I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 25

The bright moon hung high in the sky, but the gloomy night was illuminated as brightly as day by the lights outside the grand theater.

As the destination drew nearer, the luxury car gradually slowed down. The woman in the driver’s seat removed her earphones and said in a casual tone, “I’ve arrived at the theater. Let’s talk another time.”

Her friend laughed and said, “She’s on tour, and your parents are busy running around, attending every single show. But why do you, a busy person, have to put aside your work to pick her up? Jiang Yu, aren’t you spoiling her a bit too much?”

Jiang Yu curled her lips into a smile. “She’s been abroad all this time, and we rarely get to see each other. Is it so hard to understand that she wants to see me?”

As for spoiling her Jiang Lianyan was her only younger sister. If she didn’t spoil her, who else could she spoil?

When Jiang Yu stepped into the theater, she saw the special assistant who had been working with her mother for many years waiting for her. Upon seeing Jiang Yu, the assistant immediately broke into a smile. “Lianyan’s performance is almost over. Let me take you backstage.”

“Thank you, Auntie Qin,” Jiang Yu said with a smile, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings. Since receiving funding from the Jiang family, the theater had become increasingly luxurious. The lobby was spacious and bright, with several murals adorning the walls, all depicting currently popular plays.

In the very center was a massive poster promoting the renowned dance troupe’s performance of Giselle that evening. Jiang Lianyan occupied the spotlight position, surrounded by other dancers as if she were the star among stars.

“Lianyan has improved a lot again,” Auntie Qin remarked, noticing Jiang Yu’s gaze.

Jiang Yu’s expression softened. “She works very hard. It’s only natural that she improves.”

By the time the two arrived backstage, the dance performance had not yet ended. Out of curiosity, Jiang Yu was escorted by a staff member to the backstage waiting area. From this position, she could see a corner of the stage and the audience below.

At that moment, Jiang Lianyan was performing a solo. The stage lights illuminated her as she stood in her dance costume, her toes lightly touching the floor. Following the rhythm of the music, she began to spin once, twice

The hem of her skirt fluttered like feathers, shimmering brilliantly under the light. In an instant, the audience erupted into applause.

Jiang Yu spotted her parents in the front row. Both were smiling, clapping proudly for Jiang Lianyan.

Beside them, a long-haired woman’s applause was slightly hesitant, yet her gaze remained fixed on the dazzling figure on stage.

It wasn’t until the curtain call, as the curtains slowly descended and the lights in the venue abruptly brightened, that Zhou Ruonian snapped out of her daze.

“Miss Zhou?” A woman’s voice snapped her back to reality. She immediately turned her head to see Jing Lan, Jiang Lianyan’s mother, smiling at her. “Lianyan’s sister is here. You can discuss the contract matters with her.”

“Alright, alright” Zhou Ruonian quickly stood up and followed the other woman. Reflecting on the events of the past two months, she felt as though she had been living in a dream, unable to fully regain her senses.

Ever since Jiang Luoyue publicly rejected her at Yunyue and even blocked her account, Zhou Ruonian, feeling utterly humiliated, had rarely visited Yunyue again. Instead, she pinned her hopes on the artists under her management, wishing for one of them to achieve overnight fame and crush Jiang Luoyue and Yu Qing.

But opportunities were never easy to come by. As she watched her artists’ popularity decline day by day while Jiang Luoyue’s star rose rapidly after appearing on a live-streamed variety show, Zhou Ruonian once entertained thoughts of a desperate, all-or-nothing confrontation.

At that moment, someone from the Jiang family suddenly contacted her, claiming that a family member wanted to enter the entertainment industry and believed Zhou Ruonian was a promising agent, hoping she would take charge of that person’s acting career.

The Jiang family of Jingcheng had started in the shipping industry before venturing into industrial manufacturing, always maintaining an extremely low profile as an affluent family. It wasn’t until recent years, when the Jiang family suddenly began heavily investing in the film and television industry, that they gradually entered the public eye.

For Zhou Ruonian, who was already deeply trapped in difficulties with no way out, the Jiang family’s sudden invitation was undoubtedly a significant opportunity. To her even greater surprise, the Jiang family took the contract extremely seriously those she interacted with were all assistants to Jing Lan, the current chairman of the Jiang Corporation.

