Chapter 26 Chapter 26

Clinical trials for new drugs are a lengthy process. In fact, not only clinical trials, but even preclinical research should be endless. However, thanks to Ma Songjin, the timeline has been shortened to a point where it hardly feels long. This is also because he conducted research for years, even when there was no funding, which significantly shortened the timeline.

Ruo Ruo was both excited and anxious. She felt like a donkey lured by a carrot dangling in front of it, visible but unable to reach it. It was fine when she didn't know, but now that she knew, she kept thinking about it. But she had to admit, while waiting for the clinical trial of the drug, her mood brightened considerably. The emotions she felt while waiting for surgery and the emotions she felt while waiting for medication were vastly different.

After waiting for a long year, she found Xia Peizhi and expressed her desire to participate in the second phase of clinical trials.

"I want to get better quickly, I really do. And I believe in this medicine."

"No! Clinical trials are no joke." Xia Peizhi firmly disagreed when he first heard her idea. Even if he believed in the drug, he absolutely couldn't let Ruo Ruo use it until he was sure it had no significant side effects.

"It will be soon. I will speed up the progress. Ruoruo, can you wait for a while?" He regretted why he couldn't wait until the drug was actually on the market before telling Ruoruo. But it was hard to tell. Was it harder to wait with hope or to wait aimlessly like floating duckweed?

"Why are you pushing for progress? They need to observe the effects of the drug over time. Don't try to trick me! Besides, isn't Mr. Ma's brother also going to participate in the second round of clinical trials? I want to join!"

Ruoruo pulled Xia Peizhi's sleeve and shook it, which made Xia Peizhi feel very confused, but he still gritted his teeth and refused.

"You're different."

"What's the difference? They all have two eyes and a mouth. I have to take medicine every day anyway, so I might as well just take the medicine that Mr. Ma has researched. Or is it because the trial spots are limited and you're reluctant to give me one?"

Xia Peizhi: "..." Although he knew that she was deliberately talking nonsense and making trouble, he could only try his best to explain that it was not a matter of the number of places.

He invested in the research and development of this medicine just for Ruo Ruo. How could he not let her participate because he was reluctant to do so?

Of course, Xia Peizhi had no choice but to agree in the end.

Who had told her not only him but also Aunt Qin and even his grandfather about it? She seemed like the most aloof and ethereal person on a normal day, but when she acted coquettishly, it was impossible to resist. She even poured out the pain of her illness, which she had previously kept secret, just to convince others.

No one can reject her in the name of her goodness, just as no one can empathize with the pain of her illness and suffer for her.

Before agreeing, Xia Peizhi confirmed with Ma Songjin repeatedly and listened carefully to the professionals' explanation of the current reactions of the first batch of testers. Only after confirming that everything was developing in a positive direction so far did he finally give in.

The most important thing is that after hearing about this, Ruoruo's attending physician, Dr. Cui, applied to go to S City overnight. After communicating with Ma Songjin, he was amazed and said that it was completely safe to take the medicine.

A doctor prioritizes achieving the desired result. He is not one to rest on his laurels, nor does he solely consider surgery or established treatments as the best. Perhaps most people wonder why they can't wait a little longer, until clinical trials are complete and the drug is actually available on the market.

But only doctors and patients know how difficult it is to endure a long wait. Just because someone has been sick for a long time doesn’t mean they no longer suffer, and just because you get used to something doesn’t mean it no longer exists.

They don't say it, but they are in pain.

Ma Songjin's medical skills weren't particularly impressive, but he did possess a formidable brain. He had come up with a drug with a strong purpose and minimal side effects. The current trial felt more like a formality.

In the medical field, nothing is ever 100 percent certain. He had no reason to let Ruo Ruo continue to wait.

When Ruoruo took this miraculous medicine for the first time, Xia Peizhi was very frightened. He wanted to stay by her side 24 hours a day to observe the effects, fearing that there would be any adverse reactions.

"That's okay! It's just a few pills. Others are fine after taking them, but I can't die if I take them!" Ruo Ruo felt helpless and felt like he was about to stare a hole through her.

Xia Peizhi was also helpless, "Pah, pah, pah, what's the point of talking about death? I was just worried that you might be feeling unwell."

"I'm not feeling unwell anywhere. Don't worry. If I do feel unwell, I'll tell you. I value my life very much and won't joke with my body."

Xia Peizhi didn't say anything, but the worry in his eyes did not diminish.

At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the ward door. It was five gentle knocks, indicating that it was the bodyguard standing outside who was knocking. "Miss, there is a man named Zhao Feng who wants to see you."

