Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne-Chapter 20: Set Makeup Photos

Soon, she and Chloe Sterling were both called into the makeup room. She changed into a vibrant red qipao, her hair was styled into beautiful, large curls that cascaded over one side of her chest, and after her makeup was done, she was pulled away for a photoshoot.

Her curvaceous figure was enveloped in the vibrant qipao, a small formal hat perched on her head. At the photographer’s request, she struck a pose, a bewitching smile playing on her lips. Fiery red lips, the ends of her brows slightly raised, her eyes shimmering with flecks of light—the photo was captured in an instant.

The photographer exclaimed in amazement and snapped several more shots. CLICK. CLICK. "Good, very good! Just like that. Now, face another way. Look at me, look at me."

Unfortunately, Riley Perry only had this one outfit for her set photos. The shoot was over in less than two minutes, much to the photographer’s disappointment.

The moment he called out that they were done, Riley Perry instantly shed her powerful aura, reverting to her usual sweet and adorable self. "Thank you, sir. Thanks for your hard work."

The photographer kept his expression neutral. "It was no trouble at all. Go on and get your makeup removed."

Inside, however, he was marveling, ’Riley Perry is clearly such a sweet, gentle, and polite girl. How did she get such a bad rap before?’

While Riley Perry went to change, the photographer and the assistant director looked over the photos. "I never would’ve thought Riley Perry had such amazing screen presence. She has such a high-fashion face. She can be sweet and pure, or she can be seductive. If you need cold-blooded, she becomes a ruthless killer in a second. Look at this one. The look in her eyes here... it makes you feel like she wants to murder someone at any moment."

The assistant director nodded in agreement. The photos were genuinely brilliant; he didn’t want to delete a single one. It was a shame.

After her shoot, Riley Perry went to the dressing room to change and wait for Chloe Sterling. Everything was wrapped up around ten o’clock. Chloe Sterling grabbed Riley Perry and made a break for the door. "Hurry, hurry! Lane is in the restroom, and Ms. Shaw will be arriving on the battlefield in half an hour! If we sneak out now... I absolutely have to try all the good food from the guide today! Stir-fried pork with preserved greens, Shanglu-style wontons, shredded radish pancakes, grilled tofu..."

Riley Perry let herself be pulled along, and listening to Chloe rattle off an endless list of dishes was actually making her hungry. "Alright, alright, I never said I wasn’t going! But I need to let Rhona know. She’ll worry if she can’t find me."

"You can call her from the car! My driver’s waiting right outside!"

And just like that, Riley Perry was dragged away by Chloe.

Left behind, Rhona stared at the text message she received, feeling utterly helpless. "Mia, it’s just a snack! Do you guys really have to be so strict with her? Look how scared you made her—she bolted! Now you’ll be the ones panicking when you can’t find her!"

Mabel Shaw was helpless too. Chloe Sterling’s agent was her own aunt. ’When my aunt tells me to keep an eye on Miss Sterling, how can I possibly refuse?!’

"Chloe gains weight really easily. If we’re not careful, she can put on a few pounds just like that. Then she has to diet for several days to lose it. She’s the one who suffers in the end."

Rhona couldn’t resist pulling Mabel Shaw aside to whisper, "My boss, Ria, gave me a bottle of diet pills. It’s a one-month course. Just wait a month and see my results. If they’re good, you can have your Chloe ask Ria for them. It’s just a matter of spending a little extra money, and it’s not like her family is short on cash."

Mabel Shaw’s interest was instantly piqued. "How many days have you been on it? How many pounds have you lost? Do you have to exercise every day? Or diet?"

Rhona said, "I’m not kidding. A few days ago, Ria had classes, so I was at the gym every day. But I would binge eat right after my workouts. I was so hungry I couldn’t control myself. And I *still* lost weight.

"I was too busy to work out yesterday, but when I weighed myself on the hotel scale this morning, I’d lost another pound and a half."

Mabel Shaw immediately grabbed Rhona’s hand. "Is it really that effective? If it is, Chloe will definitely want to buy it." ’Why wait a month? The sooner, the better! If Chloe’s chubby face could just slim down a little, she might even be able to land a lead role.’

Riley Perry, having been dragged off by Chloe to feast on delicacies, had no idea her little assistant had just secretly landed her a huge business deal. The two of them tried every dish they’d wanted to, wandering around for over two hours before finally returning to the hotel.

The moment she got back, she received a call from Joanna.

"Finished with your set photos? How’d it go?"

"I’m finished. As for how I feel? I don’t feel much of anything."

"Just behave yourself on set this time. Don’t be like you were before, offending half the cast and crew by the time filming wrapped."

Riley Perry wanted to say, ’Nana, that really wasn’t me.’

But she knew if she actually said that, Nana would probably drag her off to get her head examined. ’Best not to say anything.’

"Okay, Nana. I promise I won’t offend anyone this time."

Joanna thought, ’You’d better.’ Still, thinking about the changes in her client over the past few days, she felt that maybe, just maybe, Riley Perry really could turn over a new leaf this time.

’Sigh... my life,’ she lamented internally. ’I’m like a nagging mother hen. There’s always something to worry about. It’s gotten so bad I don’t even have time to go on dates with my boyfriend.’

At one in the afternoon, Riley Perry took the shuttle bus back to the set.

After getting into makeup, she wandered over to Director Quinn, pulled up a small stool, and watched the male and female leads run through their blocking. Chloe Sterling had no scenes that afternoon, so the girl hadn’t come to the set.

After watching a couple of scenes, Riley Perry had to admit to herself, ’There’s a reason why some people make it big in this industry.’ Take the female lead of this show, Summer Quinn. She was gorgeous—not just pretty, but with a dignified, graceful beauty. The perfect face for a strong female protagonist. On top of that, she was professionally trained and had genuine acting talent.

’Although Jordan Joyce is a bit on the older side, he’s still handsome, and he actually has some real chemistry with Summer Quinn when they stand together.’

But the moment she turned her head and saw Talia White’s intense, possessive stare, Riley Perry instantly dismissed the thought. She’d almost forgotten that Jordan Joyce was already taken.

Director Quinn yelled, "Cut! That’s a take. Ten-minute break! Get ready for the next scene."

The crew bustled about, resetting the scene, while the actors went for makeup touch-ups. The mid-August weather was still quite hot, and their costumes were soaked with sweat after just a short time.

Director Quinn watched the playback. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he relaxed and glanced over at Riley Perry. He noticed she was still sitting there quietly, not saying much, and looking quite focused.

"You’re pretty bold." He had been yelling at people so loudly, yet this girl just sat there, unfazed.

Riley Perry stood up and gave Director Quinn a sweet smile. "My experience is lacking and my acting isn’t great, so I want to learn as much as I can from my seniors. That way, I won’t cause trouble for everyone during the shoot."

Director Quinn grunted. "Good. As long as you know that."

He hadn’t forgotten that phone call. ’This one right here is a little troublemaker.’

After a moment’s thought, he decided to give her a warning anyway. "The night of your audition, someone called me and told me to replace you. Be careful. Just because I haven’t done anything, there’s no guarantee they won’t try to pull something elsewhere. If anything happens to you and it delays the shoot, the penalty for breach of contract is steep."

’And that damn Dominic King insisted on adding more scenes for this girl,’ he thought. ’I just hope she doesn’t crash and burn before we’re done.’

At his words, Riley Perry’s expression tensed. "Did they say who they were?"