I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 19

Jiang Luoyue couldn’t remember when she had fallen asleep, but when she opened her eyes again, the firelight outside the tent had grown extremely faint. Inside the tent, Xiang Fan was still resting, but Fu Yunqing was nowhere to be seen.

She glanced at the time 4 a.m.

With the production crew around, Fu Yunqing probably wouldn’t run into any trouble, but Jiang Luoyue still felt a little worried. After hesitating for a few seconds, she fought off her drowsiness and unzipped the tent.

A cold breeze brushed her face, instantly waking her up. She had only taken a few steps when she happened to lock eyes with Fu Yunqing.

“Morning.” Fu Yunqing was full of energy. After greeting her, she started tossing logs into the fire.

Seeing that the other hadn’t wandered off, Jiang Luoyue felt somewhat relieved. As she washed up, Fu Yunqing seemed distracted, her gaze frequently drifting toward Jiang Luoyue, as if Jiang Luoyue’s presence was interfering with her fire-tending.

After several such exchanges, and seeing that Jiang Luoyue still showed no intention of asking, Fu Yunqing finally couldn’t hold back. “I got a clue,” she said, emphasizing proudly, “It’s related to the resource pack. I know its exact location now.”

Perhaps because Xiang Fan had teased her yesterday for talking too much, today’s Fu Yunqing was unusually straightforward. Jiang Luoyue felt a bit unaccustomed to it at first, but when she heard “resource pack,” she looked up. “Where is it?”

When the cameraman had introduced the tent earlier, he had specifically mentioned that as long as the guests stayed inside together and had a “heart-to-heart chat,” they would receive a mysterious surprise. This clue was clearly the result of that.

Fu Yunqing showed her the clue card she had received. It had only one line: [Where the dream began.]

Still the same infuriating style of the production team.

This time, without Fu Yunqing needing to explain, Jiang Luoyue could guess that the resource pack was most likely located in the area where they had first started their ascent.

Seeing her understanding, Fu Yunqing seemed pleased and spoke hesitantly, “Want to go together? Just the two of us.”

Jiang Luoyue was stunned for a few seconds, realizing she wasn’t the least bit surprised.

Fu Yunqing had always been an exceptionally independent person. If it weren’t for Jiang Luoyue’s presence, she probably would have split from Xiang Fan as soon as they entered the rainforest. The fact that she had waited until now to break away from the group, and even took the initiative to invite Jiang Luoyue to join her, seemed like she was already giving them face.

But understanding aside, Jiang Luoyue still voiced her doubts: “Won’t that be a bit inappropriate? The guide will worry if she can’t find us.”

“Aren’t there walkie-talkies?” Fu Yunqing, however, had come prepared. “One person missing is a disappearance; two people missing is a planned departure. She’ll definitely understand.”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to go,” Fu Yunqing added deliberately, her tone serious.

But it was clear that even if Jiang Luoyue refused to go with her, Fu Yunqing would stick to her plan. One person missing was better than two running off together, Jiang Luoyue’s mind was inexplicably filled with Fu Yunqing’s words. She sighed and said, “Let’s wait until it’s a bit brighter before we set off.”

The rainforest was inevitably home to many wild animals. Just yesterday afternoon, the three of them had encountered a snake. Fortunately, they were at a safe distance and hadn’t disturbed it, avoiding any danger.

Though Fu Yunqing claimed not to care, hearing Jiang Luoyue agree to her proposal, she couldn’t help but smile.

The jungle night was terrifying, but with two people together, it almost felt like a morning tea party. Though there were no desserts or tea, they had leftover compressed biscuits and fruit specially provided by the production team.

“Excellent,” Fu Yunqing said with full vigor, giving a thumbs-up to the camera before setting off. “I’m Fu Yunqing, and I recommend the production team try surviving out here themselves next time.”

Jiang Luoyue added, “But if they bring their own props, they’d probably have a great time.”

Fu Yunqing retorted, “Then confiscate their props. If I’m not having fun, why should they? That’s just unfair!”

Since they had marked their path on the way, they quickly reached yesterday’s fork in the road. After spending some more time on the trail, they finally found their first campsite.

The three tents were still in place, but the bucket had tipped over, and the fish were gone.

Fu Yunqing immediately thought of various rumors: “Could it be a bear?”

“There are no bears in this jungle,” Jiang Luoyue said, “at least not in this part. It was probably an animal.”

Fu Yunqing clearly wasn’t convinced and hesitated while scouting the path. Jiang Luoyue then stepped in front of her, occasionally glancing around.

If a large animal had indeed eaten their fish, the production team would have taken precautions either scaring it away or driving it out of the area entirely.

Sure enough, the rest of the journey went smoothly, and the sky gradually brightened.

