Xia Sanghuan's ability to understand things quickly and draw inferences from one instance was what made Professor He the least worried.
"Then we'll follow this method for the next treatment course."
After the lunch break, the two of them started searching the books again for keywords related to tree-man syndrome.
Unfortunately, they found nothing.
But Xia Sanghuan did find a case of illness that was extremely similar to tree-man syndrome.
Perhaps because the era was too long ago and there was very little understanding of tree-man syndrome at that time, the case didn't have an exact scientific name back then.
The record of this case was only a few short pages, and most of it only recorded the patient's characteristics and feelings at that time. There was not a single word about how to cure it.
Just when they were feeling a bit frustrated, at the end of the last page, there was a prescription that could alleviate the symptoms of tree-man syndrome.
The medicines were all available on the market, except that one ingredient came from the black-bone spiritual treasure.
However, in the final reminder, it was written that this was just a guess. Since the spiritual treasure wasn't found at that time and there was no patient for experimentation, this prescription hadn't been verified even after the person who proposed it died.
"Shall we use it?"
Professor He looked at Xia Sanghuan, who had been silent all along.
Shall we use it?
She was also asking herself this question in her heart.
Now the bark on Jing Zhan's body had grown to his neck. If it was left unchecked like this, it was estimated that it would grow onto his face by the end of the year.
By that time, Jing Zhan's life would be completely beyond saving.
But for now, apart from the vitamin A they had been using to slow down the growth of the bark, they couldn't find any other way.
Moreover, due to the large - dose injection, Jing Zhan had developed resistance to vitamin A, and the alleviating effect was much worse than before.
She suddenly remembered what Jing Zhan had said to her when she went to visit him.
"Sister Huanhuan, I don't think I can live through this winter."
"Have you read *The Last Leaf*? I feel like I'm just like the protagonist in it now."
"It's just that I'm not that lucky. My 'leaf' must have fallen off long ago."
When he said this, his eyes were blank as he looked out of the window at the gray sky.
Death seemed to have climbed onto his face, making him look so small and helpless.
So Xia Sanghuan, who was always practical, told him a lie, deceiving him that the medicine to save him would be developed soon, and that she would take him back to the countryside to have a look.
However, in fact, they didn't even have a clue about how to alleviate tree-man syndrome.
"Let's give it a try."
She opened her mouth hesitantly.
"What if it has no effect?"
Professor He asked seriously.
"And it would be good if it has no effect. What if this prescription actually accelerates his symptoms?"
"Can we bear the consequences?"
Hearing his words, Xia Sanghuan bit her lower lip.
"We can't."
"But if we don't do something, we'll never get a result."
She looked at Professor He with bright eyes and said firmly.
Professor He was shaken by her determination for a moment, but he was a scholar, a professor, and more importantly, a doctor who was responsible for the patients.
He avoided the girl's gaze and sighed.
"Sanghuan, saving lives can't be done just by relying on one's own enthusiasm."
"Now we're feeling our way across the river by touching the stones. One careless step and we'll fall into the rushing water and be swept away."
"We may not care about this, but what about the patients?"
Professor He's words were like a bucket of cold water poured directly on her.
Yes, all the illnesses she had encountered before had predecessors' experiences, so she just needed to treat them according to the methods left by the predecessors.
But so far, there had never been a case of cured tree-man syndrome in the world.
Jing Zhan wasn't a laboratory mouse, and medicines couldn't be injected casually.
Professor He noticed her disappointment and comforted her, "This is just one book. Didn't you bring back quite a few books?"
"Let's keep looking. Maybe we'll find other clues."
She cheered up after hearing the professor's words and then picked up a book and started flipping through it.
However, by the time it was time to go home in the evening, they still hadn't found anything.
She had planned to stay in the research room to work overtime as usual, but a phone call came in right on time.
"Hey, I'm at the school gate."
It was Leng Chuanjin.
Hearing the familiar, slightly cold voice on the phone, she felt inexplicably excited.
"Hey, Second Brother, I'll come right away."
She stuffed the unfinished book into her bag, hung up the phone, said hello to Professor He, and then ran out.
She ran to the school gate out of breath and found that Second Brother was really standing there waiting for her.
Different from the clothes he wore the last time he came to pick her up, he was wearing a very formal three - piece suit this time, looking like he had just got off work.
It was the peak time for school dismissal. Day students were all going home, and boarding students were also coming here to pick up their takeaways.
For a moment, Leng Chuanjin, who was handsome, tall - legged, and had a luxury car behind him, became the focus of everyone present.
The girls secretly took out their phones to take pictures and excitedly whispered to each other.
After all, as the head of the Leng family, the first of the four major families, he was well - known in Yuntan City, and there were countless young ladies who wanted to marry into the Leng family.
But Leng Chuanjin had a cold face as usual, his thin lips slightly pursed, as if they weren't talking about him.
It wasn't until Xia Sanghuan walked up to him that his cold expression softened.
"Get in the car."
He opened the car door for her.
At that moment, she felt everyone's gazes surging towards them like a tide.
"How does she know Young Master Leng?"
"Who does she think she is? Why does Young Master Leng open the car door for her?"
"Isn't she the girl who got into the research room by special admission and is doing research with Professor He? Could it be that she got in through Young Master Leng's privilege?"
Hearing these comments, Leng Chuanjin's expression instantly darkened.
He scanned the crowd surrounding the car, and people instinctively took a step back when they felt his gaze.
What a terrifying aura.
Seeing that these people finally shut up, he turned around and got into the car.
"Drive."
Yun Ye started the car as he was told and drove forward.
He turned his head and saw the girl sighing a bit. He hesitated and asked,
"Did I... cause you any trouble?"
She quickly waved her hand.
"No, no. It's just that the scene just now scared me a bit."
"I didn't expect Second Brother to be so popular. All the students in our school were looking at you."
Noticing that she seemed to be deliberately hiding something, he frowned.
He was about to continue asking, but unfortunately the girl immediately changed the topic.
"Second Brother, why did you suddenly have time to pick me up today?"