The Little Dummy Lay Flat, Then Ran Off Pregnant

When Mianmian was ten, she suddenly fell gravely ill and became foolish. A famous doctor declared that she wouldn't live past fifteen unless Prince Ning gave it a try. And so the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's household became the patient of the aloof prince, Pei Zhao.

At the prince's estate, Mianmian began her lie-flat life. Luckily, she had been able to understand animals since she was little, and with parrots, cats, and dogs for company, she lived a peaceful, carefree life. The only thing she was a little afraid of was Prince Ning Pei Zhao, who was always treating her with acupuncture.

Pei Zhao was aloof and noble, untouched by worldly concerns. Everyone in the capital revered him as the "Immortal Physician." But Mianmian felt that the way he looked at her was growing stranger by the day. Until one night, she sleepily tugged at his sleeve and asked in a soft voice, "Detoxifying... counts as treating an illness, right? Then... Your Highness, could you keep treating my illness this way?"

The man's long fingers tightened at once, and intense emotions she couldn't understand surged in his eyes.

Later, Mianmian recovered, and her mind cleared as well.

At last, she understood. His tenderness toward her was only because he wanted her blood to nourish another woman, one who looked exactly like her.

She finally understood: was she a stand-in?

Mianmian vanished without a trace in a great fire. No one knew that amid the towering flames, the usually aloof and noble prince had ignored everyone's attempts to stop him and plunged into the fire again and again, searching for the figure he would never find.

Two years later

At a wedding banquet, Pei Zhao saw a bride in red appear in the hall. He froze, then ignored everyone's shocked stares and swept her into his arms.

In a shadowy, narrow alley, he pinned her against the wall. His eyes burned with possessive madness, but his voice trembled as he said, "Mianmian, you've been gone for two years. It's time you settled what you owe me."

A chubby little boy, as adorable as a doll, peeked out and blinked eyes identical to Pei Zhao's. In a childish voice, he said, "Mama, that uncle looks so much like me!"

Theme: Love can heal everything.