[394] The development of the situation
Is Chen Xinyu really trying to test Zhang Zihan's endurance?
It's impossible that she had hinted at choosing between the two before she went to Africa. But at that time, Chen Xinyu was confused. If she wasn't confused, she probably wouldn't have expressed the idea of choosing between the two, but would have directly decided which one to date.
The trip to Africa made the image of the man in Chen Xinyu's mind more vivid and complete. Now, when she looked at Zhang Zihan and Geng Qiuhan, neither of them met her requirements for a relationship. Although both men were very obedient to her, she preferred the man who made her obedient. This was a bit incomprehensible, but people's thoughts are sometimes just that strange.
After boarding the plane, Chen Xinyu closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down, but the image of the man in her mind kept lingering. The thought of seeing him soon brought a smile to her lips. She wondered if he had missed her these past few days, and whether she would run into his girlfriend in Dongyang City. What should she do if she did?
Yes, she would do whatever he said. Chen Xinyu gave herself this order, assuring her that he wouldn't abandon her or leave her to fend for herself in Africa.
The flight, though short, felt like days and nights to Chen Xinyu. Finally seeing this unfamiliar city, Chen Xinyu's heart pounded with nervous excitement. She nervously pulled her suitcase toward the exit. Because it was night, there weren't many people there to pick up passengers. Chen Xinyu spotted Zhao Qiang at a glance, and her pace quickened involuntarily.
Zhao Qiang also saw Chen Xinyu, and he waved happily, saying, "Here!" as he walked towards Chen Xinyu.
Chen Xinyu wanted to throw herself into Zhao Qiang's arms, but she suddenly saw the girl behind Zhao Qiang. Chen Xinyu's mind went blank. Was this Zhao Qiang's girlfriend? Such long and slender legs, she could be a leg model. People who didn't know her would think she was a flight attendant here. She was very beautiful and charming. She was definitely not an ordinary girl. But she was so different from the class monitor that Zhao Qiang had described.
Zhao Qiang gave Chen Xinyu a hug, which touched her. Zhao Qiang said, "You must be tired from the journey."
Chen Xinyu chuckled: "It's not hard work. Is this your girlfriend?"
Luo Wei blushed and hid behind her. Zhao Qiang said, "No, this is my junior sister Luo Wei, the chairman of Haifeng Group."
Chen Xinyu was taken aback. Upon closer inspection, she realized, "Of course! As a journalist, I should recognize these celebrities. I was so focused on her relationship with Zhao Qiang that I hadn't noticed." Chen Xinyu extended her hand to Luo Wei: "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Luo Wei shook Chen Xinyu's hand: "Hello, it's nice to meet you too."
Dan Hongfei popped out from behind and said, "Junior brother, it's time to introduce me."
Zhao Qiang said to Chen Xinyu, "This is my senior brother Shan Hongfei, Secretary Shan of the Dongyang Municipal Party Committee. Before, the flood almost ruined my senior brother."
Dan Hongfei gently shook Chen Xinyu's hand respectfully: "Reporter Chen, thank you for your hard work." This was both a greeting to Chen Xinyu for coming from afar and a thank you for withdrawing the press release.
Chen Xinyu smiled faintly: "It's nothing. I might be bothering Secretary Shan for the next few days."
Shan Hongfei said, "I warmly welcome you, but the mission is urgent right now, so let's not waste time here. How about I take you to the hospital to take a look?"
Chen Xinyu said, "That's exactly what I was thinking. Let's go."
By the time they arrived at the Central Hospital, it was already midnight. They couldn't admit a single patient per hour, and the emergency room finally quieted down. However, the patients who had already been admitted still had no clue how to treat them. According to the original treatment plan for the employees of Haifeng Group's Dongyang branch, they could only receive intravenous saline solution at present. Before the pathogen was identified, it seemed that no drug treatment could alleviate the condition and would only increase the patient's suffering.
Chen Xinyu brought her own photography equipment. The station suggested that she be assigned a photographer, but she thought that Wang Peng would definitely use his connections to come with her, so she simply declined. Firstly, Zhao Qiang would help her with the filming, and secondly, by not having Wang Peng, she would have a chance to whisper to Zhao Qiang. Otherwise, Wang Peng would definitely spread the word to the whole world.
