I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 63.1

Jiang Luoyue was someone who could adapt to any situation.

After attempting to protest but clearly failing, she wisely shifted her focus from “Why has Ning Fuguang suddenly stopped understanding human language?” to “How should I interact with Ning Fuguang’s family?”

Even though the conversation would likely last only a few minutes, Jiang Luoyue couldn’t even remember the last time she had faced an elder. She was terrified of saying something offensive the moment she opened her mouth.

For the rest of the journey, she remained somewhat despondent, staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.

The closer they got to their destination, the more frequently Jiang Luoyue took deep breaths.

But just as the car entered the villa complex, Ning Fuguang suddenly pulled over.

Thinking they had arrived, Jiang Luoyue looked around, only to find an open children’s playground within the villa area. The occasional screams and laughter of children amplified her anxiety exponentially.

Assuming Ning Fuguang’s niece was there, she cautiously remarked, “Your niece is quite childlike.”

Ning Fuguang chuckled softly, “She’s not here.”

“I never intended for you to meet my family with me,” Ning Fuguang added after a moment’s thought, “At least, not yet.”

She had only meant to tease Jiang Luoyue, never expecting the other to take it so seriously and grow increasingly nervous. The frequency of Jiang Luoyue’s deep breaths along the way almost matched Ning Fuguang’s heartbeat, making her feel suffocated just listening. So, she decided to clarify before they actually arrived.

“The scenery here is quite nice,” Ning Fuguang said succinctly, “You can wait for me here.”

Jiang Luoyue, who had just mocked someone else for being childlike, fell silent for a long time.

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Ning Fuguang admitted outright, surprising Jiang Luoyue even more. “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Luoyue felt utterly defeated, numb to the repeated losses.

She gripped the seatbelt, wanting to unbuckle it but feeling it unnecessary.

After all, she and Ning Fuguang were just ordinary friends. Wasn’t it normal for friends to visit each other’s families without making a fuss? Overly avoiding the situation would only raise suspicions, making people wonder if there was something shady between them.

More importantly, the car had already arrived.

After a long pause, she finally squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: “Let’s go.”

“Huh?” Ning Fuguang, who had been waiting for her to respond, raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised this time.

But Jiang Luoyue turned away again, unwilling to explain her thoughts further, afraid that Ning Fuguang would seize any loophole and launch another verbal attack.

Ning Fuguang blinked, starting the car with a sudden surge of delight.

The sun was shining brightly.

Even though it was already winter, the temperature hadn’t dropped below freezing. The flowers planted in the Ning family’s garden were still in full bloom, and the walkway was lush with greenery.

Jiang Luoyue had initially thought that with so many gifts in the trunk, she would naturally help Ning Fuguang carry some.

Unexpectedly, she ended up walking into the Ning residence empty-handed, while Ning Fuguang carried only two gifts.

One was prepared by Jiang Luoyue, and the other was a plain pink box from the trunk.

Since the items were small, Ning Fuguang had even tucked the box into Jiang Luoyue’s gift bag, consolidating them into one.

Under Jiang Luoyue’s suspicious gaze, Ning Fuguang smiled gently. “Those things are for someone else.”

Jiang Luoyue asked casually, “Also a birthday gift?”

Ning Fuguang was just about to respond when a figure dressed in yellow darted out from the villa, bounding straight into Jiang Luoyue’s embrace like a little duckling hopping through the snow,

“Jiang Luoyue!” The girl blinked her eyes, which seemed even larger than those of an anime character, her tone brimming with delight and surprise. “I’ve liked you since I was little!”

Jiang Luoyue, suddenly feeling as though her seniority had just jumped a generation, was left speechless: “…”

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, her tone wavering and hesitant: “Thank you?”

Before arriving, Ning Fuguang had introduced her niece, Ning Huan an eighteen-year-old who had been rebellious for all eighteen years, as lively and energetic as the beagle next door. Jiang Luoyue had initially thought Ning Fuguang’s description was a bit exaggerated, but who would have guessed that Ning Huan really was exceptionally outgoing? Grinning, she pulled Jiang Luoyue toward the villa: “I absolutely loved your role as Lan Xiaohua! So beautiful! A fairy!”

Jiang Luoyue thought for a long moment before finally recalling a character from her acting career that roughly matched the name: “Do you mean Lan Wuque? The one in period costume?”

Ning Huan nodded eagerly: “Yes! I kept thinking it was Hua Wuque, and after watching all day without seeing Xiao Yuer, my mom bought me a goldfish because I kept talking about it.”

“And not long after, she flushed it down the drain while changing the water.” Ning Fuguang glanced at Ning Huan’s hand holding Jiang Luoyue’s, feeling inexplicably irritated. “Are you two that close? Don’t you know to keep a proper distance from strangers?”

Jiang Luoyue had a vague sense that Ning Fuguang was directing this comment at her and blinked in response.

Ning Huan immediately retorted: “She’s friends with you, how is she a stranger?”

Ning Fuguang scoffed coldly: “You hadn’t exchanged a single word before today.”

“Who says!” Ning Huan’s face flushed red as she quickly opened Weibo. “I send her private messages every day. Auto-replies totally count as responses!”

Ning Fuguang couldn’t be bothered to argue further, but Ning Huan insisted on settling the dispute. As the two bickered noisily, Jiang Luoyue took the opportunity to look around the Ning residence.