Zhou Ruonian had long speculated that the artist she was to sign was Jing Lan’s daughter. However, the Jiang family had two daughters: one was in business, while the other was extremely well-protected, with no information ever leaked about her.

She couldn’t help but assume that the “older sister” was the one she would be working with. On the way, she cautiously probed for information.

Jing Lan glanced at her with an amused expression. “No need to worry, Miss Zhou. You’ve already met her.”

Met her? Zhou Ruonian was puzzled. The only thing she had seen earlier was the dance troupe’s performance. Was Jing Lan’s other daughter one of the performers?

Just as she was lost in thought, the group, guided by their escorts, arrived backstage. Props were scattered across the floor, and though it was clearly a shared dressing room, only a few people remained at the moment.

A slender girl in a dance dress, who from behind resembled a graceful swan, was tightly embracing the woman in front of her.

Jiang Yu, looking relaxed, patted her back and said helplessly, “How old are you now? Why are you still so clingy? Someone’s here.”

“Let them come,” Jiang Lianyan murmured, snuggling in her arms with an especially pitiful tone. “Who else can I act spoiled with besides you?”

Jiang Hong laughed and asked, “What about me?”

Jiang Lianyan immediately turned around and saw her parents, along with the woman beside them.

“Jiang Lianyan?” Zhou Ruonian asked in astonishment.

Before coming, she had looked up information about the dance troupe. The troupe’s lead dancer, who had just turned nineteen, was named Jiang Lianyan. Zhou Ruonian had assumed it was just a coincidence, but she never imagined the girl was also Jing Lan’s daughter?

In front of outsiders, Jiang Lianyan naturally refrained from being overly affectionate with her family. She clasped her hands behind her back and looked at Zhou Ruonian with curious, innocent eyes. “Yes, that’s me. What’s wrong?”

Seeing Zhou Ruonian stammering and unable to speak, Assistant Qin interjected at the right moment. “Miss Zhou, Xiao Yan has recently expressed interest in entering the entertainment industry. Did you bring the contract we discussed earlier?”

As her words trailed off, she glanced at Jing Lan. The woman’s face was pale, but she nodded slightly in approval.

Meanwhile, outside the theater.

The red Maybach had just come to a stop when Jiang Luoyue abruptly unbuckled her seatbelt, looking as if she were about to vomit but holding back.

Fu Yunqing hurriedly followed, her voice tinged with grievance. “Was I driving that fast? Are you really that uncomfortable? Do you feel like throwing up?”

Jiang Luoyue: “Not fast.”

Fu Yunqing: “Then why are you like this?”

Jiang Luoyue: “My body came with you, but my soul is still flying behind. It needs a bit more time to catch up.”

Fu Yunqing: “…”

As it turned out, it was best not to engage in casual conversation when Fu Yunqing was behind the wheel. Jiang Luoyue’s slight display of genuine emotion, though Fu Yunqing showed no outward reaction, made her heart drift even more. Pushing the speed limit, she had raced all the way there.

When Jiang Luoyue finally managed to gather her senses, exhausted both mentally and physically, she realized Fu Yunqing was nowhere to be seen. After a moment of confusion, she reached for her phone to make a call, only to feel a cold beverage suddenly press against her arm from behind.

Turning around, she saw Fu Yunqing holding two glasses of iced orange juice, looking at her with a somewhat aggrieved expression.

Jiang Luoyue thanked her and took the drink, belatedly realizing that Fu Yunqing just now had looked exactly like the little dots in her profile picture. She had only ever heard of dogs resembling their owners wasn’t it a bit topsy-turvy for the owner to resemble the dog?

“I’ll drive slower next time!” Fu Yunqing promised, seeing Jiang Luoyue’s complexion finally regain some color.

Jiang Luoyue replied dismissively, “We’ll talk about it next time.”

With the performance about to begin, having only finished half their drinks, the two prepared to enter the venue.

Fu Yunqing seemed to be visiting for the first time, showing great interest in everything around her, occasionally commenting, “These two things aren’t in the same style,” or “The original of this painting was destroyed ten years ago, why are they still advertising it as the real thing?

At first, Jiang Luoyue responded to her chatter, but gradually, she fell silent.