"Assistant Zhao? Why is he here?" Ruoruo hadn't contacted him for a long time. To be honest, Ruoruo almost forgot about him.

In fact, even if they had been in contact before, they had not communicated often. Ever since she knew that he had nothing useful to her, she no longer liked talking to him. It was because he always spoke in a high-handed tone, and only started to get anxious at the very end.

"Forget it, let him in." She had nothing to do anyway.

Zhao Feng hesitated for a long time this time. He thought he had deceived Bai Ruoruo and guarded against Bai Yougen, but in the end, all his efforts were in vain and everything seemed to have returned to the starting point.

Yes, his mother's illness relapsed. The operation was said to be very successful, but now, less than ten years later, it has relapsed again.

Because he was his mother's only child, he was busy arranging hospitalization and taking care of his mother. He also lost his new job, and of course he didn't like that job.

But although you may feel good when you quit your job, the money you have left is not enough after you quit.

But he had no choice but to resign. He was the only relative of his mother in the huge City A. When the other relatives heard that his mother's old illness had relapsed, they all stayed away from her as far as possible. Even his uncle didn't dare to say a word.

The people who used to flatter him during the New Year suddenly seemed to turn back into indifferent passers-by. Only then did he remember that this was actually the face of his relatives at the beginning.

But this time, there was no Father Bai to advance the money for him, and no company was willing to let him take leave for several months, patting him on the shoulder and telling him that they would wait for him to come back at any time.

He originally wanted to go to the Bai family's company to find Bai Yougen and tell him that he had tampered with the contract, wanting to let him know that if he was unwilling to pay, he would have nothing.

As a result, he was kicked out as soon as he arrived at the company gate. After waiting for a long time for a colleague with whom he used to have a good relationship, he was told that Bai Yougen had been arrested a long time ago and that a professional manager hired by Miss Bai Er was now in charge of the company's operations.

He had no choice but to mortgage his car, but the hospital bills were like mountains, and the money from mortgaging his car was not enough to cover the cost.

He still had a house, a house for which he hadn't paid off the mortgage. But that was the result of his years of hard work! He tossed and turned for a long time before finally deciding to try his luck with Miss Bai Er.

He actually didn't expect that she could take back the Bai family's company. Maybe he had always underestimated her, or maybe someone helped her, but at this moment, Zhao Feng only hoped it was the latter.

Because if it was the latter, he might be able to borrow money by taking advantage of Miss Bai's sympathy, but if it was the former...

He had no choice but to choose between mortgaging his house and giving up his biological mother.

Zhao Feng thought about this and walked towards the ward with a limp step. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in several days.

Before he went in, he had already decided that as long as he could borrow the money, it didn't matter even if he lost his dignity. After all, in this cannibalistic society, dignity was worthless compared to money.

He is really afraid of being poor.

Zhao Feng smiled bitterly. He knew he was making excuses for his selfishness. He felt a nameless pity for himself and his mother. It was sad that his efforts had all come to nothing. It was sad that his mother had raised him and treated him wholeheartedly, yet he was inevitably hesitating between the house and the uncertainty surrounding his mother's recovery.

He pushed open the door of the ward, walked through a small corridor, prepared himself mentally, and walked inside.

When he entered, he discovered that it wasn't just the sickly Second Miss Bai lying in bed. Instead, besides a slender figure, there was a man sitting beside her. Both of them sat at the table, doing nothing and saying nothing, but there was an indescribable sense of harmony between them.

The man was wearing a high-end shirt that he might never be able to afford in his lifetime. He didn't react at all when he saw him come in, and seemed to be observing the girl wholeheartedly.

Zhao Feng was well aware that he was being ignored, but in the eyes of these wealthy people, this seemed to be a very normal thing. At least he was used to it. Not to mention that the purpose of his visit today was to borrow money.

"Hello, Miss Bai..."

Ruoruo turned around slowly when she heard his voice.

"This time I came..." Zhao Feng's voice stopped abruptly, and he stared at the girl's face in a daze.

He was no longer able to find words to describe the beauty of the girl in front of him. Zhao Feng's mind went blank for a moment before he realized that the words he had just thought of were completely unspeakable.

The man blocked his view the next moment.

Zhao Feng withdrew his gaze and lowered his head, not daring to look again.

It wasn't because she felt inferior in front of men, but because she was afraid that she would be completely deranged. Although, he wasn't in a much better state now.

Zhao Feng smiled bitterly. He never thought that he, such a selfish person who only cared about money, would one day fall in love with someone at first sight.

But if it happens to a girl, it doesn't seem surprising at all.

