The Starry Night, The Starry Sea Episode 12 Recap
> The Starry Night, The Starry Sea Recap
Zhou Buwen confronted Jiang Yisheng, demanding to know what he was doing by helping Wu Julan pursue Shen Luo, given Zhou Buwen’s long-standing affection for her. Jiang Yisheng countered that Shen Luo clearly didn't like him, and a forced relationship wouldn't be sweet. He added that Wu Julan seemed like a good person who was sincere towards Shen Luo, and they should be blessed. He insisted they couldn't let Shen Luo remain single for life.
Zhou Buyan arrived, calling for her big brother, interrupting their argument. An Zuo had managed to escape from his fight with Wu Julan, thanks to Zhou Buwen rolling out an oil drum, which distracted Wu Julan. An Zuo thanked Zhou Buwen, not only offering him money but also revealing that Wu Julan was a merman and only An Zuo could defeat him.
He proposed a deeper collaboration: Zhou Buwen would help him defeat Wu Julan to obtain the spiritual pearl, and in return, Zhou Buwen could have Shen Luo. Zhou Buwen readily agreed. An Zuo was frequently lost in memories of his sweet past with Wu Jingjing. When he was at her home, he discovered their old photos together, further convincing him that Wu Jingjing still harbored feelings for him.
Meanwhile, Wu Julan came to Wu Jingjing and informed her that he had already clashed with An Zuo. He urged her to find An Zuo quickly, expressing suspicion about her strange behavior and how An Zuo remained unfound on such a small island. At that moment, An Zuo accidentally made a noise upstairs. Wu Julan looked up, but An Zuo quickly hid, and Wu Julan only saw a cat.
After Wu Julan left, Wu Jingjing told An Zuo that she only took him in because he promised to leave the island, as she wished to avoid unnecessary conflict, and not because of any lingering feelings, hoping to make him give up. An Zuo, however, did not believe he could not subdue Wu Jingjing. Shen Luo found Wu Julan’s shirt in the trash, stained with blood, and also picked up a scale.
Determined to prove she had indeed seen Wu Julan fighting a black-clad man, she attempted to take off Wu Julan’s shirt to check for wounds. Fortunately, Wu Jingjing appeared just in time. She explained that the bloodstains and scales were from Wu Julan helping an old woman clean fish. Shen Luo became convinced she was experiencing hallucinations, which explained why Jiang Yisheng had laughed at her.
She confided in Jiang Yisheng that she genuinely felt sick; whenever she saw Wu Julan, she couldn't help but fantasize about inappropriate scenarios. Seeing him knead dough, she imagined it was a massage for her. Watching a kissing scene on TV, she pictured herself kissing Wu Julan. After listening, Jiang Yisheng confirmed that Shen Luo had fallen in love with Wu Julan. Shen Luo dismissed his words but couldn't stop her wild thoughts about Wu Julan.
In an effort to cheer up Zhou Buyan, Zhu Yiyang rode a dilapidated tricycle, singing as he took her around. They visited a lighthouse, and while Zhu Yiyang enthusiastically explained things, Zhou Buyan found it boring and fell asleep. They continued their outing until dark, by which point the tricycle had a flat tire. Zhou Buyan wanted macarons, but Zhu Yiyang couldn't find any and bought other cakes instead, which Zhou Buyan rejected.
From that day on, Zhu Yiyang searched everywhere for macarons, but no one seemed to have seen them. Wu Jingjing arranged to meet Jiang Yisheng at a bar that evening. Jiang Yisheng was excited, sensing that something significant would happen. He even enlisted two friends, one to scatter flowers and another to play the violin. Lost in his fantasies, Jiang Yisheng saw Wu Jingjing approaching and felt overjoyed.
To his dismay, Wu Jingjing told him that a relationship between them was impossible, as she had no desire to date at the moment. Jiang Yisheng believed she still had feelings for her ex-boyfriend. Wu Jingjing reminded him to respect her decision and then left. Heartbroken, Jiang Yisheng tried to comfort himself, assuring himself that Wu Jingjing would regret it and beg to be with him one day.
