I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 37.2

Fu Yunqing took a deep breath and dragged her heavy body to wash up. When she came out, her phone was still vibrating incessantly. Thinking it was messages from friends, she was about to reply impatiently when she realized the new notifications were all from Weibo, alerting her that her friend Jiang Luoyue was trending.

Four neatly lined-up hashtags:

#Jiang Luoyue Spotted at Yu Jingtang’s Talent Agency#

#Yu Qiu Posts About Running into Jiang Luoyue and Yu Jingtang in the Recording Studio#

#Jiang Luoyue Seen Entering and Leaving Yu Jingtang’s Home#

Fu Yunqing stared at the headlines in disbelief, clicking on each one. She had intended to lash out at the clickbait, only to find every post backed by photographic evidence, images of them entering Tianyu Entertainment, scenes in the recording studio, and the gentle, warm expression Jiang Luoyue directed at Yu Jingtang.

In the final trending topic, Jiang Luoyue was photographed carrying a shopping bag filled with meat and vegetables. As Yu Jingtang reached out to take it, their fingertips brushed.

The reporter who captured the moment made no attempt to hide their pursuit of virality, boldly claiming that Jiang Luoyue and Yu Jingtang were suspected to be passionately in love, seen entering and leaving their “love nest” together.

In the comments section, their CP fans had already lost their minds.

“This is a feast a national feast, right? So blissful! Is this the last meal before Jiang Luoyue and Yu Jingtang get their marriage certificate?”

“I’ve updated my reincarnation preferences. No one with a lower super-topic level than me is allowed to fight me for ‘Mom’ status.”

“So what if Jiang Luoyue and Yu Jingtang were caught on a date? Why are you tagging Fu Yunqing? Even if you don’t tag her, Fu Yunqing will see it. I believe Fu Yunqing understands that sometimes love means letting go. Our Fu is greatness no need for words.”

“And you didn’t let her off the hook either, hahaha!”

Fu Yunqing exited Weibo on the spot. It took her half a day to find Jiang Luoyue’s chat window. Struggling to keep her tone steady, she typed, “Jiang Luoyue, I saw the posts on Weibo. Why are you with ”

Mid-sentence, her trembling fingers slipped, sending the unfinished voice message.

Fu Yunqing considered recalling it but decided to wait for Jiang Luoyue’s reaction. She waited patiently for a full half-minute, yet no reply came.

A sense of self-inflicted humiliation washed over her, and she resentfully withdrew the message.

Five minutes passed, and the chat remained dead silent. Realizing Jiang Luoyue might not be near her phone, Fu Yunqing felt slightly better but couldn’t resist sending another voice message: “It’s been a whole day. Why haven’t you asked what I’ve been up to?”

She could set Jiang Luoyue’s cast could Yu Jingtang do that? What was so great about Yu Jingtang anyway? Jiang Luoyue would be better off going on a date with her!

A wave of regret hit Fu Yunqing. She shouldn’t have gone home last night. She should’ve lingered near Jiang Luoyue’s place then she would’ve been the one photographed with Jiang Luoyue today.

When her phone rang, Fu Yunqing immediately assumed it was Jiang Luoyue calling.

She resisted the urge to answer, determined to play it cool. She wanted Jiang Luoyue to know that even though she held her in high regard, that didn’t mean she had no pride!

Ten seconds later, Fu Yunqing instantly tapped to answer: “Jiang Luoyue ”

“Missing her already?”

The woman’s voice carried a hint of mockery. Only then did Fu Yunqing see the caller ID: Yu Qiu.

“What do you want?” Fu Yunqing’s interest in chatting vanished. “If it’s not important, I’m hanging up.”

She had no desire to talk to anyone other than Jiang Luoyue right now.

Yu Qiu left a casual “Remember to check your messages” before hanging up. Fu Yunqing finally noticed the screenshots Yu Qiu had sent her at noon. Opening them, she saw a chat log between Yu Qiu and Jiang Luoyue.

-Just remembered there’s something I forgot to ask you.

-Are you Fu Yunqing’s girlfriend?

Girlfriend?

Fu Yunqing was momentarily baffled, unsure what nonsense Yu Qiu was spouting. To her, online CPs were merely a tool to boost each other’s popularity she’d never taken them seriously. When she saw Jiang Luoyue’s reply [We’re friends] she’d even felt it was perfectly natural.

What else could she and Jiang Luoyue be if not friends? Girlfriends?

She wasn’t even sure if she liked women at all, let alone having feelings for Jiang Luoyue!

Just as she was about to accuse Yu Qiu of talking nonsense, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, accompanied by a crisp bark. The door was pushed open from the outside.

