I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 40

The filming location for the fourth episode was set in the scenic Province T. With an assistant keeping an eye on Jiang Luoyue, Yu Qing didn’t make an extra trip, but before departure, she still reminded the assistant of numerous precautions.

In the airport lounge, Jiang Luoyue was dozing off and only woke up when Yu Qing was about to leave: “Huh? Are we done?”

Yu Qing: “Not yet. I just took a sip of water, and now I’m going to continue.”

Jiang Luoyue closed her eyes again: “Wake me when you’re done.”

Yu Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After getting to know Jiang Luoyue better, she gradually realized that the other’s temperament was far from as well-behaved as it had seemed during their first meeting. Instead, she had a mischievous, contrarian streak a kind of “badness.”

But this badness wasn’t off-putting. On the contrary, it gave Yu Qing a sense of relief, as if she had finally grown familiar with Jiang Luoyue.

No wonder the guests on Hate Me all liked her so much. As she left, Yu Qing found herself lost in thought: if it were her, she’d probably want to build a good relationship with Jiang Luoyue too, just to see that usually expressionless face show a hint of helplessness because of her.

After Yu Qing left, Jiang Luoyue perked up and chatted with her assistant, Xiao Lu, for a bit, worried that the latter might feel neglected.

But as it turned out, Jiang Luoyue was overthinking it. Xiao Lu was naturally sociable for every sentence Jiang Luoyue said, she replied with three, her frequency rivaling that of Fu Yunqing.

The moment Jiang Luoyue made this comparison, she fell silent on the spot: “…”

Since when had Fu Yunqing become a unit of measurement in her mind?

While she was still pondering this, Xiao Lu happily handed over her phone screen: “Sister Jiang, you’re trending!”

Jiang Luoyue glanced at the hashtag #JiangLuoyueFourthEpisodeTeamSelection on the screen and hesitated for a few seconds: “But the livestream hasn’t started yet, has it?”

She hadn’t even chosen her teammate yet, what was there to trend about?

Xiao Lu said, “But that doesn’t stop everyone from guessing the outcome in advance!”

From her, Jiang Luoyue learned that after the “fight for Jiang Luoyue” scenario had played out three times in a row, netizens weren’t tired of it. Instead, they were enthusiastically speculating about who Jiang Luoyue would choose as her teammate this time.

If it aligned with their expectations, they’d watch intently. If not, they’d complain about the production team and then watch anyway.

Jiang Luoyue sighed, feeling a rare moment of pity for the production team that always took the blame. Just as she was about to close her eyes and rest, Xiao Lu subtly probed for her team choice, confessing that she was a fan of Xiang Fan not in a shipping way, but purely because she thought Jiang Luoyue teaming up with Xiang Fan would make for great entertainment.

Jiang Luoyue felt that this explanation was just like Fu Yunqing publicly claiming she didn’t like dogs,

A complete pack of lies.

But she still smiled slightly and, just as the other’s eyes lit up with anticipation, calmly said, “That’s premium content. You’ll need to subscribe to VIP pay-per-view.”

Xiao Lu: “…”

The livestream was set in a small, lesser-known town. As the car drove along the road, they could see mountains and wheat fields along the way.

The livestream had already begun. Jiang Luoyue smiled at the camera and said, “Are we farming this time?”

[Xiang Fan was just saying that during the second episode, all the guests thought they were going to farm. Maybe it’ll actually happen this time, hahaha!]

[We’ve already had rainforest survival it wouldn’t be so bad if this episode’s theme was wilderness survival, right?]

[How do you survive in the wilderness in a rural area? You could just go door to door with a bowl begging for food and still not starve!]

[Who’s going begging?]

The barrage instantly flooded with the names of every guest. Jiang Luoyue was astounded: “Why are there fans telling Xiang Fan to go beg for food?”

【Xiao Jiang, you just don’t get it, do you? This is called the aloof flower falling to the mortal world. I’m a country bumpkin, and I love it.】

【This is way too common and tacky [eye roll]】

After a few more idle remarks, the barrage suddenly turned into a sea of “hahahaha.” While Jiang Luoyue was still puzzled about the reason, the car had already arrived.

The moment she stepped out of the car, she was stunned for several seconds,

Not far away, a glossy, well-fed goose was flapping its wings wildly, chasing after Ning Fuguang and pecking at her.

The scene was a gathering of talents: Fu Yunqing occupied the best spectator seat, munching on sunflower seeds; Yu Jingtang, like a machine, occasionally clapped and cheered while sneakily eating sunflower seeds from the table; and Xiang Fan, directing on the spot, confidently lecturing the “actors”: “That last scene was great, but the goose actor needs to show more emotion!”

Everything was perfect except no one was lifting a finger to help Ning Fuguang.

“Xiang Fan!” Ning Fuguang had never been so humiliated in her life, turning her head sharply. “If you hadn’t stepped on it, would this have happened?”

Xiang Fan retorted righteously, “Didn’t you step on it too? Why blame me?”

