At 3:40 PM, Yan Feifan, Zhu Xiangdong, We Xin, and others arrived at the hospital room of a newly transferred patient, Sun Wei, led by Mr. Qi.
The patient was Sun Wei, a 38-year-old male. He was 174 centimeters tall and currently weighed 75 kilograms.
Based on his height-to-weight ratio alone, Sun Wei's physical condition should have been fairly good.
However, Yan Feifan knew from the medical records that the man's weight had once peaked at 133 kilograms.
Over the past three months, without making any effort to diet, he had been rapidly shedding weight at an average rate of 15 kilograms a month.
Seeing Sun Wei in person for the first time, Yan Feifan found his condition to be dire. The man looked terminally ill, his breathing faint and shallow.
Sun Wei, propped up in his hospital bed, had sunken eyes. His eyelids were red and swollen, and his eyes were completely bloodshot.
His facial skin was completely devoid of luster. It was a dull, ashen gray, and hung so loosely that it formed layers of wrinkles.
His short hair was dry and yellowed, and so alarmingly thin that his scalp was clearly visible.
When Sun Wei saw Mr. Qi and the others enter his room, a flicker of life sparked in his listless eyes.
With the help of his wife and father, he struggled to sit up. His lips trembled as he pleaded weakly, his voice choked with sobs, "Mr. Qee, I really don't want to die. Please, save me."
"Please, you have to find out what's wrong with me. I really can't hold on much longer... SOB..."
At this, the grown man broke down, sobbing.
The scene made Yan Feifan sigh to himself.
He had been working in hospitals for a few years and had encountered all sorts of patients.
He'd seen patients who cried and begged to live, and even a few who had fallen to their knees, refusing to get up.
But doctors were human, not gods, and there was a limit to what they could do.
The helplessness and anguish a doctor felt when faced with the pleading eyes of patients and their families, unable to help, was truly beyond words.
Before coming to the room, Yan Feifan had already studied Sun Wei's medical records several times over.
But he still hadn't found a single clue.
Generally speaking, rapid weight loss could be attributed to several factors.
First were psychological factors. Prolonged anxiety, insomnia, depression, and the like could cause rapid weight loss.
Second were diet and nutrition. Long-term malnutrition or starvation could also cause the body to waste away.
The third was pathological factors.
Common diseases that cause unreasonable weight loss include intestinal parasites, gastrointestinal disorders, long-term active tuberculosis, anemia, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, malignant tumors, hypopituitarism, and certain metabolic diseases.
The problem was, Sun Wei had already been to three different top-tier hospitals, and they had run every possible test on him multiple times.
Aside from slightly elevated blood lipids, blood pressure, and blood sugar, they had found no pathological reason for Sun Wei's rapid weight loss.
As for the psychological aspect, a specialist at Binhai Ren'ai Hospital, where Sun Wei had been treated, had diagnosed and counseled him multiple times, but that hadn't stopped the weight loss either.
In terms of diet and nutrition, for the past few months, Sun Wei had been eating meals specifically prepared by the hospital's dietician.
His daily nutritional intake was in no way deficient.
"Sun Wei, now that I've taken over your case, rest assured I will do my absolute best,"
Qee Sheng comforted him before adding, "Next, my students and assistants will conduct a thorough workup and examination. We'll need your full cooperation."
"Cooperate? Of course! I'll give you my full cooperation!"
Sun Wei added eagerly, "Mr. Qee, you can run every possible test and lab analysis all over again."
Qee Sheng shook his head. "That won't be necessary."
"The tests and lab results from the other hospitals are still valid, and we accept them here. We won't make you spend money needlessly."
But Sun Wei insisted, "It is necessary to run the tests again."
"The Affiliated Hospital is the best in Binhai and the surrounding region. Your equipment must be the best and most advanced, too."p>
"You'll surely be able to find something that the other hospitals' tests missed."
"As for the money..."
