Go Ahead Episode 26 Recap
> Go Ahead Recap
Li Jianjian was found crying uncontrollably under a blanket by Tang Can, who, after being kicked out by Li Jianjian, sought out Ling Xiao. Upon seeing Ling Xiao, Li Jianjian hit him several times and bit his shoulder, blaming him for her argument with Qi Mingyue, during which Qi Mingyue had called her a dog. Ling Xiao took Li Jianjian to his home, applied an ice pack to her eyes, and massaged her.
He advised her to give Qi Mingyue some time to calm down before apologizing. Feeling better after crying, Li Jianjian massaged Ling Xiao's shoulder, noting her bite was serious. When He Ziqiu returned home, he immediately noticed Li Jianjian's red eyes, though she initially lied about not crying. Ling Xiao revealed the truth about the argument with Qi Mingyue, but He Ziqiu dismissed it, believing girls frequently argue and would reconcile soon.
He Ziqiu then shared details of his meeting with He Mei, explaining her situation and their conversation. Li Jianjian and Ling Xiao were silent, unsure how to comfort him, as He Ziqiu feigned strength. That evening, Li Jianjian brought candy to He Ziqiu's room. He Ziqiu, hidden under his blanket, took the candy with one hand.
After he ate it, Li Jianjian held his hand, comforting him gently, just as she had done twenty years ago when, newly arrived in Li Jianjian's neighborhood, a child named Doudou mocked He Ziqiu as a burden after his birth mother abandoned him. Li Jianjian had defended him then, teaching Doudou a lesson, and would always bring him candy and remind him he was not a burden whenever he was mocked.
Later, Du Juan and Li Jianjian needed to negotiate a business collaboration for their "three close friends" project with an international company, the Maxwell Company. However, Du Juan's hired translator was unavailable. Du Juan's boyfriend had suggested He Ziqiu, who had studied abroad and had excellent English, and Zhou Miao also suggested He Ziqiu.
Li Jianjian initially believed it was unnecessary as the foreign clients would have their own translator, but Du Juan argued that a language barrier could lead to them being taken advantage of. Convinced, Li Jianjian called He Ziqiu for help. He Ziqiu readily agreed, arriving at the studio in a suit and sunglasses, looking impressive, which surprised Li Jianjian, Du Juan, and Zhou Miao. He explained his formal attire was to project a professional image for translation.
Du Juan praised his imposing demeanor and even took a photo with him, making Zhou Miao somewhat jealous. Du Juan provided He Ziqiu with the studio's materials and her desired price range. He Ziqiu successfully negotiated the collaboration with the Maxwell Company. After the successful negotiation, the group went to dinner. Du Juan mentioned that Li Jianjian was a student of renowned professor Peng Yulin.
Zhou Miao expressed surprise and suggested Li Jianjian leverage her teacher's connections to enter the artist circle and sell her works more effectively. Li Jianjian, however, was clearly displeased, insisting on letting her work and talent speak for themselves. Du Juan, noticing Li Jianjian's discomfort, subtly kicked Zhou Miao to silence him.
He Ziqiu also spoke up in defense of Li Jianjian, criticizing Zhou Miao's approach of using flattery and connections to advance one's career and stating that if Zhou Miao wished to operate that way, he should not be working in Li Jianjian's studio. He Ziqiu added that Li Jianjian's hands had been constantly injured since she developed her love for wood carving, while Zhou Miao's hands showed no such signs, implying he did not share her dedication.
Feeling guilty, Zhou Miao ceased his remarks. That night, Ling Xiao fell asleep on the sofa and had a nightmare in which Chen Ting appeared, questioning if he no longer wanted her and Qin Meiyang. He woke up startled, disoriented by the sound of an outside delivery, momentarily confusing his dream with reality and thinking Chen Ting had truly come for him. Li Jianjian arrived home at that moment, bringing in the takeout.
Seeing Li Jianjian, Ling Xiao embraced her for comfort, and Li Jianjian, sensing his distress, allowed him to hold her. Later, Li Jianjian took Ling Xiao running. During their rest, Li Jianjian asked how he had managed to return from Singapore. Ling Xiao recounted how Chen Ting had withheld his documents. One day, while Chen Ting was out buying groceries, he searched her room.
Qin Meiyang suddenly entered, threw his documents onto the bed, and claimed Chen Ting had instructed her to give them to him. Ling Xiao initially disbelieved her, but Qin Meiyang insisted that his heart was not truly with them and urged him to return to his own life, assuring him she would care for Chen Ting. When Chen Ting returned, she even proactively asked Ling Xiao if he had bought his flight ticket, confirming her consent to his departure.
After their run, Li Jianjian accidentally fell downstairs again near their building. As Ling Xiao treated her injuries, Li Jianjian recounted how she had fallen down the school stairs in high school. He Ziqiu had always believed Zhao Huaguang was responsible and felt immense guilt over it. However, Li Jianjian clarified that she had fallen accidentally and had concocted a lie with Qi Mingyue to avoid being scolded by Li Haichao.
He Ziqiu then mentioned that Zhao Huaguang had never denied responsibility when questioned about it, leaving Li Jianjian and Ling Xiao perplexed as to why Zhao Huaguang would take the blame. Later, Li Jianjian anonymously posted on an online "Treehole" forum about her predicament of being confessed to by her two brothers. At Li Haichao's noodle shop, Mrs. Qian was once again trying to set Li Haichao up on a date, this time with a teacher named Hongying.
Hongying, having heard of Li Haichao's good character through Mrs. Qian, spoke positively of him and mentioned her own adult, self-reliant children. While they were chatting, He Mei unexpectedly arrived at the noodle shop, stating she needed to speak with Li Haichao. Li Haichao excused himself from Hongying and Mrs. Qian, asking Xiaozhu to attend to them, and took He Mei home.
He Mei expressed her belief that, given her understanding of Zhao Huaguang, he would not have so easily allowed He Ziqiu to return, and questioned if Li Haichao knew the full circumstances, which he did not. Despite outwardly claiming to have cut ties with He Ziqiu, He Mei secretly cared for him and had been analyzing the performance of his coffee and dessert shop.
She noted its poor location and high pricing, estimating that it was likely already operating at a loss. While He Ziqiu attracted students with discounts, she worried that if these discounts ended, the students might stop frequenting the shop, making it difficult to sustain a business reliant solely on student patronage. Li Haichao, however, disagreed with He Mei's assessment, defending He Ziqiu's pricing by stating that his coffee used authentic, quality ingredients, which justified the higher cost.