He used to not care too much about a person's appearance, but that glimpse just now was like a computer virus, powerfully caught in his eyes and squeezed into his heart.

It makes people wonder what he missed and even doubt his past actions.

No one dislikes someone who is incredibly beautiful. At least Zhao Feng felt he couldn't resist her, even though he'd never thought he'd fall in love with someone before. But when the reality showed itself, it was easy for him to fall in love with her.

Not to mention, the beauty had been through a low point before and had actively sought his help. Even the most sober person would probably find it hard not to regret it.

"Mr. Zhao, what brings you here?"

Zhao Feng gave a wry smile and said after a long moment, "I just happened to be passing by here today and remembered that you, Miss Bai, were hospitalized here, so I came to see you."

He really couldn't tear himself apart in front of her and open his mouth to ask for money as arrogantly and self-righteously as before. The only thing he could do was probably to find a reason that was as decent as possible...

Perhaps if he hadn't accepted Bai Yougen's solicitation from the beginning, things wouldn't have ended up like this. Perhaps if he hadn't been so arrogant when he first received her call, hadn't ignored the slight touch of her voice, hadn't tried to manipulate her by refusing to meet with Bai Ruoruo, then the outcome today would have been a little different...

But it's all too late.

"The Fifth Hospital is so remote, I'm just passing by..." This excuse is not very good.

"...Sorry, okay, I admit it, I wanted to ask Miss Bai what she thought of this hospital?"

"Of course this hospital is very good!" Otherwise, she might not be alive today and wait for the effective medicine.

"That's good, that's good... My mother is sick, and I want to change to a better hospital for her treatment. I'm sorry, I came in a hurry this time and didn't bring any gifts. I will come to visit next time I have the chance." Zhao Feng said this with an unknown mood.

"It's okay. I hope your mother recovers soon! But Mr. Zhao, you can consult a doctor about the hospital. There are many good hospitals in City A. As for visiting, there's no need. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be discharged soon."

"Discharged?" Why did he remember that she had been in the hospital for many years? So she had already had surgery?

That’s right, she even took back the Bai family’s company, so it seems that she doesn’t need to worry about the money for the surgery.

Even if he was discharged from the hospital, he knew that he couldn't even manage his own affairs, so he had no right to dream about anything. But why did he still feel so lost in his heart...

"Mr. Zhao, are you here just to inquire about the hospital's news?"

"I..." Zhao Feng felt that he should say yes, because that would at least save his last bit of dignity in front of her. But at the same time, he knew that he should say no, because he should remember the purpose of coming here.

Xia Peizhi looked at his troubled expression and suddenly said, "Mr. Zhao, are you in trouble and want to ask Ruoruo for help?"

"..." Zhao Feng closed his eyes, then opened them again, shaking his head with difficulty. Even with that shake of his head, anyone with a discerning eye could see his dilemma.

Ruo Ruo knew that needing help when she was sick was simply a matter of money. Thinking back to the discontent and hidden secrets she'd expressed when she'd first contacted him upon learning of her parents' death, Ruo Ruo probably guessed her true intentions. She thought for a moment, then pulled out her phone, contacted Zhao Feng, and transferred 10,000 yuan to him.

At that time, there were some words whose hidden meanings she could not discern, but later, after her physical condition improved and she learned a lot, they seemed to gradually become clearer.

"Just consider it as the money you paid me for sending me those documents. At least it helped me understand my situation at the time. As for other things, I can't help much. If Mr. Zhao really needs help, you can find a way to seek financial support from kind people through other channels, if you truly need help and meet the requirements."

Zhao Feng didn't know how he walked out. He looked at the transfer on his phone and for the first time felt that money was an eyesore.

"Xiao Feng, you're back? How's it going? Did you borrow the money?"

"Mom, let's sell the house..." Zhao Feng finally made up his mind along the way.

"No! You worked so hard for so many years to buy this, you can't sell it! And didn't you say that you haven't paid off the loan yet, so it will be very troublesome to sell it. Isn't it worth that much money? Wouldn't it be a huge loss if you sell it?" The old lady looked to be in her fifties or sixties. She talked a lot, and even if she was feeling unwell, she couldn't resist the excitement of her son selling the house.

"What should we do? Is it incurable?"

The old lady choked. How could she not get treatment? She had worked so hard to raise her son, and she still hadn't had a grandson to enjoy!

"Your previous boss was so rich. Why couldn't his daughter lend us some money now that he's taken over? It's true that the richer these people are, the stingier they are! Why don't you try looking for someone else?"

"Mom! Stop it!"

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