Dr. Cutie Episode 5 Recap
> Dr. Cutie Recap
Shen Zhaozhao, disguised as Tian Qi, urged Chun Hua to flee, assuring her that no one would dare harm them within the Ji Mansion. However, Ding Dali and his men, intent on causing trouble, dismissed her words, threatening to throw her outside the mansion where they could do as they pleased. A frantic chase ensued.
Just as Ding Dali's men were about to strike Ji Zheng, who had recognized Shen Zhaozhao from an earlier encounter and bravely stepped in to help, Shen Zhaozhao shielded Ji Zheng from the attack, taking a solid blow to her forehead that drew blood. Unaware of Ji Zheng’s identity, Ding Dali’s men prepared to attack. At that moment, Xu Jin arrived with his subordinates and loudly announced that Ji Zheng was the Young Marquis, General Ji Heng’s younger brother.
Ding Dali and his men immediately knelt, begging for mercy. Ji Zheng asked Tian Qi if she was injured, and she brushed it off, stating she was a doctor and could tend to herself. It was then Ji Zheng learned that the person he had been searching for, the one from the bridge, was actually Tian Qi. Though surprised, he did not expose her.
He warned Ding Dali’s men that Tian Qi was his benefactor and that further trouble would result in severe punishment from both him and General Ji Heng. After the men prostrated themselves in apology, Tian Qi, still in character, swaggered and lectured them about how she had just saved their lives by preventing Ji Zheng from ordering their execution. As she walked away, she furtively checked her head bandage, hoping her disguise remained intact.
Chun Hua, relieved, rushed to Tian Qi’s side. She re-bandaged Tian Qi’s wound, earning praise for her skilled hands. Chun Hua confessed her own interest in medicine but lamented that women were traditionally excluded from the profession. Tian Qi encouraged her, revealing that her own master was a woman, an "excellent" doctor "hundreds of times better than Dr. Ding." Chun Hua was deeply touched by Tian Qi’s understanding.
Tian Qi then pressed Chun Hua about the prayer beads, asking if she now remembered the owner. Chun Hua recalled seeing someone with them in the Ji Mansion but couldn't place the face. She believed she would recognize the person if she saw them again. Tian Qi, feeling a renewed sense of hope, promised to show Chun Hua the mansion's roster.
When Chun Hua questioned Tian Qi's intense desire to find the owner, hinting at a lost relative, Tian Qi clarified that the person was simply "of great importance" to her. Meanwhile, Ji Zheng questioned Xu Jin about the girl from Wanhong Club. Xu Jin noted Tian Qi's uncanny resemblance to the painting, but Ji Zheng dismissed the possibility due to their apparent difference in gender.
Ji Zheng, however, then suspected Tian Qi held many secrets and ordered Xu Jin to discreetly investigate both Tian Qi's background and Wanhong Club. Xu Jin, picking up on Ji Zheng's unusual interest, subtly probed if his lord was falling for the girl. Ji Zheng vehemently denied it, but then pondered his own unusual interest, wondering if it was because he was too idle. Back at his residence, Ji Heng found Tian Qi counting flowers, distressed that some were missing.
He sarcastically asked if she suspected him of secretly picking them. Terrified, Tian Qi repeatedly bowed, knocking off her hat and revealing the bandage on her forehead. Ji Heng demanded an explanation. Tian Qi first lied, claiming she had bumped her head on a doorframe, but Ji Heng scoffed, suggesting her height meant she must have gone through a "dog hole." Under pressure, Tian Qi confessed she had gotten into a fight.
Ji Heng was furious, but Tian Qi, desperate, continued to beg for mercy, even banging her head again. Ji Heng, exasperated, dismissed her but reminded her that her life belonged to him and not to "find yourself killed before I let you to." Later, Ji Heng questioned Sheng Anhuai about Tian Qi's altercation. Sheng Anhuai explained that Ding Dali, still resentful over a previous punishment, had seen Tian Qi conversing with Chun Hua and initiated the conflict.
He further clarified that Tian Qi's head injury was not from the fight itself, but from protecting Ji Zheng when Ding Dali recklessly charged towards Ji Zheng. Ji Heng, annoyed that Tian Qi had protected his brother, muttered about Tian Qi's loyalty. Sheng Anhuai defended Tian Qi, suggesting it was merely an act of kindness.
