I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 14

Fu Yunqing stared at her phone screen, her gaze so intense it seemed to burn. When she took a deep breath, the sound was unusually heavy. At the table, Xu Xing finally glanced over. “What, still not done being angry?”

“You have the nerve to ask?” Fu Yunqing immediately looked at her. “What kind of terrible hot search did you buy? Take it down now.”

“The money’s already spent. Whether it’s up for half an hour or twelve hours makes no difference.”

“You call spreading rumors ‘no difference’?”

Fu Yunqing laughed in frustration, switching pages on her screen to a new Weibo post from a well-known paparazzi in the industry.

【Today’s Leaked Photos: The newly married stepmother Jiang Luoyue breathes like an orchid, delicate and pitiable. On the wedding night, Fu Yunqing personally placed a white veil on her, whispering: Even if you marry my mother, you are still mine.】

This paparazzi usually gained attention with suggestive and humorous captions, and this time was no exception.

From the text alone, anyone would misunderstand that the two had an ambiguous relationship. But only after clicking on the pictures would one realize that the so-called ambiguity was nothing more than them standing slightly closer while looking at each other.

Jiang Luoyue and Yu Jingtang stood even closer when doing tasks together.

Yet, under marketing efforts, this Weibo post quickly spread among casual netizens. A glance at the comments revealed a chaotic three-way standoff.

Some netizens angrily criticized the clickbait title: 【Came in excitedly, where’s the face-touching and wedding night? Is the blogger an AI that just grabs keywords and starts spouting nonsense?】

Some viewers asked in shock: 【Wait, who’s touching whose face? Say that again, who and who???】

【Your Hated Guests are really dedicated, selling so hard both on and off screen. I wish my CP were this committed.】

But the majority were Fu Yunqing’s fans, who were utterly distraught.

【After leaching off the least popular Yu Jingtang, now you’re targeting Fu Yunqing, is that it?】

【Clearly photoshopped.】

【The agent does nothing, the company pours oil on the fire. When will Fu Yunqing be treated fairly @GuMan Entertainment】

Some of the comments were so vicious that even Fu Yunqing couldn’t bear to read them. “Do they always curse like this?”

Fu Yunqing’s Weibo comments were usually filled with peaceful wishes and cheesy pickup lines, so she naturally assumed all her fans were as cute as the controlled comments suggested.

But Xu Xing, as if accustomed to it, recited one: “Since changing to this agent, Yunqing has been on a steady decline. Xu Xing, when will you.”

Fu Yunqing cut in, “You get cursed at and then recite it to me are you looking for my pity?”

“First, this isn’t a rumor; it’s just a summary of your drama’s plot. If we don’t market it now, after the second episode ends and the short drama airs, the investors will hype it up anyway.”

Xu Xing said coldly, “Second, you don’t need to feel guilty toward Jiang Luoyue. Before she took this role, she must have been prepared to be criticized for promoting a CP with you.”

She might even be happy about the soaring popularity right now.

Before Xu Xing finished speaking, Fu Yunqing had already stood up and left. Assistant Xiao Yu was stunned, looking around in confusion. She chased after her but soon returned dejectedly. “She’s gone.”

Xu Xing pressed her temples, suppressing her impatience. “Let her cool off on her own. Order whatever you want to eat; don’t mind me.”

“If she’s always this willful, she might as well quit the industry early.”

Xiao Yu’s hand trembled as she flipped through the menu. She pursed her lips and, after a moment, turned to the next page.

The corridor was brightly lit, the sound of footsteps echoing repeatedly.

Fu Yunqing glanced at the decorative painting illuminated by the light on the wall and pressed the elevator button.

She wanted to use her main account to refute the malicious fans, but Xu Xing, as if anticipating it, changed the Weibo password right after she left.

By the time the elevator descended to the underground parking garage, Fu Yunqing was busy reporting comments with her alternate account a tedious and exhausting task.

After getting into her car, she didn’t start the engine immediately. Instead, she continued her online battle with the fans on the other side of the screen.

Just as Fu Yunqing was gaining the upper hand and nearly persuading her opponent, a sudden ringtone interrupted her typing

[Incoming Call: Jiang Luoyue]

Twenty minutes later, the person who had hung up on her without a second thought finally remembered her existence.

Staring at the incoming call screen, Fu Yunqing snorted coldly and didn’t answer, waiting for the call to end automatically before expecting Jiang Luoyue to call back.

Her plan seemed successful the call did end. But as Fu Yunqing stared at the blank screen, waiting and waiting, even as several cars drove past, Jiang Luoyue’s call notification never reappeared. Finally, Fu Yunqing couldn’t sit still any longer.

Could Jiang Luoyue think she wasn’t available?

