Because of You Episode 12 Recap
> Because of You Recap
When the doctor revealed that Le Tong suffered from congenital hearing impairment and required immediate surgery to prevent lifelong disability, the compassionate Zhang Guoguo resolved to become the child's mother. She lovingly named the child Le Tong and persuaded Zhang Mother to keep her. Unbeknownst to Zhang Guoguo, Zhang Mother secretly welcomed this outcome, happy to have her biological grandchild nearby without jeopardizing Zhang Yuxin's future.
In stark contrast, when Le Tong's biological mother, Zhang Yuxin, learned of her daughter's condition, she silently hung up the phone. Zhang Guoguo later informed Song Xiuhua of her decision to adopt Le Tong. Song Xiuhua advised caution, worried that Zhang Mother might object. To Song Xiuhua's surprise, Zhang Guoguo shared that Zhang Mother had readily agreed, a fact that perplexed Song Xiuhua greatly.
Zhang Guoguo went to Li Yunkai’s law firm to deliver takeout as he had requested, only to be unexpectedly served with a lawsuit. It turned out that Zhang Guoguo had forcibly taken Li Yunkai's electric scooter when she was rushing to see Le Tong at the hospital, an act he held against her. Li Yunkai only dropped the lawsuit after Zhang Guoguo agreed to treat him to wontons for an entire year.
During their interaction, Li Yunkai also informed Zhang Guoguo that he had secured a significant order for her: three hundred embroidered ties for the law firm. Overjoyed by the news, Zhang Guoguo spontaneously hugged him. After learning about Le Tong's illness via phone, Zhang Yuxin hastily returned to Xiping and arranged to meet Zhang Mother and the baby.
She found herself annoyed by the crying Le Tong, but under Zhang Mother's persistent nagging, she reluctantly held the child and breastfed her. Perhaps comforted and fed in her mother's arms, little Le Tong soon stopped crying. Zhang Yuxin then insisted that Zhang Mother send Le Tong away as soon as possible and demanded that Zhang Guoguo never know who the child's real mother was before turning and leaving.
Watching Zhang Yuxin's retreating back, Zhang Mother, for the first time, decided not to comply with her daughter's wishes; she was resolute in keeping Le Tong. Back in Zhenhu, Zhang Yuxin received a call from Lu Sichen’s lawyer, urging her to settle their divorce out of court. The lawyer explained that Lu Sichen’s father had passed away, and Lu Sichen wished to be released quickly to handle the funeral arrangements.
Selfish as ever, Zhang Yuxin refused the out-of-court settlement, fearing that Lu Sichen might resent her due to his father's death and wishing he would disappear forever. When the lawyer conveyed Zhang Yuxin's decision to Lu Sichen, he was consumed by anger and despair, finally seeing Zhang Yuxin’s true colors. Determined to confess his feelings, Li Yunkai sought out Zhang Guoguo under the pretense of supervising her work.
He subtly brought up Song Xiuhua again, but Zhang Guoguo once more brushed him off. Remembering his primary goal, he quickly changed the subject and invited her on a lake excursion. Unaware of his intentions, Zhang Guoguo joined Li Yunkai on a boat. As he watched the endearing Zhang Guoguo, Li Yunkai's heart fluttered, and he seized the moment to ask her to be his girlfriend.
Still grappling with her own feelings, Zhang Guoguo simply thought Li Yunkai was out of his mind. Seeing her so clueless, Li Yunkai impulsively kissed her. This act, however, enraged Zhang Guoguo. She declared loudly that she would never like him, then panicked, jumped off the boat, and fled. Anxious to catch up, Li Yunkai rushed after her, only to tumble into the water in his haste.
Meanwhile, Li Yunzhe also met with Zhang Yuxin, bringing up the topic of studying abroad. Aware of Li Yunzhe's interest in her, Zhang Yuxin deliberately presented herself as self-reliant, feigning reluctance when Li Yunzhe offered sponsorship from Time Inc. Li Yunzhe saw through her charade but, surprisingly, found himself even more intrigued by her manipulative wit.
Concerned about Zhang Guoguo's future, Song Xiuhua implored Li Yunkai's father to personally speak with Dong Lijun, hoping she would accept Zhang Guoguo as an apprentice. Given that Xu Huijie was currently the embroidery master, Dong Lijun did not immediately agree, stating she needed time to consider. For due diligence, Dong Lijun specifically sought out Zhang Yuxin for information.
Upon learning that Dong Lijun was considering taking Zhang Guoguo as an apprentice, Zhang Yuxin maliciously blamed Zhang Guoguo for Wu Lisa’s allergy incident, significantly damaging Dong Lijun’s impression of Zhang Guoguo. At this time, Xu Huijie happened to pass by Jin Zhiming's studio. Seeing the familiar setup, Xu Huijie was flooded with memories of little Jin Yibei playing there while Jin Zhiming painted. Overcome with longing for her daughter, tears streamed down her face.
Understanding Xu Huijie's pain, Jin Zhiming produced the painting Jin Yibei had drawn years ago. The couple decided to once again publish the painting in the newspaper to search for their daughter. Li Yunkai's father called, instructing him to return to Zhenhu for work the following week, which made Li Yunkai even more desperate to confess his feelings to Zhang Guoguo.
After careful planning and preparation, Li Yunkai called Zhang Guoguo and arranged to meet her in the park, where he waited with a bouquet of flowers. However, fate had other plans. A torrential downpour ruined his carefully prepared flowers and left him completely drenched. Because Le Tong was still in the hospital, Zhang Guoguo and Zhang Mother were there tending to her. Zhang Guoguo was distracted by Li Yunkai's invitation.
