The Starry Night, The Starry Sea Episode 4 Recap
> The Starry Night, The Starry Sea Recap
Earlier, Shen Luo, both wanting to earn money and fearing embarrassment, ingeniously devised a solution. She returned home and, through a mix of persuasion and coercion, convinced Wu Julan to impersonate a 'Jiaoren' (Merman) and participate in the Mermaid Folk Festival. The next day at the festival, Wu Julan, in his merman costume, paraded through the streets on a float, his handsome appearance drawing wild cheers from the women and girls. Shen Luo was surprised by his unexpected charm.
Suddenly, Shen Luo remembered she was supposed to pick up her grandfather for the festival. She quickly went to the hospital and brought him to the seaside. As her grandfather arrived, the festival was reaching its climax. Following tradition, Wu Julan threw a wreath into the sea, which led to a miraculous sight: schools of fish leapt and jumped as if transforming into dragons.
Shen Luo's grandfather was greatly agitated by this scene, and his reaction did not escape Wu Julan's notice. Later, Shen Luo tried to comfort her agitated grandfather. He gravely questioned her about Wu Julan's true origins. Under pressure, Shen Luo revealed that Wu Julan had come to the island to find someone who owed him something. Upon hearing this, her grandfather became extremely agitated and coughed violently.
That night, amidst thunder, lightning, and torrential rain, her grandfather was alone in the hospital, holding an ancient silver box. He mused that after more than a hundred years, what was destined to come had finally arrived. He then called Shen Luo on the phone, urging her to come to the hospital first thing in the morning, as he had something very important to tell her.
The next morning, just as Shen Luo left home, Wu Julan received a phone call from Shen Luo's grandfather, arranging to meet him at noon in the island's mountain forest. Wu Julan knew that Shen Luo's family were descendants of Du Xiaolin, the human who had cheated him and stolen his spiritual pearl. Although Wu Julan had considered Du Xiaolin a close confidant, he had suffered a shameful betrayal and trap.
While he knew Shen Luo and her descendants were not personally involved, the pain of that betrayal and scheme made it difficult for him to let go. Upon arriving at the hospital, Shen Luo was sent away by her grandfather. Soon after, Shen Luo's grandfather went alone to the mountain forest to meet Wu Julan. When Wu Julan saw him, he glared furiously. The grandfather, humbled and terrified, dared not meet Wu Julan's gaze.
Suddenly, when Wu Julan was unprepared, the grandfather drew a dagger and lunged at him. Enraged, Wu Julan seized control of the dagger, turning it back towards the grandfather. The dagger hovered menacingly above his head. The grandfather then knelt before Wu Julan, confessing that his ancestor had long harbored regret, which was why the Mermaid Folk Festival was established – as an expression of remorse towards Wu Julan.
He claimed he never intended to kill Wu Julan, but feared for Shen Luo's safety and pleaded for Wu Julan to spare her. Wu Julan did not believe him and roared, demanding the spiritual pearl. Trembling, the grandfather produced the silver box containing the pearl. Just as Wu Julan reached for the box, a shadowy figure suddenly darted in like lightning, snatched the box, and sped away. Wu Julan, shocked, gave chase.
At this point, Shen Luo's grandfather, utterly exhausted, collapsed and died. Wu Julan pursued the shadowy figure, engaging him in a fierce fight. He pressed the figure about his identity, but the black-clad man remained silent, only fighting and fleeing. When Wu Julan finally chased him to the seaside, he inadvertently caught sight of a flame tattoo on the black-clad man, realizing with a start that the figure was the Black Wizard.
At that moment, the snatched silver box fell to the ground and cracked open, revealing it to be empty. In Wu Julan's moment of surprise, the Black Wizard summoned a vast swarm of black bats. The bats encircled Wu Julan, allowing the Black Wizard to escape. Wu Julan, having narrowly missed the spiritual pearl, roared furiously at the sky. Meanwhile, Shen Luo, Zhou Buwen, and Jiang Yisheng discovered that her grandfather was no longer at the hospital.
They searched everywhere and eventually found his lifeless body in the mountain forest. Overcome with grief, Shen Luo fainted. Zhou Buwen and Jiang Yisheng were puzzled as to why Shen Luo's grandfather would be in the mountain forest. Unable to figure it out, they examined his belongings and discovered that his last phone call was to Wu Julan. Moreover, Wu Julan had not appeared since the grandfather's death. They suspected Wu Julan was involved in Shen Luo's grandfather's death.