Like any stereotypical wealthy family’s home, the Ning villa was lavishly decorated, so opulent and dazzling that Jiang Luoyue felt one would need to wear sunglasses year-round to live there otherwise, it couldn’t be good for one’s eyesight.

Ning Fuguang had mentioned a birthday party earlier, so Jiang Luoyue had expected it to be lively. Yet the living room was surprisingly empty, with no one else around besides the three of them. If it weren’t for the scattered birthday-themed ribbons tied here and there, Jiang Luoyue might have thought the “birthday” was just a pretext too.

It wasn’t until Ning Huan poked her hand that Jiang Luoyue snapped back to attention.

The two had finished their argument, and clearly, Ning Fuguang, with her richer experience in picking fights, had come out on top.

Ning Huan frowned, sighing dramatically: “Auntie said you two still have things to do and will be leaving soon.”

Jiang Luoyue nodded and asked, “Would you like an autograph?”

While Ning Huan went to fetch a notebook, Ning Fuguang sat down beside Jiang Luoyue, a gift bag creating a slight barrier between them. Jiang Luoyue rubbed her nose and asked, “Didn’t you say your mom was here?”

“She might have stepped out.” Ning Fuguang chuckled lightly. “Do you want to see her? I can call her back right now.”

Jiang Luoyue immediately shook her head: “No need to trouble her.”

“But if she saw you, she’d probably be very happy.”

Jiang Luoyue: “…” Why did she feel like she had just heard this line from Ning Fuguang a moment ago?

Sure enough, Ning Fuguang’s next words were: “She’s also your fan.”

Jiang Luoyue stared at her blankly: “Also a fan who mistakes Lan Wuque for Lan Xiaohua?”

Ning Fuguang chuckled softly, “No. She likes you more than Ninghuan does. She’s watched a lot of TV dramas, and I know you also.”

As if realizing she had revealed something unintended, Ning Fuguang paused, then calmly picked up an apple and began peeling it. The seamless transition and her unruffled expression left Jiang Luoyue in awe.

But this time, Jiang Luoyue wasn’t about to let it slide so easily. “Also what? Why did you stop?”

Ning Fuguang raised an eyebrow, “What do you want to hear?”

Jiang Luoyue replied, “What comes after ‘also.'”

Ning Fuguang glanced at her and smiled, “It’s also because of her.”

Jiang Luoyue stared intently at her face. Ning Fuguang’s fingers tightened slightly around the apple, though her expression remained unchanged as she continued peeling with the sharp knife.

Only when the long, unbroken peel dangled down did she hear Jiang Luoyue sigh.

Then, Jiang Luoyue said, “I can’t tell if it’s the truth or a lie.”

Ning Fuguang cut the apple into pieces, placed a clean bear-shaped fork beside the plate, and set it in front of Jiang Luoyue.

“I’ve never lied to you,” Ning Fuguang said. “It’s just a habit of mine to keep some things hidden.”

Jiang Luoyue raised an eyebrow, “Just some?”

Ning Fuguang corrected herself with a hint of resignation, “Many.”

After a pause, she added softly, “If you’re upset because I’ve kept things from you, I’m sorry.”

“But I’ve never intended to deceive you, nor have I ever lied to you.”

Ning Fuguang’s eyes were captivating. When she fixed her gaze solely on someone, it gave the illusion that she loved them with her whole heart. Even if one’s mind didn’t believe it, their words would unconsciously soften.

“I don’t know.”

As these helpless words escaped her lips, all the triumphant curiosity on Jiang Luoyue’s face melted into disappointment.

She toyed with the fruit using the fork and murmured, “I don’t know whether I should believe you.”

She didn’t know if Ning Fuguang’s feelings were genuine, whether this was right or wrong, or what she should do next.

They liked her, and Jiang Luoyue liked them too, but it was all confined to the affection between friends. In Jiang Luoyue’s eyes, she only had a superficial understanding of everyone and had never truly considered stepping into anyone’s world.

Yet, upon realizing that they all seemed to extend invitations to her, even as Jiang Luoyue tried to restrain herself, her hidden greed would pull her into a vortex of wanting it all. Every time she came to her senses, she would despise herself, feeling utterly ridiculous.

What about her was even worth liking? And how should she respond to return to how things used to be?

As the question crystallized in her mind, Jiang Luoyue immediately dismissed it was impossible.

She knew it was an unsolvable problem, and voicing it was pointless, yet she felt no regret. Staring at the clean, exposed fruit in the plate, she felt just as bare in front of Ning Fuguang.

Ning Fuguang knew everything, so Jiang Luoyue could hide nothing from her and, naturally, she could say anything to Ning Fuguang.

She even entertained a rare, spiteful thought: Why was she the only one tormented by such troubles?

Ning Fuguang was one of the sources of her distress, so it was only fair that she, too, should be weighed down by Jiang Luoyue’s emotions, the good and the bad, all deserved.

Jiang Luoyue wondered whether she would have mustered this much courage if it were Fu Yunqing, Xiang Fan, or Yu Jingtang sitting beside her instead.

But she still turned her gaze back to Ning Fuguang, meeting those eternally calm eyes.

In the next moment, the woman’s hand reached across the paper bag and covered the back of Jiang Luoyue’s hand.

The sheer veil stirred in the breeze, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow on the ground, creating a dappled scene.

Jiang Luoyue’s heart skipped a beat as she heard Ning Fuguang say, “I mentioned last time that when we met again, I would give you the answer.”

Jiang Luoyue was stunned, taking several seconds to recall that this was about the promise regarding whether they had met before.