Chapter Summaries

Wei Kang and Jian Lianyun reunited for dinner and a movie, growing closer as they discovered shared interests. While they watched the film, a post falsely claimed that Wei Kang was secretly dating a popular female star, and it began trending online.

• Wei Kang searched Jian Lianyun's social media and looked forward to meeting her after finding only medical posts.
• Wei Kang and Jian Lianyun ate together, discussed their reading habits, and agreed to see a movie.
• A woman approached Wei Kang at the cinema, and he claimed Jian Lianyun was his girlfriend before she could ask to add him on WeChat.
• Wei Kang and Jian Lianyun put on masks, watched the romance film, and talked about the importance of shared interests in a couple.
• A post with blurry photos of Wei Kang and Jian Lianyun went viral, claiming he was secretly dating a popular female star.

A leaked romance scandal involving Wei Kang and a famous actress dominated Langbo, while Forbes ranked the 27-year-old Sanqing president as a new Chinese billionaire. The chapter ended with women across the internet fixating on his wealth and age, and many female celebrities entertaining ambitions of marrying into his family.

• Photos reportedly proving Wei Kang was dating a famous actress spread online and crashed Langbo's servers.
• Netizens speculated about the actress's identity and debated Wei Kang's private life, tastes, and wealth.
• Forbes released its Chinese Rich List, ranking Wei Kang twenty-fifth with an estimated fortune of 110 billion yuan.
• The list identified Wei Kang as its youngest billionaire at age 27 and noted that his actual wealth could be considerably higher.
• Women and female celebrities were stirred by Wei Kang's age and fortune, and many lost sleep imagining the prospect of marrying into his family.

After a movie outing with Jian Lianyun, Wei Kang discovered that online attention had turned their dinner into a rumored celebrity date and placed him on Forbes China’s Rich List. He rejected the list as empty fame and announced that he wanted to focus on developing medicine and helping patients.

• Wei Kang and Jian Lianyun left the movie theater through a crowd of fans and went their separate ways after he drove her home.
• Wei Kang returned to his empty home, felt renewed grief for his deceased parents, and received Sun Chengren’s call about rumors that he had a girlfriend.
• Wei Kang checked Langbo and found his photo trending, with netizens speculating about Jian Lianyun and discussing his wealth and Forbes ranking.
• Wei Kang called Forbes China editor-in-chief Richard and demanded that Forbes remove his name from the Rich List and never include him on future lists.
• Wei Kang posted on Langbo that he had asked Forbes to remove his name and wanted to devote his time to developing medicines and treating patients.

After Wei Kang rejected Forbes's China rich list, public backlash and advertiser cancellations forced editor-in-chief Richard to remove his name and apologize. The next day, Wei Kang found coworkers gossiping about his scandal photos, while Wenren Long reported that three health products had been approved for production and sale.

• Netizens criticized Forbes for listing Wei Kang without his consent, and Richard initially dismissed the backlash as publicity.
• Netizens targeted Forbes's advertisers, prompting cancellations, and headquarters ordered Richard to remove Wei Kang from the list.
• Richard published a new list and apologized, while netizens celebrated Forbes's retreat.
• At work, Wei Kang denied Wenren Long's speculation that the scandal photos showed him with a female celebrity.
• Wenren Long reported that the Weight-loss Drug, Appetizer Tablet, and Intestinal Cleansing Tablet had passed approval, while two over-the-counter drugs were nearing approval.

Wei Kang reviewed Sanqing’s drug and supplement development, then devised fantasy-style names and packaging for its health supplements to make them more appealing. He and Wenren Long settled on the new names, including calling the Intestinal Cleansing Tablet the Foundation Establishment Pill.

• Wei Kang reviewed Sanqing’s OTC drug prospects and noted that its safe Class B medicines could benefit from advertising and broad online and offline sales.
• Wei Kang checked development updates for cosmetics and medicines, including the Super Moisturizing Factor and several drugs in clinical trials.
• Wei Kang worried that Sanqing’s health supplements had ordinary names and might struggle to attract customers.
• Wei Kang proposed giving the supplements fantasy-style medicinal pill names and using colorful pills with antique-style jade bottles.
• Wei Kang named the Appetizer Tablet Dragon Power Pill, the Weight-loss Drug Marrow Cleansing Pill, and the hangover medicine Worry-Free Pill.
• After Wenren Long praised Foundation Establishment Pill as a stronger name, Wei Kang chose it for the Intestinal Cleansing Tablet despite briefly worrying about false advertising.

