Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne

Chapter 175: Shopping 1

Ruby Marshall’s hands were itching to smack her kid!

"But in reality, she made quite a few enemies. First, there’s Raphael Jacobs and his mistress, Gigi Walsh, whose affair she exposed. Even if they don’t leave the entertainment industry, their path forward is definitely going to be rough. It would be unnatural if they didn’t do something to the one who caused it all.

Second is that sponsor she mentioned. She blabbed about it so brazenly during the livestream. Who knows how that sponsor is cursing her for being an idiot. She took the payment but failed to deliver. Does she really think she’ll get away with it?

Third, she also offended Director Warren and the other six guests. After the livestream ended yesterday, she cursed everyone out, really hitting them where it hurt. To put it in two words: she’s good as dead!"

Ruby Marshall: ’This brat... isn’t that three words?’

"Sis, did she expose dirt on the other guests? Come on, tell me. Let me get in on the gossip. Miles Ford is my favorite."

Riley Perry: ...

Riley Perry was furious. She couldn’t believe her little brother was so blind. "You little brat, open your eyes. Don’t just blindly stan anyone. You can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s fine to watch their movies and shows, but don’t become a fan so easily."

Shane Perry chuckled. "I’m not that dumb. I used to really like his action movies, but ever since I saw you call him out on the show, I’ve only been interested in hearing gossip about him."

Riley Perry: ’That’s more like it.’

Ruby Marshall scooted closer to her daughter. "I knew anyone you called out couldn’t be a good person. So what did he do?" A single sentence was written all over her eyes: *Spill the details.*

Riley Perry finished the congee in her bowl, polished off a bun, and then officially began her story, launching into a long explanation. "Everyone in the industry knows about this stuff, but no one talks about it. Ford has a movie coming out soon. Otherwise, he would’ve been cancelled long ago."

"Oh my god, he actually drove someone to their death? You’d never know it by looking at him!"

Shane Perry: "..."

"Sis, what about him? What about Best Actor King?"

Riley Perry: "Shoo, shoo. Why are you kids asking so many questions? Best Actor King is a good guy. There’s not much gossip about him for you to hear."

Shane Perry sighed with regret. ’If you say so, you say so.’

After breakfast, Mr. Perry volunteered to wash the dishes. Riley Perry got a call from Nana and learned that *Immortal Demon Tribulation* was about to be released. The main cast of the show had been booked as a package deal for *Happy Saturday*, with recording starting tomorrow.

’Oh well. At least it’s a paying gig, so I guess it’s a good thing.’

Once Mr. Perry was done cleaning up, Riley Perry decided to take the family out shopping.

"Shopping for what? We don’t need anything."

Ruby Marshall’s frugal side emerged; she didn’t want to go out and spend money.

"If we don’t need anything, we won’t buy anything. We can just look around. You can’t come all the way to Dragonspire and then go back telling people you didn’t even visit a mall, can you?"

Ruby Marshall was tempted. "Well, alright then. Why don’t we just bring our luggage with us and go straight to the station after we’re done shopping?"

An hour later, the family arrived at the large mall closest to their home, and Riley Perry pulled her mother straight to the gold jewelry store.

"Welcome. What kind of jewelry would you like to see?"

Riley Perry walked a lap around the store, pointed to a dozen or so pieces of gold jewelry, and said, "Please take all of these out for us to try on."

No woman dislikes sparkly things. But women of Ruby Marshall’s age tend to be more practical. When buying jewelry, they’ll only buy gold because it holds its value. Things like platinum, diamonds, and jade, no matter how expensive, just don’t appeal to them.

That’s why Riley Perry immediately picked out over a dozen gold pieces for Ruby Marshall to try on.

"Try what on? This chain alone is over ninety grams. It would cost fifty or sixty thousand to buy."

Riley Perry said, "If you don’t try them on, I’ll just buy them all."

Staring at the pile of jewelry in front of her, which added up to about a pound, Ruby Marshall compromised.

The sales associate smiled and laid out all the pieces Riley Perry had pointed to on the counter.

"Ma’am, your daughter is so thoughtful. Most of the time, we see men buying jewelry for women. It’s rare for a child to bring their mother, and to be so generous, too! You’re truly blessed, and you should enjoy your blessings!"

Ruby Marshall was even happier hearing her child being praised. Mr. Perry’s face was also wreathed in smiles. Riley Perry stood to the side, helping her mother try on all the rings and bracelets, letting her pick her favorites.

Just then, another customer entered the store and came over to their counter to look at bracelets. Riley Perry gave him a casual glance before looking away.

Riley Perry selected two necklaces—one thick and one thin—a pair of bangles, a bracelet, two rings, a pair of hoop earrings, and two pairs of drop earrings. "Mom, these all look great. Let’s just get them all."

"All of them? Isn’t that a bit too much?" Ruby Marshall looked at the heavy, eighty-seven-gram bangle she had just taken off and felt a little dizzy.

Riley Perry: ’Oh, Mom, you should see the way the corners of your mouth are turned up as you say that.’

So, she picked out a few pearl pieces for her mother as well. For a woman of Ruby Marshall’s age, pearls add a touch of elegance, and long-term wear is said to have beauty and anti-aging benefits. Besides, they weren’t expensive.

In the end, all the jewelry was purchased amidst Ms. Marshall’s chorus of "No, no, we don’t need it."

Next came buying clothes, shoes, and socks for the whole family. While browsing the women’s clothing section, they once again ran into the middle-aged man they had seen at the jewelry store.

Riley Perry frowned. It seemed like the man was following them, but she didn’t sense any malicious intent from him.

"Mom, you guys go ahead and pick some things out. I’m going to the restroom."

"Okay, okay, go ahead."

When she left the women’s clothing store, the middle-aged man indeed followed her out. Riley Perry led him to the stairwell.

The moment Isaac Hughes pushed open the door, he saw Riley Perry leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He flinched and immediately tried to retreat.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Riley Perry grabbed him, pulled him back in, and pinned him against the wall. "Talk. Why are you following me?"

Isaac Hughes’s gaze flickered, and he clamped his mouth shut, refusing to utter a single word.

Riley Perry said, "Spit it out. Tell me your objective, and maybe I’ll even cooperate. If you keep dragging this out, I’m calling the police."

Isaac Hughes: ...’If he told her he wanted a couple of strands of her hair, would she really cooperate?’

’This was just bizarre. Who in the world doesn’t shed hair? He’d had someone search the courtyard where Riley Perry had stayed. They’d practically scoured the ground inch by inch with a magnifying glass but hadn’t found a single strand.’

’And he had been following them for so long. Her hair was completely down, yet he hadn’t seen a single strand fall out.’

’Such a simple mission, and he’d dragged it out for a whole day without success. How embarrassing!’

Riley Perry glanced at the man’s clothes, then reached into his pocket and pulled out some tools. "Private investigator? What are you looking into? My family background? Trying to get a strand of my hair? Who’s your client?"

Isaac Hughes was stunned by how quickly Riley Perry reacted. She’d figured out so much just from the plastic bag and miniature camera in his pocket!

"Why don’t you ask your client if they’re willing to tell me the truth?"

Isaac Hughes: ...

Riley Perry glanced at her watch. She had already wasted three minutes on this guy. She decisively plucked three strands of hair from her head, follicles attached. "Ten thousand a strand. Buying or not?"