I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 38

When Fu Yunqing chased Fu Yunshu away both him and his dog she could still hear his amused sigh: “So shy, how are you going to chase.”

She didn’t catch the last part, but she could easily guess

How to chase someone.

How to chase, Jiang Luoyue.

A buzzing filled Fu Yunqing’s mind. Only when she touched her cheeks, burning with heat, did she realize how flushed her skin was. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

She didn’t like Jiang Luoyue.

These wild thoughts were just because she had been subjected to too much psychological suggestion.

Yes, that was it she didn’t like Jiang Luoyue! Even if she did, it was just the kind of admiration one had for a friend.

Just as Fu Yunqing was about to convince herself, the sudden ringing of a video call shattered the silence in the room. She grabbed her phone and saw Jiang Luoyue’s name on the screen.

In an instant, her barely steadied heartbeat spiraled out of control again. Clenching her fists, Fu Yunqing took another deep breath.

“Jiang Luoyue.”

When the voice came through, Jiang Luoyue was holding a fork, trying to salvage something edible from a bowl of utterly ruined noodles. Hearing the voice, she bit down on the fork and instinctively lowered her gaze.

The video had indeed connected, but Fu Yunqing’s side was pitch black. Jiang Luoyue asked, puzzled, “Is your camera broken?”

Fu Yunqing didn’t want Jiang Luoyue to see her face but was also afraid of delaying any important matters, so she had covered the camera. Stifling a cough, she deflected, “You could say that, What do you want?”

Jiang Luoyue replied, “You haven’t responded to me, so I was a little worried.”

Fu Yunqing scoffed. “You weren’t worried when you didn’t contact me for a whole day, but now you are? At least put some effort into acting.”

But in the darkness where Jiang Luoyue couldn’t see, the corners of her lips curled up uncontrollably.

The happier Fu Yunqing felt, the more her unease grew. She knew her own prickly personality all too well, aside from Jiang Luoyue, she had never spoken so gently to anyone else.

At this thought, Fu Yunqing pressed her lips together tightly. Her silence made Jiang Luoyue think she was angry. With a sigh, Jiang Luoyue explained, “There were reasons. You have to understand. I’ve already asked Sister Yu to handle the trending topic.”

“Handling” here mostly meant negotiating with the platform to lower its visibility.

After all, the photos the reporters had taken only showed them together no kissing, nothing more intimate. No matter how much attention it got, it was just normal interaction between friends.

As for holding hands, who hadn’t held hands with a friend before? The reporters were just stirring up drama, leading the fans astray.

Jiang Luoyue tried to use this reasoning to get Fu Yunqing to drop the subject. The woman stayed quiet for a few seconds, seemingly lost in thought, before finally muttering, “Fine, whatever you say.”

“Anyway, I can’t argue with you.”

This grumble was too soft for Jiang Luoyue to catch. Chewing her noodles, she asked vaguely, “Hmm?”

“What are you eating?”

Fu Yunqing had spent half an hour waking up and another half-hour fuming. Only now, watching Jiang Luoyue’s cheeks puff as she slowly chewed, did she realize she hadn’t eaten in over ten hours.

She looked kind of cute.

Fu Yunqing propped her chin on her hand, staring at Jiang Luoyue. Several seconds passed before it dawned on her. without even realizing it, she had picked up some of Jiang Luoyue’s little habits.

“Noodles,” Jiang Luoyue answered after swallowing. “Made them myself.”

As she flipped the camera to show the bowl, Fu Yunqing finally perked up. “They look terrible.”

Jiang Luoyue considered the taste. “They’re pretty bad.”

She tried to salvage some dignity, but Fu Yunqing suddenly said, “Make them for me next time.”

Jiang Luoyue paused. “Didn’t you just say they’re terrible?”

Fu Yunqing sounded utterly matter-of-fact. “Exactly because they’re terrible. How else would I know just how bad they are? So I can mock you properly in front of everyone!”

Jiang Luoyue couldn’t help but laugh. “Teacher Fu, your competitive streak is really something.”

Was everything a competition to her? Where did Fu Yunqing even get all this drive to win?

Fu Yunqing preened, about to hum in satisfaction, when she suddenly registered Jiang Luoyue’s address. “Teacher Fu?”

Only then did Jiang Luoyue realize she had accidentally used the teasing nickname she and Yu Jingtang shared for Fu Yunqing. She faltered.

No one had ever called Fu Yunqing “teacher” before. After a moment of bewilderment, she grew flustered. What should have been a perfectly normal term of address twisted into something inexplicably intimate in her mind. Her cheeks burned even hotter. Taking a deep breath, she finally muttered, “Forget it.”

What exactly she meant by “forget it,” Fu Yunqing couldn’t say. But she didn’t dare dwell on it, afraid that if she did, she might blurt out the words she had only just vaguely begun to understand.

