Episode 23

***Can't Live Without a Good Brother*** (Chinese: 不能没有好哥哥 *Bùnéng Méiyǒu Hǎo-gēgē*) is the twelfth and final episode of the second season of Link Click.

## Plot

The episode starts with a flashback to Liu Lan and Li Tianxi's first visit to Doctor Qin. Liu Lan's phone, displaying a photo of Li Tianchen and Li Tianxi as the wallpaper, rings. Li Tianchen answers and informs the caller that his mother is with his sister in the restroom. The caller, from a mental health center, inquires about Liu Lan's recent call for psychological counseling. Li Tianchen, however, firmly states that nobody in his family has mental illness, and hangs up as his mother and sister return. Liu Lan asks about the caller, but Li Tianchen dismisses it as a spam call.

Letting her daughter sit down, Liu Lan then expresses relief that they are finally about to meet Doctor Qin. Li Tianchen questions the doctor's legitimacy, but Liu Lan chides him for frightening his sister with such remarks. He quickly reassures them that he will take good care of his sister. Li Tianxi then communicates something in sign language, prompting Liu Lan to ask its meaning. Li Tianchen beams with pride, translating it as "good brother". At this moment, they are called in by Doctor Qin. Liu Lan explains to the doctor that Li Tianxi suddenly lost her voice six months ago, and the cause still remains unknown despite visiting numerous doctors. Li Tianchen gently places his hand on his sister's, comforting her as she shows fear, warmly assuring her that he is by her side and everything will be alright.

After the opening, the episode returns to the present. Ma is in the subway tunnels, in pursuit of Qian Jin. With Qian Jin disappearing from view, Ma calls out to him, labeling him a coward and demanding he show himself. However, as he stops and looks around, Qian Jin emerges from hiding, strangling him from behind. Taking back his gun, he returns to the earlier confrontation, firing a bullet at the tearful Li Tianxi. As Li Tianchen frantically rushes towards his falling sister, Qian Jin emerges from the shadows, muttering about their betrayals. As Qiao Ling kneels next to the fallen Li Tianxi, he approaches Qiao Ling from behind, his pistol aimed at her head, calling for everyone to die. However, Cheng Xiaoshi jumps in front of Qian Jin as he fires, taking the bullet to the side of his waist. Lu Guang lets out a desperate scream and charges at Qian Jin. Qian Jin turns to fire at him too, only to realize his gun is empty. Lu Guang tackles and him and launches a fierce series of punches.

In response to Qiao Ling's desperate call, Cheng Xiaoshi rises and assures her that he is fine. Qian Jin manages to overpower Lu Guang, but Cheng Xiaoshi rushes to his aid, joining Lu Guang in a two-on-one struggle against Qian Jin. As Qian Jin momentarily pauses, discarding his bulletproof vest, Cheng Xiaoshi cautions Lu Guang to not overexert himself due to his injury, but Lu Guang retorts that Cheng Xiaoshi is not in a much better condition. The confrontation resumes as Qian Jin lunges in for another attack. Meanwhile, Qiao Ling is knelt beside Li Tianxi, pressing on her wound as it continues to bleed. Li Tianchen holds her sister's hand, trembling in tears, as Li Tianxi slowly mutters to him, "I am scared... I miss mother..."

Despite the valiant efforts of Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi, Qian Jin proves to be overpowering. Just as he prepares to finish off Cheng Xiaoshi, Xiao Li arrives in the nick of time to confront him. With a police officer now on the scene, Li Tianxi urges her brother to flee despite her condition, while simultaneously holding Qiao Ling down with her remaining strength. Recognizing his dire situation, Li Tianchen heeds her sister's plea, fleeing in tears.

Qian Jin taunts Xiao Li, invoking the names of Chen Bin and Wang Juan, sparking another fierce round of physical clash. The fight intensifies, with both parties fully engaged, until Xiao Li ultimately gains the upper hand, throwing Qian Jin down and delivering a powerful, conclusive blow to his face. When he turns around, Li Tianchen has disappeared without a trace, and Li Tianxi lies weakly on Qiao Ling's legs. Li Tianxi mutters words of gratitude to Qiao Ling, passing on her special power to Qiao Ling in her final moments.

Qiao Ling suddenly finds Li Tianxi's memories surging into her mind, initiating a series of flashbacks. At home, Liu Lan is seen discussing her marital issues with the teacher, Mr. Zhou, who suggests that she seek legal means to end her troubled marriage. Liu Lan reveals that she has considered divorce, is concerned about her young children, especially her mentally challenged children, and the difficulties of raising them alone. Mr. Zhou offers his support, but Liu Lan is reluctant to impose on him excessively. At this point, Li Tianxi, having eavesdropped on the conversation, pushes open the door. Liu Lan approaches her, only to find her in tears, pleading that she doesn't want her parents to split up.

The next scene continues from Cheng Xiaoshi's recent time dive into Li Tianxi's childhood. Liu Lan, previously defenseless against her husband's aggression, suddenly retaliates, kicking him down and rising from the floor. Her eyes glow a bright red, a sign that she is under Li Tianchen's remote control. Picking up the hammer from the floor, she walks towards Li Fan, delivering a blow to his shoulder. As Li Fan scrambles across the room, Li Tianchen declares that he will fight back in her mother's place, approaching him once again. He raises the hammer for a second attack, aimed directly at Li Fan's head. In desperate resistance, Li Fan grabs a kitchen knife from a drawer and stabs towards his wife. Resultingly, both parties land simultaneous blows on each other, and Li Fan collapses to the ground. As Li Tianchen stops his remote control, he finds Liu Lan kneeling down before of him, reaching to embrace her children. Initially believing that they are finally free from his father's torment, Li Tianchen's brief relief quickly turns to horror, as he looks down to see his hands covered in her mother's blood.

