Surgeons Episode 22 Recap
> Surgeons Recap
Xue Luan made a fervent appeal to Lu Chenxi, urging her to resign from Renhe Hospital and move to the United States with him. He offered to arrange everything, from helping her obtain a medical license in the US to transitioning into drug development, confident in her abilities regardless of her choice. However, Lu Chenxi expressed disinterest in drug development and found the idea of taking a medical licensing exam at her age daunting.
Xue Luan pressed on, highlighting her precarious position at Renhe, where Dean Yang Fan held significant power, and Professor Fu Bowen had only managed to retain her right to work, leaving her without a proper title or personnel rights. He warned that one more mistake could lead to her expulsion, and any achievements she made would only reflect well on Yang Fan. After a month-long suspension, Lu Chenxi had a profound realization: she truly loved being a doctor at Renhe.
While working, no matter how hard, she never felt wronged, but being idle at home felt like confinement. She even preferred to be "locked up" at Renhe. She acknowledged that this might sound masochistic, but explained that her chance to remain at Renhe had come at the cost of Professor Fu's reputation, a hard-won opportunity she couldn't bear to squander. She compared her connection to Renhe to love, asserting that true love endures imperfections.
Having already lost a lover, she declared that she couldn't bear to lose the career she loved most. Meanwhile, Zhuang Shu continued his confrontation with Fu Bowen regarding the tragic events of his mother's past. Zhuang Shu recounted his mother's assertion that the drug requisition form she initially took from the pharmacy clearly stated Lidocaine. However, after the incident, investigators found a falsified form indicating Penicillin.
Fu Bowen maintained that the lax supervision at the time meant his mother could have made a mistake in writing or verbally requesting the drug. Zhuang Shu countered, emphasizing his mother's character—she would have admitted a mistake if she had made one. He questioned the logic of her persistent appeals, risking her livelihood, if she were truly guilty.
He then revealed that a witness had seen his mother take an aqueous drug, not powdered, from the pharmacy, confirming it was Lidocaine. Zhuang Shu directly accused Fu Bowen and the then-director of Thoracic Surgery, Xiu Minqi, of framing his mother.
Fu Bowen, visibly angered, denied any involvement and refuted the accusation against Professor Xiu, stating that as the main attending doctor for Lu Zhong He, he was solely responsible for the order, and Xiu Minqi merely signed it as procedure. Zhuang Shu detailed his theory: someone fabricated the medical order, disguised a rare lidocaine allergy as a penicillin allergy, and manipulated the requisition form to mislead the investigation and frame his mother, vowing to uncover the truth.
Fu Bowen, accusing Zhuang Shu of making accusations based solely on emotion, challenged him to verify the facts by checking the locked files at the Health Commission, offering to help him retrieve them, before turning and leaving. Zhuang Shu remained, lost in thought. The weather suddenly turned, and a torrential rain began. Zhuang Shu walked through it, soaking wet and looking somber.
He glanced up at the building where Fu Bowen was, and their eyes met, a moment that stirred childhood memories of another encounter at the hospital. Zhuang Shu's determination to clear his mother's name intensified. The emotional toll of confronting Fu Bowen left Zhuang Shu distressed, re-opening old wounds. He was in no state to answer Lu Chenxi's calls or messages.
Lu Chenxi, having called Chen Shaocong to discuss their planned hotpot dinner, learned he couldn't make it as he was fixing Yang Yu's water pipes. She then tried to reach Zhuang Shu, leaving a voicemail about the change of plans and asking what he wanted to eat, but he didn't respond. Exhausted, Zhuang Shu returned home and went straight to bed, canceling their dinner.
Later that night, concerned by his unresponsiveness and knowing he had been caught in the rain, Lu Chenxi went to check on Zhuang Shu. She found him in his room, shirtless and wiping away sweat from a fever. He seemed embarrassed by her presence, attempting to cover himself. Lu Chenxi, unfazed, playfully reminded him that as a doctor of ten years, she had seen everything and that he was simply a patient to her.
She insisted he change out of his wet shirt, and when he hesitated, he admitted his lack of confidence was in himself, not in her medical ethics. She offered him a glass of sugar and salt water, which he found hard to swallow. Lu Chenxi probed, mentioning the localized heavy rain in the eastern suburbs, implying he had been there to meet Professor Fu.
Zhuang Shu vaguely cited car maintenance, then admitted to seeing an old friend, but deflected visiting Professor Fu, saying he was still recuperating and they could go together later. Before leaving, Lu Chenxi gave him a thermometer and declared herself "on call" for him that night. Later, back in her own room, Lu Chenxi scrolled through the "ugly photos" she had secretly taken of Zhuang Shu sleeping, a happy smile spreading across her face.
