Naughty Puppy Will Be Eaten by a Bad Woman - Chapter 23

After saying goodbye to Gu Xianyue, Lu Zhao walked home, feeling much lighter on her feet.

She tested her gait again, even trying a flight of stairs. By the time she reached her apartment, a vague suspicion had formed in her mind.

This suspicion prompted her to immediately text Gu Xianyue:

Does this new product have an AI system?

Gu Xianyue had just parked her car when she saw Lu Zhao’s message. A smile curved her lips.

Yes, I forgot to give you the manual. Download this app to customize your walking mode, track your steps, and more.

What Gu Xianyue didn’t tell Lu Zhao was that this prosthetic had been specially customized for her, with every component meticulously crafted to the highest standards, regardless of cost. It didn’t adhere to the mass-production standards of the market.

She didn’t want Lu Zhao to know about her favoritism.

There was another feature Gu Xianyue hadn’t mentioned.

At her request, the research team had integrated a real-time heart rate sensor into the prosthetic.

This allowed Gu Xianyue to monitor Lu Zhao’s heart rate on her phone app, anytime, anywhere.

In truth, this heart rate sensor was a far more technically challenging feat than the AI system. No other product on the market could achieve such real-time monitoring.

Because the bl00d flow signals in residual limbs are weaker than those in the wrist and chest, they severely compromise the accuracy of sensors.

However, Gu Xianyue spared no expense in having her research and development team tackle this challenge. By implanting a high-precision optical heart rate sensor into Lu Zhao’s prosthetic socket, they finally achieved what seemed impossible.

Her goal was simple: to constantly monitor Lu Zhao’s safety. Ever since seeing the psychological evaluation results, Gu Xianyue had been plagued by an indescribable sense of unease.

Though she knew Lu Zhao’s strong sense of responsibility and integrity made extreme actions unlikely, what if? She had seen too many such cases.

She hated this feeling of being out of control. She preferred to keep all variables firmly in her grasp.

I need to know Lu Zhao’s condition at every moment, she thought.

Initially, she had considered implanting a GPS tracking system directly. Technically simpler and more straightforward, it would have allowed her to see Lu Zhao’s location, how long she stayed in each place, and any anomalies, all with a glance at her phone.

But after careful consideration, Gu Xianyue realized such an approach would be inappropriate, as it would violate Lu Zhao’s privacy.

Of course, she longed to understand and control every aspect of Lu Zhao’s life, but… she desired even more for Lu Zhao to willingly share her secrets.

No matter, she thought, I have the patience for this.

So she chose to take a circuitous route, ultimately achieving her desired outcome.

Upon returning home, Gu Xianyue opened the bottle of red wine Lu Zhao had given her and poured it into a crystal-stemmed glass etched with intricate patterns.

Standing before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, she gazed out at the city’s glittering nightscape.

With one hand, she elegantly swirled the wine in her glass, while her other hand swiped through the heart rate monitoring app on her phone. Her long eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the fluctuating bar graph, each column representing a minute’s worth of data. It was as if she were peering through Lu Zhao’s ribcage, witnessing the frantic beating of her heart within.

Lu Zhao’s resting heart rate appeared slightly lower than average, remaining remarkably stable most of the time. Yet at one particular moment, the heart rate spike shot up to around 110.

Gu Xianyue recalled that exact moment: it was when Lu Zhao had just put on her prosthetic leg, and Gu Xianyue had been massaging her.

So that deafening heartbeat wasn’t just mine, she realized. Lu Zhao’s heart was racing too.

Satisfied, Gu Xianyue took a delicate sip of wine, the crimson stain blooming across her curved lips like a forbidden fruit tasted, leaving her with an alluring, almost dangerous allure.

The monitoring system seemed remarkably accurate. Perhaps the R&D team deserved a bonus.

But at the last data point, Lu Zhao’s heart rate had suddenly spiked to around 120.

Hmm? Gu Xianyue raised an eyebrow.

What could she be doing so late?

At that moment, Lu Zhao was resuming her long-neglected workout routine. She started with gentle stretches before moving on to more intense resistance training.

Her phone buzzed with a notification. Lu Zhao set down the resistance band, tapped the screen, and saw it was Gu Xianyue.

Gu Xianyue: Getting ready for bed?

Lu Zhao replied: Not yet. I’m working out.

The typing indicator appeared on the other end. Lu Zhao took a break, sipping half a glass of water.

Gu Xianyue: What kind of workout are you doing?

Lu Zhao noticed Gu Xianyue always seemed eager to know exactly what she was doing, and the more details she provided, the better.

Far from disliking this, Lu Zhao felt touched by Gu Xianyue’s genuine concern. Perhaps she had finally found a true friend—the kind who cared deeply about what she was doing at every moment. A warm feeling welled up in Lu Zhao’s usually placid heart.

She cheerfully replied: Resistance training. Just three more sets to go. What about you?

Gu Xianyue: Drinking red wine. Get some rest soon.