In the dean's office, a group of experts, along with the municipal party secretary and mayor, all looked serious. The dean was so anxious that his hands were trembling: "How can there be no treatment plan? Can't all of us experts come up with a proper solution?"
One expert said, "Dean, this is not a matter of how many people are involved. We have also consulted professors at the Provincial Central Hospital, and this is the first time we have encountered such a situation. So far, we have no way to determine the cause and condition of the illness."
Shan Hongfei said, "The matter has been reported to the Ministry of Health. I believe a higher-level expert team will arrive in Dongyang and Donghai soon, so please don't worry. We will adopt conservative treatment."
The dean said, "But conservative treatment can't stop the diarrhea. It's okay for strong young people, but three elderly people have already fallen into a coma. I'm afraid these three won't make it through the initial reaction period."
The mayor asked the hospital director, "How long did it take before the employees at Haifeng Group's Dongyang branch tested positive for pathogens before treatment could begin?"
The hospital director said, "After midnight, most of these patients were admitted after noon. They need to get through tonight at the very least, and their symptoms may improve by tomorrow morning."
Shan Hongfei said, "We will do our best to ensure the safety of the three elderly patients. In addition, we will continue to seek help from the Provincial Central Hospital and the Ministry of Health, asking them to send more advanced equipment to test for this unknown pathogen."
The experts went out to study the three elderly people's conditions, while the mayor rushed back to the city government. He had to ensure the stability and unity of the city at this moment, as it would be a sin to disrupt order.
Chen Xinyu has sent back at least five press releases, from the initial appearance and development of the illness to the various measures taken by Dongyang City. Although none of them have been effective, Dongyang City has not caused panic among its citizens, which can be considered a major achievement. Moreover, the circulation of the remaining seafood was detected and controlled on the afternoon of the incident, which brought the subsequent illness under control. The source of the virus, Donghai City, was promptly notified, and cooperation was provided to other cities to trace the source of pollution. In short, it is all praise, which is what the higher-ups want to see. Positive reports are a win-win situation.
In the early hours of the morning, Chen Xinyu finally finished her work for the day. Exhausted, she walked into the dean's office lounge, where Zhao Qiang and Luo Wei were already asleep, each on a separate bed.
Chen Xinyu gently nudged Zhao Qiang, who immediately woke up. He glanced at Luo Wei, who was still sleeping soundly on the other side of the bed, and asked, "Is the news settled?"
Chen Xinyu nodded: "Yes, the next step is to focus on the safety of the diarrhea patients. We will probably only have the latest progress after the medical staff from the Ministry of Health arrive."
Zhao Qiang said, "Then you should get some rest. They'll definitely arrive tomorrow."
Chen Xinyu said, "I can't sleep. My head is buzzing, and my biological clock is messed up."
Zhao Qiang patted the bed and said, "Lie down, I'll massage your forehead, you'll relax and fall asleep."
Chen Xinyu obediently did as she was told. Zhao Qiang sat on the edge of the bed and massaged her temples. Chen Xinyu quickly relaxed and fell into a deep sleep due to the fatigue of the night. In her sleep, she still held Zhao Qiang tightly with one hand, as if afraid that he would run away.
Zhao Qiang covered Chen Xinyu with a towel, then left the rest room. There was a sofa in the dean's office, and he planned to lie on it for a while. It would be dawn soon. If it weren't for Luo Wei, Zhao Qiang would definitely have slept with Chen Xinyu in his arms.
The period before dawn was extremely quiet. Zhao Qiang lay on the sofa, reflecting on the events of the past few days. The rise of Yang Shiqi's special forces was only a matter of time. Chen Xinyu, with his constant provision of materials, should also grow. Unless she offended a high-ranking official at the station, her future should be bright. Jiayuan Investment, Haifeng Group, Youth Health Products, and Yiyi Fashion Apparel were all on track. It seemed that his empire was expanding day by day. However, the only products that could truly control his fate seemed to be 'a' matter and energy batteries. It looked like he should focus on developing these areas next.
