Wealthy Woof Chapter 21

Neither Lu Chenghe nor the butler had high hopes that Lang Ya and Fu Na would actually track down the person responsible for abusing dogs. While the two dogs were highly skilled at searching, they needed a target scent. The little dog’s body had already been taken away by Dr. Wen and the entire house had been disinfected to prevent any lingering bacteria. Without a reference object, even issuing a command was difficult—it would be too much to expect the dogs to find the culprit on their own.

So, the butler bringing the dogs over was more of a show, a warning to the hidden animal abuser that the Lu family took this matter seriously. If they intended to act again, they had better consider the consequences.

What the butler didn’t know, however, was that before they left to track down the culprit, Zuo Ning had given specific instructions to Lang Ya and Fu Na. Originally, the dogs had no clear command, but with Zuo Ning’s guidance, they understood the humans’ intent. If they still remembered the scent, they could track it even without a physical target.

So, the two dogs that had been following the butler quietly along the way suddenly erupted into fierce barking as they reached one particular house.

The butler’s heart clenched. He glanced at the person standing at the doorstep, catching sight of several police officers nearby. Steadying himself, he stepped forward and spoke, “Good afternoon, Mr. Qiao. I’m the Lu family’s butler. Sorry for the sudden visit.”

In Qingniao City, anyone associated with prominent families or businesses was someone the Lu family’s butler was expected to be familiar with. It was part of his job.

Although he was “just” a butler, meeting him was no easy feat. At the very least, Shu Wan’s husband, Qiao Bo, had tried multiple times to establish a connection with the Lu family but had never succeeded. Now, seeing the Lu family’s butler at his own doorstep, Qiao Bo was both surprised and flattered. He quickly put on a welcoming smile. “Not at all! Please, how can I help you?”

The butler noted that Qiao Bo’s expression showed more delight than nervousness, while the woman standing behind him looked visibly uneasy. This already gave him a rough idea of the situation. He then briefly explained, “There have been reports of animal abuse in the area. My master is very protective of his pet, so he sent me to investigate with these two German Shepherds. I hadn’t expected them to react so strongly at your doorstep. Mr. Qiao, would you mind if we let them take a look inside? Rest assured, if they damage anything, we will compensate you fully. And I will personally report this visit to my master.”

Qiao Bo saw no reason to refuse. Their household didn’t own any pets and his wife was allergic to fur. There was absolutely no way an animal abuser could be hiding in their home. He wasn’t the least bit afraid of an inspection.

In fact, if this visit helped him establish some form of connection with the Lu family—even if it was just Lu Chenghe acknowledging his existence—it would surely bring future benefits.

Just as he was about to agree enthusiastically, Shu Wan, pale-faced, grabbed his arm and hesitated. “We don’t even have pets. Maybe the dogs are just barking randomly? Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to let them in like this?”

Qiao Bo frowned slightly at her reaction but then recalled her allergy to dog fur. Seeing her uneasy expression, he assumed she was simply frightened by the two large dogs. He patted her hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Lu family’s dogs are well-trained. They won’t bite. If you’re scared, you can go wait in the bedroom.”

Without waiting for Shu Wan to protest, Qiao Bo turned to the butler and said, “Please, come in.”

The butler crouched slightly to pat Lang Ya’s head. Since Lang Ya had been in close contact with the injured puppy, it should be easier for him to pick up the scent.

As soon as the two dogs entered the house, they stopped barking. Instead, they lowered their heads and sniffed around carefully. Sniffing their way through the house, they eventually arrived in front of a door leading to the basement.

Lang Ya scratched at the door with his paw, let out a short bark at the butler, and then sat down in front of it, unmoving.

The butler turned his gaze to Qiao Bo.

Qiao Bo explained, “That’s the basement. My wife keeps her books down there. She has too many, so we had to store some downstairs.”

The butler smiled politely. “Would you mind if we take a look?”

Shu Wan’s face was deathly pale as she immediately refused, “Those are my books. I’m allergic to dog fur, so I’d prefer if you didn’t go in.”

When Qiao Bo heard this, he was a bit frustrated. He had finally established a connection with the Lu family. If things turned sour because of this, it would be a major loss. So, he subtly signaled Shu Wan with his eyes, urging her not to make a scene at this moment.

The butler, however, did not insist. Instead, he said, “Since Mrs. Qiao is allergic to dog fur, we won’t let the dogs inside. But Mr. Qiao, would you mind sending one of the police officers with me to take a quick look? We won’t touch anything that belongs to Mrs. Qiao. The dogs have reacted to your house. If we don’t investigate, it might lead to misunderstandings about Mr. Qiao. It wouldn’t be ideal, don’t you think?”

Hearing this, one of the officers had already walked over. Fortunately, it was the Lu family taking charge of the situation. In this upscale neighborhood, where the issue didn’t exactly break any laws and was more of a moral matter, their uniforms wouldn’t hold much weight.

