Go Ahead Episode 3 Recap
> Go Ahead Recap
Li Jianjian, described by Aunt Qian as a tomboy who has grown up inseparable from Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu, is known for her spirited nature; Aunt Qian even remarks that if given a stick, Li Jianjian would "wreak havoc." This fearless spirit was evident when Li Jianjian helped He Ziqiu defend their classmate, Qi Mingyue, against two scammers behind the school.
He Ziqiu had already been in a half-hour standoff with the scammers and gotten into a physical altercation when Li Jianjian arrived, taking down one of them. Before heading to the scene, Li Jianjian had used the school broadcast to alert Ling Xiao, who was in class and quickly rushed to their aid. Upon Ling Xiao's arrival, he scared the scammers off by claiming to have called the police, causing them to flee.
Li Jianjian, still eager to fight, wanted to chase them, but He Ziqiu held her back. Ling Xiao, visibly shaken, admonished Li Jianjian for her impulsiveness, fearing the consequences if the scammers had carried weapons. Following the incident, the three were reprimanded by school faculty, who, while acknowledging their "heroic acts," advised them to seek out teachers in similar situations in the future.
Qi Mingyue, the class monitor and the student they rescued, thanked them, inviting them to eat expensive ice cream. Li Jianjian, however, said she didn't know Qi Mingyue, which confused Qi Mingyue. When asked why they helped, the trio responded in unison, "heroic acts."
Despite the initial confusion, Qi Mingyue accepted Li Jianjian's straightforward declaration that they were "a family, just without blood ties," a statement that initially left Qi Mingyue wide-eyed and silently surprised, but she soon became good friends with Li Jianjian. However, Qi Mingyue's mother, Jin Yuxiang, who is strict with her high-achieving daughter, disapproved of Qi Mingyue associating with Li Jianjian, especially because Li Jianjian's academic performance was poor.
During a parent-teacher conference, after Li Jianjian introduced her father, Li Haichao, to Qi Mingyue, Jin Yuxiang looked down upon Li Jianjian and Li Haichao. While the teacher praised Wang Yajie, the top student, and Wang Yajie's mother shared her parenting experience, Jin Yuxiang, whose daughter was always second best, became unhappy. She stood up to present her own parenting philosophy, asserting her daughter's excellence.
Jin Yuxiang consistently pushed Qi Mingyue to excel, even sending her to a math tutoring class and promising a digital camera if she could surpass Wang Yajie in the next exam, warning her against being "the perennial second best" or associating with "bad students" like Li Jianjian. Qi Mingyue, though reluctant and complaining about the tutoring, considered Li Jianjian her benefactor and disagreed with her mother's request to distance herself from her.
One afternoon, while Ling Xiao, He Ziqiu, Li Jianjian, and Qi Mingyue were doing homework together at a drink shop, Qi Mingyue accidentally drank from He Ziqiu's cup, causing her to blush as she looked at his lips and quickly offer to buy him another drink.
Later that evening, as the two families (Li Haichao, Li Jianjian, He Ziqiu, Ling Xiao, and Ling Heping) ate hotpot together, Li Haichao casually brought up Li Jianjian's grades, resigned to the fact that they wouldn't improve. Their lighthearted meal was interrupted when Ling Heping received a call from Ling Xiao's maternal grandmother.
Ling Xiao's demeanor instantly changed; he dropped his chopsticks and left, a reaction Li Jianjian observed was typical whenever anything about his mother's family came up, leaving him unable to eat. Li Haichao, feeling helpless, offered to cook noodles for Li Jianjian and He Ziqiu to take to Ling Xiao. Later, Li Haichao privately inquired about the call, learning that Ling Xiao's mother, Chen Ting, had remarried and settled in Singapore.
Her husband was coming for a six-month work assignment, and Chen Ting and her daughter, Chengzi, would also be arriving. Ling Xiao's maternal grandmother had requested Ling Heping to arrange Chengzi's temporary enrollment in school. Ling Heping revealed that Chen Ting, who had left years ago and never returned, now wished to reconnect with Ling Xiao through her mother.
Ling Heping, who had lived like family with Li Haichao for years, was concerned but felt he couldn't completely cut off Ling Xiao's ties with his maternal grandmother. Meanwhile, He Ziqiu and Li Jianjian took the noodles to Ling Xiao. When he refused to eat, Li Jianjian jumped onto his bed, declaring she wouldn't leave until he ate. Ling Xiao, unable to resist Li Jianjian, reluctantly took the bowl.
Li Jianjian then commented that his quilt smelled nice, like him, causing Ling Xiao to blush. He promptly pulled her off the bed and forbade her from getting on his and He Ziqiu's bed again, indicating his nascent awareness of gender boundaries, a concept Li Jianjian, still young and naive, didn't fully grasp. Chen Ting eventually returned and visited Ling Xiao at school.
Despite Ling Xiao's claim to treat her as a stranger, he felt a complex mix of emotions upon seeing her. He Ziqiu also spotted Chen Ting after finishing a basketball game. During their conversation at a restaurant, Chen Ting informed Ling Xiao about her new life in Singapore with her daughter, Chengzi, who reportedly wanted to meet him. Ling Xiao, however, was cold and dismissive, stating he didn't know Chengzi and saw no reason to meet her.
When Chen Ting asked about his well-being at Li Haichao's home and if he had suffered any grievances, Ling Xiao grew angry. He sternly told her not to interfere with his family, declaring that he regarded Li Haichao as his biological father and would care for him in his old age. Chen Ting was saddened by his attitude, explaining that she had been overwhelmed back then, and taking Ling Xiao with her might have caused him greater harm.
She still missed him and desired his forgiveness. Outside the restaurant, Li Jianjian and He Ziqiu waited for Ling Xiao. Li Jianjian asked He Ziqiu if he had ever considered finding He Mei. He Ziqiu reacted with sudden anger, proclaiming he was not "trash to be discarded and picked up at will," and walked off, unwilling to wait for Ling Xiao any longer.
Despite his outward resentment towards He Mei, He Ziqiu secretly kept her photograph, harboring a hidden hope for her return. Ling Xiao, ignoring Chen Ting, walked out of the restaurant, spotted Li Jianjian squatting outside, pulled her up, and left with her.
