1
The day I found out I was pregnant, it was exactly six months before the wedding.
At six in the morning, I crouched in the bathroom, staring at the two lines on the pregnancy test, my mind going blank.
Zhou Xu was still in the kitchen making breakfast. The sizzle of the frying pan seemed to remind me:
—I was going to be a mother.
Clutching the test stick, I dashed out barefoot: "Zhou Xu!"
He turned, his gaze shifting from my face to the stick, then to my bare feet.
The frying pan clattered to the floor. He rushed over, scooped me off the cold tiles with one arm, and steadied the stick in his other hand.
One glance was all it took for his eyes to redden.
"Really?"
"It seems... it is."
He pressed his forehead against the hollow of my neck, his voice hoarse beyond recognition: "Thank you, honey."
I stroked his head, finding it felt even better than petting a dog, so I gave it a couple more strokes.
The next second, he lifted me off the ground, carried me straight to the living room, gently placed me on the sofa, and wrapped me up like a rice dumpling in a blanket.
"Starting today, you're in charge of lying down, and I'm in charge of growing."
"...Bro, it's only the size of a mung bean."
"Even a mung bean is a king."
Alright, King Mung Bean officially takes the throne.
2
Zhou Xu's "morning sickness" hit faster than mine did.
Brushing my teeth in the morning, I gagged twice. He turned pale, clutching his water cup helplessly, and ended up leaning over the sink gagging too.
I patted his back: "What are you doing?"
"Pregnancy-associated syndrome," he said with deadpan seriousness. "The doctor said I have to accompany the vomiting."
I laughed so hard I couldn't stand up, only to throw up again.
Thus, a peculiar scene unfolded in the bathroom:
I vomited, he handed me tissues; he vomited, I patted his back—
Over and over, until we both collapsed beside the toilet.
If the comments section saw this, they'd flood it with:
[Sunflower Couple · Synchronization Rate +10086]
3
For the first three months, my appetite was terrible, but I craved strawberries—specifically the kind smothered in cream.
At 1 a.m., curled up in bed, I suddenly craved them so badly I shook the person beside me awake: "Zhou Xu..."
He answered instantly: "How many pounds?"
"Two pounds... no, three pounds!"
He ruffled my hair, threw on his coat, and headed out.
Twenty minutes later, he returned with three pounds of the largest, reddest strawberries, plus a can of whipped cream.
My mouth was smeared pink with strawberry juice when I looked up and found him staring at me, smiling.
"Aren't you eating?"
"I'll eat them if you do."
As he spoke, he leaned down and licked the cream from the corner of my mouth. His tongue swept away the sweetness, leaving me breathless from the kiss.
I laughed and pushed him away. "Stop it, Wang Lvdou is here."
His large hand rested on my still-flat stomach as he coaxed softly, "Bean, share some cream with Daddy. Don't hog it all."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than my stomach growled loudly.
We both froze.
"Baby movement?" he asked, eyes wide.
"...Only twelve weeks. Probably just gas."
Zhou Xu looked disappointed, but still leaned down to kiss my belly. "Get up early tomorrow. Daddy will take you out for a nice meal."
4
By the fourth month of pregnancy, I officially entered the "balloon" stage.
My old jeans now dug into my thighs the moment I pulled them up.
Standing before the full-length mirror in frustration, Zhou Xu wrapped his arms around me from behind, his palm resting on my gently rounded belly. "Don't hold your breath—it needs room to grow."
"It'll just get ugly."
"If you're ugly, I'm blind—perfect match."
I laughed and punched him playfully, but he casually picked up the tablet from the sofa and ordered ten pairs of maternity leggings for me—all in sunflower yellow.
Me: "...Bro, that's way too bright."
"My flower should always face the sun."
5
Fifth month of pregnancy, first major anomaly scan.
The ultrasound room was dimly lit. The doctor slid the probe back and forth, and a tiny beating heart appeared on the screen.
Tears welled up in my eyes instantly.
Zhou Xu stood beside me, one hand holding mine, the other holding his phone, recording the entire process on the screen.
"Look, Little Bean is waving."
The doctor smiled: "Those little hands are quite long—perfect for playing the piano."
Zhou Xu immediately chimed in: "Piano lessons it is!"
Me: "..."
After leaving the examination room, he stared at the black-and-white ultrasound image for a full ten minutes before secretly taking it to a tattoo shop—
Shrunk to the size of a fingernail, it was inked on his left chest, just above where his ring used to sit.
That night in the shower, I spotted the new tattoo and traced it with my fingertips. "Did it hurt?"
"It hurts my heart to see Dou Dou get pricked by needles," he murmured, lowering his head to kiss me. "When it's born, I'll bring it to see this tattoo and tell it this is its first photo shoot."
My nose stung. I stood on tiptoe to return his kiss. "Zhou Xu, how do you always know how to make me cry?"
6
At six months pregnant, I started experiencing "false contractions."
The doctor advised plenty of rest, but Zhou Xu was beside himself with worry. He timed each contraction down to the second.
At night, if I rolled over, he'd wake instantly: "Does it hurt?"
"...I just need to use the bathroom."
"I'll go with you."
"Bro, I really just need to pee!"
"Still need to hold you—what if the bathroom's slippery?"
