With her modesty protected by a $50,000 Chanel leather clutch and a pair of jeans, MediaCorp artiste looks semi-nude as she posed for the cover shot in the latest issue of Chinese female magazine, Nuyou.

But there are some lines that even the well-respected veteran would not cross.

If you think she was not wearing a top in the picture, look again.

ShinMin Daily News reported that the veteran actress, known as "Ah Jie" to her colleagues and fans, was not entirely comfortable with the shoot. The camera crew and Zoe's manager realised that she "held back a little" during the photo session.

To make her feel more at ease, she was eventually allowed to wear a white tube top, which can only be seen if the photo was scrutinised closely.

A Nuyou staff commented: "If one looks closely at the photograph in the magazine, one can actually see that Zoe is actually wearing a tube top and is not fully nude."

Otherwise, the actress was her professional self and even agreeable to cutting her hair short on the spot for the shoot. The crew thought that a close-cropped style would better suit the intended effect of the cover shoot, which was to portray an image of sexiness.

A Nuyou staff revealed that throughout the long nine hour shoot, Zoe only allowed herself to have the occasional short break. Even lunch was a 10-minute affair when the actress took some time off to consume a bowl of porridge.