I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 58

The final scene was filmed at dawn, with the forest brimming with morning dew and the sky faintly brightening at the horizon. After it wrapped up, Jiang Luoyue was still somewhat dazed, only snapping out of it when someone set off a party popper beside her ear to celebrate the wrap. She chuckled softly and said, “Thank you.”

“You’ve worked hard,” Xiang Fan casually brushed away a stray ribbon from her hair and thanked her sincerely.

Jiang Luoyue had almost forgotten the last time she heard Xiang Fan speak so formally. Their relationship seemed to have grown closer during the filming, no longer as distant as it once was.

But she liked it this way.

After filming a few additional scenes, Jiang Luoyue was ready to leave. While removing her makeup, she glanced out the window and felt a deep sense of reluctance.

After all, a remote village like this once visited, she would likely never set foot here again in her lifetime. Thinking of the kind villagers she had met and the local delicacies she had tasted, she was just beginning to feel regret about not being able to see them in the future when Fang Yuan, who was removing her makeup beside her, said, “Don’t worry, the local government has been wanting to develop tourism. Even before the movie is released, there will be marketing efforts.”

By then, if Jiang Luoyue searched for the villagers’ names, she would find plenty of short videos of tourists taking photos with them. Whenever she felt nostalgic, she could take a look, and seeing the newly built houses and Land Rovers in their homes would ease her longing.

Jiang Luoyue initially thought Fang Yuan was joking, but on the day they left the village, people began posting scenic photos of the countryside online, along with fabricated legends about “cannibalism” and murderous ghosts, instantly attracting many paranormal exploration bloggers. Word spread quickly, and even before the movie’s official release, the village had gained some fame and reaped considerable benefits.

Witnessing the entire process, Jiang Luoyue: “…”

That was all in the future, but when she saw netizens in the comments section earnestly asking whether the cannibalism legends were true, Jiang Luoyue couldn’t resist replying with her alternate account: 【False.】

Eating human flesh can lead to viruses; it’s all just dramatic effect in movies, and warnings are always issued before screenings.

Jiang Luoyue wrote a serious science popularization post, but in no time, someone lashed out at her: 【What do you know?】 During famines, cannibalism was common. My ancestors survived that way.】

In response to comments criticizing his pride in cannibalism, he argued vehemently: 【People like you have lived too comfortably. To survive, what’s wrong with eating human flesh?Single-handedly, this Weibo post trended, gathering countless onlooker comments within half an hour. Even though the account was eventually banned by the platform, passersby couldn’t help but remark: Human flesh really shouldn’t be eaten, even if it doesn’t kill you, it turns you into a brain-dead idiot like this.

Jiang Luoyue’s alternate account, which had posted the serious science popularization, naturally gained a lot of attention. Many clicked on her profile, initially just for fun, but in her latest Weibo photo, they saw Yu Jingtang’s face.

The timing of this Weibo post coincided with the night of the fifth episode of “Hate Me.” Instantly, some recalled how Yu Jingtang had hurriedly left after the variety show ended. The comment section erupted with CP fans cheering: 【Luoyue and Jingtang are real!】

Her profile was soon flooded with visitors, but unfortunately, Jiang Luoyue didn’t post on Weibo often. Most of her activity involved reposting animal content, with dogs being her favorite to share.

Someone refused to be outdone: 【Jiang Luoyue loves dogs, Diandian is also a dog, Diandian is Fu Yunqing’s dog, therefore Jiang Luoyue loves Fu Yunqing.】

【Jiang Luoyue starred in Xiang Fan’s movie, Jiang Luoyue is deeply infatuated with Xiang Fan.】

【Jiang Luoyue takes medicine produced by the Ning family when she’s sick , Jiang Luoyue needs Ning Fuguang , Jiang Luoyue and Ning Fuguang are married.】

Jiang Luoyue, who had fallen asleep in the car and only woke up to find Weibo in complete chaos: “…”

Her first instinct was to delete her account, but Xiang Fan, sitting beside her, stopped her. The woman looked serious, but her fingers continued scrolling through the feed. “I haven’t finished reading all the posts yet. Let me finish before you delete it.”

The breath Jiang Luoyue had been holding instantly dissipated, and she chuckled helplessly. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”

If she had closed her account before the hype escalated, things wouldn’t have blown up to this extent.

Xiang Fan shot her a sidelong glance, unimpressed by the blame-shifting. “You posted Yu Jingtang’s photo on Weibo and got recognized by fans, and now you’re blaming me?”

Truly, she had learned all the wrong things and none of the right ones. In such a short time, she had become this spoiled. If this continued, she’d probably think she could get away with anything.

