u/Annual_Beginning_600

Asking as an employee since I got a shift TMR for like 7 hrs...

I'm a student in university that graduated very recently. Hooray. My family has a tradition where we all gather to eat at a 5* Indian restaurant on the campus of the student and talk. I'm expected to invite my close friends over to this party so my family can meet them and see what type of circle I surround myself with.

My previous cousins all had elaborate organized groups there and their friends presented some speech all individually to the family. They were judged positive and worthy of being friends with my cousins.

Now I'm extremely nervous because I KNOW my parents, aunties and uncles and all the other relatives will be there to strictly judge me and compare even if they aren't upfront and they will be fine with shit talking on whatsapp and shit. This would affect my parents and how horribly they'd treat me.

Problem: *I have no friends* I was lonely all 4 yrs of uni and was busy studying, working my ass off, and gym with the tiny remainder of time.

I asked 4 ppl on campus and promised I'd pay the bill (FREE INDIAN FOOD! YAY) and they happily accepted over the nasty shit they'd serve in the dining halls. Flash forward to the dinner.

They introduce themselves as my long 2-3 year old friends in uni and play their act very nicely. Things are looking up and we've done well so far. However, things begin to fall apart when this one frat guy (call him Mark) finally stands and wishes to leave. I tell them Mark is leaving but they don't like that and wishes for Mark to stay or tell them more about himself. Mark eventually snaps and has enough of their pushing and interview-like questionnaire all throughout the dinner even prior to wanting to leave and ...spills the beans.

All the aunties turn into Sherlock Holmes and go "I KNEW SOMETHING WAS SUSPICIOUS ABOUT THESE FRIENDS ALL THIS TIME! (my name) YOU ARE A (word for liar in our language)"

I'm now shamed and been cast aside as a liar in my family in hopes of keeping everybody satisfied and to not ashame my parents so they would keep treating me alright. But now it's worse than ever and tensions are bad. I've always had a reputation for being quiet in the family and I wanted to show them I worked hard and made progress socially but it backfired.

I've found a life in a city elsewhere and work an internship. I'm finding independence but the tension is going to stay for a long time I think. Oh well, should've been honest.

Tldr; moral of story: be honest. I got caught buying fake friends to act in front of graduation dinner and got caught and now am ostracized in the family. Please, it's worth just being upfront. I know this now.

In my Asian family it's a tradition to do a celebration of sorts for college by eating at an Indian restaurant on campus and to invite not just the relatives and family but for me to invite my friends and have all the buddies there so they can meet my family and stuff. My precious cousins all did this.

It's like a strict interview thing so they get to know my circle and who I surround myself with and see how far I came. I'm one of the quieter guys in my rambunctious family so the pressure was high all these years.

All my aunties uncles and random dudes I hardly met in the family will all be there to judge me and i needed it to go perfect.

*Problem: I have no friends. I don't know anyone on campus and it hit me: im done for.*

I decided to find four people (found 3 guys 1 girl) to go to the Indian restaurant with me to act as my friends and play on a strong STEM major persona and buddy of "2-3 years." I, in exchange, would pay for all their food bills so they get free 5* Indian food over the crap at dining halls for one evening. Fair right??!

Yeah one dude got kinda pissed at me mid way after a shit joke through when it was going well and he wanted out. Yeah, he fessed up and the others got pretty uncomfortable with the entire thing and also did so to leave.

Everybody started suddenly acting like they were Sherlock holmes and had this figured out before the confession- "I knew the story she said about you meeting at the ice ring made no sense! You don't even skate" blah blah blah. It was a load of bullshit. All for it to end with a slap from my disappointed, embarrassed parents. I'm ashamed to go home this summer and I just don't know what to do. A part of me wants to retrieve a shred of dignity and spill everything.

TL;DR: I'm extremely lonely so I purchased student-actors on campus to play the role of my friend at a grand dinner party and pissed one off, spoiling the lie/act in front of everybody.

