Go Ahead Episode 12 Recap
> Go Ahead Recap
Li Haichao could only hang up helplessly. When Li Jianjian came out of the bathroom, he called out to her sternly and asked if she really wanted to sever ties with Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu. He urged her to cherish the bond she had with them. But Li Jianjian said she had come to understand—they were never truly related. They weren’t real family.
If Li Haichao or she ever needed surgery, Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu wouldn’t even be qualified to sign the consent forms. If being close emotionally meant being family, then it was no different from kids playing house. Li Haichao was saddened and said that if Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu heard what she had just said, they would be heartbroken. To be fair, they had treated Li Jianjian better than real brothers would.
Li Haichao continued to persuade her, saying that He Ziqiu went abroad to lessen the family burden and to study what he truly wanted, and Ling Xiao went to Singapore for his birth mother—he didn’t really want to go. He told Li Jianjian that one day, she would have her own family and leave him, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be a family anymore. It didn’t mean they would stop caring about each other.
A real family’s bond is always there, even when they’re apart. Deep down, Li Jianjian understood what Li Haichao was saying, but she just didn’t want Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu to leave. Another year passed, and the Spring Festival arrived. But only Li Jianjian, Li Haichao, and Ling Heping spent the holiday together. Li Jianjian let go of her stubbornness and ended her cold war with Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu.
They had a video call to exchange New Year’s greetings. After a few words, He Ziqiu lost connection due to bad signal, while Ling Xiao continued the call. Li Jianjian brought up the pineapple tarts Ling Xiao had sent her before. Ling Xiao said that if she wanted to thank him, she should act cute.
Just as Li Jianjian was about to do that, Qin Meiyang suddenly came in to call Ling Xiao for dinner and started acting sweet toward him. A strange, indescribable feeling welled up inside Li Jianjian. In 2012, Li Jianjian graduated from high school and was admitted through special selection to the local university’s sculpture department. Ling Xiao had taken a break from school to care for Chen Ting. All three of them became increasingly busy.
Time and distance diluted their feelings. Once open and talkative with Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu, Li Jianjian now found herself cautious and reserved during their conversations. Time flew by. By Li Jianjian’s third year of college, Ling Xiao was also a junior. He Ziqiu had already graduated but hadn’t returned. On a phone call with Li Haichao, He Ziqiu said he wanted to study pastry-making.
His university major required him to work in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, but he just wanted to come home. Listening silently, Li Jianjian didn’t respond. He Ziqiu thought she was angry, so she had to take the phone and reassure him that she wasn’t. She gradually came to understand that long separations, no matter how much you care about someone, can lead to awkward silence and eventually turn people into strangers.
That night, when Ling Xiao called, Li Jianjian didn’t want to answer and handed the phone to Ling Heping. But even he had little to say to Ling Xiao. After a few polite words, he asked about Chen Ting. She was doing better, could stand, and could even help with housework. Ling Xiao was still in touch with Qi Mingyue and secretly asked her to take photos of Li Jianjian for him.
After graduating, Li Jianjian opened a wood carving studio with her senior Du Juan, named “The Gap of Time.” One evening at dinner, Ling Heping mentioned that the hospital where Ling Xiao was interning wanted to offer him a permanent position. Both Li Jianjian and Li Haichao were disheartened upon learning that Ling Xiao planned to stay in Singapore. Ling Heping believed it was because Chen Ting wouldn’t let him come back.
In a phone call, Ling Xiao told Li Jianjian that he had decided to return in two years. By then, Qin Meiyang would be grown up and could help take care of Chen Ting. Gradually, Li Jianjian's contact with Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu dwindled to just holiday greetings. In 2018, Tang Can could no longer manage in Beijing and, after getting her parents’ approval, moved in with Li Jianjian and Qi Mingyue near the studio.
That year, Li Jianjian turned 25. She came to understand that those who are meant to return will return, and those who aren’t, there’s no point waiting for them anymore. Another year passed. One of Li Jianjian’s sculptures won an award. To celebrate, Li Haichao held a storewide discount at his noodle shop. While entertaining customers, he got a call from Ling Heping and learned that Ling Xiao—who had been away for nine years—had returned.
Qi Mingyue helped Ling Xiao rent a place and even picked him up from the airport. She mentioned that Li Jianjian’s award-winning piece would be exhibited and asked if he wanted to see it. But Ling Xiao said he had other things to do and asked her to take him straight home.
