Chapter 51: Chapter 51: New Marriage Diary

Jessie Sterling dangled her feet as she reached out and tapped open the message.

When she saw who had sent it, she shot straight up in bed.

Jessie had assumed it was a private message from an editor at *Manga Jungle*, but it was actually an editor from *Manhui* who had reached out to her.

*Manga Jungle* was a long-established manga magazine. However, with physical book sales declining in recent years, everyone had grown accustomed to reading online. Many manga magazines had already ceased publication, but *Manga Jungle*, being the oldest of its kind, was still holding on.

*Manhui*, on the other hand, was completely different.

Although *Manhui* also published physical books, the company had started out with online comics. Its website was simply named “manhui.”

It was a new website established only in the last few years. Despite its youth, the owner was sharp. The PC and mobile sites had a silky-smooth interface with intuitive navigation. The contracted artists each had their own unique style, and in a short time, the platform had amassed a large number of loyal users.

It had grown to the point where it was now considered a giant in the national comics scene.

[Zoe Marx, Manhui Editor: Hello, Author. Are you interested in joining our Manhui family?]

Jessie Sterling never imagined that she would one day receive an invitation from an editor at *Manhui*.

She replied immediately.

It was evening in New Zealand, which meant it was around afternoon back home.

Zoe Marx quickly sent Jessie her WeChat info, hoping to chat in more detail.

Jessie added her on WeChat and sent one of the little bear stickers she had made.

[Zoe Marx: Hi, Little Squid! This is Zoe Marx. I’ve actually seen your “Bear Friendship” series on Weibo before. I didn’t expect you to be drawing characters now too. Are you planning to serialize *New Marriage Diary* on Weibo?]

*New Marriage Diary* was the title Jessie had given the comic she’d been drawing recently. It had a very slice-of-life feel. A webtoon strip naturally couldn’t compare to a page-based manga in terms of narrative depth, but this was just a product of a sudden flash of inspiration.

[Jessie Sterling: Yep, that’s right.]

[Zoe Marx: Do you have an outline for this new work? Or any finished drafts? Would you mind sending them over for me to take a look?]

Jessie had actually drawn quite a few more strips recently, all depicting moments between her and Victor Morgan.

Like the time Victor had suddenly shown up one morning with a bouquet of flowers. He didn’t mention how much time and effort he’d spent preparing; he just said nonchalantly that he’d seen someone selling freshly picked flowers by the roadside and bought them on a whim.

Or the time she was exhausted from her wedding photoshoot, and Victor, as if by magic, produced little treats like canelés or white chocolate soft-baked cookies, saying they were a well-deserved reward for her hard work.

They were all small things, but each one left a mark on Jessie’s heart. She had recorded all these moments with her stylus.

Jessie quickly sent her drafts to the editor, then replied honestly, “This series doesn’t have an outline. I originally just wanted to casually draw some heartwarming scenes for Weibo. I didn’t think too much about it, so the story isn’t very strong.”

This was also why she hadn’t expected an editor from *Manhui* to contact her.

Her art style and story were too mundane, focused mainly on being heartwarming and healing. It would work well as a standalone book, but it wasn’t really suited for serialization. Since the emotional stakes and narrative drive were low, reader anticipation for future updates would likely drop.

Zoe Marx really liked Jessie’s art style. Not only were the characters’ expressions depicted with incredible vividness, but her brushwork also suggested she had professional training, not just a self-taught amateur driven by a hobby.

[Zoe Marx: It’s true our site doesn’t have many works in your style, but I love it. Are you interested in signing with us? You could serialize on our platform from now on. How about I send you the requirements and benefits for you to look over? You can think about it.]

[Jessie Sterling: Okay! Thank you.]

The editor quickly sent over a document.

If she signed, she wouldn’t be able to post the serialized content on Weibo. However, updating on the website required the author to post weekly, unlike her previous habit of posting whenever she felt like it on Weibo. The site would provide promotion, drive traffic, and she would also earn an income.

Jessie was thrilled. Without a second thought, she forwarded the document to the chat window right below the current one.

Only after it was sent did Jessie suddenly realize she hadn’t sent it to her sister, but to Victor Morgan.

Jessie: “…”

Her fingers flew. The moment she realized her mistake, she immediately unsent the message. But Victor had already seen it, and after noticing she’d retracted a message, he sent a question mark.

[Jessie Sterling: My hand slipped! Sent it to the wrong person!]

’She had absolutely no intention of asking Victor for help.’

But Victor replied as if he hadn’t seen her last message. “You can ask them to send the contract over. I’ll take a look for you.”

When it came to things like reviewing contracts, Victor was clearly more experienced than Quincy Sterling.

Jessie lay in bed, tossing and turning restlessly, her hair a complete mess. She typed, “I’m not the one who asked you for help, you know.”

Sitting on his bed, Victor saw the message from Jessie, and the corners of his lips curled into a slight smile.

[Victor Morgan: Mmm, I want to see it. I’m curious.]

In the other room, Jessie hugged her phone and laughed out loud.

After she replied to Zoe Marx, Zoe sent the contract over.

Jessie forwarded it to Victor.

*Manhui’s* contracts were known for being fair; there were no predatory clauses. After confirming there were no issues with it, Victor replied to Jessie.

[Victor Morgan: It’s fine. Go ahead and sign. Congratulations, Ms. Sterling.]

Even if any issues arose later, Victor was confident he could have his legal department sort them out.

Jessie was probably busy with work. Victor’s message went unanswered for a while.

Victor opened his phone and made two calls.

It was too late now, so he had to make some arrangements back home.

Jessie was indeed very excited. After signing the contract, the first thing she did was announce the good news in the small group chat she shared with Quincy Sterling and Lynn Jennings.

This was the first time Jessie had popped up in the group since their private wedding photoshoot in Tahiti.

The first person to reply was Quincy Sterling.

[Quincy Sterling: You just went and signed a contract with some website, just like that?]

Lynn Jennings’s message followed immediately.

[Lynn Jennings: You didn’t even ask one of us to look it over? Jessie Sterling, you’ve gotten bold. Are there any problems with the contract? Send it to me right now so I can take a look. Contracts like yours usually have to be reviewed by specialists on the company’s end. Before it’s officially stamped, I’m telling you, don’t get carried away.]

Jessie looked at the two messages in the group and chuckled.

[Jessie Sterling: No problem! Victor Morgan already looked it over for me!]

The other two people in the group responded with a long string of question marks.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep