In an exquisite villa in a suburb in Arica.
Outside, a bitter wind howled, but inside, the fireplace made it as warm as spring.
But this warmth couldn’t dispel the anxiety plaguing the Davises.
Their daughter, Lily, an eight-year-old girl.
She was currently curled up on the sofa, looking utterly haggard.
They had just taken her temperature.
99.5°F.
A low-grade fever.
But her nose was stuffy and her breathing was ragged. She would erupt in coughing fits from ti to ti—all signs that her illness was persisting.
This had been going on for nearly a week.
At first, it was just the symptoms of a common cold, but it quickly developed into Influenza A, characterized by a persistent high fever and a severe cough.
Davis took Lily to the best local children’s hospital, where the doctor diagnosed her with Influenza A complicated by mild pneumonia and prescribed Tamiflu Granules for Lily.
As a senior executive editor for *Liu XX*, Davis was intimately familiar with the latest developnts in the dical world.
He knew Tamiflu Granules were a highly effective drug for treating Influenza A.
Therefore, he was confident about his daughter’s treatnt.
However, reality dealt him a heavy blow.
Lily took the Tamiflu Granules for three days. Her high fever did subside sowhat, and her cough also lessened considerably.
But she just wasn’t getting better.
On and off.
It was torturous.
Davis took Lily back to the hospital for a follow-up appointnt.
The doctor said the viral infection was under control, but the lung inflammation would take ti to heal. He recomnded continuing the Tamiflu Granules, supplented with so cough and phlegm-reducing dicine.
Even though Davis was a major figure in the dical field,
he felt powerless when faced with his daughter’s illness.
All he could do was give his daughter her dicine as prescribed.
Lily’s condition wasn’t severe, in the sense that it wasn’t life-threatening.
But it wasn’t mild either, as she showed no signs of improvent.
Davis’s heart ached for his daughter, and he began to doubt the effectiveness of the Tamiflu Granules.
The Tamiflu Granules were nowhere near as good as Jide Pharmaceutical’s marketing claid.
They were only slightly better than ordinary flu dications.
Lily’s face was pale, and her once-clear, big eyes had lost their sparkle.
Davis saw this, and his heart was consud with anxiety.
He had also contacted their private doctor, but to little avail.
"Davis, we have to go back to work tomorrow. What are we going to do about Lily?"
His wife, Lisa, walked over with a glass of warm water, her face etched with worry as she asked.
Davis sighed and rubbed his aching temples. "I’ll take the day off tomorrow to stay with Lily. I can’t leave her ho alone."
Just then, the doorbell rang.
"Who could be visiting at a ti like this?"
Lisa went to open the door, puzzled.
The visitor was none other than Sun Qingshuang.
He was carrying a gift box, a smile on his face.
"Hello, is Mr. Davis ho? I’m Sun Qingshuang. We’ve done business together before."
Sun Qingshuang spoke fluent English.
Lisa paused for a mont, then recognized Sun Qingshuang.
She knew Davis had collaborated with this Asian businessman on a few pharmaceutical distribution deals, but she hadn’t expected him to visit at a ti like this.
"Mr. Sun, hello. Davis is ho, but..."
Lisa hesitated, unsure if her husband would be willing to receive a guest right now.
"Lisa, who is it?" Davis heard the voice and ca out of the living room. He was also taken aback when he saw Sun Qingshuang. "Oh, it’s Mr. Sun, hello... Are you here to renew the distribution contract? I’m sorry, we have a situation at ho. My daughter is sick. Why don’t you co by my office in a couple of days?"
Sun Qingshuang’s heart tightened.
He had co on an important mission.
And ti was of the essence.
Every day he delayed, the influence of Tamiflu Granules in Dragon Country would grow.
’A couple of days?’
’What if he doesn’t go to the office in a couple of days either?’
Although he was anxious, Sun Qingshuang didn’t let it show on his face. Instead, he put on a concerned expression. "Oh, is Miss Lily sick? What does she have? Why haven’t you taken her to the hospital?"
Davis sighed. "The flu. Her symptoms are more troubleso than usual. She’s taken dicine, but she still hasn’t recovered."
"The flu?"
Sun Qingshuang was taken aback.
’What a coincidence!’
When he set out, Li Xu hadn’t told him about the predicant Davis was in.
After all, there was no way to explain how he would know such a thing.
So, Sun Qingshuang had no prior knowledge that Davis’s daughter had the flu.
But he had co this ti to persuade Davis to review Li Xu’s paper.
Not only had he brought the paper, but he had also brought so Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules.
’Heaven is truly on my side.’
Sun Qingshuang was delighted.
"Mr. Davis, actually, I didn’t co to renew the contract. I’m here about an academic paper. A paper that might be able to help Miss Lily."
Normally, Davis wouldn’t have been interested in an "academic paper." His mind was completely preoccupied with his daughter’s illness.
But when Sun Qingshuang ntioned that it "might be able to help Miss Lily," it imdiately struck a nerve.
"It can help Lily?"
Davis asked doubtfully.
Sun Qingshuang nodded, his tone firm. "Yes, Mr. Davis. This paper is about a traditional Dragon Country dicine—Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules—which has shown remarkably significant efficacy against the current strain of Influenza A. I made sure to bring so with on my trip to Arica."
When Davis heard "traditional Dragon Country dicine," he frowned instinctively.
He had always been skeptical of traditional dicine, believing it lacked rigorous scientific evidence.
Besides, as a senior executive editor for *Liu XX*, he had been exposed to countless cutting-edge dical studies, yet he had never heard of anything called "Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules."
"Mr. Sun, I appreciate your kind intentions. However, Lily has already been taking Tamiflu Granules, and the results haven’t been ideal. As for this unproven Dragon Country dicine, I’m afraid..."
Davis politely declined.
Sun Qingshuang had anticipated this reaction from Davis.
He wasn’t discouraged and continued earnestly, "Mr. Davis, I know you might not be very familiar with traditional dicine. But my own daughter was in a car accident and was once declared by doctors to be in a vegetative state. It was a form of traditional dicine that saved her.
"That’s why I have one hundred percent trust in Dragon Country’s traditional dicine, especially in Doctor Li Xu.
"He is a true healer, and the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules he developed are absolutely worth a try!"
Sun Qingshuang glanced at Lily, who was lying on the sofa, coughing intermittently. His tone beca even more earnest. "Mr. Davis, why not give it a try?
"This dicine has no side effects. Even if it’s ineffective, it won’t cause Miss Lily any harm.
"But what if it works?
"What if it can alleviate Miss Lily’s suffering?"
Davis began to waver.
As a father, he was willing to try any possible thod for his daughter’s sake.
Moreover, he had so understanding of Sun Qingshuang’s character.
He knew the man wasn’t the type to joke about soone else’s daughter’s health.
More importantly, he had also heard rumors about the miracle of Sun Qingshuang’s daughter being saved.
"Then... alright. Mr. Sun, if you can guarantee its safety."
In the end, Davis chose to give it a try.
"Of course, Mr. Davis. I stake my business reputation on it."
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