Shen Luo found Wu Julan standing motionless by the seaside for a day and a night. She grabbed him, demanding to know if he had been with her grandfather earlier. Wu Julan, with red, angry eyes, glared at Shen Luo, then angrily pushed her hand away. He clearly told Shen Luo that he was not responsible for her grandfather's death. Wu Julan then left silently with a gloomy expression. Just then, Jiang Yisheng and Zhou Buwen caught up.
An impulsive Zhou Buwen, convinced Wu Julan had killed the grandfather, angrily swung his fist at Wu Julan. Suddenly, his fist was intercepted by a beautiful woman's hand. Jiang Yisheng looked at the beautiful woman, stunned and speechless. The beautiful woman was named Wu Jingjing. She told Jiang Yisheng and Zhou Buwen that she was Wu Julan's psychologist, an American-Chinese, and that Wu Julan suffered from mild depression.
Jiang Yisheng believed her implicitly, filled with admiration, but Zhou Buwen remained skeptical and still harbored doubts about Wu Julan. In New York, Violet introduced her granddaughter Wu Jingjing to Wu Julan via video call, explaining that Wu Jingjing was there to assist him in finding the spiritual pearl. Wu Julan informed Violet that he had encountered the Black Wizard while searching for the pearl.
Violet mused that after 150 years, the Black Wizard still hadn't given up pursuing the pearl. Zhou Buwen comforted the heartbroken Shen Luo, passionately confessing his feelings and hoping she would accept him. Shen Luo discreetly rejected Zhou Buwen's intimate advances. Zhou Buwen then received a phone call from Boss An, who, with a weak voice, asked him to buy some medicine and bandages and meet him at a hotel.
It turned out Boss An was the Black Wizard who had snatched the spiritual pearl and had been severely injured in the fight with Wu Julan. Zhou Buwen, unaware of the full truth, complied with Boss An's instructions. Zhou Buwen reluctantly tended to Boss An's wounds, barely suppressing his fear. He found Boss An's injuries unsettlingly strange and couldn't help but ask how he got hurt.
Boss An sharply rebuked him for prying into matters that didn't concern him, causing Zhou Buwen to fall silent nervously. However, Zhou Buwen inadvertently caught sight of a flame tattoo on Boss An's body. Boss An then hid in a hotel room to recover from his injuries. One day, he gloomily reviewed old photographs on his iPad, one of which prominently featured Du Xiaolin and Wu Julan together.
He recalled his ancestor's deceitful collaboration with Du Xiaolin to steal Wu Julan's spiritual pearl, followed by Du Xiaolin's betrayal, as he stole the pearl from Boss An's ancestor. This memory brought a sinister, treacherous smile to Boss An's face. Wu Julan, with nowhere else to go, returned to Shen Luo's small courtyard.
At the same time, Zhou Buwen, feigning interest in helping Shen Luo organize her grandfather's belongings, subtly inquired if her grandfather possessed any valuable antiques during his lifetime. He offered to assist her in selling them for a high price to supplement her household expenses. Shen Luo, however, shook her head, clarifying that her grandfather did not own the kind of antiques Zhou Buwen described. Wu Julan slowly approached Shen Luo in the courtyard, his intense, unwavering gaze startling her.
Zhou Buwen quickly stepped in front of Shen Luo, angrily accusing Wu Julan of being a murderer. Wu Julan calmly denied the accusation, stating he had not killed anyone. Zhou Buwen remained unconvinced, but to his surprise, Shen Luo declared her belief that Wu Julan was not the killer. Zhou Buwen looked incredulous. Just as he was about to argue, Jiang Yisheng and Wu Jingjing entered the courtyard.
Wu Jingjing, now working at Jiang Yisheng's hospital as an exchange doctor, presented a forensic autopsy report. She informed everyone that Shen Luo's grandfather had died of a cerebral hernia caused by advanced cancer. With the truth revealed, Wu Julan was exonerated, and Zhou Buwen, frustrated, stormed off. Jiang Yisheng later informed Wu Julan that Shen Luo had voluntarily initiated her grandfather's autopsy to uncover the truth and clear Wu Julan's name. Wu Julan looked at Shen Luo in disbelief.
Shen Luo reiterated her unwavering trust, telling him she always believed in him because they were friends. Wu Julan was deeply touched by her words. He continued to reside in the small courtyard, where Shen Luo confided in him about her profound bond with her grandfather, with whom she had relied on for many years. She wept about her profound helplessness now that her grandfather was gone.
