Practicing Sweetness
The honeymoon days flew by.
There was just so much to do on the island!
Every day, Ning Yi and Gu Cheng went around eating, drinking, trying out all kinds of water activities. They even took a submarine down below the sea to see giant sea turtles.
They had already witnessed the grandeur of the ocean’s surface, and now they saw the vibrant colours beneath it. It was a world Ning Yi had never explored before—every day felt new and exciting.
This time, they were truly immersed in their vacation. For days, they barely even looked at their phones.
Except when there were important documents that Gu Cheng needed to review—Assistant Zhou would handle everything, pass the information over, get Gu Cheng’s decision quickly, and then retreat with a blissful expression.
You two carry on, carry on! TvT
As the honeymoon was nearing its end, the activity Ning Yi had been looking forward to finally arrived.
“Volcano! Volcano! Volcano!” Ning Yi raised her arms.
Gu Cheng smiled and grabbed the overly enthusiastic Ning Yi. “Don’t rush.”
Mount Xizeduo, located on the southern side of the island, was an active volcano. For decades, it had remained active. Its most severe eruption had once swallowed over a hundred houses in the town at its base, and the lava had even flowed into the island’s national geological park, consuming vast forests.
But the landscapes formed by volcanic lava were both magnificent and breath-taking. The local geological bureau monitored it in real time, and when conditions were stable and safe, visitors could hike up a nearby peak to watch the lava flow into the sea.
Although hiking was an option, considering Ning Yi preferred taking it easy—and—
“My legs hurt QvQ,” Ning Yi clung onto Gu Cheng.
They hadn’t gone too hard—still in the “exploration and experience” phase—but after all the activities, her legs were a little sore. Totally normal, just muscle fatigue—but climbing a mountain? Definitely not.
Gu Cheng had already thought of that.
Holding her in one arm, he said, “You’re not climbing.”
They’d just drive up.
Ning Yi immediately raised her arms again. “Then what are we waiting for!”
Gu Cheng raised a brow and smiled. “Let’s go.”
Seeing how energetic she was, it seemed like tonight could last a little longer too.
…
As their car wound up the mountain road, they saw locals hiking toward the summit.
Ning Yi pressed herself against the car window and saw thick smoke rising from the top. Halfway up, there was also a lava trail created after past eruptions.
They got out of the car. Ning Yi ran over excitedly—
Then ran right back just as quickly.
Gu Cheng caught her and glanced down at his shoe.
Covered in ash.
Ning Yi quietly withdrew her foot—she’d just stepped in volcanic ash mud. Hehe.
Good things had to be shared with her husband. How could she be the only one getting dirty?
“…Heh.”
Gu Cheng pinched her cheek. “A-Yi thinks of her husband in everything. I’m so touched.”
Ning Yi wiped her shoe casually against the ground and waved grandly. “We’re family, no need to say all that. Let’s go, husband!”
Up the mountain!
At the summit, the thick volcanic smoke was clearly visible.
“Wow wow wow!”
“Careful.”
Ning Yi jumped out of the car and ran forward—then suddenly stopped, stunned by the sight before her.
Lava flowing into the sea.
She had heard about this before, but seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely.
Blue ocean—meeting steaming rivers of molten rock.
Through the rising grey-white mist, a blazing red tongue of lava split through the dark cliffs, tumbling down into the churning sea below.
It felt dangerous—yet so mesmerizing that she couldn’t look away.
Slowly, the lava carved its path like cracks across the land, while the vast ocean received it all.
Humans felt small.
Nature felt overwhelming.
Amid the deep rumbling sounds, Gu Cheng still held Ning Yi’s hand, standing beside her as they watched this wonder of the world.
To him, holding the hand of the person beside him in this moment felt like the most important thing in the world.
And their silhouettes against this magnificent backdrop seemed like part of the scenery itself.
Assistant Zhou quietly lowered his camera.
—This stunning scene absolutely had to be shared with the internet! It would be a crime not to!!
Gu Cheng and Ning Yi stood there for a long time.
