Chapter Summaries

Wei Kang heard that Sun Chengren’s family had contracted Helicobacter pylori and helped them join Sanqing’s clinical trial. Sun Chengren suffered severe side effects and incomplete treatment on the control regimen, but Sanqing’s targeted antibiotic cleared the infection, leaving him eager to recover from his gastric ulcer.

• Wei Kang told Sun Chengren that he and his family could apply to Sanqing’s clinical trial, then reflected on his distant relatives and the obligations he would face when he married.
• Sun Xiaoshi warned Gao Yuan that he might have caught Helicobacter pylori at the wedding banquet, but he accused her of infecting him.
• Sun Chengren’s family joined the trial; he was assigned to the four-drug control regimen, while his wife and daughter received Sanqing’s medicine.
• After a week of severe side effects, Sun Chengren learned that Metronidazole resistance had prevented the control regimen from eradicating his infection, so the doctor ended his trial participation and gave him Sanqing’s medicine.
• Sun Chengren’s wife and daughter tested negative for Helicobacter pylori, and his infection was also eradicated after five days on Sanqing’s medicine.
• Sun Chengren left to obtain treatment for his gastric ulcer, convinced that Sanqing’s new antibiotic was exceptionally effective.

After Three Purities launched four new drugs, patients sought treatment with them, including Gao Yuan, who recovered from Helicobacter pylori after switching to the new medicine. Xie Feng’s two children improved markedly from congenital Cataracts with Three Purities’ drug, leaving him hopeful that they would recover fully.

• Wei Kang received approval for four drugs, and Three Purities announced their launch, drawing attention from pharmaceutical companies, doctors, patients, and netizens.
• Gao Yuan learned that he had severe Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic gastritis, then apologized to Sun Xiaoshi because he likely infected her family.
• Gao Yuan’s infection returned after quadruple therapy, so he waited for Three Purities’ new drug; after taking it, he tested negative and later confirmed the bacteria were eradicated.
• Xie Feng took his children to an ophthalmologist and learned they had serious congenital Cataracts; unable to afford surgery, he chose Three Purities’ medicine.
• Xie Feng saw his children’s eyesight improve during treatment, and a follow-up examination confirmed their lenses had cleared considerably.
• After another course of medicine, Xie Feng’s children could see much more clearly and delightedly pointed out details on his face.

Three Purities' Bai Zhang Qing spread through patient groups as cataract sufferers reported improved vision, disrupting cataract surgery and the artificial lens market. Aier Eye Care and lens manufacturers faced collapsing revenue and began planning how to survive the upheaval.

• Old Man Lu and his son left Aier Eye Hospital after the doctor insisted that severe cataracts required surgery, and they sought a prescription for Bai Zhang Qing instead.
• The doctor complained that patients were rejecting cataract surgery, while patient groups spread reports that Bai Zhang Qing improved early- and mid-stage cataracts and eased severe cases.
• Aier Eye Care's stock plunged as cataract surgery revenue came under threat, and President Li Bang planned to diversify into other eye-care businesses.
• Executives at Zeiss discussed the drug's impact on their artificial lens sales and chose to shift toward severe cataracts, high-myopia procedures, and artificial eyeball research.
• Johnson & Johnson Vision planned to build on its specialized lenses, while less distinctive manufacturers cut prices or went bankrupt as the artificial lens industry faced a major reshuffling.

Wei Kang approved Sanqing's new medical portable patient monitor and set its price at 2,999 yuan, aiming to cut inflated medical-device costs. Lu Tingfeng embraced Wei Kang's plan to challenge the industry and prepared to introduce the monitor to domestic hospitals before expanding overseas.

• Lu Tingfeng presented Wei Kang with the completed medical monitor, which tracked patients' vital signs, location, and alerts for doctors and contacts.
• Wei Kang approved the device but set its price at 2,999 yuan, prompting Lu Tingfeng to argue that it was far too cheap.
• Wei Kang explained that the low price was intended to strip out inflated intermediary costs and reduce patients' medical burdens.
• Lu Tingfeng overcame his fear of provoking the medical-device industry and pledged to help sell Sanqing's equipment to hospitals nationwide.
• Wei Kang proposed testing the monitor with hospitals that had partnered in clinical trials, then selling it overseas at a much higher price.

