Chapter 147 - 146: Dr. Yu, You’re a God

Chapter 147: Chapter 146: Dr. Yu, You’re a God

Wednesday morning, nearly 10 a.m., at the Qi Yue Medical Research Center.

Attending physicians Yu Zhiming, Han Shuo, Xie Jianmin, Wang Zhijin, and Wang Zejia gathered in the main office for a case conference called by Director Qi Yue regarding the handsome boy.

"Zhiming, you first. What are your thoughts?"

Called upon, Yu Zhiming braced himself and said, "Teacher Qi, based on my examination and the fact that the hospital’s various tests and analyses have found nothing abnormal, I can only offer some bold speculation."

"One possibility is poisoning—that he was given a specific toxin that induces fainting."

"The second is an allergic reaction. A specific substance or environment could be causing him to faint, like a sensitivity to bright lights or a particular scent in the air."

Xie Jianmin also spoke up, "Director, given the boy’s situation, I also strongly suspect his fainting is caused by some kind of allergy."

"I suggest we start with an allergen screening."

"Alternatively, we could return the boy to his original environment and wait for another fainting spell to occur so we can take samples for immediate testing."

Wang Zejia interjected, "An allergen screening is likely to be a fruitless effort. The boy’s fainting spells are a new symptom that appeared suddenly; it’s not something he’s had since childhood."

"His parents said that, as far as they can recall, the boy never had any unexplained fainting spells before last year."

"Director, I suspect it’s some kind of genetic mutation. I suggest we run a genetic test."

’Great, now they’re bringing up genetic mutations and gene testing.’

Yu Zhiming felt that this was even more of a long shot than testing for allergens.

Then again, testing for allergens was a time-consuming and labor-intensive process that was also very likely to be fruitless.

Currently, there are three main methods for allergen testing.

One is the patch test.

This primarily detects contact allergens. It involves placing patches with the suspected substances on the patient’s back. The patches are usually removed after forty-eight hours, and the results are read at the seventy-two-hour mark.

Another is the skin prick test.

This method involves applying a small drop of highly purified allergen liquid to the patient’s forearm and then lightly pricking the surface of the skin with a special needle.

Then, based on the patient’s specific reaction, a determination is made as to whether they are allergic to those substances.

The third method is a blood test for allergens.

A blood test works by checking for specific antibodies in the patient’s blood to identify allergens.

The reasoning is that if the body is allergic to a certain antigen, it will produce antibodies specific only to that substance, making this the most accurate method.

However, there is one problem.

After drawing blood and separating the serum, it needs to be tested against the hospital’s standard stock of allergen antigen reagents.

If the substance causing the patient’s allergy is rare or unusual, and the hospital doesn’t have the corresponding reagent, then the test will come up negative.

Qi Yue waited a moment. When no one else spoke, he assigned tasks to the group.

"The boy is from another province, so it’s not practical for us to follow him back to his original environment."

"So, here’s what we’ll do. Figure out a way to recreate the scene of one of the boy’s previous fainting spells."

"During this process, you can also look closely for any specific allergens."

"My goal is to see him faint again as soon as possible..."

This assignment made Yu Zhiming grimace inwardly.

At the same time, he knew that Teacher Qi, just like them, didn’t have many leads either.

’But this task is going to be really difficult!’

But the big boss had spoken, so Yu Zhiming and the others had no choice but to figure out a way to get it done.

Recreating the scene first required understanding it as thoroughly as possible.

Yu Zhiming was assigned the task of reviewing all relevant photos, videos, and written materials from the days the boy fainted, in order to gather as much information as possible.

Fortunately, the boy and his parents were meticulous record-keepers.

Yu Zhiming easily found numerous photos, short videos, and other information from the days of the fainting spells on their social media, blogs, phones, and computers...

Yu Zhiming spent the morning, his lunch break, and most of the afternoon watching and analyzing the photos and short videos.

It made his head swim.

Near the end of the workday, Yu Xiangwan arrived.

She first said hello to Zhou Mo, then briefly introduced herself to Qiao Lei.

Afterward, the Yu Family siblings began to speak in hushed tones.

"Sis, what are you doing here?" Yu Zhiming asked, a little confused.