Ning Fuguang was about to say more when she caught sight of Jiang Luoyue standing there in a daze. Her fingers curled instantly, and a wave of embarrassment washed over her.

“I.”

Just as she tried to explain, the goose shifted its target and began pecking at the gleeful Xiang Fan. Shocked and bewildered, amidst the chaotic scene, Jiang Luoyue rolled up her sleeves: “Let me handle it.”

The moment she spoke, Xiang Fan had already envisioned the plot for her next rural romance film, with Jiang Luoyue as the female lead.

But when Jiang Luoyue also got her shoes pecked a few times by the goose, she hesitated, “Maybe we should just.”

Forget it?

Before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Luoyue had already grabbed the goose by its wings and lifted it up.

Holding the struggling goose in her hands, she stared at Xiang Fan: “Just what?”

Xiang Fan changed her tune: “Let’s talk about the movie instead.”

The goose was taken away by a villager, who laughed and spoke to Jiang Luoyue in dialect before leaving. The director explained, “She said everyone in the village has been pecked by this goose, but because she’s old, no one dares to bully her.”

This was the first time in the goose’s life that it had ever been bested.

Fu Yunqing asked curiously, “How old is the goose this year?”

The director replied, “Thirty-five.”

Fu Yunqing said with solemn respect, “Jiang Luoyue, you bullied a goose grandma.”

Jiang Luoyue: “…”

【Spread the word: Jiang Luoyue beat up a grandma (not really)】

【How does Fu Yunqing say things like that with a straight face?】

【Conviction! This is an actor’s conviction!】

Suddenly, applause erupted on the scene it was Yu Jingtang clapping. Jiang Luoyue’s eye twitched: “I’ve been meaning to ask, why are you clapping when others are being bullied by a goose?”

Yu Jingtang said, “My agent told me to use actions instead of words.”

So when she saw guests being bullied by the goose, she felt happy and clapped for the goose; when she saw Jiang Luoyue bravely defeat the goose, she felt proud and clapped even louder.

Jiang Luoyue gave up on conversing with the two and turned her gaze to Ning Fuguang. As always, the other woman was dressed simply but never carelessly. However, her meticulously chosen outfit was now half-ruined from the earlier chaos.

Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her hair was slightly disheveled. She no longer looked as composed as usual, her expression extremely awkward. At that moment, she was wiping her already clean pants, having nearly used up half a pack of wet wipes.

Jiang Luoyue said, “It’s already very clean.”

Ning Fuguang stopped, uncertain. “Really?”

Jiang Luoyue nodded. Ning Fuguang paused for a few seconds but then bent down to wipe the other side. Jiang Luoyue guessed she might have some sort of obsessive-compulsive disorder and didn’t stop her. Instead, she asked the production team for another pack of wet wipes. “Let me help you wipe this side?”

She thought Ning Fuguang would agree, but the woman froze for a moment, then shook her head as if snapping back to reality. “No need.”

“It’s already clean,” Ning Fuguang seemed a bit flustered. “You don’t need to wipe it.”

But Jiang Luoyue still asked for two more packs of wet wipes, just in case.

Fu Yunqing had long noticed their interaction. She glanced at Ning Fuguang and said with a hint of jealousy, “Why are you helping her? She deserves to get bitten by that goose.”

In Fu Yunqing’s eyes, Ning Fuguang was just like this goose pecking at people anytime, anywhere! Why was it okay for her to peck others but not for the goose to peck her? That didn’t make sense!

Jiang Luoyue, however, admitted frankly, “Haven’t you noticed how cooperative the production team is today?”

Fu Yunqing was puzzled. “Are they?”

Jiang Luoyue then asked the director for mineral water and food right in front of her, and surprisingly, the director actually gave them.

“We can’t pass up the chance to take advantage.”

As soon as Jiang Luoyue suggested it, others immediately followed suit, asking for candy, toys, hoes, and even the latest camera worth fifty thousand.

The director struggled to maintain a smile. “We’re not a wishing well; you can’t just get whatever you want.”

“Is that so?” Xiang Fan glanced at the cameraman behind her. “But isn’t it here? I thought you could give us whatever you have.”

The director: “…”

Little did anyone know, the director’s original intention was simply to show the audience the kind side of the “Hate Me” production team before the official start, hoping to reduce the insults and increase the friendliness in the official blog’s comments.

Who would have thought the guests would be so shameless? Seeing the production team about to be stripped bare, she quickly stopped them and announced, “Now, let’s announce the mission for this time ”

This time, the production team had invited thirty fans to the small town to experience a two-day, one-night farm stay.

They were hidden in various places around the town, and the guests needed to actively find them and take photos together. The team that found all thirty fans first would receive a specially customized mystery gift from everyone.

But as everyone knows, where there are fans, there are anti-fans. For this farm stay trip, five anti-fans had also infiltrated. They would delete five group photos from the guests’ phones every hour.