Wenren Long told Sheng Changya that the boss had not been seen with a female celebrity, and she revised Sanqing Beauty’s promotion plans. Three Purities launched three fancifully named health supplements that quickly sold out after customers, including Qian Li’s family, experienced their effects.

• Wenren Long told Sheng Changya that the boss had only been having dinner with a friend, so she reduced female celebrity endorsements in her promotional plan.
• Sanqing released posters for the Dragon Power Pill, Marrow Cleansing Pill, and Foundation Establishment Pill, drawing attention and rapid preorders.
• Qian Li bought the renamed Worry-Free Pill and confirmed that it worked like the previous hangover medicine.
• Qian Li’s family took Dragon Power Pills and found that the pills improved their appetites, while Qian Li also tried the Marrow Cleansing Pill and Foundation Establishment Pill.
• After taking one Foundation Establishment Pill, Qian Li experienced regular, comfortable bowel movements and praised Three Purities.
• Customers rushed to repurchase the supplements after trying them, and Three Purities’ new products sold out again.

Sun Tao, an obese man who had struggled with weight-loss methods and their side effects, tried Three Purities’ FTO-targeting drug and found himself unusually energetic after exercising. His weight-loss efforts brought quick results, and after losing ten kilograms in a month, he walked into a gym.

• Sun Tao bought Three Purities’ weight-loss drug after reading that it targeted the FTO obesity gene and had virtually no adverse reactions.
• After taking the pill, Sun Tao jogged for ten minutes and was surprised that he felt energetic rather than weak and exhausted.
• Sun Tao began jogging after work and eating homemade egg noodles, while taking daily mirror selfies to document his progress.
• After a week, Sun Tao weighed ninety-seven kilograms, three kilograms less than before.
• A month later, Sun Tao had lost ten kilograms and entered a nearby gym.

Sun Tao’s disciplined workouts transformed his body, and his muscular appearance inspired his enormous Eagle Country colleague Thompson to seek the same weight-loss drug. After customs confiscated Thompson’s pills and his company denied him further trips to China, he quit his job and returned to lose weight, joining Sun Tao to document the journey online.

• Sun Tao followed an intense gym plan and changed his diet, reaching 165 jin after a month of training.
• Thompson saw Sun Tao’s transformation, learned about Three Purities Weight-loss Drug, and obtained about twenty bottles from Sun Tao and his colleagues.
• Customs confiscated Thompson’s pills when he tried to take them home, and his company refused his request to return to China for an extended stay.
• Thompson quit his job and flew to China to lose weight, leaving his parents a farewell message.
• Sun Tao proposed that Thompson record his weight-loss journey as a content creator, and they began setting up accounts and equipment together.

Thompson’s viral transformation on Three Purities’ weight-loss drug sparked a buying frenzy in China and abroad, prompting obese Eagle Country residents to petition the FDA. Under pressure from the public and powerful figures, the FDA approved Three Purities’ application to sell the supplement in Eagle Country, and Wei Kang prepared to enter the market.

• Xu Liang watched Thompson’s video documenting his transformation from a 300-pound man into a muscular bodybuilder after taking Three Purities’ weight-loss drug.
• Thompson’s video and before-and-after photos from other users went viral across Chinese and overseas platforms, driving demand for the drug.
• Eagle Country’s obese residents petitioned the FDA to bring Three Purities’ drug into the country after customs confiscated purchases made through agents.
• Davis resisted the petition at first, but a powerful patron pressured him to respond and address the customs issue.
• Davis contacted Three Purities, and Wei Kang ordered the company to apply for FDA approval to sell the supplement in Eagle Country.
• The FDA quickly approved Three Purities’ application, while Davis blamed the company for the upheaval surrounding his job.

Wei Kang met with Du Cheng and other military officials, who designated Sanqing’s hemostatic spray for military use and discussed its requirements. After witnessing the spray stop severe bleeding in tests, they asked about Sanqing’s other drugs and possible long-term cooperation.

• Du Cheng informed Wei Kang that the Central Military Commission’s Logistics Support Department had approved Sanqing’s hemostatic spray as a special military-use drug and would send a team to discuss requirements.
• Du Cheng and his team visited Sanqing headquarters, where they outlined military requirements for the spray’s efficacy, dosage form, shelf life, packaging, labels, and instructions.
• Wei Kang agreed to prepare military-use samples and decided that the civilian version would stop bleeding within thirty seconds before seeking national drug approval.
• Sanqing researchers demonstrated the spray stopping a piglet’s severe heart wound bleeding within five seconds, then showed it controlling arterial bleeding.
• Du Cheng and another military official asked Wei Kang about Sanqing’s other drugs and proposed a long-term strategic partnership, and Wei Kang led them to hear about another candidate.