Yu Xiangwan whispered, "I’m here to investigate that matter, of course. I’ve been at the hospital since this morning."

Yu Zhiming said, "Oh," and then asked, "Any results?"

Yu Xiangwan hummed in agreement. "Sort of. The old woman is frail, but she’s being very well cared for."

"She’s clean and fresh, with no unpleasant odor at all."

"I saw Zhang Bai with my own eyes washing his mother’s face and feet, and wiping down her body, without a hint of impatience or disgust."

"Say what you will, but he seems to be a truly devoted son."

After a pause, Yu Xiangwan continued, "I also chatted with his mother for quite a while."

"His mother couldn’t be more pleased with him. She kept saying she’s a burden to her son."

"She also said that because of her, her son lost a job with great prospects and broke up with a girlfriend he’d had for two years."

"Sigh. A parent’s love knows no bounds."

Yu Zhiming interrupted, "Sis, what about the crowdfunding?"

Yu Xiangwan shook her head. "I didn’t ask. I was afraid that asking about it so abruptly would give away my intentions."

"Zhiming, I think given Zhang Bai’s current situation, he’s qualified to raise funds through crowdfunding. He’s not trying to scam people for donations."

"Fifth Brother, I asked. His mother’s daily expenses at the hospital are six or seven thousand."

’How could the expenses not be high?’

Yu Zhiming had already looked into it through hospital channels.

Zhang Bai’s mother was in a private high-dependency unit, and there was a caregiver who came in at night to relieve Zhang Bai.

Most importantly, at Zhang Bai’s insistence, many of the medications being used were specialized imported drugs.

Under these circumstances, although Yu Zhiming felt some sympathy for Zhang Bai, the thought of using donated money to maintain his mother’s somewhat lavish treatment still left him feeling a little uneasy.

Yu Zhiming said thoughtfully, "Sis, a one-day investigation might only reveal the surface of things."

"Some people are very good at putting on an act—so good they can even fool themselves. What you saw might not be the truth."

Yu Xiangwan hummed. "I’m worried about that too. In any case, I’ve met his mother now."

"From now on, I can use visiting her as an excuse to do some random spot-checks."

"If it’s really an act, I don’t believe he can keep it up forever."

"Oh, and Fifth Brother..."

Yu Xiangwan reminded him, "I went to see his mother today and used your name."

"If you see Zhang Bai, don’t let it slip."

Yu Zhiming grunted in acknowledgment, and then his Fourth Sister asked, "Fifth Brother, it’s almost quitting time."

"Are you leaving on time, or...?"

Yu Zhiming thought for a moment and said, "I can take today’s work home with me. Sis, let’s go back together."

"Wait for me for a minute..."

Yu Zhiming went to the fourth-floor ward area and checked on the kidney patient he was in charge of.

To his delight, after two days of treatment, the patient’s kidney function was already showing signs of improvement.

As Yu Zhiming passed the handsome boy’s room, he saw him on a very loud video call on his phone.

The handsome boy saw Yu Zhiming too and gave him an embarrassed smile. "Dr. Yu, I’ll be quieter."

Yu Zhiming grunted in acknowledgment and started to walk away.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a very familiar face on the boy’s phone screen.

’Very familiar?!’

Back in the main office, Yu Zhiming suddenly understood why that face was so familiar.

The vast majority of the photos and videos the handsome boy had posted on his social media featured that person.

That person was undoubtedly his best friend!

All of a sudden, a possibility popped into Yu Zhiming’s mind.

The moment the idea appeared, it completely consumed him, filling him with a strong urge to get a result as soon as possible.

Yu Zhiming called Qiao Lei out into the hallway and gave him a serious assignment.

"No way! Dr. Yu, you want me to do something that disgusting?"

"What’s so disgusting about it?"

"This is a medical experiment, a perfectly legitimate job! Qiao Lei, you’re a medical student too."

Qiao Lei met Yu Zhiming’s intensely bright eyes, then averted his own gaze.

"You’re my boss. I have no choice. I’ll do it..."

Nearly forty minutes later, Yu Zhiming, who was already back at his residence in Zijin Garden, received a call from Qiao Lei.

"Dr. Yu, you’re a genius..."

"The kid actually reacted. He fainted..."