My best friend tricked me into appearing on a reality TV relationship counseling show. Her male friend pointed at me, crying and shouting that I was stringing him along despite not liking him, calling me a gold-digger. “I’m not from a wealthy family. I saved up every penny. I’ve been pursuing her for two years – two years! Every time I sent her money, she accepted it quickly. But it took her three days to reply to my messages!” The host’s words dripped with sarcasm: “You’re not getting any younger. If you don’t like him, just say so. Why string him along? This is how good men get worn down.” I looked to my best friend. She turned away, muttering: “Jiaojiao, this really isn’t right. Either be with him or return the money. You can’t have it both ways.” The audience was ready to pelt me with eggs. But when I revealed the truth, their expressions changed in an instant. I was an avid follower of the top-rated relationship advice show that aired every week. So when my best friend Sophia handed me a ticket, I was so excited I hugged her and planted two kisses on her cheek. Sophia gently pushed me away with an awkward smile. “Make sure you get there on time, okay? These tickets were really hard to get. And dress up nicely!” I held up four fingers in a solemn vow: “I promise I’ll be there on time!” On the day of filming, I put on my best makeup, practiced my expressions in the mirror dozens of times, and chose a light blue dress for the occasion. I arrived early at the entrance, where a staff member checked a list and said curtly: “Follow me.” She led me to a waiting room and told me: “Wait here. We’ll call you when it’s time.” I didn’t think much of it, assuming Sophia’s connections had gotten me VIP treatment. I contentedly poured myself a glass of water and settled in. A short while later, a staff member came to get me. As we walked, I grew confused: “Are you sure this is the right way? Isn’t there another entrance?” The staff member gave me a little push forward, muttering: “Stop playing innocent. You weren’t so innocent when you were scamming people out of money!” I was completely baffled. Bright lights suddenly shone on me as all eyes in the room turned my way. I instinctively wanted to turn back. The host’s voice boomed: “Please welcome our next guest, Chloe!” Through the glare of the lights, I finally noticed Sophia and Gregory sitting on the other side of the stage. I walked over to her, confused: “Sophia, what’s going on? Why are you here too?” Sophia avoided my gaze as the host barked: “Chloe, please sit on the opposite side.” In that moment, I realized I was today’s main guest on the show. The host quickly changed his demeanor, addressing the others in a coaxing tone: “Mr. Gregory, our show aims to resolve relationship conflicts fairly and justly. Please share your concerns – I’m sure everyone will give you a fair hearing.” Gregory lowered his eyes and heaved a deep sigh, the picture of an honest man wronged. His demeanor instantly elicited sympathy from the audience. Audience members called out encouragement: “Speak up, brother! How long are you going to let this woman string you along? Nice guys always get taken advantage of!” I narrowed my eyes at the man in the audience egging things on, then calmly studied Gregory. In all our previous meetings, he had dressed like a millionaire – suit, tie, leather shoes, slicked back hair, the works. Now he wore a cheap, wrinkled t-shirt. He pursed his lips, his eyes instantly reddening. “At this point, I just want the money I spent on her back. I’ve given up on love. Chloe, if you didn’t like me, why did you keep stringing me along?” His words caused an uproar in the audience. “Look how nicely she’s dressed! I saw that dress in a store last week – it costs over $300. I could never afford that.” “Gold digger, for sure. This guy probably isn’t her first victim. She must have scammed a lot of money by now.” “I can’t stand women like this!” I opened my mouth to explain, but the host cut me off: “It’s not your turn to speak yet. You’ll have a chance to respond later.” Gregory continued his tearful accusations, pointing at me: “I don’t come from a wealthy family. I saved up that money bit by bit. I pursued her for two years – two years! Every time I sent her money, she accepted it quickly. But it would take her three days to reply to my messages! “I’ve sent her money over 30 times!” The host’s eyes flashed coldly: “Ms. Chloe, is this true?” I shook my head: “He did send money many times, but-” The host impatiently cut me off again, his words dripping with sarcasm: “So Mr. Gregory’s account is accurate. You’re not so young anymore – if you weren’t interested, you should have said so directly. Why string him along? This is how good men get worn down and used up.” I looked to Sophia, but she turned away, muttering: “Chloe, this really isn’t right. Either be with him or return the money. You can’t have it both ways.” I could feel the hostility radiating from the audience – contempt, anger, like they wanted to pelt me with rotten eggs. I never imagined I’d find myself in a situation like this. Gregory, emboldened by the audience’s support, wiped away his tears and sat up straighter. He made an impassioned plea, his eyes full of sorrow: “Chloe, I still have feelings for you. Can you give me a chance? If you’re willing to be with me, I’ll forgive everything. What’s mine is yours – both my money and myself. I’ll give you control of all my future earnings too.”
