The Oath of the Sea

This film (drama)Also known as海的誓言，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2004Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin/Standard Chinese，Current Douban rating7.9(For reference only)。

The story begins on a blood-red evening, where young Ouyang Zheng (played by Chen Xiaodong) is abandoned in a northern town. Ouyang Zheng's parents were both police officers, but they have passed away. He grows up with his childhood friends Wenxi (played by Deng Chao), whose parents were overthrown by the rebels, and Ye Yu (played by Gao Yuanyuan), who is fostered by her grandmother. After the Cultural Revolution ends, Wenxi and Ye Yu return to the provincial capital with their parents. Before leaving, Ye Yu gives Ouyang Zheng a pure promise: "I will come to find you when I grow up, don't forget me." As adults, the three find themselves in very different circumstances. Ouyang Zheng finally gets into university and reunites with Wenxi, who loves life and adores 5Q, and Ye Yu in the provincial capital. When Ouyang Zheng learns that Wenxi is in love with Ye Yu, he rejects Ye Yu's affections. After graduation, Ouyang Zheng is assigned to a remote town. Years later, he returns to the provincial capital, struggling to make a living. After enduring the harsh changes in life, Ouyang Zheng reunites with Ye Yu at the seaside... On a blood-red evening, childhood Ouyang arrives at a coastal northern town; his parents were police officers, but they have already died. Ouyang relies on his single uncle, who is a fierce man with a lone passion for drinking. His uncle has feelings for a woman who is Wenxi's aunt, who also has fallen from the provincial capital to the town. Wenxi and Ouyang become good friends, along with another girl their age named Ye Yu, whose parents are in Hong Kong and are raised by her grandmother in the town. In their class, there’s another girl named Liu Xiaofen, Wenxi's neighbor. Her mother, Xu Yanqiu, is a famously flirtatious woman in town. Xu Yanqiu has affairs with many men in the town, but she likes Ouyang's uncle and therefore hates Wenxi's aunt deeply. Liu Xiaofen looks just like her mother—vulgar yet pretty, and she is very greedy. Ouyang and Wenxi dislike her, and Ye Yu does not like her either, so the three never play with Liu Xiaofen. Ouyang's uncle loves his aunt but never dares to confess. One rainy afternoon, the aunt suddenly vomits blood and is sent to the hospital. She has an incurable disease and, before dying, entrusts Wenxi to Ouyang's uncle. Wenxi's parents are in prison; her father is the man the aunt loves deeply. She lost her job in the provincial capital to adopt Wenxi and fell to this small town, intending to raise Wenxi, waiting for Wenxi's father to come out of prison. But she has an incurable disease, making everything impossible. She wants her uncle to bury her at the mountaintop by the sea, where they can see the town's only dock. She says she believes that one day, Wenxi's father will appear at that dock to see her and take Wenxi away. From then on, Wenxi and Ouyang go to school together, skip classes together, and fight with Liu Xiaofen, breaking her family's windows. Of course, Ye Yu is there with them. As time flows, a black car suddenly arrives in the town, and two people get out—Wenxi's parents. They are vindicated and take Wenxi away. As she leaves, Wenxi cries to Ouyang, "I'll come back in a few days." Time passes, and Wenxi's words fade away with the sea breeze. Wenxi does not return; only Ouyang and Ye Yu remain in the town. In the misty rain, Ouyang walks alone, and Ye Yu holds an umbrella for him. Ouyang, feeling lonely, rejects her, and Ye Yu simply puts away her umbrella and walks into the rain with him. They support each other, watching the sunrise and sunset, the tides rise and fall—childhood friends, deeply affectionate. Another evening comes, and Ouyang sees Ye Yu standing at his doorstep, leaving a cassette recorder for him as a forever memory. Ye Yu also leaves, going with her grandparents to distant Hong Kong to reunite with her parents. The recorder captures Ye Yu's pure promise—"When I grow up, I will come back to find you, don't forget." From then on, in every day or night, morning or dusk, Ouyang waits, waiting to grow up, waiting for the one he misses to return. Ouyang has grown up and visits the town's train station every day, watching the train rush into the station and quickly depart. He always looks attentively at the people getting off, hoping to find Ye Yu or Wenxi among the crowd, but they do