After finally managing Le Tong's situation, Zhang Guoguo braved the heavy rain to meet Li Yunkai. But due to the severe weather, Li Yunkai, without an umbrella, left to find one, thus missing Zhang Guoguo who had arrived looking for him. When Li Yunkai later went to the wonton shop to find Zhang Guoguo, he overheard customers making veiled remarks about Zhang Guoguo being an unmarried mother. Displeased, he left immediately.
Later, Song Xiuhua found Zhang Guoguo and told her about the apprenticeship opportunity with Dong Lijun. However, considering Le Tong's condition, Zhang Guoguo reluctantly declined Song Xiuhua's offer. Song Xiuhua, feeling sorry for Zhang Guoguo, confronted Zhang Mother, accusing her of never truly putting Zhang Guoguo's well-being first and always favoring Zhang Yuxin. Zhang Mother, whose heart truly leaned towards Zhang Yuxin, engaged in a heated argument with Song Xiuhua.
With all the ties for the law firm embroidered, Zhang Guoguo personally delivered them to the office. To her dismay, Li Yunkai was still very upset about her missing their previous date and repeatedly questioned her about the child. Unsure how to explain Le Tong's origins, Zhang Guoguo simply stated that Le Tong was her child, which only angered Li Yunkai further, leading to an acrimonious parting.
Concerned by their unresolved conflict, Zhang Guoguo went to Li Yunkai's house that evening to inquire further, but a fuming Li Yunkai refused to speak calmly and instead sent her away. When Li Yunkai's father once again approached Dong Lijun about taking Zhang Guoguo as an apprentice, Dong Lijun agreed to meet Zhang Guoguo, much to Zhang Yuxin's displeasure.
Zhang Yuxin noted that Xu Huijie had previously shown interest in Zhang Guoguo, and now even Dong Lijun was willing to meet her. Zhang Yuxin naturally couldn't allow such a thing to happen. She discreetly approached Song Xiuhua under the guise of Golden Thread Embroidery, warning her to know her limits and not interfere. As Zhang Yuxin was about to leave, she encountered Zhang Guoguo, who was arriving to see Song Xiuhua.
A past conversation between Zhang Guoguo and Zhang Yuxin revealed Zhang Yuxin's strong opposition to Zhang Guoguo learning embroidery. Zhang Yuxin stated, "You said you didn't want people to know we're sisters. I'll be going first. Did you take my words as nothing? I didn't allow you to learn embroidery and you insisted on doing it. Now, you've become a finalist? Are you purposefully opposing me?"
Zhang Guoguo tried to explain that it wasn't intentional, but Zhang Yuxin retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you know who the other candidate is? Me." Zhang Guoguo expressed surprise that Zhang Yuxin, a fashion design student, was entering an embroidery competition. Zhang Yuxin proudly declared, "Who says a fashion design student can't learn embroidery? In fact, my teacher is Golden Thread Embroidery's embroidery master, Lead Embroiderer Xu. Xu Huijie."
Zhang Yuxin continued to belittle Zhang Guoguo, demanding she withdraw from the competition and reminding her that she was "just a stray child picked up by my mom. What right do you have to compete with me?" This harsh exchange deeply wounded Zhang Guoguo, who began to question her true origins. Zhang Yuxin then called Zhang Mother, reinforcing her demand that Zhang Guoguo be kept from attending the competition, threatening to sever their mother-daughter relationship if her plans were ruined.
Zhang Mother, terrified of losing Zhang Yuxin, desperately tried to stop Zhang Guoguo from leaving for Zhenhu. She confronted Zhang Guoguo, attempting to destroy her competition dress with scissors. Song Xiuhua intervened, questioning Zhang Mother's actions and criticizing her for obstructing Zhang Guoguo's future. Zhang Mother lashed out, accusing Song Xiuhua of conspiring with Zhang Guoguo to deceive her. However, Song Xiuhua then revealed that she had anticipated Zhang Mother's actions and had swapped the real dress for a decoy.
She encouraged Zhang Guoguo to give it her all in the competition. Li Yunkai, having been informed by Xiao Qin that Zhang Guoguo was going to Zhenhu, offered her a ride. He not only drove her but also helped her improve her appearance by providing a new outfit and arguing that "if the designer's sense of fashion is like a country bumpkin's, how would the judges believe in your good taste?"
He assured her that he was only helping her for Xiping's honor. At the competition, Zhang Yuxin confidently presented her cheongsam, "Golden Dragon." She explained her design concept, emphasizing how the golden thread dragon design highlighted Wu Lisa's "empress temperament" and "unique, unsurpassable sexiness." When the host announced the other contestant's arrival, Zhang Yuxin was shocked, having believed the competitor had withdrawn.
When Zhang Guoguo appeared, Zhang Yuxin scornfully remarked that competing with "a witless young girl like her is an insult to Golden Thread Embroidery's standing." Zhang Guoguo countered that she might be young but she embroidered for passion, not competition, aiming to "make clothes that speak its owner's heart." Zhang Guoguo then presented her cheongsam, "Black Swan." She explained that the neck and shoulder areas were made of translucent lace, while the body was silk embroidered with realistic swan feathers.
She revealed that the bottom portion used real feathers, sourced from a goose seller, meticulously cleaned and dyed. She explained that her teacher had taught her the feather embroidery technique, aiming for a "noble, natural, and lifelike" feeling. Zhang Yuxin criticized the all-black design as too conservative and unsuitable. However, Zhang Guoguo requested five more minutes and a beam of light.
Under the focused light, the black fabric surprisingly refracted into different shades of ice gray, blue, and purple, revealing its intricate artistry. When Lead Embroiderer Xu, impressed, asked about her teacher, Zhang Guoguo, remembering Song Xiuhua's previous instruction not to reveal her, claimed she had learned the technique from a magazine.
