I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 18.2

It was a functioning music box, with delicate miniature instruments serving as containers, cradling a green fruit. At that moment, it was playing a slightly melancholic instrumental piece while flickering with an ill-timed yellow glow.

Beneath the music box was a handwritten note.

[“Music is humanity’s second language. Even when tense from the mission, don’t forget to relax your mind.”]

Half an hour later.

“Found nothing,” Xiang Fan reported calmly.

“I saw the camera crew. The footprints earlier might have been theirs,” Fu Yunqing paused. “When I went over, the camera team was having breakfast. While the guests were eating compressed biscuits, do you know what they were having? Hotpot!”

[This is absolute chaos!]

[When the full version airs, everyone has to watch Fu Yunqing’s perspective. I’m dying of laughter from looking utterly defeated to disbelief, then to complete madness. An award-winning performance.]

[Xiang Fan’s part is just as intense. In summary: “Might as well just die.”]

Xiang Fan questioned, “You didn’t take anything?”

“Of course I did,” Fu Yunqing sneered. “Who do you think I am!”

She immediately produced a paper bag filled with ingredients handed over by the camera crew. Even the pot used for the hotpot had been hastily washed and brought along.

Even Jiang Luoyue was deeply shocked. “What on earth did you do.”

Fu Yunqing whistled nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened. “Well, I just said a few things I don’t usually say in front of you. Normal conversation. Anyway, they gave it all voluntarily.”

Jiang Luoyue: “…” Did Fu Yunqing threaten to quit the show if they didn’t hand things over? That sounds exactly like something she’d do.

“What about you?” Not wanting her to dwell on it, Fu Yunqing hurriedly asked, “What did you find?”

Jiang Luoyue showed them the note and the fruit. Xiang Fan laughed in exasperation, “Second language, huh? If you love listening to it, then listen to more.”

Jiang Luoyue had a feeling that after the show ended, the production team was in for trouble.

But they totally deserved it.

After venting her anger, Fu Yunqing focused on something else. “With what I brought, we now have exactly five types of food.”

Led by Fu Yunqing, the three of them set off with high morale to find the camera crew. But perhaps frightened by their earlier robbery, when they arrived, the place was deserted.

The tent was half dismantled, flapping in the wind. Aside from the mess left behind, not a soul was in sight.

Fu Yunqing was outraged. “At least take your trash with you before leaving. Where are your manners?”

“They’ll be back,” Xiang Fan said, taking a seat. The portable gas stove brought by the crew was still usable. “Perfect timing. It’s lunch let’s eat while we wait.”

There was a small stream nearby, which met their water needs. While Jiang Luoyue was fetching water, Fu Yunqing crouched beside her, trying to wash her clothes.

Back when the recording started yesterday, Fu Yunqing had mentioned that the hem of her clothes was dirty. She hadn’t brought it up again, so Jiang Luoyue assumed she had already cleaned it. But glancing sideways now, that clearly wasn’t the case.

Like a little white kitten accidentally stepping into a muddy puddle, perhaps it wasn’t that dirty, but compared to the rest, it appeared particularly jarring.

She had been staring for too long, making Fu Yunqing a bit self-conscious: “I’ll clean it myself.”

“No,” Jiang Luoyue reminded her, “You’re upstream. If you wash your clothes, the dirty water will flow downstream.”

Fu Yunqing froze as if struck by lightning, immediately stood up, and moved to Jiang Luoyue’s left.

Jiang Luoyue couldn’t help but chuckle: “Are you angry?”

“Just get your water and mind your own business!”

As Fu Yunqing fumed, Jiang Luoyue said seriously, “If you only wash part of it, the inside of your clothes will still get wet. It’s too cold now you’ll catch a cold. If you think it’s dirty, you can wear mine.”

Fu Yunqing paused. Jiang Luoyue was only wearing a thin outer layer herself. Fu Yunqing pursed her lips: “Yours isn’t even as warm as mine. No thanks.”

Once the water was collected, she took the kettle from Jiang Luoyue and headed toward the tent.

Xiang Fan was lighting the fire again. With a gas stove, there was no need to figure out how to ignite it just stacking the wood properly was enough.

As the bonfire blazed, Jiang Luoyue shook the water off her hands and noticed she was still wearing a watch on her wrist Fu Yunqing’s. She had worn it all night and had almost gotten used to it, forgetting to return it.

