Chapter 54
Chapter 54
We finished work at 9 p.m. Because it was an outdoor shoot, the filming location was not close to the hotel; it took more than an hour to drive there.
Along the way, Shen Qingyuan opened the car window to let the night breeze blow in, humming a few lines of a song—a fragment of what she had learned from who-knows-where, with incomplete lyrics and melody.
Seeing that she was in a good mood, Ye Chuyang smiled and said, "Dr. Chen, you've had quite a haul today! Have you received your payment yet?"
"This is my first time receiving a daily wage, in cash. It feels good." She said with interest, taking a white envelope out of her pocket and turning around to wave it in front of Ye Chuyang. A faint pink hue could be seen inside.
Ye Chuyang reached out and grabbed it, weighing it in his hand. It was a thin paper bag containing about three or five banknotes.
Extras in Hengdian only earn about ten yuan per hour, but Shen Qingyuan, who is a stunt double today, is a contract actor and earns a little more. Putting everything else aside, this daily wage model is really good.
Shen Qingyuan continued, "It's clear that there are many choices in life. I also met an extra today. She said she was too bored after retiring, so she came to work as an extra, hoping to continue to shine in this new field."
When she spoke, her eyes sparkled with laughter, radiating youthful energy.
That would be so much better.
Ye Chuyang opened the envelope and took out a note.
Shen Qingyuan became alert. "Hey, Ye Chuyang, what are you doing?" She reached out to grab it, but Ye Chuyang dodged. Shen Qingyuan sat in the passenger seat, wishing her arms were longer.
Ye Chuyang handed the envelope back to her, stuffed the hundred-yuan note into his pants pocket, and said, "Consider this a referral fee. If it weren't for me, Dr. Shen wouldn't have been able to earn any extra money. As for me, I'm the middleman, so it's only right that I take a commission, isn't it?"
Shen Qingyuan sighed in admiration, "What a shrewd businessman! I should have known better than to show it to you!"
"Doesn't Dr. Shen understand the principle of casting a long line to catch a big fish? If you take good care of your big client, me, why are you afraid of not getting even greater benefits in the future?" Ye Chuyang was even more amused when he saw her gritting her teeth, looking fierce in a cute way.
"Yes, yes, yes, the pie you've painted looks big and delicious."
But thinking about it, I got double the salary today, so it wasn't a loss.
Ah, Shen Qingyuan, an ordinary citizen, became happy again.
Ye Chuyang smiled smugly.
Xiao Chao, who was driving, opened his eyes wide and shuddered. What was going on with this atmosphere?
Yang has always lacked romance; he's never joked like this with any girl in real life. If we're talking about high school classmates, they could probably be considered childhood sweethearts.
Spring, the season of renewal, has arrived? Xiao Chao was a little bewildered.
The car went downhill and entered the hotel's underground parking garage.
There seemed to be something dark ahead, but the lighting in the garage was poor, so he couldn't see clearly. At first, Xiao Chao thought it was a black plastic bag, but as he got closer, he realized it wasn't and hurriedly slammed on the brakes.
"Are you trying to scam me? You scared the hell out of me..."
Xiao Chao parked the car, cursed, and got out to look at the person lying on the ground in front of the car.
Blind spots! One moment of carelessness and you've run over them.
The people on the ground remained motionless.
The man was probably in his fifties or sixties, dressed all in black. One side of his clothes was covered in dust. His hands and feet seemed to be trembling.
"Hey, stop playing dead, uncle. I didn't run you over." Xiao Chao took out his phone and turned on the recording function. In case someone tried to extort money from him, this would be evidence. The world is going to the dogs; you have to have some self-protection tricks.
Shen Qingyuan peeked out, then quickly opened the door and jumped out of the car.
She knelt down to examine the person on the ground, first checking their breath and then feeling their carotid artery.
Ye Chuyang jumped down from the back seat right after.