Lu Zhao sent back a nodding dog emoji and resumed her workout.

Gu Xianyue’s genuine care for her made Lu Zhao realize she couldn’t continue drifting through life, living each day as it came. She needed to get back on track.

She resolved to adjust her mindset, knowing that failing to do so would betray Gu Xianyue’s expectations.

Gu Xianyue gazed at the emoji on her phone—a white puppy nodding obediently, looking utterly adorable. She raised her thumb and gently stroked the puppy’s head on the screen.

In the following days, Wei Ning noticed Lu Zhao seemed like a completely different person. No longer listless and half-dead, she now radiated vitality, becoming proactive and engaged.

Fang Lin often caught Lu Zhao staring at her phone with a smile playing on her lips.

“Are you dating someone?” Fang Lin asked directly.

Lu Zhao always answered candidly, “No.”

Fang Lin eyed her suspiciously. “Then who were you chatting with just now? You looked so happy.”

Lu Zhao smiled. “It was Gu Xianyue.”

Seeing Lu Zhao’s transformation—no longer looking like a ghost, even her “workaholic” aura had faded—Fang Lin clicked her tongue in amazement.

Gu Xianyue is really something, Fang Lin thought.

During this time, Lu Zhao successfully passed both Subject One and Subject Two of her driving test.

She had already mastered the road rules and driving techniques; now it was simply a matter of adapting to a new control system and retaking the exams.

The modified C5 vehicles featured a circular grip on the steering wheel, allowing drivers to steer with one hand. The foot pedals for braking and acceleration had also been converted to manual controls, enabling drivers with lower limb disabilities to operate the vehicles.

This posed no challenge for Lu Zhao. After a few practice sessions, she took the exams and passed both on her first attempt.

When Lu Zhao went to take Subject One, Gu Xianyue even made time to drive her to the testing center. Despite Lu Zhao’s insistence that she could go alone, Gu Xianyue insisted on driving her.

On the way, Lu Zhao casually scrolled through news articles on her phone. Gu Xianyue assumed she was reviewing practice questions and didn’t bother her. After all, it had been several years since Lu Zhao last took the test, and cramming beforehand was still a good idea.

The weather was perfect—a rare sunny day in winter. The warm sunlight bathed them, chasing away the chill.

Lu Zhao wore a light-colored knitted hoodie over a shirt. Bathed in sunlight, she looked soft and fuzzy, as fresh and carefree as a college student using their vacation to get a driver’s license.

Lu Zhao and Gu Xianyue had grown very close. Even when they weren’t together, they chatted daily, their interactions becoming increasingly natural and relaxed.

Now, Lu Zhao sat comfortably in the passenger seat, occasionally glancing at the scenery outside the window.

But as they arrived at the testing center and Lu Zhao started discussing a news story she’d just seen, Gu Xianyue realized Lu Zhao hadn’t been studying at all.

“Aren’t you going to review? The exam starts soon,” Gu Xianyue said, glancing at Lu Zhao’s relaxed expression as she looked for a parking spot.

Lu Zhao surveyed the surroundings and noticed the testing center was quite desolate, with no cafes or even benches in sight.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and said to Gu Xianyue, “Find a shady spot to park. I’ll be right back.”

Gu Xianyue nodded. “Okay, go ahead.”

After watching Lu Zhao enter the building, Gu Xianyue replied to a few work messages on her phone, then stepped out of the car for some fresh air. She habitually opened her heart rate monitoring app to check her readings.

Gu Xianyue leaned against her Cayenne, her slender, graceful figure accentuated by the winter sunlight. Her excessively beautiful face glowed even more captivatingly, her long, silken eyes lowered as she gazed at her phone, the usual sharpness in her gaze softened, drawing frequent glances from passersby.

In the minds of some overconfident men, this only heightened the illusion of her being easily attainable.

“Hey beautiful, waiting for someone?” Two young men approached with smirks, their eyes lingering on Gu Xianyue’s Cayenne before one reached out to touch it.

Gu Xianyue glanced up, ignoring them. The icy glare in her eyes made the men sheepishly withdraw their hands.

She encountered such advances almost every time she was out alone. Her usual method was to ruthlessly drive them away.

But today, in a rare good mood, she didn’t want to lose her temper. She hoped these two would take the hint and leave on their own.

Tch, it’s just annoying that they touched my car with their dirty hands.

The men, rebuffed but undeterred, were still scheming how to regain Gu Xianyue’s attention when Lu Zhao emerged.

The moment Lu Zhao appeared, Gu Xianyue’s frosty expression melted. She glanced at the time and realized Lu Zhao had only been inside for barely fifteen minutes.

Completing the sign-in, identity verification, answering 100 questions, and receiving the results in such a short time was nothing short of miraculous.

“So fast? Did you pass?” she asked anxiously, though she already knew the answer in her heart.

Lu Zhao nodded, a subtle hint of pride curling the corners of her lips. “Perfect score.”