Moved by her vulnerability, Wu Julan embraced Shen Luo, assuring her firmly that she still had him. That evening, Shen Luo and Wu Julan went to the seaside to honor her grandfather's spirit. Shen Luo, feeling a deep sense of trust, spoke openly with Wu Julan about everything. Wu Julan also shared a story with her. He asked if she wanted to hear a mermaid's tale.
He described a mermaid from a hundred years ago who considered a human his best friend, sharing his most precious secret. The mermaid had believed they would forge an amazing friendship but instead suffered cruel betrayal. His friend, for a small, petty profit, betrayed him and stole his most important possession, nearly torturing the mermaid to death.
Wu Julan added that what was even more ridiculous was that the friend never repented; instead, a touching story of gratitude was made up. He wondered if such a friend truly felt at ease, and if he wasn't afraid his descendants would be cursed forever. Shen Luo dismissed it as a dark and bloody story, telling him he lacked talent in storytelling and should go back to cook. Wu Julan then volunteered to cook that day.
Later, Wu Julan reflected internally, thinking that a hundred years had passed, yet he still couldn't escape it. He mused that the person had come to his doorstep to take back what belonged to him. Following these events, Zhou Buwen spoke with Boss An over the phone, telling him that "something happened" and he didn't have the item Boss An was looking for yet.
Boss An warned him, stating there was a limit to his patience, but Zhou Buwen promised to obtain it this time. Afterward, Shen Luo and Wu Julan raised their glasses, prepared to put their past pains behind them and embark on a new life. Unexpectedly, after consuming a single cup of wine, Wu Julan was struck by excruciating abdominal pain. He realized he had been poisoned by Datura flower once again.
Believing Shen Luo was responsible, Wu Julan was enraged by the perceived betrayal. He gripped Shen Luo's neck tightly, demanding to know why she had harmed him. Shen Luo, utterly bewildered by what was happening, struggled desperately before finally losing consciousness. When Shen Luo awoke, she found herself stranded on a reef in the middle of the sea. Panic seized her as she watched the tide slowly rise, screaming desperately for help, but there was no one in sight.
The water eventually reached her chest, intensifying her fear. Wu Julan watched her coldly from the sea before finally rescuing her and bringing her back to shore. On their way back, as they passed through a forest, they were suddenly ambushed by two burly men. These attackers were under Boss An's orders and specifically targeting Wu Julan. During the struggle, Shen Luo bravely helped Wu Julan, and together they managed to drive the assailants away.
Shen Luo then carried the unconscious Wu Julan back home. Wu Jingjing arrived to administer medicine to Wu Julan. She harbored suspicions that Shen Luo was responsible for the poisoning. However, Wu Julan vehemently denied it, stating his belief in Shen Luo because they were friends, and mutual trust was the most fundamental aspect of their friendship. Wu Jingjing found his unwavering trust somewhat perplexing.
In truth, Wu Julan's poisoning was not Shen Luo's doing, but had been covertly orchestrated by Boss An's operatives. Later, on her way back, Wu Jingjing passed a small hotel. She inadvertently noticed bloody gauze in the trash as workers disposed of it. Entering the hotel to inquire, she looked up and saw Zhou Buwen emerging from a second-floor room. Wu Jingjing immediately recalled her chance encounter with Zhou Buwen outside a pharmacy a few days prior.
She rushed towards the room, but Zhou Buwen, startled, hastily tried to block her path. Wu Jingjing pushed past Zhou Buwen and opened the room door, only to find that Boss An had already fled from the balcony to the rooftop. Unable to locate anyone, Wu Jingjing had to leave.
As she exited, she casually picked up a shoe from the floor near the door and placed it on the shoe rack, having discreetly attached a tracking device to its sole. Zhou Buwen breathed a sigh of relief as Wu Jingjing reluctantly departed. He then noticed an iPad on the bed, picked it up, and discreetly hid it in his clothes. Boss An returned to the room from the rooftop, feeling a strong sense of unease.
He immediately instructed Zhou Buwen to book him a boat ticket for the following morning and to acquire Shen Luo's old house at any cost. The next day, as Wu Jingjing intently monitored the tracking signal on her phone, she suddenly detected movement. Wu Jingjing quickly rushed out to follow the signal and soon spotted Boss An's hurried figure on the street, pursuing him closely.
