Gu Cheng had never experienced anything like this before.
It felt like tiny hammers were pounding in his lower abdomen, causing waves of throbbing pain.
Frowning, he asked Ning Yi, "Do you go through this pain every month?"
Ning Yi pouted and tapped her finger. "Actually, it's usually not too bad. This time might be because I did some intense horseback riding. Hehe."
Gu Cheng: "..."
Ning Yi spoke in a feeble, pitiful tone, "Husband, you're the one who cares about me most. You won't be angry, right? I'm entrusting my body to you during my most vulnerable time—this is proof of my trust in you!"
Gu Cheng closed his eyes briefly, clutching his abdomen as he asked, "How long will this pain last?"
" It comes and goes, won't be constant," Ning Yi murmured softly, "Just a day or two, okay?"
"..." Gu Cheng took a breath. "Alright."
So this was the pain women endured every month.
It really wasn't fair.
Gu Cheng stared at the pink packet in his hand for a moment. He kept a few tablets in his pocket and tossed the rest away.
The experience of menstrual cramps was utterly foreign to him, every second of it. Just like now, Gu Cheng realized it wasn't just abdominal pain—he also felt an inexplicable irritability.
That irritation peaked when he returned and saw the green hair on Gu Le's head.
The carefree young master grinned and came over: " "All stuffed, sis-in-law?"
Gu Cheng glanced back at the bathroom, expressionless. "..."
Gu Le: O_O
Sorry, I didn't mean it like that.
He scratched his head with a sheepish grin, the green hair fluttering in the breeze. "So, wanna play or what, sis-in-law?"
Gu Cheng found it irritating and frowned, "No more playing!"
Gu Le: QAQ Fine, no more playing! Why be so mean?
But the way Sister-in-law scolded him... it kinda sounded like his brother?
After getting scolded a couple times, Gu Le actually felt kinda touched.
Waaah!
Gu Cheng naturally couldn't ride the horse anymore, so he walked back with Gu Le.
Only after Ning Yi rested enough and switched back to her own body did they learn from Zhao Mo Chu that Ding Ziyue and the others had kept the event going for half the day—complete with professional filming crews and socialite-style horse ranch afternoon tea photo ops.
"But only this gossip queen spotted the real highlight!"
"Ding Ziyue must have twisted her ankle somewhere—Jiang Linyi helped her back!" Zhao Mo Chu chattered like a rabbit darting through a melon patch. "No fans were around, so nobody noticed. Otherwise, wouldn't this have trended?"
Ning Yi stroked her chin, deep in thought: "That makes sense."
Jiang Linyi is such a big star. He'll be entangled with the female lead in all sorts of drama going forward. She absolutely must recruit him to her platform! She'd have to find an opportunity, hmm.
"But right now, all the hot recommendations are about you, sis," Zhao Mo Chu concluded.
Ning Yi: "?"
That day, Ning Yi had too many stunning photos. Later, someone even captured her horseback riding. After all, besides Zhao Mochu, all of Jiang Linyi's fan station sisters were frantically gushing over her looks at the time. Once uploaded to the platform, the photos went viral, flooded with comments everywhere.
"Holy crap, I love it! I told you she's both beautiful and handsome!"
"Isn't she the green dress girl from last time!"
"Does she have an account? I'm the first to dive in headfirst [heart-eyes][heart-eyes]"
Of course, Ning Yi didn't take credit for it. After seeing the photos, she gazed deeply at Gu Cheng and said, "Husband, you look so handsome training horses! I'm so proud of you!"
Gu Cheng had been suffering from menstrual cramps for half the day and only returned to his senses when the pain subsided intermittently.
He didn't feel like talking right now.
To get Gu Cheng to keep helping her endure the cramps, Ning Yi decided to employ the encouragement-based education method!
Ning Yi: "Husband, you're so handsome and yet so devoted to your wife, wuwu!"
Ning Yi: "How could anyone be as perfect as you, honey?"
Gu Cheng: "Heh."
Ning Yi, eyes red, gasped: "You! Are! My god!"
Gu Cheng: "?"
