He Ye was meticulous, finding a change of clothes and helping Wang Zhuo put them on during a stretch of clear road. Meanwhile, Xu Chu, reminded by her cousin, called her grandfather, briefly explaining the situation. Given Xu Xinhang’s standing and connections within the Jiangzhou medical system, if there was still time, he could certainly be of help in this matter.
In anxious anticipation, Fu Xinran, waiting by the main entrance of the hospital, finally saw Wang Zhuo’s RV approach. She had just lied to Wei, claiming it was an emergency for a critically ill patient, so under her direction, Wang Zhuo steered the luxurious RV, towering taller than a single story, straight toward the hospital’s annex building.
Waiting at the annex entrance were Siyuan and Gan Lin. A procession of stunning beauties flashed past them like a revolving lantern. He Ye and Xu Chu exchanged glances, both feeling a knot of anxiety in their stomachs.
Before getting out of the vehicle, Wang Zhuo glanced at them, managed a strained upturn of his lips that served as a smile, and said, “He Ye, you stay in the RV and keep your phone on. Xu Chu, you come with me.” While driving, he had kept his eyes everywhere and his ears open, naturally overhearing their conversation. Xu Chu’s grandfather was indeed a connection worth utilizing, which was why he intended to bring her along.
The group hurried up to the ICU area on the third floor. Wang Zhuo nodded to Qi Fei, who came to meet them, then walked to the floor-to-ceiling glass of the ward and peered inside.
“Where is An Qi?” he asked in a low voice. “She’s gone to sign documents,” Qi Fei replied mournfully. “It seems there are many papers to sign, and the doctor has to read them aloud before she can proceed to the next stage of treatment.”
Wang Zhuo let out a dry, frustrated laugh and waved his hand at her. “Go fetch the attending physician. I need to see him immediately!” Qi Fei hesitated slightly, but seeing Wang Zhuo’s stern expression, she quickly agreed and hurried away.
“Did you call your grandfather?” Wang Zhuo casually asked Xu Chu beside him. Xu Chu nodded quickly. “Yes, I did. He’s on his way now.”
Wang Zhuo grunted and said, “Call him again. Tell him to notify the leadership of this hospital and demand their full cooperation with me.” “I can make the call, but…” Xu Chu showed a troubled expression. Her grandfather’s administrative rank wasn't even higher than this hospital's director; this demand seemed a bit excessive, didn't it?
“Just make the call. If he has any objections, hand the phone to me, and I’ll speak with him.” Wang Zhuo waved his hand impatiently. Seeing that his gaze was fixed intently on the ward curtains, as if contemplating something crucial, Xu Chu dared not press the issue further and quickly moved aside to make the call.
His X-ray vision penetrated the thick, soundproof, and thermally insulated glass curtain wall, easily passing the obstruction of the curtains behind it, resting on An Qi. Just two days and one night of fever from an unknown cause had already ravaged her appearance. Due to prolonged IV drips and blood transfusions, her once delicate and lovely face was now somewhat swollen. She slept quietly, an oxygen tube fixed beneath her nose, lying flat, with an IV bag hanging on her left side and a blood bag on her right. Because her white blood cell count, platelet count, and hemoglobin levels were critically low, she faced immediate life danger, so the hospital was using transfusions to maintain the minimum levels for these three indicators.
The X-ray vision passed through the thin blanket covering her without lingering on her surface, conducting a deep-level scan from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. Wang Zhuo breathed a slight sigh of relief. Apart from the abnormally high body temperature, her organs seemed temporarily normal, showing no signs of failure yet. But this was also where the difficulty lay: organs showing no symptoms, yet the temperature was unusually high. Where did the pathology originate? What was the cause of the fever? The abnormality in the three indicators—was the problem with the bone marrow responsible for blood production?
He was just about to examine An Qi’s bone marrow when Qi Fei returned with a female doctor in her fifties and a nurse. “What is your relationship to the patient?” The female doctor assessed Wang Zhuo. Wasn't it supposed to be the patient's teacher she was meeting? Why was it a young man barely in his early twenties?
“What happens to her, I decide,” Wang Zhuo said, having no time to dwell on this question. He asked directly, “Has an expert consultation been held? Any conclusions yet?”
This person was either shrewd or just reckless. The female doctor paused for a moment, temporarily setting aside that question, and answered calmly, “We consulted once near dawn, but reached no conclusion. There is another consultation scheduled in half an hour.”
Wang Zhuo pressed further. “How many experts? Who is leading the team?” The female doctor listed them one by one, specifically highlighting the leading expert, explaining his years of clinical experience and proficiency with many difficult and complex diseases. However, Wang Zhuo hadn't heard of this person’s name. He grunted and said, “I need the patient's medical records, treatment plans, a detailed list of all medications used in the last few days, and all relevant examination materials. Immediately.”
The nurse quietly rolled her eyes. Playing the big shot now, are we? She wants everything, and the patient is almost gone, yet she has the energy to put on a show here? Doesn't even understand the situation?
The female doctor looked at Wang Zhuo and nodded. “Alright, follow me.”
Wang Zhuo turned to Qi Fei. “Sister, you go with her and retrieve them.” The nurse finally found an opportunity and spoke up righteously. “Those materials are highly important, relating directly to the patient's diagnosis and treatment. You can only view them in the office; you cannot take them away!”