Ning Yi finally spoke. Gu Cheng, too, had many thoughts swirling in his mind, waiting for her to go first.
“Husband, don’t you think…” Ning Yi said seriously.
Gu Cheng gently squeezed her hand. “Mm?”
“…it looks kind of tasty.”
…Didn’t it resemble those molten lava cakes?!
Gu Cheng: “?”
He suddenly forgot everything he had been thinking.
But then he smiled.
Her heart was bright and carefree—free of unnecessary worries. And that was a wonderful thing.
Gu Cheng chuckled softly. “I’ll take you to eat cake later.”
Ning Yi wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled into him. “Hehe.”
So nice.
There were so many beautiful things in this world—
Gu Cheng gently pinched her earlobe. “Want to stay a bit longer?”
His honeymoon leave was almost over, but seeing how happy Ning Yi had been, he had considered working remotely for a while so she could stay and enjoy more.
Even though the time difference would be inconvenient—he could always work day and night. After all… he had plenty of energy.
But Ning Yi lifted her head from his chest and shook it.
“No need.”
Their island was here—they could always come back.
And every season had its own beauty.
Besides—after seeing the wonders of the world, it was time to go home and relax.
Both she and Gu Cheng still had many things to do.
“So… let’s end the wedding here!”
Taking the warmth of the honeymoon island with them—
A smile flickered in Gu Cheng’s eyes. He deliberately pinched her waist. “What, planning to divorce me?”
Ning Yi grinned. “I’ll decide after you take me to eat lava cake.”
Gu Cheng flicked her forehead. “Then we’ll eat it now, until you stop having that idea.”
“Charge, charge, charge!” Ning Yi held both of his hands.
Gu Cheng smiled and led her back.
But they didn’t know that the image of the two standing before the rolling lava and the sea, holding hands and smiling at each other, directly made netizens cry from sweetness and envy.
[Damn ahhhh lava flowing into the sea! So cool! Is this that man and his wife’s honeymoon? TAT]
[So sweet wuwuwu, grand and sweet]
[Looking forward to Gu de Mo Ning returning from their honeymoon and continuing to give us sugar! Please!]
…
When going down the mountain, they didn’t take the car.
Locally, visitors could choose to ride horses down, following another mountain road with better scenery.
Gu Cheng asked Ning Yi, “Can you?”
Her legs were still a little sore.
Ning Yi really wanted to ride to the town. Her only concern was—
“Husband,” she sat on the soft saddle cushion and nudged Gu Cheng behind her, “do you think… Little Red, Stand Up, and Runs Fast will blame us for riding other horses outside?”
Gu Cheng couldn’t help laughing. “No. You already gave them gemstone saddles.”
Ning Yi: “Admit it. You really liked the birthday gift I gave you.”
Gu Cheng: “I did.”
As long as it was from Ning Yi.
Gu Cheng’s riding skills had always been excellent, and the horses provided here were all gentle older horses. They rode down from the volcano peak along the winding mountain path.
On the other side of the mountain was the sea, and the hills were full of clustered pink flowers.
They rode past green pastures belonging to the islanders and greeted the little white sheep here.
Then they passed through the small town. Riding on horseback from the mountainside town, the locals were already used to it and greeted them warmly with smiles and compliments.
Ning Yi waved back enthusiastically.
The sound of hooves went *clop clop clop*. It was very different from the last time they rode together, but the person behind her had never changed.
Finally, they reached the cider factory at the foot of the mountain. Gu Cheng lifted her down, then found a local cake shop.
Young Master Gu spent money to have the chef make chocolate lava cake.
Ning Yi took it and ate. It didn’t taste as good as the Gu family chef’s, but she still smiled and finished it.
Then she ordered a cup of local cider.
The amber-yellow liquid had many little bubbles. Ning Yi drank from a simple plastic cup.
Gu Cheng looked at the satisfaction in her expression and lowered his head. “Good?”
Ning Yi nodded. “Sweet ^3^”
Gu Cheng took it and drank from where her lips had touched, then raised a brow. “Are you sure?”
