I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 17

By the time they reached their destination, it was nearly five o’clock. The temperature had dropped significantly, with only the last remnants of daylight lingering.

“Let’s set up the tent.”

Xiang Fan put down her bag and turned around to find Jiang Luoyue still rubbing the red marks on her wrist. After being dragged along for so long, it was inevitable that finger-shaped bruises had formed.

Xiang Fan’s gaze lingered on those conspicuous red marks for a few seconds before she asked, “Which of you knows how to do this?”

Jiang Luoyue snapped back to attention. “I can give it a try.”

Fu Yunqing hesitated but chimed in, “Yeah, I can too.”

They seemed enthusiastic, but to put it plainly, neither of them had any experience.

After a moment’s thought, Xiang Fan decided to assign the more challenging task of setting up the tent to Fu Yunqing, while Jiang Luoyue was tasked with starting the fire. “Pick dry branches and start with the smallest ones to ignite them. Do you know how to use matches?”

Jiang Luoyue replied, “Yes.”

Though she lacked survival skills, she still had basic common sense.

Xiang Fan felt reassured. “Good.”

As for Fu Yunqing, there wasn’t much to explain. “If you don’t know how, just read the instructions they cover everything. If that doesn’t work, call me. Don’t mess around on your own.”

With that, Xiang Fan began winding her fishing line. Fu Yunqing, feeling a bit provoked, crossed her arms. “And what about you? What are you going to do?”

“Get food to shut you up,” Xiang Fan replied coldly. “If I don’t fish, what will you eat? Rely on the little food Jiang Luoyue exchanged? We’d starve by tomorrow.”

Fu Yunqing: “…”

Before Fu Yunqing could respond, Xiang Fan had already walked off with her fishing rod. She stayed at a distance not too far, not too close so that no matter what happened, they could still keep an eye on each other.

Though still a bit irritated, Fu Yunqing was tired after spending the whole day cursing Xiang Fan. She decided to let it slide and bent down to retrieve the tent from her bag.

While Fu Yunqing hurriedly studied the instructions and laid out the inner tent, Jiang Luoyue was busy searching for branches.

Xiang Fan’s instructions had been simple and clear, but since it had rained recently, the branches on the ground were all damp and wouldn’t catch fire. The few dry branches she managed to find were too thin and couldn’t sustain a proper fire.

Fortunately, Jiang Luoyue found some dry grass and leaves. This time, she gathered enough to finally ignite a small flame.

“Is that it?” Fu Yunqing, who was still assembling the tent poles, instinctively leaned over to take a look, only to be met with a thick cloud of gray smoke.

The smoke quickly filled the small area, catching Xiang Fan’s attention from a distance. Her voice carried a note of alarm. “Is there a fire?”

“No” Jiang Luoyue tried to blow it out, and as the smoke began to dissipate slightly, Fu Yunqing was still coughing from the irritation.

Xiang Fan looked skeptically at Jiang Luoyue, who explained softly, “I think some wet leaves got mixed in.”

She hadn’t thought it would matter and had lit them all together, never expecting the smoke to be so intense.

Xiang Fan took a deep breath. “Good job. I’ll take over.”

It was hard to tell from her tone whether she was angry or just resigned to the situation, but as soon as Xiang Fan said she’d handle it, she immediately took over Jiang Luoyue’s task.

Her practical skills were clearly superior to both of theirs. She first crushed the leaves, then layered grass on top to form a fragile base before carefully crossing and stacking the small branches.

Like building a house with blocks, she left gaps where necessary. Her expression was focused, and when she lit the match, the warm glow of the flame illuminated her face.

When this scene was broadcast live, it immediately sparked a flood of comments.

【Without Xiang Fan, they can’t even take a single step and they still want to kick her out?】

【If Xiang Fan wanted to marry me.】

【It’s just lighting a fire I could do it too if I were there.】

【LOL, no one’s stopping you from going, so why aren’t you? Is it because you can’t get past the gender barrier?】

“Done.” Xiang Fan added a few more branches, confirmed the fire was gradually growing stronger, then turned to Jiang Luoyue and said, “From now on, just add branches slowly to keep the fire steady.”

Jiang Luoyue immediately nodded in agreement, her tone sincere. “Guide Xiang is amazing.”

After failing once herself, seeing someone else succeed made her realize just how difficult it was.

Xiang Fan nodded. “I’ve done it a few times while camping before. Glad I haven’t gotten rusty.”

Fu Yunqing pursed her lips, displeased at hearing her being praised, and remarked coolly, “If you knew how to do it, why didn’t you say so earlier? Is what you did the same as what you told her?”

“I explained the key points I thought were important. It’s normal for her not to succeed on her first try.” Xiang Fan sneered coldly and raised her eyes. “Besides, if I have to do everything, what do I need teammates for?”

“Instead of criticizing me, why don’t you show us your results? Have you even set up the tent after all this time?”

