Chapter 324

"Lily, do we have visitors?" A frail voice came from the hospital bed.

Sally quickly wiped the tear stains from the corners of her eyes and turned around with a bright smile. "Mom, my friend came to see you."

The elderly woman's cloudy eyes lit up. "How wonderful... Lily finally has friends." She struggled to prop herself up with trembling hands. "This poor girl has had such a hard life, all because of my illness..."

"Auntie!" Luna White stepped forward swiftly to support the old woman, placing the fruit she had brought on the bedside table. "Sally is amazing. We all adore her."

William Cooper stood by the doorway, surveying the cramped rental apartment. The walls were peeling, the furniture worn-out, and the only thing of value seemed to be the second-hand dialysis machine in the corner.

"Our Lily used to rank in the top three in her grade..." The old woman clutched Luna's hand, her bony fingers like withered branches. "It's all because her father passed so early, and then I..."

"Mom!" Sally suddenly interrupted, the tips of her ears turning red. She turned to Luna, her heavily made-up eyes flashing with stubborn defiance. "If you're bored, you can wait outside."

Luna didn't move. Her gaze fell on the faded family photo on the bedside table—a younger Sally with a high ponytail, her smile so bright it was almost painful to look at.

"I'm a military doctor," Luna said abruptly. "I can try acupuncture."

Sally's hands, painted with bright red nail polish, clenched tightly. "It's useless. Even the specialists at Union Hospital said—"

"Three sessions," Luna interrupted, opening her acupuncture kit. The silver needles glinted coldly in the sunlight. "We'll start with the first one today."

The room fell so silent that the rhythmic beeping of the dialysis machine became deafening. Sally's lips trembled slightly, her thick false eyelashes casting shadows over her face.

"You... can really treat her?" Her voice was as light as a feather.

Luna nodded. "At the very least, she won't need dialysis anymore."

The old woman suddenly coughed, and Sally instinctively reached out to pat her back. The girl who was always so composed in nightclubs now fumbled like a helpless child.

"Let's try it," William spoke up unexpectedly. "Dr. White's acupuncture... is special."

Sally watched her mother's pained expression, her nails digging into her palms. Finally, she gave a small, hesitant nod.

As the first silver needle was inserted, the old woman suddenly let out a soft "Huh?" Sally tensed and rushed to the bedside. "Mom? Does it hurt?"

"No..." The old woman blinked in confusion. "It's... warm inside."

Luna's hands were steady as stone, the needles seeming to come alive under her fingertips. Sally stared unblinkingly at the quivering needle tips, the hope in her eyes impossible to hide beneath her makeup.

"Can she... really get better?" she murmured, as if asking Luna—or perhaps fate itself.

Outside the window, the setting sun dipped below the horizon. The last golden ray slipped through the curtains, landing perfectly on the old woman's gradually smoothing forehead.