Grace herself had never eaten French cuisine in Novastra either. So, adhering to the principle of trusting authority, she had booked a Michelin two-star restaurant.

  Unlike the stereotypical dim and luxurious style often associated with French restaurants, this establishment was exquisitely and brightly decorated overall. Even the custom tableware under the crystal chandeliers glittered.

  The restaurant had reserved a window table for them. Outside the window was the river view. The water's surface reflected the beautiful rosy clouds of dusk, and in the distance, one could see the towering buildings lining the opposite shore.

  Having never dined in such a high-end restaurant before, Aurelia was slightly reserved yet secretly excited.

  "The wealthy really know how to enjoy themselves. Eating in an environment like this, I could easily have two extra bowls of rice," she said, turning to her sister and asking, "Sis, have you ever had French food before?"

  Audrey appeared much calmer than her younger sister. After all, working at the Ray International Hotel, a five-star international establishment, meant its internal restaurants were also quite upscale.

  But she genuinely hadn't tried French cuisine either.

  She shook her head and said, "No, I haven't. But French cuisine is widely recognized as the most expensive among international cuisines. It was the same at our hotel; the French breakfast was considerably more expensive than other ones."

  Hearing this, Grace nodded in agreement. "That's right. French cuisine is considered the pinnacle of Western dining. But different lands breed different people; many of our compatriots find it unpalatable on their first try as well."

  At that moment, a server brought them glasses of water and then presented bilingual menus.

  Grace naturally handed the menus to her mother and aunt. "Take a look first and see what you'd like to eat. Order anything you want."

  As soon as they opened the menu, just reading the dish names left the two women utterly bewildered.

  Classic French slow-braised beef with wild mushrooms and red wine sauce. Mussels steamed in white wine with fennel seeds and truffle. Proven?al-style tomato stew with wild veal tenderloin. Triple-flower poussin cheese tart with classic French omelets.

  "What on earth are all these?" Aurelia's mind was filled with question marks. She recognized the words but couldn't possibly imagine what these dishes should look like.

  There weren't even any pictures on the menu.

  Audrey also smiled and handed the menu back to her daughter. "Grace, you order. Your aunt and I will leave it up to you."

  Grace nodded. She knew her mother's and aunt's tastes well enough anyway.

  She proceeded to order seven or eight dishes in one go before stopping, then selected a bottle of white wine.

  "We're having wine too?"

  Watching the waiter bring the wine, Aurelia expressed slight surprise.

  The beautiful and elegant bottle was upside down in an ice bucket, and just looking at it suggested the taste couldn't be bad.

  "French food is most authentic when paired with white wine. Auntie, I remember you used to enjoy drinking?" Grace said.

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  Aurelia smiled sheepishly. "I liked it when I was younger. I've been drinking less these past few years."

  "Today is a happy occasion. We should have some," Audrey suddenly spoke up.

  Both Grace and her aunt were taken aback for a moment, seemingly not expecting these words from their mother, who never usually advocated for drinking.

  Regaining her composure, Aurelia nodded repeatedly. "That's right! Today we must celebrate you becoming unemployed!"

  Audrey didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Fine. Since we're happy today, we can celebrate anything."

  As they chatted and laughed, Grace felt genuinely happy that her mother and aunt, even though it was their first time dining in such a place, were not at all disheartened but were fully immersed in enjoying the experience.

  However, just as the atmosphere was at its best, a commotion suddenly erupted on the other side of the restaurant.

  The disturbance was quite noticeable, instantly attracting the attention of all the diners. The previously harmonious dining environment became tense in an instant.

  Grace and the others instinctively stood up. But not knowing what was happening over there, they didn't rashly approach, only observing from afar.

  Amid the commotion, panicked cries for help could be heard.

  "Can someone help? Is there a doctor?"

  "Call an ambulance, quick!"

  "I'm calling, I'm calling! What should we do?"

  Several men in suits looked anxious, their panicked voices tinged with fear.

  On the floor lay a man with a pale face, now completely motionless, as if he showed no signs of life.

  Seeing this scene, the surrounding guests instinctively backed away.

  Some whispered among themselves, expressions of pity on their faces.

  Some felt it was unlucky and hurriedly paid their bills to leave.

  The restaurant staff clearly hadn't encountered this situation before either. No one dared to step forward rashly to administer aid.

  Even the manager could only offer comforting words. "Sir, please don't panic first. We are less than a kilometer from the nearest hospital. The ambulance will be here very soon."

  But seeing the man on the floor had stopped breathing, his chest no longer rising and falling, his companions looked even paler than the one lying down, all appearing utterly helpless.

  At that moment, Audrey, who had noticed something was wrong, took the initiative and walked over. Seeing this, Grace quickly followed.

  Up close, red rashes were faintly visible on the man's exposed arms and neck. In an instant, what she had learned in hotel training courses flashed through Audrey's mind.

  The man before her wasn't dead yet. Those emerging rashes confirmed it—he was in anaphylactic shock!

  This situation was extremely dangerous. Without immediate first aid, the man could lose his life at any moment!

  Without almost any hesitation, Audrey stepped forward and knelt beside the man. Under the shocked gazes of everyone, she quickly undid the shirt buttons constricting his neck.

  Then, placing her hands overlaid on the other person's chest, she began emergency CPR with standard chest compressions.

  Grace was also thoroughly shocked. She never knew her mother knew CPR. But seeing her calm, unflustered demeanor and serious expression, Grace only felt that her mother was glittering at this moment.

  "Are you a medical professional?" someone asked gratefully upon seeing this.

  Audrey didn't stop her hand movements, responding verbally, "No, but I've been trained. He's in anaphylactic shock. We must perform first aid while waiting for the ambulance, or his life will be in danger."

  After speaking, Audrey pinched the man's nose, then used her hand to lift his chin, opening his mouth slightly. She took a deep breath and directly leaned in.

  She blew air into the man's mouth—it was the standard mouth-to-mouth resuscitation technique.

  Seeing this, Aurelia's eyes widened in shock.

  Audrey repeated the cycle of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth. She was tired, with a thin layer of sweat beading on her forehead, but never stopped.

  Everyone around watched nervously as she tried to save the man. No one dared to make a sound.

  After what seemed like a long time, the man lying on the floor suddenly began foaming at the corner of his mouth. Then, a white liquid continuously flowed from his mouth.

  Seeing this, Audrey's face lit up with relief. Not caring in the slightest whether the white vomit was dirty, she immediately reached into the man's mouth and scooped out all the remaining vomit, preventing him from choking on the reflux in his airway.

  "He's breathing! His chest moved!"

  At that moment, someone noticed the man had started breathing again and exclaimed in surprise.

  Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. And then, the sound of an ambulance siren finally approached, blaring from far to near.

  Audrey, utterly exhausted, slumped down on the floor. Immediately afterward, the restaurant erupted into enthusiastic applause. Everyone looked at her with eyes full of respect.