Chapter 18: A Bold Hypothesis

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: A Bold Hypothesis

Around nine in the morning, Yan Feifan walked into the comprehensive diagnosis building of the Affiliated Hospital. In a large office next to Mr. Qi’s, he saw that Zhu Xiangdong, We Xin, and the others had already arrived.

He had just sat down at his assigned desk when he heard the big guy, Lei Qingping, ask a question.

"Great Genius, any leads on the cause of Sun Wei’s illness?"

"Not yet!" Yan Feifan’s reply was short and to the point.

Lei Qingping wailed, "Great Genius, we only have a little over half a day! You’ve got to work harder."

"If we can’t come up with a few well-founded analyses at this afternoon’s meeting, Mr. Qi will kill us."

We Xin got up, went to the water cooler to mix a packet of soy milk powder for herself, and chuckled. "Dr. Lei, you can’t pin all your hopes on someone else for something like this. You have to rely on yourself."

Lei Qingping rubbed his red eyes and said in a deflated tone, "I was up all night studying Sun Wei’s case files."

"Every possible cause I could think of has been ruled out by the existing examination and lab data."

"I’ve given up."

He then asked, "Dr. We, have you come up with something?"

Stirring the soy milk in her cup, We Xin said, "I won’t be secretive. I did think of one possibility that hasn’t been ruled out by the current data."

She paused intentionally, and only after seeing her colleagues look over did she say slowly, "A gene mutation, or the onset of a recessive genetic defect."

Zhu Xiangdong, who was sitting by the window, said thoughtfully, "That’s a small possibility, but not an impossible one."

"It would just require segment-by-segment genetic testing, which is both time-consuming and expensive."p>

"And there’s no guarantee we would even detect it."

Zhu Xiangdong added, "And if that’s ultimately confirmed as the cause, it also means there’s no cure. We could only try to alleviate the symptoms."

Lei Qingping chuckled. "Spending at least hundreds of thousands, only to get a hopeless answer..."

"If it were me, I wouldn’t do the genetic test."

We Xin shot him a look and huffed, "Dying knowing why is a lot better than dying in ignorance."

At that moment, Zhu Xiangdong spoke up. "Alright, that’s enough useless chatter. Let’s get our brains working and analyze the cause of the illness."

"Mr. Qi is assessing us individually, not as a team..."

At his words, everyone in the office returned to their tasks. Some were lost in thought, while others flipped through books.

Two others even went downstairs to the ward, hoping they had the Eyes of Golden Flame and would be lucky enough to spot some clue on Sun Wei that everyone else had missed.

As for Yan Feifan, he stared blankly at his un-powered computer monitor, having zoned out once again...

Time quickly slipped by until noon.

Yan Feifan and his sister met up once again in the Staff Cafeteria.

"Feifan, have you seen the official response from the Plastic Surgery Department?"

Yan Feifan, who was in line for food, shook his head.

Yan Ziruo leaned in closer and said, "Their official account responded. It said the Plastic Surgery Center was completely unaware of Hu Pingye’s so-called exposé."

"To date, not a single person from the Center has made any irresponsible judgments regarding the questions about Ms. Zhao Yuqi’s cosmetic procedures."

"The Center will monitor this matter closely, follow up on it, and does not rule out using legal means to protect its own interests."

"Feifan, what’s your analysis? What does this official response really mean?"

Yan Feifan got one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, a serving of rice, and a bowl of soup. He and his sister, who had already gotten her food, found an empty table and sat down.

"Sis, this incident is basically free national advertising for the Plastic Surgery Center. They’re probably happy to see it getting so much hype."

Yan Feifan explained, "This official response is like telling everyone that the matter has nothing to do with them."

"’You can cause whatever scene you like, just as long as you don’t aim it at us or try to drag our name through the mud.’"

Yan Ziruo nodded. "That’s what I was thinking, too."

She tried a bite of her green pepper and tofu skin, then frowned. "This doesn’t taste good. You eat it."

"Feifan, I want some of your shredded pork with dried tofu."

Yan Feifan naturally pushed his tray forward a little to make it easier for Yan Ziruo to get some...

He was about halfway through his meal, his head lowered, when Yan Ziruo suddenly tapped the back of his hand with her chopsticks.

"Feifan, look! A beautiful woman! A total stunner!"

Yan Feifan looked up, following his sister’s gaze. Sure enough, he saw a tall, coolly beautiful woman in casual clothes walking toward them. She carried a tray, her steps both graceful and quick.

She stopped at the table where the Yan siblings were sitting and asked politely, "Mr. Yan, may I sit in the empty seat next to you?"

