CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER 387: ANNA, THIS RILEY OSBORNE IS A BIT LIKE YOU

"Anna, while you have some free time, do you want to take another look at the script? The production team here is pretty friendly, and they said we can negotiate any part you’d rather not discuss!"

Anna Thornton heard this and took the script from Mary to look it over carefully.

They were backstage at the live recording site, and the stylist was doing Anna’s hair.

After days of intense filming, Anna could only relax a little in the dressing room.

The show they’re recording for is a long-standing entertainment variety show that Mary booked for her.

Anna Thornton had experienced a major rise in popularity after her last drama was a big hit. But most of her fans were into teen idol dramas, or had discovered her during a game livestream, impressed by her gaming skills—they’re mostly in their teens or twenties.

The next step for Anna Thornton was to become a household name.

She needed to enter more people’s view, so that when people hear the name Anna Thornton, they recognize who she is.

Going on variety shows was a great choice!

This long-standing variety show had a broad audience, and the atmosphere was light and entertaining, with a few simple games to play.

Actually, when Anna’s movie was popular, she had received many invitations to variety shows, but Mary didn’t think it was the right time.

The reason they accepted this time was, one, Anna now had a solid fan base and the confidence not to be put in awkward spots with other guests, like what happened on that cooking show.

And secondly, she also wanted Anna to relax.

Filming recently has been too exhausting; Anna, who has such good skin, was spotted by Mary a few times coming in with dark circles under her eyes.

What Mary didn’t know was that the time Anna came with dark circles was because she had been challenging Conrad Sterling the previous night, practicing self-defense moves in bed.

Anna didn’t want to say anything!

She took a quick look at the script; the games were simple, and the interview wouldn’t go too deep.

But there were some gags, like bringing up the cooking mishap from Anna’s first variety show, and the "Nation’s Top Fairy" joke. Anna was at the top domestic entertainment program’s TV station, known for quality productions.

Once her makeup and styling were done, it was time for rehearsal.

However, Anna wasn’t the only guest recording today.

So even if she finished early, she’d still have to wait for others.

As Anna and Mary walked out of the office, a strong fragrance hit their noses.

Anna could tell it was a popular brand’s new "Killer Queen" fragrance for the season, officially named "Beauty’s body fragrance."

The translated Chinese name was actually less embarrassing than the original English one.

Anna and Mary glanced over to see a woman walking past them, swaying exaggeratedly.

Riley Osborne followed closely behind, "Diane, wait for me!"

The more she called, the faster the person in front walked.

Riley hurried to catch up and finally grabbed the person’s hand.

But Diane Swift stopped and shook her hand away, "You’re so annoying, can’t you stop?"

"Diane, I’m really sorry to bother you. But could you please reconsider my proposal?"

"Haven’t I already refused you? Why are you still coming after me?"

"Because I hope you’ll seriously consider it, I’m really doing this for your benefit!"

"Haha... for my benefit? I think you want me dead!"

...

"Anna, that’s Diane Swift over there. She’s been in a few well-known TV dramas and is now trying her hand at movies. I’ve heard she’s getting along well with Marilyn Ford lately. But that’s not the main point; the main point is that wasn’t Ethan Hawthorne caught in that second photo scandal? Diane Swift is one of his ex-girlfriends!" Mary whispered gossip to Anna Thornton.

Among the photos spread by the hacker, there were also intimate pictures of Diane and him.

However, because Diane had a legitimate relationship with Ethan once, the impact on her wasn’t too significant; she could still participate in variety shows.

In modern society, no one dictates that boyfriends and girlfriends can’t have close photos, right?

Anyway, as long as Diane plays the victim, expressing regret for not knowing better in her youth and being deceived by the man, it’s fine.

However, some of those photos were taken while she and Ethan were still in a relationship, and some were from their brief reunion after breaking up.

During those reunions, they each had other significant others!

This is why Riley came to find Diane, hoping she would expose Ethan’s true nature, but was rejected by Diane.

Diane just wanted to extricate herself quickly and didn’t want to be involved.

But Riley was persistent, following her around for days.

Exasperated, Diane declared outside, "I’ve made it very clear, I won’t testify in court. I’m done with Ethan, and as far as I’m concerned, my ex is as good as a dog! Whatever he did later, how many flings he had, is no concern of mine! Please, don’t bother me with this again, or I’ll report you for harassment!"

"Diane, many fans and people are still clearing Ethan’s name. Don’t you want to tell them the truth? How can you watch them continue to be deceived?"

"How they are deceived has nothing to do with me. Little girl, though you’re young, you should understand that one can’t be too naive. I don’t believe you’re so actively contacting people to take down Ethan just to prevent fans from being deceived! Besides, don’t say I didn’t warn you, offending Ethan won’t do you any good. The powers behind him are great, both black and white, so watch out for yourself."

After saying these words, Diane almost sprinted in her high heels to leave backstage, fearing she’d be pursued again.

Riley didn’t chase after her. She just looked at Diane’s back and sighed helplessly.

Turning around, she bumped into Anna and Mary, who were getting ready to go on stage.

"Miss Thornton, hello!" Riley proactively greeted her.

"Hello!"

"You might not remember me, but I know you. I’ve watched your recent drama, and it was really well-acted." Riley introduced herself, "My name is Riley Osborne, a sophomore at Film Academy."

"I know you!"

Anna Thornton remembered well; Riley’s biggest news was accusing Ethan Hawthorne of drugging her, making headlines before fizzling out.

Recently, with Ethan’s photos surfacing, Riley could finally breathe.

Many people dug up their past affair, landing Riley on several hot search lists.

But what struck Anna the most was Riley’s incident when she almost attempted to jump off due to Ethan’s torment.

"That person earlier had a point; you should be careful if you’re openly opposing Ethan!" Anna warned her.

"Thank you for the warning, Miss Thornton, I will!"

"Alright then!"

Though Anna remembered Riley, they didn’t have much interaction.

After politely warning her, she brushed past her.

As they walked further, Mary quietly said, "Anna, I think Riley is somewhat like you!"