The more Fu Yunqing thought about it, the angrier she became. She decided to reluctantly give Jiang Luoyue some face and pressed the call button.

After two beeps, a familiar voice sounded in her ear: “Miss Fu?”

It was soft and gentle, like a sheer veil brushing against her ear. As Fu Yunqing turned the steering wheel, she inexplicably recalled the image of Jiang Luoyue from that photo.

Draped in white gauze, like a bride, gazing at her with a dazed and bewildered expression.

“Sorry,” Jiang Luoyue explained even though Fu Yunqing remained silent, “I was a bit busy earlier.”

Fu Yunqing’s call had come at an awkward time. It took Jiang Luoyue a few minutes to calm her emotions. Before she could reach out, Yu Qing had already sent her a screenshot of the trending searches.

Looking at the suggestive descriptions, Jiang Luoyue was stunned at first, then found it both ridiculous and amusing.

While the person involved was still piecing things together and had just guessed that Xu Xing wanted to promote a CP, the woman had already acted decisively not only tying the two of them together but also leveraging the momentum to market her upcoming short drama.

There was backlash online, but more than that, there were curious netizens taking an interest in the two of them.

For Jiang Luoyue, this wasn’t entirely bad. Even though Yu Qing complained about Xu Xing’s unilateral actions, she didn’t make a big deal out of it. The reason she contacted Jiang Luoyue was that the filming location for the second episode of Hate Me had finally been confirmed.

Y Province, nestled against steep mountains, was famous for its wild mushrooms, which could cause hallucinations in mild cases and prove fatal in severe ones.

Aside from the filming location, Yu Qing’s assistant director friend didn’t reveal much else, mysteriously telling her that this was a surprise and that Jiang Luoyue should be prepared.

Yu Qing speculated, “They probably want you to experience the local culture and lifestyle.”

Sending glamorous celebrities to the countryside for farming had become a popular theme in variety shows in recent years.

But in Jiang Luoyue’s memory, in the previous lifetime’s version of Hate Me, not a single episode had been filmed in Y Province.

After hanging up, Jiang Luoyue remained silent for a long time before finally accepting that this was only the beginning, more deviations from her memories would follow.

Rather than panicking over an uncertain future, it was better to focus on the present.

After calming herself down and finishing the explanatory video, Jiang Luoyue finally remembered Fu Yunqing.

This was the first time she had clearly seen Fu Yunqing’s profile picture a white Samoyed, foolishly sticking out its tongue, with a donut-shaped accessory hanging from its right ear, looking simple-minded and adorable.

Jiang Luoyue tapped on the profile picture. Seeing that Fu Yunqing didn’t answer, she didn’t waste time and started flipping through the script. When the other party called again, she realized the call had automatically disconnected at some point.

Half a minute passed before a soft hum finally came from the other end of the line.

Jiang Luoyue guessed that this was probably Miss Fu’s way of granting her permission to speak.

She asked, “What did you need?”

“You’re busier than I am. I wouldn’t dare bother you with anything.” After saying this, Fu Yunqing seemed afraid Jiang Luoyue might get upset and quickly added, “The trending search ”

“I saw it,” Jiang Luoyue said. “Thank you.”

Fu Yunqing: “Why are you thanking me? Didn’t you see my fans cursing you out?”

“Your fans cursed at me, and my fans cursed at you too,” Jiang Luoyue replied with a light laugh, never imagining that Fu Yunqing’s reason for contacting her would be so… simple?

As public figures, they were bound to be caught in the whirlpool of public opinion. Jiang Luoyue had once been shaken by those harsh words, but upon careful reflection, she realized that malicious comments were like bubbles.

Bubbles burst at a touch, and harsh words slipped away just as easily. In essence, both could be treated as nonexistent if one simply ignored them.

“Where did your fans curse at me?” Fu Yunqing muttered softly. “I scrolled for a long time and didn’t see any.”

Jiang Luoyue rested her chin on her hand and casually asked, “Are you apologizing to me because of your fans?”

She expected Fu Yunqing to stubbornly refuse, but after a few seconds, a barely audible “I’m sorry” actually came from the other end of the line.

The atmosphere grew quiet. Fu Yunqing pursed her lips and looked at the cold lights in the parking lot. She didn’t really need to apologize, nor did she need to care about Jiang Luoyue’s response, yet she still felt somewhat unsettled.

After a while, she heard Jiang Luoyue ask with a hint of amusement, “Is this your first time apologizing to someone? Your voice is so soft.”

The last remnants of guilt in Fu Yunqing’s heart instantly vanished. “Who said apologies have to be loud? Are you doing this on purpose? Don’t tell me you recorded this!”

“You just reminded me.”

Hearing the woman’s irritated tone, Jiang Luoyue chuckled silently, thinking that this version of Fu Yunqing felt more familiar.

