Surgeons Episode 4 Recap
> Surgeons Recap
After successfully completing a surgery, Zhuang Shu encountered Lu Chenxi still at the hospital. He confirmed his surgery went well, and Lu Chenxi asked if he had recorded it and if she could view the video. Zhuang Shu, holding her ID badge, informed her that since she no longer belonged to RenHe Hospital's Thoracic Department, she couldn't easily access their internal information. Lu Chenxi expressed her annoyance but declared she would leave after watching the recording.
A nurse then asked Lu Chenxi to update her doctor's orders. Lu Chenxi stated that Cheng Hui Ying, a patient from the car crash, was doing well, and that this was her last shift in Thoracic Surgery, so she would leave any further orders to Dr. Zhuang. Zhuang Shu, seeing Lu Chenxi preparing to leave, reassured the nurse and followed her. He asked if his hotel was on her way home and suggested she treat him to dinner.
Zhuang Shu then clarified that Director Yang only deemed her unsuitable for a management role, not denying her excellence as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Still wary, Lu Chenxi wondered if Yang Fan was nearby, implying Zhuang Shu was defending him. Zhuang Shu acknowledged her bias, but then changed the subject, stating he was hungry and she should treat him. Lu Chenxi playfully questioned if all Americans were so "brazen."
Zhuang Shu led Lu Chenxi to a modest roadside noodle stall, which surprised her given his perceived preference for fancier establishments. They ordered fried noodles, tofu, and spiced eggs. During their meal, Lu Chenxi, impressed by his fluent Chinese, learned that Zhuang Shu was fully Chinese, having only moved to America at age 10 after his parents passed away. Zhuang Shu remarked that the taste of the noodles remained unchanged after 20 years, unlike everything else.
Lu Chenxi challenged him to honestly share his thoughts on her situation. After securing a promise that she wouldn't get angry, Zhuang Shu critiqued her past handling of cases, citing her failure to explain options to an esophageal cancer patient and her loss of temper with Cheng Hui Ying, which could easily cause disputes. He suggested that Director Yang's criticism might not have been purely malicious.
Lu Chenxi defended her work ethic by detailing her immense workload and expertise, but Zhuang Shu remained unmoved. He then spoke candidly, expressing his understanding of her singular dedication to saving lives, which led her to sacrifice personal happiness and neglect other aspects of her life, leaving her with no achievements outside work and no boyfriend. He concluded that her profound disappointment stemmed from both her superiors' lack of acknowledgment and the patients' misunderstanding and blame, which she found unacceptable.
Feeling exposed, Lu Chenxi abruptly stood up, declared she was full, and tried to leave. Zhuang Shu followed, questioning her anger despite her promise. Lu Chenxi insisted she wasn't angry and asserted that any mistakes she admitted to were tied to her departure from RenHe. She challenged Zhuang Shu: if he could truly say Yang Fan's actions earlier were solely to correct her mistakes and not to eliminate her, she would apologize.
Zhuang Shu countered by asking if she expected superiors to always be dispassionate when guiding subordinates. He argued that despite her talent and hard work, she, as an attending physician with 11 years of experience, also bore responsibility for failing to protect herself from isolation. Lu Chenxi dismissed his perspective as a personal opinion, maintaining that such tactics were wrong, and attributed his current position to her departure.
She then addressed him as "Professor Zhang," warning him not to lecture her. Lu Chenxi received a phone call from Fu Bowen, who informed her that she would be transferred to the Emergency Department starting the next day. He explained that the hospital needed to reinforce the ER and noted her past success in the emergency medicine exam. Fu Bowen gently suggested that her resignation was due to pride, but he knew she secretly wished to stay.
Lu Chenxi voiced her concern about not being able to perform surgeries in the ER. Fu Bowen advised her that hospitals were not ivory towers, and even great skills made one vulnerable if weaknesses were known. He encouraged her to perform well in the ER to secure her position, promising to try his best to facilitate her return to Thoracic Surgery before his retirement. He also asked her to help Chen Shaocong improve.
Lu Chenxi thanked him, agreeing to go to the ER and work diligently. After the call, Lu Chenxi informed Zhuang Shu that Fu Bowen had transferred her to the ER with a promotion. She then praised Fu Bowen, stating he treated all subordinates and patients equally, never letting personal gain influence his decisions. Zhuang Shu coolly questioned her certainty, then simply wished her luck and walked away, leaving Lu Chenxi bewildered by his abrupt coldness.
Zhuang Shu then experienced a painful flashback from 28 years ago: his mother, Zhang Shumin, desperately pleaded with a younger Fu Bowen to review her appeal, but he coldly refused, stating the hospital had made its decision and he couldn't handle the situation. Young Zhuang Shu watched his mother weep in despair, and the memory of Fu Bowen's dismissive face solidified Zhuang Shu's determination to uncover the truth.
The next morning, Yang Fan formally introduced Zhuang Shu, referring to him as Professor Zhang, as the new teaching supervisor and manager, heading Thoracic Department Ward 1. Yang Fan expressed confidence that Zhuang Shu's arrival would significantly elevate RenHe Hospital's medical and research standards. Meanwhile, in the chaotic Emergency Room, Lu Chenxi was assigned basic tasks, such as stitching injuries and debriding burn wounds.
