I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 62.1

The four of them bickered every three minutes and had full-blown arguments every three hours. Logically speaking, both Jiang Luoyue and the audience should have grown accustomed to it by now.

But this time, the three of them were unusually stubborn.

The moment Fu Yunqing saw the card in Ning Fuguang’s hand, she went berserk, repeatedly shouting “rigged!” Xiang Fan, who had been fuming over Ning Fuguang’s almost boastful remark, sneered and said bluntly, “If anyone actually believes this was pure luck, feel free to contact my studio, I’ll sponsor your elementary school tuition.”

Jiang Luoyue nearly burst out laughing but restrained herself upon seeing Yu Jingtang’s icy expression.

She observed carefully and noticed that even Yu Jingtang was unusually displeased. Though Yu Jingtang’s face was perpetually sour, making her anger seem no different from her usual demeanor, Jiang Luoyue, out of respect for her, feigned an anxious expression, as if she were about to scream, “Stop fighting, all of you”

The three of them suddenly united against a common enemy, trying to tear Ning Fuguang apart from every angle in an attempt to break up Jiang Luoyue and Ning Fuguang’s pairing.

But rules were rules.

Once the teams were formed, the only ways to separate were to wait for the time limit to expire or for a guest to choose the “one-day trip with the production crew” option.

Jiang Luoyue was quite tempted by the latter, but Ning Fuguang seemed to sense it and suddenly turned to look at her.

Even while being ganged up on by the other three, Ning Fuguang had remained exceptionally calm, as if it didn’t bother her at all.

But now, at the sight of Jiang Luoyue’s eager, lifted gaze, she lowered her eyes and softened her voice abruptly: “You don’t want to be in a team with me?”

Jiang Luoyue: “…”

The live chat exploded instantly, and Fu Yunqing went even crazier: “Who are you trying to fool with that innocent act? Who would want to be in a team with you?”

“Luoyue?” Ning Fuguang ignored her, lowering her voice further. “If you don’t want to, I can also.”

This was the first time since the show began that Ning Fuguang had appeared so aggrieved on camera.

Even though Jiang Luoyue knew, without a doubt, that Ning Fuguang was absolutely, one hundred percent acting, she was genuinely afraid Ning Fuguang might take the act too far and burst into tears right in front of the camera.

Just the thought of that possibility sent shivers down Jiang Luoyue’s spine. She hurriedly interrupted, “We’ll team up.”

“I never said I wouldn’t team up with you.”

Why was Ning Fuguang so anxious?

Ning Fuguang was clearly amused by this response but still pretended to be a pitiful soul who, after enduring much grievance, had suddenly found protection. She repeatedly asked, “Really?” and only after getting Jiang Luoyue’s exasperated confirmation did she finally stand behind her.

“You’re so kind,” she said softly.

Even though they maintained some distance, those light, gentle words sent a shiver down Jiang Luoyue’s spine, tingeing the tips of her ears with a faint blush.

Watching her involuntary physical reaction, Ning Fuguang curved her eyes and thought quietly, No wonder Yu Jingtang loves playing the victim so much this trick really works wonders.

Ning Fuguang finally quieted down, but Jiang Luoyue, afraid she might spout more outrageous remarks, quickly asked the director, “Is there any other task to announce?”

If not, she was going to take Ning Fuguang, this human-shaped fighter jet, and leave this den of chaos.

In just this short while, Jiang Luoyue felt like her ears were already ringing with noise. If she stayed any longer, deafness seemed imminent.

Perhaps because the rules were already sensational enough, the program team was surprisingly gentle with the task this time, guests only needed to give a gift to a specified fellow guest.

The recipient for each guest was privately messaged by the program team and not disclosed during the live broadcast.

As the rules were being explained, Jiang Luoyue’s phone vibrated. She glanced down and saw that the person she needed to give a gift to was Yu Jingtang.

The others also received their messages, their expressions varying. Fu Yunqing puffed out her cheeks, clearly displeased with the person she was assigned though, aside from Jiang Luoyue, she didn’t want to give a gift to anyone. Even if the audience tried to guess, they couldn’t pinpoint the actual names.

Ning Fuguang read the message, put away her phone, and said, “We’ll head out first, then.”

Fu Yunqing retorted, “Why? I was the first to successfully form a team, wasn’t I?”

Ning Fuguang sneered, “Then why don’t you go with Yu Jingtang first?”

She deliberately emphasized “Yu Jingtang” and stepped aside with a look of mock blessing, leaving Fu Yunqing, who had intended to annoy her, feeling disgusted instead. “Just looking at you makes me sick!”

“Not you!” Fu Yunqing snapped, then immediately turned to explain to Jiang Luoyue.

Jiang Luoyue couldn’t help but chuckle. As she walked out of the villa, she could still hear the director shouting, “Guests are not allowed to follow other guests! Today, each team must act separately.”

She glanced back and saw Yu Jingtang being stopped by the staff at the entrance. For once, Xiao Tang had shed her icy demeanor, her expression animated, but it was to no avail. She could only watch Jiang Luoyue walk away like a lovesick stone.

Jiang Luoyue sighed and casually opened Weibo.

As expected, the hashtag #HateMeRigged was trending.

