The Starry Night, The Starry Sea Episode 21 Recap
> The Starry Night, The Starry Sea Recap
Shen Luo tearfully embraced Wu Julan, pleading with him not to leave. That night, Shen Luo lay awake, devastated by the thought of never seeing Wu Julan again. She angrily cursed him for being heartless and betraying their love. Wu Julan heard every word, his own heart aching. He had intended to act distantly to spare her pain when he eventually left, but facing the woman he deeply loved, he found himself unable to control his emotions.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yisheng and Wu Jingjing were stranded on a deserted island, hungry and exhausted. As night fell, a sudden thunderstorm hit, and Jiang Yisheng, lacking survival training, eventually fainted. When Wu Jingjing awoke, she found herself at home. Granny Olivet had ended their punishment early, convinced of Jiang Yisheng's genuine feelings for Wu Jingjing and not wanting her granddaughter to miss out on true love. The near-death experience significantly changed Wu Jingjing's perception of Jiang Yisheng.
His bravery in a moment of crisis and his deep love for her reopened her heart. Jiang Yisheng, still recalling the shock of seeing Wu Julan transform into a merman, asked Wu Jingjing about it. Wu Jingjing explained that Wu Julan is a merman, the King of the Sea, and that her family consists of witches who have protected the merfolk for generations. Jiang Yisheng declared that no matter Wu Jingjing's identity, he would love her unconditionally.
Unwilling to accept his previous failure, An Zuo informed Zhou Buwen that he would not give up on the spiritual pearl. Zhou Buwen, knowing his involvement had already been exposed to Shen Luo, reluctantly agreed to continue cooperating with An Zuo. An Zuo then had Zhou Buwen help him bring his father's body back to the island. An Zuo, having identified Shen Luo as Wu Julan's true weakness, devised a new strategy.
Zhou Buwen expressed reluctance to involve Shen Luo, but An Zuo assured him she would only be used as bait to lure Wu Julan into their trap, to which Zhou Buwen reluctantly consented. In a separate incident, Zhou Buwen tearfully confessed to Buyan that An Zuo had forced him to act against Wu Julan due to a huge business debt.
He explained that everything he did was for their future and promised that this would be the last time he worked with An Zuo. Buyan, though angry, eventually forgave him after he offered to hit himself. Later, Wu Julan confronted Michelle, demanding to know why she had poisoned him and Shen Luo. Michelle confessed she was merely a fan who had fallen in love with him, and not Bai Yihan, nor was she terminally ill.
Wu Julan then pressed her on how she knew about the spiritual pearl and the specific poisons. Granny Olivet then revealed herself as the mastermind, explaining that she had orchestrated Michelle's plot to steal the spiritual pearl from Shen Luo to save Wu Julan's life, as it was her family's mission to protect him.
Wu Julan was furious, asserting that forcing the woman he loved to die for his longevity was not helping him but would condemn him to a life of pain and regret. Granny Olivet begged for forgiveness, but Wu Julan warned her that if she ever harmed Shen Luo again, he would unleash his fury upon her. Granny promised to find a new medicine for him. Later, Shen Luo found Michelle, who admitted her elaborate deception.
Shen Luo was initially annoyed but then accepted Michelle's apology, happy that Wu Julan had chosen her. Wu Jingjing informed Granny Olivet that Michelle had bought a boat ticket to leave the island. Granny Olivet, though acknowledging her flawed method, maintained her motives were pure: to prolong Wu Julan's life. Granny Olivet also revealed that the black knife had been stolen, suspecting An Zuo.
Wu Jingjing also suspected An Zuo had a subordinate on the island and vowed to investigate further for Wu Julan's safety. The next morning, Wu Julan presented Shen Luo with a passport and plane ticket back to the island, arranging for a driver to take her to the airport at 1 PM. Shen Luo had hoped Wu Julan would stay with her, but he explicitly told her they were breaking up. Upset, Shen Luo left.
Wu Julan watched her car depart from the rooftop, his heart heavy with sorrow. In the car, Shen Luo cried heartbrokenly. Shen Luo returned to the island, where she dreamt of calling out to Wu Julan as he walked away, but he ignored her. When he finally turned back, his chest was bleeding, and he collapsed. Shen Luo woke up, realizing it was just a nightmare.
