Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne-Chapter 33: Gaining Recognition
For the first time, the millennia-old, Aloof Immortal Lord revealed a tender, vulnerable side to his disciple.
He shouted excitedly, "Cut! Great, that’s a take!"
Trembling eyelashes, a gaze of shy adoration... then, as Immortal Lord Caelus turned away, her eyes swiftly changed. A triumphant and mocking smile played on her lips. Purity and seductive evil—Riley Perry presented both perfectly in the two brief shots.
’He’d been right to cast this actress, Riley Perry!’
"Riley Perry, go get your makeup touched up. We’re shooting the next scene right away."
Riley Perry turned and headed for the dressing room, while Samuel Hughes’s assistant, Leon Chenning, hurried over to him with a bottle of water.
Samuel Hughes ignored him and walked straight back to his seat.
He took a couple of sips of water, his mind in a whirl. ’I didn’t expect that girl’s acting to be this good. Her first scene with me, and not a single NG. Especially after what she did... she doesn’t seem the least bit guilty. And we cleared the scene in one take.’
’And just now, we were so close. I smelled that unforgettable scent again—clean and elegant, faint and elusive. It was like the fragrance of pear blossoms, yet different from any perfume on the market. If I’m not mistaken, that has to be her natural body scent. She actually has a natural fragrance!’
’For some reason, smelling that fragrance made much of the frustration I felt toward her just melt away.’
Riley Perry’s next few scenes also went very smoothly. If it weren’t for the makeup and hair changes in between, the filming would have gone even faster.
Initially, many people on set thought Director Miles had made a mistake casting her and that she would bomb the role. But after a few scenes, everyone, from the actors to the crew, saw her talent. Their attitude toward her was completely different from when they first found out she was playing the second female lead.
Director Miles watched Riley Perry on the monitor, nodding continuously. "Look at that. Her performance is so much more natural than that previous what’s-her-name. If I hadn’t checked her background beforehand, anyone would think she was professionally trained!"
’It’s so satisfying to film when you have a group of good actors. See? I barely have to worry about a thing.’
The assistant director nodded along in agreement. "Best Actor Hughes is also very pleased. That young lady is really sharp; she hasn’t tried to cozy up to him at all."
"In the entertainment industry, there really aren’t many who are immune to Best Actor Hughes’s face."
Little did the two of them know that the "sharp young lady" they were talking about had already seen a certain difficult man completely naked.
When the lunch break was finally called, Riley Perry could at last take a breather. She plopped down on a chair under a large parasol. Flora sat down next to her and told her own assistant to grab an extra meal. Riley Perry called out, "Get me meat. The more, the better."
The young assistant smiled, agreed, and went to get the food.
"How’s it going?" Flora asked. "You must be exhausted."
Ever since becoming a mother, Flora saw everyone as if they were her own child, her maternal instincts overflowing. This was especially true for a young woman like Riley Perry—pretty, cute, a good actress, and with such a sweet and gentle presence. It was impossible not to like her.
"I’m fine. It’s all part of making money, right? When is it ever not tiring?"
"I know it’s tiring, but we can’t help it," Flora said. "The production is rushing to meet the deadline. We’re lucky the previous actress had her scandal when we were only two-thirds done. If this had happened after filming was complete, it would’ve been a nightmare to get the cast back together."
Riley Perry said with a bright smile, "Flora, I bet anyone around you must be happy every day."
’Different people see things from different perspectives. Some people only complain when things go wrong, while others always find a silver lining. Being around the former for too long is draining, but being around the latter feels relaxing.’
’Flora was the type of person who always made you feel at ease. I’m really curious how her ex-husband could ever have let such a wonderful woman go.’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
Flora let out a laugh. "Are you saying I’m funny? I have a talent for that? Everyone else compliments me on my looks or my great temperament. Why are you so different!"
Flora was indeed very beautiful, but her beauty was of a different kind than Riley Perry’s. She had a gentle and elegant appearance, with a mature charm befitting a mother. In any case, she was exactly the type of person Riley Perry liked from the moment they met.
The young assistant returned with the food. Flora beckoned to Riley Perry. "Come on, let’s eat first. There’s a whole slate of scenes this afternoon. We’re lucky; we get a little break. But not you. You still have night scenes to film."
Riley Perry thanked her sweetly. "It’s fine. As long as the director can take it, I have no problem working around the clock. We’re on a tight schedule; I get it. The sooner we finish filming, the sooner I get paid."
Flora frowned. "Are you that short on money? Do you want me to introduce you to some opportunities?"
Riley Perry quickly swallowed the piece of pork belly in her mouth. "No, no, that’s not it. I just genuinely enjoy the thrill of making money! Really! My agent said a lot of variety shows have reached out recently, but I turned them all down. I don’t want to take on other jobs until this show is finished."
Less than two meters away, Samuel Hughes was also having lunch. However, he was eating food he had brought himself; even his lunchbox was custom-made.
He never ate the boxed lunches provided by the set. When he first debuted, he even got a lot of hate online for it.
But his family background was soon exposed: the son of the richest man in some country. He had been pampered since childhood and had never eaten food prepared outside his home. Besides, his actions didn’t cause trouble for anyone, so the matter was eventually dropped.
After all, you can’t exactly tell a rich person not to spend their money.
’He had naturally overheard Riley Perry’s words. ’That girl might have a smart mouth, but at least she has some good qualities. She’s surprisingly professional. The opportunities Flora offers are guaranteed to be S-tier at a minimum, and she turned them down without a second thought.’’
’She loves money so much... I wonder if she’ll regret it when she finds out the truth.’
At this thought, a mischievous impulse stirred within him.
"Riley, the opportunities Flora was talking about aren’t the same as the ones your agent mentioned. Don’t you think it’s a pity to turn them down just like that?"
The opportunities for an eighteenth-tier celebrity were all second or third-rate variety shows. In terms of appearance fees and prestige, they weren’t just a little bit worse than what Flora could offer; they were worlds apart.
Riley Perry replied with a grin, "It is a bit of a pity, but you can’t bite off more than you can chew. My acting isn’t that great to begin with, so it’s better to stay focused. Once this show is done filming, if Flora offers me opportunities then, I’ll definitely grab them and won’t say no!"
’Heh,’ Samuel Hughes thought. ’Is there something wrong with my eyes? Where on her face is there even a hint of regret?’
’So, does she actually love money or not?’
Flora picked up some greens with her chopsticks and put them in her mouth. She quite liked Riley Perry’s straightforward personality—saying what you mean, asking for what you want, and refusing what you don’t. Being direct was better than anything.
"Then just focus on your acting for now," Flora said. "If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can also ask Samuel. He’s the kindest person and is always willing to teach hardworking newcomers like you."
’No way in hell!’ Riley Perry screamed internally. ’I am not asking Samuel Hughes for help! If I have a question, wouldn’t it be a thousand times easier to just ask the director?’
