His Scalpel Couldn’t Keep Her

Lin Chen is the surgery department’s universally acknowledged “anchor” at City No. 1 Hospital. He has lost count of how many times he has snatched people back from the Grim Reaper. “I’m an experienced doctor. I can save anyone.” Those words give him confidence and reassure both his colleagues and his patients. His wife, Su Wan, is a pediatric nurse. They met and fell in love at the hospital, sharing a simple but warm life together. Then Su Wan begins suffering from unexplained fatigue and coughing up blood. Her test results point to a rare, late-stage neuroendocrine tumor, and Lin Chen’s world comes crashing down. He uses every resource at his disposal, contacts top experts at home and abroad, and personally operates and devises her treatment plan, meticulously planning every step as if it were the most complex surgery. But the cancer spreads far faster than expected, and Su Wan’s life slips away despite his repeated promises that “we just need to wait a little longer; there’s still something we can do.” From the confidence he feels beneath the surgical lights to his helplessness at her bedside, Lin Chen finally understands that medicine can fight disease, but it cannot stop life from reaching its end. When Su Wan closes her eyes for the last time, he clutches his tear-soaked white coat and hoarsely repeats, “I’m an experienced doctor. Why couldn’t I save you?”