On CMore, Zhao Weining and the other coders also saw Ning Yi's stunning divine image, and they all shed tears: Their 01 boss is so skilled, so beautiful, and even looks so handsome riding a horse!!
—Why did he marry so young?! Damn it!
They immediately boosted Ning Yi's rankings.
In the end, Ning Yi's horseback riding photos and videos went viral online, while Ding Ziyue's meticulously edited equestrian photos remained stuck at a few hundred comments and likes.
At home, Ding Ziyue seethed with frustration: She should be the one receiving all the attention and adoration!
She smashed her phone: What a crappy app! I'm done with this! —
But soon after, Ding Ziyue's photos saw a massive surge in traffic.
——[01 liked this 5 minutes ago]
Netizens who'd just been gazing at the equestrian beauty's stunning looks immediately spotted this update:
[Ahhh! 01 is here! That mysterious founder!]
[Love this effortlessly cool vibe!!]
As a newly launched platform, CMore's developers actively engaged with users. Zhao Weining himself registered an account, verified as "Third Young Master of the Zhao Family + Software Developer." He frequently replied to user feedback in the comments section, promptly relaying suggestions to his team for app improvements.
Followers of his account knew he held their core tech guru 01 in high regard. Despite 01's CMore profile being completely blank, their follower count kept climbing.
Ding Ziyue had naturally heard of this founder.
Judging by Zhao Weining's age, 01 must be quite young too—and so talented. Liking her posts proactively... was that some kind of hint? Ah, this life of being pampered—sometimes being too charming really is a hassle!
Ding Ziyue's mood lifted again.
——Right, why was she even comparing herself to Ning Yi? People are different!
Besides, Ning Yi's smugness wouldn't last long!
Jiang Linyi's emergence and development unfolded exactly as foretold in her dream. This proved her dream's plotline was accurate!
Ning Yi's mistreatment of Young Master Gu was an unalterable fact—soon, the awakened Young Master Gu would exact brutal revenge.
Ding Ziyue resolved to infuse Young Master Gu with the warmest, most vital force to rouse him!
Now that Ding Yusen was listening to Ding Ziyue's advocacy for Gu Zhison, their collaborative projects were advancing smoothly, nearing the contract signing stage. Truthfully, if Gu Cheng were present, these projects wouldn't have fallen to Gu Zhisong to oversee. Ding Yusen naturally preferred negotiating directly with Young Master Gu, but the latter's condition remained uncertain.
Leaning against her brother, Ding Ziyue sweetly remarked, "Uncle Gu, shouldn't you thank me~"
"Indeed, Yu-yu! You truly are a blessing for both our families!" Gu Zhisong smiled ingratiatingly.
Ding Ziyue felt quite pleased with herself.
Even with the Gu family's eldest son's hospital room heavily guarded, Gu Zhisong would have to find a way to get her inside~
The next day. Gu residence.
Gu Cheng, inhabiting Ning Yi's body, stood before the toilet, his expression as still as water—
staring at the sanitary pad he'd unwrapped in his hands.
"Right, after you tear it open, it should be white, right?"
"It has two little wings. You stick those to the back of your underwear to secure it."
"It's super easy~ You're so smart, honey, you'll definitely learn how to put on a pad! I believe in you!"
Gu Cheng: "..."
Never in his life had he experienced such an absurd moment.
After a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Are you sure you want me to do this?"
Ning Yi lay perfectly still. "Mm-hmm, that's right, honey. We can't switch back now."
Today was the second day of her period. To avoid cramps and eat, they'd already switched roles three times. They were currently in a cooldown period between switches, but she hadn't changed her pad in nearly two hours! Gu Cheng was her only option.
Gu Cheng wore an expressionless face as he coldly reminded her, "Ning Yi, I need to take off your pants."
Ning Yi, utterly shameless, retorted, "Oh, come on! You're my husband—what's the big deal? If you don't change it now, it'll leak soon!"
Having survived three years in the apocalypse, Ning Yi had seen more than her share of dismembered limbs—let alone naked bodies. Any lingering shame about the human form had long since vanished.
