I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 5

The moment Jiang Luoyue and Yu Jingtang successfully teamed up, the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Fu Yunqing looked at the two beside her and laughed in exasperation. “What’s the meaning of this? Are the three of us just left?”

Ning Fuguang was in no mood to respond, while Zhao Mei kept trying to find an opportunity to cozy up but was repeatedly ignored.

The director, sweating profusely, weakly replied, “It’s the rules.”

In truth, she was also inwardly complaining. Originally, the show had planned for an even number of guests, but Jiang Luoyue’s sudden addition had disrupted everything, leading to this mess.

“So the rules are meant to leave a guest stranded and embarrassed? How innovative,” Fu Yunqing retorted sharply, though her gaze had already settled on Zhao Mei. Her tone was icy. “You’re with me.”

There was no way she would team up with Ning Fuguang, leaving Zhao Mei as her only option.

Zhao Mei hesitated, wanting to say something. “I, wanted to team up with Ning”

Before she could finish, Ning Fuguang shot her a disdainful glance. “Guess you’re stuck with someone like her, then.”

Zhao Mei paled, unsure what she had done to provoke Ning Fuguang’s hostility. But Fu Yunqing, clearly riled up by the crude taunt, now eyed Zhao Mei with skepticism and hesitation.

It was as if one “no” from Zhao Mei would make Fu Yunqing go solo as well.

Not daring to protest further, Zhao Mei quickly moved to Fu Yunqing’s side. Amid Fu Yunqing’s dissatisfied pout, the four teams were officially formed.

As the guests headed to the hotel, the streaming platform hosting Hate Me opened individual livestream rooms for each team, allowing fans to follow their favorites.

The accompanying cameramen were responsible for interviewing the guests.

Naturally, the solo Ning Fuguang was the first to be addressed. “Did you ever expect to end up alone?”

“No,” Ning Fuguang replied, removing her watch and casually tossing it into her bag. “The show’s creative rules surprised me. This is my first time being left out. I’ll remember this feeling and Director Li too.”

[Translation: The production team better watch out.]

[LMAO, on any other show, guests would be begging to team up with Ning Fuguang. Zhao Mei clearly wanted to, but got ignored.]

[She’s the one acting all high and mighty. Zhao Mei was being perfectly polite!]

[Ugly men and their fans, get lost!]

When the camera switched to Xiang Fan and Fang Yuan’s team, the two were discussing films.

Xiang Fan was currently preparing a folk-themed movie, with Fang Yuan playing the female lead’s best friend, a widely known “secret” in the industry.

The atmosphere in their car was harmonious, but when the cameraman tried to interrupt, Xiang Fan shot back, “If you love asking questions so much, how about I test you on advanced math?”

The moment she posed the question, tens of thousands of viewers instantly exited the livestream. The director quickly cut the feed, only to switch to a scene where a mix of Mandarin, Cantonese, and English curses flooded the stream.

Fu Yunqing’s sharp voice lashed out, while Zhao Mei, sitting in the back, was on the verge of tears from the verbal onslaught.

flooded the screen.

The next second, the livestream was suspended for five minutes on the grounds of “containing insults, harassment, and negative energy.”

[What’s happening? Did Fu Yunqing just get the livestream shut down for moderation?]

[Just came from Weibo heard Fu Yunqing cursed the show into cancellation? That fast?]

[Zhao Mei was singing and using a cringey ASMR voice while Fu Yunqing was napping, waking her up. Serves her right.]

[It’s been a while since I’ve seen an artist this spectacularly stupid.]

While the barrage of comments was heating up, the livestream finally returned to normal. The camera remained fixed on Fu Yunqing’s face as she explained expressionlessly, “I apologize for my outburst during the livestream. But I wasn’t cursing at my teammates, just at some things that deserved to be cursed.”

[Teammates aren’t “things,” if you know what I mean.]

[Don’t be so harsh on Zhao Mei! Blink if you’re being threatened.]

Zhao Mei, sharp-eyed, caught the second comment and was deeply moved. From the back row, she blinked rapidly, nearly tearing up, only to realize there was a prefix to that sentence

[Fu Yunqing, blink if you’re being threatened.]

Zhao Mei:

When Jiang Luoyue appeared on screen, many viewers switched to her individual livestream channel.

Jiang Luoyue had never been known for being talkative in public, and Yu Jingtang was even dubbed the “Interview Killer.” Just imagining the two of them together painted a dreadfully dull picture. Some even nicknamed their team the “Mute Squad.”

Yet, many stayed, eager to witness the awkwardness.

The camera slowly panned down from Jiang Luoyue’s face. Even those who disliked her had to admit she possessed an enviably stunning appearance.

Her phone was playing a video of a magnificent ancient structure pavilions, water terraces, carved beams, and painted rafters, all exquisitely detailed.

The video caption read simply: [“A Day Trip to Gu Yue Street in Q City.”]

Located near the Q City Ancient Tomb Museum, Gu Yue Street quickly became a must-visit spot for tourists due to its prime location.

[Are they going there?]

[How did Jiang Luoyue know? Did the show tip her off?]

[No one batted an eye when Fu Yunqing admitted she had answers.]

