Chapter 23: A Powerful Backer
In the Story of Concubine Ivanka, the leading actor Mason and the leading actress Eris were both a listers.
As such, they had their own separate dressing rooms.
The supporting actress playing the queen was also under Glory Media like Mason, and her name was Daisy Thompson.
She was thirty-five years old and had acted in many classic TV series.
She was an outstanding actress by her own right.
And so, she also had her own separate dressing room.
In contrast, Wendy was a newcomer, and had been assigned to share a dressing room with other important supporting
actresses.
Nevertheless, the conditions of the space was quite good.
It was small, yes, but clean and tidy.
There were a total of six seats inside, and two stylists were taking charge of the celebrities under this roof.
When Wendy came in, there was only one stylist present, and one other actress had not shown up yet.
"This is Ellie Herb.Ellie, and this is Wendy Finch.She will be playing Lady Faye."
The two women shook each other's hands and exchanged greetings.
Shortly after, someone came over to bring Wendy's costume.
It was a rose-red palace dress.
Period costumes were usually difficult to put on, and an actor or actress was always assisted by the staff.
Wendy inspected the ensemble first, carefully checking everything from the inner garments to the outside coat.
She observed every nook and stitch before asking the staff to help her put it on.
She had not done this because she had a meticulous streak or anything.
It was just that, the moment that she had joined the crew on site, the war between her and Eris had officially begun.
It was no secret that stars, female ones in particular, were constantly plotting against each other, whether openly or behind the
scenes.
There were those who brought up their conflicts to the public, but most did in stealth.
And the easiest way to ruin an actress was to tamper with her clothing, makeup, or other props.
For example, a few needles tucked through the fabric of the costume.
Once the actress moved in sudden violent motions, the needles would sink into her flesh, causing not only pain but possibly
irreversible injuries.
Others were creative about their schemes.
When news broke out that some actress was allergic to a particular substance, her enemies would deliberately sprinkle the
irritant on her clothes, causing a reaction that could sometimes even endanger the victim's life.
Another example was that costumes would be deliberately made loose, the goal being that the articles of clothing would fall apart
like rags at some point during filming.
Wendy knew Eris very well.
That woman never gave up until she reached her ultimate goal.
Wendy had been straightforward with her appearance it would be strange if Eris wouldn't antagonize her. Well, fortunately
enough, there was nothing wrong with the costumes.
When she was done putting them on, Wendy sat on the makeup chair, ready for Ellie to apply her makeup.
Ellie was a slick and well-dressed woman in her thirties, and the moment Wendy had sat down, she hadn't stopped praising the
actress' beauty and clear skin.
"Ellie," Wendy began.
No one else was around at that point, and she handed the stylist a red envelope with a smile.
"I don't like to use other people's cosmetics.Do you think you can do me a favor, Ellie?"
The cosmetics for the cast were all prepared by the crew, and it was natural that a single tube of lipstick would end up getting
used by several actresses.
Of course, there would be some celebrities who felt uncomfortable with this setup.
In fact, a good number of women in the entertainment circle detested this practice.
So Ellie didn't find anything strange about Wendy's request.
The actress carried her own cosmetics, and she had a big, fat red envelope for her, so why wouldn't she do the favor? Ellie
tucked the envelope inside her pocket and her tone turned even friendlier.
"Of course, it's all up to you anyway."
At that, Wendy took out the products she had prepared in advance.
The stylist applied her makeup with skillful fingers.
As the statistics went, actors prefer projects with modern settings, due largely to the fact that ancient settings were trickier and
demanded more effort.
The lines were difficult to memorize and deliver, the costumes were heavy and intricate, and the makeup sessions took a long
time.
If the story happened to have a fantasy element to its plot, some special makeup had to be done, which were not only time-
consuming but were thick and heavy as well.
Wendy was lucky that her role didn't require much makeup, and Ellie was done in half an hour.
When she finally put down her brush, the stylist looked at Wendy in amazement.
"You're stunning!"
Wendy donned a gorgeous headdress, and it complimented her light makeup perfectly.