I remained silent. He gave a bitter laugh: “I knew it. You look down on me. Those occasional replies were just to string me along for my money. But Chloe, I’m not being materialistic. For people from humble backgrounds like me, we can’t afford to make mistakes in love. I only want to spend my money on my future wife. “I didn’t want to make a scene like this, but I’m so hurt. If you had just kept talking to me these past two years, I would have considered the money spent on emotional fulfillment. Or if you had said directly that you weren’t interested, I would have gracefully backed off. But you said nothing, letting me make a fool of myself!” I felt a lump in my throat, hardly able to breathe. I had met Gregory at Sophia’s birthday party. He got my contact info through Sophia and immediately started messaging me with greetings and small talk. Good morning, good afternoon, good night – he never missed a beat. At first, I wasn’t sure of his intentions and didn’t want to assume, so I politely replied to his messages. After a week, he confessed: “Chloe, I fell for you the moment I saw you. I never believed in love at first sight before, but meeting you changed that. Will you give me a chance to spend our lives together?” When I saw that message, I carefully considered my response before replying without hesitation: “I’m flattered by your interest, but I’m sorry – we’re not compatible. I hope you find a better match.” That night, Sophia called me: “Chloe, did you reject Gregory?” I answered while watching TV: “Yeah, I don’t like the guy. No point in stringing him along, right? That wouldn’t be fair.” Sophia sighed: “Chloe, how do you know you’re not compatible if you haven’t gotten to know him? Even if you want to reject him, you shouldn’t be so blunt. He’s been hurt before and struggles with depression. He’s drunk right now and threatening suicide, saying he’s worthless and no one will ever love him.” I was shocked that my rejection could drive someone to suicide. “What should I do?” I asked anxiously. She advised me: “You could reject him more gently. Reply to his messages occasionally, but be a bit cold. After a while, he’ll get the hint and give up on his own.” After thinking it over, I agreed to her suggestion. My main concern was Gregory doing something drastic. From then on, Gregory often messaged me about his life. I would occasionally reply with short messages or emojis. Later, he started sending me money and red envelopes. I ignored them and never accepted the transfers. The audience was outraged on Gregory’s behalf. “My god, this guy is such a doormat! Have some self-respect, man! This woman will bleed you and your whole family dry if you marry her!” “The world is so unfair. Good men always get jerked around by awful women. I’m single too – maybe I should give you a chance?” “If you like someone or not, just say it directly! Rip the bandaid off. I had a crush on a guy before, so I totally get how this feels.” “If she said it directly, how would she keep scamming money? Use your brain…” I picked up the microphone to defend myself, only to find it had been muted. I shook my head vigorously in frustration. The host calmly said: “Ms. Chloe, please control your emotions. There’s no need to get so agitated.” Gregory’s lips trembled as he fought to control his emotions. He continued: “Do you know what it’s like to come home exhausted from work, only to wait desperately for a message from the girl you like? “I know girls love bubble tea, so I’d scrimp and save to buy her drinks and send her money for gifts. But from morning till night, I’d wait and wait with no response. If my phone buzzed at midnight, I’d jump up hoping it was her message.” Then Gregory dropped another bombshell. “Actually…we were at the point of getting to know each other seriously, almost ready to discuss marriage. But after she visited my home once, she became even colder towards me. I guess she looked down on how poor my family is.”