“I just searched for Q City randomly, and this popped up,” Jiang Luoyue explained with a smile, noticing the camera.

Yu Jingtang paused the tip of her pen. “Are we going there?”

“Let me check.” As if reminded, Jiang Luoyue searched for “Gu Yue Street” on camera, then feigned surprise. “The official account says it’ll be closed for two hours this afternoon. Seems like you guessed right.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the cameraman immediately turned the spotlight on Yu Jingtang, implying she had deduced their destination was likely Gu Yue Street.

Yu Jingtang looked utterly bewildered, unsure why her offhand reading of a comment had led to this conclusion.

But Jiang Luoyue showed no intention of clarifying. After quietly scanning the comments, she answered a question: “Why did I turn down Fu Yunqing’s invitation? Ms. Fu is great, but teaming up with Yu Jingtang was my plan from the start.”

This wasn’t a lie. Compared to the others, Yu Jingtang had both popularity and a reticent demeanor, making her the perfect teammate to steal the spotlight.

Why refer to Fu Yunqing as “Ms. Fu” but call her by her full name?

Yu Jingtang flipped a page in her notebook and finally stole a glance at Jiang Luoyue.

The sunlight outside was warm, and the girl answered with a light, cheerful tone: “As for why I chose Yu Jingtang, I’ve always loved her music but never had the chance to collaborate. Meeting her today and teaming up is my good fortune.”

Yu Jingtang pressed her lips together and quickly averted her gaze before Jiang Luoyue could notice.

Her pen scribbled across the notebook, but by the time the car reached their destination, Yu Jingtang hadn’t managed to compose a single complete melody.

At the entrance of Gu Yue Street stood a stone tablet, its calligraphy fluid and unrestrained, bearing the name of the street.

Fang Yuan glanced around, slightly surprised. “It really is here.”

Xiang Fan seemed rather pleased. “Perfect. We can take a look around later.”

Take a look around? Weren’t they supposed to be doing a mission soon?

A flurry of question marks floated across the live stream, but most of the comments were still arguing over who had guessed the destination first.

[For those who missed it, Xiang Fan figured out the destination as soon as he got in the car.]

[Just so everyone knows: Yu Jingtang also guessed it.]

[Xiao Tang is so smart! A world apart from those celebrities who only know how to throw shade.]

[Dear fans of Xiao Tang, let’s not stir up trouble for her! We focus on our own and don’t engage with those lacking manners. No fighting, everyone ]

Amid the heated chatter, the long-awaited coordinator finally appeared. After greeting the guests, they announced the mission.

The task was exactly as Jiang Luoyue remembered.

Hidden within Gu Yue Street were twelve “inheritors,” each with a different role. Completing the tasks they assigned would earn the teams temporary points, which could be exchanged for props.

The mission had a six-hour time limit. The first team to complete tasks from five inheritors within that time would receive a clue for the final mission.

“If no team finishes within the time limit, all teams will receive the clue,” the coordinator added.

As soon as the announcement ended, Fu Yunqing confidently declared, “Just five tasks? First place? Piece of cake.”

In her eyes, failing to complete the mission within six hours was tantamount to admitting defeat.

Beside her, Zhao Mei forced a smile, trying to muster a bold statement of her own, but the camera quickly panned to Xiang Fan’s face. “Bragging too much might leave you with no way out.”

“Still better than not daring to brag at all,” Fu Yunqing retorted, unfazed by the mild provocation, her interest fully on the mission.

Neither had any intention of escalating the argument, and the exchange fizzled out quickly. Seizing the moment, the director interjected, “After discussions, Gu Yue Street will be closed for two hours. If there are no further questions, the teams may begin now.”

Within those two hours, the guests could locate the inheritors at any time. After that, they’d have to search carefully among the crowds a time consuming and exhausting endeavor.

And if they went through all that trouble only to fail the tasks, it would only add fuel to the fire, heightening everyone’s frustration.

That was exactly what had happened in Jiang Luoyue’s past life. All the guests had started out brimming with confidence, but as time passed, they became like headless flies, scrambling in circles.

Xiang Fan and Fu Yunqing both confirmed they had no issues. Yu Jingtang was about to shake her head when Jiang Luoyue suddenly looked up, her voice clear. “If a team finishes the tasks within two hours, will there be a special reward?”

The rules only stated that completing the mission within six hours counted as a win, but they hadn’t mentioned any additional rewards for finishing earlier.

The director hadn’t anticipated this question and was momentarily stumped. After a brief discussion, she generously replied, “If any team does complete the tasks within two hours, the program will award them twenty extra points, and each member of the team will get one spin on the Lucky Wheel.”

The Lucky Wheel, a staple of the show, was mostly stocked with props and cost ten points per spin. Usually, only guest stars bothered with it, regulars knew all too well that useless props were the norm. Aside from newcomers, no one fell for it twice.

But having something was better than nothing. Jiang Luoyue didn’t haggle. As she stepped back to Yu Jingtang’s side, she heard the woman murmur softly, “You’re very confident.”

