Chapter 73: The Fox Borrows the Tiger’s Might

Hearing the footsteps drawing closer, the thin, small figure crouching on the floor revealed a face full of terror.

Was he going to be captured again?

Unlike the multi-patient rooms where the entire space was visible as soon as the door was pushed open, the single-patient room had a protruding section of the wall near the entrance that served as a visual buffer.

Because of this, the man entering the room didn’t immediately notice the small figure frozen in a crouch on the floor.

Instead, his eyes darted around, scanning the area within his line of sight.

Shen Yi’an, realizing the advantage of the protruding wall, acted quickly.

Just as the footsteps were about to reach the corner, she threw off the covers and got out of bed, confronting the man face to face. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

“I’ve already told you I’m pregnant. No one except doctors and nurses is allowed in my room.”

“As a human being, don’t you know that barging into a stranger’s room comes with consequences?”

Caught off guard by the pregnant woman’s direct confrontation, the man known as “Brother Dao,” who had entered to investigate, halted his steps.

When he saw that the person standing before him was just a young girl, his first thought was that he’d been deceived. He let out a scornful laugh.

“Hah, so you’re the pregnant woman?”

“Come on, girl, at least do your homework before trying to lie.”

As he spoke, his eyes swept over her from head to toe. “Someone like you, pregnant?”

“Stop joking around and move aside. Don’t block us from searching.”

“Piss me off, and even if you’re just a girl, I won’t hold back.”

With that, he tried to shove past her to get further into the room.

Nourished by the Spirit Spring Water, Shen Yi’an was confident in her physical strength.

Sensing the man’s intention to use force, she decisively pushed him back. “What’s wrong with you?” she snapped.

“I told you, I’m pregnant. No one except doctors and nurses is allowed in my room.”

“I don’t look pregnant? Hah, do you look pregnant then?”

“What, do all the pregnant women you know have the word ‘pregnant’ written on their foreheads?”

Brother Dao hadn’t expected her to retaliate so forcefully. Staggering backward, he stumbled several steps before his quick-witted lackey steadied him.

His gaze toward Shen Yi’an turned fierce.

“Didn’t expect a little girl like you to have some fight in her!”

“But so what?”

“When I decide to do something, who dares to stop me?”

Arrogantly issuing his threat, he waved for his lackeys to join him.

“Let’s all go in and search!”

“I was trying to be polite, but this little girl doesn’t know her place!”

“Today, we’re storming this room, no matter what!”

With that, he led the charge to force their way into the room.

Several thuggish-looking hooligans followed closely behind, making Shen Yi’an’s courage waver.

She shouldn’t have pushed him!

Though she’d acted bravely in the moment, it had only invited more trouble.

But thinking of the desperate child hiding behind her, she steadied herself, spreading her arms wide to block their path. “I said no one enters, and that’s final!”

“Do you even know who I am? Do you know who my husband is?”

“Let me tell you, my husband is a soldier, and not just any soldier—he’s one of the country’s rarest pilots.”

“If you lay a hand on me, you’d better be ready to spend the rest of your lives behind bars!”

To mask the tension in her voice, Shen Yi’an deliberately raised her volume.

Most importantly, it was to bolster her own courage.

From birth until now, even with memories of her past life, this was the first time she had ever stood up directly against malicious forces.

Fear was certainly present, but she also understood the principle of “a fox borrowing the tiger’s might.”

Moreover, from the moment she stepped forward to protect the child behind her, she had already been drawn into this whirlpool.

In a way, her current confrontation was also a means of protecting herself.

So no matter what, she couldn’t retreat in the first step.

Once she retreated, neither she nor the child she was protecting would fare well.

Clearly, her “fox borrowing the tiger’s might” was effective.

Upon hearing her reveal her identity—not only as a military family member but specifically as a pilot’s family member—the men led by “Brother Dao,” who had been determined to barge into the ward, halted in their tracks.

Goodness, they had run into a brick wall!

To dare confront a military family member was practically a suicidal act.

Hadn’t they heard? Not just any military family, but a pilot’s family—such a status was not something people of their standing could afford to provoke.

If things went wrong, they might very well end up eating prison food for the rest of their lives.

With this realization, some began to consider backing down.

“Brother Dao, maybe we should retreat?”

“In our line of work, if we run into the military’s crosshairs, it’s basically the end of our lives!”

“I’m still young; I don’t want to spend my life behind bars.”

Hearing this, the others nearby also started to waver.

“Yeah, Brother Dao, we really can’t afford to mess with the military.”

“Right, and they’re a pilot’s family—that’s even more out of our league.”

“Brother Dao, let’s just leave. Maybe that little brat slipped away from somewhere else while we were searching here!”

Listening to his underlings’ persuasion, Brother Dao’s determination to force his way in began to soften.

True enough!

If they really offended military personnel over some little brat, there would be no escape for them.

It might not just be them—everyone from top to bottom could end up locked up, sewing uniforms in prison.

Having reasoned this through, Brother Dao also started to consider retreating.

But not wanting to leave without saving face, he threw a few threatening words at Shen Yi’an.

“Fine, out of respect for you being a military wife, we won’t search inside.”

“But remember, we won’t give up easily.”

“If we find out a child left your ward, whatever we do next will have nothing to do with you.”

“Remember—”

Before the man could finish his arrogant speech, a stern voice rang out from the ward entrance.

“What are you doing here?”

“Do you know that barging into a ward without permission carries legal consequences?”

Immediately, the focus shifted to Shen Yi’an.

“Sister-in-law, are you alright?”

“Tell me what they’re here for, and I’ll make sure they learn how to behave.”

Instantly grasping the implication behind the words, Shen Yi’an understood that the soldier who had escorted her to the hospital was calling her “sister-in-law” to bolster her courage.

Thus, she spoke with even more confidence. “These people forced their way into my ward and said they were looking for someone inside.”

“I already told them I’m pregnant and that no one except doctors and nurses should enter, but they wouldn’t listen.”

“Take them away and interrogate them properly. You might actually uncover something.”

“Look at them, each one fierce and menacing.”

Seeing the female comrade adapt so nimbly, the soldier comrade knew his earlier meaning had been understood.

While inwardly admiring her, he didn’t forget to respond directly.

“Alright, sister-in-law, I’ll take them to the police station right away.”

“Daring to lay hands on a military wife—seems they have some backing.”

Hearing the exchange between the two, the group led by Brother Dao were practically scared out of their wits.

Good heavens, she really is a military wife!

But wasn’t she said to be an air force wife? Why would she have an army orderly assigned to her?

Though their minds were filled with questions, they had no choice but to hastily speak up in their defense.

“Sorry! Sorry!”

“We really didn’t mean to barge in—my child went missing, and we came looking for them.”

“We were just too anxious earlier and didn’t keep our manners in check. We’ll leave right now, right now!”

“Comrade soldier, we really didn’t do anything. You can’t take us to the police station!”

Seeing the group shift from their earlier arrogance to their current groveling, Shen Yi’an really wanted to curse them as ‘professional bootlickers.’

But she knew the timing wasn’t right, so she just tossed a few elegant eye-rolls their way.

The soldier comrade didn’t notice this detail, his gaze still fixed on Brother Dao and his group.

“All of you, step outside. Don’t disturb my sister-in-law’s rest.”

“You must understand that a pregnant woman’s daily routine deserves full respect, right?”

Hearing this, Brother Dao quickly led the way out of the hospital room, with the others following closely behind. The last one even carefully closed the door behind them.

Only after everything was shut out did Shen Yi’an finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

It was time to have a proper talk with the child.