Naughty Puppy Will Be Eaten by a Bad Woman - Chapter 35

◎She flicked one of the straps with her fingertip, sending it snapping back against Lu Zhao’s body with a thwack.◎

Lu Zhao was surprised to see Gu Yu, but quickly composed herself, adopting a polite smile.

“Good evening, President Gu.”

Gu Yu nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on the modified handbrake system in Lu Zhao’s driver’s seat.

“Reporter Lu, drive carefully.”

After delivering this cold remark, Gu Yu didn’t look at Lu Zhao again.

Lu Zhao blinked, remaining silent. Through their interactions over the past few weeks, she had sensed Gu Yu’s subtle dislike toward her. Though not openly expressed, it was palpable enough for her to notice.

Gu Xianyue leaned in, showing no concern for propriety, and reached into the car to smooth Lu Zhao’s wind-tossed hair.

“Go home and rest. Text me when you get there.”

Lu Zhao nodded, offering a sweet smile, then started the car, turned around, and drove away.

Gu Yu stood nearby, observing everything.

“You seem quite fond of that young woman,” Gu Yu murmured, lowering her head. The metallic click of a lighter ignited a cigarette, which she held between two fingers with practiced ease.

Gu Xianyue frowned slightly, waving away the drifting smoke.

She knew Gu Yu disapproved, but her trip to the Capital had changed her perspective. She no longer intended to deliberately conceal anything.

After all, it would become obvious sooner or later.

For now, since their relationship hadn’t been officially confirmed, she could still avoid direct conflict with Gu Yu.

“It’s not exactly ‘like,’ just something new,” she said, putting on an act, not caring whether Gu Yu believed her or not.

Gu Yu tilted her head, exhaling a smoke ring.

“That doesn’t sound like ‘not liking’ at all… Yueyue, love is the most useless thing. Don’t harbor any illusions about it.”

Gu Xianyue frowned. “If you don’t believe me, why even ask? You didn’t come here just to tell me that, did you?”

Gu Yu: “I brought you some things. Remember to give them to the orphanage director. You’re representing Shengye Group now, so you should know how to show your appreciation. I also wanted to check on you.”

Gu Xianyue glanced at the cigarette in Gu Yu’s hand, its slender tip glowing intermittently.

She wanted to say something, but ultimately held back.

A car pulled up to the curb. Gu Yu turned and waved to her daughter. “Have fun.”

Then, Gu Yu got into the car, and it sped away.

Gu Xianyue stood rooted to the spot for a moment before remembering to go inside and see what Gu Yu had brought her.

There were some expensive gifts and local specialties, along with several gift boxes. Noticing the lingering smell of smoke on her clothes, Gu Xianyue suddenly lost interest in examining the items closely. She took off her coat and prepared to take a bath.

She had wanted to tell Gu Yu to smoke less, for her health. But then she remembered the things Gu Yu had forced her to do, and the thought vanished.

Fortunately, Gu Yu didn’t linger and left immediately.

Sinking into the bathtub, Gu Xianyue let out a soft sigh.

When did our relationship become so strained and distant?

To the outside world, Gu Yu was an impeccable mother, providing Gu Xianyue with a privileged life and pouring all her resources into her upbringing.

But to Gu Xianyue, Gu Yu was a mother who was more cold than warm, who never cared about her disappointment at missing first place, only calmly pointing out the reasons for her failure; who never worried about spending enough time with her, always preoccupied with work and career; and who, of course, never asked what she truly enjoyed, simply arranging her daily schedule with lessons and studies…

Gu Xianyue often found herself puzzled by the portrayals of mothers in fairy tales and literature. The unique maternal love and tenderness described in these stories remained foreign to her.

Yet Gu Yu had never mistreated her, leaving no room for criticism, which only deepened her confusion.

Sometimes, she had the unsettling feeling that she existed not as Gu Yu’s daughter, but rather as a means to fulfill some long-cherished ambition of her mother’s. Otherwise, why would Gu Yu never care about her true thoughts, her preferences, or even who she loved—especially since the object of her affection was another woman?

“My good daughter, you’re becoming more like me every day.”

This was Gu Yu’s most frequent form of praise for Gu Xianyue.

Gu Yu and her husband had co-founded Yunqing, but the man abandoned her during her pregnancy, forming a new family with someone else and stealing Yunqing’s core technology to start his own venture.

Despite this devastating blow, Gu Yu refused to be broken. After giving birth to Gu Xianyue, she single-handedly built Yunqing into the powerhouse it is today.

Objectively speaking, Gu Xianyue admired her mother. But she knew they were fundamentally different, and she would never become her mother.

Regardless, she was going on a trip with Lu Zhao. Even though Gu Yu didn’t want them to grow closer, they were still going.

Gu Yu couldn’t control her life.

She rose from the bathtub, warm water cascading down her smooth, pale skin with each movement.

Looking at her misty reflection in the mirror, she reached out and gently wiped away the condensation. Her long, wet hair draped over her shoulders, partially obscuring her curvaceous figure. The light in the bathroom subtly revealed the toned muscles honed by gym workouts and martial arts training, a graceful blend of strength and beauty.

Her slender, pale fingers spread wide, then clenched into a fist, the pampered hand revealing faint veins beneath the skin.

Gu Xianyue smiled, satisfied with what she saw.

This was her.

This was all her own doing.

The day before her vacation, Provincial Television Station, following Lu Zhao’s strategy, first aired irrefutable evidence of Shengye’s academic fraud on the “In-Depth Investigation” segment. This included, but was not limited to, original confidentiality agreements signed by bribed professors, chat logs from ghostwriting teams, and other damning evidence. The bombshell dropped just before the Spring Festival, immediately topping trending searches across all platforms.