Naturally brewed cider, with no additives, tasted sour and strange.
But Ning Yi smiled up at him and kissed his thin lips, which carried the same apple scent.
The not-so-delicious cake and the not-so-delicious cider— were both sweet.
“Why is that?” Ning Yi blinked with a grin.
Gu Cheng understood too. Smiling, he pulled her waist closer and deepened the kiss.
“I think it’s because of you.”
…
After seeing the volcano and visiting the town, their itinerary only had one final night left.
Tomorrow, they would board the big plane and go home. Before bed, Ning Yi finally emerged from her immersive vacation mode and checked her phone.
The first thing that popped up was Zhao Mochu’s wailing:
[So sweet ahhhhh]
[As expected of a tyrant’s honeymoon, so amazing, so sweet ahhhh]
Ning Yi: OvO?
Then she opened CMore and saw that some passers-by had happened to spot them, photographed them, and posted the pictures online. There were only a few high-definition shots, but the shares, comments, and likes were extremely high.
Ning Yi looked for a while—whoa! The photos were really good!
She couldn’t help saving the one of the two of them standing before the volcanic lava.
Which expert took this!
Assistant Zhou: quietly hiding his achievements.
Ning Yi turned and sent it to Gu Cheng beside her, demanding he use it as his phone wallpaper.
Gu Cheng raised a brow, set it as both lock screen and home screen wallpaper, then looked at the angle of the shot.
Heh.
Assistant Zhou.
Wanting a raise, was he?
Ning Yi checked his wallpaper, was very satisfied, then continued browsing online.
These honeymoon days, they had seemed cut off from the world. But the outside world—meaning Princess Ding’s world—was still very exciting!
Goodness.
After only a few days, Ding Ziyue and Jiang Linyi’s plot had already progressed to Jiang Linyi making a public online appeal.
“Yueyue, come back. I really love you.”
Ding Ziyue saw Jiang Linyi’s appeal, but she didn’t contact him directly. Instead, she responded from afar online.
In the video, Ding Ziyue’s face was pale but her makeup was exquisite. She seemed to casually cover her lower abdomen and said melancholically, “Please stop asking. Give us some space. I think we both need time to calm down—”
The paid commenters below skilfully led the narrative.
[Oh my god, she’s lost so much weight. My heart aches looking at her]
[What happened to our strong little princess Yueyue?]
There were also confused netizens coming in to eat melon. [What happened, what happened? Slurp]
Ning Yi watched the whole video with great interest: It had started—the melodramatic pregnancy escape!
Jiang Linyi and Ding Ziyue’s public back-and-forth, Gu Cheng and Ning Yi’s volcanic honeymoon photo—all lined up on CMore’s trending recommendations. Under Princess Ding’s intense marketing push, their popularity successfully surpassed Gu de Mo Ning!
Ding Ziyue had been following the trends in real time. When she saw her name above Ning Yi’s, she finally felt like she had won a small victory.
Haha! As expected! Their love story still had plenty of drama left!
Although she was also very jealous that Ning Yi got to watch lava flow into the sea, Ding Ziyue touched her stomach and knew she had won in terms of plot again!
She couldn’t help taking out her phone and messaging Ning Yi on WeChat:
[Sister, you’re still in the mountains, right? It must be quite isolated there. You probably haven’t been online much?]
[My heart is full of love. Do you understand this feeling?]
[No, you wouldn’t understand!]
Ning Yi: Ah—
So dazzling. So blinding!
Pregnant Princess Ding had already entered a new mode for her character setting—holy light shining everywhere!
Her holographic game couldn’t be without such talent. Ning Yi immediately added it to her mental material library.
Beside her, Gu Cheng had just finished checking his work emails. Their internet industry park in the east of the city was almost complete.
In the future, Ning Yi would have a building there, where she could freely make the game she wanted. With her abilities, that holographic game would surely become a new trend that swept across everyone.
Gu Cheng closed his laptop and noticed the smile on Ning Yi’s lips. “What is it?”