The next scene starts on the hospital roof, revisiting the possessed Chen Bin's exchange with Ma. After handing over Liu Min's phone, Li Tianchen approaches the edge of the roof, intending to make Chen Bin fall off the building. However, tears suddenly begin to roll down the eyes of the possessed Chen Bin. Li Tianchen finds himself losing control, as Chen Bin utters words of apology to his soon-to-be-born daughter, regretting not being there to accompany her in her life. This sparks Li Tianxi's memory of her mother's final moments, where she apologized to her for not being a good mother, lamenting her inability to protect her children, and her efforts only leading to worse outcomes the harder she tried. Li Tianxi, overwhelmed, breaks free from her brother's control, swings open the door of Qian Jin's car and flees tearfully, with Li Tianchen in frantic pursuit.

While fleeing, Li Tianxi runs into Liu Siwen, Ouyang, and Ouyang Bubai, dropping her purse, a hairpin, and the photo taken with her mother. Li Tianchen, chasing after her, is stopped in his tracks by Ouyang's father, who hands him the items Tianxi dropped. Flipping the photo, Li Tianchen sees on the back side a drawing of himself with her sister, and the words "can't live without a good brother". Following this is a montage sequence, interweaving scenes of the siblings in flight with a series of flashbacks, ending with Li Tianchen disappearing into the shadows of a dark forest, and Li Tianxi reaching a house nestled in the forest, radiating with warm light. Accompanying the visual narrative is Li Tianchen's childhood question: "In the end of the story, did the siblings find their way home?"

Returning to the present, Qiao Ling, driven to tears, collapses under the weight of these memories.

Some time later, Liu Xiao is shown leaving the airport and getting into a prearranged vehicle. On the phone with his mother, remarking that much has happened during his years abroad. His mother agrees, mentioning casually that Liu Min's death has lifted a burden off her shoulders. Liu Xiao informs her that he needs to make a stop to meet a friend before coming home.

At the park, Li Tianchen sits a bench with his mother's phone in hand, still displaying the childhood photo of him and his sister. He looks up to see Liu Xiao, fulfilling a promise made years ago to meet again. Li Tianchen hands over Liu Min's phone to Liu Xiao, as requested. Liu Xiao asks him if he has made up his mind, and Li Tianchen admits his lack of options. Liu Xiao muses that while destiny might seem like a single path, it is actually composed of many parallel lines, influenced by personal traits and external influences. He observes that while one might aspire to change their destiny, often they find themselves powerless to do so.

Liu Xiao shares his aspiration to converge the parallel lines of destiny, transforming uncertainties into certainties. Li Tianchen questions if such an endeaver is really possible. In response, Liu Xiao stands, extending his arm and echoing a remark from their past: "If you don't have the guts for that, how can you be my friend?" Li Tianchen takes his hand and rises, joining him as they walk off together. Liu Xiao reminds Li Tianchen that he's left something behind, but Li Tianchen asserts that he no longer needs it. Left on the park bench, the phone displays a 0% battery percentage, before finally powering down.

In the photo studio, adorned with "welcome home" decorations, Qiao Ling places a cake on the table and sits down in contemplation. She ponders the sudden influx of Li Tianxi's memories into her mind, including those seen through others, notably Lu Guang's. She is particularly troubled by why Lu Guang's memories included a scene of Cheng Xiaoshi's death, but dismisses her concerns as overthinking as the door opens.

Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi step in, followed by Xiao Li. Cheng Xiaoshi, leaning on Lu Guang, expresses relief at their long-awaited return. Lu Guang shoves him onto the sofa, telling him to stop feigning his inability to walk. Qiao Ling approaches, welcoming them back. Immediately, Cheng Xiaoshi requests that Qiao Ling waive his rent for the past two months, earning a reprimand for spoiling the mood. Noticing the meal Qiao Ling prepared, Cheng Xiaoshi asks Lu Guang to help him over, but Lu Guang walks away, ignoring him. Cheng Xiaoshi remarks on Lu Guang's coldness, then stands and dashes over to the table himself. Qiao Ling inquires about Wang Juan, and Xiao Li responds that she is out of critical condition and gradually recovering. Additionally, he reveals that a special task force has been established for crimes that involve paranormal abilities, with him appointed as its head.

With the trio settled down together, Cheng Xiaoshi enjoys his welcome home meal, while Lu Guang is locked in a daze, his gaze fixed on Cheng Xiaoshi. A flashback ensues, showing Lu Guang in bloodied clothing, sitting in front of his desk. In a monologue, he apologizes to Cheng Xiaoshi, acknowledging that though he always tells him to not change the past, he is unable to adhere to his own principle. He admits that although he knows death is unchangeable, he still wants to use his last chance to go back to the beginning and save Cheng Xiaoshi. With his watch displaying a date and time of 00:05 09/13, his palms meet as he disappears from the room. Back in the present, Cheng Xiaoshi turns towards Lu Guang, catching his gaze. He offers Lu Guang a radiant smile as the episode reaches its end.