Emergency Skills

The staff moved into action.

Then someone suddenly remarked,

“Miss Sterling was able to create something as extraordinary as the Vital Essence Pill. Her medical skills must be exceptional. With her here, Mr. Vanderbilt will definitely be fine.”

Ariana's face turned pale instantly. She instinctively stepped backward.

“I came out in a hurry and didn't bring anything with me. We should take Mr. Vanderbilt upstairs first. If his condition worsens because of a delay, that would be terrible.”

Medical skills?

She didn't even understand the most basic principles of medicine.

Julian brushed aside the hands trying to support him.

“I am not dead yet.” His voice was cold and commanding. “I can walk myself.”

Kieran inhaled sharply and immediately dismissed everyone crowding around.

Only the bodyguards remained to escort Julian toward the elevator.

Just before the doors closed, Julian glanced back through the narrowing gap.

His cold eyes landed on Ariana.

The moment their gazes met, she shivered.

The man's presence was overwhelming.

Even without saying much, he radiated pressure that made people uneasy.

After the elevator disappeared, Ariana nervously looked toward the car.

“Have the results come back yet?”

“Please wait a moment, Miss Sterling,” an elderly expert with graying hair replied. “The composition of the Vital Essence Pill is extremely complex.”

Meanwhile, on the sixth floor in the special care unit—

Rue had just collected Zach's medical reports from the doctor.

As she walked down the hallway, lost in thought, a commotion erupted ahead.

“Sir, are you okay? How are you feeling?”

“Where are your family members?”

Several nurses hurried anxiously around an unconscious Julian Vanderbilt.

Both the department director and hospital president were currently in surgery and unavailable.

If anything happened to a patient like him under their watch, the hospital would be in serious trouble.

Out of curiosity, Rue glanced toward the disturbance.

The moment she saw him, she froze.

That familiar face.

That pale complexion.

It instantly overlapped with the memory in her mind.

Wasn't he the man she'd met at her art exhibition?

What were the chances of running into him here?

Was it coincidence...

Or something else?

Rue immediately quickened her pace.

Tucking Zach's medical report under her arm, she crouched beside Julian and grabbed his wrist.

The instant she felt his pulse, her expression changed.

External deficiency, internal heat.

Severe physical weakness.

Excessive exhaustion.

His already fragile body had suffered another major blow.

Fortunately for him, he'd met her today.

"Help me," she said to the nurses. "I need assistance performing CPR."

Her instructions were calm, precise, and authoritative.

Without waiting for permission, Rue knelt beside Julian and quickly assessed his airway, breathing, and pulse.

"He's not getting enough oxygen. Tilt his head back. I need someone to bring the emergency airway kit."

The head nurse immediately frowned.

"You can't do this! You're not authorized to provide medical treatment!"

"If something happens, I'll take responsibility."

Rue never paused.

She loosened Julian's collar, adjusted his position, and began a series of emergency interventions designed to maintain blood flow and stabilize his breathing until a physician could arrive.

When another nurse attempted to pull her away, Rue caught the woman's wrist.

"By the time your hospital president gets here, he could already be dead."

Just then—

"Cough..."

Julian suddenly coughed.

His chest expanded sharply as he drew in a deep breath.

Color slowly returned to his pale face.

Rue immediately steadied him as he instinctively tried to sit up.

In his hazy state, Julian could only sense a familiar scent lingering nearby.

For a brief moment, he thought he saw that familiar figure again.

When she was satisfied that his condition had stabilized, Rue stepped back.

Turning to the head nurse, she said,

"He's stable for now. Move him to a room and continue monitoring his vitals until your hospital president finishes surgery."

Rue wasn't the kind of person who helped others out of pure kindness.

But until she figured out who Julian Vanderbilt really was, she couldn't let him die.

More importantly—

A.J. had reminded her that they still needed to retrieve the painting Julian had purchased.

He couldn't die.

With that thought, she delivered a firm slap to his back.

Just one strike.

Julian immediately felt something inside his body shift.

Warmth surged upward through his chest.

An indescribable sense of comfort spread through him.

It was a feeling that countless expensive treatments had never provided.

Instinctively, he opened his eyes.

All he saw was the back of a figure hurrying away.

By the time Kieran and the others arrived, they were stunned.

“Mr. Vanderbilt, are you alright?”

Kieran felt cold sweat run down his back.

They had only left for a few minutes to clear the sixth floor and locate the hospital president.

Yet so much had happened in such a short time.

Thankfully, Julian's life wasn't in danger.

Otherwise, none of them could bear the responsibility.

“She...” Julian's voice was weak. “Who was she?”

“Who?” Kieran had no idea what had happened.

After questioning the nurses and staff, he finally learned that a young woman with remarkable emergency response skills had saved Julian's life.

Kieran immediately ordered an investigation of the hallway surveillance footage.

The result was unbelievable.

During those exact few minutes, the hospital's surveillance system had somehow malfunctioned.

Only that segment of footage was missing.

And it was completely unrecoverable.

As if that weren't strange enough, the experts downstairs had reached another startling conclusion.

“Mr. Vanderbilt,” Kieran reported, “the experts confirmed that what Miss Sterling provided is indeed a Vital Essence Pill.”

Julian's eyes narrowed.

“However,” Kieran continued, “it's an incomplete Vital Essence Pill. The final refining step is missing.”

“What?”

After receiving a special injection, Julian had recovered considerably.

Still, confusion filled his cold, handsome face.

Before he could say anything further, a knock sounded at the door.

“Mr. Vanderbilt, it's me—Ariana Sterling.”

Her soft voice drifted through the wooden door.

Hearing her, Kieran suddenly remembered something.

“Mr. Vanderbilt, our people also confirmed that aside from you, there is only one newly admitted patient on the entire sixth floor today.”

He paused.

“The Sterling Family's youngest son, Zach Sterling.”

Which meant—

The woman who had saved Julian's life was very likely one of the Sterling Family's relatives.

Julian Vanderbilt raised an eyebrow and studied Kieran suspiciously.

"You're saying she was the one who stabilized me?"

No.

That didn't make sense.

If it had really been Ariana Sterling, why would she wait until after he collapsed to treat him?

"The nurses' station insists that it was the Sterling Family's eldest daughter who stabilized your condition." Kieran offered an awkward smile as he answered carefully.

“Let her in.” Julian spoke calmly, but a meaningful glint flickered in his deep, narrow eyes.