Huijie, who stubbornly believed Dong Lijun had already decided to name Song Xiuhua the next Head Embroiderer. That night, unknown to Song Xiuhua, Xu Huijie retrieved Song Xiuhua's partially completed competition piece and burned it in a metal bin. Jin Zhiming secretly witnessed the act. The next morning, Song Xiuhua frantically searched for her missing competition piece. Xu Huijie appeared, feigned concern, and helped search briefly before leaving.
Outside, she saw Factory Supervisor Ding Wei washing the metal bin she had used to burn the piece. Alarm flashed across her face as she asked if he had found anything, but Ding Wei claimed to have seen nothing and confidently stated that Xu Huijie would surely win the embroiderer's position. Disappointed by Xu Huijie's unscrupulous actions, Jin Zhiming confronted her, urging her to apologize to Song Xiuhua.
Xu Huijie adamantly refused to admit anything and, to end the discussion, agreed to Jin Zhiming taking Jin Yibei to America. Seeing Xu Huijie's stubbornness, Jin Zhiming left in frustration. Later, Jin Yibei found Xu Huijie, expressing her small wish to help her mother win the competition. Knowing that Song Xiuhua's deepest longing was for a child, Xu Huijie concocted a plan: she would use Jin Yibei as her model and embroider a child's dress for the competition.
Jin Yibei was overjoyed to wear a dress made by her mother for the first time in a long while. Though the dress was too small and uncomfortable, she refused to take it off, focused only on helping Xu Huijie win. The adorable Jin Yibei excitedly showed the dress to Jin Zhiming, telling him she would wear it to help her mother win. Heartbroken by his daughter's innocence, Jin Zhiming decided he couldn't let Xu Huijie continue down this path.
When Jin Yibei entrusted the dress to him for safekeeping, he secretly took it away. Confident she would win, Xu Huijie was furious to discover her competition piece missing and lashed out at Jin Yibei. Song Xiuhua arrived and intervened. When the two women stood on the competition stage, Song Xiuhua displayed her exquisitely embroidered wedding gown, a dragon-phoenix golden thread jacket. With no entry piece, Xu Huijie was forced to concede the first round.
