Stuart was momentarily stunned but quickly put down his chopsticks and rushed outside.
Annette hurriedly followed him and saw Jean Zhang—the round-faced woman she'd met earlier in the courtyard—holding a crying child. The little boy's face was flushed purple as if struggling for breath.
Next to them stood a young woman in a white blouse, looking anxious.
Jean Zhang spotted Stuart like a sight of salvation. "Captain Stuart, my Shan Zi is choking. I've been trying to pat his back, but nothing works. Dr. Charlotte said we have to rush him to the hospital, but my husband, Charles, isn't here…"
She sobbed while firmly patting the child's back, but it was clear the boy was having trouble breathing.
Stuart didn't hesitate and swiftly took the child in his arms. "Come on, we need to get to the hospital immediately."
"Wait!!"
Annette ran over, alarmed at the child's distress. Judging by the severity, the boy might suffocate before reaching the hospital.
Her medical instincts kicked in. She told Stuart, "The child's expression shows great pain and rapid, labored breathing. There's no time to get to the hospital. Place your hand an inch below his chest, press hard — now!"
Jean Zhang didn't trust Annette's words. After all, this spiteful woman had cursed her and even wished death on her son.
She sobbed, urging Stuart, "Captain Stuart, hurry! The hospital! We might not make it if we wait."
The young woman in white was Charlotte Shaw. She glanced at Annette with hostility and pressed Stuart, "Brother Stuart, every second counts!"
Annette didn't expect them to trust her immediately. Without hesitation, she snatched the child from Stuart's arms, turning her back as she held him.
Her hands pressed on the child's chest, performing the Heimlich maneuver—quickly raising the diaphragm, increasing chest pressure to expel the foreign object lodged in the airway.
Stuart froze, worried that Annette's rashness might jeopardize the rescue. This was a matter of life and death, very different from her usual antics.
He reached out and grabbed the child back, pushing Annette away with unexpected force. In a tone stern and rarely used, he shouted, "Annette! Stop fooling around!"
Annette stumbled back, leaning heavily against the doorframe, pain shooting through her back. But this wasn't the time to argue—the child's life couldn't wait.
Her eyes flared with anger as she glared at Stuart. "You're the one wasting time now, Stuart! If I can't save this child today, I'll give my life for him!"
She decisively grabbed the child again and resumed emergency treatment. If that failed, she planned to open the trachea to remove the obstruction.
Annette's fierce shout, eyes blazing with both fury and determination, was like a rose burning in fire—fiery and thorny.
Yet, somehow, it made people want to believe her.
Stuart didn't try to take the child back but watched her intently. He noticed the damp strands of hair sticking to her forehead and the large drops of sweat falling onto her eyelashes.
Jean Zhang nervously cried out, trying to grab the child, but Stuart stopped her.
Charlotte anxiously stamped her foot. "Stuart, this is a matter of life and death. If this method works, would we still be so worried?"
Stuart pressed his lips, eyes fixed on Annette, fists clenched.
Annette kept pressing until the child suddenly coughed up a whole red date, letting out a loud cry. She finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Jean Zhang cried and grabbed her son. "Shan Zi, you're okay! Thank God."
Charlotte frowned, displeased that Annette had actually saved the child. "You were reckless! This time was just luck. What if something went wrong? Could you take responsibility?"
Annette, sifting through the original Annette's memories, didn't recognize this gentle-looking woman. She sounded like a doctor but spoke sarcastically. Annette was never one to take insults lying down and sneered, "You're a doctor? You don't even know this simple emergency technique? How did you even become a doctor?"
Charlotte hadn't graduated from a formal medical school but had apprenticed under a town doctor, essentially a barefoot doctor.
After passing exams, she was now the medic for the housing compound, responsible for common ailments like headaches, fevers, and children's coughs.
She was well-liked in the compound.
Now Annette's blunt insult hit her face like a slap, turning her delicate features red and pale. "How dare you speak like that! You…"
Her eyes reddened with tears, feeling wronged.
Jean Zhang, protective of Charlotte, wiped her tears while holding her son. "Annette, even though you saved Shan Zi, you shouldn't talk to Dr. Charlotte like that. Maybe the date was almost out already, and your fuss just dislodged it."
Annette suddenly felt the original's stubbornness had its advantages—she didn't let people push her around.
She laughed coldly at the foolish woman. "Fine, since you say so, even if I'm meddling today, next time it's your turn. Even if you die in front of me, I won't look."
She turned and slammed the door hard.
The force was so great the door rattled and dirt fell from the surrounding frame.
Jean Zhang was furious, her face red. She stammered, "How can you curse someone to die? How can anyone be so cruel?"
Charlotte comforted Jean Zhang, rubbing the child's back gently. "Calm down, sister-in-law. Let's see if Shan Zi is still uncomfortable."
Then she turned to Stuart apologetically. "Brother Stuart, we might have misunderstood Annette. Once she calms down, we'll apologize. Didn't expect she's actually warm-hearted."
Stuart furrowed his brow, nodding silently. Looking at the closed door, he sensed Annette was truly angry this time.
Inside, Annette was only briefly upset. After washing her hands, she calmly sat down and continued eating.
Her rescue of the child had been a bit impulsive and revealing, but Stuart's inscrutable gaze seemed able to see through people in a second.
So she had to act a little willful to keep him from suspecting.
Otherwise, the huge difference between her and the original Annette's personality might get her sent to the asylum.
Stuart stood a moment before entering. Annette had already eaten half a coarse steamed bun and cleaned off half a plate of cabbage. She hadn't touched the braised pork.
Thinking about pushing Annette earlier with such force, he felt some guilt. After a moment of silence, he went to the small bed, pulled out an envelope from under the pillow, and handed it to Annette. "This is for you."