She seemed to be hoping to see Fu Yunqing make a fool of herself, but the reality was hard to criticize perhaps because the instructions were straightforward enough, Fu Yunqing had already set up the tent and was now hammering in the stakes to secure it.

Noticing Xiang Fan’s gaze, the woman immediately tossed a stake in her hand. “Want to see me fail? Maybe in your next life.”

Throughout it all, Jiang Luoyue diligently added branches as if the argument had nothing to do with her.

But a few viewers still noticed her subtle movements and raised questions:

【Did Jiang Luoyue cover her ears when Fu Yunqing was talking?】

【Fu Yunqing’s voice is so loud, what’s wrong with covering your ears? If I were Jiang Luoyue, I’d file for workplace injury just for having to listen to her, complaining about tinnitus.】

【That’s way too exaggerated. Fu Yunqing was just having a normal conversation.】

【She says more in one day than Yu Jingtang does in an entire season.】

Once Yu Jingtang was brought up, some were finally convinced and had to accept the fact that Fu Yunqing was indeed very noisy.

In the blink of an eye, Fu Yunqing had set up three tents. She lifted the flap of the leftmost one and tossed her bag inside.

Of course, there were no cameras inside the tent, so if she wanted to complain, she had to stick her head out. “Forgot to change the sleeping bag.”

Once the fire was strong enough, Jiang Luoyue only added wood every few minutes. In the meantime, she also remembered to boil water in a kettle the water in the wild was too dirty, and she wouldn’t feel at ease drinking it without boiling it first.

Hearing Fu Yunqing’s remark, she finally turned her head. “Are you going to change it?”

The flames danced, and Jiang Luoyue’s hair swayed in the firelight. Fu Yunqing propped her chin on her hand, staring into the fire. “I’m worried I don’t have enough points.”

“Is it that expensive?” Jiang Luoyue recalled that Fu Yunqing still had about twenty points. Even if the production team was greedy, they wouldn’t charge more than twenty for a sleeping bag.

“It’s enough for one person, of course,” Fu Yunqing said matter-of-factly. “But I’m not alone.”

Jiang Luoyue instinctively replied, “You have a dog?”

“I do have a dog.” At first, Fu Yunqing didn’t catch the implication, but halfway through her sentence, she exclaimed in shock, “Wait, what are you talking about? I meant you! Aren’t you a person?”

While Jiang Luoyue was still bewildered, Fu Yunqing spoke up awkwardly, “If I have it, you must have it too. Otherwise, there’s no point in swapping.”

Jiang Luoyue: “What about the guide?”

Fu Yunqing immediately scoffed coldly, “She can change by herself. No need to worry about her.”

[What is this double standard? (leans back dramatically)]

[If I were Xiang Fan, I’d definitely be driven to tears by a teammate like Fu Yunqing.]

[If you’re mentally fragile, you should work on building resilience instead of taking over online spaces.]

As they talked, Xiang Fan returned with her fishing rod, fully loaded.

Many had doubted and mocked her, but none of it mattered now Xiang Fan’s bucket was filled with fish. Their tails splashed water, piled up layer by layer, just like the way Xiang Fan had built the bonfire earlier.

“Can you clean fish?” she asked with a smile.

Fu Yunqing stared at the bucket and suddenly looked up. “Did the production team stock the fish for you?”

“Fine if you don’t believe me, but don’t eat any later,” Xiang Fan shrugged, then began cleaning the fish with Jiang Luoyue.

Her method of cleaning fish was remarkably simple and quick: she lifted the fish by the head and smacked it against a rock. Once the fish stopped moving, she removed the innards, skewered it with a branch, and placed it over the fire to roast.

As the temperature rose, the fish skin gradually changed color, sizzling and crackling. Fish oil continuously dripped into the flames, sparking bursts of fire and smoke.

The aroma wafted through the air, and Fu Yunqing finally couldn’t resist the temptation, sitting down beside Jiang Luoyue.

Watching the flames, she muttered, “Killing lives,” and began murmuring something under her breath.

Jiang Luoyue flipped the fish while sprinkling salt on it as Xiang Fan instructed.

Fu Yunqing’s murmuring was oddly rhythmic, and after a few rounds, Jiang Luoyue couldn’t take it anymore and asked sincerely, “What are you chanting?”

“The Rebirth Mantra,” Fu Yunqing declared confidently. “I hope they pass on peacefully and don’t haunt us.”

“Including me?” Xiang Fan raised an eyebrow, chiming in casually.

Surprisingly, Fu Yunqing didn’t refute it. “We still have two days and one night left. If you get targeted, we won’t escape either.”

Xiang Fan: “You really are preparing for the worst.”

By now, night had fully fallen. Among the intertwined leaves, faint starlight sprinkled down. The three of them sat around the fire, gazing at the only source of light in the silent rainforest. After a moment, Jiang Luoyue said, “I wonder how they the Square Team is doing now.”

Xiang Fan examined the fish for a while and handed the cooked one to Jiang Luoyue. “When I connected with them this afternoon, they seemed to be setting up their tent.”

