“Bai Qi, tell me the method for controlling ED again.”

Xiang Zhen pulled out a pen and paper, keeping his head down as he diligently took meeting minutes.

Bai Qi thought for a moment: “Yang energy exists within the human body and flows through the four limbs. We can divert the Yang energy away from the reproductive organs and send it up to supplement the brain. That way, the spirit becomes exceptionally sharp, while down there, the heart is willing but the flesh is weak.”

Xiang Zhen nodded along. Wasn’t human Yang energy just the power of the sun for plants? Since he could input and output it, he could easily manipulate its flow a little.

Xiang Zhen recorded everything word for word, writing slowly and earnestly, stroke by stroke.

Then he took a photo, bundled it with the earlier group picture taken under the banner, and sent it to Zhou Sicheng.

A minute later, Xiang Zhen recalled the message, pretending his hand had slipped.

[Hubby, I sent that by mistake.]

Xiang Zhen was no fool. Some things didn’t need to be executed—holding a meeting to flex their power was deterrence enough!

Meetings held immense energy; why else would humans hold endless formal meetings, big and small?

Formality and deterrence would force his husband to surrender.

Xiang Zhen curled his lips, waiting for Zhou Sicheng’s reaction.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

[Zhou Sicheng: Wife, who told you I was getting a vasectomy?]

[Zhou Sicheng: Stop having meetings right now! Take those banners down.]

……

In the middle of his own business meeting, Zhou Sicheng received those two photos. He wanted nothing more than to grab Shen Ku and Chu Ren by their collars and roar at them to control their wives.

What on earth was a “Seminar on How to Prevent Husbands from Getting Vasectomies”? Was that a valid meeting topic? What did they mean by using magic to make their husbands impotent? And what did they mean, the reversal method was “still under research”?

They were even planning to kneel at the Civil Affairs Bureau! Weren’t they afraid of getting arrested for picking quarrels and provoking trouble?

The destructive power of these three illiterate demons was terrifying.

……

Xiang Zhen pumped his fist—it worked!

Seeing that this strategy was effective, Xiang Zhen forwarded the photos to their group chat.

“Manning, do what I did. Even if you have three kids, your husband won’t dare get a vasectomy.”

When Dou Manning looked at it, enlightenment struck—subduing the enemy without fighting.

Auntie Osmathus had mentioned that she could weather heavenly tribulations directly, so an accidental pregnancy wasn’t a big deal. Dou Manning thought having a coffee bean sharing Shen Ku’s genes sounded quite nice, after all.

He immediately forwarded it to Shen Ku.

Almost simultaneously, the three victims created three separate group chats to demand an explanation. The members were identical; only the order of their names differed.

[Group Chat: Zhou Sicheng, Shen Ku, Chu Ren]

Zhou Sicheng: Who leaked the vasectomy plans?! You guys are useless!

[Group Chat: Shen Ku, Zhou Sicheng, Chu Ren]

Shen Ku: Manning didn’t mind me getting a vasectomy at first. Your wives corrupted him! Can you two control your spouses?

[Group Chat: Chu Ren, Shen Ku, Zhou Sicheng]

Chu Ren: Bai Qi wasn’t like this before [Anger].

Zhou Sicheng burst out laughing when he saw the three duplicate chats pop up. They couldn’t even coordinate creating a single group chat, so what could they possibly accomplish?

Wait—Zhou Sicheng narrowed his eyes. Looking closely at the screenshots Shen Ku and Chu Ren sent, he realized they were identical to his.

He pondered for a moment…

The silly little demon had learned how to beat the grass to scare the snake.

And frankly, it had actually worked.

Zhou Sicheng finished the rest of his meeting with mixed emotions. He stood up, buttoned his suit jacket, and went to pick up Xiang Zhen.

The boy certainly had plenty of energy. He was supposed to rest at home, yet in the blink of an eye, he had run off to hold a committee meeting.

The demons, victorious, were sipping bubble tea while waiting for their husbands.

Zhou Sicheng was the first to drive up. Looking at the villa, he wished he could drive an excavator over and tear it down himself.

Xiang Zhen sat in the passenger seat with an innocent look: “Hubby, why are you here?”

Zhou Sicheng: “Would I dare not come? You were about to strip away my sexual function.”

Xiang Zhen looked straight ahead, pretending not to understand: “What are you talking about? I don’t get it.”

Zhou Sicheng started the car: “Since you love meetings so much, you can attend my business meetings for me in the future. I’ll give you more than you can handle.”

Xiang Zhen turned his head, eager to try: “I can help you.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Sure, but you have to go to school first.”

“Hubby, I’ll go to school after I give birth.” Xiang Zhen stroked his belly. After a moment, he noticed this wasn’t the route home; the road was unfamiliar. “Where are we going?”

