Chapter 406 - 402: Asking for People

A staff member to the side had been responsible for the set for a long time; he’d seen all sorts of celebrities and their assistants.

Yuna’s current, conspicuous predicament made it clear to the staff member in a single glance that the actress was deliberately making things difficult for her.

Rachel Farris was a veteran actress. She wasn’t a pop idol who relied on her trending popularity, but a genuine, skilled performer. While there were occasional rumors about her being "high-maintenance," no one had ever accused her of being harsh with her team. At most, people said she was a handful and difficult to serve.

Lily Sterling didn’t personally know this senior actress, Rachel Farris, but she had seen her work. Because Rachel’s on-screen roles were always of the wholesome, "true, good, and beautiful" variety, people who didn’t know her would subconsciously assume she was just as easygoing in private.

But apparently, that wasn’t the case.

Just then, Yuna, physically exhausted, swayed slightly. This earned her a displeased glare from Rachel, whose eyes were filled with harshness.

"Ms. Sterling, this scene is almost finished. Could you wait a little while?"

The staff member didn’t dare say more, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous for Lily.

No matter what, Lily was a junior compared to Rachel. Seeing her own assistant suffering under someone else’s thumb, he had no idea how Lily would face the situation or ask for her assistant back.

Although Lily was angry, she understood set etiquette, so she just nodded quietly and waited off to the side.

When the scene finally wrapped twenty minutes later, the previously quiet crowd instantly grew noisy.

Lily immediately started walking toward Rachel Farris.

"Rachel, your next scene isn’t until this evening. Why don’t you go rest in your car for a bit?"

Yuna really couldn’t hold on any longer. She felt like all the moisture in her body had nearly evaporated. If she stayed out in the sun any longer, she’d turn into a mummy.

Her strength was completely spent, which was the only reason she mustered the courage to make the suggestion.

Unexpectedly, Rachel didn’t even glance at her, saying contemptuously, "The doctor said I have too much dampness in my body and my joints have been aching. He told me to get more sun."

Yuna lowered her head, exhausted. ’I’m standing here holding an umbrella over you,’ she thought. ’What sun are you even getting?’

’Meanwhile, my own skin is about to peel from the sun.’

But she was angry and didn’t dare show it, only saying with a hint of grievance, "Rachel, I really can’t hold on much longer. How about I go get Linda to take care of you for a while?"

"Linda? She’s a newcomer who just joined the company. What would she know about being a personal assistant?" Rachel shot Yuna a sidelong glance, her tone unkind. "I let you follow me because I think highly of you. Do you think just anyone gets an opportunity like this? Don’t be ungrateful for the blessings you have."

Yuna was speechless.

’Whoever wants this kind of ’blessing’ can have it,’ she thought.

Anyone with eyes could see she was being deliberately tormented, yet only Rachel Farris could spout such nonsense without batting an eye.

Yuna knew full well why she was being targeted all of a sudden. But she was just an assistant. Taking care of a celebrity was part of her job. Even if the other party was being unreasonable, she had no one to turn to to complain about the injustice.

Just then, a familiar, gentle voice suddenly called her name.

"Yuna!"

The soft call reached her ears, sending a jolt through Yuna’s body. Her exhausted legs trembled, and she finally collapsed, plopping onto the ground.

The sun umbrella and handheld fan in her hands fell to the side. Startled, Rachel shot up from her chair in annoyance. "What is wrong with you?"

The commotion drew glances from others on set. Seeing it was just Rachel making things difficult for her assistant again, they all silently went back to their own business.

"S-Sorry, I lost my footing."

Yuna’s first reaction was to apologize profusely. She was about to look for Lily when Lily herself had already rushed to her side in a couple of quick strides, reaching out to help her up. "Yuna, are you okay?"

"Lily?"

Yuna stared in surprise at Lily Sterling’s pretty face, so close to her own. The next second, her eyes reddened uncontrollably as she asked, choking up, "W-What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you and Finn," Lily said.

Originally, she had just wanted to visit them since she hadn’t seen them in a long time. But after witnessing everything that had just happened, Lily decided she was taking them with her today.

"Who are you?"

Rachel Farris stared at the suddenly-appeared Lily for a moment before demanding an answer. They had never met at the company, so it was understandable that Rachel didn’t recognize her.

Lily first helped Yuna to her feet before turning to Rachel. "Hello, Ms. Farris. My name is Lily Sterling."

"Lily Sterling?" Rachel’s gaze swept over Lily doubtfully from head to toe, then a look of realization dawned on her face. "Oh, right, I remember now. I’ve heard people at the company mention you."

As she spoke, her lips curled into a contemptuous smile as she looked at the red-eyed Yuna. "Yuna was your assistant before, wasn’t she? And that Finn guy?"

Lily nodded and said softly, "I’m about to start a new project, so I came to take them back today. If you’re short-staffed, Ms. Farris, you can request more people from the company."

As a junior and a newcomer, she maintained a veneer of due respect for Rachel.

"Huh?" Rachel’s mouth fell open in surprise. She looked around with an amused expression before turning back to Lily to interrogate her. "Do you have any idea how things work? The company assigned these assistants to me for the duration of this project. If they don’t finish the project, I can’t pay them."

"That’s fine. I’ll pay their salaries," Lily said, then turned directly to Yuna. "Hand over everything you have that belongs to Ms. Farris, then go get Finn and come with me."

This was more than Yuna could have hoped for. Every day serving Rachel felt like walking to her own execution. She didn’t want to do it for another second.

"Hold on!"

Seeing how Lily was showing her such blatant disrespect, Rachel’s expression darkened. "Little girl, are you trying to snatch people right out from under me?"

Rachel was, after all, an experienced senior. Facing a twenty-year-old Lily, her imposing presence flared up, frightening Yuna so much that she didn’t dare move.

Lily’s face was calm, but inwardly she was also very nervous. This nervousness didn’t come from fear, but from the fact that her current actions were the complete opposite of her usual personality.

People get unconsciously nervous when they do things they’re not at all good at.

"Ms. Farris, I’m not snatching them from you. I’m asking for them back," Lily said, still maintaining a pleasant and reasonable tone. "They’ve been with me ever since I joined the company, and I’ve grown accustomed to having them take care of me."

"Back when I was about to take a break, I told Connie that if the company was temporarily short-staffed, they could reassign them, and they’d come back to me when I was ready to start my next project. Connie agreed to it at the time."

Rachel’s brows shot up. "Are you trying to use Connie to pressure me?"

"That’s not my intention. I’m just informing you of the situation as it was." As Lily said this, she was already pulling out her phone. "Or perhaps I should give Connie a call so you can confirm with her?"