"Yes, yes, of course you can!"

Yan Ziruo immediately answered for her brother with an enthusiastic welcome.

After the woman sat down, Yan Ziruo asked tentatively, "You look unfamiliar. Are you a new intern from the medical school?"

The woman shook her head and replied softly, "I’m Yu Suye from Jingcheng Bai Ning Hospital. From now on, I’ll be studying medicine under Mr. Qin alongside Mr. Yan."

Hearing this, Yan Feifan couldn’t help but ask, "You’re planning to stay in Binhai?"

Yu Suye nodded. "Given the current situation, it’s unlikely Mr. Qin would accept our invitation to take a position at Baining Hospital."

"Besides, my uncle made a gentleman’s agreement with Mr. Liu that he wouldn’t poach you for Baining Hospital."

Yu Suye offered a faint smile as warm as a spring breeze. "So, if I want to study under Mr. Qin, my only choice is to stay here."

Having learned what he wanted to know, Yan Feifan stopped paying attention to her and went back to dealing with the food on his tray.

Seeing how clueless her brother was being, Yan Ziruo couldn’t exactly call him out on it, so she had to take matters into her own hands.

She chuckled and said to Yu Suye, "Dr. Yu, I’ve heard of the Yu Family’s Baining Pharmaceutical, Baining Hospital, and Baining Medical Equipment. They’re all very famous."

"My brother, Feifan, has always been completely absorbed in his medical studies."

"He can be a bit dense in other areas. Since you’ll be studying under the same teacher, please be patient with him and look after him."

Yu Suye replied softly, "Mrs. Yan, you’re too kind."

"Mr. Yan’s skills are superb. I’m the one who should be asking him for guidance!"

"Ah, Mr. Yan..."

Yu Suye turned to Yan Feifan. "I’ve undergone all sorts of training arranged by my family since I was a child. I’ve always considered myself a hard worker who never slacks off."

"But yesterday’s assessment made me feel like a frog in a well. It was a real eye-opener."

"Mr. Yan, would you be willing to share a bit about how you trained to achieve such superb dexterity?"

"It’s not from training. It’s talent."

After giving this infuriating reply, Yan Feifan wiped his mouth with a napkin, looked at Yan Ziruo, and said, "Sis, I’m finished."

"I have a case conference this afternoon, so I’m going to head out."

With that, he stood up, picked up his tray, and strode off without so much as a goodbye to Yu Suye.

This made Yan Ziruo want to grab her brother and give him a good thrashing.

She looked at Yu Suye, who didn’t look too pleased, and laughed awkwardly. "He’s so dense. My brother, he’s just incredibly dense..."

At three-thirty in the afternoon, Yan Feifan, along with Zhu Xiangdong, Lei Qingping, We Xin, and the others, all filed into Mr. Qi’s office.

Once the eight of them were seated, Qee Sheng gave the order, "Alright, let’s hear your individual thoughts and analyses."

After a moment of silence, Qee Sheng’s expression darkened. He demanded, "You’ve had a whole day to think, and none of you have come up with anything?"

Seeing the others looking at her, We Xin quickly spoke up. "Mr. Qi, we barely slept last night. We were up all night thinking about Sun Wei’s condition."

"It’s just, with all the examination and lab data, we just couldn’t find an angle to approach it from."

She said tentatively, "Mr. Qi, perhaps it was caused by something with a very low probability, like a gene mutation or the onset of a genetic defect?"

"That’s a possibility that can’t be ruled out."

Qee Sheng agreed. Seeing that Lei Qingping, Zhu Xiangdong, and the others had bloodshot eyes, he thought to himself, ’It seems We Xin wasn’t lying. Judging by their appearance, they really did pull an all-nighter...’

Just then, he suddenly noticed that Yan Feifan’s eyes, by contrast, were quite bright.

"Xiaoyan, it looks like you slept very well last night. You must have come up with something."

"Go on, share your analysis with everyone."

Having been singled out, Yan Feifan had no choice but to speak. "Mr. Qi, I’ve repeatedly analyzed Sun Wei’s condition and all the various examination and lab data."

"The conclusion I reached every time... was..."

Seeing him hesitate, Qee Sheng pressed, "Was what? Xiaoyan, don’t be afraid. Speak your mind."

"We’re discussing the cause of the illness here. Don’t be afraid to be wrong."

Yan Feifan said frankly, "The conclusion is that, aside from the unexplained weight loss and having slightly high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, there’s nothing wrong with Sun Wei."

As he said this, something suddenly clicked in Yan Feifan’s mind.

An idea surfaced.

"Mr. Qi, I have a bold hypothesis..."