What startled her, even more, was that each of these twelve people had skin covered in severe acne, with one woman’s face so inflamed and filled with pus-filled cysts that it resembled a mask of pimples—a sight that might easily scare a child.
“Are you all here to treat acne?” Sophia asked.
“Doctor, you’re sharp! Yes, we’re all here thanks to Mary’s recommendation,” one of them replied.
It turned out that there was a local “Acne Warriors” group chat with hundreds of members who had all suffered from acne for years. They had formed the group to share treatment tips and encouragement. When Mary mentioned her positive results with the herbal ointment, everyone had been skeptical—until she posted her before-and-after photos. They could hardly believe it; the transformation looked like an advertisement! And since they were all locals who had seen Mary’s skin before, her success finally convinced them to give Sophia’s treatment a try.
“Everyone, please have a seat,” Sophia said as she washed her hands and sat down, preparing to take each person’s pulse.
Although they all had acne, each case was different. Some had kidney energy deficiencies, others had weak spleen and stomach energy, and others had low liver stagnation. Different root causes meant different treatments, so Sophia adjusted each ointment recipe accordingly.
“Dr. Smith , how long will it take to heal our skin?” one of them asked as she wrote their prescriptions.
“For most of you, there should be noticeable results within a week,” Sophia replied. “But for those with more severe cases, like yours, it will take at least a month.”
“A month?” the woman with the worst acne was ecstatic. She had large cystic acne that even the hospital couldn’t cure, and now she was hearing it could improve in just a month. It was hard to contain her excitement!
Sophia smiled, adjusting the formula and preparing each person’s internal herbal medication. “Take the medicine as prescribed and come back for a follow-up in a week.”
“Understood!” The twelve patients paid and left with big smiles.
After they had gone, Sophia pondered a new idea. While her clinic was stocked with herbs, she needed someone to help with decoction, or else her recipes would be easy for others to copy. In her past life, her clinic had a professional machine for brewing herbal decoctions, and she resolved to look into acquiring one soon.
Looking at the 1,950 she had earned today, Sophia felt a renewed sense of hope. It was slow going, but she would make it work—step by step, things were looking up.
The next day, Chloe invited Sophia to join her at a high-end spa.
Chloe came to pick her up from the Scott family home. After chatting a few times, Sophia had grown to like Chloe’s straightforward, savvy personality. Chloe was quick-witted and warm, with a high emotional intelligence that made her genuinely likable.
They headed to an upscale spa that many of the local elite wives frequented. The original Sophia had heard of it but had never been. She couldn’t help but mentally calculate the balance in her account, worried her funds wouldn’t cover a single session.
“Boss!” the receptionist called out as they entered.
Sophia froze in surprise. “This spa is yours?”
“You just figured that out?” Chloe laughed, handing her a VIP spa card. “You can come here anytime, and don’t you dare think about paying!”
Sophia tried to decline, but Chloe pretended to be offended, saying, “I had these acne scars for years, and not even my own spa could help me. You’re the one who finally cured me, and I didn’t even pay you! If you don’t take this card, you’re just being too polite.”
Sophia smiled and accepted the card.
Lying in a private room, Chloe sighed happily, “I swear, Dr. Smith, you’re a miracle worker! That acne ointment you made is like magic. Just look at my skin—my scars have almost completely vanished!”
“You’re recovering well, but your body is still weak. You should try to rest more and avoid overexerting yourself,” Sophia advised.
“Understood!” Chloe responded playfully. Then, as if struck by inspiration, she said, “Oh, Dr. Smith, what do you think about a partnership?”
“A partnership?” Sophia raised an eyebrow.
“You could sell your herbal acne ointment at my spa! We split the profit 60-40, with you taking the larger share. I own over twenty branches across the city, and we can handle the marketing and sales.”
Sophia hadn’t realized Chloe was the owner of a high-end spa chain. The Chloe Beauty Spa was the most popular in the city, and with over twenty locations, it was an excellent outlet for her products. Normally, getting her product on major shelves would require time-consuming approvals and certifications, but distributing through a beauty spa could be an effective alternative. If it proved popular, word of mouth could drive its success just as much as an official launch.
Sophia felt a surge of excitement but kept her tone steady. “The ointment doesn’t have a registered trademark yet…”
“That can come later,” Chloe assured her. “I’ll just tell my clients the shelf life is a month. If they don’t finish it by then, they can toss it. By the way, how are you planning to price it?”
“I’ve been selling it for 150 per jar,” Sophia replied.
“150? At that price, people might think it’s low quality! Here’s my suggestion—if it’s as effective as you say, let’s price it at 998,” Chloe proposed, her eyes gleaming with enthusiasm.
“…That might be too high,” Sophia shook her head, smiling. “Ideally, I want it to be accessible if we eventually launch it as an official product. However, we could bundle it with the toner and moisturizer for a higher-end package.”
“Perfect!” Chloe considered the idea. “Leave it all to me! Let’s work together and make this brand huge.”
As someone new to the city and without many resources, Sophia was glad to have a capable partner like Chloe. She smiled and agreed, “Alright, let’s do it.”
Chloe closed her eyes, also quietly thrilled at the prospect. She’d long wanted to create a skincare line, knowing how lucrative the beauty industry could be, especially when women found something that truly worked. The herbal acne ointment could be the ideal starting point, and with Sophia’s formula, success seemed guaranteed. Soon, she imagined they’d be rolling in profits.
A few moments later, the beauty therapists arrived to massage their faces and apply facial masks. As they relaxed, a burst of laughter drifted from the doorway, the voice sounding oddly familiar to Sophia.
Chloe smirked. “Dr. Smith, I hear Miss Maggie is dating Scott Livinus?”
Sophia’s eyes widened, recognizing the voice. So, it was Miss Maggie.
“I wouldn’t know about that,” she replied lightly.
With a knowing look, Chloe said, “Livinus may be a sharp guy, but it seems even he’s been ensnared by Maggie. That woman isn’t as innocent as she appears.”
Sophia gave a wry smile, thinking, Scott Livinus isn’t exactly a saint, either.