The entire nation was soon engrossed in the scandal, but this was only the beginning. Public opinion needed time to ferment, and to maximize attention, the evidence had to be released in stages to prevent a single PR campaign from neutralizing it.

Lu Zhao had already planned the remaining reports. Shengye Group remained silent, likely scrambling to devise a crisis management strategy.

After the broadcast aired, Lu Zhao let out a long sigh of relief, not only because her work was temporarily finished, but also because she was about to go on vacation with Gu Xianyue.

“Are you still insisting on splitting the costs?” Gu Xianyue asked again after they boarded the plane.

Before their departure, Lu Zhao had insisted on splitting the trip expenses with Gu Xianyue. Lu Zhao would handle the itinerary and activities, while Gu Xianyue would book flights and accommodations and plan the route.

As Lu Zhao settled into her seat, she looked around the completely empty cabin. They were the only two passengers.

“You… chartered a plane?” Lu Zhao’s pupils constricted sharply.

Gu Xianyue nodded, watching her with leisurely amusement. “You asked me to handle the flights and hotel, didn’t you?”

Lu Zhao pressed a hand to her forehead. She had.

Technically, it wasn’t a chartered plane; it was Gu Xianyue’s private jet. But to completely dissuade Lu Zhao from splitting the costs, she had deliberately staged an elaborate charade of security checks and boarding procedures.

Gu Xianyue disliked keeping such strict accounts with Lu Zhao. She wanted Lu Zhao to enjoy their time together without any financial burden, making it impossible for her to later settle for anyone else’s less-than-perfect care.

Besides… this was more private. She wanted as few interruptions as possible during their time together.

“Maybe… we shouldn’t split the costs after all?” Gu Xianyue murmured, her breath ghosting across Lu Zhao’s neck.

Lu Zhao flinched.

What choice did she have? If she insisted on splitting the costs, she’d be living on instant noodles for the rest of the trip.

She couldn’t blame Gu Xianyue. Their spending habits were on completely different levels. Forcing her to compromise would be asking her to lower herself.

“What kind of hotel… did you book?” Lu Zhao asked helplessly.

“A seaside villa with a hot spring and an outdoor pool,” Gu Xianyue replied.

Lu Zhao nodded. “I’ll pay for this. I can afford it.”

Gu Xianyue’s lips twitched into a faint smile.

It’s fine. I’ll get Lu Zhao used to it gradually.

But she had underestimated Lu Zhao’s sharp instincts.

When the flight attendant brought their coffee, she blurted out, “President Gu, please enjoy.”

Lu Zhao looked puzzled. “Why did she call you that?”

Gu Xianyue calmly picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. “She probably recognized me.”

“Oh…” Lu Zhao replied.

That made sense. Yunqing was quite famous.

A few minutes later, the flight attendant returned with a routine update. “President Gu, we’ve adjusted the flight path as requested, bypassing the restricted zone.”

Gu Xianyue nodded.

Lu Zhao asked, “Can you change the route on a private jet?”

Gu Xianyue replied casually, “When the airspace isn’t too busy, yes.”

“Oh…” Lu Zhao rubbed her temples, feeling her lack of experience keenly. She had never heard of such a thing before.

Fortunately, Lu Zhao fell asleep for the rest of the flight. The dark circles under her eyes suggested she had been working overtime in the days leading up to the vacation.

Gu Xianyue quietly got up, adjusted Lu Zhao’s seat into a bed, and draped a blanket over her.

After making sure Lu Zhao was comfortable, she turned to instruct the flight attendant.

“Don’t come talk to me again. If you need me, just gesture for me to come over.”

The less I say, the less likely I am to slip up.

“Understood, President Gu,” the flight attendant nodded.

Mid-flight, the entire plane began to shake violently. The flight attendant gestured that they had encountered some high-altitude turbulence. Lu Zhao, being quite lightweight, was tossed around, especially her prosthetic leg.

Gu Xianyue had anticipated this. She had even customized the seat with hidden safety belts to ensure Lu Zhao’s comfort and security during sleep.

Bending down, she retrieved the belts from the chair and expertly secured them around Lu Zhao’s ankles, shoulders, and limbs.

After a while, the plane passed through the turbulent air and regained its stability. The flight attendant brought over an exquisitely prepared meal.

The clatter of the tray as it was set down woke Lu Zhao.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of the meal on the spacious table before her. She was quite hungry.

As she tried to rub her eyes, she realized she couldn’t move. Looking down, she found her limbs tightly bound by safety belts.

“Huh? Gu Xianyue, what’s this?” She struggled against the restraints, but they held firm. She tried to reach the release button, but it was just out of reach.

Gu Xianyue: “We hit some turbulence earlier. I was afraid you’d fall out.”

Only Lu Zhao’s head could move. “Thank you… Could you help me untie this? I don’t think I can reach…”

Gu Xianyue watched her with leisurely amusement, a mischievous glint suddenly sparking in her eyes.

“Oh dear… I seem to have forgotten how to untie it too. I’ve never seen this type of design before,” Gu Xianyue said, leaning closer with a feigned look of concern. She flicked one of the straps with her fingertip, sending it snapping back against Lu Zhao’s body with a thwack.

Lu Zhao felt a surge of panic, but more importantly, Gu Xianyue’s actions made her cheeks flush. “Then… should we call a flight attendant over?”

Gu Xianyue shook her head. “The flight attendants are having their meal too. Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out.”

With that, Gu Xianyue leaned in to examine the straps, her face almost touching Lu Zhao’s chest. Lu Zhao’s chin could brush against Gu Xianyue’s hair, tickling her skin.

Lu Zhao’s drowsiness had vanished completely. Thousands of feet above the ground, she felt like she was suffocating.