She confronted Chen Shaocong, requesting more technically challenging work, but he simply told her to get used to it, as the ER wasn't a place for daily open-chest surgeries. During Zhuang Shu's first rounds in Thoracic Surgery, Deputy Director Liu Changhe arrived late and was unprepared with patient details. Liu Changhe belatedly introduced himself.
However, Chu Jun impressed Zhuang Shu by accurately recalling a patient's vital signs, post-operative complications, and extensive past medical history, which she had diligently retrieved from the hospital's records. Zhuang Shu reassured the patient's family. In the ER, after Lu Chenxi dealt with a chaotic situation involving a child who choked on soybeans and reassured an elderly surgical patient's family, Chen Shaocong had a dramatic public confrontation with his ex-girlfriend.
She accused him of blocking her and demanded the clothes she had bought for him, leading Chen Shaocong to strip down to his boxers in the hospital corridor as curious onlookers watched. He later complained to Lu Chenxi, while Chen Shaocong wore a borrowed shirt, about the hectic and noisy nature of ER work. During lunch, Zhuang Shu approached Lu Chenxi and Chen Shaocong.
He courteously updated Lu Chenxi on the stable post-operative conditions of the car crash patient (Cheng Hui Ying) and the hemoptysis patient (Zhang Gencai), recommending that their chemotherapy be managed by RenHe before continuing at their local hospital. Lu Chenxi expressed her satisfaction and gratitude. After Zhuang Shu left, Lu Chenxi confided in Chen Shaocong, wondering if Zhuang Shu's actions were genuine.
She acknowledged his impressive surgical skills but found him enigmatic, especially given Yang Fan's role in his hiring, and voiced concern that Zhuang Shu might be manipulated. Chen Shaocong noted her quick change of heart towards Zhuang Shu. Later, Zhuang Shu had lunch with Chu Jun. Chu Jun admitted to being somewhat intimidated by Lu Chenxi but admired her teaching.
She shared that she initially wanted to pursue art but entered medicine due to her mother's poor health, and expressed her determination to become a skilled surgeon like Zhuang Shu, even buying dumbbells for practice. Zhuang Shu, however, tempered her enthusiasm, stating that becoming a good doctor required sustained effort, not just temporary zeal, emphasizing that there were no shortcuts in their field.
He gently critiqued her earlier performance during rounds, explaining that merely memorizing and repeating patient histories in front of them could cause unnecessary anxiety for patients and their families. He concluded that if the rounds were a test, she would have failed, which Chu Jun humbly accepted, promising to improve. Later, Director Zhong joined Lu Chenxi for lunch, but Chen Shaocong quickly made an exit to avoid being asked to perform a live demonstration at the ER's annual meeting.
Director Zhong complained about Chen Shaocong's lack of ambition, suggesting it might stem from a past disappointment. Lu Chenxi, in response to Director Zhong's sympathy for her transfer, affirmed her commitment to working hard in the ER. She explained her defiance of Yang Fan by calling him "unworthy," while expressing deep respect for Director Fu and Director Zhong, whom she considered the "most awesome doctors in RenHe."
Lu Chenxi then inquired if Director Zhong's long tenure in the ER was a result of being "banished" from Thoracic Surgery for offending someone. She specifically mentioned former chiefs Fu Bowen and Xiu Minqi, expressing disbelief that they would engage in such unethical behavior, given their superior principles compared to Yang Fan. Nearby, Zhuang Shu, hearing the mention of Fu Bowen and Xiu Minqi, looked over intently. Director Zhong, noticing Zhuang Shu's gaze, paused, seemingly deep in thought.
Subsequently, a new patient with acute chest pain arrived in the ER. Lu Chenxi efficiently directed her team to order necessary tests and consult Cardiology. Shortly after, she was called to treat Ge Shu Xin, who had suffered a posterior myocardial infarction. She questioned his daughter, Ge Lin, about his medical history, but Ge Lin was largely unaware, explaining that her father had been in prison for negligent homicide for many years and had only been released three years prior.
Lu Chenxi recognized Ge Lin as the daughter of Xu Fang Yin, the patient from the previous day who desperately needed a lung transplant. Zhuang Shu, who was within earshot, provided critical details about Xu Fang Yin's severe COPD and bronchiectasis, reiterating that a lung transplant was her only hope for survival and that she might not live another week without one. He immediately directed preparations for a ventilator and contacted the ICU.
As Ge Lin received a phone call from the ICU, informing her that her mother, Xu Fang Yin, was in respiratory failure and on a ventilator, Lu Chenxi, as Xu Fang Yin's admitting physician, volunteered to speak with the Thoracic doctors about her mother's condition. She asked Ge Lin to stay with her father, Ge Shu Xin, for his urgent treatment, which required thrombolytic therapy despite his precarious liver and kidney function. Ge Shu Xin, now temporarily stable but facing severe arterial blockages, required bypass surgery within 24 hours. He then regained consciousness and, to his daughter's shock, weakly refused the surgery.