Wei Kang and the visitors inspected Three Purities' new non-opioid painkiller, which showed strong effects in trials without obvious adverse reactions. Du Cheng called it a potential strategic military medicine and asked Wei Kang to seek military drug approval, leaving the specific requirements for later discussion.

• Researchers demonstrated the painkiller's effect by cutting a mouse's tail without provoking any pain response.
• The researchers presented Phase III trial reports showing the drug had reached late-stage testing and could relieve many types of pain without sedation or addiction.
• Du Cheng reviewed the clinical data and praised the drug's strong results and tolerability.
• Du Cheng told Wei Kang the painkiller, along with the hemostatic spray, could become an important strategic material for military use.
• Du Cheng asked Wei Kang to register the painkiller for military drug approval and submit the clinical data, and they agreed to discuss requirements that afternoon.

Wei Kang considered the military partnership and the huge commercial prospects of Three Purities, the company’s nonaddictive painkiller. At a hospital, retired chief physician Zhang Chunhua agreed to try it in a clinical trial and was stunned when his severe postoperative pain disappeared within minutes.

• Wei Kang reviewed the military’s interest in Three Purities and considered how the painkiller could be adapted for military and civilian use.
• Wei Kang reasoned that the painkiller’s lack of addiction and broad applications could make it a flagship product worth billions of dollars annually.
• Zhang Chunhua endured severe postoperative pain and refused the young doctor’s offer of morphine because he feared addiction.
• The young doctor offered Zhang Chunhua a Phase III trial of Sanqing’s oral painkiller, and Zhang agreed to take it.
• After taking the tablet and completing the trial paperwork, Zhang Chunhua realized his pain had vanished within about five minutes.

Zhang Chunhua tested Three Purities' new painkiller and promoted its promising results to doctors. Dou Jian then took the drug during Methadone withdrawal treatment and, after stopping it, found he could live normally without medication.

• Zhang Chunhua found that the painkiller rapidly eliminated his pain for more than 20 hours, and he recovered from surgery without lasting side effects or signs of dependence.
• Zhang Chunhua reviewed clinical data, planned a research paper, and lectured at Haishi Medical University to promote Three Purities' painkiller.
• At the Commercial Capital City Drug Maintenance Treatment Center, Dou Jian received a new capsule instead of his usual Methadone and experienced no discomfort that day.
• After a month of treatment, Dou Jian skipped a dose and found that his withdrawal symptoms did not return.
• The staff member told Dou Jian he no longer needed medication unless he felt unwell, and Dou Jian discarded his hat and sunglasses as he left feeling free.

Du Cheng’s clinical trials showed that Three Purities’ new painkiller eased withdrawal symptoms and could replace Methadone, while Zhang Chunhua’s paper sparked worldwide attention. As the drug’s potential to disrupt the opioid market became clear, Saul moved to block its release, and the chapter ended with the FDA issuing a startling announcement.

• Du Cheng observed patients at a rehabilitation center calm down after taking the new painkiller and reviewed successful trials using it for withdrawal treatment.
• The staff member explained that the drug relieved physical suffering but could not repair damage caused by severe addiction, and Du Cheng prepared to submit the trial report to higher-ups.
• Zhang Chunhua published the findings in The Lancet, prompting doctors and pharmaceutical companies around the world to debate the painkiller’s effectiveness and safety.
• Saul ordered Chris to work with the FDA and allied experts to challenge the drug’s non-addictive claim and prevent its release in Eagle Country.
• Medical scholars began calling for years of additional trials, and the FDA issued an announcement that shocked the medical community.

The FDA barred foreign companies’ painkillers from Eagle Country and tightened approval rules, apparently targeting Three Purities after its new drug showed promise in addiction treatment. The painkiller launched in China to overwhelming demand, while Wei Kang suspected powerful interests behind the FDA’s move and vowed to respond.

• The FDA announced strict new opioid and painkiller rules, including a ban on foreign companies’ drugs in Eagle Country and regulated overseas markets.
• Experts in Eagle Country argued over the apparent attack on Three Purities, and reports emerged that its painkiller had helped patients endure drug withdrawal in China.
• Three Purities launched its 30 mg painkiller in China for 158 per box, and patients crowded hospitals to obtain prescriptions.
• A pain clinic doctor prescribed the medicine to patients with severe arthritis and menstrual cramps, while demand depleted the hospital’s stock and helped set a one-day pharmaceutical sales record.
• Wei Kang reviewed the strong sales and rehabilitation data, concluded that the FDA’s action served interests threatened by reduced drug addiction, and reacted angrily to the ban.

