Luna’s strategic retreat had swayed the professor and seniors, who still harbored lingering feelings for her. They were reluctant to let her go. Meanwhile, Mia burned with rage. The plagiarism incident had been her trap to set Luna up, so although Luna had apologized and admitted fault, Mia knew she was deeply resented. If Luna gained the upper hand regarding her remaining on the team, the professor and seniors would likely forget the accusations. She would regain everyone's favor! That was human nature; someone begged to stay was always more cherished than someone clinging to the group.

Mia gritted her teeth. She couldn't let that happen. If Luna wanted to leave, Mia would ensure she was gone for good. "What nonsense are you talking about?" Wyatt was stung by her words. Mia was beautiful, and when she cried, she looked especially pitiful. Countless men would love to win her affection. But Mia had always kept her distance, focusing on her studies and never getting involved romantically. That’s why she was always voted the pure and elegant campus belle. Her beauty and ambition inspired goodwill, while her thoughtfulness completed the charming picture. They could not bear to see her upset.

“There’s no reason for you to leave. I’ll talk to Luna myself. If she’s set on leaving, then so be it!” Wyatt clenched his jaw, furious.

“I’ll go,” Russell said, rising. “We’ve been on the same team for years, and I don’t want her making a mistake.” Kevin also stood. “I’ll come with you. She passed the professional course exam largely due to my help. I want to ask if she’s going to throw everything away after what I did for her.”

After they left, no one felt like eating. As Mia watched the mood plummet, she was livid. That damn Luna! She wasn’t even there, and she’d already ruined dinner. Mia seemed to have underestimated her.

Mia turned to Wyatt with an innocent, wronged look. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. You were kind enough to invite everyone, but I ruined it. If I hadn’t clashed with Luna, you wouldn’t be caught in the middle like this.”

“How is this your fault? If you ask me, it’s still Luna’s fault. I used to think she was sensible, but what’s with her attitude lately?” Ethan spoke angrily.

Trevor gave a dry laugh. “You’re beautiful and capable, so why can’t she accept that? Does she expect the entire team to revolve around her?”

“It’s not your fault, Mia. A woman’s jealousy can be terrifying. Am I right, Wyatt?”

Everyone knew Luna liked Wyatt, but he’d only ever treated her as a junior. There hadn’t been a problem before, but now Mia had joined the team and was constantly by Wyatt’s side. Especially after Wyatt had sided with Mia during the false accusation incident, Luna must hate her.

“That’s enough. Eat your food,” Wyatt snapped. Then, turning to Mia, he continued, “Don’t listen to Trevor’s nonsense. You’re all my juniors, and I treat you all the same. I never imagined Luna would despise you over something like this. If that’s the case, I should apologize to you.”

Mia waved her hands. “No, this isn’t about you. If that’s why she dislikes me, I’ll explain to her that there’s nothing between us!”

Wyatt’s expression darkened. “No need to explain. Who I spend time with is none of her business. If she loses her composure over something like this, it only makes me dislike her more. Perhaps it’s best she leaves the team early so we can save the trouble.”

Mia was secretly elated. Wyatt was hers, and Luna would never stand a chance.

After a full night’s rest, Luna opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. It still felt surreal—she was alive again. She was no longer the pitiful creature locked in prison, battling depression, suffering countless nights of insomnia, and constantly fighting the urge to slam her head against the wall. She was no longer the foolish Luna clinging to the fantasy that someone would get her out of jail, desperate for forgiveness from her seniors, and trying so hard to please Wilson.

“Awake?” A hand waved in front of her face. Suzie’s smiling face peeked from the upper bunk. “Where’s your phone? Let’s exchange numbers. I’ll send you today’s consultation notes in a bit.”

Luna got up, washed, and picked up her phone. There were twenty-one missed calls—except for Ethan, the rest of the seniors had called. Her WhatsApp was flooded with messages, both in the seven-member group chat and private texts from Russell and the others. If it were in the past, she would have been overjoyed and replied to each one. But now, she merely glanced over them and tapped on her number to show it to Suzie.

Suzie yawned as she reminded her, “Did you finish the task Professor Wilder gave us yesterday? She’ll randomly check during rounds. There might be a punishment if you don’t. Just a heads-up. Oh, and you don’t have your silver needles, right? Tell Rhett to get you a custom set later. We all use our personalized needles.”

“Alright. Thank you, Suzie.” Luna nodded sweetly.

Suzie grinned and ruffled her hair. “You’re so sweet it makes me want to squish you! Don’t worry about it. Our major has always been short on people, and I’ve been hoping for more juniors. I’m really happy you joined.”

“I’m glad too,” Luna replied with a smile.

“Wash up. We’re meeting the professor soon.”

After Suzie went to the bathroom, Luna scrolled through the texts again. Everyone knew about her quitting the team, but no one believed it. They all thought she was throwing a tantrum and waiting for them to coax her back. Luna let out a soft scoff and typed in the group chat, “I’m serious about the resignation, not joking.” With that, she exited the group chat and put her phone on silent.

Erin’s consultation started at ten, and they arrived at the clinic before nine. Suzie had warned her well. Before the consultation began, Erin held an impromptu exam. “Rhett, you go first. There’s a practice dummy over there. Bring it over and run through the needling techniques I taught yesterday,” she said, pointing at the dummy.

When Luna heard this, she relaxed a little. Erin hadn’t avoided them when she taught the techniques to Rhett. Luna had an excellent memory and had mentally recorded most of it in one go. The practice dummy had all the acupoints labeled, so going through the technique once shouldn’t be hard. But when Rhett started needling, Luna realized how naive she’d been. As Wilson’s peer, Erin was not soft when testing her students.

By the time Rhett was done with the final needle, Luna realized that she hadn’t remembered any of the needling techniques. Just fifteen seconds to twenty-one acupoints and a precise front-to-back and left-to-right sequence wasn’t just about memorization; it was a result of tireless practice. Once Rhett stopped, Erin turned to Luna and asked, “Any thoughts?”