The next morning, Lu Chenxi's month-long suspension officially ended. She left for the hospital early, but not before preparing a warm breakfast of preserved duck egg congee and leaving medicine and a sick leave note for Zhuang Shu, advising him to rest and avoid pneumonia. At the hospital, Lu Chenxi's first priority was to check on Qi Xu, Liu Ling and Qi Dawei's son, whom she now considered more than just an ordinary patient.
She was pleased to see the child recovering well, having gained 150 grams. She then encountered Qi Dawei, who thanked her for testifying on his behalf to the investigation group, taking full responsibility for Liu Ling's matter and absolving Lu Chenxi. She was content that her limited punishment allowed her to continue practicing medicine. Qi Dawei also informed her that the kindergarten pool issue was resolved, with the construction company held accountable for unauthorized design changes that led to contamination.
Although his company incurred significant losses, he expressed gratitude to Lu Chenxi for saving his son's life and giving him a chance to be a good father. Later that day, Lu Chenxi's parents unexpectedly arrived at her apartment, on their way to an overseas vacation. They discovered Zhuang Shu, still recuperating at home.
Her mother immediately called Lu Chenxi, expressing immense satisfaction with Zhuang Shu's physique, appearance, and demeanor, convinced he was Lu Chenxi's boyfriend, despite Lu Chenxi's protests that he was merely a tenant and "not one family." Undeterred, her mother began to interrogate Zhuang Shu, asking about his department, how long he had been living there, and his relationship with Lu Chenxi.
Zhuang Shu calmly replied that he worked in Thoracic Surgery, had been there for almost two months, was getting used to it, and that while they were "honing it" at work, they "take care of each other" in daily life. Her mother noted that he called Lu Chenxi by her given name. That evening, Chen Shaocong, despite Lu Chenxi's earlier phone call urging him to stay away, arrived home, eager to witness the unfolding drama.
Lu Chenxi confronted Zhuang Shu about her parents' interrogation, learning they had asked "everything"—his height, age, family, birthplace, political affiliation, marital status, and hobbies. During dinner, Lu Chenxi's mother affectionately called Zhuang Shu "Xiao Shu," prompting Lu Chenxi to correct her to "Dr. Zhuang." Zhuang Shu, while serving the parents, tried to ascertain if they would refrain from pressuring Lu Chenxi to marry, but her mother vehemently denied this, stating their immense anxiety about her marriage.
Lu Chenxi discreetly kicked Zhuang Shu under the table. Later, as Zhuang Shu and Lu Chenxi's mother washed dishes, Zhuang Shu gently clarified that he and Lu Chenxi were only good colleagues and friends, not yet a couple. Her mother dismissed this, viewing it as a promising start but warning against slow progress. She then inquired about Lu Chenxi's temper, which Zhuang Shu acknowledged she possessed, but added that he was slowly adapting to it.
Lu Chenxi's mother explained that her biological father had died when she was born, leading to her being overly spoiled. Zhuang Shu revealed he knew about her father's death from medical malpractice. Her mother was surprised by his knowledge, as Lu Chenxi rarely spoke of it. She recounted how her father's medical records clearly indicated a penicillin allergy, yet a nurse had still administered penicillin.
She added that the nurse involved, burdened with two children, was also struggling, and the incident tragically affected two families. Lu Chenxi entered the kitchen at this point, stopping her mother from further questioning Zhuang Shu. Chen Shaocong then pulled Lu Chenxi's mother aside, elaborating on his scheme: he would occupy one room, she and her husband another, leaving only one room for Lu Chenxi and Zhuang Shu, forcing them to "make a breakthrough."
Her mother was hesitant, but Chen Shaocong insisted that without such intervention, given their personalities, it would take "eight years" for her to have a grandchild. While watching a documentary about whales breeding on television, Lu Chenxi's parents subtly made suggestive comments about reproduction and the importance of a female-led family structure, attempting to push Lu Chenxi and Zhuang Shu closer. Lu Chenxi, feeling the pressure, secretly asked Chen Shaocong to leave and stay at Yang Yu's.
He flatly refused, citing his right as a tenant. Her mother then declared that she and her husband would sleep in Lu Chenxi's room. Zhuang Shu offered to share his room with Chen Shaocong, allowing Lu Chenxi to sleep in his. However, Chen Shaocong dramatically refused, claiming he snored too loudly to share a room with a man and feared how Yang Yu would react.
Lu Chenxi's mother, seizing the opportunity, declared that fate was important and suggested Lu Chenxi "make do" with Zhuang Shu's room for the night. Faced with these manipulations and the lack of available rooms, Lu Chenxi indignantly declared she would sleep on the sofa. To prove its sturdiness, she jumped on it, only for the sofa to audibly snap and break, unknown to her that Chen Shaocong had secretly removed supporting books from underneath earlier.
