While I was eating, I came across a post on X.

[Found out my girlfriend has a nasty disease and is pregnant. I want my buddy to be the one left holding the bag. What should I do?]

I was just about to comment that the poster was out of his mind when I scrolled down and realized people were actually giving him advice.

[That's easy! If you two are close, just invite him on a trip.]

[Get your girlfriend and your buddy drunk in the middle of the night, then have them stay in your buddy's room. When the time comes, catch them in the act. You can break up and push the kid onto your buddy to take responsibility…]

Reading that comment, I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

I was about to show my friend this mind-blowing post so we could rant about it together when he suddenly looked up at me and asked, "Tyler, are you free this weekend? How about we go on a trip?"

I froze for a moment.

Then I asked, "What made you suddenly want to go on a trip? Isn't it a bit rushed to squeeze it into just the weekend?"

I'd met Simon Huck back in college. He was the only close friend I still kept in touch with after starting work. We used to travel together during long holidays.

But this time, the suggestion came out of nowhere. With only two days over the weekend, a trip felt a little too tight.

Hearing my concern, Simon waved it off and explained, "Come on, I just saw a post saying there's an EDM festival in Payne City this weekend. We haven't hung out in ages. We've been working like machines every day—might as well take this weekend to relax together."

I hesitated. "I'm free this weekend, sure. But going to an EDM festival with you… won't your girlfriend mind? It's usually couples who go to those. It'd feel kind of awkward bringing me along."

At the mention of his girlfriend, something flickered in Simon's eyes.

He broke into a grin. "What's the problem? I'll just invite her too. The three of us can go together! Don't overthink it. Just treat it as a chance to unwind."

With that, he lowered his head and immediately opened a ticket-booking app.

But by then, something already felt off.

A trip? The three of us? Wasn't this exactly like the post I'd just seen?

I shot Simon a probing look as he busied himself with the tickets. A thought crept into my mind.

Could he be the one who wrote that post?

The idea flashed through my head, then quickly vanished. I scoffed at myself—there was no way something that coincidental could happen.

Besides, I'd known Simon for five years. I knew exactly what kind of person he was. There was no way he'd do something like that.

I hurriedly reassured myself, letting out a quiet breath of relief, and let him go ahead and book my ticket.

Until, suddenly, he said he needed to use the restroom.

As he stood up, a waiter approached with a dish. Simon didn't notice in time, and they collided.

His phone slipped from his hand and skidded across the floor, stopping right by my feet.

In the next second, I went completely rigid.

Because a notification popped up on his screen: [Did your buddy agree to the trip? I'm waiting for an update.]

A chill ran down my spine, and goosebumps prickled across my skin.

Could it be… Simon really was the one who made that post?

The moment Simon went to the restroom, I immediately opened the post again.

The original poster had updated it just a second ago.

[Guys, quick update—I made it happen! I told him I'd bring my girlfriend along, and he agreed without hesitation. Good thing we're tight. He didn't suspect a thing. 'Victory emoji.']

My heart dropped.

I kept scrolling and saw several new comments.

After Simon's reply, most of the silent onlookers couldn't stay quiet anymore. One after another, people jumped in to tear him apart.

[Is breaking up really that hard? You'd rather scheme against a buddy who trusts you? Are you even human?]

[Meeting someone like you is the worst kind of bad luck. I hope your buddy sees this post and realizes what you really are. Disgusting.]

[Stop pushing this kind of garbage to me. I'm so mad I'm about to get a lump in my chest! Idiot!]

But the poster wasn't affected in the slightest. He fired back at each comment.

[I'm not stupid. If I break up, my girlfriend will definitely demand money and use the baby to threaten me.]

[Besides, if you were in my shoes, you'd all find some sucker to take the fall too.]

[And honestly, I've never liked the guy. Just some rural nobody—why does he always have girls hovering around him? Always acting like some perfect gentleman…]

[Anyway, I want him socially ruined, condemned by everyone… And I get to dump my girlfriend on him. Kill two birds with one stone!]

The more I read, the more shocked I became.

By then, I was completely certain—the poster was Simon.

Just like he said, I came from the countryside. I was the only one from my village who made it into college. Because of that, I'd always felt inferior during my university years. I didn't have many friends.

Simon was the only one willing to hang out with me. From freshman year to graduation, and even after we started working, I'd always treated him like a real brother. So it never once crossed my mind that, behind my back, he saw me this way—looked down on me, resented me… even wanted to ruin me.

The sudden betrayal hit hard, leaving me both furious and sick at heart. My hand trembled as I gripped my phone.

It wasn't until Simon stopped replying to the comments that it hit me—he was probably on his way back.

I quickly put my phone away, took a deep breath, and forced my expression back to normal.

By then, I had already made up my mind. Not only would I refuse his invitation, but I would also keep my distance from him from now on.

