Count Your Lucky Stars Episode 11 Recap
> Count Your Lucky Stars Recap
Mu Yang confided in Tong Xiaoyou, explaining that after his mother's accident, Lu Xingcheng became a very cold person and stopped designing. Mu Yang revealed that he had even resigned from his first career to promote Lu Xingcheng as a designer, yet Lu Xingcheng often insulted him, calling him brainless and unmotivated.
Mu Yang felt that Lu Xingcheng always believed he was right and never wrong, so Mu Yang resorted to slandering him, believing it was the only way to maintain some form of interaction with him. While at home, Lu Xingcheng was surprised by the sudden arrival of Tong Xiaoyou's parents. He quickly opened the door and fabricated a story about Tong Xiaoyou having just invited him over for dinner, pretending he didn't live there.
Tong Xiaoyou's father, who had always disapproved of her career choice, asked Lu Xingcheng to help persuade his daughter to abandon her dream of being a designer. Instead, Lu Xingcheng praised Tong Xiaoyou’s talent, emphasizing that it was incredibly difficult to become a chief designer, a position she had already achieved. Her father was surprised to hear about her promotion and lamented that she never shared important life updates with them, wondering if she also kept her relationships a secret.
Lu Xingcheng assured him that Tong Xiaoyou was focused on her career and hoped to make him proud. Her father, however, simply wished for her to live a stable and happy life, not necessarily to achieve great success. Lu Xingcheng argued that happiness comes from pursuing what one loves, even if it involves hard work, comparing it to her father’s joy in cooking. Her father agreed that their main frustration was Tong Xiaoyou's lack of communication.
Lu Xingcheng then offered to speak with Tong Xiaoyou more often on his visits to convince her, quickly adding that his visits would only be occasional, not frequent. Later, when Tong Xiaoyou came home, she confirmed with Lu Xingcheng that her parents had visited. He told her they mostly wanted her to get married soon. Tong Xiaoyou then revealed that she had learned about his past, specifically regarding the Nepal Kyi dress and his mother, from Mu Yang.
Lu Xingcheng's demeanor instantly changed, and he angrily accused her of being as intrusive as journalists. Tong Xiaoyou tried to encourage him to return to designing, reminding him that the Nepal Kyi dress had been her childhood dream, but Lu Xingcheng vehemently declared that her dream was his nightmare and that he wished the Nepal Kyi dress would disappear forever. He then stormed off to his room.
Tong Xiaoyou, observing his extreme reaction, understood the heavy price people pay for their passions and, recalling what Mu Yang had told her, realized that Lu Xingcheng had deliberately burned the Nepal Kyi dress after his mother's accident, as if trying to erase those painful memories. Lu Xingcheng woke up from a nightmare where Tong Xiaoyou pushed him off a building.
He found that Tong Xiaoyou had thoughtfully prepared breakfast for him, left warm water and toothpaste, and written a series of notes. In her apology note, she expressed remorse for her actions the previous day, admitting it was wrong of her to pry into his personal affairs. At the office, Tong Xiaoyou was unresponsive to Lu Yanzhi's usual morning pleasantries and his gift.
She abruptly announced her intention to resign and confronted him, asking if he was hiding anything from her. Lu Yanzhi immediately understood she was referring to the Nepal Kyi dress incident. He confessed that there were things he hadn't told her before.
While he maintained that his design for the "Journey at the Next Stop" event was not a direct plagiarism of the Nepal Kyi dress, he admitted to using his father’s past designs as a reference, acknowledging that this oversight and the coincidences might have hurt her. He apologized for the unintentional deception and explained he had withheld information in hopes of getting closer to her. Tong Xiaoyou accepted his apology but insisted on leaving.
At that moment, Lu Yanzhi received an urgent call from Mr. Chen, alerting him to a problem at home, prompting him to leave quickly. Lu Yanzhi rushed home after Mr. Chen informed him that his parents had a heated argument and his mother was crying. He found Chengpei Yu resting and immediately questioned her about the Nepal Kyi dress, asking if it was truly designed by his father and if its name was Nepal Kyi.
He confessed his dislike for design and his unwillingness to gain a reputation for plagiarism from a competition he didn't care about. Chengpei Yu dismissed his concerns, reiterating that he was not a plagiarist. She implored him to successfully complete Ye Mang’s dress, stressing that it was his only chance to gain his father Lu Ren's recognition.
The next morning, Tong Xiaoyou tried to cheer up Lu Xingcheng, bringing him various snacks and telling him she hoped he wasn’t still angry. She then attempted to remind him of the Nepal Kyi dress exhibition from ten years ago, recalling a little girl who was captivated by the dress in the window. When she finally revealed that she was that little girl, Lu Xingcheng coldly stated he had never encountered such an ordinary woman.
