I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 16.2

“She doesn’t have any food with her.” Jiang Luoyue turned to look at her, noticing her tension and feeling a bit puzzled. “What are you looking at?”

“Bears,” Fu Yunqing said. “Don’t you think bears are terrifying? They can kill a person with one bite.”

Can’t any fierce beast kill a human with one bite?

Jiang Luoyue was baffled. “Are you very afraid of bears?”

“Haven’t you seen bears eat people?” Fu Yunqing said. “Before eating them, they treat people like toys, tormenting them for a long time before devouring them.”

After hearing Fu Yunqing recount a few horror stories, especially knowing that some of them happened in the mountains, Jiang Luoyue glanced around and slowly said, “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about such things here.”

Fu Yunqing blinked. “Are you scared?”

Jiang Luoyue tried to keep a straight face. “I’m not scared, just think it’s a bit unlucky.”

“It’s normal to be scared,” Fu Yunqing said. “When I was little, I was terrified after hearing these stories from my sister. But now, looking back, it’s not that bad. I’m here with you, so you can feel at ease.”

From childhood? No wonder she still has a psychological shadow even now.

Reason told Jiang Luoyue not to respond to Fu Yunqing anymore. The more she replied, the more Fu Yunqing would show off and talk even more.

But driven by curiosity, she held back, only to fail, and asked as if casually, “How can I feel at ease?”

“Even if we die, we’ll die together. You won’t be too lonely.” Fu Yunqing said it offhandedly, then blinked as if remembering something. “Does that make it even more unlucky now?”

Jiang Luoyue: “…” So you do know it’s unlucky?

[Please say fewer things that aren’t good for the mental state of the live-stream audience.]

[Even in death, they want to die together? Is this something Fu Yunqing would say?]

【Spread the word: Fu Yunqing and Jiang Luoyue are to be buried together!】

【I was away from the livestream for just a moment, and Fu Yunqing has already gone this far!】

Though the words were inauspicious, fate had its own canine luck. Perhaps thanks to a stroke of fortune, the two encountered no wild beasts along the way, hearing only the chirping of small birds.

Just like Fu Yunqing!

As Jiang Luoyue was thinking this, Fu Yunqing suddenly took a few steps to the side, then bent down and picked up a small bird from the foliage. The bird was still a fledgling, covered in sparse down, its wings trembling as if injured from a fall.

Both looked up at the same time and indeed spotted a bird’s nest a little higher up.

“Will it be alright if we send it back?” Fu Yunqing asked uncertainly.

Jiang Luoyue was at a loss and instinctively turned around.

“Sister Xu! Stop hiding!”

The accompanying photographer, who thought she was well concealed and had been silently hiding behind a tree: “…”

A few minutes later, Sister Xu stared at the two people and the bird, falling into silence.

Fu Yunqing glanced at the bird, then at Jiang Luoyue.

Jiang Luoyue cast aside her embarrassment and said matter-of-factly, “You can ignore the celebrities, but you have to care about animals, right? This is rescuing wildlife it’s a good deed and will make it to the trending topics.”

“A light-vented bulbul. Very common, not considered wildlife,” Sister Xu said, but still took the bird from Fu Yunqing’s hands. Before leaving, she added casually, “How did you notice me?”

Jiang Luoyue looked puzzled. “Haven’t you been following us since the recording started?”

Did that even require noticing?

Sister Xu seemed deeply shaken and left after that. The new photographer who replaced her was elusive, and neither Fu Yunqing nor Jiang Luoyue recognized them.

After walking for a while, Fu Yunqing suddenly remarked, “That’s the first time I’ve heard you speak so loudly.”

“If I didn’t shout loudly, she’d pretend not to hear and ignore us on purpose.”

Jiang Luoyue explained naturally, and Fu Yunqing, recalling the production team’s various antics, wholeheartedly agreed.

Her irritation from thirst was inexplicably soothed. Fu Yunqing glanced at Jiang Luoyue, unconsciously pursed her lips, and averted her gaze.

Just as the two were enjoying a harmonious atmosphere, Xiang Fan crouched down.

This time, she had chosen the right path. The further she went, the more the trail sloped downward. The ground was damp, and the air was filled with the fragrance of plants after the rain.

The river meandered ahead, sunlight glinting off the clear water, refracting into shimmering illusions.

【Many doubted and mocked, but they forgot a guide is still a guide!】

【Follow the guide and never get lost. Remember her name Xiang Fan!】

【We are the champions!】

Gazing at the river before her, Xiang Fan took a deep breath, calming herself slightly before taking out her walkie-talkie. She was familiar with using it and deftly switched channels, but there was no response.

Only then did Xiang Fan remember she had forgotten to agree on a channel with Jiang Luoyue and the others before they separated.

But as long as they had their devices on, she could try each channel one by one someone was bound to hear her.

So, a few minutes later.

The previously quiet livestream of the square team was suddenly filled with Xiang Fan’s voice, slightly distorted from amplification: “Hey! Jiang Luoyue! Fu Yunqing! Respond if you hear me!”

【???】

【That voice sounds familiar… who are you?】

【Xiang Fan! What are you doing here?!】

Yu Jingtang, who had been setting up a tent, paused and picked up her walkie-talkie, confused. “Aren’t you all together?”

On the other end, Xiang Fan was also startled by the unfamiliar voice. “Yu Jingtang? Why are you answering? This is already channel 2.”

She switched to channel ‘1’ again, and this time, Ning Fuguang responded to Xiang Fan: “Did you get separated from them?”

Xiang Fan: “…”

A few minutes later, she turned off the walkie-talkie, packed her bag, and started heading back.