During the meal, she brought it up, but Fu Yunqing seemed indifferent: “Just keep it. It’s for telling time anyway whether you look at it or I do makes no difference.”

Since the recording would end tomorrow, Jiang Luoyue didn’t press the matter.

After all, given Fu Yunqing’s personality, repeatedly emphasizing the watch might lead her to retort, “It’s just a watch is it that important? If you don’t want it, throw it away.”

Jiang Luoyue was surprised to realize that, in such a short time, she had grown familiar with Fu Yunqing so familiar that she could even mimic her tone and manner of speaking.

Was it really just because Fu Yunqing talked too much? Anyone listening to her chatter all day would inevitably hear her voice echoing in their ears.

As Jiang Luoyue convinced herself, lunch also came to an end. Compared to the previous two meals, this one was practically a feast. After eating their fill, the three of them explored the nearby area again.

They found no clues. When they returned, the original tents and trash had been taken away, but the tools remained intact, providing convenience for the Red Heart team.

As dusk approached, they had to consider their accommodation again. While Xiang Fan was contemplating whether to go back and fetch their things or use points to exchange for them, Fu Yunqing casually remarked, “Doesn’t Jiang Luoyue have a tent? The one the program crew gave as a prop.”

Xiang Fan was surprised: “Really?”

She had been fast asleep when Jiang Luoyue spoke with the photographer, so she hadn’t heard.

Jiang Luoyue nodded instinctively, not sensing anything amiss, but a few seconds later, she looked at Fu Yunqing in astonishment: “Didn’t you say you were asleep?”

“I was!” Fu Yunqing declared righteously, “I told you I dreamed I heard you talking.”

“The prop was given by Ning Fuguang.”

At the mention of that name, Fu Yunqing paused briefly. It was clear she had not only heard the entire conversation but had deliberately omitted the benefactor’s name.

Xiang Fan pieced together the whole story from their brief exchange and asked, surprised, “Why did she give you a tent?”

“Is Ning Fuguang really that kind-hearted?” Fu Yunqing argued confidently while helping Jiang Luoyue assemble the tent. “She must have ulterior motives. Maybe the tent has side effects like losing points as soon as you lie down in it.”

“Then you go in and try first.” Xiang Fan was more than happy to stir the pot.

Jiang Luoyue attempted to defend Ning Fuguang: “Maybe she’s just a genuinely nice person?”

Fu Yunqing shot her a glance: “Then do you think I’m nice? Is Xiang Fan nice? Yu Jingtang… never mind Yu Jingtang, you’d definitely think she’s nice.”

“Of course,” Jiang Luoyue replied earnestly. “You’re all good people, each with your own strengths.”

Her sincere response left Fu Yunqing at a loss for words. After a long pause, she finally managed, “That just proves you think everyone is good you’re too much of a pushover.”

Amid this awkward atmosphere, the tent was finally set up. The program team explained that it could accommodate five people, but once erected, it seemed spacious enough for all seven of them, resembling a massive communal sleeping area, vast and all-encompassing.

It was then that Fu Yunqing realized something: “I have to sleep with all of you?”

“It’s so big inside, there won’t be any contact,” Xiang Fan said expressionlessly as she entered the tent. “No one would mind if you stayed outside.”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Fu Yunqing retorted angrily. “Jiang Luoyue wouldn’t allow it! Right?”

Under her intense gaze, Jiang Luoyue had no choice but to nod.

“Besides her, everyone else would allow it,” Xiang Fan scoffed coldly.

“Her permission is enough.”

Fu Yunqing humphed and followed Jiang Luoyue into the tent.

After zipping up the entrance, the surroundings fell silent except for the occasional chirping of birds. The flickering flames made time seem to stand still in that moment.

Jiang Luoyue lay in the very center, with Xiang Fan on her left and Fu Yunqing on her right. The spacing was actually quite generous, but being in such an enclosed space together still gave her the illusion of being the cheese squeezed between two burger buns.

She tilted her head back, staring at the reflective coating of the tent, trying to hypnotize herself into not overthinking.

Suddenly, Fu Yunqing asked, “What are you looking at?”

Jiang Luoyue turned her head. Fu Yunqing was also looking at her. After a few seconds of thought, she replied nonsensically, “Looking at the stars.”