Trying to distract herself, she focused intently on the screen. A few seconds later, though, she noticed something odd. “This isn’t your table at home, is it?”

From what she remembered, Jiang Luoyue’s dining table was a small round one with a pale yellow tablecloth. The one on screen was a rectangular wooden table. Looking closer, even the background wall in the corner didn’t match Jiang Luoyue’s home decor.

Fu Yunqing instantly went on high alert. “Are you still at Yu Jingtang’s place?”

Jiang Luoyue hesitated before nodding, quickly trying to placate Fu Yunqing before she exploded. “I’m leaving soon. I wanted to cook for her, but I nearly burned her kitchen down.”

Fu Yunqing immediately retorted, “You’ve never cooked for me.”

Jiang Luoyue: “…” She had offered it was Fu Yunqing who refused. But saying that now would only pour oil on the fire.

As she calmly watched the screen, Yu Jingtang emerged from the kitchen carrying a dish. Steam rose from the plate. Noticing how close Jiang Luoyue was to the screen, she lightly tapped the girl’s forehead with a finger. “Don’t sit so close. It’s bad for your eyes.”

The moment Jiang Luoyue instinctively straightened, Yu Jingtang came into frame. Fu Yunqing, seeing the two of them together in the same room, gasped in disbelief. “Yu Jingtang? Where did you touch her? Let go!”

Her reaction was so intense it startled Jiang Luoyue. Looking up, she realized Yu Jingtang had only touched her forehead.

Wasn’t that a normal place to touch?

Before she could explain, Yu Jingtang’s finger slid down cool fingertips tracing Jiang Luoyue’s eyebrow, the corner of her eye, before finally coming to rest on her cheek.

Before Jiang Luoyue could react, Yu Jingtang pinched her cheek lightly, answering Fu Yunqing with actions,

Everywhere.

And no, she wouldn’t let go.

“Yu Jingtang!”

Yu Jingtang lowered her gaze. “Hang up. She’s too noisy.”

“Don’t you dare!” Fu Yunqing, terrified Jiang Luoyue might obey, snatched up her phone.

Under the warm yellow light, her face and ears were flushed a deep red, freezing Jiang Luoyue in place. But what caught her attention most wasn’t Fu Yunqing’s unusual complexion, it was her slightly reddened eyes, glistening with what seemed like unshed tears.

Was she crying?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Jiang Luoyue immediately denied it. “I didn’t hang up.”

Her mouth moved faster than her thoughts, stunned by Fu Yunqing’s reaction today. But on reflection, being immobilized was frustrating enough, and Jiang Luoyue hadn’t been there to help much. Guilt gnawed at her. “If you’re uncomfortable, I can go with you to remove the cast? I’ll explain to the media again”

But Fu Yunqing cut her off. “If I remove it, who do you want to hit instead? Yu Jingtang? Did she suggest this? Does she want to replace me in your heart?”

Listening to her rapid-fire conspiracy theories, Jiang Luoyue stared in shock, utterly baffled by Fu Yunqing’s train of thought.

Meanwhile, Yu Jingtang, standing right there, seemed to be considering the idea, her eyes lighting up as she nodded. “I’d be willing.”

Willing to what?!

Before Jiang Luoyue could protest, Fu Yunqing burst out, aggrieved, “Fine, Jiang Luoyue, just go ahead and ship yourself with her. No matter how far you take it, I won’t remove this cast! I’ll make sure everyone knows I’ve sacrificed more for you than Yu Jingtang ever could!”

What was there even to compete about?!

Jiang Luoyue wanted to demand answers, but the call ended abruptly with a beep. In the sudden silence, the sound of a spoon stirring soup was especially jarring. She slowly looked up to see Yu Jingtang, perfectly composed, saying, “Eat.”

“You’re really bad at acting innocent,” Jiang Luoyue said.

Yu Jingtang gazed at her calmly before smiling faintly. Jiang Luoyue averted her eyes, taking a deep breath.

When she left the Yu residence, it was no surprise that she was photographed again.

After several detours, she finally arrived home, only to immediately see a trending topic: #JiangLuoyueLeavesYuJingtangHome#. “…”

What was so noteworthy about this?!

Sighing, Jiang Luoyue suddenly thought of Fu Yunqing’s tearful eyes.

It was the first time she had ever seen such vulnerability on the other woman’s face. Hesitating, she sent a few more comforting messages.

But Fu Yunqing seemed genuinely angry not only leaving her messages on read but also posting daily photos of her cast on Weibo. Over time, the comments shifted from sympathy to daily check-ins.

[Seven days, and all we get are cast photos. Could you at least throw in a selfie?!]

[Who even pissed her off.]

[Let’s trace it back to the day @YuJingtang @JiangLuoyue were photographed “dating.”]

[First: This is Fu Yunqing’s Weibo. Don’t bring up irrelevant people. Second: They weren’t dating. Third: Jiang Luoyue, if you don’t hurry up and coax Fu Yunqing, I’m going to cry myself to death outside your apartment.]