In fact, Zhao Qiang has already made efforts in civilian high technology, but many technologies have to take into account whether the country will allow him to disclose them. For example, Zhao Qiang wants to use energy batteries to change the current battery storage market, but the country will not allow him to do so because the energy batteries produced by the 168 military factory are all exclusively for the country and cannot be circulated among the people. Moreover, the fast chargers and intelligent remote control systems that Zhao Qiang developed cannot control the livelihood of the people, which makes Zhao Qiang feel no sense of accomplishment.
After considering his own affairs, Zhao Qiang began to think about the poisoning incident in Dongyang City. He spoke with Xu Liming on the phone at midnight. The entire aquatic industry in Donghai City had been fully monitored. Aquaculture farms and fishing boats had sent a large number of samples to various testing institutions for analysis. However, based on the feedback, it seemed that no equipment could detect the unknown infectious bacteria.
The situation in Donghai City was not obvious at first, which is why Xu Liming and others did not notice or pay attention to it. However, yesterday afternoon, the number of patients in Donghai City suddenly increased exponentially. If Xu Liming had not received a warning from Zhao Qiang in advance, he would probably still be in a state of chaos. Judging from the information exchanged between the two cities at 1 a.m., the number of patients admitted in Donghai City has exceeded that in Dongyang City. After all, it is a coastal city, and the residents consume a lot of seafood.
There's a problem that's been bothering Zhao Qiang: Luo Wei had also eaten seafood from Donghai City, and the night before he arrived, Xu Xiaoya's family had a large amount of seafood on their dinner table. Zhao Qiang, Xu Xiaoya, Xu Liming, and Sun Junmei had all eaten it, but when asked, Xu Xiaoya said that none of them had any problems.
Zhang Lingfeng and others were in the same situation. It seemed that no one around Zhao Qiang had any adverse reactions. Zhao Qiang tried to find common ground among these people. If they were influenced by him, Zhao Qiang could not find out how he had affected their physical condition.
At this moment, the door to the lounge opened softly from the inside, and a dark figure walked out. She stood at the door and glanced at the office using the dim light from the window. Then she saw Zhao Qiang lying on the sofa. She gently closed the lounge door, walked towards Zhao Qiang, and finally lay down next to him. Zhao Qiang thought to himself that Chen Xinyu couldn't resist anymore. She was throwing herself into his arms. So he reached out and hugged her.
Volume 2 [395] The Labyrinth
【395】Perplexity
The girl in Zhao Qiang's arms let out a soft moan, then she took the initiative to hug Zhao Qiang, pressing her body tightly against his with both arms, as if she was strongly releasing her emotions and wanting to merge herself with Zhao Qiang as one.
Zhao Qiang only realized something was wrong after embracing the figure. This girl was slimmer than Chen Xinyu, and her scent was slightly different. There were only two girls in the inner room; if it wasn't Chen Xinyu, then it was Luo Wei.
"Wei?" Zhao Qiang did not turn on the night vision function of his glasses. He felt there was no need to let those devices interfere with his normal life.
"Mmm." Luo Wei whispered in Zhao Qiang's ear, her body trembling with excitement. Chen Xinyu, on the other hand, didn't. After all, she had slept with Zhao Qiang countless times in Africa, but of course, it was just sleeping. Zhao Qiang didn't think that they could develop that kind of relationship.
"Your body is shaking," Zhao Qiang teased Luo Wei, a girl with slender legs who had captured his heart.
Luo Wei said shyly, "I'm afraid Xiaoya will scold me if she finds out." Xu Xiaoya would probably go crazy if she saw this.
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "Then don't let her know. This is a secret between the two of us." Men, ah, every single one of them has a hard time resisting a beautiful woman.
Luo Wei said, "I'm sorry to her."
Zhao Qiang comforted Luo Wei, saying, "No, my feelings for her won't diminish because of this."
"I love you," Luo Wei suddenly said very bravely. Zhao Qiang had never even heard Xu Xiaoya say this before. You can't judge a girl's character by her appearance alone. When the influence of the outside world reaches a certain level, she is capable of doing anything.
Not wanting to spoil the beautiful atmosphere, Zhao Qiang gently pulled Luo Wei's head into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Wei, you're a good girl. I will protect you for the rest of my life and never let anyone bully you."