In the faint morning light, birdsong filled the air incessantly. Fu Yunqing breathed a sigh of relief and resumed her position as the guide, quietly asking, “Aren’t you scared at all?”

She had been puzzled by this for days; Jiang Luoyue seemed fearless about everything and trusted the production team’s arrangements completely.

Jiang Luoyue paused. “If there’s no danger, why be afraid?”

In truth, she wasn’t as calm and confident as Fu Yunqing imagined. She simply believed that with so many guests, if any accident occurred, the production team and the capital behind them couldn’t afford the compensation.

Under the premise of facing fines or even jail time for negligence, they would meticulously review every detail, preferring to put themselves in danger rather than risking the guests’ safety.

After hearing her explanation, Fu Yunqing was stunned.

[I have the same expression as Fu Yunqing.]

[Makes sense, but it totally lacks that ‘I’m a transcendent master’ vibe.]

[Late to the party, what are they doing? It’s only 7 a.m.!]

[Update: Xiang Fan is up, didn’t see her teammates, looking confused and interrogating the camera.]

[Is this survival or insanity? Look what they’ve reduced Xiang Fan to.]

Jiang Luoyue didn’t notice Fu Yunqing’s change in expression; at that moment, she was gazing at the surrounding scenery.

Like a maze, the jungle had paths leading everywhere. Taking one wrong turn could leave you completely lost.

Even though the two were walking on what Fu Yunqing believed was the correct path, the scenery around them increasingly diverged from her memory. When Jiang Luoyue halted and asked uncertainly, “Did we take a wrong turn?” Fu Yunqing finally realized.

They were doomed.

Jiang Luoyue said, “It seems we’re lost again.”

Fu Yunqing was silent for a few seconds. “Drop the ‘seems.'”

But as she looked around, she hesitated. “I feel like this place is familiar.”

Yet, she couldn’t pinpoint why it felt familiar and looked dispirited.

Seeing her low spirits, Jiang Luoyue comforted her, “It’s okay, take your time to think. Let’s rest for a bit first.”

Adhering to the principle of “since we’re already here,” Fu Yunqing still sat down beside Jiang Luoyue.

Fu Yunqing took out the walkie-talkie and connected to Xiang Fan’s channel. The woman seemed to have been waiting for a long time, and as soon as the connection was established, she exploded in anger: “Why didn’t you wait for me?”

The walkie-talkie naturally amplified voices, and Xiang Fan’s tone was filled with accusation. Fu Yunqing was taken aback and instinctively retorted, “What’s the point of waiting for you? It’s a waste of time.”

Xiang Fan: “Taking my teammates away is also a waste of my time ”

“My fault,” Jiang Luoyue quickly interrupted before the argument could escalate further. “I thought we could find it quickly, so I set off with Yunqing.”

Fu Yunqing frowned. “What does it have to do with you.”

Jiang Luoyue glanced at her and shook her head helplessly. Before the words “relationship” could even leave Fu Yunqing’s mouth, she swallowed them back down.

The walkie-talkie fell silent for a moment, as if Xiang Fan was calming her breathing. After a while, she said, “Describe your surroundings. Let me see if I recognize the area.”

But since the three of them had mostly moved together, Xiang Fan couldn’t make sense of a place Jiang Luoyue didn’t recognize either. She could only settle for the next best option: “Retrace your steps. I’ll come find you.”

Jiang Luoyue had no objections, but Fu Yunqing said, “Take her back. I’ll keep looking.”

“Fu Yunqing?” Jiang Luoyue looked up in surprise, but Fu Yunqing shoved the compass into her hands and walked ahead.

“Don’t mind her,” Xiang Fan said coldly. “I’m on my way. Just wait for me where you are.”

The team’s atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Even during their most heated arguments before, there had never been such a sense of indifference, as if they didn’t care about each other at all and even saw one another as a burden.

Jiang Luoyue stood in place, watching Fu Yunqing’s figure grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely.

She sat back down and casually switched channels.

Thinking it over, leaving without a word was indeed excessive. From Xiang Fan’s perspective, waking up to find her teammates gone must have felt like being “abandoned.” It was only natural for her to be angry.

But Fu Yunqing clearly had no intention of communicating with someone she disliked, leaving Jiang Luoyue stuck in the middle, having done nothing.

Jiang Luoyue carefully reflected on the situation, assigning equal blame to herself and Fu Yunqing, and sighed.

By the time she stood up again, Jiang Luoyue had composed herself and began heading in the direction Fu Yunqing had left. Suddenly, an unfamiliar woman’s voice came through the walkie-talkie: “Miss Jiang?”

“…” Jiang Luoyue looked down in confusion and realized the channel had somehow been switched to ‘2,’ now showing as connected.

Only one person would address her that way.

“President Ning?” she asked softly, receiving a confirming response.

