The Starry Night, The Starry Sea Episode 30 Recap
> The Starry Night, The Starry Sea Recap
After Wu Julan and his companions located Shen Luo using the tracker Zhou Buwen had placed on her, Wu Julan unleashed his extraordinary powers to capsize An Zuo's small boat. He successfully retrieved the spiritual pearl and rescued Shen Luo. Wu Julan then made the profound decision to sacrifice his own life force, returning the spiritual pearl to Shen Luo's body. As a consequence, Wu Julan became increasingly frail, requiring medication to sustain his life.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yiyang was found gravely injured and in a coma. His distraught mother pleaded with Zhou Buwen to seek justice for her son. Zhou Buwen, who had orchestrated Zhu Yiyang's injury to frame Wu Julan, assured her he would. A nurse later delivered a necklace with "Zhou" engraved on it, found tightly clutched by Zhu Yiyang, to Shen Luo, implying her connection to the incident.
Mrs. Zhu then incited the villagers, falsely accusing Wu Julan of being a monstrous killer responsible for Zhu Yiyang's state. The furious crowd demanded Wu Julan's death, fearing he would harm them all, despite the Village Chief's attempts to calm them. Shen Luo found Wu Julan distressed by the accusations. He expressed sorrow for the suffering she endured because of him, questioning why she would risk herself to protect him when it only endangered her further.
Shen Luo vehemently asserted that witnessing his pain was far worse than her own, vowing to always stand by him. She proposed they leave the island for a place where no one knew them. Wu Julan, however, gently refused, explaining that his remaining days were few, and he did not wish for her to become estranged from her home on his account. He maintained that a solution would eventually arise.
Simultaneously, Jiang Yisheng and Wu Jingjing worked to gather evidence to clear Wu Julan's name, but their efforts were met with widespread reluctance from islanders who had turned against Wu Julan. Jiang Yisheng, having uncovered some intriguing information, later confronted Zhou Buwen. He accused Zhou Buwen of harming Shen Luo and Wu Julan. Zhou Buwen vehemently denied the allegations, claiming he was helping Shen Luo and that Wu Julan was the true monster.
Jiang Yisheng countered, reminding Zhou Buwen of their twenty-six years of friendship and accusing him of deceiving a friend, hurting people, and shifting blame. He declared Zhou Buwen the "real monster" and told him that even without Wu Julan, Shen Luo would never reciprocate his feelings because he was unworthy. Separately, An Zuo's sister, Buyan, expressed a desire to leave the island.
An Zuo, whom she addressed as "Big Brother," revealed his manipulative strategies, admitting he had lied to her to maintain a facade of goodness to gain the trust of Wu Julan and Shen Luo, and that Shen Luo was the only one he truly loved. Shen Luo received a frantic phone call from Jiang Yisheng, warning her that Zhou Buwen was leading the villagers to find Wu Julan, falsely accusing him of injuring Zhu Yiyang.
The angry mob quickly located Wu Julan and Shen Luo. Shen Luo implored Wu Julan not to retaliate, fearing it would confirm the villagers' prejudiced views. Zhou Buwen, however, ordered the mob to attack Wu Julan. In a swift move, Wu Julan conjured a localized storm, allowing him and Shen Luo to escape. The mob pursued them, finding them once more. Wu Julan urged Shen Luo to flee, but she steadfastly refused to abandon him.
As the crowd closed in, Jiang Yisheng and Wu Jingjing arrived. Jiang Yisheng presented irrefutable evidence: a video recovered from Zhu Yiyang's phone, showing Shen Luo's dying grandfather. In the video, Zhou Buwen was seen confessing his love for Shen Luo to her grandfather, promising to care for her, while cruelly withholding essential medication. The villagers were stunned, realizing Zhou Buwen had attacked Zhu Yiyang to conceal this damning evidence.
Shen Luo, enraged, denounced Zhou Buwen as a "bastard" and vowed never to forgive him. In a desperate act, Zhou Buwen seized Shen Luo and dragged her to the edge of a cliff, threatening to throw her down unless Wu Julan tore out his own heart. Despite his weakening condition, Wu Julan refused, declaring he would never let go of Shen Luo. He managed to create a momentary distraction, allowing Shen Luo to break free from Zhou Buwen's grasp.