Before leaving, she didn’t forget to mutter at the camera, “Looks like everything I said went in one ear and out the other.”

[Is it possible that the walkie-talkie isn’t the problem, but Jiang Luoyue and Fu Yunqing simply didn’t turn theirs on?]

[Is it possible that Xiang Fan knew they didn’t turn theirs on and is now going to seek revenge?]

[When Xiang Fan starts going on a rampage, she goes all out, completely losing herself.]

As luck would have it, not long after Xiang Fan turned off her device, Fu Yunqing finally took out her walkie-talkie from her bag.

“How does this thing work?” Like Xiang Fan, she repeatedly adjusted the channels, but this time, no one was on the same frequency as her.

Even Ning Fuguang and Yu Jingtang had turned off their devices for some peace and quiet, since Xiang Fan couldn’t manage to share a single useful piece of information in three sentences.

“Xiang Fan didn’t turn hers on?” Fu Yunqing pursed her lips. “And here I thought her memory was so great turns out she forgets everything the moment she’s done talking.”

Jiang Luoyue, however, wasn’t paying attention to her.

In the distance, the wind howled. Looking ahead, there was a mountain range; looking down, there was still a dense forest.

Without a doubt, this was a dead end.

After a while, she finally withdrew her gaze and pressed her lips together. “Sorry, I led us the wrong way.”

“You’re apologizing for that?” Fu Yunqing put away her walkie-talkie, unfazed. “Isn’t it a teammate’s responsibility to share the burden? If I were afraid of taking wrong turns, why would I team up with you?”

[You weren’t like this with Xiang Fan earlier, were you?]

[When it comes to teammate bonds, Zhao Mei has something to say. Also, the daily question: #Has Zhao Mei quit the industry today?#]

“I’m not that harsh with everyone,” Fu Yunqing explained suddenly, halfway back, only then realizing why Jiang Luoyue had been so quiet. “People who’ve spent time with me know I’m actually pretty easygoing.”

Jiang Luoyue, who had been somewhat moved by her words moments earlier: “…You’re fine, but let’s not call it ‘easygoing.’”

Fu Yunqing immediately retorted, “What do you mean! Am I not easygoing?”

Jiang Luoyue silently met her gaze. Fu Yunqing whistled and looked away. “Well, it’s only human to have a bad temper sometimes.”

Jiang Luoyue smiled and was about to say something when another woman’s voice cut in first. “Sometimes? More like constantly on the verge of blowing up or already blowing up.”

Jiang Luoyue looked over in surprise. Xiang Fan was leaning against a tree, her bag casually placed on the ground, looking just as laid-back as before the shoot, though her expression seemed a bit more weary. Her disheveled hair added a touch of capable beauty.

“Guide Xiang?”

While Jiang Luoyue hesitated, Fu Yunqing chimed in with the next question: “What are you doing here?”

“If I didn’t show up, you’d probably still be lost by nightfall,” Xiang Fan replied coldly to Fu Yunqing first, then softened her tone as she spoke to Jiang Luoyue. “I found a water source on my end, but I couldn’t reach you on the walkie-talkie, so I came to find you.”

Without Jiang Luoyue leading the way, the three of them might still be wandering around like headless flies.

“Just a lucky coincidence,” Jiang Luoyue said with a smile, finally breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Guide Xiang.”

“Luck is part of skill too,” Xiang Fan’s expression eased, and she offered rare praise. “Out of all the nonsense Fu Yunqing spouts, that’s one line that almost makes sense.”

“I’ve said plenty of reasonable things you just don’t understand them.” Fu Yunqing scoffed, though the corners of his lips curled slightly, making it clear he was in a good mood. “Alright, lead the way. It’s not like it’s any trouble to come all this distance.”

As soon as these words left his mouth, Jiang Luoyue had a gut feeling that Fu Yunqing was about to step on a landmine.

And sure enough.

Xiang Fan halted in her tracks, turning back to cast a cold glance at Fu Yunqing. “Do you really think I’m just a guide?”

Fu Yunqing immediately bristled. “You said it yourself, what’s it got to do with me? Why are you so aggressive? Jiang Luoyue, listen it’s not like I’d curse at her if she weren’t being so mean!”

A double whammy!

Sure enough, Xiang Fan let out a cold laugh, tossed out the words “Suit yourself,” and strode off without looking back.

Watching Xiang Fan’s resolute retreating figure, Fu Yunqing took a deep breath, ready to unleash her ultimate move, when the woman suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned back, took Jiang Luoyue’s wrist, and pulled her along.

Fu Yunqing panicked. “If you want to tie something up, tie Jiang Luoyue’s luggage! Why are you dragging her?”

Xiang Fan, however, couldn’t be bothered to respond. Jiang Luoyue tried to struggle free but heard a very soft whisper: “Isn’t it tiring to carry all that? Let her take it.”

Jiang Luoyue met Xiang Fan’s gaze. After a few seconds of hesitation, she dropped her bag.

“Let her go!”

As expected, Fu Yunqing’s noisy protests erupted from behind. Jiang Luoyue glanced back in the brief pause Fu Yunqing, laden with both their bags, was chasing after them indignantly. “Don’t touch her! You’re exploiting your position to harass a fellow actress! I’m going to expose you!”

Xiang Fan remarked, “And to think you put up with her.”

“Her temper is actually quite good,” Jiang Luoyue tried to defend Fu Yunqing.

But when she turned and met Fu Yunqing’s eyes, the familiar cry echoed in her ears: “Jiang Luoyue! Look at her! I told you she’s not normal, didn’t I?”

Jiang Luoyue fell silent.

Xiang Fan smirked faintly. “Quite good, huh.”

Jiang Luoyue replied expressionlessly, “On occasion.”