After Rebirth, I Accept The Arranged Marriage-Chapter 98: Yvonne Rhodes

Jessie Sterling: "It was nothing."

As soon as she said that, she heard the girls who had just gotten on the elevator with her ask in pleasant surprise, "Excuse me, are you Yvonne Rhodes?"

A gentle-looking woman in a white woolen coat turned around and nodded. "Hello, I’m Yvonne Rhodes. Are you Manhui artists too?"

"Yes, yes, we are! Ahhh, this is so exciting! I can’t believe we’re meeting you in an elevator! I follow your Weibo account, and you look exactly the same as in the official photos from last year’s convention! So beautiful!"

Yvonne Rhodes: "You’re all very pretty too."

She didn’t seem particularly interested in chatting with her little fangirls. Yvonne Rhodes’s gaze couldn’t help but drift toward Jessie Sterling.

Today, Jessie Sterling was wearing a short, gray, sheep’s wool jacket with a Klein blue lapel, paired with a matching Miu Miu-style miniskirt in the same color scheme, revealing a pair of long, slender, and perfectly straight legs.

Perhaps because of the jacket’s contrasting Klein blue lapel, she wore a matching blue wide-brimmed headband in her long, soft, black curls. The whole look made her resemble a Barbie doll, strikingly beautiful.

"Are you here for the Manhui convention too?" Yvonne Rhodes asked, taking the initiative.

Jessie Sterling hadn’t expected the other woman to strike up a conversation with her. Although she had never read Yvonne Rhodes’s comics, she had heard of her fame.

They weren’t in the same genre. Besides, Jessie Sterling rarely read hot-blooded shonen series, so her knowledge of Yvonne Rhodes was limited to the fact that she was very famous. In a field dominated by male artists, she had carved out a reputation that overshadowed most of the men, making her stand out and attract a lot of attention.

"Mhm." Jessie Sterling nodded slightly.

She didn’t expect that her simple nod would draw gasps of surprise from the four young women behind her, who had been waiting for the elevator with her but hadn’t said a word until now.

"Huh? You’re here for the Manhui event too?"

"I thought you were just a tourist staying at the Sanctum..."

"Me too. I snuck a few glances at you earlier, but, ahem, I didn’t dare to go up and talk to you."

Jessie Sterling: "Huh?"

She turned her head, a look of complete confusion on her face.

One of the young women, dressed in a very "anime" style, took the initiative to explain, "Your whole outfit looks like a celebrity’s street style. At first, I even told my bestie that you might be some celebrity about to make her debut..."

Jessie Sterling fell silent, not expecting such a misunderstanding.

"I’m not," Jessie Sterling said seriously.

Yvonne Rhodes, who had been the first to speak to Jessie, smiled and asked, "Are you one of Manhui’s lucky readers for this year?"

Every time Manhui held its annual convention, they would also invite readers to join the fun, and they even reimbursed travel expenses.

Although, she also thought that the woman before her didn’t look like someone who needed her travel expenses reimbursed.

Jessie Sterling: "No, I’m an artist who just signed with Manhui this year."

Everyone in the elevator car seemed a little surprised.

"Whoa!" said a girl in glasses and a puffy jacket standing behind Jessie. "With looks like yours, I bet the entire platform will know who you are after this convention! You’re definitely going to be the face of our site!"

Her buddy who came with her to the convention also nodded. "She’s got my vote."

Just as Jessie Sterling, a little taken aback and overwhelmed by this sudden enthusiasm, was at a loss for what to do, the elevator doors chimed with a DING. They had arrived on the twelfth floor.

This was the floor with the large conference room Manhui had booked for the convention. The thirteenth and fourteenth floors held the lounges for the convention’s special guests.

The moment Jessie Sterling stepped out of the elevator, she saw Zoe Marx.

Zoe Marx had said yesterday that she would be waiting for her by the elevators. She probably figured that since it was Jessie Sterling’s first time at the site’s convention, she might feel out of place, so she came out to meet her.

Jessie Sterling had never sent a photo of herself before, so when she walked up to Zoe Marx, who was wearing a staff badge, the editor didn’t react at first.

"Editor, hi, I’m Little Squid," Jessie Sterling said, taking the initiative.

Zoe Marx froze for a second. Of course she had noticed Jessie Sterling earlier. A young, beautiful girl who seemed to practically glow in a crowd—it was hard not to notice her.

"You—you’re Little Squid?" Zoe Marx asked in surprise. She had thought someone had gotten off on the wrong floor.

Jessie Sterling nodded. "That’s me."

"Ah!" Zoe Marx stared at Jessie Sterling, her eyes practically glued to her. "I never would have guessed." Just as she said that, a familiar figure appeared in her peripheral vision. She looked up and was surprised again. "Yvonne Rhodes?"

Yvonne Rhodes was a top-tier artist who had been headhunted by Manhui when the company was first founded. She had attended many conventions and was very familiar with the Manhui editors.

Yvonne Rhodes nodded. "Ms. Marx."

Zoe Marx looked at Yvonne Rhodes, then back at Jessie Sterling. "You two know each other?"

"We just met in the elevator," Yvonne Rhodes said.

Zoe Marx looked relieved. "Oh, good. That means you’re already acquainted! In that case, Little Squid, why don’t you stick with Ms. Rhodes? She’s very familiar with the convention schedule, and she’s also presenting the new author awards this time. You two can get to know each other."

Zoe Marx was already very busy; she had only come to meet Jessie Sterling to help her mingle with the other artists.

Jessie Sterling blinked. She was a little bewildered, probably not expecting to be "handed off" so quickly, when she heard the person beside her agree without hesitation.

"Of course. Go on and get back to work, Ms. Marx," Yvonne Rhodes said with a nod.

Just then, someone called Zoe Marx’s name from a short distance away. Zoe quickly said "See you later" to Jessie Sterling and ran off in the direction of the voice.

The Manhui convention venue was decorated in a very "anime" style, making it feel like a comic con. You could see merchandise from all sorts of popular series, as well as cosplayers hired by the company.

The whole convention felt like a giant amusement park.

Jessie Sterling glanced at the woman beside her. She was about to say that she didn’t need to be looked after, but before she could speak, Yvonne Rhodes had already taken the initiative. "Want to grab a drink at the bar first? They have a lychee sparkling wine at the convention that isn’t too strong. It’s really good."

Jessie Sterling followed Yvonne Rhodes to the bar. Along the way, many people greeted Yvonne, who was clearly well-known to everyone.

When they saw Jessie Sterling beside Yvonne Rhodes, some looked surprised, while others were curious.

Yvonne Rhodes took the initiative to introduce Jessie Sterling, but only mentioned that she was also a Manhui artist, saying nothing more.

Jessie Sterling sat down on a high stool at the bar. "I’ve heard of you too, Ms. Rhodes," Jessie said with a smile. She could sense Yvonne Rhodes’s kindness; the other woman had clearly heard her pen name, but she hadn’t revealed it when introducing her to others, presumably to respect her wishes.

She liked that sense of personal space.

Yvonne Rhodes pushed a freshly mixed lychee sparkling wine toward Jessie Sterling. After coming inside, she had taken off her white overcoat, revealing a black velour long dress underneath, which made her look a bit more mature than she had in the elevator.

"So, do you like me?" Yvonne Rhodes asked with a smile.