A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Chapter 988: Fall of a Career (Chu Chen’s Backstory)

When Chu Chen was a young child, his father had taught him that it was important to be an honest and upright person.

Chu Chen had once revered his father and those words of wisdom, until the day his father was set up by someone and put in jail.

His father was a very skilled surgeon and had been in practice for more than twenty years, working in a rather reputable hospital in his hometown village. He was a decent doctor who did his best for every patient, one who never sought to outdo others in terms of status, unlike others in the same field of work. As a responsible and compassionate surgeon, he often rushed out of the house after an emergency on the phone, even if he had barely had time for rest or a proper meal.

The hospital management liked getting Chu Chen’s father to be on duty because, while others were busy asking for a pay raise or a promotion, he was always doing his job well and sincerely without any agenda. In fact, he was even willing to let others claim his credit as theirs in order to fight for a rise in position. ”To be at a disadvantage is a blessing,” he had said to Chu Chen.

Hence, despite his consummate skills, he wasn’t quite a renowned doctor.

When he was younger, Chu Chen had asked his father, ”Dad, why don’t you tell everyone that Head of Department Zhou’s tumor removal surgery, Manager Li’s knotty diagnosis and so many others… were all your work?”

His father had ruffled his hair and said, ”Son, a doctor’s job is to help the sick and dying, why should we claim credit for that? All of these are merely worldly possessions, it doesn’t matter whether we have them.”

Chu Chen did not really understand.

Chu Chen’s mother was a nurse. Each time his father said this, she would look at him with admiration and gentleness and add, ”That’s right, as long as the three of us are safe, healthy and happy together, why do we need fame and fortune? They don’t matter a bit.”

Their wishes were so simple.

Years later, Chu Chen would still be thinking about what could have been, if not for that disaster. Perhaps, he would have grown up to be like his parents, an ordinary person who worked hard for society without asking for anything in return. Perhaps, he would have been a contented person who derived joy from the littlest of things.

What a pity, however, that the disaster changed things so drastically.

Back then, a seriously ill patient had come to the hospital—it was the last stage of cancer and the cells had spread in his body. His family, however, refused to heed the doctor’s advice and insisted on going ahead with the surgery. Every doctor knew that the surgery carried large risks, and any minor mistake could cause an earlier death. Yet, because this family was considerably rich and powerful in the small town, the doctor in charge decided to agree to the surgery in order to improve his ties with them.

That doctor’s skills, however, were not refined enough to perform such a major operation.

He requested for Chu Chen’s father to be the chief surgeon instead.

But Chu Chen’s father knew the risks that the surgery would carry, and refused to take it up. He tried to explain things to the doctor in charge. ”This patient isn’t suitable for surgery. Since his chance of recovery is practically non-existent, the most responsible and appropriate thing to do is to ensure that he lives as long as he can without intervention.”

The doctor in charge refused to listen.

He had already made promises to the patient’s family. If he did not go ahead with the surgery now, it wasn’t so much the patient’s health at risk, but rather his career opportunities.

He cried and begged Chu Chen’s father, and even brought tons of gifts to their house—back then, Chu Chen was still a young child, and it was his first time seeing bottles of wine, live seafood, branded watches… only then did he realize how many luxury goods there were in the world…

He looked up at his father, hoping that he would accept them. But eventually, his father still declined the gifts.