After the FDA blocked Three Purities’ non-addictive painkiller in Eagle Country, Wei Kang focused on overseas markets, where the EMA fast-tracked approval and European hospitals confirmed the drug’s effectiveness. As Eagle Country patients traveled to China for treatment, FDA director Davis found himself suffering from pain that only the banned medicine could relieve.

• Wei Kang decided to forgo the Eagle Country market and price Three Purities’ painkiller to win customers in Europa and other overseas markets.
• Hassman and doctors at leading European hospitals praised the clinical results, and the EMA fast-tracked the drug’s approval.
• Mayo Clinic and other Eagle Country hospitals sought clinical partnerships with Chinese hospitals, while doctors began referring patients to Ruiji Hospital for treatment.
• Joseph arranged for a patient with neuropathic headaches to travel to China for Three Purities’ painkiller and follow-up care.
• Patients from Eagle Country traveled to China for treatment, and Chinese hospitals welcomed the influx.
• Davis developed worsening knee pain and learned from his doctor that Three Purities’ painkiller was the only effective option, but it was banned in Eagle Country.

FDA Director Davis stole confiscated Three Purities Painkillers to relieve his knee pain, while Sanqing’s sales surged and its Male Contraceptive Pill advanced to Phase III. Wei Kang reviewed the trial reports as he wondered why the drug’s clinical progress had suddenly accelerated.

• Davis found 200 boxes of Three Purities Painkiller on a seizure list and memorized the storage drawer’s number.
• Davis broke into the FDA storage room, stole boxes of Three Purities Painkiller, and took one at home, which stopped his knee pain.
• Davis arrived at work cheerful the next morning, baffling his coworkers with his sudden change in mood.
• Overseas patients traveled to China for treatment, while Sanqing’s painkiller sales soared and Wei Kang considered fans’ requests for new medicines.
• Wenren Long told Wei Kang that the Male Contraceptive Pill had entered Phase III and handed him the earlier trial reports.

Wei Kang reviewed the successful Phase I and II clinical results for Three Purities’ male contraceptive pill and approved Wenren Long’s plan for Phase III trials. Wenren Long then faced an unexpected call from his ex-girlfriend, who said she was pregnant, and claimed he could not be the father because he had taken the pill.

• Wei Kang reviewed the pill’s safety and effectiveness results and questioned Wenren Long about his own experience as a trial participant.
• Wenren Long proposed recruiting women as well as men for Phase III trials, and Wei Kang approved the approach.
• Sheng Changya confronted Wenren Long for breaking up with a woman she had introduced, then revealed she had expected their relationship to fail.
• Sheng Changya received a call from Xuanxuan, who said she was pregnant and had not taken birth control pills.
• Wenren Long said he had taken the male contraceptive pill, denied that the child could be his, and ended the call by asking Xuanxuan to contact him about a paternity test.

Wenren Long explained that his ex-girlfriend’s pregnancy could not be his because he had been taking Sanqing Pharmaceutical’s Male Contraceptive Pill during clinical trials. After promoting the drug to his alumni group, he helped secure FDA approval for overseas trials, so domestic and overseas clinical trials began simultaneously; meanwhile, a couple joined the trial to prevent another unwanted pregnancy.

• Wenren Long told Sheng Changya that trial records showed he could not have fathered his ex-girlfriend’s child, and Sheng Changya explained the situation to the girl.
• Sheng Changya sent Wei Kang invitations to several charity galas, and he agreed to attend.
• Wenren Long promoted the Male Contraceptive Pill in his alumni group and decided to seek overseas clinical trials.
• Sanqing Pharmaceutical’s overseas branch submitted the trial materials, the FDA approved the application, and clinical trials began in China and overseas simultaneously.
• A woman in Kun City consulted a doctor about an abortion, and she and her husband enrolled in the Male Contraceptive Pill trial.

Drake used a male contraceptive from the Eastern pharmaceutical company Three Purities to foil Joanna’s attempt to get pregnant, then bragged about the drug online. His post exposed the medicine to the public and sparked excitement among men seeking access to it.

• Drake recorded Joanna confirming that their encounter was consensual, while secretly taking male contraceptive pills supplied through a clinical trial.
• Joanna stole the used condom, but Drake told her his fertility was temporarily suppressed and sent her pictures of the pills.
• Joanna accused Drake online of deceiving her by taking birth control without telling her, and their dispute drew widespread attention.
• Drake posted the pill case labeled SANQING and identified the medicine as a newly developed male oral contraceptive from an Eastern company.
• Netizens praised the drug, and one commenter shared a link to the FDA clinical-trial information and sign-up page.