What Are Friends For?

"What the hell?" Jia Sterling looked at her smartphone screen, which showed that the call had ended, with a look of confusion and surprise in her eyes.

"Did he really just say 'no'? To me?" Jia stared at her smartphone for a few more seconds, as though she couldn't believe what she had just heard. Lin Chen, who used to listen and nod his head to her every request, had replied with a 'no'.

"And he also hung up on me? Seriously?" Jia's eyebrows twitched, and veins popped up on her forehead. She was angry at Lin Chen. After all, she was his girlfriend. And the gorgeous Jia Sterling is your girlfriend, you do everything you can to make her happy. At least, that was how it should be, according to Jia. She was currently a model for the Elegance Agency, and had already appeared in a few advertisements, which in her mind put her a step above everyone else in her class, including her boyfriend Lin Chen.

"He should be happy that I'm still staying with him. And yet, he dares to hang up on me?" Jia's hands were trembling from anger. She wanted to throw her phone to the ground, but decided against it. After all, it was the newest J-Phone Pro that was gifted to her by her senior at the modelling agency.

"Is he turning cocky since he's already in a relationship with me?" Jia thought to herself as to why Lin Chen might act this way towards her. "That won't do. I need to make sure that he knows what he did was wrong."

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"Are you sure about that?" Fang Meng asked as the two boys entered the school building, and Lin Chen raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about your phone." Fang Meng pointed at Lin Chen's pockets and continued, "You switched on airplane mode. Are you sure it's not going to make your girlfriend mad? The last time you didn't pick up her calls, she interrogated you like a cop, asking you about your whereabouts and who you were with.."

"Oh yeah, she'll most definitely be mad." Lin Chen said with a soft chuckle, and Fang Meng scratched his cheeks, puzzled by his friend's behavior. "And you're okay with that?"

"I'll be fine. What about you?" Lin Chen turned to look at Fang Meng, who looked even more confused now. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"From the moment I picked up Jia's call, you've been looking like you're desperately trying to hold in a shit. Which means you either want to tell me something or you really do want to take a shit." Lin Chen crossed his arms and leaned onto the wall in the hallway before continuing, "So? Which is it?"

"Ah damn.. Have I really been making such a face this whole time?" Fang Meng scratched his head with an embarrassed expression, and Lin Chen laughed.

'Well, not really.' Lin Chen thought in his mind. 'But you do end up telling me about this a few days from now. So, if this really is the same world as my first life, then you'd know of this information already. All you needed was a little push from me.'

"The truth is.. I think Jia's been cheating on you!" Fang Meng closed his eyes and waited for Lin Chen to punch him. He knew how much Lin Chen loved his girlfriend, and he knew how angry he would get if he even said a single bad thing about her. Which is why he had been expecting a punch from Lin Chen.

But to Fang Meng's surprise, he didn't receive any punches.

"H-Huh?!" Fang Meng opened his eyes with a confused expression only to find Lin Chen standing in front of him, rolling his eyes before saying, "So, planning on explaining what you just meant by that?"

"Y-You weren't going to hit me?" Fang Meng asked, pointing his finger at himself, and Lin Chen shook his head. "Why would I hit you for that? I know you very well, and I also know that you wouldn't make such a statement without any explanation. Do I look like a caveman to you?"

"Uh, Ye- Yeah, I guess you're right now that I think about it.." Fang Meng scratched his head with an embarrassed smile on his face. "I was worried for nothing.."

'No, you were right to worry.' Lin Chen let out a helpless sigh. 'After all, if I was the Lin Chen of the past, then I would've definitely reacted in such an aggressive manner.'

"So, care to explain?" Lin Chen asked, and Fang Meng nodded his head. He then took out his phone, went to his gallery and then stretched out his hand towards Lin Chen, motioning him to take it.

"What is it?" Lin Chen asked as he grabbed the phone, although he already knew what he wanted to show him.

Lin Chen looked at the screen, which showed his girlfriend Jia with another man. The two seemed to be standing in front of a hotel lobby.

"A friend saw them together and snapped a photo." Fang Meng explained with a concerned look. "I mean, he co- could be a family member or something-"

"He's not." Lin Chen interrupted Fang Meng before he could finish his words. He returned his phone before continuing, "I know him. His name is Qin Xiao. He's Jia's senior in her modelling agency."

"O-Oh.." Fang Meng was at a loss for words as he received his phone back.

Lin Chen took a deep breath before nodding his head. He then walked over to Fang Meng and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks buddy." He spoke with a smile. "I'm happy that you told me."

"Nah, it's alright. I had to tell you. You had the right to know." Fang Meng shook his head. "But are you going to be alright? I know you liked her a lot."

"You know what? I actually feel better now.." Lin Chen said as he cracked his shoulder blades.

"Really?" Fang Meng asked, not convinced by his words, and Lin Chen nodded his head. "Yeah. I think deep down, I already had a feeling that something was wrong."

'It wasn't actually a feeling, though..' Lin Chen thought. 'But Fang Meng didn't need to know that.'

"So what do you plan on doing?" Fang Meng asked, as the two headed to their classroom.

"What else? Get to class, study…" Lin Chen paused for a second, cracked his knuckles, and continued, "... And of course, break up with that lying bitch!"