After Shen Luo realized her feelings for Wu Julan, she started wearing heavy makeup daily to attract his attention. She invited Wu Julan to the movies, but he rejected her. Wu Julan explained that there had been a misunderstanding, stating that many differences existed between them and they could never be together. Shen Luo left feeling distraught. The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, breaking into tears.
Unbeknownst to Shen Luo, Wu Julan acted this way to protect her, as he had already fallen deeply in love with her and was pained to see her upset. Zhou Buwen was researching information about merfolk when Zhou Buyan arrived. She promised her brother that she would be obedient in the future and wouldn't need his care. Zhou Buwen impatiently tried to send her away, but she wanted to linger a bit longer, so Zhou Buwen eventually left himself.
Shen Luo, wearing a mask, went back to the hospital to see Jiang Yisheng. After Zhou Buwen left, Jiang Yisheng caught up to Zhou Buyan, telling her that her argument with Zhou Buwen was "manly." He then explained that he was helping Wu Julan for Shen Luo's happiness, vowing to show no mercy if Wu Julan ever wronged her. He also hoped to find his own happiness. Zhou Buyan, however, told him he wasn't her type.
Zhou Buwen received a phone call from the island bar, reminding him of his reservation. Zhou Buyan, who overheard, mistakenly thought her brother was planning a surprise for her. Wu Jingjing met Jiang Yisheng at the bar. He had dressed up in all black, thinking she liked that style, reminiscing about her ex-boyfriend. Wu Jingjing was displeased, stating she hated men in black clothes and told him to get lost.
Jiang Yisheng tried to clarify, but Wu Jingjing abruptly left, reminding him to respect her decision. Zhou Buwen had arranged a romantic dinner for Shen Luo. He attempted to confess his feelings, but Shen Luo, remembering her childhood, became uncomfortable and excused herself to the restroom. She called Jiang Yisheng, admitting she couldn't accept Zhou Buwen's feelings and wanted him to tell Zhou Buwen that she would only treat him as a lifelong friend.
Zhou Buyan, still believing the surprise was for her, arrived at the bar. She was furious to find Shen Luo there. She then saw the champagne and flowers being brought out for her brother's reservation and, assuming they were for her, excitedly accepted them. Zhou Buwen tried to explain, but Zhou Buyan kept interrupting, belittling Shen Luo and saying she didn't match the romantic setting.
Shen Luo, feeling out of place, agreed with Zhou Buyan and decided to leave, despite Zhou Buwen's attempts to stop her. She told Zhou Buwen that they were not suited to be together. When Zhou Buwen argued that Wu Julan was a poor man who couldn't offer her anything, Shen Luo firmly stated that she didn't feel her life was full of suffering and didn't care about being laughed at for being poor.
She asserted that Zhou Buwen didn't understand her at all and she couldn't accept his feelings. Wu Julan then intervened, defending Shen Luo by saying that although she acted stingy and claimed to be poor, she wasn't a money-lover but rather favored emotions and pretended to be stingy to keep people away. Shen Luo and Wu Julan then left together.
As they walked, Shen Luo clarified that her rejection of Zhou Buwen was not because of Wu Julan, as she didn't believe in love and wouldn't accept either of them. She recounted her parents' constant fighting and bitter divorce, which led her to believe that love and marriage were fragile bubbles, and people should rely only on themselves. Wu Julan called her a coward for being afraid to experience new things because she feared getting hurt.
Later, Zhou Buwen confronted Jiang Yisheng again, asking about the champagne and flowers for Shen Luo. Jiang Yisheng confirmed he liked Shen Luo. Zhou Buwen, still angry about Shen Luo, argued with Jiang Yisheng. Zhou Buyan was later found by Zhu Yiyang, drinking heavily and upset because Zhou Buwen always sided with Shen Luo. She asked Zhu Yiyang if she was prettier than Shen Luo, and he enthusiastically agreed, prompting her to continue drinking.
