diff --git a/flink-table/flink-table-planner/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/table/planner/functions/LikeFunctionITCase.java b/flink-table/flink-table-planner/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/table/planner/functions/LikeFunctionITCase.java
index f2c29eae578f8..453dfba76b3ea 100644
--- a/flink-table/flink-table-planner/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/table/planner/functions/LikeFunctionITCase.java
+++ b/flink-table/flink-table-planner/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/table/planner/functions/LikeFunctionITCase.java
@@ -148,8 +148,22 @@ private Stream<TestSetSpec> withEscape() {
                                 DataTypes.STRING(),
                                 DataTypes.STRING())
                         // Empty strings in pattern or escape
-                        .testSqlResult("f0 LIKE 'test\"end' ESCAPE ''", false, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
                         .testSqlResult("f0 LIKE '' ESCAPE ''", false, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
+                        .testSqlResult("f0 LIKE '' ESCAPE '!'", false, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
+                        .testSqlResult("f0 LIKE 'test\"end' ESCAPE ''", false, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
+                        // Escaped _ in quick path: startsWith (BEGIN_PATTERN)
+                        .testSqlResult("f2 LIKE 'te!_%' ESCAPE '!'", true, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
+                        .testSqlResult("f0 LIKE 'te!_%' ESCAPE '!'", false, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
+
+                        // Escaped _ in quick path: endsWith (END_PATTERN)
+                        .testSqlResult("f2 LIKE '%!_st' ESCAPE '!'", true, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
+
+                        // Escaped _ in quick path: contains (MIDDLE_PATTERN)
+                        .testSqlResult("f2 LIKE '%!_s%' ESCAPE '!'", true, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
+
+                        // Escaped _ in quick path: multi-segment (ChainChecker)
+                        .testSqlResult("f2 LIKE 'te!_%st' ESCAPE '!'", true, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
+                        .testSqlResult("f0 LIKE 'te!_%st' ESCAPE '!'", false, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
                         // Escaping with emoji
                         .testSqlResult("f0 LIKE 'test' ESCAPE '✅'", true, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
                         .testSqlResult("f1 LIKE 'test✅%' ESCAPE '✅'", true, DataTypes.BOOLEAN())
diff --git a/flink-table/flink-table-runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/table/runtime/functions/SqlLikeChainChecker.java b/flink-table/flink-table-runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/table/runtime/functions/SqlLikeChainChecker.java
index 06068031bfc1a..2be97b48a0d54 100644
--- a/flink-table/flink-table-runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/table/runtime/functions/SqlLikeChainChecker.java
+++ b/flink-table/flink-table-runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/table/runtime/functions/SqlLikeChainChecker.java
@@ -45,13 +45,13 @@ public class SqlLikeChainChecker {
     private final int[] midLens;
     private final int beginLen;
     private final int endLen;
-    private final boolean leftAnchor;
-    private final boolean rightAnchor;
+    private final boolean isEmptyPattern;
 
     public SqlLikeChainChecker(String pattern) {
         final StringTokenizer tokens = new StringTokenizer(pattern, "%");
-        leftAnchor = !pattern.startsWith("%");
-        rightAnchor = !pattern.endsWith("%");
+        boolean leftAnchor = !pattern.startsWith("%");
+        boolean rightAnchor = !pattern.endsWith("%");
+        isEmptyPattern = pattern.isEmpty();
         int len = 0;
         // at least 2 checkers always
         BinaryStringData leftPattern = null;
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ public SqlLikeChainChecker(String pattern) {
 
         for (int i = 0; tokens.hasMoreTokens(); i++) {
             String chunk = tokens.nextToken();
-            if (chunk.length() == 0) {
+            if (chunk.isEmpty()) {
                 // %% is folded in the .*?.*? regex usually into .*?
                 continue;
             }
@@ -97,13 +97,8 @@ public boolean check(BinaryStringData str) {
         int mark = str.getSizeInBytes();
         // Returns false early if either:
         // the input is too short to match the pattern, or
-        // the pattern is empty (or anchored with no literals) but the input is not empty.
-        if (mark < minLen
-                || beginPattern == null
-                        && endPattern == null
-                        && middlePatterns.length == 0
-                        && mark > 0
-                        && (leftAnchor || rightAnchor)) {
+        // the pattern is empty but the input is not.
+        if (mark < minLen || mark > 0 && isEmptyPattern) {
             return false;
         }
         // prefix, extend start