Chapter 30: Racing Against Time

Kange's cashmere overcoat was thick and warm, and paired with a large scarf, Yan Xue did not feel cold at all when they reached downstairs. The two got into the car, and Kange drove out to a park in the suburbs. Tourists only visited this area in spring to see the flowers or in summer to escape the heat. During a winter like this, with no tall buildings in the suburbs to break the wind, the place was practically deserted. The small parking lot in front of the park gates was entirely empty, and Yan Xue wondered why, out of all the parks and scenic spots of various sizes across the city, Kange had chosen this one.

"How is it? Do you feel cold?" Kange asked her after getting out of the car.

Yan Xue shook her head. "Not cold at all. I'm just a bit curious about what makes this park so special."

"Special... well, for two reasons," Kange answered her, walking side by side with her toward the entrance. "First, it's quite remote. Obviously, Xin Rui has a preference for out-of-the-way locations like this, so coming here caters to his tastes, so to speak. Second, it's fairly on the way to Shi Shugao's place, saving us from taking a detour."

"Killing two birds with one stone. Not bad!" Yan Xue understood immediately.

The performance art pieces and exhibitions that Xin Rui had previously held in City W were all located in rather remote areas, clearly showing his specific preference for such neighborhoods. Coming to a place like this to take photos was indeed catering to his inclinations.

The park was not particularly large. Judging from the map at the entrance, it simply looped around a small lake with minimal landscaping—just woodland paths, pavilions, and small bridges by the water.

Kange studied the map for a moment. Having presumably done his online research beforehand, he only needed to confirm their bearings before leading Yan Xue straight to a corner of the park bordering the lake. Winter days were short, and the sunlight was already beginning to slant toward the west. The lake was frozen over, lacking any rippling water effects, but a grove of white birch trees nearby looked quite picturesque under the oblique rays of the sun.

Kange chose an ideal spot within the birch grove, took out his camera, adjusted the aperture and ISO, and briskly began taking pictures of Yan Xue.

Yan Xue was not usually someone who enjoyed having her picture taken, and she felt somewhat awkward and at a loss when facing the camera. Fortunately, Kange was adept at guiding people's emotions. Yan Xue followed his cues, and the shoot was completed in no time.

"Here, take a look and see how they turned out!" After finishing the photos, fearing that Yan Xue might get cold, Kange led her back to the parking lot. Once inside the car with the heater running, he handed the camera over to her. "My skills are limited, so just pick a few that will do!"

Yan Xue took the camera and began flipping through the images. She had only intended to take a casual glance, but the moment she looked, she was captivated.

Kange's angles were excellent. Paired with the winter afternoon sunlight, the entire photograph radiated a warm hue that complemented Yan Xue's deep camel-colored cashmere overcoat.

What Yan Xue loved most was a profile shot. She was standing between two adjacent white birch trees, which served as the foreground and were blurred out, leaving only mottled outlines. Through the gap between the two trunks, Yan Xue stood in profile, her fingers gently touching the edge of her scarf. Under the soft light, her fingers appeared slender and fair, resembling smooth, warm suet jade.

In the photo, Yan Xue's eyes were lowered as if in thought, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned in a smile that was faint yet striking.

The sunlight streamed down from slightly above and behind her, casting a pale golden outline around the crown of her head. Behind her, the rest of the woods was completely blurred and softened into a hazy backdrop, making the whole scene look like a set of oil paintings.

"Is that person in the photo really me?" Yan Xue stared at the image for a long time before looking up at Kange in disbelief.

Kange was driving toward Shi Shugao's place. Hearing her words, he looked slightly puzzled. "Did I capture it unrealistically?"

"No, I can tell it's me, but while it's my face, the temperament is completely different!" Yan Xue had never imagined she could be so stunned by a photo of herself that she couldn't find the right words. "Looking at this photo, anyone would think the person in it is someone exceptionally quiet, deeply ladylike, and... effortlessly graceful!"

"A photograph merely records an existing objective reality truthfully. A qualified photographer simply highlights the aspect of that reality they wish to showcase; they cannot create things out of thin air." Kange glanced sideways at the photo Yan Xue favored so much, his eyes curving into crescents. "Oh, is this your favorite? What a coincidence, so is mine."

"I'm definitely going to get a huge print of this photo and paste it on my wall at home. In the future, if anyone dares to say I lack grace and isn't ladylike enough, I'll have my mom and dad slap it right across their face!" Yan Xue caressed the camera's LCD screen, feeling quite triumphant.

Seeing the delighted expression on her face, Kange's smile deepened. He turned his attention back to the road and softly began humming a tune, clearly in an exceptionally good mood.