Ning Fuguang paused, allowing Yu Jingtang to pull away from her. Glancing at the card in her hand, she asked gently, “I just obtained a clue about a resource pack. Would you like it, Miss Jiang?”

“Yun… Fu Yunqing also found a clue this morning,” Jiang Luoyue said cautiously. “Thank you for your kindness, President Ning.”

“Is that so?” Noticing the change in how she referred to Fu Yunqing, Ning Fuguang fell silent for a few seconds before changing the subject. “Are you alone? I don’t hear anyone else.”

Ning Fuguang’s sharp hearing astonished Jiang Luoyue. She strained to listen but couldn’t detect Yu Jingtang’s voice. “Yes, but we’ll regroup soon.”

She had no intention of sharing the team’s conflict with Ning Fuguang. The woman didn’t press for details but instead asked about her surroundings.

Jiang Luoyue scanned the surroundings while searching for Fu Yunqing, casually describing, “There’s plenty of vegetation, bright yellow flowers, damp ground, and a twenty-meter-tall palm tree.”

Aside from the unusually tall palm tree, everything else was typical rainforest scenery. Jiang Luoyue thought there wasn’t much noteworthy information, but Ning Fuguang’s tone carried a hint of surprise as she asked, “Are there any marks on the tree?”

Jiang Luoyue turned her head and spotted distinct knife marks on the south-facing roots, carved into a triangular shape.

“This is a mark we left shortly after setting out,” Ning Fuguang recalled the terrain. “About seven hundred meters north from here is where we split into teams.”

As she spoke, Jiang Luoyue had already reached a fork in the path.

Looking at the familiar landscape before her, Jiang Luoyue finally understood where Fu Yunqing’s sense of déjà vu had come from they had actually chosen the same route as Ning Fuguang and Yu Jingtang from the very beginning, but had separated at a fork before reaching the palm tree.

Otherwise, the two teams would have met as early as the day before yesterday.

Not far away, Jiang Luoyue also spotted Fu Yunqing rummaging around.

“Thank you, President Ning,” Jiang Luoyue hurriedly expressed her gratitude before calling out, “Yunqing?”

Both Fu Yunqing and Ning Fuguang froze for a few seconds simultaneously.

Even Yu Jingtang, who had turned back to look for her teammate, paused at the sound of Jiang Luoyue’s voice.

With communications cut off, Yu Jingtang asked, “Why would she contact you?”

“Exactly,” Ning Fuguang’s expression darkened, but her words remained sharp. “Why did she contact me instead of you, whom she’s close with? How could this happen? Did something go wrong somewhere?”

Yu Jingtang seemed overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, taking several seconds before responding, “She’ll tell me.”

“…” Ning Fuguang stared at Yu Jingtang, instinctively wanting to retort, but sadly realizing before speaking that it was the truth.

If Yu Jingtang asked, Jiang Luoyue would definitely answer.

She simply picked up her bag, holding the walkie-talkie, and strode forward alone: “I’m going to find her now. If you want to stay here, I don’t mind, just don’t tell her later that I bullied you.”

Yu Jingtang followed closely behind, a walkie-talkie somehow already in her hand. Even though both knew it was highly unlikely Jiang Luoyue would reconnect, they still tuned their devices to the other’s channel frequency, waiting for any possibility and surprise.

Meanwhile.

Fu Yunqing also snapped out of her daze at being called “Yunqing,” pursed her lips, and refocused on searching for supply packs: “Didn’t Xiang Fan say she was coming to pick you up?”

“Not just me,” Jiang Luoyue sighed, staying by her side and correcting her. “She’s coming for both of us. You shouldn’t always get angry, it’s not good for your health.”

Seeming to feel somewhat in the wrong, Fu Yunqing waited a long time before muttering, “Why did you come looking for me?”

Jiang Luoyue clearly had no obligation, nor any need after all, if Fu Yunqing couldn’t find anything, she would sensibly turn back. If Jiang Luoyue just wanted to leave together, she could have waited on the original path.

Fu Yunqing would still remember her kindness.

But Jiang Luoyue had come anyway. After being questioned by Fu Yunqing, she seemed to start considering the reason for her actions.

The air was heavy with dew. Apart from their footsteps, only occasional chirping birds broke the silence, creating a serene and beautiful atmosphere.

She took too long to answer, and Fu Yunqing herself was about to change the subject to avoid an awkward silence when Jiang Luoyue finally said, “No reason.”

“I just thought you’d be lonely without anyone to accompany you.”

Fu Yunqing stared at her blankly for several seconds. Just as Jiang Luoyue cast a puzzled glance his way, he swiftly turned his face away, not letting her see his expression.

“Oh,” Fu Yunqing replied as if sulking. A few seconds later, he added in a barely audible voice, “Thank you.”