Just then, Kang Ning'er arrived, ostensibly to apologize for her servant Ding Dali's actions and to inquire about Tian Qi's well-being, though her true intention was to see Ji Heng. Ji Heng, however, pressed her on why she hadn't reported Ding Dali's earlier misconducts, highlighting that Ding Dali had not only nearly injured Ji Zheng but had also repeatedly caused trouble in the mansion, even bullying Kang Ning'er's own maids.
Kang Ning'er apologized for her oversight, and Ji Heng assured her he would handle the matter, then curtly dismissed her, promising a visit another day. After she left, Tian Qi, ever quick-witted, mused aloud about Kang Ning'er’s "not-so-simple" feelings for Ji Heng, then brazenly flirted with Ji Heng, remarking that "handsome men" could also make people "linger," just like beautiful women.
Ji Heng, pretending to be annoyed, feigned another punishment, but Sheng Anhuai intervened, telling Tian Qi that Ji Heng was merely teasing her. Tian Qi, seizing the opportunity, showered Ji Heng with exaggerated praise, declaring him "the best person in the world." Elsewhere, Madame Shu, informed of the deepening animosity between Ding Dali and Tian Qi, saw an opportunity. Her maid reported Ji Heng's intention to severely punish Ding Dali.
Madame Shu, realizing Ding Dali would now "hate Tian Qi's guts," saw this as an advantage. She instructed her maid with a new scheme, then retrieved a jade bracelet from a box, cradling it as she tearfully vowed to achieve revenge for her "Master." That night, Tian Qi, confident in her newly developed herbal moxibustion, convinced Ji Heng to try it instead of fanning. Ji Heng, initially skeptical, agreed to "take off your tops."
As his robe fell, Tian Qi was struck by the sight of numerous scars crisscrossing his back, silent testaments to battles fought. Lost in thought, she accidentally burned Ji Heng, who cried out in pain. A curious servant, peeking through the door, saw Ji Heng shirtless on the bed with Tian Qi leaning over him, leading to wild rumors of Ji Heng's preference for men, and even that he was the "submissive one in bed" based on his "loud shouts."
Ji Zheng heard these rumors and confronted Ji Heng, who was furious. Ji Zheng, observing his brother's genuine anger, realized Ji Heng was unaware of Tian Qi’s true gender, which brought him a sense of relief. He attempted to rationalize the rumors as a way to lure out the killer, but Ji Heng, angered, simply ordered him to swiftly deal with anyone spreading such nonsense.
Ji Zheng then subtly questioned Ji Heng about Tian Qi, asking if he noticed anything "strange" about him. Ji Heng admitted Tian Qi was "strange from head to toe" but acknowledged his medical skill. Later, Tian Qi mentioned to Ji Heng that she heard the poison that killed the Princess was made by Imperial Physician Shen Qingyun, who had served in the mansion previously.
She inquired if Ji Heng knew anyone else who knew the prescription, adding that Shen Qingyun was unjustly exiled. Ji Heng grew angry, stating that Shen Qingyun left no successor and the prescription was lost. He sternly warned Tian Qi not to speak presumptuously about past matters and to stick to her task of luring out the culprit, not meddling in his investigation. The following night, Tian Qi proposed another new treatment, but Ji Heng, remembering the burn, declined.
He then noticed a faint, familiar floral scent emanating from Tian Qi and identified it as gardenia. Tian Qi explained it was from a sachet she'd carried since childhood. Ji Heng, asserting he didn't need Tian Qi's presence to sleep well, only the calming scent, demanded she leave the sachet and dismissed her. However, without Tian Qi and her sachet, Ji Heng again suffered nightmares, realizing it was not the scent, but Tian Qi's presence that brought him peace.
Reluctantly, he instructed Sheng Anhuai to summon Tian Qi. Sheng Anhuai returned with the shocking news: Tian Qi was missing. Ji Heng, though maintaining a calm exterior, immediately ordered the entire mansion sealed and thoroughly searched. He dispatched his personal guards, including Sheng Anhuai, to assist, and even went to search himself, expressing, "If Tian Qi can wait till help comes, try to save him." Ji Zheng, learning of Tian Qi’s disappearance, also personally joined the search party.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhaozhao, having been knocked unconscious by black-clad figures, was carried away. When her captors found their escape routes blocked, they callously threw her, still bound, into a nearby pond, leaving her to slowly sink as the moonlight on the water's surface receded from her view.