Luo Wei suddenly looked up and kissed Zhao Qiang's lips passionately. "Yes, I know. If it weren't for this, my dad and I would have been kicked out of Donghai City by my second uncle and the others long ago. Zhao Qiang, you gave me and my family a new life. I can't live without you, even if it makes Xiaoya sad. I... I really can't leave you..."
As Luo Wei spoke, tears streamed down her face. The glistening, salty tears flowed down her lips and into Zhao Qiang's mouth. Savoring the bittersweet emotions Luo Wei conveyed, Zhao Qiang was moved by the girl's devotion.
"Okay, don't cry. Actually, you've always been by my side, and I've always been protecting you, right?"
Luo Wei nodded: "Yes, actually I understood a long time ago, but I was afraid you wouldn't feel it if I didn't say it. Zhao Qiang, am I stupid and bad? Knowing that you and Xiaoya have already confirmed your relationship, I still insisted on interfering in your relationship. I am the worst woman in the world, destroying other people's family happiness."
Zhao Qiang sighed and said, "Do you know anything about Hu Qian and me?"
Luo Wei suddenly chuckled: "I didn't know before, you guys hid it really well. But Sister Qian told me herself later that you two were already together before Sister Xiaoya, right?"
Zhao Qiang was somewhat surprised: "She dared to tell you something like this?"
Luo Wei said, "Sister Qian has a good saying: if you don't cherish today, you may regret it tomorrow. I am already the third party in your relationship, so what right do I have to criticize Sister Qian? If anyone should be criticizing someone, it should be her criticizing me."
Zhao Qiang asked again, "Aren't you angry about what happened between me and her?"
Luo Wei said, "Only Xiaoya can be angry. Why should I be angry? Qian even advised me to confess to you... Well, if it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't dare to tell you today..." Actually, Luo Wei had already implicitly confessed to Zhao Qiang before, but she didn't think that time counted.
How did she persuade you?
Luo Wei said, "Let me and her increase our importance in your heart, otherwise we will have a hard time competing with Sister Xiaoya."
This proves that 'rivals in love can sometimes be allies.' Zhao Qiang asked Luo Wei, 'So what do you plan to do?'
Luo Wei shook her head: "I don't know either, tell me."
Zhao Qiang had no idea what to do. He had gotten himself into this mess of romantic entanglements, so he might as well just let it go. After all, he already had beautiful women in his arms, so what more could he want? Did he expect to marry them all? The country wouldn't allow it, and besides, it would be difficult for them to get along. The chances of that dream coming true were close to zero.
Suddenly, the light in the dean's office was turned on. Startled, Luo Wei burrowed into Zhao Qiang's arms, pressing her head tightly against his chest, ignoring her body—a typical ostrich mentality.
Chen Xinyu looked at Zhao Qiang embracing Luo Wei on the sofa with some surprise; their intimate posture spoke volumes without needing to be said. Zhao Qiang, however, showed no embarrassment. If it were anyone else, he might have felt a bit apprehensive about being caught, but he knew that Chen Xinyu wouldn't say a word if he simply gave the word.
As expected, Chen Xinyu did not react strongly. Zhao Qiang said, "Let's turn off the lights and go inside to sleep. It's too crowded on the sofa."
Luo Wei was puzzled and whispered in Zhao Qiang's ear, "Three people sleeping in one bed?"
Zhao Qiang said, "You'll be in the middle."
However, Zhao Qiang's arrangement did not work. When Luo Wei lay down in the middle of the bed, Chen Xinyu on her other side ran to the outside of Zhao Qiang and squeezed him in. Zhao Qiang could only squeeze Luo Wei, and in the end, Zhao Qiang was in the middle. Chen Xinyu generously hugged one of Zhao Qiang's arms. Luo Wei chuckled and ignored her, reached out and hugged Zhao Qiang as well, and closed her eyes.
Luo Wei wasn't immune to jealousy. In fact, ever since she saw Chen Xinyu at the airport, she had sensed that Zhao Qiang and she had an ambiguous relationship. However, Luo Wei was the third party in the relationship, and given her personality, she couldn't possibly start a fight with Chen Xinyu. If she really went against her nature and argued with Chen Xinyu, she knew what the consequences would be: losing Zhao Qiang's love for her.