Several hours had passed. As long as the Square Team hadn’t been lying around all day, they must have found some food to get through the day.

Jiang Luoyue instinctively thanked her, but Fu Yunqing’s attention was on something else. “Connected? Did you betray us?”

Remembering the mix-up from the afternoon, Xiang Fan’s eye twitched, and she couldn’t be bothered to respond to Fu Yunqing. Luckily, the remaining two fish were also done, so she simply said, “Talk less, eat more. Asking too many questions makes you look a bit foolish.”

Fu Yunqing: “I only asked one thing! What’s your attitude!”

She bit into the fish, chewed a few times, and immediately, comments popped up asking how it tasted.

“Disgusting,” Xiang Fan commented coldly. “One seasoning isn’t enough. We’ll try something else tomorrow.”

Jiang Luoyue: “Maybe it’s because I didn’t grill it well.”

“It’s not your fault,” Fu Yunqing said. “Xiang Fan’s skills are just poor, so she could only catch this kind of fish. There are only bad ingredients in the world, not incompetent cooks.”

Jiang Luoyue hesitated, “Is that really how the saying goes?”

Fu Yunqing nodded, “Of course.”

One was talking nonsense, while the other hesitated for a few seconds before choosing to believe it. Xiang Fan listened quietly to their conversation, and at some point, her expression relaxed as well, the corners of her lips lifting into her first light and natural smile.

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, it seemed to be time to rest.

Fu Yunqing washed her hands and lazily stretched, “Should I take the night watch?”

In the wilderness, someone always had to stay awake to keep an eye on their surroundings.

Xiang Fan didn’t mind, and Jiang Luoyue blinked, speaking up at the right moment, “Should I go first?”

She had been an observer when starting the fire earlier, and during cooking, she only flipped the fish she hadn’t done much but still enjoyed the fruits of their labor, which made her feel a bit embarrassed.

“If anyone should take the first watch, it should be Xiang Fan.”

Fu Yunqing seemed about to refuse, but Jiang Luoyue, noticing her tired expression, insisted, “I’m not very sleepy. You two go rest first.”

She was adamant, and after hesitating for a few seconds, Fu Yunqing didn’t push back further. “Lift your hand.”

Jiang Luoyue complied, feeling confused, when Fu Yunqing took off her wristwatch and, under the glow of the campfire, placed it on Jiang Luoyue’s wrist.

The temperature in the forest at night was extremely low, but the metal watch, having absorbed the woman’s body heat, wasn’t cold. Still, Jiang Luoyue instinctively flinched.

“I can put it on myself.”

Her tone, which had been slightly spirited just moments before, suddenly dropped. Jiang Luoyue tried to take the watch from Fu Yunqing, but the woman said bluntly, “This watch is designed differently. It’ll only take me a few seconds to put it on for you.”

Couldn’t she just not wear it? After all, it was just for telling time.

But Fu Yunqing had already lowered her head, focusing intently on adjusting the watch, so Jiang Luoyue swallowed her words.

It was clear Fu Yunqing had never put a watch on anyone else before. What was supposed to take a few seconds ended up taking half a minute. During that time, her fingertips frequently brushed against Jiang Luoyue’s wrist, sending tingles of sensation.

“Done.” When Fu Yunqing let go, Jiang Luoyue breathed a long sigh of relief, withdrawing her hand and hiding it behind her back.

“Wake me in an hour,” Fu Yunqing said. “I only need a short nap.”

“Okay.” Jiang Luoyue nodded, suddenly recalling an interview she had seen where Fu Yunqing mentioned having a bit of a temper when woken up.

Would she really be able to wake her in an hour? Jiang Luoyue was skeptical. But if she couldn’t, it would just mean keeping watch for a few more hours.

She sat by the fire. Aside from the wind, the only sound was the gentle crackling of burning branches, soft and soothing, like background noise for sleep.

Just as the live stream chat was flooded with comments like [I’m getting sleepy listening to this], the staff of Hate Me finally crept out from a corner and handed out the day’s first task.

[Successfully build a shelter]

The rewards were a set of seasonings, three sleeping bags, and toiletries exactly what Xiang Fan and Fu Yunqing had mentioned the team was lacking.

It was clear that Hate Me was genuinely afraid the guests might bail on the spot. Whatever they needed, the show would find a way to provide.

Since Jiang Luoyue hadn’t expressed any specific needs, her portion was replaced with toiletries.

But even if the program hadn’t provided these daily necessities, they would have had to spend points to exchange for them tomorrow so it was a win!

To keep the staff from noticing her inner delight, Jiang Luoyue pretended to be dissatisfied and nodded coolly. Just as she took the items, ready to end the conversation, the woman suddenly pulled out a large, folded tent.

“Due to Miss Jiang’s outstanding performance today, she has been awarded a mysterious item from Team Square’s Ning Fuguang a super large tent! This tent can accommodate five people. Invite any guest to join you for an intimate conversation inside, and both you and they will receive a huge surprise from the program team. Hurry and invite the one you like to try it out before the item expires!”