not come back. Ouyang is still waiting. His uncle is waiting too, but not at the station; he waits at the mountaintop by the sea, near Wenxi’s aunt's grave. His uncle's wait is one of hopelessness because the aunt has gone to heaven. His uncle has aged, with gray hair, and he knows that in this lifetime the aunt will not return. His only hope is for Ouyang to get into university, become a police officer, just like Ouyang's father. Ouyang is admitted to university, but his uncle dies. The years of longing have drained his life away. An accidental fire at home burns everything to ashes, except for the money his uncle saved for him to attend school, thanks to a police officer named Liu from the town. He died trying to rescue Ouyang's uncle and retrieve the school funds from the fire. Liu Xiaofen has also grown up, becoming a beautiful lady, though a bit like her mother—flirtatious and vulgar. Many young men in the town like her, but she is deeply in love with Ouyang. Ouyang leaves, departing from this touching yet sad town to study in the provincial capital. Liu Xiaofen is dejected because she cannot go with Ouyang to that distant capital; her studies are poor, and she failed to get into university, remaining to run a restaurant with Xu Yanqiu. On her eighteenth birthday, Ye Yu tells her parents about her wish to return to the town because she has grown up and has never forgotten the promise she made—when she grows up, she will go back to find Ouyang. Ye Yu returns to the town, comes to Ouyang's home, but finds it reduced to black rubble. She finds Liu Xiaofen, who informs her that Ouyang died in the fire. Hearing this, Ye Yu's heart shreds, and she returns sadly to the provincial capital to continue her studies, as she also gets into university, majoring in cello at the music academy. Ouyang and Wenxi reunite in the provincial capital; they recognize each other and study at the same school. Wenxi's father has been vindicated and is now a high-ranking official in the province. Ouyang's life is in decline, often receiving assistance from Wenxi. Ouyang has a strong sense of pride, so he often skips classes to work, selling newspapers on the streets, sometimes with Wenxi assisting him. At school, there’s a girl named Bai Ying, recognized as the prettiest girl. She falls in love with Ouyang at first sight and often finds excuses to get close to him. Ouyang is grateful, but his heart belongs to someone else, so he remains indifferent to Bai Ying's affection. One day, Ye Yu sees Ouyang selling newspapers in the rain on her way home after school. At that moment, she believes that person must be her Ouyang. She rushes into the rain looking for him, but Ouyang has vanished. She stands at the intersection, waiting from dusk to sunset, and from the heavy rain to the rainbow appearing on the horizon, Ouyang's figure never appears again, yet Ye Yu refuses to leave; she is still waiting. Four years of university pass quickly, and at Ye Yu's graduation performance, both Ouyang and Wenxi recognize her. Wenxi expresses deep affection for Ye Yu and heads backstage to find her. Heartbroken, Ouyang quietly leaves because he believes that Ye Yu is no longer the same Ye Yu; she has long forgotten him, and the past promise was merely child’s play. His living environment cannot compare to hers and Wenxi’s—they are one and the same. Bai Ying's careful nurturing and deep affection allow the wounded Ouyang to feel warmth in comfort; he no longer rejects Bai Ying, yet he is unaware of what this feeling is—more than friendship, less than love. Wenxi meets Ye Yu and invites her to a café by the sea, also asking Ouyang to join. When Ye Yu sees Ouyang, she faints because she cannot imagine that the lover she has missed day and night is alive and is in the same city, so near yet so far. Ye Yu wakes up in the hospital, the first thing she wants is to see her Ouyang, but Ouyang does not come; only Wenxi is by her side. Ye Yu tells Wenxi of her longing for Ouyang, which moves and saddens Wenxi. Wenxi finds Ouyang and tells him Ye Yu wants to see him. Ouyang coldly replies that he is busy and has forgotten everything from the past. Ye Yu finds Ouyang's dormitory on her own but does not find him; however, she sees the recorder she gave him. Pressing the play button, Ye Yu's voice flows out—"When I grow up, I will come back to find you, don't forget." Ye Yu understands; she rushes out to find Ouyang at an intersection and sees him through the rushing crowd. She wants to embrace him but lowers her hand again. Bai Ying, standing next