Surgeons Episode 34 Recap
> Surgeons Recap
Chen Shaocong remained despondent after Professor Zhong's death, listlessly neglecting his work. His mobile consultation platform project, which Dean Yang (Yang Fan) had approved as Professor Zhong's last wish, sat untouched. Yang Yu, deeply concerned, confronted him. She acknowledged his sadness and his self-blame, but reminded him that Auntie Qiao and everyone else had already tried their best to comfort him, and seeing him like this distressed them all.
When Chen Shaocong claimed ignorance, Yang Yu pressed on, highlighting that the project was Professor Zhong's legacy to further develop the ER. Despite the project being approved and funded, Chen Shaocong's indifference was frustrating. He simply replied, "Just leave it there first." Yang Yu passionately recounted how Professor Zhong had recognized his capabilities through the platform's design and how her own mother missed him.
Chen Shaocong cut her off, stating that he knew they were trying to help, but he just didn't have the drive, and they should stop wasting their effort. Yang Yu, exasperated, asked if he still wanted their relationship to continue, to which he apathetically responded, "What continue or not? It's all the same."
In a hospital conference room, Yang Fan advised Zhuang Shu that if Lu Chenxi were to take responsibility for her mother's surgery, it would be a suitable resolution for everyone involved: Zhuang Shu, Lu Chenxi, and the Thoracic Surgery Department. He suggested this would bring peace of mind to all parties. Zhuang Shu, however, found Yang Fan's suggestion that he was "making trouble out of nothing" unacceptable and insisted on adhering to the facts.
Yang Fan countered that Lu Chenxi, as the patient's family, undertaking the responsibility for a procedure that might not have adhered to norms would face less internal and public scrutiny. Zhuang Shu remained firm, telling Yang Fan to proceed as he saw fit. Annoyed by Zhuang Shu's defiance, Yang Fan then criticized him for sending Lin Hao's bacterial sample to Beijing behind his back.
Zhuang Shu defended his actions, stating that he couldn't abandon the analysis, especially after Lin Hao's infection, and he couldn't understand Yang Fan's insistence on obstructing him. Zhuang Shu then directly exposed Yang Fan's true concern: by sending the strain to a place beyond Yang Fan's control and publicizing the new E. coli strain, the past drug-resistant infection at Renhe would resurface.
This, in turn, might lead to scrutiny of the equipment that caused the infection and the dealings behind it. Yang Fan dismissed this as a "conspiracy theory" typical of those returning from abroad. He steered the conversation back to Zhuang Shu, revealing that a hospital specialist had already requested an interrogation and investigation into Zhuang Shu's unauthorized treatment method. When asked what he should do, Zhuang Shu reiterated his stance: "Seek the truth from the facts."
Yang Fan, left with no other option, dismissed him. Back in his office, Zhuang Shu found an agitated Lu Chenxi waiting. She accused him of being "crazy" and warned that if Yang Fan reported his use of an unapproved hypothermia induction treatment method that left her mother unconscious, he would at the very least be suspended and likely forced to leave Renhe and return to the United States.
She knew he was trying to take responsibility for her mother's hypothermia induction, but insisted that her colleagues, including Zhang Mo Han, Liu Jing Fei, and Head Nurse Zhou, would protect him out of loyalty. Zhuang Shu retorted that it wasn't about favors. He pointed out her double standards, reminding her how she condemned false dissertations by Liu Chang He yet was willing to compromise the truth for him.
Zhuang Shu then revealed his deep sense of inadequacy, lamenting that he couldn't save his sister's father and now couldn't guarantee her mother's recovery. He confessed that Lu Chenxi telling him she didn't need him, and refusing him as her mother's attending physician, made him feel even more useless than the controversies surrounding Lin Hao's surgery or being misunderstood by his sister.
Lu Chenxi, thinking he was acting out of "pitiful pride," urged him not to be an "idiot" by taking all the blame. Zhuang Shu clarified it wasn't pride but a commitment to the truth, and he insisted on continuing to care for her mother, hoping for her recovery. Lu Chenxi countered that even if her mother recovered, he would still face punishment for violating protocols, potentially being driven out of Renhe if Yang Fan pursued the matter.
Zhuang Shu then directly asked, "Isn't that what you wanted?" Lu Chenxi, her voice filled with anger, confirmed, "Yes. What I want is that you leave Renhe! Leave China! Leave me!" The argument ended with both of them deeply hurt. Yang Zixuan returned to the hospital, determined to collect data for his dissertation. He approached Associate Professor Zhang Mo Han, who had been the main attending physician for a Stage 2 lung cancer patient and prescribed their chemotherapy plan.
Zhang Mo Han, clearly annoyed by Yang Zixuan's persistence, claimed not to remember the details and suggested he ask his father, Dean Yang. Yang Zixuan explained that his father wouldn't know the specifics and that as the main attending, Zhang Mo Han would be more accurate. Just then, Yang Fan appeared, pulling his son into his office. Yang Fan angrily questioned why Yang Zixuan was "making trouble" at the hospital during working hours.