Jiang Luoyue pressed her lips together and smiled sheepishly. Having been pampered by several people for so long, she had grown accustomed to talking back. Even when caught, she could only weakly concede, “My fault.”

Xiang Fan snorted coldly. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s Yu Jingtang. What does it have to do with you?”

Jiang Luoyue: “…?”

What did Yu Jingtang have to do with this?

“If she didn’t have such a recognizable face, who would have recognized her?” Xiang Fan had been scrolling through Jiang Luoyue’s Weibo for a while but hadn’t found a single post related to herself. Instead, she kept seeing praises for Fu Yunqing’s silly dog. Finally fed up, she turned to Jiang Luoyue and asked, “Why do you only post about her and not me? Am I ugly?”

Jiang Luoyue: “…”

Her thoughts drifted unconsciously.

Truthfully, Jiang Luoyue only posted things based on her mood, which was why her private account had only accumulated a few dozen posts over several years. That night, she had simply taken a random photo, but Yu Jingtang happened to be in the frame. Noticing the camera, Yu Jingtang asked what the photo was for and then insisted that Jiang Luoyue hide her picture somewhere in an 18-photo collage.

During the time they hadn’t been together, Yu Jingtang seemed to have taken some kind of sweet-talk crash course. Jiang Luoyue couldn’t stand her whispering in her ear and eventually gave in.

Since she didn’t have enough photos, many of the ones in the 18-photo collage were sent by Yu Jingtang. Unlike Jiang Luoyue’s daily life on set, Yu Jingtang’s photos were filled with musical instruments and birds, occasionally featuring stages with purple lighting and fireflies glowing in the dark a world Jiang Luoyue had never experienced.

She thought she had hidden it well enough. Who would have expected it to be dug up because of this mess? Just as she let out a long sigh, she remembered that Xiang Fan was still staring at her intently.

Feeling a chill run down her spine, Jiang Luoyue reluctantly began to explain. It wasn’t until her mouth felt dry from talking that Xiang Fan reluctantly let the matter go, only demanding that the next time Jiang Luoyue posted on Weibo, it must include a photo of the two of them together.

Jiang Luoyue really wanted to refuse, but when you’re under someone else’s roof, how can you not lower your head? She had no choice but to agree.

Though initially reluctant, she noticed that Xiang Fan seemed particularly happy while taking the photo with her. Seeing the other’s smiling face, Jiang Luoyue’s mood gradually softened. She took a deep breath and thought that maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.

But if she posted a photo with Xiang Fan, Fu Yunqing would definitely want one too. If she had to post photos with all five of them, what would the order be? Would anyone be unhappy?

While Jiang Luoyue’s mind was tangled in chaotic thoughts and her headache was particularly severe, the car suddenly came to a halt.

Xiang Fan still had matters to attend to, and since their paths diverged from here, they had to part ways now. Having spent so much time together, the sudden separation inevitably left Jiang Luoyue with a sense of reluctance. Xiang Fan seemed to relish this expression, her lips curling slightly as she asked nonchalantly, “Want to be in a group with me for the next episode?”

Only then did Jiang Luoyue remember, prompted by her, that the sixth episode of Hate Me was about to air.

Actually, the show should have started a week earlier, but unfortunately, the ratings from the previous episode had been disappointingly low. The grand set, painstakingly built with immense effort and money, had paled in comparison to the popularity of Jiang Luoyue’s chemistry with any of the other cast members, leaving the production team deeply frustrated.

In an attempt to reclaim what they had lost, they had voluntarily postponed the live broadcast by a week.

Jiang Luoyue wanted to agree to Xiang Fan’s suggestion outright, but she feared that plans might not keep up with changes. What if Fu Yunqing went crazy on the spot and didn’t want her to team up with Xiang Fan?

Although such a scenario was unlikely, given everyone’s less-than-stable mental states, Jiang Luoyue responded vaguely, “Well… let’s see what the production team’s rules are then.”

“Is that how you brush me off?” Xiang Fan softened her tone, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Under her gaze, Jiang Luoyue blinked, feeling somewhat awkward as she replied, “It’s not brushing you off. I just want to respect the rules.”

Xiang Fan nodded, as if convinced by her words. Jiang Luoyue was about to say a few more comforting words when Xiang Fan took her hand.

At first, she didn’t find it strange and even curved the corners of her eyes into a smile. But as Xiang Fan lowered her head, Jiang Luoyue’s smile gradually stiffened.

Her hair felt like feathers, the faint tickling sensation sending tremors through Jiang Luoyue’s very soul. That gentle kiss landed on her fingertip, then drifted to the back of her hand. A cold breeze brushed her face, and in that moment, Jiang Luoyue forgot every word she had intended to say.

