The Silence of the Monster Episode 12 Recap
> The Silence of the Monster Recap
Luo Bin visited his mother, who had just returned home with her husband, Uncle Lu, after watching a movie. His mother excitedly spoke about the handsome leading man in the film. When she saw Luo Bin, she affectionately called him "Binbin" and playfully chided Uncle Lu for getting stuck in traffic and driving the wrong way, making them late to see her son.
Luo Bin asked about the movie, to which his mother declared that no movie was as good as her son. Uncle Lu went to the kitchen to prepare noodles and boiled eggs for them. Luo Bin's mother then asked him about his blind dates, saying that she understood he hadn't experienced "love at first sight."
Luo Bin lamented that finding love was "much harder than certification," and when his mother pressed him to keep meeting people, he dryly remarked on the sheer number of people in the world. As Luo Bin prepared to leave, his mother expressed her wish for him to stay longer, but he explained he had to return for work. She suggested he arrange a family dinner with his brother when he was free.
Before he left, Luo Bin presented his mother with a small gift, a trinket for her to wear, which she adored. As he departed, his mother urged him to visit more often. Later, Luo Bin confided in He Chufeng about his visit. He noted that his mother and Uncle Lu seemed very happy, but he felt an invisible barrier separating him from their world, unable to truly belong.
He always tried to make her happy, doing whatever she asked, but he admitted, "I'm not happy. It's like an invisible crack on an egg. No one can see that crack. But I know it's always there." He Chufeng responded philosophically, "It's still an egg if you remove its shell." Back at the antique shop, He Chufeng and Sui Yi were watching TV, enveloped in a tense, ambiguous atmosphere.
Sui Yi’s thoughts drifted to a conversation she had with her colleagues, Jia Xiaoguo and Chen Xiaoyuan, who suspected that He Chufeng and Luo Bin, two handsome, single men living together for years, might be in a relationship. Jia Xiaoguo believed Luo Bin liked He Chufeng, citing Luo Bin’s many failed blind dates and his constant presence with He Chufeng. Sui Yi initially dismissed the idea, asserting He Chufeng was straight.
However, Jia Xiaoguo pointed out their long-standing high school friendship and continued singleness. Chen Xiaoyuan added that Luo Bin’s belief in love at first sight, combined with his inability to find "the one," seemed suspicious with He Chufeng always by his side.
When pressed by her colleagues to describe He Chufeng and Luo Bin's daily interactions, Sui Yi recalled instances of Luo Bin making specific demands for toast, asking He Chufeng for help with toilet paper shopping, and general reliance on him, concluding it was mostly "Luo Bin unilaterally making demands of He Chufeng." Unable to shake the doubt, Sui Yi decided to directly ask He Chufeng, "Do you like boys or girls?"
He Chufeng was visibly surprised, secretly wondering if Sui Yi harbored feelings for him and was considering a future together. He answered vaguely, "I like boys and girls." Sui Yi internally rationalized that this meant He Chufeng was open-minded, giving her a "fifty-fifty chance," but then felt she couldn't compete with Luo Bin. He Chufeng then turned the question back to her, and Sui Yi promptly replied, "I like boys. . . men."
Emboldened, she pressed further, "Do you like Robin?" He Chufeng was taken aback, finally grasping the true intent behind her earlier questions. He clarified, "I like women." He then questioned why she would ask such a thing. Sui Yi explained her suspicion stemmed from his close relationship with Luo Bin, his apparent jealousy whenever Luo Bin was mentioned, and their prolonged singleness.
He Chufeng countered that over 240 million people in the country were single, and he never found her situation strange. Sui Yi expressed relief, now feeling assured of his preference. Returning to the earlier conversation, He Chufeng asked Sui Yi if Luo Bin was her type. She quickly denied it, stating neither of them was the other's type. He Chufeng seemed to relax, then leaned in closer and asked, "Am I your type?"
Sui Yi offered no verbal answer, but as they drew nearer, a kiss seemed imminent until Luo Bin unexpectedly returned, asking what they were doing. Luo Bin, seeing a movie on, suggested they watch something else as he had already seen it. Blushing deeply, Sui Yi quickly excused herself, claiming tiredness and heading to bed. Puzzled, Luo Bin asked He Chufeng what was going on between them. Later, He Chufeng and Luo Bin sat on the stairs, sharing a drink.
He Chufeng mused that if he weren't a locksmith, he'd be an art teacher, fondly recalling teaching his late sister, Chunian, how to draw. Luo Bin imagined himself as a rich second-generation, inheriting his stepfather’s business and becoming "a rich man with good taste." When He Chufeng suggested he could do that now, Luo Bin declined, saying his younger brother could inherit the business and being a freelance appraiser suited him better.
He Chufeng then urged Luo Bin to visit his mother more often. Luo Bin reiterated his earlier sentiment about feeling happy for his mother but being unable to truly integrate into her new family, describing his unhappiness as "an invisible crack on an egg." He then asked He Chufeng if he missed his sister.
With a pained expression, He Chufeng acknowledged how suddenly misfortunes can strike, stating that when it comes to family or loved ones, people often delay expressing their feelings, only to find it's "too late" when they finally wish to say "I love you." He then advised Luo Bin to cherish his mother. Meanwhile, Sui Yi was seen returning a gift to Mr. Jin's butler, leaving it at his doorstep as Mr. Jin was not home.
