Naughty Puppy Will Be Eaten by a Bad Woman - Chapter 30

Those alluring eyes held such deep affection, soft as if they could drown her in their depths.

The meal was nearly finished, and Sheng Huaixing had already downed two liang of liquor. His face flushed a liverish red as he began boasting about everything under the sun.

Seeing this, Lu Zhao gently squeezed Gu Xianyue’s hand under the table.

Gu Xianyue returned the squeeze before slowly speaking.

“I heard President Sheng is interested in overseas expansion?”

Sheng Huaixing perked up immediately. The Shengye Group had long considered this plan, but various obstacles had prevented its implementation. If he could make this happen, securing his inheritance would be a near certainty.

“Absolutely! Miss Gu, what are your thoughts?”

Gu Xianyue remained unhurried. She lifted her stemmed glass, took a small sip of red wine, savored the lingering aftertaste, and then slowly replied:

“Lingkang Medical Technology Group has already confirmed its partnership with Yunqing. Their representative will be attending tomorrow’s medical summit…”

Sheng Huaixing immediately seized the opportunity. “That’s excellent news! I hope Miss Gu can help us make connections. To be honest, my team and I previously visited Lingkang’s headquarters, but our collaboration proposal was rejected…”

Gu Xianyue smiled faintly, listening quietly without interrupting.

Connie, a woman of impeccable grace, wouldn’t publicly point out the boorish behavior of this second-generation wastrel. Nor did she feel obligated to remind him that as the head of the Shengye Group, he needed to maintain a professional image at all times, as his every action reflected on the entire organization.

To her surprise, Sheng Huaixing showed no self-reflection whatsoever, still clueless about the real reason for his rejection.

Gu Xianyue maintained her polite smile, but her contempt for Sheng Huaixing deepened.

“Very well. If things proceed smoothly, Lingkang may wish to tour Shengye’s R&D department. President Sheng, please ensure everything is prepared.”

Shengye’s R&D center was located in the Capital. If Lingkang was genuinely interested in collaboration, a tour would be a logical step.

Sheng Huaixing’s face lit up. He refilled his glass, stood, and raised it. “President Gu, you must be present for this. I’ll down this in one go—you can sip at your leisure!”

He tilted his head back and drained the glass in a single gulp.

Gu Xianyue raised her glass in acknowledgment, taking a restrained sip.

She didn’t want to drink too much; she still needed to go to school with Lu Zhao later.

By the latter half of the evening, Sheng Huaixing was clearly drunk. His assistant repeatedly tried to dissuade him, but he ignored all warnings, downing glass after glass. His speech became increasingly incoherent, and in his drunken excitement, he began pounding the table, rattling the entire private room with each strike.

Gu Yu frowned slightly but continued to politely agree with his ramblings.

Finally, the assistant apologized, “I’m terribly sorry, President Sheng… he’s no longer able to continue. If you have other matters to attend to, please feel free to leave.”

Gu Xianyue nodded and said to Lu Zhao, “Let’s go.”

During the evening, Lu Zhao had managed to quickly explain the situation to Yu Yanqiu.

Yu Yanqiu swiftly put on her coat.

“Hey Xiao Lu, you and President Gu can ride in my car. President Gu, I’ll show them around the school. Would you like to join us?”

Gu Yu, mentally and physically exhausted from humoring Sheng Huaixing, waved her hand dismissively, eager to retire to her room and rest.

“You young people go ahead. I’ll pass.”

Yu Yanqiu chuckled. “President Gu, don’t say that! If you insist, then we’re not young anymore either.”

Yu Yanqiu and Gu Yu walked ahead, naturally striking up a conversation with her, leaving Gu Xianyue and Lu Zhao to walk alone behind them.

Gu Xianyue smiled. “Your teacher seems like a pretty good person.”

Lu Zhao recalled Yu Yanqiu’s earlier words to her and nodded with a smile. “Yes, Teacher Yu is a good person.”

Though Gu Xianyue thought Yu Yanqiu seemed nice enough, she still felt a pang of jealousy when Yu Yanqiu and Lu Zhao began reminiscing about old times in the car, their voices blending in a familiar rhythm.

“Oh, Xiao Lu, you were truly fearless back then! You became famous even among the teachers. The entire Fashion Design Academy’s office was buzzing about you for weeks!”

Lu Zhao’s face flushed as Yu Yanqiu dredged up old stories and recounted her “heroic deeds” once again.

“Teacher, that was all in the past…” Teacher, could you please stop? Gu Xianyue is right here.

Gu Xianyue listened with genuine curiosity. Having completed her undergraduate studies in China and her master’s degree abroad, she had firsthand experience with the stark differences between domestic and international teaching styles and administrative approaches. She also observed how student behavior varied significantly across these different environments.

In China, students rarely dared to act in such a way.

But when she remembered that Lu Zhao was the one who had done it… it seemed almost understandable.

“You never told me about such an interesting story,” Gu Xianyue said, a smile curving her lips.

