Chapter 3

Her words brought another wave of mockery down on me.

I couldn’t understand how she had the nerve to lie so blatantly.

I directly posted a picture of the property deed in the group.

“Chloe, don’t try to use our classmates to pressure me morally. I’m not lending you my house for your wedding.”

After sending that, I angrily left the group and sat down at the dining table to calm myself.

My hand accidentally knocked over the gift bag sitting on a chair.

It was the housewarming gift Chloe had brought when she came over.

When I opened it, I discovered a limited-edition collectible figure that I had searched everywhere for but still hadn’t been able to buy.

I had only casually complained about it on Instagram, but she had remembered and bought it for me.

There was also a receipt inside showing that it had cost fifty thousand dollars.

I froze.

Then I remembered that I had been unpopular with my classmates in college because I was introverted.

Chloe had been the one to approach me and become my friend.

Once, I fainted from severe menstrual cramps in our dorm, and she skipped class to bring me painkillers and hand warmers through the pouring rain.

When I was followed and harassed by someone,

she had also stepped in front of me and loudly cursed at and chased him away.

If someone asked what my greatest gain from college had been, I would say without hesitation that it was meeting her and becoming friends.

I didn’t know how to repay her, but her family wasn’t well-off.

So whenever she said she envied me for going to a certain restaurant or buying a particular piece of jewelry or designer bag,

I would immediately take her there and buy her one too.

Later, I started preparing two of everything without waiting for her to ask.

The memory of my cheerful and warmhearted best friend made my hand stop just before I blocked her.

She wasn’t this kind of person…

Maybe her boyfriend really had something special about him, and they had simply run into some trouble.

Maybe she only wanted to borrow my house to save face for the wedding.

Was I being too sensitive?

I sat at the dining table and struggled with the question for a long time, until all the food had gone cold.

Only then did I pick up my phone and anonymously post:

“My best friend is getting married and wants to borrow my new house. Should I lend it to her?”

I also explained everything I was struggling with.

At first, most people sided with my best friend and accused me of being cold and heartless.

“You’re only lending your house to your best friend for her wedding. You’re not giving it to her. What’s the problem? No wonder nobody wants to be friends with you when you’re so dramatic.”

“Exactly! Your best friend has treated you so well. She’s practically family. That limited-edition figure she gave you is worth tens of thousands, yet you won’t even help her with such a small favor! You’re so selfish!”

“Good thing you’re not my friend. I’d be completely heartbroken.”

Reading those comments, I felt a wave of guilt.

So I really was being too stingy.

Chloe still hadn’t replied to me.

Just as I was about to delete my post, a user suddenly posted a screenshot of the limited-edition figure she had given me and circled several details.

“That doesn’t seem right. I don’t think this friend is as nice as the poster thinks.”

“This collectible is obviously fake.”

What?

I hurriedly contacted the user, and they enthusiastically explained everything to me.

They even brought out the genuine version from their own collection to compare with mine.

“I’m not trying to stir up trouble. I just don’t want you to be guilt-tripped by a counterfeit collectible that cost only a few dollars.”

Holding the figure in my hands, I felt as if I had a knot of anger stuck in my chest.

I couldn’t spit it out, but I couldn’t swallow it either.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

My supervisor said anxiously that there was a problem with the project I was in charge of.

I had to return to the office immediately to deal with it.

There was nothing I could do, so I had to put these matters aside for the moment.