Fu Yunqing strained her eyes but could only see the dark, overcast sky. “Where are the stars?”

Xiang Fan remarked casually, “If you have stars in your heart, then everywhere is a starry sky.”

Fu Yunqing: “…”

Immediately, rustling sounds came from inside the tent as Fu Yunqing turned over, took a deep breath, seemingly struck speechless by that response.

Jiang Luoyue stared at her back for a moment, then chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” This time, it was Xiang Fan who asked first. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Jiang Luoyue smiled, then noticed Fu Yunqing turning back and suddenly had a whimsical thought. “It’s just that the color of the tent reminded me of Diandian.”

Distracted by the mention of the puppy, Fu Yunqing immediately followed the train of thought. “Speaking of which, we should bring Diandian camping next time.”

Recalling her clothes, Jiang Luoyue carefully replied, “Let’s not.”

Samoyeds were adorable, but if it turned into a spotted dog, its charm would be somewhat diminished.

“If you don’t trust me, at least trust its hunting skills ”

“Hold on,” Xiang Fan interrupted. “Who’s Diandian?”

“My dog,” Fu Yunqing proudly continued. “When she was just six months old, she caught a mouse in a hotel and even put a lizard on my mom’s pillow. I almost got beaten into dried jerky because of it.”

“Why would they beat you for something the dog did?”

Fu Yunqing started whistling again. “That lizard was one I was secretly fostering for a friend without their permission. After the incident, I had to return it.”

Jiang Luoyue: “…” In a way, it’s true that I deserved that beating.

The tent fell silent. After a long while, Xiang Fan finally spoke, “I thought you were just putting on a show for the program. I didn’t expect you to be like this in real life too.”

There were no cameras in the tent. Words spoken in a relaxed state naturally reflected what had truly happened.

Xiang Fan didn’t finish her sentence. Just as she had anticipated, Fu Yunqing took the bait and started getting angry, making a fuss. Jiang Luoyue’s soft sigh was barely audible, but Xiang Fan still caught it.

Xiang Fan coldly pointed out, “You talk too much, especially with pointless chatter.”

Fu Yunqing retorted, “When have I ever talked too much? No one has ever said I talk too much since I was a child, and no one has dared to say I love spouting nonsense! Only you, Xiang Fan always sharing your ‘brilliant’ opinions online and spouting nonsense and slander in real life.”

Jiang Luoyue took a deep breath and covered her ears.

Xiang Fan added, “Whoever ends up living with you in the future should make buying a hundred pairs of earplugs their first priority.”

Fu Yunqing shot up into a sitting position. “Jiang Luoyue! Look at her!”

But Jiang Luoyue remained silent for a long time.

Fu Yunqing was taken aback and called her name twice more. Only then did Jiang Luoyue lower her hands, slowly waking up. “Sorry, I just fell asleep. What did you say? I didn’t hear.”

Fu Yunqing: “…”

Defeated, Fu Yunqing flopped back down with a thud. Perhaps she lay down too forcefully, her back hit something, and she gasped in pain.

Jiang Luoyue immediately asked what was wrong. Fu Yunqing complained, “Now you can hear me!”

“I told you, I was asleep just now!” Jiang Luoyue retorted. “Does it hurt a lot?”

Listening to the incessant murmuring, Xiang Fan closed her eyes.

She didn’t know why she had suddenly become so childish, engaging in such meaningless conversations. But out here in the wilderness, with no phones, no books, the only connection Xiang Fan had was with the two noisy people lying beside her.

Even though both of them were exceptionally loud, it was only when she heard their voices that Xiang Fan didn’t feel the illusion of being lost in the vast rainforest.

For the first five minutes after closing her eyes, Xiang Fan genuinely and sincerely believed this.

But ten minutes later, when Fu Yunqing was still telling Jiang Luoyue how adorable and vain her dog was, Xiang Fan opened her eyes again.

What illusion?

Her biggest illusion was mistakenly thinking Jiang Luoyue was a reliable teammate, and resolutely rejecting Yu Jingtang and Ning Fuguang’s proposal to switch teams when choosing partners.

Who would have thought that Jiang Luoyue, who seemed upright, dependable, sensitive, and introverted, would turn out to be even better at chiming in about cats and dogs in private than a professional straight man in a comedy act!