I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 44

Jiang Lanhui was truly furious.

Ever since that phone call two months ago, Jiang Luoyue had completely vanished from the Li family’s life as if she had evaporated into thin air. Not only had they not caught a single glimpse of her, but even the routine remittances had stopped entirely.

At first, Jiang Lanhui had genuinely believed Jiang Luoyue’s lies, thinking she was training at the company. But then, she saw Jiang Luoyue appear on the live-streaming variety show “Hate Me.”

On the show, Jiang Luoyue moved freely, laughing and chatting with friends, carefree and unrestrained completely different from the person Jiang Lanhui remembered. After a moment of shock, Jiang Lanhui was overcome with glee. How much money could Jiang Luoyue earn from such a high-profile program, and how much of it would she share with her?

Even though she despised Jiang Luoyue, it didn’t stop Jiang Lanhui from hoping her career would flourish. After all, only if Jiang Luoyue made money could the Li family maintain their standard of living.

But when Jiang Lanhui eagerly tried to contact Jiang Luoyue, all she received was the cold notification that she had been blocked. Every single one of the three family members had been blocked without exception.

Stunned, she tried calling Jiang Luoyue, only to find that the number had been deactivated. Dialing it now led to an empty tone.

Jiang Lanhui finally realized she had been deceived by Jiang Luoyue.

Witnessing the Jiang Luoyue she had controlled for years suddenly slip from her grasp and betray her, Jiang Lanhui’s first instinct was to tarnish her reputation by any means necessary if she couldn’t have her, she might as well ruin her.

Unfortunately, the journalist she had previously been close with had been fired months earlier and couldn’t help. When Yunyue Company heard her intentions, they immediately had security escort the entire family out of the building under the pretext of “disrupting business.”

Being shoved out in public, the humiliation of that moment was still fresh in Jiang Lanhui’s memory, yet there was nothing she could do.

Just like that, effortlessly and without anyone noticing, Jiang Luoyue had completely disappeared from their lives.

Yet, on the internet, as Jiang Luoyue’s popularity soared, the Li family still came across videos about her every day. What dramas she had acted in, what achievements she had earned, how the malicious comments in the discussion sections gradually turned friendly, all these changes felt like thorns in Jiang Lanhui’s back, tormenting her more than death itself.

But what she found even harder to accept was the declining quality of life at home since Jiang Luoyue had stopped sending money.

To fund their son’s studies abroad, the Li family had exhausted their savings. Jiang Lanhui had fully expected Jiang Luoyue to fill the void, but with her escape, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and borrow money to make ends meet, sinking deeper and deeper into debt.

By the time Zhou Ruonian found her, Jiang Lanhui was already hundreds of thousands in debt, all to support her son studying art overseas.

Zhou Ruonian promised that if Jiang Lanhui caused a scene on the program and exposed what Jiang Luoyue had done to them, the Jiang family would not only clear her debts but also give her a sum of money.

Thinking of that amount, Jiang Lanhui’s expression grew even more vicious. “Do you have any idea how much we’ve sacrificed for you? How could you treat us like this?”

Watching her contorted face and listening to her shrill, piercing voice, Jiang Luoyue felt no emotional turmoil.

As she stared at Jiang Lanhui, her mind drifted back to her previous life.

Because of Jiang Lanhui’s close relationship with Zhou Ruonian, her schedule was practically transparent. Whenever something didn’t satisfy Jiang Lanhui or the money wasn’t enough, she would suddenly show up on the set of Jiang Luoyue’s productions.

Outwardly, she was friendly and polite with the crew, but when she caught sight of Jiang Luoyue, her face betrayed a barely concealed look of smugness.

That had been Jiang Luoyue’s shadow for a long time, gradually making her fear visits from others and dread human contact even more. She was unwilling to give Jiang Lanhui another way to keep tabs on her.

It wasn’t until she was recognized and brought back to the Jiang family that Jiang Lanhui suddenly vanished from her life.

Jiang Luoyue hadn’t deliberately inquired about it, but Zhou Ruonian proactively told her that the Jiang family had given the Li family a sum of money to emigrate abroad, ensuring they would live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

In her naivety, Jiang Luoyue felt grateful for the Jiang family’s actions and was relieved that her adoptive parents could enjoy a happy life in their remaining years.

Snapping back to reality, Jiang Luoyue’s gaze drifted past Jiang Lanhui to the scene not far away.

Her adoptive father, Li Jiang, was crying and shouting at the camera. His frame was gaunt, almost emaciated, as he displayed the injuries on his body to the lens, resentfully declaring, “Just because Jiang Luoyue refuses to support us, we’ve been driven to this state by our creditors.”

Creditors? What creditors did they have?

Those injuries were clearly inflicted on Li Jiang by Jiang Lanhui.

What a blatant lie.

Jiang Luoyue smiled faintly as she withdrew her gaze and suddenly asked, “Where’s Li Yue?”

Seeing her smile, Jiang Lanhui was already suspicious, and hearing her mention Li Yue made her frown even more deeply. “You’re asking about Xiao Yue? Jiang Luoyue, do you even know that your brother abroad”

“ is being bullied, looked down upon by everyone, all because he has a sister like me, right?”

Jiang Lanhui froze, baffled as to how Jiang Luoyue knew exactly what she was going to say.

Jiang Luoyue sneered coldly. She had heard this kind of talk countless times. At first, she had worried about Li Yue, but after sending someone to investigate, she discovered that the real bully was none other than Li Yue himself.

The perpetrator pretending to be the victim it was nauseating.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, and I have no interest in finding out,” she said, staring straight at Jiang Lanhui, enunciating each word clearly. “I’ll just remind you of one thing: this is a live broadcast. You’ll be held accountable for every word you say.”

“Are you really prepared to bear that responsibility?”

In an instant, Jiang Lanhui felt her blood boil. “Are you threatening me?”

She had never imagined that Jiang Luoyue could seize control of the situation with just a few words. Furious, she snapped, “How much have we sacrificed for you? Is this how you speak to your elders?”

“Elders.” Jiang Luoyue nodded. “An elder who only knows how to take, who has been living off my acting fees since ten years ago?”

“A child only needs support for eighteen years at most. I alone have supported the Li family for nearly ten years. By that logic, shouldn’t you be calling me the elder? After all, I’m the one who’s been shouldering your expenses. Without me, how could you possibly have everything you have now?”

“Mom,” she smiled, uttering a word she hadn’t used since her rebirth. “You should be thanking me.”

“Without me, you wouldn’t even have the right to appear on camera. I gave you everything, how could you bear to blame me?”