At Kun City First People's Hospital, nurse Xiao Wang saw how Three Purities' portable monitors helped staff respond to a patient's oxygen trouble and track a patient who left the ward at night. The nurses planned to report the monitors' usefulness to the head nurse and request enough devices for all patients.

• Xiao Wang learned that Three Purities' portable monitors tracked patients' vital signs and locations, then rushed to Bed 8 when the system alarmed about breathing difficulty.
• Xiao Wang discovered that the patient had turned his oxygen flow up to 6 L/min himself, removed the oxygen tube, and watched his breathing return to normal.
• Xiao Wang responded to an alarm showing Bed 27 had left the designated area and alerted security while the nurse responsible for the bed went to intercept him.
• Xiao Wang and two nurses brought Grandpa Zhang back after he had left the building for a walk despite recently undergoing resuscitation for a myocardial infarction.
• The nurses discussed how the monitors had prevented trouble and agreed to ask the head nurse to request that the hospital purchase enough devices for every patient.

At Kun City First People's Hospital, Li Xuemin and Dr. Shi used a portable monitor’s continuous records to prove that Liu Chunyang had been critically injured before arriving, resolving a dispute with his family. The hospital ordered monitors for every patient, and other hospitals soon began placing large orders with Three Purities.

• Li Xuemin watched a newly admitted patient receive a portable monitor and learned from Dr. Shi how its real-time data and central monitoring software helped the medical staff.
• A nurse reported that Liu Chunyang’s family was causing a scene after he died following emergency surgery and a day in the ICU.
• Dr. Shi found Liu Chunyang’s monitoring records from the mountain rescue and journey to the hospital, which showed that his vital signs were already extremely weak and worsened before treatment.
• Li Xuemin and Dr. Shi presented the data to Liu Chunyang’s family, who accepted the evidence and the outcome.
• The hospital director ordered portable monitors for every patient, and other hospitals followed with large orders to Three Purities.

Mindray Medical and GE Medical assessed Sanqing’s successful Portable Monitor and considered how to respond, while Sanqing prepared to expand its medical-device team and launch overseas sales. The chapter ended with Lu Tingfeng reviewing applications from experienced industry workers, including former GE Medical manager Qi Liang.

• Mindray Medical owner Li Ting ordered his monitoring department to assess a Mini Monitor, but its head explained that matching Sanqing’s compact hardware and software would be difficult.
• Li Ting decided Mindray should follow Sanqing’s product lead and sell lower- and mid-range imitations overseas rather than compete with Sanqing domestically.
• At GE Medical, Qi Liang told his assistant that the monitor department might be cut, and the assistant suggested he seek work at Sanqing Medical Equipment.
• Qi Liang became interested in joining Sanqing and began asking his industry contacts for information.
• Lu Tingfeng reported that Sanqing had sold 33,890 Portable Monitors to more than sixty hospitals in a month, generating one hundred million yuan in revenue.
• Wei Kang approved hiring and an overseas launch, and Lu Tingfeng decided to interview applicants, including former GE Medical monitor R&D head Qi Liang.

Wei Kang learned that Severing Love Spirit had performed exceptionally in early trials and ordered Phase III to begin, after which Sanqing announced the drug and stirred public and industry-wide reaction. The chapter ended with pharmaceutical giants confronting Sanqing’s entry into the HIV market as treatment moved toward a curative era.

