Episode Summary
- Secrets and Stairwells: The hospital stairwells serve as an unexpected backdrop for confrontations and revelations, highlighting the hidden dramas unfolding within the characters' lives.
- Unexpected Connections: Qin Wenbin and Jiang Yu's initially awkward encounter evolves into a budding friendship, demonstrating how unexpected connections can arise from difficult circumstances.
- Personal and Professional Collide: Liu Ziyi's personal struggles with Guan Yifan's betrayal intersect with her professional life, impacting her interactions with patients and colleagues.
- Facing Difficult Decisions: The episode highlights the emotional weight of difficult decisions, whether it's Xiaoxiao's parents deciding on surgery or Qin Wenbin and Pan Yue choosing to divorce.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with Xiaoxiao's parents still wrestling with the decision to allow their 7-year-old daughter to undergo surgery. As doctors, they understand the risks, and the hesitation is palpable. Meanwhile, Guan Yifan's arrival at the hospital to see Liu Ziyi creates quite the stir. The nurses can't help but gossip, their eyes practically buzzing with the potential for drama. Liu Ziyi, clearly embarrassed, ushers Guan Yifan into a stairwell, away from prying eyes. She wants him to stay away, but Guan Yifan stubbornly refuses to admit he betrayed her, even swearing on his father's illness.
In a parallel scene, Guan Yifan's grandmother and Qin Wenbin find themselves in another stairwell. Grandma Guan, knowing Qin Wenbin's policy against accepting bribes, tries to offer him some homemade snacks before her son's surgery. Qin Wenbin is forced to accept, and in doing so, he inadvertently overhears Guan Yifan and Liu Ziyi's heated conversation. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but a sudden phone call gives him away. Luckily, he manages to slip away unseen. Nan Xing, overhearing all the drama, is taken about that there is so much drama in the hospital stairwells.
Qin Wenbin gets a call from Nan Xing's mother – they can't find Nan Xing. The boy eventually returns to his room, and upon seeing Qin Wenbin with the snacks, cheekily asks his mom to send more, ensuring the doctor will be in a good mood for his surgery. Qin Wenbin, wanting to connect with Nan Xing on a deeper level, decides to have a heart-to-heart. He treats Nan Xing not as a child, but as an equal. He shares his own struggles, revealing that his wife is divorcing him after seven years of marriage. He had been anticipating her return from France, only to have his world turned upside down. Nan Xing, not really in the mood for a sob story, politely dismisses him, claiming he needs to rest. Qin Wenbin and Pan Yue finalize their divorce, ending things amicably.
Later, Qin Wenbin spots Liu Ziyi's car in his apartment complex's parking lot, surprised to find she's also a resident. He then witnesses a bizarre scene: Grandma Guan is forcing Liu Ziyi to participate in a superstitious ritual involving a dog and a supposed "master." Liu Ziyi, appalled by the cruelty, refuses, but Grandma Guan throws a tantrum, even kneeling to pressure her. Finally, Liu Ziyi grabs the master's cleaver, cuts the dog's leash, and storms off. Qin Wenbin, taking pity on the dog, follows Liu Ziyi, who declares that whoever rescued the dog is now responsible for it. Qin Wenbin is left with no choice but to take the dog home.
Back at Qin Wenbin's place, Wang Gaosheng shows up with Jiang Yu, inviting Qin Wenbin to join a marathon club. Knowing Qin Wenbin's housing situation, Wang Gaosheng suggests Jiang Yu stay with him temporarily. Qin Wenbin and Jiang Yu, strangers to each other, find themselves in an awkward situation. The silence in the living room is thick until Jiang Yu offers to find another place to stay. Qin Wenbin doesn't object. However, Jiang Yu, forgetting his phone, returns to find Qin Wenbin seemingly in tears. Qin Wenbin quickly covers, blaming it on the spicy sauce Jiang Yu brought from his hometown, and retreats to his room, offering Jiang Yu the spare room if he can't find another place.
Jiang Yu finds his phone on the sofa, along with a divorce agreement torn up by the dog, revealing the real reason for Qin Wenbin's tears. He prepares a meal for Qin Wenbin and leaves a thoughtful note before departing. Qin Wenbin, emerging from his room, is touched by the gesture. The next day, they run into each other at a coffee shop, and Qin Wenbin takes the initiative to add Jiang Yu's contact information.
Meanwhile, Gu Shiyi manages to get the phone number of the girl with yellow hair who brought Guan Yifan to the hospital. Liu Ziyi, steeling herself, calls the number, only to find it's disconnected. Later, she hears a phone ringing in her car – it's coming from Guan Yifan's bag. Seeing the caller ID "Ruo Xin," she answers, furious. The person on the other end inquires about Guan Yifan, and Liu Ziyi, enraged, hangs up and heads to the hospital, only to discover Guan Yifan checked himself out that morning. She sits alone in the hospital, where she encounters Xiaoxiao's family. Xiaoxiao's mother, having seen Liu Ziyi, shares that they've decided to proceed with Xiaoxiao's surgery. She also acknowledges the gossip surrounding Liu Ziyi, offering words of comfort and support before leaving.
