My Dear GuardianĀ Episode 23 Recap
> My Dear GuardianĀ Recap
Long Yi informed Zhuo Ran that Liang Muze had discovered the tapping device. Though Long Yi urged an immediate retreat, Zhuo Ran calmly stated they could not return to Old Master empty-handed. Old Master then called them, confirming that the money for the goods Gui had taken was received and the transaction went smoothly. He inquired about the progress with Xia Guang Yuan, learning that Tang Lin, Xia Guang Yuan's assistant, had accepted 100,000 and promised more research data.
Old Master pushed them to secure this "hard bone" and announced another batch of goods would be released soon, with Zhuo Ran in charge of the entire transaction process. Zhuo Ran expressed his desire to return, reminding Old Master of his promise once the sedative formula was acquired and Xia Guang Yuan secured.
However, Old Master explained that the situation had changed; the Chinese market, previously controlled by Sang Kun and Gui, finally had a breakthrough, and he wanted them to expand T4's network there, focusing on new sales channels, especially targeting Chinese youth to understand their preferences for future market dominance. Zhuo Ran, concerned about his mother's transplant, was cut off as Old Master abruptly hung up.
Recalling Gui's dying words, Zhuo Ran finally understood that Old Master had no intention of curing his mother but was merely using her to control him. Long Yi then pressed Zhuo Ran about obtaining all the data, acknowledging that the police were likely already monitoring them since the medical forum. Long Yi suggested they should take Xia Guang Yuan, or at least his daughter, if Xia Guang Yuan was unavailable.
Agreeing that their step-by-step approach was too slow and some matters needed a conclusion, Zhuo Ran assigned Xia Chu's capture to Long Yi, while he would handle the goods, arranging to meet in two days. Instead of handling the goods, Zhuo Ran surrendered to the police, surprising Officer Rao, who personally interrogated him.
Zhuo Ran admitted to installing the tapping device, claiming his motive was to win Xia Chu back by knowing her every moment and detail to make up for the eight years he wasn't with her. He feigned initial ignorance of the house's owner, nearly running into Liang Muze when installing the device.
He then fabricated a story, stating that while the tapping device revealed Xia Chu's plan to give Liang Muze sedatives, it was Long Yi, his assistant, who actually switched the pills under Old Master's command. Zhuo Ran identified Old Master as the founder of T4, an organization responsible for a terrorist attack at a medical headquarters in Isaia.
He explained that Old Master had smuggled himself into Willick from China, establishing T4 as an army of mercenaries operating under the guise of trade investment, but in reality, engaging in illicit activities. Zhuo Ran claimed he didn't know Old Master's real name or his past in China. He recounted how Old Master had rescued him and his mother from an illegal factory and starvation after a relative tricked them, paying for Zhuo Ran's education.
He had initially felt immense gratitude and dependence. However, after graduating university and managing Old Master's company finances, Zhuo Ran discovered the criminal underworld behind the operation. He claimed to have resisted and urged Old Master to stop, but was forced to comply because his mother was under Old Master's control. He asserted that he had done his best to avoid involvement in matters outside of financial management, emphasizing his precarious situation.
Zhuo Ran stated he came to Ningjiang on Old Master's orders to find Sang Kun's younger brother, Gui, only to later discover that Long Yi had killed Gui behind his back, using a 3D-printed gun, after sneaking Gui out of the hospital and faking the crime scene. He portrayed himself as a victim, risking his mother's life and his own to provide the police with crucial information, begging for protection and expressing his desperation to escape Old Master's control.
He revealed that Old Master knew how much Xia Chu meant to him and intended to control her just like his mother, to force Zhuo Ran to establish drug trafficking channels in China. Zhuo Ran pleaded for cooperation with the police to bring Old Master to justice, warning Officer Rao to immediately send men to Liang Muze's house as Old Master had ordered Long Yi to act against Xia Chu.
Officer Rao assured Zhuo Ran of their commitment to investigate quickly and provide personal safety, taking him to a detention center for the night. Liang Muze, overhearing Zhuo Ran's confession from outside the interrogation room, rushed home to check on Xia Chu. Meanwhile, Long Yi arrived at Xia Chu's apartment complex. He cut off her electricity and internet, then pretended to be building management, calling her to the office about a faulty meter.
As Xia Chu stepped out, she recalled she hadn't registered with the building management and they wouldn't address her as "Ms. Xia," confirming her suspicions. Seeing Long Yi approaching, she quickly retreated to the elevator, remembering Liang Muze's advice to press multiple floors above three to confuse a pursuer. She then activated the fire alarm and found a hiding spot. Liang Muze arrived just as the fire alarm blared, bringing a sense of relief to Xia Chu.