"Sister Chen... what's wrong with him?" Xiao Chao sensed that something was amiss.
Upon closer inspection, the man's hands and lips were purple, and even someone without medical training could deduce that he was suffering from oxygen deficiency.
His hands and feet trembled spasmodically, but the force was weakening, as if life was slowly being drained from his body, and the unconscious trembling was just a futile struggle.
The situation is extremely critical.
"Call 120! Hurry!" Shen Qingyuan said urgently. At the same time, she knelt on the ground, clasped her hands together, and used all her upper body strength to quickly press on the person's chest.
"Okay, okay." Xiao Chao hurriedly dialed the number. In this life-or-death situation, he was so anxious and flustered that his hand slipped and the phone fell to the ground with a crack.
"I'll handle this." Ye Chuyang remained relatively calm, took out his phone, dialed the emergency number, and clearly explained the location and the patient's condition.
After he finished his call, Shen Qingyuan was still performing CPR on the man on the ground. Now, the man's hands and feet had stopped trembling. Even more frightening.
CPR requires a great deal of physical exertion. Ye Chuyang noticed that Shen Qingyuan's forehead was already wet with sweat, and her face was flushed red from tension and exertion.
He wanted to go up and help, but didn't know where to start, so he could only stand there and pray that the old man on the ground would wake up soon.
Xiao Chao picked up the phone and continued recording. They would do their best to help in case of any disputes.
One minute, two minutes passed... and the man still hadn't reacted.
CPR is crucial, especially the golden three minutes. Keep pressing; if there's still no response… the key issue is that when they saw the person, they were already unconscious, and they don't know how long they'd been unconscious. If only they had pressed earlier…
Shen Qingyuan felt her temples throbbing, panting, exhausted, anxious, and fearful. Ignoring all of that, her body instinctively unleashed tremendous strength to support her continued actions.
Ye Chuyang took out a handkerchief from his pocket and half-squatted down to wipe the sweat from Shen Qingyuan's face.
It was hot, and with such a strenuous first aid procedure, she was soaking wet, as if she had just been pulled out of the water. A draft from the basement made her clothes stick to her body.
Shen Qingyuan continued working, saying, "Never mind me, help the patient clean the filth around his mouth."
The man's mouth was filthy, stained with white foam and blood. Ye Chuyang didn't need to go to medical school to know what Shen Qingyuan was going to do next.
He felt a little reluctant, but still obediently took a handkerchief and immediately cleaned the area around the man's mouth.
Try to wipe it as clean as possible.
Shen Qingyuan crawled two steps on her knees, pinched the man's nose, and bent down to give him a few mouth-to-mouth resuscitations.
Come back and continue with CPR.
My knees, separated by a thin piece of fabric, rubbed and bumped against the ground, but I didn't care.
She had only one thought in her mind: he must not die, she had to save him.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death are nothing more than the cycle of life. She has not yet become accustomed to life and death, so she cannot see through it, cannot let go of it, and her heart is full of obsession.
finally--
The person on the ground first moved one arm, emitting a faint sound that seemed to be a groan, then caught their breath and returned to the human world.
The patient was still weak, and oxygen was given to him when the ambulance arrived. The emergency personnel praised Shen Qingyuan for her professional CPR, saying that if it weren't for her, he might not have survived.
The ambulance sped away with its siren blaring, and Shen Qingyuan was still stunned when the sound faded away.
Xiao Chao is also missing. Ye Chuyang asked him to go with him to the hospital to check on him. He should help if there's anything he can do. After all, meeting him is fate, and saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda.
"Are you alright, Shen Qingyuan?" Ye Chuyang asked, looking at her.
She seemed completely exhausted, her mind was hazy, and her eyes were unfocused. She was unsteady on her feet when she got up from the ground, and it was only thanks to Ye Chuyang's quick reflexes that she was able to support her and prevent her from falling.
She looked at him blankly, somewhat confused and unsure of what was going on.
