Long For You Episode 20 Recap
> Long For You Recap
Li Zhe, with a solemn expression, informed Chun Shan and Gu Shiyi about Xue Ji's situation. Gu Shiyi, who had also learned the truth via phone, immediately expressed his desire to see Xue Ji, but Li Zhe explained she was undergoing a medical examination and prevented him from doing so. Later, Chun Shan, Li Zhe, and Jiang Huai decorated their home, setting up a Christmas tree for a warm Christmas celebration.
Jiang Huai went to Xue Ji's room, finding her staring blankly at a medical report. Patting Xue Ji's shoulder, Jiang Huai urged her to come downstairs to see a Santa Claus who had been waiting for a long time. Xue Ji forced a smile and cheerfully ran out, but as she left, Jiang Huai’s smile dropped, and she picked up and looked at Xue Ji's medical report.
Xue Ji went to the balcony, where she saw a Santa Claus dancing downstairs. Deeply moved, she shed tears, then smiled warmly. Santa gestured for her to come down. Approaching him, Xue Ji asked why he wasn't delivering gifts to children and why he wouldn't leave, remarking on the cold weather and that she was no longer a child. Santa replied that he was there to give her a gift and pointed at her. Xue Ji insisted he go home.
At that moment, Santa grabbed and hugged Xue Ji tightly. Xue Ji could no longer hold back her tears, calling out, "Shiyi, go, don't come find me anymore." Gu Shiyi, who was disguised as Santa, then removed his beard. He chided her for not dressing more warmly in the cold. Xue Ji cried again, and they wished each other a Merry Christmas. She hugged him even tighter, lamenting that everything might change.
Gu Shiyi reaffirmed his promise to never leave her side. Back home, Gu Shiyi, Xue Ji, Li Zhe, Chun Shan, and Jiang Huai gathered to celebrate what they knew would be their first and final Christmas reunion. Everyone had prepared a letter for Xue Ji.
Jiang Huai began to read hers, tearfully stating that she had never known a life without worries until she met Xue Ji, who became a presence warmer than family and who gave her a true home. Jiang Huai pledged to accompany Xue Ji wherever she went and cook whatever she desired, acknowledging that her own life had never seen a miracle until Xue Ji. Overcome with emotion, Jiang Huai was unable to continue reading.
Chun Shan then took his turn, reading his letter. He expressed gratitude for Xue Ji, describing her as a very kind person who, even after living for a thousand years, remained innocent. He emphasized she was the person he most wanted to thank and whose happiness he most desired.
Xue Ji shed tears after hearing the letters, yet she faintly smiled, stopped reading, and quietly embraced the crying Jiang Huai, her thin shoulders trembling with sobs, her heart full of concern. She maintained her smile, waved goodbye to her friends, and walked towards her room, disappearing into the darkness with red, tearful eyes. Later, Gu Shiyi and Xue Ji lay in bed, silently gazing at each other.
Xue Ji confessed that she had always disdained the human desire for a long life, but now, she wished like anyone else to continue living, uncertain if she had years, days, or decades left. She expressed regret. Tears streamed down Gu Shiyi's face. He gently cradled Xue Ji's cheek, promising, "I will always be here." Xue Ji, her voice growing weak, said she was tired and asked Gu Shiyi to tell her a story.
She closed her eyes, leaning against him. Gu Shiyi opened a book and began to read "The Cat Who Lived a Million Times." He told of a beautiful tabby cat that lived for a million years, loved by a million people, and cried for by a million upon its death, yet the cat itself never shed a tear.
This cat was adopted by a king, a sailor, and a clumsy magician, all of whom died in accidents and wept profusely for the cat. Gu Shiyi narrated a parallel: Xue Ji had lived for a thousand years, yet her life had never truly belonged to anyone, nor had she known for whom to grieve after witnessing countless cycles of life and death.
The story continued, describing how the tabby cat eventually became a wild cat, aloof to all the admiring female cats until it met a white cat who was equally indifferent to him. Gu Shiyi again drew a parallel, stating this was like Xue Ji meeting Gu Shiyi, who was initially aloof to her. The two cats lived together for many years, had many beautiful kittens, and stayed together until their kittens grew up and left.
The white cat eventually grew old and frail, lying still beside him. For the first time in millions of years, the tabby cat's tears gushed forth. After weeping, he lay quietly beside the white cat, never moving again. Gu Shiyi closed the book. He looked at Xue Ji beside him; she had peacefully closed her eyes and lay still, as if asleep. At that moment, tears gushed from Gu Shiyi’s eyes.
One year later, Gu Shiyi, accompanied by a dog, visited the beach where he and Xue Ji often went. He sat on the sand, gazing at the churning sea, as seagulls circled and cried overhead, and the wind swept across his face. Everything seemed to have returned to how it once was. On Gu Shiyi's T-shirt, there was a drawing of a small boy, made by Xue Ji, smiling brightly as always.
