Chapter 268: Summer, Beach, Fireworks, and Confession! (Epilogue 1)
All was silent save for the sound of the wind.
Huang Mao froze. A moment later, a great warmth washed over him, instantly dispelling all his prior apprehension and the chill in his heart.
He looked at Zhao Yuanyuan, who stood before him with her head bowed like a small animal that knew it had done wrong. He listened to her clumsy yet sincere apologies—that they could still be good friends, that she didn’t want to lose him as a friend. ’Isn’t this the exact same thing I’ve been agonizing over?’
It felt as if the heavy stone in his chest had been gently lifted.
He grinned. This time, the smile wasn’t forced. It was genuine, tinged with relief and warmth. A trace of disappointment still lingered deep in his eyes, but it was overshadowed by a profound sense of reassurance.
"Are you kidding?" Huang Mao’s voice had regained some of its usual spark, and he even added a touch of theatrics. "Am I that petty? You think I’d cut you off just because my confession failed? That would be so lame!"
Huang Mao’s words wrapped Zhao Yuanyuan in a profound sense of relief. Her nose tingled, and she nearly burst into tears again—but this time, they would have been tears of pure relief. She quickly replied in a small voice, "What you said on the cliff... it wasn’t exactly a failed confession. Just... give me some time to think. I’m just really confused right now."
"Alright. We’ll put this on the back burner for now. Once the... uh, mush in your head..." He coughed. "Once you’ve had time to think things through, we can talk. Anyway..." He paused, his voice dropping slightly, but still loud enough for Zhao Yuanyuan to hear. "I’ll always be here for you as your best friend. And you’ll always have a place as my best friend."
His final words were the perfect reassurance.
Zhao Yuanyuan’s head snapped up. She stared at Huang Mao.
The light sharply defined the lines of his profile. He wore that familiar, slightly punchable smirk of his, but his gaze was clear and open. There was no pressure, no resentment—only the steady, accepting reassurance of ’I’m right here for you.’
He still had that same devil-may-care look, but his earlier words—"And you’ll always have a place as my best friend"—were like a tiny, warm seed that quietly landed in the soil of her heart. A heart that was still in turmoil, but no longer afraid.
The frightening sense of unfamiliarity vanished. The familiar Huang Mao was back.
The thick ice of her fear and self-reproach had been broken. The path forward was still hazy, and their deep friendship had been temporarily redefined, but at least one fear had vanished: the fear of losing him as a friend.
They were still them. The only difference was a new tangle of emotions that needed time to be sorted through, and a nascent sweetness buried deep in their hearts, waiting for some future day to sprout.
Even the sound of the nearby waves seemed to soften, gently lapping against the sand as if to wash away the last of the anxiety that was finally receding from their hearts.
This summer night, their little boat of friendship had weathered an unexpected storm. Not only had it not capsized, but it had emerged even stronger.
As for the voyage of love, however, that was temporarily moored in a tranquil harbor, waiting for its captain to finish packing and once again raise the sails.
The summer was still long.
Seeing Zhao Yuanyuan’s eyes glistening with unshed tears, Huang Mao raised his hand. His instinct was to ruffle her hair, just as he had done countless times before, but he stopped mid-motion.
A trace of awkwardness still lingered in the air. But after a moment’s hesitation, he finished the gesture, his hand landing gently, if a bit clumsily, on Zhao Yuanyuan’s head.
"Alright, come on. Everyone’s waiting for dessert."
Feeling Huang Mao’s gentle touch, the tension finally drained from Zhao Yuanyuan’s shoulders.
The soft glow of a streetlamp enveloped them, illuminating two young faces—one bright and lovely, the other cheerful and frank. Though the path of their feelings remained to be navigated, their steps, now falling in sync, had already rediscovered their familiar, easy rhythm.
"So... what should we get?" Zhao Yuanyuan broke the silence first. Her voice was still a little stuffy, but she was trying her best to sound normal as she pointed to a brightly lit convenience store in the distance.
Huang Mao scratched his head, forcing himself to shelve the tender ’best friend’ conversation and switch back to everyday mode. "Didn’t that Zhou Hao guy specifically request strawberries? Qu Danwan and the girls probably like stuff with lots of fruit, right? We should also get... uh, some snacks? Drinks?"
"Mhm!" Zhao Yuanyuan nodded emphatically, as if she’d just been given a mission. "Fruitcake, and... everyone’s favorite drinks! Brother Mo likes oolong tea, Yuqing likes juice, and Zhou Hao wants a Coke..."
They walked into the convenience store side by side. A blast of bright light and cold air hit them, dispelling the muggy summer heat and washing away some of the residual awkwardness between them.
Without a word, they both headed for the refrigerated section.
"Strawberry one’s over here!" Huang Mao, ever the eagle-eye, pointed to a cream cake decorated with fresh strawberries inside a glass case.
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
"Oh, a strawberry cake! That takes care of the strawberries and the cake in one fell swoop!" Zhao Yuanyuan leaned in for a closer look, her nose almost pressing against the glass. "It looks good... Should we get a mango and a grape one, too? I like grapes."
"Sure," Huang Mao nodded, reaching for the handle of the refrigerated case.
Just as his hand touched the cool metal handle, Zhao Yuanyuan reached for it too.
Their hands instantly found themselves clasped together.
Zhao Yuanyuan snatched her hand back as if burned, her cheeks flushing hot again.
Huang Mao froze for a second as well, then nonchalantly pulled the door open, his voice deliberately casual. "What are you waiting for? Pick one. Everyone’s waiting."
He did his best to mimic his usual smart-aleck tone, and though it came out a little stiff, it worked like a charm.
His prodding snapped Zhao Yuanyuan out of it. Her shyness was immediately replaced by the urgency of their ’mission,’ and she forgot all about the earlier awkward moment. She pointed at the cakes. "The strawberry one, that mango one, and the grape one! Oh, and... let’s grab that fruit platter, too?"
"You got it!" Huang Mao deftly pulled out the cakes and the fruit platter, his movements regaining their usual slickness. "Drinks are that way."
They pushed the shopping cart toward the beverage aisle, the atmosphere between them now noticeably more relaxed.
Zhao Yuanyuan started muttering to herself. "Coke for Zhou Hao... juice for Yuqing, mineral water for Danwan... Yellow Hair, what are you having?"
"Me? Iced tea, I guess," Huang Mao said casually. His eyes scanned the shelves, and when he spotted Zhao Yuanyuan’s favorite lemon-flavored potato chips, he grabbed two bags and tossed them into the cart.
Zhao Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up when she saw them, but she reflexively started nagging, "Hey! Who said you could get potato chips? This is the group fund! We’re buying dessert for everyone!"
"Tsk." Huang Mao raised an eyebrow, slipping back into their usual bickering mode. "These are on me, obviously. My treat. You cried so much your eyes are all puffy. You need some snacks to recharge."
"Who was crying!’" Zhao Yuanyuan shot back instantly, her almond-shaped eyes going wide as she instinctively slapped at Huang Mao’s arm. "You were the one crying! Your whole family cries!"