“The airport.” Zhou Sicheng had planned this last night. “I’m taking you to Daxinganling for our honeymoon.”

He happened to have leave before taking office, so he could accompany Xiang Zhen back to his hometown. The birthplace of demons was a place of spiritual essence, which might also benefit the little sunflower seed.

It was late August now. A month later would be late September.

Autumn in Daxinganling was breathtakingly beautiful, vast and gilded in gold. The plane would land in Hailar, and from there, they would take a train through the golden birch forests.

Not only would it be a honeymoon, but it would also geographically isolate the three demons from each other.

Honestly, Chu Ren owed him money for the flight route, and Shen Ku should pay for the jet fuel.

Zhou Sicheng: “We’re taking a private jet.”

Xiang Zhen stared at Zhou Sicheng in a daze. He had thought about this before—the journey back home was too far, and being pregnant made walking difficult, so he had wished Zhou Sicheng could take him there by plane.

Had he talked in his sleep by accident?

“What’s wrong? Can we not go?” Zhou Sicheng thought of a possibility. “Do you feel safer having another demon around during your pregnancy? Are you worried the baby might be born at any time?”

Since Xiang Zhen insisted on having Dou Manning deliver the baby, Zhou Sicheng planned to stay there for a month, then invite Dou Manning to live with them upon their return, just in case labor started suddenly.

Xiang Zhen shook his head: “No need. Having you with me is enough, Hubby. The seed baby doesn’t have a due date; I can just harvest it whenever I feel it’s mature.”

Zhou Sicheng: “That’s good. If you feel like giving birth, I’ll fly your friend over.”

Xiang Zhen suddenly remembered something: “Hubby, is a private jet expensive? I can take the hard seat on a train instead.”

Zhou Sicheng: “It’s not expensive. Someone else is footing the bill.”

Xiang Zhen felt relieved: “Hubby, I originally wanted to walk back to Daxinganling by myself, but I couldn’t walk anymore halfway through. I’m sorry for making you wait there for nothing.”

Zhou Sicheng would rather have waited in vain than have his wife trek such a long distance. The disappointment he had felt during those two weeks in Daxinganling without Xiang Zhen now turned into profound relief.

“Where did you stay then? Did you really go stay with that old lady?”

Xiang Zhen: “I turned back when I reached Xuzhou. I settled down in the mountains of the neighboring city, right next to a big rock.”

Zhou Sicheng felt a pang in his heart. He had driven his heavy truck past that exact area twice, even driving through the tunnel beneath the mountain.

How could he have known his wife was sleeping in the wind and exposed to the elements in those mountains? If he had known, he would have joined the hikers searching the terrain.

“So you didn’t eat anything for a whole month?”

No wonder Xiang Zhen had looked noticeably thinner when they met again.

Xiang Zhen: “I soaked up the sun and drank dew drops!”

Zhou Sicheng felt remorseful. He was truly the worst husband in the world when it came to his wife’s pregnancy diet. If there had been a few grains of rice at home, his wife wouldn’t have starved like that.

In the VIP waiting lounge, Zhou Sicheng knelt in front of Xiang Zhen, massaging his calf: “Was it this leg that got sore on the road?”

The soft fabric of his suit trousers wrapped around his fair, slender calf as Zhou Sicheng gently kneaded it through the cloth.

Xiang Zhen: “Hubby, that feels so good, I can’t even remember anymore.”

Zhou Sicheng smiled softly: “I’ll massage you every day from now on.”

A ground crew member approached and softly informed them that takeoff preparations were complete and they could board.

Zhou Sicheng: “Wife, have you ever been on a plane before?”

Xiang Zhen: “Mm.”

Zhou Sicheng bowed slightly and extended his hand: “It is my honor to accompany you on your very first flight.”

His posture looked as if he were inviting Xiang Zhen to dance a waltz.

Xiang Zhen took his hand.

By the time the plane was about to land, it was dusk. The sun hung low on the horizon, creating the illusion that it was lower than the aircraft.

Xiang Zhen pulled his gaze back from the window and looked at Zhou Sicheng beside him, “Hubby, you’re higher than the sun right now.”

A slight sense of pride washed over Zhou Sicheng: “Mm.”

……

The northern land already carried a cool autumn chill, with clear skies and crisp air.

Zhou Sicheng and Xiang Zhen stayed in Daxinganling for a full month, watching the autumn frost gradually dye the trees and grass yellow. Far away from the bustle of the city, their minds felt peaceful and serene.

They visited the birch forests, meadows, and streams, herded cattle and sheep, and gazed at the starry sky.

They visited the site of the past forest fire and kissed in each other’s arms.