Yang Zixuan stated that Renhe Hospital, as part of a collaboration with NIH and Jialing Medical University, had a duty to provide data for his dissertation. Yang Fan flew into a rage, declaring he would not support the dissertation and therefore Renhe Thoracic Surgery would not provide any data. He challenged Yang Zixuan to complain to any authority he wished.
Yang Zixuan, having been rebuffed by his father, sought out Chen Shaocong, lamenting that he couldn't get the necessary data on chemotherapy plans for rural cancer patients and was even barred from the Thoracic Surgery Department. Chen Shaocong, recognizing he couldn't help directly, offered to find someone who could. He then called Zhuang Shu, arranging for Yang Zixuan to treat Zhuang Shu to lunch in the ER, where he could ask his questions. Zhuang Shu readily agreed.
Chen Shaocong's persistent distraction led to him accidentally cutting himself during a simple suturing procedure. Feeling like "garbage" and unworthy of Yang Yu, he confessed that he wanted to break up. Yang Yu initially tried to comfort him, suggesting he was simply in a bad mood due to Professor Zhong's death and that he could resume his mobile platform project when ready, noting that even Lu Chenxi offered to help.
Chen Shaocong, however, insisted he was serious about ending their relationship, saying they should "gather and separate in an amicable way." Yang Yu, surprised and hurt, reluctantly agreed, accepting that she didn't want to continue. Later, Yang Yu approached Chen Shaocong with a startling proposal: instead of dating, they should immediately get a marriage certificate. Chen Shaocong, taken aback, expressed surprise at the suddenness.
Yang Yu challenged him, demanding he choose between marriage and breaking up, warning that she might change her mind. When he chose "break-up," she immediately slapped him across the face, telling him he chose incorrectly and to answer again. Covering his swollen cheek, Chen Shaocong then chose "marriage." They promptly went to the Civil Affairs Bureau. The staff member noticed Chen Shaocong's swollen face, which he awkwardly attributed to "mumps," and questioned taking their wedding photo like that.
Despite the suggestion to wait, both Chen Shaocong and Yang Yu insisted on registering that day, joking about the "mumps" making it memorable. As they left with their marriage certificate, Chen Shaocong worried about her parents' reaction to such a sudden marriage, but Yang Yu assured him they would be thrilled, revealing she had already sent them his photos and they had been urging her to marry for a long time.
Meanwhile, Lin Huan, Lin Hao's daughter, formally instructed Lawyer Shi Jie to file a lawsuit against Renhe Hospital and Dr. Zhuang Shu. She recounted her father's medical journey: how he sustained chest injuries in a mudslide, was initially examined by Dr. Lu Chenxi, and then underwent successful surgery by Dr. Zhuang Shu at Renhe. She detailed how an HIV patient was admitted to the same ward the following day, a fact the hospital allegedly concealed.
When her father developed a urinary tract infection and later, a drug-resistant infection—a widespread issue at Renhe—she suspected a connection to the HIV patient. Despite her demands for an explanation, both Dr. Zhuang and the hospital refused, citing patient privacy. She further accused the hospital of failing to isolate or transfer the HIV patient, leading to her father's deteriorating condition and eventual death on his fifth hospital day due to complications from the infection.
Citing the "refusal to act and negligence of duty," Lin Huan sought legal action. A month later, rejuvenated after his marriage to Yang Yu, Chen Shaocong enthusiastically dedicated himself to developing the mobile consultation platform. He excitedly envisioned its promising future, which was already showing significant results, with hundreds of Renhe patients registering and twenty consults in just two days.
While Director Ma outwardly encouraged him, saying to "go ahead boldly," Yang Yu overheard him later telling a nurse that the project was merely "expensive amusement" that Chen Shaocong would abandon once the novelty wore off. Chen Shaocong, however, was unfazed, confident he could achieve results that would impress Director Ma. During an online consultation, Chen Shaocong received a call from Mr. Jiang Shou Ren, who had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and was awaiting biopsy results.
Mr. Jiang reported severe chest pain, stuffiness, suffocation, and having vomited twice, asking for an earlier follow-up. While on the call, Mr. Jiang suddenly collapsed. Chen Shaocong quickly accessed his electronic medical records, found his home number, and called his family. Guiding a panicked family member via video call, Chen Shaocong instructed her on emergency first aid, including clearing Mr. Jiang's airway, while simultaneously dispatching an ambulance.
Shortly after, Dean Yang received a call from his friend, Mr. Jiang (the patient's son), informing him of his father's critical condition and imminent arrival at Renhe. Dean Yang rushed to Director Ma, instructing him to prepare for a critical patient, likely suffering from esophageal cancer with tracheal invasion and bleeding, possibly with a tracheoesophageal fistula. Dean Yang praised Chen Shaocong's mobile platform for enabling timely intervention, noting its "good application."
Mr. Jiang, the son, then arrived at the ER and specifically requested Dr. Lu Chenxi to treat his father. When Lu Chenxi, who was giving a lecture on thoracoscopy, arrived with her interns, Mr. Jiang, identifying himself as the patient's family, explicitly disallowed the interns from observing, insisting that Lu Chenxi had been specifically requested. Dean Yang intervened, allowing the interns to observe from a distance.