Still feeling Wu Julan's presence nearby, she checked his room, finding it exactly as he had left it, which left her feeling empty and lost. Upon his return to the island, Jiang Yisheng visited Shen Luo, who informed him of her breakup with Wu Julan. Jiang Yisheng felt the situation was unfair to Shen Luo. Not understanding the reason for their separation, he suggested that Wu Jingjing try to persuade Wu Julan to reconcile.
However, Wu Jingjing maintained that no one could change Wu Julan's decisions. Shen Luo resumed selling seashell wind chimes on the island as usual. One day, a man stole her hard-earned money and fled. Shen Luo chased after him but stumbled and fell. A short while later, the thief returned, bruised and battered, and respectfully returned the money to Shen Luo. It was later revealed that Wu Julan had been secretly protecting her.
Distracted, Shen Luo was cycling home when she nearly crashed her bike. Zhou Buwen approached her, once again attempting to convince her to leave Wu Julan. Recalling Zhou Buwen's past actions, Shen Luo vehemently disliked him and declared she was cutting ties with him. Zhu Yiyang helped Zhou Buwen locate Nurse Zhang, who had worked with Zhang Aiguo years ago. Zhou Buwen learned about Shen Luo's drowning incident from that year.
Realizing the spiritual pearl was within Shen Luo, he was filled with internal conflict. Wu Jingjing met Wu Julan and asked why he had returned to the island. Wu Julan confessed he deeply missed Shen Luo but couldn't accept her love, so he was drinking to cope with his sadness. As Shen Luo was preparing for bed, she discovered a drunken Wu Julan. He fell asleep on her bed, and she instinctively lay down beside him.
They slept through the night in each other's arms. The next morning, Shen Luo awoke to find Wu Julan asleep beside her and was overjoyed. Wu Julan quickly rose and prepared breakfast for her, confirming his continued care. Shortly after, Jiang Yisheng came to Shen Luo, pulling her to a place to give her a surprise. Later that day, Wu Julan proposed taking Shen Luo to New York the following day.
Shen Luo worried about the cost, reminding him that her money was dedicated to repaying her debt. Suddenly, a representative arrived, explaining that Violet, Wu Jingjing's grandmother, whose boss had seen Wu Julan's sashimi feast pictures online, wished to invite him to New York for a performance. Shen Luo was thrilled, exclaiming about how fortunate they were. However, the representative clarified that only Wu Julan was invited. Wu Julan insisted that Shen Luo, as his manager, must accompany him.
The representative then provided Wu Julan with a plane ticket, but Wu Julan stated he preferred traveling by sea. Wu Jingjing later informed Jiang Yisheng that she was returning to New York with Wu Julan as her exchange program was ending. Jiang Yisheng was distraught, lamenting that their beautiful love had just begun, and he hadn't even held her hand before she was giving their romance a "terminal illness notification."
Wu Jingjing simply told him, "Jiang Yisheng, you are a good person," effectively ending their budding romance. Jiang Yisheng, however, resolved not to give up and vowed to pursue his happiness. Shen Luo began overpacking for New York, believing they needed to be frugal due to their debt. Wu Julan offered to help, but Shen Luo told him to recuperate.
Jiang Yisheng then arrived, announcing that he was also coming to New York, having taken vacation days and bought a ticket to pursue his true love, Wu Jingjing. Wu Jingjing gave her assistant a blowgun that was found at the scene where Regulus was attacked, instructing him to gather fingerprints from Shen Luo, Jiang Yisheng, Zhou Buwen, Zhou Buyan, and Zhu Yiyang for comparison. She also told her assistant that she and Regulus would return to New York tomorrow morning.
Granny Olivet expressed her concern to Wu Jingjing, saying, "Liangliang, I can guess why he wants to bring Xiao Luo to New York." She lamented how the two people who shouldn't love each other had fallen in love, explaining that their love, like fireworks, would be beautiful but fleeting, followed by eternal pain. An Zuo received news from his subordinate, who confirmed that Xiao Luo and Regulus were going to America tomorrow morning.