"It's alright, it's alright, we've saved her now." He comforted her softly. "You must be tired. Let me take you upstairs to rest for a while."
Something felt like it was stuck in her chest, and Shen Qingyuan felt dizzy. She saw Ye Chuyang's mouth moving; at first, she couldn't hear the sound, but it gradually became clearer.
She felt a lump in her throat and her eyes sting. The unspeakable grievances, fears, and resentment that had troubled her for countless days and nights gradually surfaced in her heart.
She had silently accumulated countless emotions, like floodwaters rushing into a river during the rainy season—too many, too heavy, to the point that the dam was about to collapse.
In an instant, unable to hold on any longer, Shen Qingyuan frowned, her mouth pursed, and she burst into tears.
Then, she buried her face in Ye Chuyang's arms.
Ye Chuyang was stunned: This... this is too fast!
-
She buried her face in his shoulder.
Intermittent, small sobs.
He patted her back gently and said softly, "Cry, cry, it's okay..."
Shen Qingyuan trembled uncontrollably in his arms, looking like a wronged kitten. Ye Chuyang's heart melted...
Life is too tiring, you should have said so earlier, I'm always willing to lend you my shoulder to lean on.
He had never seen Shen Qingyuan like this before, never seen her reveal her vulnerable side.
Even the most formidable woman, who appears invincible and clad in battle armor, has a vulnerable and helpless side. No one is made of bronze or iron.
Her pale face, stubborn lips, and wet eyes were heartbreaking to see.
After her emotional outburst, Shen Qingyuan gradually calmed down and released Ye Chuyang.
My arms felt empty for a moment.
"I'm sorry..."
He thought it should be interpreted as tears of joy, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't see any joy in her.
"Go back and rest. Are you still able to walk?" he asked.
Shen Qingyuan nodded.
-
Not daring to leave her alone, Ye Chuyang took her to his room.
He went to the cabinet on the island counter, found a bottle of red wine, and poured her a glass. Alcohol has a calming effect.
She downed half a glass in one gulp, and when she tried to drink more, Ye Chuyang raised his hand to stop her, saying, "Slow down, drink slowly. If you get drunk, no one will serve you."
She remained silent, put down her glass, and looked sullen. It was unclear what she was thinking.
Xiao Chao called and said that the uncle on the ground had been taken into the operating room and the hospital was trying to contact his family, but they hadn't been able to reach them yet.
As Ye Chuyang had previously instructed, Xiao Chao had already paid for the surgery in advance. Of course, it was done by swiping Ye Chuyang's card.
Ye Chuyang told Xiao Chao to keep an eye on things for a while longer, and to come back after the uncle's family arrived at the hospital.
He hung up the line, sat down, and said softly to Shen Qingyuan, "Look, the person has been saved, hasn't he? Shen Qingyuan, you just saved a life!"
It should be a happy occasion, so why are you looking so gloomy?
Ye Chuyang had never seen Shen Qingyuan like this before. The patient was neither her relative nor her friend, but a complete stranger. Why was she so concerned? He couldn't help but wonder.
In the theatrical world he immerses himself in, birth, aging, sickness, and death are all fictional, giving him a sense of ease, like one game ending and another beginning. Of course, he takes his roles quite seriously when he's in character, otherwise his performance wouldn't be convincing.
As for the cyclical nature of the real world, he always felt it was unreal. It wasn't that he hadn't experienced the death of loved ones; his grandmother, who had raised him since childhood, passed away two years ago, and it took Ye Chuyang a long time to convince himself that it was reality.
There is no way to reverse the situation.
And so I became more and more fascinated by drama. Whether it's a tragedy or a comedy, in the end, you can break the fourth wall and jump out.
Shen Qingyuan sighed and said, "Ye Chuyang, you wouldn't understand. Patients have died because of me. Even if I save a hundred or a thousand more lives, I can't change that fact."
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