Chapter 78: Arrogant, But With the Capital to Be

Meeting her gaze, Song Chaoxu spoke politely.

“Comrade Shen, are you hungry?”

“I bought a lot of food, including liquid meals suitable for you. Don’t worry!”

As he spoke, he placed the food he was carrying on the bedside table.

Noticing that his demeanor and movements showed no signs of pretense, Shen Yi’an finally breathed a sigh of relief internally.

Good thing he didn’t notice!

It wasn’t that she was overly confident in her ability to see through people’s thoughts at a glance.

As someone who drank Spirit Spring Water like plain water, it was easy for her to keenly detect disguise in others’ emotions.

The infinite amplification of the five senses was truly practical and efficient.

With her guard down, Shen Yi’an returned to her initial demeanor. “Thank you, Comrade Song.”

“I was worried you might buy food that requires swallowing. It seems I overthought it.”

After a brief exchange, she recounted her recent interaction with Song Shu to Chen Rongying.

Hearing that their daughter had managed to say a single “good,” Chen Rongying and her family of three were still overjoyed.

Even the smallest progress at this moment could lead to significant improvements later.

They looked forward to that day.

For the rest of the evening, the group enjoyed a pleasant dinner together in the hospital room.

After the meal, Song Chaoxu took his family of four to stay at the pre-arranged hotel rooms, leaving Shen Yi’an alone in the ward.

Although free from prying eyes, she resisted entering her Space, afraid she might not control herself and take another sip of Spirit Spring Water.

The healing speed of the wound on her neck was already fast enough—any faster would be hard to explain away.

Especially to the accompanying doctor, who, as a professional, possessed more knowledge and understanding than others.

To ensure a smooth journey ahead, it was best to exercise restraint. After all, the wound would heal eventually.

Speak of the devil.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the accompanying doctor pushed open the door and entered the room.

Catching a whiff of the lingering food scent in the air, he unconsciously furrowed his brows.

Noticing this, Shen Yi’an quickly explained, “Comrade Song and his family had dinner here in the room.”

“Don’t worry, I only had millet porridge.”

Her expression screamed “I value my life,” which inadvertently made the accompanying doctor chuckle.

“As long as you remember.”

“Although it’s a minor surgery, it’s in a critical area of the body.”

“If the wound gets infected, you’ll be the one suffering the pain.”

After speaking, he pointed to the small bottle of iodine on the bedside table.

“Shall we apply the medication now?”

“Nighttime is when skin metabolism is most active. Blood circulation accelerates, and cell division speeds up.”

“Applying iodine at this time is more conducive to wound repair.”

Leave professional matters to the professionals.

Hearing the doctor’s logical explanation, Shen Yi’an had no grounds to refuse again.

She agreed readily, “Let’s apply it then.”

Pleased with her compliance, the doctor worked swiftly.

The only minor hiccup was his exclamation of surprise while applying the iodine.

“Your body’s healing ability is remarkable.”

“It’s only been a few hours, and the wound already looks like it’s sealing together.”

“It seems you’ll recover faster than expected.”

“Really?” Shen Yi’an pretended not to detect the underlying suspicion in his question.

“It seems years of taking medicine have built up antibodies in my system.”

The accompanying doctor nodded in agreement.

“That’s entirely possible!”

“Since childhood, you’ve been frail and sickly, so you must have taken many tonics or medicinal foods.”

“It makes sense that your body developed antibodies.”

As for how the accompanying doctor knew about Shen Yi’an’s childhood frailty—it was something Shen Yi’an mentioned when the chief surgeon asked before the operation. Now the doctor was applying this knowledge practically.

After finishing the medication, the two female comrades chatted for a while longer before lying side by side on the hospital bed to rest. The bed was wide enough, and both had slender figures, so they fit comfortably.

On the fifth day of hospitalization, the same soldier who had escorted them earlier came with a message. He said matters in Xincheng were resolved and asked how Shen Yi’an’s wound recovery was progressing—whether she could travel by train. If not, two people would stay in Xincheng to protect her, and she could depart for her destination after being discharged.

