Naughty Puppy Will Be Eaten by a Bad Woman - Chapter 32

Seeing Lu Zhao in her wheelchair, the bustling crowd below the stage instinctively parted to make way for her. Within moments, she had reached a position closer to the front, allowing her a clearer view.

The athlete on stage spoke with impassioned conviction, his voice ringing with infectious energy: “…Even after the surgery, my athletic abilities seem stronger than before. Performing these movements is no longer a problem.”

The athlete set down the microphone and demonstrated several dynamic movements, including deep squats, twists of his waist and hip joints, and agile leaps.

Lu Zhao lowered her head slightly and murmured into her lapel microphone, “Get a close-up of his movements. Camera, follow him closely. Use the on-camera microphone to capture both his actions and his words.”

Zou Zi, wearing monitoring headphones, heard Lu Zhao’s instructions and swiftly adjusted the camera’s focus from the side, moving forward.

The athlete on stage, noticing the Provincial Television Station’s camera approaching, performed with even greater enthusiasm.

As Lu Zhao watched the athlete’s movements, her brow furrowed deeper.

Zhou Muting, monitoring the camera feed on the monitor screen, zoomed in. The magnified image clearly revealed the surgical scar on the athlete’s knee joint.

It seemed almost too perfect.

“Xiao Zou, get more close-ups of his knee joints,” Zhou Muting instructed.

Lu Zhao had also noticed something was off. The athlete’s entire speech radiated an unsettling artificiality.

First, he boasted about his rapid recovery, claiming he could run and squat just a month after surgery. In reality, basic rehabilitation after artificial joint replacement typically requires three to six months, and doctors usually prohibit strenuous exercise.

Moreover, he mentioned “squats” and even demonstrated jumping and squatting on stage. Lu Zhao remembered that the athlete had undergone hip and knee joint surgery, movements patients typically avoid due to the high risk of artificial joint dislocation.

Then there was his physique… both sides were equally symmetrical and strong, showing no signs of atrophy or compensatory hypertrophy. While this could be attributed to the athlete’s unparalleled discipline and training…

By now, Lu Zhao had formed a daring hypothesis: this “disabled” athlete, who had supposedly refused to abandon his sporting dreams after a fall, was in fact a perfectly healthy individual.

Lu Zhao quickly reviewed her memories. Two years ago, she had announced her retirement from sports due to a fall injury, only to successfully return three months later, continuing to compete in para-sports, win awards, and become the spokesperson for Shengye Group in the same year—a position she still held.

A chill ran through Lu Zhao’s heart.

If her suspicions were true, Shengye Group had fabricated this able-bodied athlete’s status as an “artificial joint replacement recipient” to compete in para-sports and win awards, while simultaneously branding him as their spokesperson. The resources required for such a scheme went far beyond mere commercial influence.

Shengye had indeed been a long-term sponsor of para-sports, creating a symbiotic relationship. Domestically, they held a near-monopoly in the artificial joint industry. But to infiltrate major sporting events, ensure the athlete’s eligibility sailed through scrutiny, and wield such immense media and public relations power…

Lu Zhao shivered involuntarily. The forces behind this conspiracy were far too vast, capable of mobilizing such staggering resources. She doubted Shengye was the sole orchestrator.

At this level of power, she couldn’t tackle this alone. She needed to return and consult with the Provincial Television Station to devise a comprehensive strategy.

Lu Zhao bit her lip. If this was true, karma would inevitably catch up with Shengye. No matter how glamorous its facade, the company was essentially a sinking ship about to crash into an iceberg. Yunqing and Gu Xianyue must not be entangled in its fate.

Fang Lin, who was assisting Zou Zi, sighed, “If this is true, it’s almost surreal… This guy’s been pulling off this scam for over two years. That’s seriously impressive…”

Zou Zi explained, “Disability sports events don’t get much attention, and the verification processes aren’t as strict. Faking results isn’t as difficult as you might think.”

Moreover, with deliberate manipulation of public opinion, the masses were more inclined to believe “miracle stories.” The narrative of an “inspirational disabled athlete” could become a benchmark and role model, widely praised and emulated. Amidst the overwhelming positive publicity, even faint whispers of doubt would be drowned out by the backlash.

