Chapter 744 - 740: Acknowledged Beauty

Amidst the panicked screams of the girls, a few male voices could be heard.

Lily Sterling wasn’t afraid of the dark, so she remained perfectly calm. But Zora Warner, sitting next to her, was clearly timid. The moment the lights went out, she instinctively grabbed Lily Sterling’s arm.

"Lily, are you okay?" Yuri Tucker’s anxious voice followed immediately.

Lily Sterling quickly replied, "I’m fine. It’s probably just a short circuit. It should be back on in a bit."

As she spoke, she patted Zora Warner’s arm. "Don’t be scared. Your eyes will adjust, and you’ll be able to see."

Sure enough, after twenty or thirty seconds in the dark, their eyes adjusted. Even without the lights, they could vaguely make out their surroundings thanks to the faint light filtering in from outside.

Two or three minutes later, the restaurant’s lights flickered back on.

Some of the girls had gotten quite a fright, their faces pale.

Zora Warner slowly let go of Lily Sterling’s arm and lowered her head, embarrassed. "Lily Sterling, I was a little scared just now."

"It’s okay."

Only Chloe Hale was blushing, shooting a coyly reproachful look at Tom Miller. A triumphant, mischievous smile played on Tom Miller’s lips; he had clearly taken advantage of the darkness to do something.

A staff member came out to explain and apologize. It was just a tripped breaker.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm, and no one was hurt.

「The next day.」

Lily Sterling woke up on time with her alarm and got ready. Yuna went to the restaurant and brought back breakfast for her.

"Today’s shooting locations are a residential area and a middle school. We’ll be gathering downstairs soon, and a bus will pick us up. Your brother is already waiting downstairs."

Lily Sterling ate a slice of bread and an egg, drank a glass of milk, then quickly bundled up in her down jacket and went downstairs.

"Sis!"

As soon as she got downstairs, Ronald came up to greet her. Seeing him in good spirits, Lily Sterling commented, "You look energetic. Did you sleep well yesterday?"

"I slept great! Don’t people say jet lag is a pain? I don’t feel a thing. The bed and pillows at that hotel were super comfortable. I even set an alarm, but I woke up naturally five minutes before it went off."

Listening to Ronald, Lily looked around at the listless actors from the cast. The contrast was stark.

Many were suffering from jet lag, while others were simply too excited about their first time abroad. In any case, very few of them had gotten a good night’s rest.

When the bus arrived, based on the shooting schedule and the makeup and hair order, Lily Sterling needed to be in the first group to head to the set.

Lily Sterling pulled Ronald onto the bus, with Yuri Tucker following behind them.

Just as they sat down, they saw Zora Warner arrive as well.

"Lily Sterling." She took the initiative to greet Lily as usual, but she also noticed the tall young man sitting next to her.

Just as she was about to find a seat in the back, Lily Sterling patted Ronald. "Go sit in the back with Yuri Tucker."

Then she gestured to Zora Warner. "Zora, you sit next to me."

Zora Warner’s face immediately lit up with joy, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lily Sterling. "Thank you."

Ronald looked at the girl in front of him and couldn’t help but marvel internally. ’She’s really beautiful.’

"Do you have an early scene today?" Lily Sterling asked Zora Warner, starting a conversation.

Zora Warner nodded. She wasn’t as introverted around Lily Sterling anymore and took the initiative to explain, "It was originally a scene in the middle of the schedule, but when I got the final script last month, I saw they had added a small part for me at the beginning."

"It looks like we don’t have any scenes together," Lily Sterling said, flipping through her script to confirm.

"I don’t think we do in the first few shoots. I have a scene with Chloe today."

Zora Warner wasn’t a complete newcomer. She had been in one drama before with a minor role, but her character went viral because she was so beautiful. It was because of that viral video that Director Alan had noticed her.

"Lily Sterling, that guy sitting next to you just now was so tall!" Zora Warner exclaimed in amazement.

Hearing this, Lily Sterling subconsciously glanced back at Ronald, then said with a smile, "That’s my younger brother. He’s one-point-nine meters tall, barefoot."

"Correction: one-point-nine-two meters," Ronald, who had apparently overheard them, chimed in, suddenly poking his head forward.

His voice startled Zora Warner, and her lively eyes took on the look of a frightened fawn.

"Sorry, sorry." Ronald noticed her reaction and quickly apologized. "I didn’t mean to."

Zora Warner’s pretty face flushed slightly as she waved her hands. "N-No, it’s fine."

Seeing this, Lily Sterling looked at Ronald and reminded him, "You can’t be like this when we get to the set. Once filming starts, you have to be quiet, otherwise the sound equipment will pick you up. And don’t run around, either."

"Got it, Sis. I promise I won’t cause you any trouble."

"Lily Sterling, is he your biological brother?" Zora Warner asked subconsciously, but realized her mistake as soon as the words were out. She quickly apologized, "Ah, I’m sorry, I..."

"Why are you apologizing for that?" Lily Sterling asked, looking at her in surprise.

Zora Warner looked down, a little embarrassed, and said quietly, "It’s just, because of that news from a while ago... I..."

"Oh, that." Lily Sterling laughed it off. "I’d forgotten all about it until you mentioned it. You don’t have to be so cautious. It’s not a big deal. Ronald isn’t my biological brother; he’s my aunt’s son."

Zora Warner, wearing the meek expression of someone who’d made a mistake, nodded in understanding.

The bus quickly arrived at the first set. In addition to the original location, the crew had also built several other sets.

As soon as they got off, staff members began leading people to different makeup rooms according to a list.

Since it was a modern drama, the makeup and styling weren’t complicated.

Lily Sterling had originally thought she would be sharing a makeup and break room with everyone else, but when she went inside, she found she had her own private dressing room.

She also had a personal makeup artist.

Yuna went to confirm it right away. "Lily, you really do have a private dressing room and makeup area."

"Am I the only one?"

"That I don’t know. I’m not sure how the production team arranged it."

Lily Sterling didn’t overthink it. She sat down and reviewed her script while the makeup artist started on her makeup.

Meanwhile, the other makeup room was overcrowded. There were a dozen or so actors and several makeup artists in one room. They didn’t even use mirrors; the actresses just sat there while the makeup artists stood in front of them, casually applying makeup with their tools.

Zora Warner was waiting in line. When it was her turn, the makeup artist stared at her face for a long time before finally saying, "You don’t need any makeup. Your complexion is so good, any makeup at all would be a waste. I’ll just do your hair."

This one sentence caused all the other actresses nearby to look over.

Their expressions varied, some envious, some jealous.

But the fact that Zora Warner was beautiful was undeniable.

And just like that, the makeup artist’s honest comment quickly spread through the set, eventually reaching the ears of Lily Sterling and Chloe Hale.

It just so happened that Chloe Hale’s makeup artist was dabbing concealer on her face with a powder puff. A thick layer of concealer was barely managing to cover all the blemishes on her face. Hearing that comment, she was so angry she nearly fainted.