Scrolling through Weibo, Jiang Luoyue sighed.

Outside the window, the scenery blurred past. It had already been seven days since Fu Yunqing started sulking, and there was only one week left until the fourth recording session of Hate Me.

The production team had moved up the preliminary interviews, claiming they were closely tied to this round’s recording. But Jiang Luoyue had no time to dig into the specifics.

Ever since remembering she still had an active student status, she had contacted her school. After confirming her memory wasn’t faulty, she spent the past few days catching up on online lectures and starting from scratch with her textbooks.

Her rare free moments were spent replying to messages from the others.

Xiang Fan seemed to have vanished into some remote mountain area since their parting last week, she hadn’t updated any social media.

Ning Fuguang was busy with work, indifferent to the rumors about Jiang Luoyue and Yu Jingtang, only checking in on her well-being.

Yu Jingtang’s album recording was progressing smoothly. Every time she sent Jiang Luoyue something music-related, she would always follow it with: “I like you.”

After the initial shock, Jiang Luoyue gradually realized that “I like you” seemed to be Yu Jingtang’s way of expressing longing it popped up at regular intervals. Though she was growing desensitized to the word “like,” the realization still made her fingers curl, taking several seconds to recover.

As for Fu Yunqing.

Thinking of her, Jiang Luoyue sighed again and opened their chat, sending a “good morning” sticker.

Yu Qing glanced over curiously. “Is this related to you?”

Jiang Luoyue hesitated. “Maybe, possibly sort of?”

Yu Qing nodded. “It is related.”

Jiang Luoyue sighed. “She’s angry because I was photographed with Yu Jingtang.”

“You really messed up here,” Yu Qing said. “She got hurt for you, and instead of caring for her, you went on a ‘date’ with someone else and got caught. Of course she’s upset.”

Jiang Luoyue denied it. “It wasn’t a date.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Yu Qing waved a hand. “What matters is what you’ll choose to do next time this happens.”

Jiang Luoyue asked earnestly, “Comfort Fu Yunqing first, then turn Yu Jingtang down?”

“No.” Yu Qing kept her eyes on the road, tone casual. “Obviously, go on a date with both. After all, debts don’t weigh you down and neither does love.”

Yu Jingtang’s single “I like you” had left Jiang Luoyue unsettled for days, let alone the word “love.” The mere thought of that possibility made Jiang Luoyue take a deep breath, insisting, “We’re just friends, Sister Yu. Don’t overthink it.”

But Yu Qing clearly didn’t take it seriously. Only when the car pulled up outside the office building did Jiang Luoyue muster some energy.

A week without livestreaming meant she had to present her best self to the fans,

The moment she stepped out of the car with a smile, it froze on her face. Stunned, she watched Fu Yunqing climb out of a van, her right leg still in a cast, left hand gripping a crutch as she inched forward with great difficulty.

“Yunqing?”

Fu Yunqing glanced at Jiang Luoyue approaching her, tilting her chin up as if refusing to speak.

The next second, her lofty attitude made her trip over her own feet, only Jiang Luoyue’s quick reflexes saved her from turning her fake limp into a real fall.

“Why aren’t you being careful?” Jiang Luoyue asked, eyeing the van. “Where’s your assistant? Your wheelchair?”

She hadn’t forgotten the airport photos where Fu Yunqing had been fully equipped. If she had been brought here, those items had to be around.

But Fu Yunqing didn’t answer, staring instead at their overlapping hands. Only when Jiang Luoyue pressed again did she stammer, “You, how could you?”

Jiang Luoyue was baffled. “What?”

In Fu Yunqing’s imagination, Jiang Luoyue should have been apologizing profusely, begging for forgiveness, only then would Fu Yunqing reluctantly pardon her and pick an auspicious day (preferably today) to confess.

Even after seven days, Fu Yunqing still hadn’t fully grasped her own feelings. But one thing was certain she did have some affection for Jiang Luoyue.

If Jiang Luoyue became her girlfriend, even if she didn’t love her yet, feelings could grow over time.

Fu Yunqing was utterly confident in this, even drafting a meticulous plan!

But Jiang Luoyue had gone straight for physical contact, completely derailing her strategy.

What did this mean?

Fu Yunqing stared at her, brow furrowed, before suddenly having an epiphany.

It meant Jiang Luoyue, after days of reflection, might have also realized her own feelings.

She liked her too! And Fu Yunqing had figured it out first!

Delighted to have won yet another round without Jiang Luoyue even knowing, Fu Yunqing tossed her plan aside, grinning smugly. “Jiang Luoyue, I forgive you.”

Jiang Luoyue, who had just watched her cycle through a dozen expressions before suddenly declaring absolution: “?”

What on earth had Fu Yunqing imagined this time?