As Fu Yunqing turned her head, Jiang Luoyue’s gaze lingered on the massive promotional poster for Giselle. Like everyone who saw the poster, she found herself staring at the girl at the center of the image, who seemed to be looking back at her.

A ballet performance.

Fu Yunqing lost interest after just one glance. She had seen a performance once before it was beautiful, but the thought of the sacrifices behind that beauty sent a chill down her spine.

“Do you want to watch it?” Fu Yunqing asked, then added with concern, “Or are you still feeling unwell? Should I take you back?”

Jiang Luoyue was still lost in thought. “We just got here are we leaving already?”

She had considered the possibility of encountering Jiang Lianyan and the Jiang family again.

But Jiang Luoyue hadn’t expected that merely glancing at the poster would send a cold shiver through her body, as if she had been instantly pulled back into that frigid past. The sound of scornful, indifferent voices echoed in her ears, and she felt countless eyes fixed on her.

Even if Jiang Luoyue didn’t want to admit it, she was truly afraid of these people.

It was a fear that made her never want to interact with them again.

Fu Yunqing, however, spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world: “I was the one who invited you. If you’re not enjoying yourself, of course you can leave anytime.”

Hearing her matter-of-fact tone, Jiang Luoyue snapped back to reality. “Don’t you think that’s rude?”

“If it were anyone else, it would definitely be rude,” Fu Yunqing glanced at her. “But if it’s you.”

Fu Yunqing would only blame herself.

Jiang Luoyue chuckled wryly but didn’t mention that the near-speeding incident was already Fu Yunqing’s fault. However, distracted by Fu Yunqing’s words, she realized that Giselle was scheduled to start at 5 p.m., and it was now nearly 8 p.m. Even if Jiang Lianyan was performing, the show should be over by now.

Feeling much more at ease, the two proceeded to have their tickets checked and entered the venue.

The play Xu Xing had chosen was the classic Romeo and Juliet, performed by the original cast. The theater was packed with people who had come specifically to see it.

Because of Jiang Lianyan, Jiang Luoyue had watched many ballet performances, but this was her first time seeing a stage play.

She felt both nervous and excited. As the curtain rose and the actors began their performance, Jiang Luoyue felt as though she had been transported into their world.

Within half an hour, she was brimming with curiosity and reflections. Just as she was about to whisper her thoughts to Fu Yunqing, she turned and noticed that Fu Yunqing had, at some point, put her sunglasses back on.

The woman sat upright with an unusually stern expression, but when Jiang Luoyue touched her arm, Fu Yunqing actually didn’t respond.

It was like throwing a ball to a dog, only for the dog to ignore it, not even bothering to wag its tail.

This was something that should never have happened.

When Jiang Luoyue tentatively reached out and slightly nudged Fu Yunqing’s sunglasses down her nose bridge, she indeed saw a pair of tightly closed eyes.

Fu Yunqing had spent so much time and wasted so many words inviting her to watch the stage play, only to fall asleep herself?

For the first time, Jiang Luoyue understood that when people are pushed to the brink of anger, they truly can laugh.

She lightly tapped Fu Yunqing’s sunglasses. Seemingly sensing the movement, Fu Yunqing asked drowsily, “Is it over?”

Mindful of the surrounding audience, the woman’s voice was very soft.

“Almost,” Jiang Luoyue said. “They just performed Christine’s death. What are your thoughts on that?”

Was there such a character in Romeo and Juliet? Fu Yunqing was momentarily bewildered but still answered earnestly, “Well, her death illustrates the suppression and distortion of human nature by feudal families ”

She racked her brains and seriously fabricated a two-hundred-word review, but Jiang Luoyue simply stared at the stage without saying a word. Only at the end did she take off Fu Yunqing’s sunglasses and put them on herself.

Fu Yunqing: “Did I say something wrong?”

Everything she said was a summary of the original Juliet plot, why was Jiang Luoyue ignoring her!

Jiang Luoyue turned her face away, and Fu Yunqing couldn’t see her expression, her gaze fixed on those thin lips.

At that moment, the thin lips moved slightly, and Jiang Luoyue said, “There is no Christine in this play.”

Before Fu Yunqing could come up with an excuse, she heard another declaration that struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her utterly stunned.

“Fu Yunqing, I will never go on a date with you again.”