Only by finding these five people, discovering their attributes during conversations, and completing the corresponding tasks would the mission be considered a complete success.

As she spoke, the director tore off the paper on the blackboard, revealing five neatly listed tasks:

1.

Find Fu Yunqing’s exclusive fan, sell her a Luo Yun Yue Qing couple photo for no less than 2,000 yuan, and say, “Luo Yun Yue Qing is real!”

2.

Find Xiang Fan’s movie fan, sell her a Yu Jingtang physical album for no less than 200 yuan, and have her listen to the songs for over ten minutes.

3.

Find Yu Jingtang’s music fan, sell her a Ning Fuguang signed photo for no less than 1,000 yuan, and praise Ning Fuguang for ten seconds.

4.

Find Ning Fuguang’s fan, sell her a Fu Yunqing works collection for no less than 300 yuan, and have her watch it for over ten minutes.

5.

Find Jiang Luoyue’s fan, sell her one hundred bags of chicken feed and a goose at market price,

Each of the first few tasks came with its own storm of drama, making everyone’s blood boil with excitement.

But when it came to Jiang Luoyue, the atmosphere abruptly transformed into an agricultural channel, and the barrage instantly erupted with sharp, screeching noises.

【Just because everyone likes Jiang Luoyue, does that mean her fans have to dislike everyone else? I want to see the guest kiss Jiang Luoyue right in front of the fans and make her genuinely praise the CP!】

【If the teacher gives the order, I’ll immediately support you as the new screenwriter of “Hate Me”.】

Jiang Luoyue snapped back to reality from the task, hesitating before speaking: “Let’s not even mention who, aside from a breeding farm, would buy a hundred bags of chicken feed.”

“Is this goose the same one from earlier?”

The director nodded calmly.

Jiang Luoyue: “Didn’t you say no one dares to bully her?”

The director sighed: “Exactly because no one dares to, that’s why we have to sell her.”

Otherwise, with every newcomer getting pecked, the village would eventually be renamed “The Goose-Pecked Village.”

【Feed costs eighty, and the goose? Freebie!】

Jiang Luoyue was stunned by the villagers’ dry humor. When she looked back, the expressions on the others’ faces were strikingly similar. In the silence, Ning Fuguang finally spoke: “What are the team formation rules?”

“No rules.” Learning from the last experience, the director realized that any rules would only end up backfiring on the production team. It was better to let the guests improvise. “Form teams freely solo or in pairs, with a maximum of two members ”

Fu Yunqing immediately declared: “Jiang Luoyue! Team up with me!”

Xiang Fan glanced at her: “I’m pretty good at debating.”

More like sophistry. The director eavesdropped, mentally condemning her.

Yu Jingtang lowered her eyes. The moment Jiang Luoyue saw that expression, she felt a headache coming on and warned: “Don’t say it.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Yu Jingtang replied. “I was just thinking.”

Thinking about saying she liked her.

Realizing the implication, Jiang Luoyue took a deep breath: “Don’t even think about it.”

“What are you two talking about?” Ning Fuguang raised an eyebrow.

Having regained her composure, Ning Fuguang seemed as unflappable as before. Only her face remained pale, the most flushed part being her tightly bitten lips.

“Nothing.”

As Jiang Luoyue shifted her gaze from Ning Fuguang’s lips, she noticed that Ning Fuguang had been watching her for a while, her brown eyes tinged with amusement. Their eyes met for three seconds before Ning Fuguang turned away, not extending an invitation for the first time.

Jiang Luoyue felt bewildered, her mind racing through over a dozen reasons why Ning Fuguang might dislike her. Hesitantly, she asked: “Ning. CEO?”

“Hmm?”

Ning Fuguang glanced at her, swallowing the words of invitation with great effort.

Making such a fool of herself right from the start, Jiang Luoyue probably didn’t want to team up with her either, right? Better not to ask and spare her the chance to be mocked.

Would Jiang Luoyue think she was stupid?

At that thought, Ning Fuguang’s smile faded slightly, and she suddenly regretted arriving so early. If she’d come later, maybe it would have been Fu Yunqing making a fool of herself, not her.

The gloom in her expression deepened, making her look particularly displeased.

This was the first time Jiang Luoyue had seen Ning Fuguang like this, and she even worried that she might be bothering her. But after a moment’s hesitation, she still took the initiative to ask: “Would you team up with me?”

This had been Jiang Luoyue’s intended partner since the second season.

If Jiang Lianyan hadn’t disrupted the plan, she would have teamed up with Ning Fuguang in the previous season.

But now, it seemed the other party wasn’t interested. Just as Jiang Luoyue felt a pang of regret, Ning Fuguang raised her eyebrows in surprise, the frozen chill in her expression instantly melting away: “Me?”

She pointed at herself as if somewhat uncertain.

Jiang Luoyue nodded. “If you’re unwilling.”

“I am willing,” Ning Fuguang interrupted, stepping to Jiang Luoyue’s side. “I’ve always been willing.”