Rebirth of the Film Emperor's Beloved Wife

38

At breakfast time, Jungkook made two small desserts and prepared a lunchbox for Lisa to take with her to work. Ever since she told him that she liked to eat desserts, he had been taking the time to learn.

Due to his busy schedule, he hadn’t been able to learn much and only knew a few recipes. Regardless, however, he made the ones he knew how to make very often.  

Lisa happily took the desserts and lunchbox with her on the road, but while she was in the car, she received a call that made her unhappy. Hanbin reported that two media companies had released news about her and Jungkook. Both articles accused her of faking her marriage for the sake of her personal freedom and Jungkook of cheating his way to fame.

Every sentence was slanderous, and the two companies happened to be ones that opposed Mother Manoban’s media company, The Dragon’s Emissary. Alone, they would not stand a chance, but together, they were capable of challenging The Dragon’s Emissary.

That was the only reason why the articles had been able to come out and take Lisa and her family by surprise. When she heard the news, she immediately knew who was behind it. Who else, if not the Chou family?

“President Manoban, I’ve already sent people out to investigate, and I’ve also cautioned the other media companies. For now, the news will not spread. However, the two companies that released the articles are mainstream media companies, so quite a few people have seen the articles already.

Hanbin sounded displeased. He didn’t know about the contract that had initiated Lisa and Jungkook’s marriage, but he knew that couple had some problems and was working through them. Hanbin genuinely wished for Lisa and Jungkook to be happy together, so he was irked by the new scandal.

The Chou family was really annoying!

“Are there reporters outside the company?” Lisa asked after a moment. Her expression was normal, as she had expected the Chou family to retaliate. As a matter of fact, she would’ve been disappointed if they did nothing. After all, the game would only be fun if both sides were participating.

Alas, the Chou family had decided to play such a boring card.  The Manoban family splashed dirty water on them, so they splashed dirty water back. How unimaginative.

“Yes. Should we drive them away?” Hanbin was rather helpless against the seemingly ubiquitous reporters.

“No, I’ll be there soon.” It was always her marriage with Jungkook that the Chou family liked to pounce on, which made her impatient.

She hung up and gave Jungkook a call.

…..

At this time, the man was frowning as he read through the various responses left by the public towards the scandal. He’d also sent Taehyun to get the situation under control, but it was as Hanbin had said: the companies were mainstream, so it was hard to cover up the scandal. It was spreading.

Personally, Jungkook didn’t care about his reputation, but he didn’t want to drag Lisa down with him. After all, if it weren’t for his status as a star, the scandal wouldn’t have garnered so much attention

He was considering whether or not to release the dirt he’d recently dug up on Tzuyu when he received a call from Lisa.

“Lisa, I’ll resolve this as soon as possible, I won’t let it affect you.” He was planning to explain himself and then release dirt on Tzuyu and the Chou family. The masses were forgetful. The articles on him and Lisa bore no evidence anyway, so making them disappear would not be difficult.

“How do you plan to resolve it?” she asked curiously

He didn’t hide anything from her and told her his plan.

“I’ll explain to the public, and,” he cleared his throat, “if you don’t mind, I’ll tell them that I was the one who pursued you. Afterwards, I’ll expose some things about the Chou family, and by then, the public’s attention will be shifted from us.”

This way, the public would be more inclined to believe that he had pursued Lisa for the sake of power. She would be allowed to escape the slanders, albeit at the expense of his reputation.

Generally, the best way to handle a scandal was to ignore it, but he didn’t want Lisa to suffer from the bad-mouthing by others. He couldn’t care less about his reputation, as it was nothing compared to his concern for her.

Jungkook’s consideration warmed Lisa’s cold heart, but his plan upset her. She understood its implications and consequences just as well as he did.

On one hand, she was upset because she was Lisa—when was she ever a woman who needed the sacrifices and protection of others? On the other hand, she felt warm because there was someone who was willing to sacrifice and protect her.

Jungkook, you… Two lifetimes, and yet you’re still this stupid, she chided him in her mind.

In her past life, on her rare occasions of boredom, she would wonder what exactly the man was after. When she was well and healthy, she was beautiful, intelligent, and boasted an impressive family background, so it was understandable for him to like her.

However, after she became a human vegetable and fell into a pale and sickly state where her appearance was so haggard that even she herself probably wouldn’t have been able to bear, he stayed and took care of her. She’d felt like a treasure in his meticulous hands. Her own family hadn’t been as attentive as he was. Even now, in this life, she often recalled those moments

“You don’t need to do that. Come here, I’ll be waiting outside the company for you. We’ll resolve this together,” she spoke firmly to conceal her emotions.

Suddenly, she thought of a saying: Some people are selfish because they want to be treated well, and other people are selfish because they do not want to be treated well. Lisa believed that she was the latter. If someone treated her well, she would repay their kindness.

Because Jungkook treated her well in her past life, she swore to protect him in this life.

Before the man could respond, she hung up. Recalling her words, ‘we’ll resolve it together,’ he smiled. Those words proved that at the very least, she saw him as someone who was on the same side as her. From ordinary friends to comrades, this was a positive change, right?

He changed into a compelling silver-grey Western suit, appearing as though he was preparing for battle, and took firm step closer to his beloved. Although he wished to protect her and shelter her from the wind and rain, he also liked to fight alongside her.

It made him feel like the distance between them was closing and gave him an extra sliver of hope towards their future. If he could, he hoped to stand by her side forever and never abandon her.