Besides, Gu Cheng was a big CEO—surely he'd seen women before?
No way?
The young master Gu, who'd never dated or spent time with women before the incident: "..."
Finally, he closed his eyes and reached for his pants.
"Come on, honey! Relax!"
"Just wipe the blood! Stick on a pad and you're good! You can do it, you're the best—"
Gu Cheng: "Shut up."
Ning Yi: "^3^"
Ning Yi had a perfectly pleasant period.
She usually only felt pain for the first two days, but these two days lying inside Gu Cheng's body, she felt nothing—it was pure bliss!
To boost his engagement, Ning Yi could only encourage him with intense, over-the-top praise.
"Enough, stop talking."
Gu Cheng returned to his own body and closed his eyes.
After experiencing two days of period pain, he genuinely needed some rest.
Ning Yi: "Fine, fine."
Lying within Gu Cheng's body these past two days, she'd also observed his recovery progress. His limbs were no longer completely numb, though he still couldn't control them. His eyesight had fully recovered, but the rest of his senses remained impaired.
During their review, they'd concluded Gu Cheng's vision had been restored through stimulation. But what about the rest?
Ning Yi pondered this while slurping her noodles.
The chef watched her deep in thought and asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about, Madam?"
As he spoke, he added another spoonful of toppings to her bowl.
This was a special treat prepared just for Ning Yi. Mrs. Song Lan believed that being able to eat was a blessing, so the kitchen often made her a separate dessert or simmered a bowl of soup—after all, no one in the entire Gu household enjoyed their meals more than the young mistress, and it gave the chefs a great sense of accomplishment.
Ning Yi slurped up a mouthful of noodles and said, I was thinking about how to help my husband recover."
The head chef said with emotion, "Madam, you're so kind to Young Master Gu."
Ning Yi blushed and said, "It's not enough, it's not enough."
Well then, it seemed she absolutely had to step in and help her husband!
Ning Yi slurped her noodles with an enticing aroma. Thinking of Gu Cheng's exhaustion these past two days, she asked him with a tenderness that felt like she was risking her life:
"Honey, honey, do you want your sense of smell back?"
Her husband was asleep and didn't respond.
Ning Yi: That means yes √
Evening.
Gu Cheng's separate wing.
Ding Ziyue finally managed to get past the first-floor security with Gu Zhison's help and reached the second floor. She wasn't certain she'd see Young Master Gu today, as the ward was swarming with doctors. But Gu Zhison mentioned a shift change tomorrow would grant Ding Ziyue a brief moment alone in the room.
Yet the moment she quietly approached Gu Cheng's door, commotion erupted inside!
Ding Ziyue darted behind a corner, peering cautiously.
She saw Ning Yi being pulled away by other doctors. "Madam! Please stop!"
Ning Yi flailed her arms in resistance. "Just one more time! Just once!"
The doctors reacted as if facing a major threat. Some stood awkwardly blocking the ward entrance, while others, drenched in sweat, tried to restrain Ning Yi.
—"Madam, you... you can't do this!"
— "Madam, please calm down!"
Hiding in the corner, Ding Ziyue felt an overwhelming surge of joy!
— Ning Yi's abuse of Gu Cheng had finally been exposed, hadn't it!?
Now that the doctors had discovered it, they would surely inform Song Lan immediately. And Song Lan wouldn't deal with Ning Yi right away—she'd definitely wait until Young Master Gu woke up to handle her personally!
All the resentment Ding Ziyue had harbored lately was released, her heart surging with excitement.
——Young Master Gu, just wait a little longer. Your moment of glory is coming soon!
Ding Ziyue turned and left in high spirits, heading off to prepare her ultimate comforting prop.
Outside the hospital room.
Ning Yi finally managed to stop herself, looking utterly aggrieved.
The doctor wiped cold sweat from his forehead: "Madam! We appreciate your kindness!"
"But even if you want to provoke Young Master Gu, you shouldn't use snail rice noodles with pickled bamboo shoots!"
Inside the ward.
Gu Cheng, lying flat: "..."
His sense of smell had indeed returned.
But he had also nearly suffocated.