• Wenren Long reported that Severing Love Spirit had significantly reduced HIV levels in trial patients with few mild side effects, and Wei Kang approved immediate Phase III trials.
• Sanqing Group announced its new HIV drug, prompting intense online discussion about AIDS, stigma, and patients’ prospects for treatment.
• Merck’s directors reviewed Sanqing’s trial data and decided to abandon their competing CCR5 Antagonist, which was still in Phase II.
• GSK, Gilead, BMS, Johnson & Johnson, and other pharmaceutical companies reacted with concern to Sanqing’s arrival in the anti-AIDS drug market.
• The chapter described the evolution of HIV treatment from monotherapy and Cocktail Therapy toward the curative 3.0 era represented by Severing Love Spirit.

Wei Kang selected the countries for overseas trials of Three Purities’ HIV drug and negotiated with Director Han to prioritize vulnerable and accidentally infected patients in the domestic Phase III trial. He offered the CDC the drug at the price of existing free AIDS medication, leaving them to develop a nationwide treatment plan before the drug’s expected release later in the year.

• Wei Kang chose Eagle Country and several other major markets for initial overseas trials while rejecting most countries’ requests to participate.
• Wei Kang contacted the AIDS Prevention Center and asked Director Han to prioritize infants, young children, mothers, and people infected accidentally for the domestic trial.
• Wei Kang challenged Director Han over HIV-positive patients concealing their status from spouses and risking transmission to partners and children.
• Wei Kang proposed treating existing patients long-term so they would become noninfectious, and Director Han agreed that the CDC could help ensure patients stayed on medication.
• Wei Kang offered to sell the new drug to the CDC at the price of free AIDS medication, and Director Han agreed in principle to work out a treatment plan before the drug’s launch.

At the Yangcheng CDC, Han Rong informed pregnant Ding Xiaomei of her positive HIV screening and enrolled her in a paid drug trial, then tested a severely ill young man and hoped he could later receive new treatment. After calling a confirmed patient who planned to marry without telling his partner, Han Rong found himself unable to intervene and was left feeling powerless.

• Han Rong told Ding Xiaomei that her screening suggested HIV infection, explained support and trial options, and signed her up along with her unborn child.
• Han Rong drew blood from a frail young man covered in needle marks, learned his father did not understand the illness, and decided to tell him about future treatment when the results came back.
• Han Rong called confirmed patients to notify them of their results and advise them to have their partners tested.
• Han Rong called a forty-year-old unmarried patient, who admitted he was marrying the following week and threatened Han Rong when he mentioned visiting his home.
• Han Rong asked colleagues whether they could call the police, but they offered no clear solution, leaving him distressed that he could not protect the man's fiancée.

Han Rong watched the daily hardships of patients at the CDC before Ding Xiaomei returned with good news about her health and pregnancy after joining the Three Purities clinical trial. She showed him her discharge report and asked whether she needed another test before returning to the hospital for treatment.

• Han Rong observed an HIV-positive couple arguing, a young couple waiting together, and a grieving man whose family life had collapsed.
• Ding Xiaomei thanked Han Rong for referring her to the Three Purities clinical trial and said her first course of treatment had gone well.
• Ding Xiaomei described how her CD4 count rose and no detectable virus remained, while doctors said continued treatment could prevent transmission to her baby.
• Ding Xiaomei said the trial hospital had paid her ten thousand yuan in advance and asked Han Rong to review her report and advise her about testing.

Han Rong explained the results and access plans for Sanqing Group’s HIV drug to a crowd at the clinic, giving patients hope that treatment would soon be affordable. In Eagle Country, actor Justin learned the trial drug had made his HIV undetectable and looked forward to taking on action roles.

• Han Rong confirmed Ding Xiaomei’s test report showed no detectable HIV after her first course of the trial drug and explained her chances of preventing transmission to her baby.
• Han Rong told the crowd the drug would soon enter the market, be provided free through the CDC at first, and remain free for pregnant women, children, and patients in financial hardship.
• The clinic crowd cheered the news, and an older man began singing the national anthem as the lobby joined in.
• At Mayo Clinic, a doctor told Justin that his HIV was undetectable and his immune indicators had returned to normal, though doctors would monitor him for relapse after treatment stopped.
• Justin thanked the doctor and celebrated that his improved health would let him pursue a dangerous action-movie role without fear of infecting others.