Simultaneously, Liu Xingyu was at home taking care of her sick mother when her uncle arrived, aggressively demanding they sell the house. He claimed they owed him money from her mother's treatment and insisted on selling the property to repay it. Liu Xingyu fiercely retorted, accusing him of being a "robber" and a "criminal" intent on stealing their home.
Her mother tried to silence her, reminding her that he was her uncle, but Liu Xingyu challenged her mother to stop being bullied. The next morning, Liu Xingyu, carrying the property certificate, arrived at the antique shop to consult Sui Yi, the lawyer. He Chufeng and Luo Bin decided to go grocery shopping to allow Sui Yi and Liu Xingyu some privacy.
While out, Luo Bin jokingly speculated if Liu Xingyu was there for He Chufeng again, to learn lock-picking, and wondered how he would refuse her. He Chufeng, however, was concerned about Liu Xingyu, given her distress at the police station earlier, and the gravity of her wanting to sue her uncle over a property dispute. Sui Yi carefully reviewed the property certificate and explained the legal situation to Liu Xingyu.
She confirmed that the house belonged solely to Liu Xingyu's grandmother. Since the grandmother had passed away without a formal, notarized will, the house would be co-owned by her direct heirs: Liu Xingyu's mother and her uncle, each inheriting half. Liu Xingyu protested, arguing that her uncle hadn't cared for her grandmother, while her grandmother had verbally told her that the house was for her and her mother.
Sui Yi gently informed her that this oral declaration was legally invalid, as it wasn't made in an emergency and lacked witnesses. Liu Xingyu, distraught, questioned why the law wouldn't protect them, the vulnerable party. Sui Yi patiently explained that the law upholds fairness and the legitimate rights of all individuals, whether "good or bad people," and therefore, Liu Xingyu could not sue her uncle based on the current facts.
She further clarified that the decision on how to handle the house ultimately rested with Liu Xingyu's mother and uncle. Despite Liu Xingyu's departure, Sui Yi remained uneasy, expressing to He Chufeng that his words had been "too harsh" and she was "still worried about her emotions." He Chufeng, however, was resolute, arguing that "Emotions are the most useless things" and that offering comfort was merely "an act of avoidance."
He maintained that problems and conflicts would not disappear with gentle words and that, like Sui Yi, he wanted to genuinely help Liu Xingyu and her mother by facing them with "the truth and the facts." Sui Yi conceded his point but gently insisted that given Liu Xingyu's young age, a "milder way" of communication was preferable, reiterating that He Chufeng's approach was "too cruel" and they needed to "protect her."
He Chufeng firmly countered that during his own teenage years, he had desperately needed someone to reveal "how much I would pay for the mistakes I made," rather than offering "so-called protection." He then retreated to his room with a somber expression, leaving Luo Bin, who had overheard their conversation, looking utterly perplexed. Luo Bin went to comfort Liu Xingyu, who was sitting on the floor.
He asked why she called herself "Big Force" and noted that her original name, Liu Xingyu, was quite pleasant. Liu Xingyu explained she disliked her birth name, deeming it "childish" and given by someone she despised, and wanted to appear tough because she had been bullied. Luo Bin empathized, sharing that he too was bullied in high school and disliked his own name, Luo Bin, given by someone he detested.
He even tried calling himself "Robin" for a period to completely detach from his past, though he later found that attempt rather "ridiculous" as "Robin is actually Luo Bin, isn't it?" He Chufeng then prepared a meal and invited Liu Xingyu to eat with them. She casually asked if locksmiths needed to know how to cook, to which Luo Bin jokingly confirmed it as an "essential skill."
Liu Xingyu then revealed her true motivation for wanting to learn locksmithing, believing it to be a highly profitable profession after witnessing He Chufeng open a safe filled with cash. He Chufeng unequivocally rejected her, stating he would not teach her because her intentions were "not pure." He accused her of wanting to "make quick money."
He further exposed her deceitful behavior of pretending to go to school while actually taking free items like napkins and straws from businesses to bring home. When Liu Xingyu defended herself by saying these items were free and she hadn't stolen anything, and that He Chufeng had no idea about her mother's difficult life, He Chufeng delivered a stern lecture.
He criticized her "ignorance" for attempting to sue her uncle over an invalid will and for stealing things to gain his attention. He challenged her claim of wanting to protect her mother, asking, "How can you protect her? By being ignorant?" Liu Xingyu tearfully asked what she should do. He Chufeng firmly told her, "You need to get strong first to protect others."
As Liu Xingyu left, He Chufeng made her remove the tissues she had secretly put in her backpack. Luo Bin, worried, asked if they should check on her, but He Chufeng maintained that if she truly loved her mother, she would go home. On her way, Liu Xingyu encountered a suspicious man, later revealed to be her "master," who seemed aware of her nickname "Big Force" and her desire to learn locksmithing from He Chufeng.
Later, Sui Yi was with her colleagues, Jia Xiaoguo and Chen Xiaoyuan, who were discussing their career aspirations and romantic interests. Jia Xiaoguo playfully asked Sui Yi if she had updated her "treasury book" detailing Luo Bin's romantic "battle" records, which Sui Yi had initially dismissed as a joke. Jia Xiaoguo then pressed Sui Yi on whether she was "really not interested in boys at all."
Sui Yi firmly stated her current focus was solely on completing her internship, obtaining her lawyer's license, and becoming a full-fledged lawyer. Chen Xiaoyuan added that her goal was to be a good cop. The three women light-heartedly teased each other about their romantic lives and career ambitions.