Of course, Qiao Bo didn’t want to be associated with a dog abuse scandal in front of Lu Chenghe. But seeing his wife’s reaction, he started to come to his senses and began to sense something was wrong. Still, if he refused to let them investigate, it might make him look guilty. If nothing was found, it wouldn’t matter. But if he turned them away, it would make him seem suspicious. Had this visit come from any family other than the Lu family, he could have flat-out refused. But it was the Lu family.

In the end, after weighing the options, Qiao Bo nodded. As soon as he did, Shu Wan nearly collapsed in fear, her legs shaking. Seeing her reaction, Qiao Bo immediately feared the worst.

In the basement, the shelves were indeed filled with Shu Wan’s books, but there was also a plastic sheet hanging on one of the walls, with two ropes attached to it. The ropes had strands of white fur on them and there were bloodstains on the plastic sheet.

The scene wasn’t as horrific as expected and no dog abuse tools were visible. But just the sight of the plastic-covered wall and the ropes was enough to indicate what had been happening.

The butler gave Qiao Bo a heavy look and nodded slightly. “Apologies for disturbing you, Mr. Qiao,” he said, then glanced at the officer who had followed him in before turning to leave.

Qiao Bo stared at the wall, gritting his teeth and growling in a low voice, “Shu Wan!”

The butler didn’t make a fuss about it and simply returned to the estate with the two dogs. However, those who had seen him lead the dogs into the Qiao house and then leave without looking back couldn’t help but speculate about what had happened.

When the butler returned and reported the outcome to Lu Chenghe, he said, “I think Qiao Bo really didn’t know about this. He just never expected his wife to be such a terrifying person, especially when she sleeps beside him every night. I’m not sure if Mr. Qiao will develop a psychological trauma when it comes to women from now on.”

Zuo Ning, who was sitting on the sofa in Lu Chenghe’s arms and feeding him half a peach as a reward, didn’t expect the butler to return with the culprit already found. He certainly hadn’t anticipated that it would be a woman. It was indeed terrifying.

After sharing the investigation results, the butler sighed, “It’s a pity that the dog was a stray. Otherwise, we could have pursued a lawsuit for damaging someone else’s property. But as it is, since it’s just animal abuse, we can only conduct educational counseling; there’s no legal punishment.”

Lu Chenghe, feeding Little Pudding, didn’t even look up. “Qiao Bo won’t let her get away with it. It’s karmic retribution.”

Indeed, although Qiao Bo was unaware of the abuse, his reputation had been tarnished. This would certainly affect his future relationships. He would most likely divorce this woman. If he was magnanimous, he would sever all ties completely. But if he wasn’t, he’d likely seek revenge. However, judging by Qiao Bo’s behavior, Lu Chenghe doubted he was a man of noble character.

At last, a matter was settled. Zuo Ning slumped in Lu Chenghe’s arms, lying on his belly with all four paws comfortably sprawled out. When a piece of cut peach was brought to his mouth, his tongue curled around it, and he chewed it up with a satisfying “smack” before swallowing it down. He looked incredibly content.

Lu Chenghe was still lecturing nearby: “Don’t eat anything from strangers outside and don’t follow strangers. Otherwise, that poor little thing is what you’ll become.”

Zuo Ning lifted his head to look at Lu Chenghe, letting out a soft “woof”. Are you seriously scaring me like that? You’re not worried about traumatizing my innocent little heart!

Lu Chenghe glanced down at him and, scratching his chin, fed him another piece of peach.

Zuo Ning had been eating happily, but suddenly, the dog froze, unmoving.

Lu Chenghe looked at him in confusion, then seemed to remember something and reached his hand toward Little Pudding’s mouth. “Spit it out.”

Zuo Ning looked at Lu Chenghe, hesitating, as spitting it out didn’t feel quite right. But after Lu Chenghe urged him a couple of times and began to reach toward his mouth, Zuo Ning closed his eyes and simply let the food fall out of his mouth into Lu Chenghe’s hand.

Lu Chenghe opened his hand, revealing the mashed-up peach and a small white tooth. He set the tooth on the table, wiped his hands with a napkin, then pinched Little Pudding’s mouth. “Open your mouth. Let me see your teeth.”

Zuo Ning instinctively tried to pull back, but Lu Chenghe grabbed his paws and firmly held him in place, disregarding his dog rights, prying open his mouth to check his teeth.

“Woof!” Zuo Ning protested.

After the inspection, it was confirmed that he had only lost one tooth and hadn’t accidentally swallowed it. Lu Chenghe finally let him go. “Every time I check your teeth, it’s like I’m trying to take your life. From now on, if you lose any teeth, don’t swallow them. Keep them and let me know, okay?”

Zuo Ning, missing a tooth, laid down on the sofa, hugging his paws, not knowing when this awkward teething phase would ever end.

Worried that Zuo Ning might not have understood, Lu Chenghe took the little tooth and placed it in Zuo Ning’s paw. Then, after a few moments, he took the tooth back from the paw and placed a piece of jerky there instead. He repeated the process, hoping Little Pudding would learn that the tooth could be exchanged for a treat.

For some reason, Zuo Ning suddenly found Lu Chenghe’s repeated demonstrations unbearably cute. Without thinking, he pounced onto Lu Chenghe’s chest, pinning him down, and playfully licked his lips.

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