In the chaos created by the alarm, Long Yi managed to escape without being seen. Liang Muze brought Xia Chu back to his place, where she was still shaken. She attempted to inquire about Long Yi and the situation, but Liang Muze stated it was confidential. Concerned for her safety, he suggested she move into the military guesthouse for protection, emphasizing its security and Commander Dong's approval.
However, Xia Chu firmly declined, explaining that the ER was already short-staffed, and her absence would burden her colleagues. Furthermore, several patients she was responsible for had not yet been transferred, requiring her continued follow-up. She assured Liang Muze that she could protect herself by carrying pepper spray, avoiding dark alleys and secluded places, and not opening the door indiscriminately.
Reluctantly, Liang Muze agreed, but he immediately dispatched Sun Xiao Mo and Li Lei's team, instructing Li Lei to assign two men to protect Dr. Xia at the hospital until Long Yi was apprehended. Later, Officer Rao brought Liang Shaoxue to the police station, seeking information about the Yunshan Tunnel. Liang Shaoxue refused to answer, stating she had someone she liked, and defiantly told him she wasn't his suspect and wouldn't be interrogated.
She proposed that if he wanted to chat, he should resign from his job and join her for a family meal in the US, but she wouldn't say a single word while at the police station. At the hospital, patient Liu Ran, whom Xia Chu had helped, expressed joy over her recovery and hope that her father would be proud.
As hospital president Zhang Lifu conducted an inspection, he singled out Xia Chu for praise, recalling a time when she was completely drenched while transporting a transplantable lung to the operating room. He commended her "simple, pure, even somewhat naive" dedication, which allowed her to advocate for patients and uphold medical ethics.
Meanwhile, Xia Chu, having been asked by Dr. Zhang Yichi to visit his office during lunch, overheard colleagues gossiping that she was getting preferential treatment from "Mr. Zhang" because of her looks. Xia Chu confronted them directly, acknowledging her beauty but asserting that Dr. Zhang's recognition stemmed from her professional competence.
She emphasized her full involvement in Liu Ran's treatment, from convincing her uncle to use ECMO to personally transporting the donor lung from the airport, highlighting her sleepless nights in the EICU. She concluded by sharing her motto: "Being professional and reliable is the most cost-effective form of socialising." When she returned to her office, Liang Muze was waiting for her.
He told her to drive his car home, explaining it was a necessary life skill for "running faster" in emergencies. Xia Chu then offered him some advice regarding his potential redeployment, acknowledging the significance of his military uniform, but encouraging him to make choices true to himself. Liang Muze then confessed his feelings, revealing he was learning to eat durian and omit salt from soup, adapting to her tastes, and that he no longer wanted to be "even" with her.
He asked if she would agree to be with him. Xia Chu, admitting she also liked his intelligence, honesty, and good looks, especially his rare, warm smiles, confessed that living under the same roof had led her to fantasize about them becoming real. She revealed that his first kiss the day before was the peak of her fantasies, and she would have agreed without hesitation then.
However, knowing he was being redeployed, she admitted her hatred for goodbyes and being left behind due to distance. She asked for time to think and gather the courage to face such a relationship, and Liang Muze promised to wait. Xia Chu confided in Mi Gu, who strongly advised against a long-distance relationship, citing the immense challenges of time, money, human nature, and perseverance, questioning the meaning of a companion who couldn't offer physical presence.
Xia Chu then asked Mi Gu about her relationship with Zhuo Ran, who had canceled a movie date and hadn't been in contact, supposedly due to work. Xia Chu then inquired if Mi Gu had told Zhuo Ran about her living with Liang Muze. Mi Gu initially denied it, but when Zhuo Ran called Xia Chu and revealed that Mi Gu was his source, Xia Chu realized that Mi Gu had lied to her.
Later, Liang Shaoxue visited Liang Muze at the troop, playfully claiming to be there to see the parrot. During their drive, she vented her frustration about Officer Rao, complaining that his job and catching criminals seemed more important than his family and her happiness, accusing him of destroying her confidence in relationships. Liang Muze tried to mediate, explaining that her father's reserved way of expressing emotion didn't mean she was unimportant.
Suddenly, during a parachute training exercise, Tian Yong deviated from his course while helping a new recruit open their parachute, leading him to get caught in a tree and fall right in front of Liang Shaoxue and Liang Muze. Despite briefly standing up and claiming he could still jump, Tian Yong quickly fainted, and Liang Muze immediately took him to the infirmary.