An Zuo viewed this as them "sending themselves to him" and deduced that Regulus was going to New York to show off. He then hinted at finding a way to help his subordinate. Later, An Zuo received the fingerprint report. The report indicated that the fingerprints on the poisonous blowgun matched his subordinate's.
An Zuo angrily confronted his subordinate over the phone, asking if he knew what the blowgun was, and saying, "This is the report that says your fingerprints are on the weapon." He chastised him for using the weapon himself and warned him about the consequences if he defied orders again. An Zuo assured him that he had intercepted the report from the mailman, so Wu Jingjing would not discover his involvement.
His subordinate repeatedly apologized and promised there wouldn't be a next time. In New York, Shen Luo, Jiang Yisheng, and Wu Jingjing marveled at the luxurious car and the city's towering buildings. Wu Jingjing explained that Wu Julan had taken the "water path" to New York. Jiang Yisheng was incredulous, wondering how long it would take to travel from China to America by boat.
They arrived at a lavish residence, which Wu Jingjing confirmed was where they would be staying, courtesy of her boss. The door code was Shen Luo's birthday, which further piqued Jiang Yisheng's suspicion. Inside, Shen Luo was overwhelmed by the opulence, remarking that it must be incredibly expensive to stay there even for one day. Jiang Yisheng questioned who would treat a chef with such lavish accommodations.
Wu Jingjing instructed Xiao Luo and Wu Julan to stay in the upstairs room, and Jiang Yisheng in the downstairs guestroom. She mentioned her boss was busy but they would all have dinner together that evening. Jiang Yisheng jokingly told Xiao Luo to rest and get rid of her jet lag, so he could spend time alone with Liangliang.
Jiang Yisheng then pressed Wu Jingjing about the reliability of her grandma's boss, finding the extravagant treatment and Xiao Luo's birthday as the door code suspicious. He humorously suggested it might be an international criminal attracted to him and Xiao Luo. Wu Jingjing scoffed, assuring him that her grandma had worked with her boss her entire life and knew him very well.
Jiang Yisheng then playfully tried to be romantic, but Wu Jingjing told him to change clothes so they could go for a walk. Xiao Luo called Wu Julan, who quickly met her, telling her, "If I wasn't hurt, I'd have been even faster." As Xiao Luo called Liangliang, Wu Julan took the phone and told Liangliang to inform her boss that he planned to spend the evening alone with Xiao Luo.
Xiao Luo admired his confidence, to which Wu Julan replied, "In my eyes, no one is more important than you." He then warned her not to act like a "village bumpkin" when they returned to their luxurious lodging. Xiao Luo then expressed her desire for him to see it.
Later, Wu Julan read to Shen Luo "Agnete and the Merman," a story about a merman and a human girl who fall in love and have children, but the girl eventually leaves the merman. Shen Luo reassured him she was not Agnete and would not leave him, then teasingly asked if he knew what a "mermaid line" was. Despite the luxurious accommodations, Wu Julan opted to sleep in the guestroom.
The next day, at a meal, Shen Luo tried to give Wu Julan some of her money to spend, explaining that it was money they earned together, and "what's mine is his." Wu Julan accepted it, stating that for a man to spend a woman's money requires a lot of attraction. Jiang Yisheng, seeing this, jokingly offered to give Wu Jingjing money, saying, "What's mine is yours!"
Afterwards, Shen Luo, Wu Jingjing, and Jiang Yisheng took a walk in Central Park, where they marveled at the scenery and discussed the mysterious wealthy boss, wondering about his identity and motives. Wu Jingjing then received a call, informing her that Violet had arranged a party for them that evening. During this walk, Wu Julan told Shen Luo, "Xiao Luo, no matter what happens to me from now on, you must remember that I love you."
That evening, Shen Luo tried on an outfit, asking Wu Julan if it was suitable for the party. He downplayed its importance, saying she was the one invited, and he was merely accompanying her, so what he wore didn't matter. Shen Luo expressed reluctance to spend money on an expensive gown in New York. Wu Jingjing arrived with stylists, explaining that her boss had arranged them for Shen Luo's complete makeover. Shen Luo noted that the boss seemed to have thought of everything. Later, Wu Julan complimented Shen Luo, telling her, "Xiao Luo, you're so pretty today."