And so the classic scene unfolded:
At 2 a.m., outside the bathroom door, a tall man stood with arms spread wide, shielding the pregnant woman inside as she relieved herself.
Netizens seeing this would probably flood the comments with:
[Sunflower Couple: Holding Pee, But Still Holding Hands]
7
Seven months pregnant, officially entering the "big belly" phase.
She can polish off two big chicken drumsticks in one sitting, plus a full-sugar bubble tea.
Zhou Xu learned to make a low-sugar version of bubble tea, substituting oat milk for cow's milk, reducing caffeine, and cooking the tapioca pearls until soft and chewy.
As I sipped contentedly, he suddenly reached over, wiped the milk foam from my lips into his own mouth, and remarked, "Perfectly sweet—just like kissing you."
I playfully swatted him, but he looked dead serious: "The nutritionist said when moms are happy, babies grow up well-behaved."
After saying this, he pressed his ear against my belly and whispered, "Bean, did you hear that? Mommy's happy now, so you have to be good."
No sooner had he finished than my belly suddenly puffed out, forming a small bump that pressed right against his cheek.
"It kicked me!" Zhou Xu exclaimed, as excited as a two-hundred-pound child. "So strong! Must be a little soccer star in the making."
I chuckled, my heart melting into a soft puddle.
8
In my eighth month of pregnancy, I developed edema and couldn't fit into my shoes.
Zhou Xu massaged my calves daily, applying mint lotion to his palms as he worked his way up from my ankles with the skill of a gold-medal therapist.
Afterward, he leaned down and kissed the top of my foot. "You've been through so much, Queen."
My eyes stung with warmth. I reached out to pull him closer. "Come here. Let me kiss you."
But he grinned mischievously: "Where exactly?"
"..."
I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. He caught it with a laugh, pulling me into his arms as he did so. His palm rested on my belly. "Little Bean, see that? Mommy's picking on Daddy again."
The little one inside seemed to understand, kicking twice in quick succession—both times right into his palm.
We shared a smile, our hearts melting into a soft, mushy mess.
9
Nine months pregnant, the hospital bag was packed early and stowed in the trunk.
Zhou Xu checked it three times a day, even keeping the power bank fully charged, afraid I might go into labor unexpectedly.
At night, when I couldn't sleep, he lay beside me, one arm around me, the other holding his phone playing white noise—
ocean waves, rain, campfire crackles, cycling through them.
Curled in his arms, I whispered, "What if I cry during labor because it hurts so much?"
"I'll cry with you," he murmurs, leaning down to kiss me, "then tell you you're the bravest little girl I've ever seen."
Tears welled up instantly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and choked out, "Zhou Xu, thank you."
"Silly girl," he sighed softly, "I'm the one who should thank you for entrusting the rest of your life to me."
10
Exactly 40 weeks pregnant, at four in the morning, I suddenly felt a warm rush.
"Zhou Xu..."
He snapped awake, flipped on the bedside lamp, and saw the wet spot on the sheets. His face drained instantly, yet his movements were eerily steady.
"Your water broke. Don't be afraid. I'm here."
He scooped me up and raced downstairs. The hospital bag was already stashed in the trunk.
On the way to the hospital, he gripped the steering wheel with one hand and held mine with the other, his palm drenched in sweat.
The contractions grew stronger with each wave, sending shivers of pain through me. He kept talking to distract me:
"Little Bean wants to come out. It can't wait to meet Daddy."
"We'll name it Little Sunflower—it works for either gender."
"Once it's born, I'll take it to see the lighthouse and tell it where Mom and Dad kissed."
I laughed through my tears, and the pain seemed to ease considerably.
11
At the delivery room door, he tried to rush in to be with me, but the nurse stopped him: "Change into sterile scrubs first."
He paced anxiously but still leaned down to kiss my forehead: "Honey, hang in there. I'll wait for you."
Inside the delivery room, I pushed with all my might until I finally heard a loud, clear cry.
The nurse placed the tiny, pink bundle on my chest: "Congratulations. A little princess, six pounds seven ounces."
Tears welled in my eyes, but then a loud thud echoed from the doorway—
Zhou Xu burst in, his eyes red and swollen. He knelt beside my bed, trembling as he reached out to gently touch Xiao Kui's cheek.
"Honey, you did amazing."
He leaned down to kiss me, his tears falling onto my lips, salty and sweet mingling together.
I reached out, covering his hand with mine, and whispered softly, "Zhou Xu, for the rest of our lives, please guide me."
He choked out, "You've already taught me well, Queen."
12
On the third day after giving birth, I sat by the floor-to-ceiling window in the hospital room, holding little Xiao Kui.
Sunlight streamed through the glass, bathing Xiao Kui's face. She squinted, her tiny hands reaching out to grasp at the air.
Zhou Xu pushed open the door, holding a large bouquet of sunflowers and a cup of low-sugar milk tea.
He placed the flowers by the bedside, bent down to kiss the top of my head, then lowered his face to kiss Xiao Kui's forehead.
"Your Majesty, Xiao Kui, we'll be counting on you from now on."
I smiled back at him, my heart melting completely.
Outside the window, the sunflower field swayed in the breeze, as if writing the prologue to our new story.