After Rebirth, I Accept The Arranged Marriage

Chapter 206: Variety Show

Now hearing Jessie Sterling mention this person, Victor Morgan said rather bluntly, "You have to say nice things on a show."

Jessie Sterling: "..."

She didn’t respond to Victor Morgan. Instead, she silently tossed the throw pillow she was hugging at him and scooted over on the sofa.

Victor Morgan was left speechless. He felt he was just speaking the plain truth.

’I’m being treated so unfairly,’ he thought. Victor Morgan just couldn’t bring himself to praise a woman who once had a thing for Jessie Sterling right in front of her.

He wasn’t that magnanimous.

"How’s that variety show you’ve been planning coming along?" Victor Morgan asked, deciding to change the subject when he saw her beside him, puffing her cheeks and pointedly ignoring him.

At the mention of that, Jessie Sterling immediately perked up.

"It’s going great! Just a few days ago, Wendy Lawson called to thank me. She said if it weren’t for our chance meeting in Paris, an opportunity like this would have been hard for her to get. But we’re planning on eight regular guests, plus some guest appearances, and we haven’t finalized the cast yet," Jessie said.

Once the cast was confirmed, they’d have to start filming.

"Why haven’t you finalized it?" Victor Morgan asked. "Need any help?"

’If Jessie wants people from all walks of life, I might actually be able to help.’

Jessie Sterling: "We haven’t finalized the professions. Right now, we’ve invited the influencer representative, Wendy Lawson, and two actresses—one is a newcomer our company just signed, and the other is a veteran from the company, Elena, the one who always plays the female lead’s mother. She has a lot of life experience and knows many people, so we thought we’d use this opportunity to give her a push and raise her profile a bit. We’ve also invited a traditional Chinese musician. For the rest, we’re still sending out invitations. We’re planning to add an entrepreneur and an artist..."

"An entrepreneur?" Victor Morgan asked.

Jessie Sterling nodded. "Not someone like you, of course. I want to invite a self-made entrepreneur who’s somewhat famous online."

"Have anyone in mind?"

"Mhm," Jessie Sterling nodded. "I was thinking of the owner of a Hanfu shop. She started her business in college, and I follow her on Xiaohongshu. I don’t know much about the industry, but her clothes are beautiful, and she models them herself. She’s pretty well-known online."

Victor Morgan naturally wouldn’t know about such small-scale entrepreneurs, whose income probably couldn’t even compare to a mid-to-high-level manager at the Morgan Group. However, that didn’t stop him from thinking Jessie’s idea was a good one.

"That sounds great," Victor Morgan said. "Someone who has been interacting with their followers on the platform since they started their business knows how to generate buzz. If you pick a complete unknown, their on-screen presence might not be as strong."

Victor Morgan’s words made Jessie Sterling’s eyes widen.

"You’re thinking the exact same thing as me!" Jessie Sterling instantly forgot how annoyed she had been with Victor Morgan just moments ago. After deliberately moving away from him, she now scooted right back over.

Victor Morgan wanted to laugh. ’Jessie’s moods change so quickly.’ He offered a few serious suggestions, "You could also invite an athlete. They naturally bring a lot of public interest, and they’re generally a positive influence. It might bring an unexpected surprise to your show."

Jessie Sterling: "Great idea! What else? Who else do you think we could invite?"

Victor Morgan: "You’ve only invited two artists signed with your company, and both are actors. Haven’t there been a lot of talent competition shows in the country these past few years? You could invite one of those idols. The traffic and hype they bring are on a whole other level."

"Oh, right!" Jessie Sterling’s eyes were practically sparkling as she looked at Victor Morgan. She gave his shoulder a playful slap. "I didn’t know you were so good at this!"

Victor Morgan: "..."

Jessie Sterling suddenly jumped up from her seat and ran to the study to message her assistant.

Left behind in the bedroom, Victor Morgan glanced at the livestream still playing on the TV. He couldn’t help but feel like he had just shot himself in the foot.

「Once the National Day holiday ended, the temperature in Aethelburg dropped completely, a stark contrast to Southaven, where people were still wearing short sleeves.」

Jessie Sterling appeared in the office wearing a black, Chanel-style suit with gold buttons, paired with a pair of slender eight-centimeter high heels.

Her secretary came in to give a report.

"...Regarding the public figures from various industries you mentioned, Boss, the planning department has already locked in a few targets."

The secretary placed a file on Jessie Sterling’s desk.

"Also, about the artist role, Mr. Rhodes said he’s in the middle of a serialization and probably won’t have time to film the show. As for the other, more established artists, they don’t like public appearances or have no intention of participating in a reality show."

Jessie Sterling frowned. She had actually considered this possibility.

Many artists of this type were homebodies who were reluctant to go out or be on camera, so this was within her expectations.

"...Actually, there is one other person the planning department thinks would be a great fit," the secretary said.

Jessie Sterling looked up. "Oh? Who?"

"You, Boss!" the secretary said.

Jessie Sterling: "???"

The secretary earnestly explained, "You have an alias in the comics world too, Boss, and you’re already somewhat well-known. It perfectly fits the show’s goal of featuring a moderately famous artist. Besides, the audience won’t know you’re our boss. You could make your debut as an artist!"

Jessie Sterling: "..."

This was a possibility she had never even considered, which was perhaps why she subconsciously rejected it right away.

"No, that’s not appropriate," Jessie Sterling said.

"I actually think it’s very appropriate." The secretary knew Jessie Sterling was easygoing and wasn’t scared off by her immediate refusal. "This is a variety show our company is co-producing with the platform anyway. More than half of the behind-the-scenes staff are our own people, so it’s not like you’d be treated unfairly. You could have some fun, make some friends... Plus, didn’t we hire a big-name director this time? You could use this opportunity to get familiar with people in the industry, Boss."

Hearing this, Jessie Sterling said impassively, "So you all just want me to do the heavy lifting."

The director they had managed to get this time was quite capable and well-respected in the industry. It was only because a vice president at Apex had a connection with him from years ago that they were able to invite him.

He was a film director; even a company like Apex would find it difficult to get into his league for a collaboration.

Secretary: "...That’s not it at all!"

This time, Jessie Sterling didn’t refuse outright. "Let me think about it."

After returning home, Jessie Sterling discussed the matter with Victor Morgan.