Patients who took Sanqing’s Severing Love Spirit reported that their HIV had been cleared, prompting the CDC and Sanqing Group to announce a nationwide HIV Eradication Plan. The drug passed Chinese and American regulatory reviews sooner than Wei Kang expected, bringing its release date closer.

• Patients shared reports of cleared HIV in support groups and online forums, while one clinical-trial participant described how Severing Love Spirit had restored his immune system and suppressed dormant viral fragments.
• Director Han reviewed the positive feedback, signed the order to launch the HIV Eradication Plan, and instructed the CDC to prepare nationwide patient registration and free treatment.
• Major media outlets announced the plan’s three stages, including collecting patient information, providing Sanqing’s drug free to patients after approval, and monitoring them over time.
• Patients across China celebrated the prospect of free treatment, while some people who had concealed their HIV status decided to report themselves.
• Overseas patients praised the drug’s trial results and pressed the FDA and insurers to make it available, increasing pressure for approval.
• The Phase III trial concluded quickly, and the drug passed joint reviews by the Drug Administration Bureau and the FDA, moving its release date ahead of Wei Kang’s expectations.

Severing Love Spirit spread across Western markets, drawing praise and furious complaints over its high U.S. price compared with other countries. In Nevada, Jerry joined a massive pharmacy queue to buy it as a precaution before a beach party.

• Three Purities began supplying Severing Love Spirit to overseas pharmacies and hospitals after Western countries approved it, while prices varied widely between markets.
• Eagle Country patients complained online about the drug’s cost, but they still flocked to pharmacies, while celebrities and executives publicly praised Three Purities.
• High-risk residents and visitors crowded Nevada pharmacies, where pharmacists could sell AIDS prevention drugs without prescriptions.
• Jerry arrived at the largest nearby pharmacy and learned from a tattooed man that people from neighboring states had joined the line to buy prevention medicine.

Old Huang returned from Ethiopia to seek free treatment after Three Purities cured AIDS, while Gilead and GSK joined forces to challenge Three Purities’ anti-HIV drug. Their price cuts and promotions slowed Severing Love Spirit’s sales and made it one of several treatment options.

• Old Huang boarded a flight home after selling his business in Feizhou, hoping to receive free AIDS medicine from the CDC.
• Du Ya told Old Huang that Ethiopian and other African health ministers were traveling to China to seek access to Three Purities’ AIDS drug.
• Emma proposed that GSK and Gilead coordinate a response to Three Purities, and Oscar agreed to cut Bitevi’s price while GSK expanded discounts and assistance for Cabotegravir.
• Gilead announced lower prices and free-medicine programs, prompting Eagle Country insurance plans to make Bitevi cheaper for patients than Severing Love Spirit.
• GSK promoted Cabotegravir through doctors and media outlets, and Severing Love Spirit’s sales weakened as patients weighed cost and convenience against its benefits.

Wei Kang rejected a request for free Severing Love Spirit in Feizhou and learned that Williams had stayed at Three Purities and joined its HIV Gene Drug Research Group. Williams quickly proposed a way to develop viral vectors for the treatment, then questioned Tang Que about why a pharmaceutical company would eradicate a disease that sustained a lucrative market.

• Wei Kang told Anmei that Severing Love Spirit would be sold in Feizhou at Eagle Country prices, with discounts for infected Chinese citizens, and that other companies should provide free drugs.
• Anmei showed Wei Kang that Williams had stopped preparing to leave Three Purities after Brody's death and had continued passing information to Eagle Country.
• Tang Que transferred Williams into the HIV Gene Drug Research Group and gave him access to its project materials.
• Williams studied the HIV gene-drug project and proposed editing adenoviruses, influenza viruses, and other replicating viruses into safe vectors that could deliver the treatment throughout the body.
• Williams presented his ideas to the research team, impressed them with solutions to longstanding problems, and helped the stalled project move forward.
• Williams asked Tang Que why Three Purities would develop a drug that could eradicate HIV and eliminate the market for Severing Love Spirit.

