The Medical Insurance Negotiation Team Arrives

On Monday, a news article topped the major platforms.

"Sanqing Anti-Cancer Drug medical insurance negotiations will begin today. Click the link to enter the livestream."

Countless netizens instantly flooded into the livestream.

The comments section was overflowing with praise.

"It's finally here. We patients have been waiting for this for so long."

"I wonder if this can solve the problem of anti-cancer drugs being too expensive?"

"Hope the medical insurance negotiators bring out the Dragon Slaying Great Cleaver and slash the price hard."

"Many targeted drugs are made by foreign companies. Their prices are through the roof, and they refuse to enter medical insurance. We simply can't afford them. Even if we can, they only extend our lives by a few years. It's basically useless."

"Yeah. Many cancer patients can't afford treatment. They'd rather give up on life and stop treatment than burden their families."

"Sanqing's anti-cancer drug is undeniably effective and can cure the disease, but it can't leave us bankrupt either."

"President Wei said he would do his best to make sure every patient could afford the medicine. I hope he keeps his word."

"Looking forward to it..."

******

Kun City, Sanqing Pharmaceutical headquarters.

This had already become the site of the medical insurance bulk-purchasing negotiations.

The parking lot was packed with cars, and even both sides of the street outside the entrance were crammed full.

It was the same familiar hall, only carefully decorated. A row of conference tables stood in the center, surrounded by chairs.

Countless media outlets entered the hall with cameras, broadcasting live.

The attention generated by this livestream was unprecedented.

After all, Sanqing Anti-Cancer Drug had established its reputation as the number one cancer treatment drug. Its price concerned the hearts of 1.4 billion people.

If it could become the first anti-cancer drug included in medical insurance, it would benefit patients across the country. It could also set an example for other pharmaceutical companies and drive down the prices of other drugs.

This was a major event affecting the entire healthcare industry.

Over the years, major pharmaceutical companies had demanded exorbitant prices. Drugs not covered by medical insurance were expensive, while drugs covered by medical insurance were even more expensive. Not only did they rake in massive profits from the medical insurance fund, but they also made healthcare increasingly unaffordable for ordinary people. In the end, pharmaceutical companies grew fat while medical insurance and the public suffered the losses.

There had even been the absurd phenomenon of the medical insurance fund shouldering most of the cost while ordinary people were still bankrupted by medical treatment.

Anti-cancer drugs, in particular, were one of the biggest culprits behind patients going broke.

Everyone was watching today's livestream, wondering whether Sanqing, with its miracle anti-cancer drug in hand, could take this groundbreaking step and resolve the chaos of exorbitant medical costs.

Wei Kang had said before that Sanqing was willing to lower its prices. This would not only benefit countless patients, but also serve as a warning and guide to other pharmaceutical companies.

The only question was how much Sanqing could lower them.

From the patients' perspective, naturally, the lower the better.

But Sanqing was not a charity. It needed to recoup its early investment in order to continue developing new drugs.

Whether the two sides could reach a consensus and maintain a delicate balance was precisely the purpose of the price negotiations.

Wei Kang appeared at the entrance early, waiting for the medical insurance team to arrive.

He suddenly received word that Academician Qi would also be arriving with the medical insurance negotiation team.

This surprised and delighted him. Being able to meet such an academician and earn his friendship would bring obvious benefits to Sanqing.

At eight-thirty, a black sedan drove into the parking lot.

Wei Kang saw a frail, trembling figure step out of the car and hurried over to greet him warmly.

"Academician Qi, I'm Wei Kang. Thank you so much for coming. Your presence truly brings honor to Sanqing."

Academician Qi's hair was white, but he was full of energy. Leaning on a glossy black cane, his voice was strong and resonant.

"Haha, so you're Wei Kang. You truly are young and promising. China's pharmaceutical industry has worthy successors. Seeing you reminds me of myself when I was young. It makes me very happy."

Surrounded by the crowd, Academician Qi headed toward the hall. He walked slowly but steadily, introducing the people beside him as he went.