Just as the other party was on the verge of losing her temper, Jiang Luoyue smoothly changed the subject: “Your profile picture…?”

Fu Yunqing immediately stopped fuming. “That’s my dog, her name is Diandian. So, what do you think? Cute, right?”

“Very cute,” Jiang Luoyue said sincerely.

Because Zhou Ruonian was allergic to animal fur, she had never kept a pet. Even on the rare occasions she interacted with animals, she had to wash up thoroughly before returning home. Since her rebirth, Jiang Luoyue hadn’t considered getting a pet either.

Fu Yunqing hummed proudly. “If there’s a chance, I’ll let you pet her. She really likes people.”

The conversation veered off track as Fu Yunqing chattered on about Diandian’s past antics, even sending Jiang Luoyue several photos of the dog. It wasn’t until Xu Xing called that she reluctantly said, “My manager is here to bother me. Next time, I’ll show you more.”

Jiang Luoyue, still longing to see more of the dog, only realized after hanging up that their conversation had lasted a full twenty minutes. She fell silent for a moment, her mind filled with nothing but admiration for Diandian’s cuteness and one lingering thought.

Does Fu Yunqing talk this much because no one usually talks to her?

That question, of course, could only be answered by the person in question.

But the next day, when Jiang Luoyue arrived on set on time, she discovered that Fu Yunqing wasn’t there.

The director explained, “Yunqing has some matters to attend to and has taken a few days off.”

As if worried Jiang Luoyue might misunderstand, she added specifically, “Don’t worry, it won’t conflict with your variety show schedule.”

Jiang Luoyue nodded. Before filming began, she casually opened Weibo and realized the hashtag #Fu Yunqing Jiang Luoyue Stepmother from the previous night had disappeared.

It wasn’t just blocked the entire topic had been wiped out, which clearly required significant financial resources and power to achieve.

Did the company do it? Jiang Luoyue felt a bit puzzled, but in the end, she didn’t pay too much attention and focused on the day’s filming.

One day before the recording of the second episode of “Hate Me,” Jiang Luoyue officially wrapped up her scenes.

Since Fu Yunqing had taken leave, she hadn’t returned to the set or updated any of her social media.

After the variety show ended, the two would probably still have to do some additional recordings together. Fortunately, their agencies were in the same city, so it wouldn’t be too troublesome.

Before boarding the plane, as requested by the program team, Jiang Luoyue took a casual photo of the airport scenery and posted it on Weibo: [“Today at 12 PM, see you in the live stream.”]

Immediately, many people flooded the comments section. Jiang Luoyue refreshed her homepage and was surprised to find that Fu Yunqing had also posted a few minutes earlier, with the exact same caption, though the picture was different.

She clicked on it Fu Yunqing’s IP address showed Hong Kong.

Had she gone home?

Jiang Luoyue hesitated for a few seconds, wanting to send Fu Yunqing a message but feeling it might be intrusive, so she decided to drop it.

However, after the plane landed and her phone reconnected to the internet, she found several messages from Fu Yunqing waiting for her.

Running, fetching a frisbee, chewing on grass, being held by the ears to imitate a rabbit dynamic and static photos, all without exception, were pictures of Diandian.

Jiang Luoyue gripped her phone tightly, her expression serious.

Just as she took off her eye mask to drink water, she saw Yu Qing, who looked as if facing a formidable enemy: “What’s wrong? Did someone buy you negative trending searches? Or has ‘Hate Me’ suddenly hit a scandal and is canceling the recording?”

Jiang Luoyue: “You can see for yourself.”

Also, couldn’t Yu Qing think of anything positive?

Curious, Yu Qing tilted her head but could only see a screen full of dog photos: “It’s not that I don’t respect dogs, but is it necessary to look at them so seriously?”

Especially this kind of dog, frantically sticking out its tongue, looking utterly silly and dumb.

“It’s not a dog,” Jiang Luoyue said. “It’s Diandian.”

Yu Qing reluctantly asked, “Did you raise it?”

“No.” Jiang Luoyue gave a row of likes to the photos. “Fu Yunqing raised it. She said after chatting with me, she missed Diandian a bit, so she specifically took leave to go home and spend a few days with it.”

Yu Qing let out an “oh,” not catching the oddity at first. But as she put on her eye mask and the world turned dark, she suddenly jolted awake.

Fu Yunqing took leave to be with her dog, which was already unprofessional enough, but why would she send the dog’s photos to Jiang Luoyue? And when did Jiang Luoyue chat with Fu Yunqing? Since when did their relationship become so close?

Most importantly, as Jiang Luoyue’s manager, wasn’t she always by her side? Why was she still completely in the dark about everything?