The three of them had been genuinely angry earlier, and now even the netizens gathered under the topic were no longer polite, engaging in heated arguments. Jiang Luoyue’s brow twitched as she scrolled through the barrage of insults.

She glanced at Ning Fuguang’s retreating figure and decided to cut straight to the chase: “Was it really rigged?”

By now, the two of them were out of the live broadcast’s range.

In other words, they could speak the truth.

Ning Fuguang slowed her pace, waiting for Jiang Luoyue to catch up, then smiled and asked, “What do you think?”

Jiang Luoyue replied, “I’m the one asking you, President Ning.”

“Sorry,” Ning Fuguang said after a moment’s thought. “It was originally arranged, but because you suddenly insisted on drawing the first card and disrupted the order, it didn’t happen.”

Jiang Luoyue recalled how she had indeed shuffled the cards in the tube randomly when drawing hers and fell silent for a long time.

Only when they were almost at the vehicle arranged by the program team did she finally manage to say, “President Ning, do you really have so little confidence in your own luck?”

If anyone else had said this, Ning Fuguang would have taken it as sarcasm.

But coming from Jiang Luoyue, it felt strangely pleasing, as if she had received a compliment. She smiled, her eyes curving. “I used to think that way, but not anymore.”

Reason told Jiang Luoyue that Ning Fuguang was surely scheming again, waiting for her to take the bait.

Yet she was genuinely curious about the answer, just as she had been curious about Ning Fuguang’s unusual attention from the very beginning.

After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Luoyue asked, “Why?”

“If my luck were bad, how could I have drawn you on the very first try?”

Ning Fuguang turned to look at her, the light catching the corners of her eyes and brows, accentuating her striking features and beautiful face. Unaware of the effect, she reached out and opened the passenger door for Jiang Luoyue. “That’s why I told Xiang Fan that you and I are fated to meet.”

Jiang Luoyue was stunned, finally understanding what had sparked the earlier conflict,

Yet, she still found it hard to comprehend.

“It’s just forming a team.”

Why did it have to escalate into such an ugly scene?

Even now, Jiang Luoyue struggled to adapt to her sudden rise in status.

Whether it was Zhou Ruonian or the Jiang family, they all seemed to adhere to the principle of prioritizing interests. The former had betrayed Jiang Luoyue for the resources Jiang Lianyan brought, while the latter believed that Jiang Lianyan, meticulously groomed over the years, far surpassed Jiang Luoyue, effectively abandoning her.

As a result, even though Jiang Luoyue disliked such behavior, she had subconsciously come to accept the principle of prioritizing interests.

In her eyes, the benefits and assistance any of the four could gain by befriending each other far outweighed “currying favor with Jiang Luoyue.”

After all, she could accomplish nothing and offer nothing.

Upon hearing this, Ning Fuguang merely smiled.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, she set the navigation and calmly said, “Luoyue is very popular. Forming a team isn’t just about forming a team, it’s an opportunity to get closer to you. No one wants to give up, so speaking recklessly or even acting impulsively is only natural.”

Jiang Luoyue pursed her lips. “You make it sound like I’m very important.”

She turned to look out the window. The wind during their walk had left her face stinging, and she was about to rub it when Ning Fuguang spoke again, “If it weren’t for you, I would only participate in one season of this boring variety show, forced by my contract.”

“But because of you, when the production team showed me the contract for the second season, I didn’t reject it outright.”

“Does that illustrate your importance to me?”

Jiang Luoyue froze for a moment, her hand pausing mid-air.

Her heart, which had been tense from the cold wind, now felt enveloped in a warm, soothing current.

She recalled her previous life, where Ning Fuguang had indeed only participated in one season of the variety show. At the time, online rumors claimed she wanted to use it as a stepping stone into the entertainment industry, mocking and criticizing her for abandoning the pharmaceutical industry for the more lucrative entertainment world. The harsh words had spread like wildfire, yet Ning Fuguang never responded.

Ning Fuguang was still smiling, but Jiang Luoyue’s lips pressed tighter, almost forming a straight line.

The atmosphere in the car grew increasingly quiet and subtle under the weight of silence, until Ning Fuguang sighed. Only then did Jiang Luoyue snap out of her boundless awkwardness and confusion.

“I thought you liked this kind of thing,” Ning Fuguang said.

Jiang Luoyue hesitated. “What?”

“Liked their way of doing things,” Ning Fuguang listed them off as if reciting from memory. “Bossing people around, being domineering, or speaking in circles, always expecting others to accommodate them while never speaking plainly themselves.”

She directly categorized her own earlier actions as “not speaking plainly,” and the examples she gave reminded Jiang Luoyue of countless past interactions with the other three.

Though the imagery was vivid, Jiang Luoyue felt she still needed to stand up for her friends.

She cleared her throat coldly. “They’re not that bad, are they?”

Ning Fuguang laughed again, but this time it was a cold laugh. She mimicked Jiang Luoyue’s tone, “They’re not that bad, are they?”

Her imitation of Jiang Luoyue’s speech was spot-on, but her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

This was the first time Jiang Luoyue had heard her speak in such a manner it was both novel and amusing.

Ning Fuguang asked, “If they weren’t guests but strangers, would you be friends with people like that?”