I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 3.1

Inside the room, Jiang Luoyue quietly packed her belongings. Most of her time was spent shuttling between film sets, and with so many nights spent in hotels, home no longer felt like home.

After several years, her neatly packed belongings filled only two suitcases.

It was only then that Jiang Luoyue noticed the drawing board and opened paint tubes under the bed, likely left behind when Jiang Lanhui had brought Li Yue here for art lessons.

Frowning, she felt the discomfort of her private space being invaded. After tossing the items into the trash, she washed her hands repeatedly, stopping only when her skin was nearly raw.

The mirror above the sink reflected her figure. Jiang Luoyue looked up and saw a slightly youthful face staring back at her with displeasure.

Since adolescence, Jiang Luoyue’s eating and sleeping habits had been irregular, leaving her perpetually sickly and weak, with little resistance to illness. She had developed stomach problems at a young age, and being diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer at twenty seven seemed almost predestined.

Improving her physical health now seemed urgent. Jiang Luoyue began seriously incorporating fitness into her schedule. And since she was committing to exercise, her diet would also need careful attention…

It wasn’t until the shrill ring of a phone echoed from the living room that she stopped revising her plans, dried her hands, and went to check.

Yu Qing wasn’t here, it was her own phone ringing. The caller ID read: Mom.

The moment she answered, Jiang Lanhui’s voice pressed down on her like a weight: “Why didn’t you do as I said?”

From the age of five, Jiang Luoyue had often been praised by relatives and friends for her beauty. The compliments piled up, and Jiang Lanhui took it to heart, frequently dragging her to auditions at major TV stations and film sets, forcing her to memorize lengthy scripts or learn flattering words to charm directors.

If she succeeded, Jiang Lanhui would reward her with trivial things. If she failed, Jiang Lanhui would scold her, sob dramatically, and repeatedly pinch her arms, demanding she promise to succeed next time. If she resisted, a sharp slap across the face would follow.

After Jiang Luoyue actually became famous, Jiang Lanhui grew even prouder, attributing all her achievements to her own “unique vision” and “meticulous nurturing.” Even the Li father and son, under her control, regarded her as their pillar, agreeing with her on everything.

The moment she finished berating, her stepfather, Li Jiang, immediately chimed in: “Why won’t you listen to your mother? Do you have any idea how much you’ve upset her?”

In the background, the sounds of her younger brother Li Yue’s video games could be heard.

For the first time, Jiang Luoyue realized that there really were people in this world whose voices alone were unbearable.

And such people were far from rare.

“Getting angry too easily is a sign of health problems,” Jiang Luoyue said. “I know a few doctors, I can recommend them if needed.”

Her tone was calm, but her words carried merciless mockery. Jiang Lanhui had never imagined that the usually obedient Jiang Luoyue could be so confrontational. Stunned, she demanded, “What did you say?”

Jiang Luoyue wasn’t ready to openly break with the Li family just yet.

Her public image was already tarnished. Without sufficient popularity and exposure, rashly exposing the Li family’s misdeeds would only provoke them into desperate retaliation.

What Jiang Luoyue wanted wasn’t for the public to deliver a few meaningless condemnations, it was to force them to cough up every cent they had swallowed.

“Just a joke,” Jiang Luoyue said, no longer willing to let Jiang Lanhui dictate the conversation. She continued smoothly, “Zhou Ruonian contacted you, didn’t she? Whatever she said, I’ve already signed the contract with Yunyue.”

“You want me to change agents? Fine, that counts as a breach of contract compensation is twenty million. I’m willing to make the change, but is the Li family going to pay that money?”

The figure of twenty million was so staggering that Jiang Lanhui was instantly distracted. “Twenty million? Are they out of their minds? Our family can’t even scrape together twenty thousand right now, and you’re asking me for money?”

Jiang Lanhui was legally illiterate. After being warned by talent agencies recently and nearly ending up in court, she had developed a fear of these big companies. Otherwise, she would have definitely meddled in Jiang Luoyue’s contract signing.

She muttered to herself, deeply skeptical, but she didn’t think Jiang Luoyue would dare lie to her. Reluctantly, she said, “Forget it, what’s done is done. How much did Yun Yue give you? Remember to transfer two million back Xiao Yue needs it for studying abroad.”

“Two million isn’t nearly enough!” Li Yue, sprawled on the couch playing games, roared upon hearing his name. “All my friends are driving luxury cars already. Do you want me to be looked down on?”

“Of course not…” Jiang Lanhui immediately turned to comfort her precious son, not forgetting to reprimand Jiang Luoyue. “Did you hear what your brother said?”

One moment, they couldn’t even afford twenty thousand, and the next, they were demanding two million or even more.

Even though Jiang Luoyue was well acquainted with the greed of the Li family, she still couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.

“Big companies have a lot of procedures. The earliest I can get the money is next month.”

Jiang Lanhui wanted to say more, but Jiang Luoyue had already hung up, citing work commitments.

The screen returned to the home page, showing 99+ unread messages on WeChat. Jiang Luoyue opened the app, most were from Zhou Ruonian.

Ever since leaving the company, the persistent Zhou Ruonian had bombarded her with messages. Her tactics were varied: threats, bribes, feigned helplessness, deliberate belittlement, each message centered on trying to make Jiang Luoyue change her mind.