Gu Xianyue couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch Lu Zhao’s cheek. The texture was delightful—soft and pliant.

Lu Zhao stood perfectly still, letting Gu Xianyue pinch her cheek, obedient as a lamb.

“Lu Zhao? I’m not mistaken, are you Lu Zhao?” A male voice interrupted them. Lu Zhao turned to see two men standing nearby.

Gu Xianyue’s expression darkened.

After a moment of careful scrutiny, Lu Zhao said, “You’re… Huang Wenkai and Zhang Jun?”

Huang Wenkai and Zhang Jun were her high school classmates. Huang Wenkai had always led the taunting, calling her an orphan and orchestrating the entire class to ostracize her. Tearing up her homework and scrawling vulgarities on her desk were daily occurrences.

During the morning study session before the college entrance exam, they had even locked her in the restroom, only releasing her just before the exam began, forcing her to rush to the test without breakfast.

Lu Zhao had always approached her studies with deep contemplation, meticulous care, and unwavering focus, which meant she wasn’t particularly fast at solving problems.

However, the pressure of the college entrance exam forced her to finish her essay far ahead of schedule. She feared fainting mid-exam and disrupting the other test-takers. True to her fears, she collapsed from hypoglycemia the moment she left the examination hall.

It was then that Lu Zhao realized she could actually solve problems much faster than she thought.

Zhang Jun had once courted her relentlessly, employing every trick in the book—love letters, breakfast deliveries, and persistent pursuit. Lu Zhao used his love letters as scratch paper and returned his breakfasts untouched, remaining unmoved by his relentless advances.

Humiliated and enraged, Zhang Jun joined Huang Wenkai’s group of bullies targeting Lu Zhao. He even played a part in locking her in the bathroom that year.

At the time, Zhang Jun and Huang Wenkai acted with impunity, leveraging their families’ connections in the education bureau. Teachers turned a blind eye to their behavior, powerless to intervene.

Wei Ning, then a busy and still-unestablished Minister at the television station, was unaware of these incidents. After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Zhao chose to endure the abuse in silence, never telling Wei Ning.

After all, she was good at enduring things. If she just held on, it would pass.

Her high school life was incredibly dull. Thanks to Zhang Jun and Huang Wenkai, no one dared approach her.

As a result, her high school years were spent either studying or reading. The teachers felt sorry for her but couldn’t offer much help, as they had to protect their own jobs. So, they often lent Lu Zhao their personal collections of books, feeling guilty all the while.

The books teachers read covered many subjects high school students rarely encountered, but they weren’t too difficult to understand.

It was during this time, through her extensive reading, that Lu Zhao discovered new ways of seeing the world.

She realized that Zhang Jun and Huang Wenkai’s behavior was both childish and pathetic.

Once she understood this, her life no longer felt so unbearable. Sometimes, when Huang Wenkai tore up her half-finished exam papers right in front of her, grinning provocatively, she would look at him with pity.

Fortunately, Lu Zhao completed the college entrance exam without any major incidents. She felt she had done well enough, at least well enough to never have to associate with these people again.

As expected, when the results came out, she soared ahead, becoming the top liberal arts student in the entire province. With a full scholarship in hand, she entered Capital Media University, one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions.

She immediately began preparing for her upcoming university life, previewing courses, working part-time to save up for tuition and living expenses… Now that she was an adult, she refused to spend another penny of Wei Ning’s money.

Initially, she earned money by tutoring and giving private lessons. Her reputation as the top scorer on the college entrance exam brought her a steady stream of students. Later, she made money by contributing articles to various platforms. Combined with scholarships and competition prizes, she managed to get through her entire university career without asking Wei Ning for a single cent.

Busy with independent living and her studies, she had long since forgotten about Huang Wenkai and Zhang Jun. She never pursued any further action against them, nor did she waste a shred of energy on them.

Now, as time flowed by, Lu Zhao had amassed wealth and honed her talents, while Huang Wenkai and Zhang Jun seemed to have gained weight and become the epitome of “average, yet overconfident” men.

Huang Wenkai and Zhang Jun grinned, as if they thought Lu Zhao was a pushover who would never speak up, even if bullied.

Leaning against the car, they stroked the Cayenne, their flippant confidence returning. “Oh, you remember us? What a pleasant surprise! How have you been?”

Huang Wenkai and Zhang Jun were feigning ignorance. In Qingcheng, anyone who followed the news even casually knew Lu Zhao. They were simply using this as an opportunity to ingratiate themselves.

How could Lu Zhao forget them? They were one of the nightmares of her student days, the mere thought of them still making her nauseous.

But she had endured those times. She lived only in the present and the future.

Pulling out a sanitizing wipe from her pocket, she said, “I remember. Could you please move aside?”

Huang Wenkai and Zhang Jun looked puzzled but stepped back.

Lu Zhao tore off two wipes, bent slightly, and meticulously wiped the spots on the car’s body where they had touched it. Her gaze was focused, her movements precise, as if she were removing some stubborn stain.