Fu Yunshu, dressed in pajamas as if she had just taken a shower, was casually drying her hair and said carelessly, “This silly dog kept looking for you and ran into my room.”

As she spoke, Diandian rushed to Fu Yunqing’s side, frantically circling her legs.

Fu Yunqing immediately started petting the dog out of muscle memory while angrily scolding the woman at the door, “Aren’t you disgusting? Your hair is still dripping don’t come in!”

Fu Yunshu sneered, her gaze shifting downward. “So proud of turning yourself into a cripple from filming a variety show? I just checked Weibo your girlfriend, who stood up for love, is on a date with someone else.”

“Then again,” Fu Yunshu added, “who would want to date a cripple?”

Fu Yunqing was about to explode in anger but held back because of the second mention of “girlfriend.” Seeing her suddenly fall silent, Fu Yunshu raised an eyebrow. “What, did I hit a nerve?”

After a long pause, Fu Yunqing muttered, “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Before the variety show, Fu Yunqing had been a stubborn, spoiled heiress who would explode at the slightest provocation and run away at the first sign of criticism, seemingly incapable of calmly resolving anything. This was the first time this year that Fu Yunshu had such a calm conversation with her. Unaccustomed to it, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of amazement.

“Is that so?” Fu Yunshu chuckled lightly and said casually, “Just having fun it’s good not to take it seriously.”

Fu Yunshu spoke naturally and indifferently, but Fu Yunqing suddenly glared at her. “What do you mean, ‘having fun’? Do you even know how to respect people?”

What did Jiang Luoyue do to deserve being slandered by Fu Yunshu in such a contemptuous tone?

Even if she had done something, Fu Yunshu had no right to talk about her like that.

The more Fu Yunqing thought about it, the angrier she became, almost ready to retaliate with all the frustration she had endured from being attacked from both sides earlier. “If you don’t know how to talk, then shut up! No one thinks you’re mute!”

“Diandian, make her get out!”

The Samoyed, who couldn’t understand human language, charged at Fu Yunshu’s leg as soon as the command was given. Fu Yunshu grunted in pain, startled by Fu Yunqing’s unusual reaction, and finally took a step back. “I misspoke. I shouldn’t have talked about Jiang Luoyue like that?”

Fu Yunqing ignored her but didn’t let the dog bite her either. Fu Yunshu sighed and reluctantly conceded further. “How about I apologize to her?”

This time, Fu Yunqing finally relented. “Diandian, come back.”

The silly dog turned and ran back, wagging its tail more enthusiastically than a rattle-drum. Fu Yunshu glanced at the dog’s rear end, then at the dog’s owner, who was staring intently at the screen waiting for a reply, and for a moment couldn’t tell which of the two was sillier.

Just as she was about to leave, Fu Yunqing asked, “Why are you running? Weren’t you going to apologize?”

Seeing her on the verge of exploding again, Fu Yunshu had no choice but to pick up her phone and, following the script Fu Yunqing had prepared, said with forced humility, “I’m Fu Yunqing’s sister. I said some inappropriate things to you earlier and would like to apologize here.”

Not long after the voice message was sent, Fu Yunqing finally received a reply from Jiang Luoyue.

At first, there was only a brief question mark, but after listening to Fu Yunshu’s voice message, the question marks doubled.

-Why is your sister apologizing to me?

Fu Yunqing smiled, imagining Jiang Luoyue’s expression confused, puzzled, and tinged with a hint of unease even through the screen.

She desperately wanted to make a video call, but Fu Yunshu was leaning against the desk, so she suppressed the urge in frustration.

Her fingers tapped rapidly on the screen as Fu Yunqing skipped the context and focused on highlighting her own brilliance in the narrow chatbox. Suddenly, she realized she missed Jiang Luoyue.

It must be because saying these things in person would have a better effect than through a cold screen not purely because she missed Jiang Luoyue.

As Fu Yunqing’s thoughts drifted aimlessly, a sigh suddenly reached her ears: “Little Qing, you’re different when you like someone.”

Instinctively, she asked, “Like who?”

When she looked up, Fu Yunshu was leaning against the desk, mocking her with a look that said she was an idiot. Seeing that she genuinely seemed not to understand, he raised an eyebrow and said, “The one who made you a cripple?”

Her phone was still vibrating, but Fu Yunqing’s body stiffened. It took several seconds for her to regain her senses, and she lowered her gaze.

On the screen, Jiang Luoyue kept sending messages, explaining that she hadn’t seen the messages earlier because she was cooking, and asking about Fu Yunqing’s day.

Everything she wanted seemed to be answered in that moment, yet as she looked at those caring words, Fu Yunqing felt no satisfaction or happiness at all. Instead, only one thought replaced all others.

How could she possibly like Jiang Luoyue?