Had any other guest said this, Jiang Luoyue would have most likely taken it as sarcasm. But Yu Jingtang’s expression was calm, as if she were stating an objective fact. Instead, Jiang Luoyue felt a genuine flicker of delight at the praise, the corners of her eyes curving upward.

Seeing Jiang Luoyue become the center of attention, Zhao Mei, who had been sidelined, couldn’t hold back: “Why should there be a special reward for finishing in two hours? That’s well within the normal time limit.”

The moment his words fell, Ning Fuguang let out a derisive laugh, and even Xiang Fan shot him an annoyed glance.

“I’m not wrong,” Zhao Mei insisted, utterly convinced of his righteousness. “This is already within the rules, it shouldn’t get special treatment.”

Zhao Mei was clearly nitpicking on purpose. After a brief moment of surprise, Jiang Luoyue found it laughable.

Explaining to someone like Zhao Mei was like playing the lute for a cow utterly pointless. She smiled faintly and fired back just as sharply: “If you think it’s special treatment and look down on it, you can refuse the program team’s reward yourself after completing the task. Instead of interrogating me about it.”

This time, even the live chat, for once, sided with Jiang Luoyue.

[I don’t like Jiang Luoyue, but if the program team is willing to give a reward, it means finishing the task in two hours is really difficult. The show itself acknowledges it, what’s Zhao Mei picking at? Jealous because he could never do it himself?]

[Zhao Mei, be honest with me do you feel like this stage is just too big, too empty? Like no matter how hard you try, you just can’t figure out how to make people notice you?]

Zhao Mei wanted to argue further, but Fu Yunqing cut him off decisively: “Can we still switch teammates now? If not, I’ll just go solo.”

He turned to her in shock. “M-Miss Fu, what’s wrong?”

“I have a stupidity allergy,” Fu Yunqing said in the most indifferent tone, sending the livestream’s engagement skyrocketing in that instant. “When I see idiots, I have a flare-up.”

“Specific symptoms include: saying whatever I want without restraint, insulting them with absolutely no filter, and slapping them a hundred times in the face.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Zhao Mei immediately shut up.

He had already been torn to shreds by her on the way here and no longer dared to underestimate Fu Yunqing’s aggression, other artists would swallow their grievances when wronged, but Fu Yunqing settled scores on the spot, and if there were no scores to settle, she’d find trouble anyway.

Opportunities could come again, but dignity was a one-time thing.

To placate Fu Yunqing, Zhao Mei swallowed his pride and lowered his head. “I misspoke. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

“Hope who won’t take it to heart?”

At Fu Yunqing’s pointed question, Zhao Mei’s head drooped even lower, his tone turning obsequious. “Miss Jiang, my apologies.”

The speed of his change in attitude was so fast that even the live chat couldn’t help but marvel: [Even Sichuan opera performers would bow to Zhao Mei as their master.]

Jiang Luoyue knew that without Fu Yunqing, Zhao Mei would never have apologized.

She glanced at Fu Yunqing, the woman’s expression was disdainful, beautiful and bold.

Noticing Jiang Luoyue’s gaze, Fu Yunqing lazily flicked her a glance. “What are you looking at me for? He’s apologizing to you.”

“Or do you regret it now? Realized Yu Jingtang isn’t as good as me, and want to be my teammate instead?”

As her words trailed off, Yu Jingtang slowly lifted her eyes, her cold gaze fixed on Fu Yunqing, filled with silent resistance.

Jiang Luoyue: This was an open scheme Yu Jingtang must have seen through it, right?

Before Yu Jingtang could respond, Xiang Fan had already sneered sarcastically, “You dare bully Yu Jingtang?”

Fu Yunqing pursed her lips. She knew Xiang Fan had a grudge against Yu Jingtang, and mocking Yu Jingtang was a surefire way to please Xiang Fan.

Yet, she just couldn’t help herself.

Even now, she still didn’t understand why Jiang Luoyue had chosen Yu Jingtang over her. What did she lack compared to that person?

Despite her frustration, Fu Yunqing knew when to stop. She whistled nonchalantly, pretending nothing had happened.

Jiang Luoyue thought the matter was over.

But the moment Fu Yunqing turned away, Yu Jingtang suddenly tilted her head, her obsidian-dark eyes fixed on her.

“Really?”

Her tone was indifferent, yet there was an inexplicable hint of grievance in it.

Before Jiang Luoyue could think of a way to console her, another icy gaze landed on her so intense it was impossible to ignore.

Not far away, Ning Fuguang stood with his arms crossed, seemingly glancing in their direction without a care.

If Yu Jingtang’s grievance was subtle, Ning Fuguang had practically written the word “grievance” across his face.

“If you didn’t want to team up with Yu Jingtang, you shouldn’t have gone to Fu Yunqing either you should’ve come to me,” Ning Fuguang said. “First come, first served.”

Like a pebble tossed into a still lake, his words sent ripples through the already settled atmosphere, stirring up waves once more.

“First come, first served? You’d still be behind me,” Fu Yunqing retorted, this time not fighting alone but pulling in an ally. “Jiang-what’s-her-name, am I right?”

Jiang Luoyue, now under the weight of multiple death glares:

How on earth had things escalated to this point?