Butterflied Lover Episode 4 Recap
> Butterflied Lover Recap
Tang Qianyue woke with a jolt, crying out to Ling Changfeng to stop stabbing her. She looked down to see blood on her chest, a stark reminder that the terrifying event was real and Ling Changfeng now knew her true identity. Ling Changfeng confirmed her awakening, then apologized, explaining that the situation had been an emergency, and he had been forced to act that way to control her.
Tang Qianyue immediately asked about Bao Zhu, relieved when Ling Changfeng assured her that the princess was safe, had been sent home, and was completely unaware of what had transpired. Overcome with guilt, Tang Qianyue tearfully apologized for her condition and recounted that when Bao Zhu approached and refused to leave, she had no choice but to turn her away, especially after consuming tonics that exacerbated her condition.
Bao Zhu, thinking Tang Qianyue was being "delicate," had refused to listen, forcing Tang Qianyue to incapacitate her to prevent any harm. Ling Changfeng offered her water, and Tang Qianyue, resolving to hide nothing further, told him she would truthfully answer all his questions. Ling Changfeng began by asking if she was responsible for killing the bandits five years ago in Dongqian Village, the day they first met.
Tang Qianyue confirmed she had killed the bandits but clarified that she was not responsible for the deaths of the villagers. She then confessed that she had been a butterfly slave since the moment he found her, apologizing for hiding her true nature from him all this time.
When Ling Changfeng asked about her life before, about who she was and how she became a butterfly slave, Tang Qianyue admitted she had no memories prior to meeting him, explaining that her earliest recollections were all of him. Her story unfolded in a series of flashbacks, painting a picture of their past. After Ling Changfeng's appearance extinguished the red glow from her eyes, he treated her wounds.
He inquired about her family and if she had anywhere to go, but she remained silent as he learned she had no relatives. He then left her water, food, and silver notes, instructing her to buy shoes, though she seemed not to understand their purpose. He departed due to urgent duties. Tang Qianyue, however, followed him. One snowy day, Ling Changfeng was roasting a chicken in a cave when a fish was tossed in from outside.
He found Tang Qianyue hiding and invited her in, remarking on her continued presence despite receiving money. She offered him the raw fish, which he declined. When she instinctively tried to eat the raw fish herself, he stopped her, offering her his roasted chicken instead. She devoured the chicken ravenously. Observing Ling Changfeng throwing firewood into the fire, she innocently mimicked his action, tossing the silver notes he had given her into the flames.
Ling Changfeng, finding this strange, gave her more, but she burned those too, seemingly unaware of their value. Tang Qianyue continued to follow Ling Changfeng, her feet wrapped in cloth strips in place of shoes. During a particularly heavy snowfall, her foot wraps came loose, and she had to sit down to re-wrap them.
Ling Changfeng, seeing the snow worsen, opened an umbrella and had Tang Qianyue hold it, then carried her on his back, a gesture that brought a warm smile to Tang Qianyue’s face. Eventually, they reached a bustling town, where Ling Changfeng found it inconvenient to continue traveling with her.
He entrusted her to an old woman who ran a stall, providing Tang Qianyue with more silver notes and suggesting she could use them to rent a place if she preferred not to live with the old woman. With a final "until next time," Ling Changfeng left her there. Tang Qianyue faithfully waited at the stall for his return, but he never appeared. Her clothes and the silver notes she had were stolen.
The kind old woman, pitying Tang Qianyue who was shivering from the cold, gave her an outer robe. Tang Qianyue, now accustomed to the stall, stubbornly refused to leave the spot. When the old woman eventually stopped selling, Tang Qianyue was left unattended and frequently hungry, often shooed away by others in the marketplace. One day, Tang Qianyue took a sugarcoated haw from a vendor, oblivious that payment was required.
The vendor aggressively pursued her, demanding three pence and threatening to take her to an officer. Just then, Ling Changfeng, who was nearby handling official business, noticed the commotion. He intervened, telling the vendor that a few pence were not worth bothering a young girl and offered to pay for her. Tang Qianyue broke free from the vendor and, with an eager rush, tightly embraced Ling Changfeng.