He glanced at her, then at the female doctor; she clearly held the same view. Wang Zhuo wiped his face in frustration, then snapped his fingers with a crisp clap.
At the stairwell in the corridor, four female bodyguards led by Li Mengling immediately hurried over. “Accompany the doctor to get the materials,” Wang Zhuo gestured toward Li Mengling. “Be quick, and don’t hurt anyone.”
Don't hurt anyone? Li Mengling understood immediately—that meant smashing things was permissible! She exchanged a look with her companions and, surrounding the female doctor’s nurse, headed toward the office.
“Wang Zhuo…” Qi Fei was somewhat stunned. If he angered the doctors, would the patient even receive treatment?
Wang Zhuo flashed her a forced, sharp smile. “There’s a discount supermarket downstairs. I want a Nutritional Express drink.”
The X-ray vision once again pierced through An Qi’s body. The bone marrow’s hematopoietic system appeared fine. Soon, the materials Wang Zhuo requested were brought over by Li Mengling and the others, using both soft and hard tactics. As expected, the documents included a test item for leukemia, and the results were normal.
As for the other items, aside from the frighteningly low levels of the three blood indicators, there were no other suspicious points. Wang Zhuo’s gaze suddenly settled on a sheet marked HIV, because someone had drawn three question marks on it with a carbon pen.
He frowned, suppressing the urge to curse, and carefully pulled that single sheet out into his hand. HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, first discovered in the United States in 1981. It is a retrovirus that infects cells of the human immune system, a fatal infectious disease for which there is currently no effective cure.
To put it plainly, this test was checking whether An Qi had AIDS!
This is nonsense, or is the hospital trying to extort money?! Wang Zhuo was already irritated when he saw the syphilis option on the complete blood count report. Syphilis transmission, besides contact, blood source transfer, and mother-to-child transmission, also included indirect contact transmission via shared daily necessities. An Qi had a slight possibility of infection in that category. But she had absolutely no source of HIV infection—she had never received a blood transfusion, never donated blood, nor engaged in any unclean behavior. Why test for this?!
It must be remembered that Wang Zhuo was An Qi’s only partner with whom she had "close proximity" contact. Moreover, since she both feared pain and wasn't keen on that kind of activity, she remained a virgin. For the hospital to test her for HIV—wasn't this slapping Wang Zhuo in the face?!
Wang Zhuo didn't want to discuss with the hospital experts whether oral service could transmit HIV. Right now, he just wanted to point at the nose of the doctor who ordered this test and ask one question: Do I look like an AIDS virus carrier?!
Once An Qi is better, he will settle accounts with this bunch of quack doctors! Instructor Wang temporarily suppressed his anger, analyzing An Qi's condition with his X-ray vision while cross-referencing the documents in his hand.
The nurse who had been briefly detained by Li Mengling and the others had somehow managed to bring a few security guards. However, the security guards were there to earn money diligently; they had no intention of risking their health or their lives. As soon as they saw the professional bearing of Li Mengling’s group, they started playing the game of smoothing things over.
Are you kidding me? These people are either big shots’ bodyguards or triad members. They earn two thousand yuan a month and don't even get social insurance contributions paid. I must have eaten too much to clash with them; self-preservation is more important!
So, the security guards adopted an extremely deferential posture, inquiring about the situation from one of the female bodyguards. In short, they would stall as long as possible and wait for the hospital leadership to arrive. If the leadership didn't come, they would simply stall until the bodyguards had to go out for lunch, or if they didn't go out, they would eventually have to go home to rest, and even if they didn't rest, the patient would eventually be discharged...
Time slowly passed. About half an hour after Wang Zhuo arrived at the hospital, the consulting experts began to arrive one after another.
And Wang Zhuo's X-ray vision finally proved its worth! After prolonged, repeated scrutiny, he finally discovered the crux of the problem!
“Which one of you is the expert in hematological diseases?” He relaxed his brow and walked toward the experts who were discussing the patient’s condition in low voices.
An auntie around forty years old looked up. She possessed a certain refined beauty, her lips lightly painted with lipstick. She wasn't tall but had a graceful figure. The auntie gently pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses and asked, “My surname is Miao. Are you a family member of the patient?”
Unfortunately, Wang Zhuo had no time to appreciate the mature charm of this aging beauty. He got straight to the point. “Doctor Miao, I suspect the patient’s blood contains an unknown toxin. Ordinary blood tests might not detect it; it needs careful observation under a high-power microscope.”
These words immediately amused two of the experts. Where did this lunatic come from? He didn't even understand common sense, yet he dared to direct the experts? Talking about unknown toxins and high-power microscopes—wasn't this too ridiculous? The hospital was a place for saving lives, not for children to mess around!
The leading elderly expert coughed lightly, suppressing his displeasure, and said to Wang Zhuo, “Young man, we understand the anxiety of the patient's family. However, medical diagnosis and treatment are very serious and rigorous processes; they will not change because of your subjective assumptions. You should calm down and wait for the results.”
Another middle-aged expert was much smoother. He smiled faintly and said, “We will consider your suggestion. If this consultation yields no results, we will adopt your advice. How does that sound?”