Offended, Tong Xiaoyou declared she couldn’t stand to see him in his current state of decadence, especially as the designer of the Nepal Kyi dress. She lunged at him, trying to reverse their swapped luck, leading to a playful struggle. As the atmosphere grew ambiguous, Lu Xingcheng embraced her and gently placed her on the sofa. After confirming her consent, he leaned in for a kiss, but their intimate moment was abruptly interrupted by Song Ruru's unexpected return home.
The sudden interruption left Tong Xiaoyou and Lu Xingcheng in an awkward position. Tong Xiaoyou quickly tried to explain the situation to Song Ruru, and then dropped the bombshell that Lu Xingcheng was the actual designer of the Nepal Kyi dress, leaving Song Ruru utterly stunned. The next morning at breakfast, Tong Xiaoyou proposed a deal to Lu Xingcheng: if he accompanied her to a certain place that afternoon, she would cook anything he desired for him in the future.
Lu Xingcheng initially refused, but Tong Xiaoyou, dressed cutely, insisted she was waiting for him, implying he would regret not joining her. At the office, Wu Meng was overheard gossiping about Tong Xiaoyou, implying that Lu Yanzhi was being manipulated by her and that Tong Xiaoyou was undeserving of her position. Tong Xiaoyou, upon hearing this, confronted Wu Meng and declared her resignation, refusing to offer any explanation.
Lu Yanzhi intervened and invited Tong Xiaoyou to his office for a private conversation. He asked if she was leaving due to the gossip, offering to handle it, but Tong Xiaoyou explained that his preferential treatment made her uncomfortable and alienated her from colleagues.
Lu Yanzhi apologized for his lack of consideration and then revealed his true reasons for wanting her to stay: he greatly admired her design talent and envied her ability to pursue her passion, something he, burdened by his fashion-icon parents, had never truly felt. He admitted he had studied fabric, not design, during his years abroad and only found renewed enthusiasm for design after meeting her at Words Quaker.
He urged her to see Words Quaker as a platform to achieve her dreams and to complete her design project. Swayed by his sincere words, Tong Xiaoyou agreed to reconsider her resignation. Tong Xiaoyou arrived at the C and G annual design exhibition, having looked forward to it for years. She was excited, even researching the new art director, Jiang Yan, who recently returned from abroad. Lu Xingcheng, however, dismissively stated there was nothing worth seeing at the exhibition.
Shortly after, they ran into Jiang Yan, who recognized Lu Xingcheng as an old acquaintance. Jiang Yan warmly congratulated him on his success and introduced herself to Tong Xiaoyou, who was Lu Xingcheng’s assistant. Jiang Yan then invited Lu Xingcheng to dinner after the exhibition, clearly indicating they knew each other well. Sensing the situation, Tong Xiaoyou quickly excused herself, feigning work commitments. During their dinner, Jiang Yan thanked Lu Xingcheng for recommending a doctor, which had helped her greatly.
She then inquired about his new company and current role as an art director, acknowledging C and G as a mature brand but hinting at creative differences. Jiang Yan fondly recalled their time studying abroad, where Lu Xingcheng's guidance had provided her with immense inspiration. She then extended an earnest invitation for him to join C and G, stating she would welcome his decision at any time.
Lu Xingcheng, however, expressed a reluctance to discuss work, leading him to quickly change the topic. During dinner with Song Ruru, Tong Xiaoyou expressed her emotional turmoil, revealing that Lu Yanzhi's deception made working with him awkward, and his overt favoritism made her situation at Words Quaker even more difficult with her colleagues.
Song Ruru countered that Tong Xiaoyou was focusing too much on external factors and urged her to concentrate on her design dreams, emphasizing that Words Quaker was an excellent platform for her ambitions and that leaving now would allow Wu Meng to claim victory. Just as they were talking about Lu Xingcheng, he arrived home. Seeing the food, he immediately sat down to eat.
Song Ruru then gave them some privacy, leaving Tong Xiaoyou to mention that Song Ruru had praised her cooking and to subtly try to engage Lu Xingcheng in conversation about the exhibition, but he remained quiet, saying he found it interesting and would shower. At the gym, Mu Yang surprised Wen Xi by offering her a towel and then revealed he intended to celebrate her birthday.
He shared that Lu Xingcheng hadn't celebrated his own birthday since his mother’s death ten years ago, and coincidentally, Wen Xi's "fake" birthday was on the same day as Lu Xingcheng's real one, a fact which amused Wen Xi. Meanwhile, Tong Xiaoyou submitted new design proposals and the next season's budget to Lu Yanzhi. He thanked her for choosing to stay, and she reiterated that their professional relationship would now be strictly business, with no favoritism.
Later, Wen Xi video-called Song Ruru and Tong Xiaoyou from the gym, excitedly sharing the "big news" that Lu Xingcheng hadn't celebrated his birthday in almost a decade, calling him a "weirdo." She also mentioned the coincidence of their birthdays. Hearing this, Tong Xiaoyou immediately searched for Wen Xi's birthday online.
