Chapter 265: Summer, Beach, Fireworks, and a Confession! (The Same Thought)
"Right, right, right!" Zhao Yuanyuan said, clutching at straws. "It was too sudden! Just way too sudden! It’s like... like if Brother Mo suddenly ran up and told me he wanted to be in a relationship with me! Can you imagine?"
This comparison stirred something in Su Yuqing. Recalling Chen Mo’s earlier analysis, she became even more certain of the root of the problem.
She gently patted the back of Zhao Yuanyuan’s hand. "So, you don’t hate Huang Mao. You were just scared by the whole ’good friend suddenly becoming a suitor’ thing, right? It’s like you were suddenly pushed onto a completely unfamiliar stage. The spotlight is on you, but you haven’t even seen the script. You don’t even know what role you’re playing, so your first instinct is to run away?"
Zhao Yuanyuan stared blankly at Su Yuqing, the confusion in her eyes seeming to dissipate slightly at the apt metaphor. She nodded forcefully, fresh tears welling up. "Yes! That’s exactly how it feels! Yuqing, I... am I being really childish? And useless? When other people get a confession, they’re shy or happy... but all I know how to do is run..."
"That’s not childish, Yuanyuan." Su Yuqing’s tone was soothing, full of comforting power. "On the contrary, it proves you really value your friendship with Huang Mao. You’re afraid that because of this, you won’t even be able to be friends anymore, and that seeing each other will become incredibly awkward, right? You’re afraid of losing the easy, comfortable relationship you have now."
Su Yuqing’s words completely resonated with Zhao Yuanyuan.
Zhao Yuanyuan’s tears flowed even faster. She sobbed, "Yes... I’m so scared... When I ran away, all I could think was, ’It’s over, it’s over, Huang Mao must hate my guts. He’ll never hang out with me again, he’ll never see me again...’ I... what am I supposed to do?"
Her words were filled with a deep-seated fear of losing their friendship.
"Silly girl." Su Yuqing held out a handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears. "Huang Mao won’t hate you. He’s just very sad and disappointed because he summoned every ounce of his courage and didn’t get the response he was hoping for. But he also gets it. He chose the most shocking—and most sudden—moment. Just like Chen Mo told me, you’re still clueless about relationships, which is why you didn’t know how to react right away."
Hearing that Chen Mo thought so too, Zhao Yuanyuan seemed to find some comfort. She asked between sobs, "Brother Mo... said that too?"
"Mhm," Su Yuqing nodded. "He knows you and Huang Mao very well. He said that at heart, Yuanyuan is really more like a child, not yet ready to think about something as heavy as ’love.’ To have such a huge confession dropped on you all of a sudden, it’s perfectly normal to be stunned and need time to process it. It’s not your fault."
"Then... then what should I do?" Zhao Yuanyuan’s eyes were filled with helplessness. "I don’t even dare to see him now... The moment I think of him, I just remember the incredibly hurt look in his eyes... and the things I said... I asked him to give me time, but I... my mind is still a complete mess..."
"Yuanyuan." Su Yuqing gripped her shoulders, making her look up. "The last thing you should be doing right now is forcing yourself to immediately figure out ’whether or not to accept Huang Mao’s feelings.’ What you need right now is ’security’—to give Huang Mao security, and to give yourself security."
Zhao Yuanyuan looked at her blankly.
"The security for Huang Mao is this: let him know that you didn’t run away because you hate him, and that you still cherish him as a friend. Your relationship won’t be completely ruined just because of this confession. You have to make that clear to him, and then ask him to give you some time to think about how to respond to his feelings."
"Is that really okay?" Zhao Yuanyuan asked, a little scared.
"It is." Su Yuqing’s gaze was gentle yet firm. "Since you cherish your friendship with Huang Mao so much, you have to know that he cherishes it just as much. The sad look on his face wasn’t because you rejected him—it was from the fear that you two wouldn’t even be able to be friends anymore.
So you have to allow yourself to be a mess right now. Allow yourself the time you need to figure things out.
Don’t force yourself just because you feel like you ’should have it figured out’ or you’re ’afraid of stringing him along.’
You can’t rush matters of the heart. Especially for you, this is completely uncharted territory.
You need time to get in touch with your own heart, to figure out if you have any other feelings for Huang Mao besides being ’good friends.’
Have you ever imagined the idea of a life with him? That’s an answer only you can find, and it will take time."
Su Yuqing paused, watching as the turbulent emotions in Zhao Yuanyuan’s eyes gradually settled. Though the confusion remained, the intense self-blame and panic seemed to have lessened somewhat.
"And one more thing," Su Yuqing’s voice grew softer. "Yuanyuan, try to think back. When Huang Mao said he liked you, aside from the shock and fear, was there even a little bit of... some other feeling? Even a fleeting heart-skip, or a tiny... indescribable... different kind of feeling? Like happiness, or shyness?"
Zhao Yuanyuan’s body visibly tensed.
Her gaze began to wander as if she were trying to excavate the subtle feelings buried under the immense shock of that chaotic moment.
In the dim light, her cheeks seemed to quietly flush with a very, very faint blush.
She didn’t answer, simply burying her head in her knees again. But this time, it wasn’t pure avoidance; it felt more like contemplation mixed with confusion and shyness.
Outside the window, the waves still crashed tirelessly against the rocks. Inside the room, the two girls huddled together under the dim yellow light, one using gentle words to untangle the other’s frayed thoughts.
Seeing that her comforting had been effective, Su Yuqing took out her phone to report her success to Chen Mo.
Meanwhile, Chen Mo had already ordered a late-night snack and returned to the room. Seeing that Huang Mao’s mood had improved considerably, he immediately showed him the message from Su Yuqing.
[Chen Mo, your analysis was spot on. Yuanyuan is just slow when it comes to her own feelings, so she was completely stunned. She’s not rejecting Huang Mao as a person. She needs time to process everything. What she’s most afraid of right now is losing Huang Mao as a friend, that it’ll be awkward to see each other, and that they won’t even be able to be friends anymore.]
Reading Su Yuqing’s report, Huang Mao’s heart felt as if it had been suddenly submerged in warm water, instantly warming him. ’So, Yuanyuan’s panic wasn’t about her feelings for me... we were both afraid of the same thing.’
"So, you believe me now, right?" Chen Mo said with a smile, patting Huang Mao’s shoulder. "Don’t be fooled by how Yuanyuan is always gossiping about my love life, acting like some kind of relationship expert. At heart, she’s still a kid who hasn’t grown up. When feelings are actually directed at her, she just freezes up. As long as you make it clear that she won’t lose you as a good friend no matter what, the rest of your problems will be much easier to solve. Your confession was missing that crucial part. Making sure she understands that is the most important thing for you to do now."