The corners of her eyes were painted with wings pointing upward, and when she leaned back on her chair, she gave of a languid
and charming aura.
Her clothes were excellent, too, tucked neatly against her slim waist while flowing gracefully over the length of her looks.
She was absolutely breathtaking.
Even Ellie found her heart pounding at the sight.
Oh God! The stylist put up her hands over her chest.
As a woman herself, she couldn't help feeling intimidated in the face of such a beauty.
She couldn't imagine how huge the impact would be on the male population.
She finally understood why the director had chosen Wendy to play Lady Faye.
Only such a beauty could bring an enchanting concubine to life.
Wendy rose from the seat and walked around to take pictures with some people.
Then, it was time for lunch.
A packed lunch was handed to her.
It was midday, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky.
Of course, the leading actors and actresses were given better facilities and services.
They had access to fans and didn't have to endure the heat, but the rest of the cast were not so privileged.
All they could do was look for a cool spot to eat their lunch under their heavy costumes.
Wendy herself was sweating profusely by the time she finished her meal.
Meanwhile, inside a van shared by a handful of people...
Eris was eyeing Wendy on her spot under the tree, and she pinched Ana's waist.
"Didn't you say earlier that everything would be fine? Hours has passed without a single reaction from her !"
Ana's face twisted in pain, but she didn't dare pull away to dodge.
With tears in her eyes, she said, "I don't know what's going on.I put the thing in the cosmetics just as you said..."
"How dare you talk back!"
Ana immediately shut her mouth in a panic.
Eris had a reputation within the industry of being kind and gentle, but those who belonged in her closest circle knew that it was
all a farce.
The real Eris Finch was self-centered, narrow-minded, petty, and jealous.
"Eris..."
"How dare you cry! Dry your wretched tears this instant!"
And tried to hold back her tears and bit her lips.
Eris was trembling in hatred.
Damn it! She might have underestimated her opponent.
In her memory, Wendy was a naive, brainless idiot.
She hadn't expected that same girl to have grown some smarts and backbone these past three years.
But that would prove useless in the end.
Wendy was still no match for her! "Eris, how about I get something else..."
"Shut up! That's not necessary."
Eris glared at her assistant.
"This kind of trick can only be attempted once.I can't risk being discovered, or it will be the end of me."
"Then, what should we do?"
Eris cocked her head to the side and thought for a while.
Then, an idea came to her.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the shooting site, Ryan was looking out of the window of an air- conditioned room.
He was sporting his usual black suit and looked like he had all the time in the world.
When he saw how Wendy kept wiping at her sweating brow, he couldn't help frowning.
He knew for a fact that she had been waiting on that spot under the tree for two hours! And since she couldn't mess up her
costume and hair ornaments, she had been sitting in an awkward and obviously uncomfortable position.
"How long will she wait?"
"I just asked someone for the details.Apparently, they're shooting Eris and Mason's scenes.They're the lead actors of the show,
and Wendy is a newcomer in contrast.She has no choice but to wait for the leads to finish filming first."
"And how long will they take?"
"The slot says two hours, but Eris seems to be in a bad state.I'm not sure why either.They've been filming the same scene
repeatedly for a good while now.If things go on like this, Wendy may not have a chance to shoot a single scene today."
Ryan's eyes turned cold.
Luke scrambled to appease his brother's temper.
He pointed at the other cast members waiting downstairs.
"Look, this is pretty normal.Newcomers who have just entered show business are all waiting.Such is the process, brother.They
have to work slowly toward their future."
"Well, she doesn't need to!"
Luke's lips twitched.
Did Ryan mean that Wendy didn't have to suffer since he was backing her? Luke peeked at his brother.
"Well! Everyone knows it isn't easy to be an actress.It's just fact.It's about thirty seven or thirty eight degree Celsius outside
now.If I were there, I would probably get heat stroke with all those clothes and not even a single fan at my disposal."
Ryan's demeanor turned even colder.
Scowling, he took out his phone and called Kane.
"Kane, pay a visit to the crew of the Story of Concubine Ivanka.Immediately!"