Twelve Letters Episode 4 Recap
> Twelve Letters Recap
Ye Haitang discovered her letter missing from the mailbox and immediately tried to call Tang Yixun. Meanwhile, Tang Yixun was in dire straits, being severely beaten by Bao and his men. One of Bao’s henchmen, annoyed by the persistent ringing, angrily smashed Tang Yixun’s phone. At this moment, Ye Yibo came looking for Ye Haitang and witnessed her attempt to call Tang Yixun. Li Chadong initially believed that teaching Tang Yixun and his associate a lesson would appease Bao.
However, Bao remained relentless, demanding that Tang Yixun and the other person each compensate with a leg, as one of his men, Qiang, had a crippled leg. To spare Tang Yixun from such brutality, Li Chadong reluctantly agreed to pay Bao 10,000 yuan, which Bao then reduced to 8,000 yuan, instructing Qiang to make Li Chadong sign an IOU. Ye Yibo took Ye Haitang home and forced her to kneel before her grandmother's portrait.
He then tearfully complained, accusing Ye Haitang of being influenced by a "hooligan," pulling a knife on him, and even wanting to kill him. He lamented his struggles, claiming he paid her tuition, her mother's debts, and even Grandma's medical bills, and now might have to sell the house to pay back his own debts. Ye Haitang firmly refused to sell her grandmother's house. Enraged, Ye Yibo violently beat and kicked her, demanding the house deed.
Ye Haitang clutched her grandmother's portrait, refusing to give in. While Ye Haitang suffered at home, Tang Yixun's side also faced trouble. After Li Chadong settled his business with Bao, Bao's men decided to handle "kid's matters" themselves and exacted revenge. They violently trashed Tang Yixun's billiards hall and another hall, leaving them in ruins. During the attack, Li Chadong was present, urging Tang Yixun and his associate, Rat, not to fight back.
Rat was seriously injured, prompting Tang Yixun to comfort him, apologizing, and promising to protect him. Later that night, worried about Tang Yixun, Ye Haitang, still distraught from her father's abuse, went to look for him. Seeing blood on his doorknob, she frantically knocked. Tang Yixun returned at that moment, attempting to appear fine, but his injuries couldn't be hidden from Ye Haitang. Without a word, she gently tended to his wounds.
Tang Yixun noticed the injuries on her wrist, realizing his father had beaten her again. He asked her if she still wanted to go back to school, to which she affirmed. Tang Yixun then went directly to Ye Yibo’s gambling den, pretending to be a debt collector. Ye Yibo, initially boastful upon seeing Tang Yixun, immediately turned pale at the mention of "debt collection."
Tang Yixun seized the opportunity to threaten Ye Yibo, warning him never to harm Ye Haitang again, or he would "kill you." After delivering his threat, Tang Yixun left. No sooner had he departed than Bao's men arrived, demanding money from Ye Yibo. The next day, in the drizzling rain, Tang Yixun brought steamed buns to Ye Haitang. She spotted him from afar and hurried to meet him with an umbrella.
Tang Yixun sensed something was bothering her, and Ye Haitang shared the story of her missing letter. She explained that she had written what she considered her "last note" and placed it in the bookstore's mailbox, only to find it gone later, while all other letters remained. Moreover, a love letter had appeared in its place. She found the situation suspicious, as the mailbox was locked, and only she had the keys.
Tang Yixun agreed that "something is wrong here" and suggested someone was trying to "mess with them," proposing they investigate. Meanwhile, Miss Tan visited the damaged billiards hall, looking for Tang Yixun. Seeing the disarray, she expressed concern for Li Chadong and Tang Yixun, asking if Tang Yixun could still return to school. Li Chadong confirmed he would not let Tang Yixun end up like himself and encouraged him to focus on school once he recovered.
Ye Haitang felt the love letter found in the mailbox was sincere, not a prank. She noticed the stationery matched what their store sold and bore an anchor logo. This led her to believe the person who wrote it, took her letter, and left the love letter must have visited the store many times and was likely someone she knew.
Determined to uncover the truth, Tang Yixun suggested they prepare an empty envelope and place it in the mailbox, then observe to catch the culprit. They waited by the mailbox until late at night, but no one appeared. Ye Haitang eventually fell asleep, her head gently resting on Tang Yixun’s shoulder. Tang Yixun, feeling awkward, didn't dare wake her. Upon waking, they decided to go home and return the next day.
The following day at school, Ye Haitang discovered a prank drawing on the blackboard depicting her and Tang Yixun, with "May you have many children soon, may you be a couple for 100 years" and "A Tang, I will never forget my love for you," "A Xun, you are my eternal light" written on it. Her friend quickly erased the drawing. Tang Yixun, meanwhile, continued to monitor the mailbox, but for three consecutive days, the empty letter remained untouched.
Elsewhere, Yu Nian took Ye Haitang's son to the mailbox. The security guard, Zhang Quan, explained that he was present when Ye Haitang's father vanished after mailing a letter at midnight, describing a cat meowing and paper rustling, after which both the father and the letter disappeared. He also mentioned that a new letter had appeared in the mailbox out of thin air on another occasion.
Zhang Quan added that this area was "cursed," a "no man's land" where people vanished annually, likening it to black holes, auroras, and aliens. Yu Nian found these supernatural explanations hard to believe, but then, a chrysanthemum cat suddenly appeared. Seizing the moment, Zhang Quan threw an envelope into the mailbox, and in an instant, time seemed to reverse, transporting the world back to 1911.
Back in 1991, Ye Haitang and Tang Yixun, having waited three days with no one taking their empty letter, concluded that no one would come and prepared to leave. Suddenly, a cat's meow broke the silence, and the same chrysanthemum cat appeared by the 1991 mailbox. Seeing the cat, Ye Haitang and Tang Yixun opened the mailbox again, to their surprise, finding a new letter inside. They exchanged a look, their faces reflecting both confusion and surprise.