Zheng Ai had been to this place, Xiang Zhen had lived here, Zhou Sicheng was visiting it again, and the seed baby could be considered to have visited it too.

Three generations had touched this ground.

By the time they prepared to return, the storage on Xiang Zhen’s phone was almost full of photos.

Xiang Zhen wanted to stay until the snow covered the mountains, but Zhou Sicheng looked at his increasingly rounded belly and firmly refused, promising they would come back next time.

Xiang Zhen: “I can let the seed baby stay inside me longer. We haven’t seen a wild Siberian tiger yet! In the winter, it’s the only one that comes around my spot.”

Hearing this, Zhou Sicheng immediately called for the return flight.

Whoever wanted to see a wild Siberian tiger could go right ahead, but he certainly wouldn’t.

After a month of being waited on hand and foot by Zhou Sicheng twenty-four hours a day, Xiang Zhen had gained some weight. His face was fair and rounded, his lips rosy and teeth bright white. Because of the ample nutrition, the little seed baby was growing fast too—at four months of pregnancy, its development matched that of a human pregnancy at seven or eight months.

Xiang Zhen’s belly didn’t look unnaturally large. The seed baby was developing well, but it was naturally small; inheriting its father Zhou Sicheng’s genes, achieving this size was already impressive for a sunflower seed.

In early October, Zhou Sicheng’s private jet landed in Haishi.

Xiang Zhen wore a loose khaki trench coat as he walked through the VIP airport exit. Without looking closely, no one could tell he was pregnant.

On the day after their return, the Zhou Fu Group held a board meeting to officially reappoint the CEO.

Xiang Zhen, a newly added shareholder, solemnly cast his vote.

He voted for Zhou Sicheng.

Zhou Sicheng was elected unanimously. Amid applause, he bowed gentlemanly toward the audience, the focus of his gaze remaining entirely on Xiang Zhen the whole time.

An autumn suit carried a richer charm than a summer one.

Suiting up was always more fitting in cooler weather, after all.

Xiang Zhen’s eyes followed his husband, taking in all the handsome moments he had missed last time.

He was simply too handsome.

If only his belly wasn’t so big… Xiang Zhen bit his lower lip; it was really inconvenient.

This time, Zhou Sicheng let everyone else leave first. Once the conference room cleared out, he walked up to Xiang Zhen, the tips of his leather shoes pressing against Xiang Zhen’s. “Mr. Xiang, did you vote for your husband?”

Unanimous approval, yet he was asking what he already knew.

Xiang Zhen nodded shyly: “I voted for you.”

Zhou Sicheng teased him like a pregnant spouse whose husband wasn’t around: “Who is your husband? Why didn’t you vote for me?”

Xiang Zhen took a second to react: “My husband is Zhou Sicheng.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Is that so? Let’s go home and check.”

……

Zhou Sicheng only worked half-days every day so he could go home and keep his wife company.

After all, now that Dou Manning had moved in nearby, he couldn’t feel completely at ease.

Xiang Zhen waited obediently at home for his husband to finish work. Zhou Sicheng would always arrive home before 11:50 AM to have lunch together.

Until this day, when he was five minutes late and still hadn’t returned.

Feeling anxious, Xiang Zhen contacted Secretary Gao.

Secretary Gao explained that Mr. Zhou had been involved in a rear-end chain collision on the road. It wasn’t serious, but he was currently at the hospital getting checked.

Xiang Zhen rushed to the hospital and saw Zhou Sicheng lying on a hospital bed.

It really wasn’t serious—just a few contusions and a slight hairline fracture on the instep of his foot. Surgery wasn’t needed, but it was swollen, making it impossible to walk.

The moment Zhou Sicheng saw Xiang Zhen, he sat straight up, even lowering both legs to the floor to put on a show of mobility: “I’m fine, Wife. I can be discharged in a bit.”

Xiang Zhen looked at him and tried to help lift Zhou Sicheng’s heavily swollen leg back onto the bed. Because of his belly, Zhou Sicheng actually had to support him instead.

Xiang Zhen wrinkled his nose—being pregnant was getting in the way of taking care of his husband.

Xiang Zhen: “Hubby, wait for me for a second.”

Zhou Sicheng’s brow twitched: “Where are you going?”

Xiang Zhen stepped out of the ward and whispered to Dou Manning, who had accompanied him to the hospital: “Let’s go to the stairwell first so I can give birth to the seed baby.”

Zhou Sicheng watched his wife leave without looking back once. What was he leaving him behind to go do? He stomped his feet in a panic!

Literally stomped his feet.

His right foot couldn’t touch the ground, so he could only hop frantically on one leg.

“Zhenzhen!”

“Where are you going?!”

“Wife?!”