Lu Zhao lowered her head in embarrassment. “What’s so interesting about it… It’s just humiliating.”

Gu Xianyue smiled and took her hand, speaking earnestly, “There’s nothing humiliating about it. You were incredibly brave.”

Most people, faced with an authoritarian system, would avoid questioning or challenging it out of self-preservation. But Lu Zhao had dared to do so—and succeeded.

Hearing Gu Xianyue’s sincere praise, Lu Zhao felt as if she were floating on clouds, her chin tilting upward slightly without her realizing it.

Gu Xianyue watched her delighted expression, thinking she looked like a Little Dog who couldn’t hide her wagging tail. She chuckled, her mood brightening considerably.

Yu Yanqiu, who was driving, glanced at the pair in the rearview mirror, her expression thoughtful.

Upon arriving at the school, the two first retrieved the item from Yu Yanqiu: a USB drive. Lu Zhao quickly reviewed the contents on a computer, a satisfied look spreading across her face.

Yu Yanqiu said earnestly, “Xiao Lu, now that I’m in this position, it’s difficult for me to expose certain things personally. I’m entrusting this to you.”

Lu Zhao’s eyes remained fixed on the computer screen, a flicker of excitement in them.

This evidence… could hammer Shengye even harder.

A fleeting image flashed through her mind: Sheng Huaixing, the man who had fawned over Gu Xianyue, being humiliated. Though somewhat unethical, the thought seemed to exhilarate her even more.

Maintaining a righteous demeanor, Lu Zhao nodded. “Don’t worry, Teacher Yu.”

She understood Yu Yanqiu’s predicament. The higher one climbs, the colder the air becomes. As Vice President of the National Media Association, every move Yu Yanqiu made carried significant weight. She had become increasingly cautious in her words and actions, rarely expressing personal opinions publicly.

After giving Lu Zhao a few more instructions, Yu Yanqiu left ahead of them, encountering Gu Xianyue waiting at the door.

“Please take care of Xiao Lu for me,” Yu Yanqiu said abruptly. “She… can be quite a handful sometimes.”

Gu Xianyue nodded calmly, accepting the responsibility without hesitation. “Of course. I will.”

As Lu Zhao emerged, Yu Yanqiu cast a meaningful glance at Gu Xianyue before tactfully waving goodbye.

“Xiao Lu, show President Gu around properly. I’ll head back now.”

After saying goodbye to Yu Yanqiu, Lu Zhao turned to Gu Xianyue and asked, “What were you two talking about just now?”

Gu Xianyue chuckled. “She said you were her best student.”

Lu Zhao scoffed, unconvinced. “Really?”

Gu Xianyue gazed out at the administrative building’s surroundings, bathed in the lush shadows of towering trees and illuminated by strategically placed light strips that layered the surrounding architecture with depth.

Here, in this place, lay a part of Lu Zhao’s life that Gu Xianyue had never been a part of.

“Aren’t you going to show me around?”

Lu Zhao pondered for a moment. “You’ve probably seen all the usual sights. I’ll take you to places most people never get to see.”

Gu Xianyue smiled. “Sounds good.”

In truth, any place would feel special as long as she was with Lu Zhao.

After leaving the administrative building and passing through the campus history corridor, they reached an artificial lake. A pavilion stood serenely at its center, its light strips delicately wrapped around the structure, guiding passersby with soft, twinkling lights without overshadowing the natural beauty of the scene.

It should have been the perfect spot for a date, yet it was deserted.

As Gu Xianyue and Lu Zhao walked across the bridge toward the central pavilion, Gu Xianyue asked, “Let me guess… is this pavilion called ‘Breakup Pavilion’?”

Breakup Pavilion, as its name implied, was a legendary spot where couples who dared to date there were said to be cursed to break up.

Lu Zhao’s peach blossom eyes lit up. “Yes! How did you know?”

Gu Xianyue replied, “My university also had a ‘Breakup Pavilion.’ What a coincidence.”

The wind blowing off the lake was chilly. Lu Zhao tightened her coat and tucked her hands into her pockets. “Looks like schools are all pretty good at public relations.”

Gu Xianyue took Lu Zhao’s hand, wrapping it naturally in her own and tucking it into her coat pocket. “What do you mean?”

Lu Zhao’s voice faltered slightly. “Well… you see, places like this have beautiful scenery and are quiet, making them perfect for couples to date. But that could affect the school’s image. So, the school might spread rumors to make student couples think these spots are unlucky, discouraging them from dating here…”

Gu Xianyue smiled. “I see. Reporter Lu is quite clever.”

Lu Zhao sniffled self-consciously, the tip of her upturned nose red from the cold. “It’s just my personal theory…”

The winter night was quiet but not desolate. Occasionally, students passed by, chatting animatedly with their friends. No one paid them any attention, as if they were just ordinary members of the school.