"I came this time to thank you properly. I've personally experienced your anti-cancer drug, and its effects are excellent. Such a good drug should be available to every patient, which is why I've been pushing for its approval."

"I also heard what you said before. I greatly admire that you can consider things from the patients' perspective and are willing to join medical insurance. So for these medical insurance negotiations, you needn't have any concerns. I'll support every decision you make."

"This is Chen Linghui, leader of the medical insurance negotiation team. He is in charge of the entire process. Old Chen is a capable man, but don't be afraid. With me here, he won't dare cut too deeply. Haha." As he spoke, Academician Qi laughed heartily.

A hint of helplessness appeared on the face of the middle-aged man in a black suit beside him. He secretly grumbled to himself. He had originally intended to strike hard and slash the price down, setting an example for the other pharmaceutical companies. But after Academician Qi said that, damn it, was this Dragon Slaying Great Cleaver going to fall or not?

Though he complained inwardly, he smiled and said, "Academician Qi is truly humorous. Haha, President Wei is young and accomplished. I've met quite a few pharmaceutical company presidents, but I've never seen such a young and handsome entrepreneur. You're compassionate and generous in your words. I'm sure the negotiations won't disappoint us."

Chen Linghui was an old hand himself. His polite remarks were impeccable; he praised Wei Kang while also making his own determination clear.

Wei Kang merely smiled without speaking, filled only with gratitude and emotion toward Academician Qi.

The three soon entered the hall and took their seats on opposite sides of the conference table.

Wei Kang and Chen Linghui sat facing each other, with their respective team members seated beside them.

Academician Qi beamed and sat directly beside Wei Kang.

This unequivocal show of support immediately caused a stir among the surrounding media.

"Wow, huge news—Academician Qi actually came too."

The host spoke with animated excitement.

"Let's see whether the negotiation team can withstand the pressure and drive the price down. This is really something to look forward to."

"Team Leader Chen is highly experienced and incredibly skilled at bargaining. During previous negotiations with major pharmaceutical companies, he was so aggressive that he directly reduced pharmaceutical representatives to tears. His clash with President Wei is sure to be spectacular!"

Comments streamed continuously through the livestream, with netizens clearly enjoying the spectacle.

"This Team Leader Chen looks really imposing. He has that shrewd, tough aura—one look and you can tell he's a veteran."

"Sure enough, anyone who can rise to the position of team leader is no simple character."

"President Wei is too young. I get the feeling he's no match for a sly old man like Team Leader Chen."

"Yeah, ability is inversely proportional to looks. Someone as handsome as President Wei is still a little too green. He's also devoted to research, so he can't handle an old fox from official circles."

"Where did your bias come from? Isn't it a good thing that Team Leader Chen is capable? That's how they'll get the price down."

"Exactly. I have a cancer patient in my family, so I'm on the negotiation team's side. But President Wei is just too handsome—don't slash the price too hard. Just bring it down to my ideal price."

"You're not much better than the person above. So your bottom line follows facial features now?"

"Girls, I support President Wei too. We can't let such a handsome President Wei lose money."

"President Wei looks so handsome sitting there with that serious expression. Is this what a domineering CEO looks like in real life?"

"Oh my god, President Wei looks like such a refined, beastly elite in that suit. He's so hot my legs won't close."

"I'm going to lick the screen. None of you can stop me."

"President Wei's domineering CEO vibe is just unbelievable. I'm on my knees."

"I wonder if President Wei needs a girlfriend."

"Don't limit it by gender. I can be his boyfriend too."

The moment the netizens saw Wei Kang sitting upright with a focused, earnest expression, they instantly switched sides.

And the cameraman was especially considerate, giving Wei Kang plenty of close-up shots.

His thick brows and bright eyes, sharply defined features, and perfectly fitted, crisp suit made him look imposing and valiant. Among a group of middle-aged men, he was like a dazzling star, glittering brilliantly and drawing everyone's attention.

Thus, the entire comment section suddenly veered off in an indescribable direction.