The Silence of the Monster Episode 30 Recap
> The Silence of the Monster Recap
He Chufeng and Gu Nan prepared for their lock-picking competition. Gu Nan presented the complicated lock he had used in a secret competition, telling He Chufeng he would not go easy on him. He Chufeng, reflecting on his twenty-eight years, acknowledged a miserable past but yearned for a life worth looking forward to. He admitted his intense desire to win, and to achieve a happy life with his supportive friends and the work he loved.
As the countdown began, He Chufeng won the competition. Gu Nan, after a great effort, successfully opened his own lock, briefly smiling in triumph. However, his expression soured when he realized He Chufeng's earlier victory meant He Chufeng had been letting him win. Enraged, Gu Nan accused He Chufeng of pitying him, mocking him, and letting him win.
He reminded He Chufeng that he was the one who taught him all his lock-picking skills, saving him from a life as a greasy car mechanic. Gu Nan then venomously questioned He Chufeng's self-proclaimed justice, asking if he truly believed everyone, especially the appraiser Luo Bin, was sincere with him and had no hidden motives. He dropped a bombshell: Zhao Chengqiu was Luo Bin's biological father, and Lu Chengli was just his stepfather.
Luo Bin's surname was Luo because he took his mother's name after their divorce. Gu Nan revealed that Luo Bin knew everything, including how He Chufeng's sister, Chunian, could have lived but died due to Zhao Chengqiu and He Chufeng's father. Yet He Chufeng, unaware, had considered Zhao Chengqiu's son his best friend. Gu Nan’s words devastated He Chufeng.
He Chufeng returned home to a dark apartment, only to be surprised by Luo Bin, Sui Yi, and Fang Qi holding a birthday cake, singing "Happy Birthday." The celebratory gesture felt hollow. He Chufeng didn't blow out the candles. Instead, he placed the cake aside and confronted Luo Bin, asking when he learned about Chunian's death and who Zhao Chengqiu was. Luo Bin admitted Zhao Chengqiu was his biological father.
He Chufeng then accused Luo Bin of knowing all along how and why Chunian died, yet hiding it from him, treating him like a fool. Luo Bin tried to explain that he had wanted to tell him but didn't know how to speak.
He Chufeng, overwhelmed with anger, stated that he felt like a clown being watched, his ten years of trying to forget his mother and sister, and convincing himself that jailing his former mentor was right, now shattered by Luo Bin's betrayal. He stormed upstairs, leaving Luo Bin distraught and tearful. Luo Bin, unable to reach He Chufeng, left their shared apartment and didn't show up at the shop the next day, instead calling his friend Roger to help out.
Fang Qi, seeing no point in staying without Luo Bin, decided to return home. Sui Yi, trying to mediate, suggested that He Chufeng and Luo Bin might be misunderstanding each other, but He Chufeng stated there was nothing to discuss. The community members also noticed Luo Bin's absence, leaving He Chufeng feeling increasingly isolated. Sui Yi stayed for dinner, but He Chufeng noted the excess of food for just the two of them.
Sui Yi mentioned she would be going home after the Minor Spring Festival to visit her grandfather, leaving He Chufeng to put on a brave face and assure her he would be fine alone, though his loneliness was palpable. Luo Bin was consumed by memories from ten years ago. His father, Zhao Chengqiu, drunkenly confessed to him that he was a murderer and had caused Chunian's death.
Luo Bin remembered the day He Chufeng's father brought Chunian to Dr. Zhao, who diagnosed her with depression. He Chufeng's father, however, refused to believe it, insisting Chunian was "acting up" and begging Dr. Zhao to allow her to go to school. Dr. Zhao initially advised treatment but later, believing it might help Chunian's spirits, issued a fake certificate permitting her to attend school. After that, he never saw Chunian again.
He later went to He Chufeng's father's home to plead for Chunian's treatment, but He Chufeng's drunken father angrily dismissed him, claiming he could manage his own child and distrusting doctors. Without the necessary care, Chunian tragically committed suicide a month later. Meanwhile, He Chufeng sat by the river, drinking alone. He imagined Chunian next to him, reflecting on her life. She noted that if she were alive, she would be nearly twenty.
He Chufeng blamed himself for not being there for her during her suffering. Chunian's voice expressed her admiration for him, seeing him as a shining protagonist, while she felt like an invisible supporting character trapped in a black hole of despair. She recounted desperately trying to find meaning and dreams like her brother's but failing, all while hiding her pain to avoid worrying him and their mother.
She wished for a chance to start over, to openly express her sadness, fear, and sensitivity. She promised to live well if given another chance, to tell him everything. She felt she had only lost the key he gave her, knowing he would always open the door for her. She urged him to live his life fully for her.