Just as the thought settled, Simon walked out of the restroom. He sat back down and said, "Tyler, give me your ID number. I'll book your ticket right now. And don't worry about the cost—I've got it. Consider it my treat for coming with me."

He slapped his thigh and laughed.

But to me, that smile felt like provocation—mocking, taunting, laced with ridicule.

I forced down the anger surging inside me and replied, "Simon, cancel the ticket. I'm not going."

"What?!" Before I could even finish, Simon blurted it out loudly.

Realizing he'd overreacted, he quickly cleared his throat.

"I—I mean, why the sudden change? Isn't this a bit too abrupt?"

I put on an apologetic tone. "I thought it over just now. The timing feels too tight. And I've been swamped with a project lately—I'll probably need to work overtime this weekend.

"So I'll pass this time. Let's go somewhere together during the next holiday instead. You can go to the EDM festival with your girlfriend. I won't play third wheel."

At that, Simon's smile completely vanished. His expression darkened. "But we already agreed on this. Backing out now—isn't that a bit much? Are we even best buds?"

In the past, whenever he played the "best bud" card, I would always give in. As long as he wanted something, I'd do my best to go along with it.

But now that I'd seen his true face, I finally understood just how foolish I'd been these past five years.

I let out a self-mocking laugh and lowered my head, continuing to eat.

When Simon saw that I wasn't responding, he grew anxious.

Just as he was about to speak, I picked up a napkin, wiped my mouth, and stood up before he could say a word.

"Sorry, Simon. It's getting late, and I still have work to finish. I'm heading off. As for the trip, next time—I promise I'll go with you."

With that, I turned and walked away without looking back at his expression.

It wasn't until I got home and opened X that a new notification popped up at the top of the screen.

Simon had made another post.

[Damn it, he backed out! What do I do, everyone? Please help!!! How can I get him to agree to come out?!]

Aside from the commenters cheering him on, the same user who had first offered advice reappeared.

[Does it have to be your buddy who takes the fall?]

[Can't you just find someone else?]

Simon replied, clearly displeased: [No. It has to be him. I just don't like him. You have no idea—during lunch today, the way he acted all high and mighty pissed me off. Anyway, I want to see him socially ruined and condemned by everyone!]

I stared coldly at Simon's comments. The last trace of goodwill I had for him vanished completely.

After that, the other user suddenly went silent—they had likely moved the conversation to private messages.

After my shower, I opened Simon's post again. This time, he sounded pleased.

[Done. Got him to agree. This weekend, I'll be back with good news for everyone.]

Reading that, a flicker of confusion crossed my mind.

Had he switched targets?

Just as I was puzzling over it, I noticed my younger sister had sent me over a dozen messages. I'd been so focused on Simon's post earlier that I hadn't noticed the notifications.

When I opened them, panic surged through me.

She had sent a screenshot.

[Bro, Simon asked me for your ID number. He said he's treating us to the EDM festival—is that for real?]

[Can I go?! You didn't reply, so I just said yes…]

I never expected Simon to go around me and message my sister directly.

Anger flared instantly.

I called her right away.

"Don't go to the festival. Tell him to refund the tickets."

She sounded confused. "Why not? It's free. And I already agreed—wouldn't it be rude to back out now?"

She hesitated.

I took a deep breath. "Just don't go. And from now on, talk to him less. Better yet, delete him."

Hearing that, she immediately asked, "Did you two have a fight? Is he asking you out to make up? You've known each other for five years—you know each other inside out. What could you even fight about?"

Her words made my chest tighten.

Yeah—five years. I had always treated him like a real brother. After graduation, we even joined the same company. Whenever projects were assigned, if he wanted a particular one, I'd give it to him without hesitation. I never argued, always handing over whatever he wanted.

Thinking back on all those moments only made it hurt more.

My sister kept trying to persuade me to go to the festival with her.

I didn't want to hide it anymore. I told her everything about the post.

She was stunned—and furious. She immediately blocked Simon.

"He's unbelievable. How could he set up his friend like that? You've known each other for five years!"

She cursed under her breath.

I tried to calm her down. "Alright, just don't confront him about it. I'll handle it myself. As for the festival, turn him down and tell him to refund the tickets."

She agreed, then warned me, "Now that you've seen who he really is, stay far away from him. People like that are scary—you never know what they'll do behind your back next."

I nodded.

Then I called Simon.

At first, when I brought up the festival, he seemed momentarily stunned.

Then, as expected, he started playing the "best bud" card again.

"Tyler, do you even see me as your best bud? I just want to treat you to a festival. Is that really so hard?"

I let out a cold laugh to myself before replying, "But I don't want to go. Why do you insist on me going? Is there something special about this festival?"

At that, Simon fell silent.

Sensing my suspicion, he stopped pressing me and simply hung up.

I thought that would be the end of it.

But the next morning at work, our manager suddenly announced that we'd have a team-building event on Friday and Saturday.