Ning Yi couldn’t help sharing the plot with one of the only two people in this world who knew this was a pampering novel. “Ding Ziyue ran away pregnant!”
Gu Cheng: “?”
Who?
Not important.
Gu Cheng took her phone away, lowered his head, pulled her into his arms, and pointed outside.
“Baby.”
It was raining over the sea today.
The pale white curtains billowed outside the window. The final night of their honeymoon was damp and quiet.
In Gu Cheng’s eyes, Ning Yi seemed to see a rainy night.
Over the whole honeymoon, everything they had learned was checked before they left.
The sea breeze blew damply across the windowsill.
The laptop and phone were placed aside. Ning Yi hugged Gu Cheng and kissed him lightly.
Her knowledge had improved, and not only did Gu Cheng understand her better—she also understood Gu Cheng more.
For example, blowing air behind his ear would make him ticklish. For example, kissing along his cheek to the corner of his mouth would awaken more of his wildness.
Just like now—
Gu Cheng held her with one hand, and with the other held a small square packet, biting it open.
Ning Yi lay on the pillow and looked at the deep eyes beneath his brow bone. They carried a sense of sinking desire, yet remained clear enough to remember what mattered. He never forgot.
When it came to her body, Gu Cheng had always been extremely careful. The right to have children belonged only to Ning Yi herself. If Ning Yi had no such intention, or was not ready in any way, he could never be the source of an accident.
So—what was running away pregnant?
If you’re not ready to welcome it, then honestly wear protection.
Ning Yi stared at him for a while and couldn’t help thinking: Heh.
By now, she completely understood what kind of person Gu Cheng was. Because of his genius and noble background, he was extremely arrogant, yet he also possessed rare empathy. Gu Cheng knew Ning Yi still had things she wanted to do, games she wanted to make, worlds she wanted to experience. So he supported her in keeping more time for herself, rather than giving all of it to family.
What their future family would look like, Ning Yi didn’t know. Maybe one day, when she had played enough and earned enough, she might also want a little cub to play with.
But before that, she and him were already home.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing—”
“You still dare to get distracted?” Gu Cheng’s voice turned dangerous.
Ning Yi couldn’t help relaxing, the pleasure gradually building.
Gu Cheng knew she had adapted much more now, so he tried applying some other knowledge.
Different knowledge had different effects. Ning Yi seemed to have had some strange switch pressed, and at one point the sensation accumulated so much that she nearly felt dizzy. “…Too much!”
Gu Cheng also closed his eyes.
…
Outside the window.
The deep sea received the rain. The sound of rainfall grew heavier, almost numbing.
The wild flicker of nerve endings slowly melted into the night with the waves.
He lowered his head and held her, exchanging warm breaths.
After a long while, Gu Cheng spoke in a low, magnetic voice.
“What were you thinking about?”
Ning Yi mumbled for a while.
“I was thinking… when my game goes into public beta, will you play it?”
“Of course,” Gu Cheng said.
Not to mention, Wander would also be in that game.
Of course he would participate.
“Oh—” Ning Yi thought, then what kind of character setting would Gu Cheng get? According to this world’s rules, maybe he’d once again be a character who crushed everyone.
She didn’t know. But amid the slowly settling feeling, she gave a soft, drowsy yawn.
So Gu Cheng turned off the light.
Only moonlight fell over their figures. Gu Cheng kissed her gradually closing eyes.
“Only thinking about that?”
Ning Yi shook his hand under the blanket, then intertwined their fingers. “Also… I’m thinking I want to go home.”
Gu Cheng gave a soft laugh.
He supported the back of her head and kissed her against the pillow.
Whether here, by the volcano, in the deep sea, or back there, at home—the important thing was—
“By my side, right?”
“Hmph.”
The island wind would eventually blow them to the next place.
No matter where they were, north or south, what mattered was that they had each other.
So Gu Cheng held Ning Yi properly in his arms. “Then I’ve brought it with me too.”
Ning Yi obediently looked up. “Brought what?”
Gu Cheng: “My baby.”
Our home.
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