Lu Zhao’s eyes narrowed. She hadn’t expected such an unexpected windfall from this trip.

But the crucial question remained: how much did Yunqing know about all this? How much did Gu Yu, who had expressed interest in collaboration, know?

And how much did Gu Xianyue know?

Lu Zhao steadied herself, suppressing these thoughts.

She shouldn’t have doubted Gu Xianyue.

Lu Zhao lowered her head and spoke into her lapel microphone, “Zou Zi, that’s enough for now.”

With a clearer objective in sight, they couldn’t risk alerting their target prematurely.

Lu Zhao maneuvered her electric wheelchair, turning away from the audience seats.

The group gathered at the outer perimeter wore solemn expressions. Without Lu Zhao’s insight, they would have struggled to grasp the full implications.

Zhou Muting backed up the memory card onto a hard drive for future reference—if the opportunity ever arose.

Zhou Muting adjusted her glasses. “Xiao Lu, we can’t be certain about this yet. We need to discuss it with Old Wei and Director Shen back at the office.”

Lu Zhao nodded. “I understand. Let’s keep this quiet for now.”

Fang Lin voiced her puzzlement. “It’s strange. With so many disabled people present, why isn’t there even a ripple of skepticism?”

Lu Zhao pondered for a moment. “There are few athletes who are also disabled, making it easy to mask any doubts with the narrative of athletic perseverance. Moreover… many ordinary people suffering from disabilities actually resent the achievements of disabled athletes and subconsciously avoid such information, gradually forming information cocoons. In other words, able-bodied people may actually be more familiar with him than the disabled themselves.”

Just like Lu Zhao herself.

If she hadn’t been in the news industry, she likely wouldn’t have actively sought out stories of athletes with disabilities who demonstrated remarkable resilience. During the days when half her body had lost nearly all sensation, making even basic daily tasks a struggle, seeing another person stride confidently, casually mentioning their injuries, and revealing that they, too, had a disability—rather than feeling inspired, she felt a sharp pang of pain.

It seemed to imply that she was not only physically disabled but also mentally inferior to others.

Stories of resilience in the face of disability primarily inspire able-bodied individuals. Yet society offers limited opportunities for people with disabilities to thrive; most lose employment prospects and must rely on support from their able-bodied family members.

Therefore, these motivational advertisements were ultimately aimed at able-bodied audiences.

This perspective might seem counterintuitive, but when voiced by Lu Zhao, who herself had a disability, it resonated with the audience.

Zhou Muting pondered for a moment. “We shouldn’t let Xiao Jia know about this either. Even though she signed a confidentiality agreement… she’s young and sometimes lets things slip.”

With the data transfer complete and Xiao Jia’s interview wrapped up, the team had accomplished their work efficiently for the day.

After packing up, Lu Zhao maneuvered her wheelchair toward Yunqing’s exhibition booth.

Since she had nothing better to do, she figured she might as well gather some firsthand information about the leading figures in China’s medical industry. It certainly wasn’t because she wanted to see Gu Xianyue.

Gu Xianyue was currently delivering her annual product forecast report on the stage.

A custom-tailored midnight blue suit accentuated her graceful figure, its soft, flowing lines subtly shimmering with hidden patterns under the stage lights. With a laser pointer in her right hand, she elegantly highlighted key points on the screen, her composed, melodious voice filling the hall. She seemed to effortlessly command the audience’s attention simply by standing there.

Lu Zhao watched from the back of the audience, once again marveling at Gu Xianyue’s dazzling presence—a figure she had to look up to in order to see clearly.

She kept her mask on and didn’t return Fang Lin’s baseball cap, blending in with the other wheelchair-bound product testers in the crowd.

Yet Gu Xianyue seemed to have recognized her. From the stage, her gaze repeatedly drifted toward Lu Zhao’s direction, their eyes meeting briefly several times before gliding away.

No way… Lu Zhao thought. I’m completely covered up.

Soon after Gu Xianyue finished her presentation, the remaining speakers were several Yunqing executives introducing the new products.