Zhu Yiyang consoled her, allowing her to drink in his place. An Zuo met with Zhou Buwen, instructing him to get thirty years' worth of death records from the island hospital. Zhou Buwen, seeking a hint to narrow his search, was warned by An Zuo that "smart alecks don't tend to live long." Zhou Buwen then agreed to quickly gather the records. A new character arrived on the island, appearing lost.
An elderly woman helped him, welcoming him to the island and praising its pollution-free environment, delicious seafood, and hospitable locals. He expressed anticipation for his stay. Meanwhile, Wu Julan, Wu Jingjing, and Jiang Yisheng were worried about Shen Luo, who hadn't returned from grocery shopping. Jiang Yisheng tried to reassure them, but Wu Jingjing expressed a bad feeling. They discovered Shen Luo's abandoned vegetable basket, confirming their fears.
Wu Jingjing had a flashback of a phone call with An Zuo, where he revealed his father had died after a long illness that he kept secret. An Zuo blamed himself, while Wu Jingjing comforted him, saying he wasn't at fault. In another flashback, An Zuo explained to Wu Jingjing that he had joined the Black Wizards as a temporary measure to resurrect his father using the mermaid's spiritual pearl, which he planned to steal.
Wu Jingjing was shocked, reminding him that her family protected mermaids and his actions would make him her enemy. An Zuo pleaded for her help, professing his love. Wu Jingjing accused him of selfishness and asked her to betray her family. She then decided to break up with him. Wu Jingjing later encountered An Zuo. He remarked that she had finally come to find him willingly.
When she accused him of coming to fight, he said he couldn't bear to leave her. Wu Jingjing angrily told him to shut up, stating there was nothing between them anymore. An Zuo then asked if she wanted to know where Shen Luo was, revealing that Wu Julan and her valued Shen Luo because she was Du Xiaolin's descendant. He then stated that Shen Luo was not in his hands. Jiang Yisheng informed Zhou Buwen that Shen Luo was missing.
Zhou Buwen suggested she was probably with Wu Julan, but Jiang Yisheng urged him to put aside his feelings and help find her. Zhou Buwen then remembered he had business to attend to and left, telling them to inform him when Shen Luo was found, which Jiang Yisheng found disloyal. Shen Luo was tied up in a house, held hostage by Zhou Buyan and Zhu Yiyang, who were disguised with masks.
Zhu Yiyang was complaining about abducting her, reminding Zhou Buyan about the rising tide. Shen Luo quickly recognized her captors despite their masks, thanks to Zhu Yiyang's distinct gold chain. Zhou Buyan angrily told Shen Luo that they abducted her to teach her a lesson for seducing her brother. Shen Luo cried for help, insisting she had no interest in Zhou Buwen. Zhou Buyan refused to believe her, and she and Zhu Yiyang threatened Shen Luo with a “fish massage.”
Shen Luo again denied any interest in Zhou Buwen. Zhu Yiyang seemed to believe Shen Luo, suggesting they let her go, but Zhou Buyan silenced him, convinced Shen Luo was lying and just wanted to escape to continue seducing her brother. As the tide rose, Shen Luo pleaded for food, but Zhou Buyan refused. Zhu Yiyang suggested they go eat, abandoning Shen Luo in the house. Shen Luo cried out, begging them not to leave her alone.
Wu Julan frantically searched for Shen Luo, calling her name. He encountered two women who mistook him for someone they were looking for, as he resembled their friend from behind. He continued his search, hearing Shen Luo's distant cries for help from the rising water. Shen Luo, trapped, wondered why they were playing with her and called out Zhou Buyan and Zhu Yiyang’s names, asking if they truly wanted her to die there. Wu Julan continued calling her name, desperately trying to locate her.