Her arrogant, manipulative, and downright disgusting demeanor made it hard for Jiang Luoyue to connect her with the always composed Zhou Ruonian from her memories.

She had no interest in reading those lengthy tirades and deleted Zhou Ruonian outright, even taking the time to learn how to block her online.

The world fell silent.

To avoid further harassment, Jiang Luoyue subjected the Li family to the same process, sending them straight to the blacklist.

By the time Yu Qing returned from her phone call, Jiang Luoyue had already locked the door, two small suitcases at her feet. The butterfly stickers on them had yellowed with age, but the cases themselves were clean clearly well cared for old belongings.

“Is this all?” Yu Qing was surprised.

Jiang Luoyue nodded. Seeing she wasn’t in the mood for conversation, Yu Qing suppressed her curiosity and explained why she’d stepped out earlier. “A friend of mine works at a small company that’s planning a travel variety show. It’s called something like, ‘I Meant to Do That’? They’re doing it live, and filming starts soon. They asked if I had any artists to recommend.”

Even for ordinary people, live streams are full of unexpected mishaps, a live variety show would be even more challenging. The slightest mistake could lead to nationwide scrutiny.

Not to mention, the production costs alone would be beyond what most small companies could handle.

Yu Qing had only mentioned it as a joke, but Jiang Luoyue zeroed in on the keywords. She checked the date sure enough, it was just days before the first live episode of Hate Me aired.

Back then, people often wondered how Yu Qing had managed to get an artist with no connections or background onto Hate Me. Now, it seemed like it had been a stroke of perfect timing.

Jiang Luoyue slowed her steps. “Yu-jie.”

“Hmm?” Yu Qing looked up at her, slightly surprised. “Are you interested?”

Jiang Luoyue nodded. “When we signed the contract, you mentioned that I need to change the public’s perception of me. The best way to do that is by appearing on a variety show.”

“But if I go on a popular show, my screen time will likely get cut. It’s better to join a smaller production, they’ll give me more favorable editing. Even as a guest star, my exposure would far exceed what I’d get on a bigger show.”

Her reasoning was sound, but Yu Qing still hesitated. After all, the selling point of Hate Me was the mutual animosity between the guests. Jiang Luoyue had maintained a sweet and obedient image since her debut, which clashed starkly with the show’s premise. There was a high chance she’d end up as mere background decoration.

Yet Jiang Luoyue was adamant, so Yu Qing ultimately didn’t refuse. “I’ll negotiate.”

For a small-scale variety show, Jiang Luoyue’s participation would already be considered a step down in prestige. Yu Qing couldn’t imagine the Hate Me production team having any reason to turn her down.

But when the contract for a permanent cast member landed in front of her, Yu Qing was genuinely taken aback.

The difference between a guest star and a permanent cast member was enormous. The latter guaranteed high, stable, and long-term exposure, a crucial role usually finalized during the show’s initial planning stages.

How could there suddenly be an extra slot?

Yu Qing found it dubious and tactfully said, “I only intended for Luoyue to appear for one episode.”

The assistant director, however, brushed her words aside and insisted, “As long as Jiang Luoyue is willing, we can always renegotiate the pay. Feel free to ask her before rejecting me.”

With a resigned sigh, Yu Qing dialed Jiang Luoyue’s number. While waiting, she glanced around and casually remarked, “By the way, who’s in the first episode? I noticed you haven’t done any promotion, you’re not just relying on the guests to bring in viewers, are you?”

“Confidentiality clause in the contract. I can’t say,” the assistant director replied.

Yu Qing wasn’t disappointed, she’d expected as much. Still, being forced into a blind pick left a sour taste. Just as she was about to call Jiang Luoyue, the assistant director glanced around mysteriously and lowered his voice.

“But since you’re Jiang Luoyue’s manager now, I can give you a little hint.”

“Yu Jingtang heard of her?”

Yu Qing’s interest piqued. “The autistic singer who debuted on that music show last year?”

Yu Jingtang’s life read like a textbook rags-to-riches story. Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome as a child, she stumbled upon music by chance and displayed an astonishing talent for composition. A single she released at fourteen amassed hundreds of millions of streams.

Many might not recognize her name, but they’d undoubtedly heard her songs.

At twenty, she was invited to a music competition. Despite facing hostility from fellow contestants, unfair critiques from judges, and blatant vote manipulation by the production team, Yu Jingtang crushed the competition with sheer talent, debuting by a landslide.

Though post-debut, her introverted and reclusive nature, coupled with her reluctance to engage with fans led to a drop in followers, her remaining fanbase was fiercely loyal. Their purchasing power and online clout far surpassed that of many A-list celebrities.

If Hate Me had truly secured Yu Jingtang, even just the gimmick of “an autistic artist joining an outdoor variety show” would guarantee solid ratings.

But… who could Yu Jingtang possibly have beef with? She rarely showed strong emotions. The only time she made negative headlines was when she coldly mocked Xiang Fan a renowned director who had just won an international award on Weibo.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent. Yu Qing looked stunned, and the assistant director clearly had the same thought as her, saying smugly, “We have three more guests of this caliber.”