Sun Wei declared, "As long as you can find the cause and stop me from wasting away, I don't care how much it costs."
"Mr. Qi, my family owns eleven properties. We're not short on money."
Mr. Qi was amused. 'Someone's actually eager to throw money at the hospital,' he thought.
He chuckled. "Sun Wei, we won't skip a single necessary test or lab."
"And running unnecessary tests, no matter how many times or how thoroughly, will be of no help."
With that, Mr. Qi turned and instructed, "We Xin, Xiaoyan, I'm leaving Sun Wei's case investigation to you two..."
For the next hour, Yan Feifan and We Xin remained in the hospital room, questioning Sun Wei about his condition, medical history, and any hereditary diseases in his family.
For the most part, We Xin did all the questioning while Yan Feifan simply stood aside and observed.
In truth, the other three hospitals had already conducted similar inquiries and noted the information in his file.
We Xin and Yan Feifan were merely selecting a few questions and details to reconfirm.
According to Sun Wei, his weight had followed a slow but steady upward curve ever since birth.
When his weight exceeded 80 kilograms, he had made a concerted effort, trying to lose weight for several years.
Despite trying numerous methods, he only managed to slow his weight gain; he couldn't shed a single pound.
Eventually, he gave up trying.
Sun Wei told We Xin and Yan Feifan that just before the Spring Festival, he had happened to weigh himself and was surprised to find he had lost a few pounds.
He was overjoyed.
During the festival, he completely let himself go, feasting and gorging himself.
After the festival, he weighed himself again and discovered he had dropped by more than ten pounds.
This time, instead of being happy, Sun Wei was terrified and immediately went to the hospital for a check-up.
The results showed nothing majorly wrong, just the same few elevated levels, but his weight continued to plummet.
Sun Wei said he weighed himself daily. On a good day, he would only lose about half a pound; on a bad day, he would lose two.
From then on, he couldn't sleep, lost his appetite, and his hair began falling out in clumps.
He went from one hospital to another, but none could find the cause of his wasting away...
After leaving Sun Wei's room, We Xin suddenly asked, "Mr. Yan, did you sense that Sun Wei was lying or concealing anything?"
Yan Feifan shook his head. "No."
"I just sensed how incredibly anxious he is. If we fail to find the cause this time, I suspect he'll have a complete breakdown."
We Xin nodded. "Rapid, unexplained weight loss for over three months, and the hospitals can't even find a cause... Anyone would be terrified."
The two went to Mr. Qi's office and briefly reported on their investigation.
Mr. Qi grunted in acknowledgment. "Same as usual..."
He looked at Yan Feifan and explained, "You have one day to analyze the case file. We'll hold a meeting at this time tomorrow to discuss it."
"Each of you will present your hypothesis. After discussion and analysis, we'll determine the most likely possibility, then run targeted tests and labs on the patient for verification."
Yan Feifan grunted, indicating he understood.
'So, we treat the patient like a lab rat,' he thought, 'running through a cycle of hypothesizing and verifying until we succeed.'
'Or until the lab rat gives up on treatment... or dies.'
As We Xin and Yan Feifan were taking their leave, Qee Sheng asked Yan Feifan to stay behind.
"Xiaoyan, my wife called. She said that after Qin Ying got home, her appetite at lunch was noticeably better."
"And she even started exercising in her room."
Qee Sheng said with great feeling, "It's as if my niece has come back to life."
He said with great solemnity, "Xiaoyan, thank you!"
Yan Feifan replied politely, "I don't deserve such thanks. Helping Dr. Qin regain her confidence in life is something everyone in the medical community would want."
"Besides, I'm hoping for something in return, too."
Qee Sheng laughed. "Xiaoyan, I can assure you, Qin Ying will absolutely take you on as her student."
Hearing this, however, Yan Feifan felt little joy.
Yan Ziruo was vehemently opposed to his decision.
She had even issued an ultimatum: if Yan Feifan insisted on studying under Dr. Qin, she would disown him as her brother...