After Rebirth, I Accept The Arranged Marriage-Chapter 133: Taking the Bait

Jessie Sterling was having a wonderful time in Finland.

Any time she was on vacation with Lynn Jennings was a happy time.

She sat in their panoramic hotel room, tablet in her lap, sketching away.

She had recently added five male love interests for her female lead. She’d worried the outlandish plot twist might drive away some readers, but to her surprise, after a brief dip in viewership, the numbers on her dashboard had shot up like a rocket over the past few days.

Even Lynn Jennings, looking on from the side, was clicking her tongue in amazement.

"Are you sure you want to draw this?" Lynn Jennings leaned in closer to Jessie, looking over her shoulder. On the screen, one of the new male characters—a college student—was sitting next to the female lead in a classroom, reaching under the desk to hook his pinky around hers.

It had the classic vibe of a manipulative pretty-boy trying to scheme his way to the top.

He was the quintessential pretty boy—the kind fans called a "puppy"—younger, adorable, and always addressing the heroine with a flirtatious deference. His seduction techniques were a mix of clumsy and daring, and many readers were eating it up. They especially loved the scenes where he’d invite the heroine to play tennis, always making a point to lift his shirt and wipe the sweat from his perfect six-pack afterward.

Jessie said, "Huh? What’s wrong? You don’t like it?"

Lynn laughed. "I’m just worried President Morgan will have a heart attack if he ever sees this bait-and-switch polyamorous version of New Marriage Diary."

Jessie whipped her head around indignantly. It wasn’t the mention of Victor Morgan’s name that got to her, but another part of that sentence.

"Nonsense! It’s a wholesome comic! It’s about one couple! Don’t spread rumors!"

Lynn Jennings raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

"Of course!"

"Then why add so many male love interests?"

Jessie replied, full of self-righteous confidence, "Is it a crime for my heroine to be irresistible? Besides, it’s not like she’s the one initiating anything."

Lynn Jennings: "..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

She had no rebuttal to that logic.

Jessie added a few more lines to her drawing, then suddenly turned her head. "Do you think Victor Morgan will see it?"

Victor Morgan had promised before that he wouldn’t actively search for her work and would respect her privacy.

But now, Jessie found she rather wanted him to see it.

’I hope it pisses him off.’

Lynn Jennings saw right through Jessie’s unspoken thought. "Coming right up. Just you wait."

She had gotten Serena Lynch’s contact info when they were at The Caldera Resort.

"Is it okay for Luna to know your pen name?" Lynn asked.

"Sure."

"Alright then." As Lynn spoke, she tapped to share the link.

Serena Lynch replied almost instantly.

Serena Lynch: Huh? A comic? I don’t read comics.

Lynn Jennings: I need to ask you a favor.

Serena Lynch: Hahaha, go on.

Lynn Jennings: You have President Morgan’s number, right? Could you do me a favor and share this comic with him?

Serena Lynch: ??? Huh? I don’t think Victor reads comics, does he? Doesn’t seem like his kind of thing. But sharing it is no big deal. On it, just a sec.

After casually forwarding the link to Victor Morgan, Serena Lynch got curious herself and started reading it.

She didn’t know the first thing about comics, but she could tell the main characters were drawn to be very attractive. ’But still, why do they look so familiar?’

As Serena Lynch scrolled through, trying to figure out why the characters seemed so familiar, she suddenly let out a soft gasp.

’This male lead looks just like Victor!’

Serena Lynch: This guy looks so much like Victor! And the plot seems like it’s about Jessie and Victor? But I skipped to the latest Chapter, and, uh... maybe not entirely?

Lynn Jennings burst out laughing when she got Serena Lynch’s message.

She knew it. The resemblance in Jessie’s drawings was just too obvious.

Lynn Jennings: The artist is Jessie. She started drawing it for fun on social media, but then an editor noticed her work and she got signed to a platform.

Serena Lynch: Whoa! That’s amazing!

After Lynn Jennings’s explanation, Serena Lynch understood. But then it quickly dawned on her just how juicy this whole situation was.

Jessie’s comic was basically a record of her own daily life, drawn with a brush. In that case, the later Chapters she’d seen...

"Jessie is seeing five other men!?" After putting two and two together, Serena Lynch gasped. She immediately grabbed her phone and called Lynn Jennings.

Her voice was so loud that Jessie, sitting right next to Lynn, clearly heard Serena’s cry of astonishment. On closer reflection, she could’ve sworn she also heard a hint of envy in Serena’s tone.

Jessie: "...!!!"

Lynn, upon hearing this, couldn’t hold it in and let out a snort of laughter.

"I did not!" Jessie put down her tablet, scrambling across the rug to get right next to Lynn’s phone. "Stop framing innocent people!"

Startled to suddenly hear Jessie’s voice, Serena was briefly embarrassed before bursting into laughter. "Really?"

"Of course I didn’t! It’s called artistic license!"

Lynn "tsked." "All bark and no bite. So pathetic."

She said it with a look of mock disdain, even reaching out to pinch Jessie’s cheek.

Jessie: "..."

Serena said, "What a shame. I thought those five guys were pretty great."

Lynn nodded seriously. "Actually, I agree. You’ve got to find a man who’s young, strong, and full of energy. What’s the fun in being with an old guy?"

"Hahaha, Lynn, you get it! When are you guys back in Aethelburg? I know a great massage place. When you’re back, I’ll take you to check out the guys there. They’re absolutely first-class!"

Lynn’s eyes lit up. A chance to get a massage and check out handsome men at the same time? An opportunity like that was not to be missed. She immediately started chatting excitedly with Serena.

The more Jessie listened, the more she felt their conversation was straying into indecent territory. She quietly shuffled back to her spot on the rug.

When Victor Morgan received Serena Lynch’s message, he saw it was just a link and didn’t think much of it.

But a moment later, another message from Serena came through—

"A man who doesn’t know how to please his wife is destined never to be allowed in her bed!"

"Oh, right. That comic series in the link is Jessie’s, by the way. As your childhood friend, I solemnly advise you to click on it and take a look."

Victor Morgan’s expression darkened when he read Serena’s first message. But when he saw the second, his eyes turned cold.

He stared at the link in the chat window, his lips pressed into a thin line. His finger hovered over the screen, but he didn’t tap it. He looked conflicted.

Victor Morgan remembered the promise he’d made to Jessie: he wouldn’t pry into her work unless she chose to show it to him herself.

But now, Serena’s words echoed in his mind, and he couldn’t help but clench his fists.

’Should I open it?’