“This is the place. Let me see if it’s still here…”

Lu Zhao and Gu Xianyue stopped in front of a large classroom in the academic building. It appeared to be an unused room, as all the surrounding classrooms had electronic locks, while this one still had an old-fashioned twist-handle lock.

Lu Zhao turned the handle, confirming it was locked.

She stood on tiptoe and reached behind the classroom sign, retrieving a rusty piece of metal.

Activating her phone’s flashlight, Lu Zhao handed it to Gu Xianyue. “Shine the light on the lock for me.”

Gu Xianyue guessed what Lu Zhao was about to do and aimed the flashlight at the door handle. Lu Zhao lowered her head, using the flashlight’s beam to guide the rusty metal piece into the keyhole. She began to gently twist it.

The flashlight’s glow illuminated Lu Zhao’s face as she focused intently on the lock. Her lips unconsciously pursed slightly, then pressed together. At crucial moments, a small frown creased her brow, as if her entire face were straining with the effort.

Gu Xianyue watched, mesmerized, thinking Lu Zhao resembled some mischievous little animal.

So even Lu Zhao, the scholarship queen, gets up to these sneaky things.

Before long, a click sounded.

“Alright, come in,” Lu Zhao said, switching on the light. After Gu Xianyue entered, she closed the door behind them.

Gu Xianyue looked around. It was clearly a classroom that had been abandoned for a long time—or perhaps a studio would be a more accurate term. Instead of ordinary desks and chairs, the room was filled with human figure sculptures, wildly imaginative fashion design projects, easels, and scattered paintings.

The walls were covered in artistic graffiti and decorations, creating a scene that felt like it belonged in a movie—chaotic yet radiating a unique artistic beauty.

“This used to be the Fashion Design Academy’s studio before it merged with the Academy of Fine Arts. After the merger, this place was abandoned… Come over here, I want to show you something,” Lu Zhao said mysteriously, leading Gu Xianyue behind the podium.

It had been years since Gu Xianyue had last been on a campus, and being here with Lu Zhao felt strangely refreshing.

Or rather, seeing Lu Zhao on campus felt refreshing—youthful and full of vitality.

Lu Zhao first turned off the lights, plunging the room into darkness. Then, fluorescent text began to glow on the wall behind the podium. Written with special fluorescent paint, the words remained remarkably clear even after all these years.

Lu Zhao chuckled. “This was back when I reported the construction noise. I got so frustrated with the way they kept passing me around without resolving anything. After finally finding this relatively quiet, undisturbed spot, I angrily wrote this using discarded fluorescent paint from the classroom…”

Gu Xianyue studied the text closely. The characters were arranged vertically, written in traditional Chinese from right to left:

We have learned to self-domesticate, forced to remain silent

Within our immobile prison cells

Our expressions and postures are constantly monitored

And we are forbidden

To step even a single foot beyond the red line

Though unsigned, Gu Xianyue immediately recognized Lu Zhao’s handwriting. The bold, sweeping strokes and sharp, angular strokes revealed the arrogance and youthful vigor of the writer.

Lu Zhao sighed. “Wow, so many others have written here too… It seems I wasn’t the only one who discovered how to get into this classroom…”

Following Lu Zhao’s words was a dense mass of other sentences. Some directly criticized the school’s policies, while others, like Lu Zhao’s, were more cryptic. Everyone had tacitly used traditional Chinese characters, making the text resemble a relic from the early 20th-century vernacular movement, intended to confuse any future discoverers.

Through the wall of text, Gu Xianyue seemed to see the young girl who, with unwavering courage, had stood up and done what so many others dared not even dream of. Perhaps she had blazed a trail, inspiring countless students to resist injustice and defend their rights.

The words on the wall carried a palpable weight, striking the ground with a resounding force that shook Gu Xianyue to her core. In her world, those born into wealth and privilege always had more options. Many, like Sheng Huaixing, coasted through life on the accumulated wealth of their ancestors, content to drift aimlessly.

These people had no need to fight for anything like Lu Zhao did, their lives so relaxed they seemed to have lost their vitality, aging prematurely.

Yet Gu Yu had deliberately surrounded her with such people, condemning her to spend the rest of her life among them. Gu Xianyue found it utterly suffocating. She often questioned whether the privileges she enjoyed were slowly numbing her defenses, like a frog in slowly heating water, until one day she might become the very thing she despised most.

But now that she had met Lu Zhao, she felt a void in her life suddenly filled, her soul resonating deeply with his.

At that moment, she was certain that her feelings for Lu Zhao were no longer superficial admiration, but a genuine, profound attraction to him…

In the darkness, Gu Xianyue’s eyes traced the contours of Lu Zhao’s silhouette. The soul beneath that imperfect shell had captivated her beyond resistance…

“Lu Zhao, I…”

Lu Zhao, who had been examining the messages left by other students on the wall, turned his head at her words, his gaze colliding unexpectedly with Gu Xianyue’s.

Those alluring eyes were brimming with emotion, soft enough to drown her in their depths.