She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Xiang Fan held it firmly.

Time seemed to stand still. Jiang Luoyue saw the amusement in Xiang Fan’s eyes and heard her say, “See you later.”

Xiang Fan’s tone was natural, as if she hadn’t just performed such an intimate act a second ago.

Jiang Luoyue, however, remained trapped in that fleeting intimacy until Xiang Fan withdrew her hand. Only then, in her overwhelming confusion, did she force herself to nod in response.

But even after getting into the car, the heat on Jiang Luoyue’s face continued to rise. The warmth boiled her thoughts, and she instinctively covered the spot where she had been kissed, only to feel that the gesture was too precious and awkwardly lowered her hand again.

Her face twisted in conflict as she rubbed her temples. Meanwhile, Xiao Lu, the assistant in the driver’s seat, hummed a cheerful tune, looking delighted.

After staring at the assistant’s round head for a few seconds, Jiang Luoyue suddenly asked, “I have a friend.”

Xiao Lu immediately responded, “Which one? Fu, Ning, Yu, or Xiang?”

Jiang Luoyue was stunned for a moment before realizing these were the surnames of the four cast members of Hate Me. She mulled over the order and was astonished to discover that Xiao Lu had also caught “ranking obsession”!

She had actually listed the surnames in alphabetical order!

This discovery left Jiang Luoyue incredulous. She took a deep breath before shaking her head with difficulty. “It’s not any of them.”

But wait, was her social circle really limited to just them? Jiang Luoyue wanted to delve deeper but, upon reflection, realized this was an undeniable fact. She swallowed her confusion and said, “Just listen to me first.”

Xiao Lu obediently nodded, and Jiang Luoyue hesitantly continued, “I have a friend, and her friends have always been very intimate with her.”

“How intimate are we talking?” Xiao Lu asked seriously.

Holding hands, hugging, kissing, kissing the cheek.

Thinking something in your heart and saying it out loud to someone else are two completely different feelings. The former allows for self-delusion, but the latter made Jiang Luoyue unconsciously consider things from Xiao Lu’s perspective. The more she spoke, the more she noticed the oddities in the situation.

While friends might engage in intimate behaviors, “friends” as intimate as the other four were absolutely rare.

As Xiao Lu’s expression grew more serious, Jiang Luoyue’s voice gradually softened. By the time she finished recounting the whole story, Xiao Lu’s first question hit her like a thunderclap: “Isn’t this just the ambiguous stage? Holding hands is one thing, but what kind of ordinary friends kiss each other every day? Friends who just broke up?”

Jiang Luoyue’s mind buzzed, but she still clung to a sliver of hope and asked, “What if a friend has a very important project but only collaborates with her, without considering other partners?”

Xiao Lu fumed, “That’s a classic case of love-struck foolishness, prioritizing romance over benefits and the bigger picture!”

“And what if her friend told her, ‘Everything you give me is very important to me’?”

Xiao Lu gasped in shock, “That’s loving her deeply, loving her to the bone! This is terminal love-struck foolishness, beyond saving! Are you sure these are just ordinary friends?”

Jiang Luoyue was stumped. Hesitantly, she added, “Her friend confessed to her once, but she brushed it off with a joke.”

Xiao Lu declared, “That’s classic ‘fish farming’! Totally irresponsible!”

Irresponsible? Fish farming? Her?

Before Jiang Luoyue could process this, Xiao Lu was already on high alert.

It’s hard to learn good habits, but picking up bad ones takes no time at all! What if Jiang Luoyue was influenced without her noticing? Xiao Lu, not wanting to be labeled a “disgraced artist’s assistant” after only half a year on the job, immediately lectured her sternly, “Luoyue, you’re still in the rising phase of your career. You can’t learn from those messy people and start dating!”

The “messy person” in question: “…”

Jiang Luoyue had nothing left to say. Having exhausted all her rebuttals, she slumped into her chair. Overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, she suddenly realized that out of the four people, three seemed to have ulterior motives toward her.

The only one who maintained a normal, healthy friendship with her was actually the eccentric Fu Yunqing.

This discovery left Jiang Luoyue with mixed feelings. She let out a long sigh, her eyes losing their sparkle, and asked blankly, “Is it really impossible to go through everything and still come out as pure friends?”

“That’s just wanting to have your cake and eat it too,” Xiao Lu said. Seeing Jiang Luoyue look even more defeated, she comforted her, “Of course, your friend could also just kiss without taking responsibility. It might sound a bit scummy, but since when does ‘lip friendship’ not count as pure friendship?”

“If you really can’t figure it out, just kiss a few more times. You’ll understand eventually.”

Jiang Luoyue: “…”