Tang Que worried that Three Purities might suppress an HIV-eradicating drug to protect Severing Love Spirit’s profits, while Wei Kang announced a profit-sharing plan for the laboratory directors. The chapter ended with Tang Que deciding to ask Wei Kang about the drug’s future once its development was closer to completion.

• Tang Que told Williams that researchers should focus on developing the HIV Gene Drug, but Williams joked that papers and bonuses were enough for him.
• Tang Que reflected on how Gilead’s cure for Hepatitis C had shrunk its market and worried Three Purities might shelve an HIV cure to preserve Severing Love Spirit’s sales.
• Tang Que went to Wei Kang’s office, where Wei Kang showed Chen Yiqing, Wenren Long, and Tang Que a profit-sharing agreement for major drugs they developed.
• Wei Kang explained that qualifying laboratory directors would receive a share of profits based on their drugs’ revenue, and Chen Yiqing and Wenren Long celebrated their expected dividends.
• Tang Que chose not to dampen Wenren Long’s excitement and resolved to ask Wei Kang about the HIV Gene Drug’s prospects when it was nearly complete.

As an extreme heat wave spread, Wei Kang reviewed Three Purities' Heatstroke Blocker trials and learned it had a treatment success rate above 95 percent. Three Purities announced the drug and offered it free to hospitals for emergencies, prompting widespread interest from doctors despite pharmaceutical companies doubting its commercial value.

• Wei Kang saw reports of record-breaking temperatures and rising heatstroke cases, and worried that the heat could make the illness a major public health issue.
• Wei Kang reviewed the Heatstroke Blocker's clinical trial report and found that it had a treatment success rate above 95 percent by blocking the heat-stress-activated RIPK3 pathway.
• Wei Kang decided Three Purities should seek expedited approval and work with hospitals so patients could receive the drug promptly.
• Three Purities announced the drug's successful development, published its trial report, and offered cooperating hospitals free supplies for emergency use.
• Pharmaceutical industry peers criticized the drug as unlikely to be profitable, while hospitals in hot southern regions requested emergency supplies.

Old He nearly died of severe heatstroke after being forced to keep working in extreme heat, but Sanqing’s emergency medicine saved him. His recovery and other rescued patients showed how the medicine was helping people across the country survive the record-breaking summer.

• Old He became severely ill after enduring exhausting construction work in the heat, and his supervisor refused his request for sick leave until he finished six truckloads of materials.
• Old He's coworkers took him to the county hospital, where he collapsed and was diagnosed with severe heatstroke.
• Little Zhang obtained Sanqing's emergency medicine from the city hospital, and one injection stabilized Old He's breathing and lowered his temperature.
• Director Wang and Doctor Zhang praised the medicine and planned to request a supply for the hospital, while Old He recovered and resolved to seek care rather than keep working when unwell.
• Sanqing's emergency medicine saved heatstroke patients, including construction workers, a courier, a sanitation worker, and a factory worker, as extreme temperatures struck the country.

After online discussion prompted concern about Three Purities’ unprofitable Heatstroke Blocker, Wei Kang promised to keep producing the medicine at an affordable price. Pet owners’ comments then inspired him to expand Three Purities’ pet-medicine business and consider gene editing in animals, while he searched for a leader for the Animal Protection Division.

• Wei Kang reviewed hospital reports showing the Heatstroke Blocker had a 99% emergency treatment success rate and decided to sell it for only two or three hundred yuan.
• Wei Kang announced that Three Purities would never stop producing the heatstroke medicine and would keep its price affordable.
• Pet owners discussed whether human medicines could help animals and called for Three Purities to develop pet medicines.
• Wei Kang decided to strengthen the Animal Protection Division, adapt more human medicines for pets, and explore gene editing in animals.
• Wei Kang reviewed employees on the Project Stars 2.0 list to find a leader for the Animal Protection Division, then fixed his attention on one name.