Shi Shugao lived in a residential compound in the fourth-ring area of City W, constructed just over three years ago. After registering at the gate, Kange drove directly inside and all the way to the building where Shi Shugao lived. He parked, got out, and as he reached the unit entrance and raised his hand to press the doorbell, the heavy glass door was suddenly pushed open from the inside. A woman wearing a down jacket hurried out, her hair scattered in disarray across her shoulders and a panicked look on her face. In her arms, she was holding an infant wrapped tightly in an adult-sized down jacket.

The moment Yan Xue and the woman locked eyes, she froze—wasn't this precisely Chen Qing, the wife of Shi Shugao whom they had come to find? She never expected such a coincidence; before they had even pressed the doorbell, they had run into her right downstairs.

"What's wrong? Is there an emergency?" Seeing the woman's state, Yan Xue quickly spoke up.

Chen Qing was too flustered to think much of it. In the grip of panic, hearing Yan Xue's question, she simply assumed she was a helpful neighbor. Hurrying forward with the child in her arms, she said with a crying choke in her voice, "Something is stuck in my baby's windpipe! I have to get her to the hospital right now!"

"It's hard to catch a taxi around here. Our car is right by the road, get in quickly!" Hearing the urgency of the situation, Kange made a decisive choice without hesitation. He pulled out his car keys, started the engine, and motioned for Chen Qing to follow them.

Chen Qing no longer had the capacity to care about anything else. Clutching her child, she ran alongside Kange and Yan Xue toward the car and scrambled inside at top speed. As Kange drove out of the compound, he pulled out his phone to make a call. Just as their car crossed an intersection outside the complex, two police motorcycles roared up with wailing sirens to clear the way for them. Flooring the accelerator, Kange coordinated with the motorcycle escorts, speeding all the way to rush into the nearest general hospital from Chen Qing's home.

While the two motorcycle officers were clearing the path ahead, another officer had already advanced ahead to notify the hospital's emergency staff. The moment Kange's car pulled into the courtyard, medical personnel rushed forward, pulled the door open the instant the vehicle came to a halt, lifted the child from Chen Qing's arms, and sprinted into the emergency room. Chen Qing stumbled and staggered after them.

Yan Xue and Kange let out a collective sigh of relief. After getting out of the car, they thanked the three police officers who had provided assistance, watched them leave, and then parked the car properly before heading into the emergency department to check on the child's condition.

Foreign objects in the trachea were inherently dangerous, and given that Chen Qing and Shi Shugao's baby was only a few months old, the situation was all the more perilous. Despite their frantic dash along the way, the outcome remained entirely uncertain.

After inquiring inside, they learned that although the baby had been completely purplish-blue all over upon arrival, a faint pulse of breath remained, so the infant had been rushed straight into the operating room. Chen Qing had followed them to the waiting area outside.

Yan Xue and Kange asked for directions to the operating room and hurried over. From a distance, they saw Chen Qing sitting alone in the waiting hall outside the corridor, her face ashen, her fingers tightly interlocked, and her entire body trembling uncontrollably.

Kange sighed, and Yan Xue felt a heavy, uneasy knot in her chest. They sat down beside Chen Qing in silence, choosing not to disturb her; after all, under such circumstances, neither consolation nor questioning was something Chen Qing had the strength to bear.

On the digital wall clock, the seconds ticked by in silence, the numbers flipping upward one by one. Chen Qing remained similarly silent and trembling, all the color in her body seemingly drained into her eyes, leaving her gaze bloodshot and the rest of her complexion stark white.

Finally, as if an entire half-century had passed, a flurry of footsteps echoed down the hall. A middle-aged nurse wearing blue operating scrubs walked toward them. Both Yan Xue and Kange looked up at her, while Chen Qing remained motionless, as if she hadn't noticed at all.

"The infant with the tracheal obstruction brought in for resuscitation just now—who are the family members?" Due to the extreme urgency, the child had been rushed straight to emergency care without gathering personal information beforehand, leaving the nurse to search for relatives this way.

Hearing this, Chen Qing finally moved. She sprang up as if suddenly catapulted from her chair, lunged forward in two or three strides, and grabbed the nurse's sleeve. "Doctor, I am! I am! How is my baby?"

"Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!" The nurse, fully understanding Chen Qing's state and likely accustomed to such sights, replied calmly, "The child has been saved!"

Hearing those words, Chen Qing's tightly wound nerves finally snapped. Her body went entirely limp, and she collapsed to the floor.

Yan Xue rushed forward immediately, helping her up from the cold, hard terrazzo floor and guiding her to a nearby chair to sit. Meanwhile, Kange stepped in to ask the nurse about the outcome of the rescue and what procedures needed to be completed next.

By the time Chen Qing slowly regained her senses, Kange had already finished the child's hospitalization procedures, pre-paid the medical expenses, and the baby had been safely transferred from the operating room to the observation ward.