to Ouyang, sees everything and leaves sadly. Ouyang, Ye Yu, and Wenxi return together to their old town, watching the sunrise and sunset by the sea, just as they did in childhood. There, they encounter Liu Xiaofen again. That night, it rains, and Ye Yu falls ill, sent back to a hospital in the provincial capital. Ye Yu is diagnosed with an incurable disease; doctors say she can live for a maximum of five more years. At this moment, the only thing Ye Yu thinks of is that if she is gone, Ouyang will end up like his uncle—standing in front of her gravestone for the rest of his life. She wants to make Ouyang happy, so she must leave. Ye Yu leaves Ouyang, telling him they are not the same type of people. Ouyang can hardly believe his ears at Ye Yu's words, but her determination is set, her expression cold. He knows that no matter what she does, even if he kneels before her, he cannot change her mind. The only way to forget the pain at this moment is to fulfill his parents’ expectations of him, to be a good police officer and work hard. But misfortune continues; the special recruitment spot he had originally secured is canceled by a phone call from Wenxi's family's secretary. Replacing Ouyang as a police officer is another friend of Wenxi's. Ouyang cannot believe Wenxi would do such a thing to him. He wants to ask Wenxi for clarity but sees Wenxi with Ye Yu, whose hand rests on Ye Yu's shoulder—Wenxi supported her when she fainted. He once thought that love and friendship were faith, and in that instant, they completely collapse and vanish. Ouyang is filled with despair, unsure of where his future life will lead. He is assigned to the frontier, to a small rural school in the icy northern region, as a teacher. Five years quickly pass, and Ouyang returns to the city, reduced to working as a waiter in a small bar. At this point, Ye Yu's condition worsens. She searches for Ouyang everywhere, having heard that he is in the north, living a miserable life. She hoped that by leaving Ouyang, he would live happily. She never imagined that his life would be so unfortunate because of her departure. Wenxi encounters Ouyang; by now, Wenxi has become successful and wants to rescue Ouyang from his suffering. He buys a luxurious house for Ouyang, invites him to his workplace, and arranges a comfortable job, but Ouyang coldly rejects all. Wenxi is afraid to tell Ye Yu about Ouyang's current predicament, fearing it would upset her. Yet, Ouyang is content to work as a bartender in the bar, living that shabby existence. Finally, one day, Ye Yu learns about Ouyang's circumstances and goes to the bar to find him, but a gang fight breaks out. Ye Yu is taken hostage in the melee. In her weakened state, she becomes unaware of her surroundings but hears someone plotting to kill Ouyang; she risks her life to shout his name, urging him to leave. The gang members shove her into a car and pour gasoline on her, intending to burn her to death. Wenxi rushes in to save her, but the gang shoots at Wenxi, and Ouyang takes the bullet with his chest, collapsing in a pool of blood. Ouyang awakens; he is not dead. He is a police officer and has gone to a police academy in the north after passing the entrance exam. His presence in the bar was linked to an investigation; the bar is a gang hideout. Wenxi approaches Ouyang's bed, explaining everything about the past. Ouyang is devastated and runs out searching for the Ye Yu he loves, but she has already left, disappearing without a trace. Time flows on, and Ouyang is transferred back to the provincial capital, but he has never forgotten to search for Ye Yu. One day, he receives a package with no return address; inside is a tape recording of a song he knows well, one that Ye Yu also loved. He understands that the person who recorded it must be Ye Yu. Using his police status and the postal stamp number, he ultimately locates a lonely post office in the countryside and learns of Ye Yu's whereabouts—a fairy-tale-like small wooden house by the sea. When Ye Yu learns that Ouyang is doing well and has taken a police job he loves, she feels at ease and decides to leave quietly. She wants to remember him silently, blessing him quietly, and to die in obscurity. Once again, it is a blood-red evening. Sitting by the sea playing her instrument, Ye Yu suddenly stops her bowing. She hears a voice—familiar footsteps, Ouyang's footsteps. The steps stop beside her. Ye Yu gently extends her hand, smiles, and tears stream down her already blind eyes. She touches a familiar face—her lover's face, Ouyang's face...