I have an Asian family wanting to go to this restaurant and congratulate me and yk, just celebrate and stuff since college has recently came to an end- They said "bring your friends over too. We want to meet them."

Note that this is a tradition my previous cousins many years back when they were college aged did and we Would go to an indian restaurant on the campus and have them invite their friends so they could meet the family and stuff.

Problem: I have no friends in college. None. Even prev HS buddies in the same Uni are just kinda gone doing their thing. 😓

So I found 4 people (1 girl 3 guys) that are most likely from frats and non stem degrees (better socially than most stem guys anyway) and paid them $X per hour in order to act and put on a strong impersonation as my "friend of 2-3 years." They would need to act as a stem major too and put on an act given my hobbies and stuffs. IN ADDITION to all of this I am covering all of their food expenses when they eat at their restaurant and will venmo any bill costs so its free indian food for students that likely are sick of the dining hall shit.

I have everything planned out but just don't feel too good about this plan anymore. They will be arriving and judging me soon enough and of course I want my uncles, aunts, and other relatives to think good of me so my parents don't get embarrassed and nobody in the family judges me to be a (insert word in our language for "'socially-inept loser"). I have reserved seats and everything already but just want second opinions before I book the 4 seats for these folks. I'd rather have these strangers disappointed than regret having them feign close friendship for a few hours or so in front of my desi family.

No, telling them I focused on my studies is not an excuse for reasons (I'd need to back it up with strong grades and well... Let's just say I'm not feeling too good about how I did on the exams and will probably wait for the summer to receive a full transcript). Because people are still on campus they sorta expect me to bring them and have all of our speeches done during the dinner party as I introduce them to everybody.

To be honest- I don't feel very good about this buying "friends" plot and am seeking advice on alternatives because I feel very bad... Is this really the only way or can I try something? I want to walk out with some dignity in the family.

I have an Asian family wanting to go to this restaurant and congratulate me and yk, just celebrate and stuff since college has recently came to an end- They said "bring your friends over too. We want to meet them." Note that this is a tradition my previous cousins many years back when they were college aged did and we would go to an indian restaurant on the campus and have them invite their friends so they could meet the family and stuff.

Problem: I have no friends in college. None. Even prev HS buddies in the same Uni are just kinda gone doing their thing.

So I found 4 people (1 girl 3 guys) that are most likely from frats and nonstem degrees (better socially than most stem guys anyway) and paid them $X per hour in order to act and put on a strong impersonation as my "friend of 2-3 years."

They would need to act as a stem major too and put on an act given my hobbies and stuffs. IN ADDITION to all of this I am covering all of their food expenses when they eat at their restaurant and will venmo any bill costs so its free indian food for students that likely are sick of the dining hall shit.

I have everything planned out but I just don't feel too good about this plan anymore. They will be arriving and judging me soon enough and of course I want my uncles, aunts, and other relatives to think good of me so my parents don't get embarrassed and nobody in the family judges me to be a (insert word in our language for "socially-inept loser"). I have reserved seats and everything already but just want second opinions before I book the 4 seats for these folks. I'd rather have these strangers disappointed than regret having them feign close friendship for a few hours or so in front of my desi family.

And yes, this is in America. To be honest- I don't feel too bad about the deceit I really find it tough to feel much guilt. I feel as if it is more sad I am resorting to all of this but I am willing to do anything for a proper judgement from them. SO the question really becomes: Is this serious enough to be an asshole move? They treat it very seriously like they are about to "interview" the people I spent years with and see if I maintain a good character or not. I don't feel it needs to be all that big.

I haven't finished HoO but just seeing CJ makes me think CHB needs to lock Tf in. How do these people have straight up retirement plans for demigods, colleges, aqueducts and cool architecture, governance, and militaristic unity (remember what happened in the war and the Ares cabin in the 5th book?)... How could anyone even want to stay in CHB if given the choice.

Anyone got an argument? The way I see it CJ is just far more advanced in nearly every metric possible except the ceiling since CHB seems to produce exceptional individual demigods.