In the ensuing chaos, Zhou Buwen lost his footing and plunged into the sea below. Shen Luo confronted Zhou Buwen, expressing her profound disgust for his selfish and destructive actions that had ruined their childhood friendship. Zhou Buwen, still consumed by his twisted affection, revealed that Wu Julan's spiritual pearl resided within Shen Luo's body, implying that only one of them could survive, and that his actions, in his deluded mind, were for her own protection.
Wu Jingjing later confirmed to Shen Luo the full history of the spiritual pearl. She explained that Wu Julan's trusted human friend, Du Xiaolin, who was Shen Luo's ancestor, had betrayed him over a century and a half ago, stealing his precious spiritual pearl. Shen Luo realized that Wu Julan had been searching for her all along, not out of revenge, but due to their deep-rooted connection through the pearl.
Wu Jingjing revealed that Shen Luo had drowned as a child, and her life had been sustained ever since by Wu Julan's spiritual pearl. Wu Julan had known this truth and had selflessly chosen to forfeit his own life rather than reclaim the pearl from her. Deeply moved and heartbroken by this profound sacrifice, Shen Luo wept. Upon learning of Wu Julan's rapidly dwindling lifespan, she resolved to propose to him and spend his final days together.
However, her grandmother, unwilling for Wu Julan to sacrifice his life, tied him up, intending to retrieve the spiritual pearl from Shen Luo. Wu Julan, with immense effort, broke free and rescued Shen Luo. Shen Luo, now fully aware that she too would die without the spiritual pearl, decided to return it to Wu Julan, but he steadfastly refused, reassuring her that he would eventually recover.
Despite Wu Julan's rapidly declining health, he meticulously arranged a honeymoon trip for himself and Shen Luo. Touched by his gesture, Shen Luo wished for them to spend their final day together as a normal couple. They went to the market to sell their handcrafted shell items, where they were congratulated by the Village Chief on their "marriage," who playfully urged them to have a baby. Wu Julan, with a heavy heart, quickly moved on.
At the market, he generously gave all their shell crafts to delighted children, and he and Shen Luo joyfully played with them. Upon returning home, Wu Julan prepared a sumptuous meal for Shen Luo, considering it the most blissful and precious act he could perform for her. Shen Luo ate heartily, and Wu Julan, filled with both sorrow and love, tenderly wiped a grain of rice from her lips before they shared a heartfelt embrace.
Later, Jiang Yisheng and Wu Jingjing arrived, with Jiang Yisheng excitedly announcing that Wu Jingjing had accepted his marriage proposal. Shen Luo took Wu Jingjing aside to share Wu Julan's honeymoon plans. Wu Jingjing, feigning lightheartedness, commented on Wu Julan's romantic side, though her smile concealed deep concern for Shen Luo's future without him. Jiang Yisheng, also heartbroken for Shen Luo, openly lamented Wu Julan's decision to go on a "honeymoon," causing Wu Jingjing to break down in tears.
Wu Julan had prepared a beautiful heart-shaped archway on the beach as a gateway to their final journey. Holding Shen Luo's hand tightly, he led her through it, walking towards the vast ocean, the place of his birth and upbringing, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. They boarded a small boat and ventured into the deep sea under the rising moon.
As they gazed at the star-studded sky, with the brilliant Milky Way arcing above, Shen Luo reached out a hand as if to touch a distant star. Wu Julan extended his hand to meet hers, their fingers intertwining. They poured two cups of wine, silently toasting the bright moon and the myriad stars, each expressing their profound reluctance to part, before drinking the wine in unison. Suddenly, Wu Julan was overwhelmed by intense discomfort.
Unbeknownst to him, Shen Luo had secretly obtained Zhou Buwen's mandrake poison from Wu Jingjing and added it to Wu Julan's wine. Her intention was to return the spiritual pearl to him through a kiss of true love. Wu Julan, struggling, resisted her and plunged into the sea. Shen Luo immediately followed, quickly catching up to him. She cupped his face and kissed him deeply.
The spiritual pearl within her emitted a soft, blue glow, and Wu Julan's tears transformed into luminous pearls. Shen Luo, holding these precious pearls, vanished with Wu Julan into the boundless expanse of the ocean. The End.