Seeing Gu Xianyue step down from the stage, Lu Zhao prepared to leave as well, ready to join the group later for a tour of Shengye’s product development department.

As she maneuvered her wheelchair to exit, a tall figure blocked her path.

Lu Zhao looked up and recognized Gu Xianyue, the woman who had commanded attention on the stage earlier. Up close, Lu Zhao noticed that Gu Xianyue had changed her outfit and was now wearing a pair of exquisite, asymmetrical gemstone earrings. The earrings featured a leopard-print design inlaid with diamonds and emeralds. On anyone else, they might have seemed ostentatious, but on Gu Xianyue, they only accentuated the graceful curve of her neck.

“All done with work, Reporter Lu?” Gu Xianyue asked, her lips curving into a smile that made her already striking features even more captivating.

Lu Zhao lowered her mask. “You recognized me even like this?”

Gu Xianyue paused. “Your wheelchair is quite distinctive.”

Lu Zhao glanced at the Lingkang-exclusive design on the wheelchair. “Oh… right.”

Of course, Gu Xianyue hadn’t recognized Lu Zhao solely by her wheelchair. Lu Zhao sat ramrod straight, her posture exceptionally upright, making her stand out even among other wheelchair users. Combined with Gu Xianyue’s familiarity with Lu Zhao’s figure, her gaze had been drawn to her immediately.

“Why are you wearing different clothes? And dressed up like this?” Gu Xianyue noticed the oversized jacket Lu Zhao was wearing, clearly not her own.

Lu Zhao recalled what she had seen and heard at the Shengye Group’s exhibition booth earlier, a flicker of ambiguous emotion crossing her eyes.

She quickly suppressed it, flashing a slightly mischievous smile, two shallow dimples appearing at the corners of her lips.

“Hmm… This is Fang Lin’s jacket. I changed on purpose to see if you’d recognize me.”

Gu Xianyue’s eyes narrowed slightly at her words. She then removed her own suit jacket and handed it to Lu Zhao.

“Wear mine.”

Lu Zhao blinked. They would be meeting up with Fang Lin soon, so she could change back quickly…

But when she met Gu Xianyue’s gaze, those deep, unfathomable eyes reminded her of the time she had carelessly accepted a pack of wet wipes from the proctor, and Gu Xianyue had given her the cold shoulder the entire way home…

Without hesitation, Lu Zhao swiftly removed Fang Lin’s jacket and hat. “I’ll return it to her later. You don’t need to give me yours. It’s fine.”

Seeing Lu Zhao wearing only a thin shirt and a black turtleneck underneath, Gu Xianyue decisively took off her suit jacket and draped it over Lu Zhao’s shoulders.

The fabric felt exquisitely smooth, with an almost imperceptible velvety texture. Upon closer inspection, one could discern faint, intricate patterns woven into the material, all hinting at the garment’s considerable price.

But for Lu Zhao, the most precious aspects were the lingering warmth of Gu Xianyue’s body and that familiar, rich fragrance.

She couldn’t resist tilting her nose slightly, taking a small, discreet sniff.

Gu Xianyue’s clothes… smell so good… Today’s perfume also had a cedarwood scent, perfectly complementing the winter chill. She loved it.

Only when Lu Zhao had obediently put on the jacket did Gu Xianyue finally look satisfied.

Enveloped in Gu Xianyue’s scent, Lu Zhao couldn’t help but recall the lingering doubts she had suppressed.

Adopting a casual tone, Lu Zhao asked, “Gu Xianyue, I heard Shengye Group invited a spokesperson to give a lecture today?”

Gu Xianyue, her hand resting on Lu Zhao’s wheelchair, replied just as casually, “Oh, that disabled athlete? I know. Did you go listen?”

Lu Zhao narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced up to observe Gu Xianyue.

Gu Xianyue smiled gently, her eyes soft as she gazed down at Lu Zhao. She casually reached out to straighten Lu Zhao’s collar.

The brush of Gu Xianyue’s fingertips against the sensitive skin of Lu Zhao’s neck made her flinch. She quickly lowered her head, abandoning her attempt to probe Gu Xianyue.

Never mind. There’ll be plenty of time later.