Across from me, Sophia comforted Gregory in a low voice. She seemed to have forgotten our years of friendship, launching into criticism without hesitation. “Even though I’ve known Chloe longer, the depth of a relationship isn’t measured by time. I can confirm what Gregory is saying is true. I was there when Chloe visited his home. “When Gregory found out Chloe was coming over, he messaged me the night before saying he was too excited to sleep. He asked me about all of Chloe’s preferences. His mom went to the market early in the morning, not wanting Chloe to feel unwelcome.” She concluded: “Chloe, I don’t even recognize you anymore. Gregory has done so much for you. You’re both my friends – do you know how awkward this puts me in the middle?” I blinked in confusion, wondering when they had taken acting classes behind my back. They were masters at twisting the truth. The events were true, but coming from their mouths, the story was unrecognizable. I shouted: “They’re lying! I never accepted any of his money!” The audience nearly drowned me out with their angry shouts. They looked down on me from their high horses. “Look how defensive she’s getting, raising her voice to intimidate us. Classic guilty behavior.” “Gregory’s story is logical and backed up with evidence. We saw the transfer records – he sent money 25 times in one month.” A child’s voice piped up: “But this lady doesn’t seem like someone who would lie…” An audience member retorted: “Little girl, you’re too young to understand. You can’t judge a book by its cover. The ones who look the most innocent often have the deepest schemes!” The host didn’t bother hiding his disdain: “Since Ms. Chloe claims she’s been wronged, let’s turn to our on-site reporter.” The camera cut to a seven-story apartment building. “Hello everyone, I’m the on-site reporter for the show. I’m now at the entrance of Mr. Gregory’s home. We’ll be interviewing his mother next.” After a few knocks, a woman with graying hair and a wrinkled face opened the door. As she poured tea, the reporter’s camera panned around the room. I would recognize this place anywhere – it was Gregory’s home! The reporter accepted the tea politely and asked: “Ma’am, did you know your son is participating in our relationship advice show today?” The woman nodded: “Yes, he told me before going. It was a difficult decision for him. As you can see, we live in a small apartment and still have a mortgage to pay. We need to save up for his future wife’s dowry too. It’s so hard for ordinary people to save money these days. He really had no choice.” The reporter got straight to the point: “Ma’am, did Chloe ever visit your home? How did you treat her?” The woman’s face fell as she shakily stood up, pointing at a calendar: “Yes, I even marked the date. It was the first time my son brought a girl home – how could I not take it seriously?” On the desk was a Crayon Shin-chan calendar with March 12th circled in red. My heart sank. That circle definitely wasn’t there when I visited… They were putting on quite a show. Gregory’s mother perfectly embodied the image of a self-sacrificing, devoted parent. “I went to the market at 5 AM to buy ingredients for soup, crab, oysters, shrimp, fish, snails – you name it. To be honest, we don’t eat this well even during Chinese New Year. “My son was hurt badly in a previous relationship. It took him a long time to move on. If Chloe was serious about dating my son, we wouldn’t mind the money spent. We’re not stingy people. I may be old, but I’m not old-fashioned. It’s normal for men to spend money on their girlfriends. “But they weren’t even officially together! She didn’t reject him but didn’t accept him either. What kind of behavior is that?” Across from me, Gregory fell to his knees, his voice filled with anguish: “Mom, I’m sorry for being so foolish. I’m a grown man but still causing you worry.” The audience was moved to tears by this scene. Even the host discreetly wiped his eyes. “A parent’s love knows no bounds. No matter how old we get, we’re always our parents’ babies. Let’s continue watching.” The next segment showed the reporter interviewing neighbors downstairs. The older residents gossiped amongst themselves. “Gregory? He’s a good kid. Whenever anyone in the building needs something fixed, he’s always there to help.” “You’re right, it’s rare to find such an honest young man these days. He doesn’t gamble or chase women. I wanted to introduce my niece to him, but he wasn’t interested.” “He’s very hardworking too. Sometimes I see him coming home late from overtime. He really earns every penny.” I stood on stage, utterly bewildered. When I had visited Gregory’s home, I overheard neighbors complaining about his family being stingy and inconsiderate… How had public opinion shifted so drastically? A water bottle suddenly smashed against my head. The pain snapped me back to reality. An audience member shouted: “I knew you were a bad woman from the start. Gold diggers like you should die!” Everyone else remained silent. I could read schadenfreude written all over their faces. After the audience member finished venting, the host waved security over to escort him out. “Just a small interruption, folks. Let’s all stay calm and continue following the reporter’s investigation. We’ll let the facts speak for themselves.”
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