Shen Yi’an, who had long grown tired of staying in the hospital, immediately replied upon hearing the soldier’s question, “Yes, yes, I’m absolutely ready to be discharged.”

“The smell of disinfectant here is unbearable. If I don’t leave soon, I won’t be able to take it anymore.”

Seeing her reaction, both the soldier and the accompanying doctor laughed.

After completing the discharge procedures, the three returned to the train station along the same route.

Over an hour after the train departed, Shen Yi’an saw Li Beizhao again. His purpose for appearing was singular: to deliver a message to Song Chaoxu.

“…There’s no other way. It has to be like this.”

“Originally, I planned to escort you all to Luochuan City, but this mission came up suddenly.”

“This human trafficking ring involves extensive connections. Local authorities can’t detain them for long.”

“Only with military intervention will those people dare not meddle.”

Though his explanation wasn’t detailed, everyone present understood the underlying meaning. The so-called female boss of the human traffickers had backing from other forces—entities ordinary people couldn’t touch. Only the military, armed with real weapons, was a power that those behind the scenes feared and respected.

It seemed the nation’s efforts to combat crime and eliminate evil were still insufficient. The coming period would likely be turbulent again.

Collecting his thoughts, Song Chaoxu nodded seriously.

“Alright, that’s not a major issue.”

“Anyway, the few of us are heading the same way. We’ll just take a taxi to the air force base later.”

“But you, kid, remember to be steady and thorough—don’t act recklessly.”

“You have a wife and child waiting for you at home.”

Hearing this, Li Beizhao didn’t respond. He stood up and left. Yet, the confidence radiating from him made anyone who saw him feel he was fully self-assured.

Watching his retreating figure, Song Chaoxu couldn’t help but mutter a complaint.

“With that temper of his, I don’t know how his wife puts up with him.”

“Did you see that? Didn’t he look just like a peacock spreading its tail feathers?”

“If I were Uncle Li, I’d want to give him a good thrashing.”

“Only you think that way,” Chen Rongying chimed in with a laugh beside him.

“Beizhao may be arrogant, but he has the capital to be.”

“He has both skill and brains—what does he have to fear?”

“To say something bold: as long as he doesn’t make selective mistakes, he might even rival Uncle Li in the future.”

Hearing his wife’s praise for Li Beizhao, Song Chaoxu couldn’t resist retorting.

“What about Beichen, then?”

“You only praise Third Brother—won’t Fourth Brother feel alienated if he finds out?”

Hearing this, Chen Rongying shot him an amused glance.

“Those two brothers are as close as can be, yet you insist on stirring trouble between them.”

“Better not overthink it.”

“What you should be focusing on is how to explain to Fourth Brother why you left the Li Family without a word.”

“If you can’t sort this out, he might just ignore you when you show up this time.”

At these words, Song Chaoxu fell silent.

The Li Family had four brothers.

The eldest clearly carried an imposing aura, yet he wasn’t intimidated by him.

The second eldest appeared shrewd, but he didn’t fear him either.

As for the third, though he often kept a stern face, Song Chaoxu still felt no dread.

Only Fourth Brother—who seemed the most harmless—somehow made him apprehensive.

He couldn’t pinpoint what exactly he feared, but he simply didn’t dare confront him head-on.

If that guy were to learn he’d distanced himself because of a momentary misconception, thinking the Song and Li families weren’t even on the same starting line…

Tch, what a headache!

Seeing him massage his temples in distress, Chen Rongying chuckled and ignored him, turning instead to chat with Shen Yi’an, who was holding Song Shu.

“Honestly, men are so ridiculous!”

“They overthink everything and constantly impose their assumptions on others.”

“Then it turns out the other person never meant any of it—it was all their own delusion.”

“What’s the point? Just bored and itching for trouble?”

Sensing the helplessness in Chen Rongying’s tone, Shen Yi’an—who had already grasped the underlying meaning in their exchange—grew even more curious.