The sun rose, and it was another bright day. However, a dark cloud hung over Dongyang City under the sunlight. The emergency room had admitted another batch of patients that morning. They hadn't gotten sick from eating seafood the night before; after repeated warnings on television, seafood sales plummeted, and restaurants and stalls specializing in seafood closed down. These patients were employees of the Haifeng Group's Dongyang branch; they were all repeat patients, suffering from relapses of old illnesses.
Luo Wei was the first to arrive at the emergency room. Seeing dozens of employees suffering from severe diarrhea, she frowned. Zhao Qiang comforted her, saying, "Don't be afraid. They are all young and strong. They should be able to make it through 24 hours."
Luo Wei said worriedly, "The key is that we don't know if it will recur after treatment. If it does, then we'll be in big trouble."
Zhao Qiang paced around twice and said, "I keep asking myself, why are you fine after eating seafood?"
Luo Wei asked, "Could it be that I have antibodies in my body?"
Zhao Qiang said, "The problem is that we can't currently analyze what kind of bacteria caused the diarrhea and vomiting in the patient's body, so it's also difficult to find antibodies in you and me."
At 10:30 a.m., the medical team dispatched by the Ministry of Health and the Provincial Central Hospital arrived with equipment. The entire hospital immediately mobilized again to assist the medical team from the Ministry of Health in making a diagnosis. They even ate lunch in the emergency room. Everyone was extremely enthusiastic and hoped to find the cause of the disease as soon as possible so that they could treat the symptoms.
However, things didn't seem to change despite everyone's enthusiasm. The medical team included many experts, but even after using all the equipment they brought, they still couldn't find the bacteria causing the diarrhea. Because there was no supporting evidence, the experts disagreed. Some insisted on one thing, while others insisted on another. In the end, the Ministry of Health officials in charge of the medical team had no choice but to select a few patients from each group and implement the treatment plans provided by everyone, and then evaluate which treatment was more effective.
By dinner time, the treatment results came out. Neither the patients who received broad-spectrum antibiotic IV drips nor those who received immune-boosting treatments experienced any improvement in their symptoms. They continued to have diarrhea, and the stool tests were normal. Based on this trend, E. coli would only appear in their bodies after 24 hours, at which point the treatment would take effect. However, after a period of treatment, the patients did not seem to be cured, but only temporarily stopped having diarrhea. After a period of incubation, the symptoms would reappear. This had already been verified in the case of the Haifeng Group branch factory employees admitted in the morning.
Actually, this wasn't the most serious issue. After reports from Dongyang and Donghai cities appeared in the newspapers, dozens of similar cities sprang up like mushrooms after rain, all concentrated along the coast, with the same cause of illness. Because of the experience gained in Dongyang and Donghai, the local medical institutions weren't too panicked and proceeded with treatment in an orderly manner.
The lights in the conference room remained bright as night fell. Instructions had been issued from the State Council and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Given the emergence of this disease in many coastal cities, it was imperative to find the cause and treatment plan as soon as possible. Dongyang City was the first city to discover and report the disease, so this battle against it would focus on Dongyang City. Tomorrow, another group of experts would enter the Central Hospital.
The dean's office was no longer available for Zhao Qiang's use. The increasing number of experts arriving had thrown the hospital into chaos, so Zhao Qiang and Luo Wei stayed at the guesthouse of Haifeng Group's Dongyang branch. They had already called back home and found nothing amiss, so Zhao Qiang decided to stay there until things were resolved before leaving.
"...Okay, I understand. Senior brother, you need to take care of yourself. You can't afford to overwork yourself at this crucial moment," Zhao Qiang said to Shan Hongfei on the phone.
Dan Hongfei sighed: "How can we relax and rest? The central government has sent a document requiring us to find a treatment plan as soon as possible, but the experts' discussion tonight still yielded the same results as the experts at the Central Hospital before. It's going to be difficult to treat it."
Zhao Qiang said, "There's no use in worrying, Senior Brother, so just calm down and rest. We'll talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow."
After putting down her phone, Luo Wei poured Zhao Qiang a glass of water and asked, "What did Senior Brother Shan say?"
Zhao Qiang said, "The experts argued for half the night without reaching a conclusion."