Chapter 267: Summer, Beach, Fireworks, and a Confession! (The Perfect Chance)
Chen Mo was the "old fox" at the card table, a master of controlling the situation.
He played his cards with his eyes on everything, constantly monitoring the states of Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao.
Su Yuqing, meanwhile, sat beside him, her mind clearly not entirely on the game. Her gentle gaze followed Zhao Yuanyuan, offering silent encouragement and support.
After a few rounds, it was clear that the least skilled and most distracted players, Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao, stood no chance of winning.
Finally, after a crucial play, Chen Mo, the winner, gently tapped his last two cards on the coffee table, a profound, "just-as-planned" smile spreading across his face.
His gaze swept over Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao, who were still holding a handful of cards.
"Hmm..." Chen Mo deliberately drew out the sound, his fingers tapping gently on the tabletop as if he were pondering a "difficult" decision.
All eyes focused on him. The air fell silent in an instant, and everyone grew a little tense, wondering who Chen Mo would give a truth or a dare to, and what it would be.
When Su Yuqing saw Chen Mo looking at her lips, a crimson blush immediately rose to her cheeks.
Granted, they had just kissed passionately on the cliff.
But it had been pitch-black back then, so it wasn’t a big deal.
Now, however, the living room was brightly lit with everyone watching. ’If Chen Mo dares me to kiss him, how mortifying would that be?’
Seeing Su Yuqing’s reaction, the corners of Chen Mo’s mouth lifted slightly before he shifted his gaze away. He had obviously been teasing her.
When Su Yuqing figured this out, she couldn’t help but give him a little glare.
Her expression only made her seem all the more adorable.
’If I didn’t already have a plan,’ he thought, ’I’d love to tease Su Yuqing in front of everyone, just to see more of her adorable, shy reactions.’
Chen Mo had proposed this game with the express purpose of setting up a "dare" as a penalty for Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao. His plan was to have the two of them go to a nearby convenience store and buy some fruit and cake for everyone’s dessert.
This would create an opportunity for the two of them to be alone.
After scanning the room, Chen Mo’s gaze finally settled on Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao, the curve of his lips deepening. "Alright then, Yuanyuan, Huang Mao. I see your luck with the cards has been pretty bad tonight. You need to turn your luck around.
I’ll give you a chance to go out and stretch your legs."
"Here’s your dare—" He paused deliberately, glancing at their suddenly tense expressions before continuing, "Go to the 24-hour convenience store, about a hundred meters from this B&B, and buy some fruit and cake for everyone’s dessert!"
The moment this "punishment" was announced, a brief, knowing silence fell over the living room.
Zhou Hao immediately chimed in with a grin, "I want strawberries!"
Qu Danwan suppressed a laugh and nodded. "Sorry to trouble you two."
Lin Yu’an and Zhao Yuanyuan also murmured their agreement.
𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Both Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao were stunned.
Zhao Yuanyuan, still holding the plate of now-cold chicken wings (she hadn’t actually eaten more than a few bites), looked dazedly at Su Yuqing before darting a quick glance at Huang Mao, her eyes filled with panic. ’Huh? Just the two of us?’
Huang Mao, on the other hand, seemed stunned by this sudden opportunity to be alone with her. He instinctively glanced at Chen Mo, who gave him a firm, encouraging look that clearly meant, ’Seize the opportunity.’
"Just... just the two of us?" Zhao Yuanyuan’s voice was weak.
"That’s right, just the two of you. You’re the ones with the most cards left, after all. Just look at everyone else." Chen Mo’s tone left no room for argument, though it was tinged with mischief. "Now hurry up and come right back. We’re all waiting."
He waved his hand as if shooing out two small animals that needed some fresh air.
Glancing at the cards in the others’ hands, they saw that no one really had many left. Since they clearly had the most, Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao had no grounds to object.
Watched by the encouraging, expectant, and drama-loving gazes of the others, Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao got to their feet, their movements stiff and uncoordinated.
Zhao Yuanyuan put down her symbolic "trophy," the plate of chicken wings, while Huang Mao, flustered, patted his pockets for his phone and wallet.
Neither of them dared to look at the other as they shuffled stiffly toward the door, one following the other.
The moment the door clicked shut, the tense air in the living room finally seemed to loosen.
Zhou Hao let out a long sigh of relief, flopping onto the sofa and grinning at Chen Mo. "Old Mo, that was a brilliant move."
Su Yuqing went to the window, watching the two figures under the streetlight below. They walked one after the other, a clear social distance between them, as they slowly headed toward the convenience store. A worried yet hopeful smile touched her lips. "I hope... they’re able to talk things out."
Chen Mo came over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his gaze also following the two figures. "We’ve done all the prep work, and we’ve given them their space. The rest is up to them. They have to take this first step."
He believed that the short walk to the convenience store, the dim yellow streetlights, and the task they had to complete together would be the perfect catalyst for breaking down the barrier between them.
Downstairs, Zhao Yuanyuan had just stepped out of the B&B’s small courtyard when she stopped abruptly.
She had realized it, too. ’Chen Mo deliberately arranged for the two of us to go together this time.’
He had given them the perfect opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding.
’This misunderstanding has to be cleared up as quickly as possible, to minimize the emotional damage to both of us.’
So, Zhao Yuanyuan felt she needed to be brave now. After all, Huang Mao had already worked up the courage to confess.
Sensing she had stopped, Huang Mao turned his head in curiosity, his gaze meeting Zhao Yuanyuan’s perfectly.
Zhao Yuanyuan saw that his eyes held none of the burning intensity and nervousness from his confession, nor the dejection and hurt from her rejection. Instead, there was only a hint of careful probing and a strained effort to maintain the familiar feeling of just being "Huang Mao."
Courage gathered in her chest.
Zhao Yuanyuan pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. She looked at Huang Mao, her voice quiet but clear, laced with an imperceptible tremor but exceptionally earnest. "Huang Mao..."
Huang Mao froze, his heart once again leaping into his throat.
"I..." Zhao Yuanyuan took another deep breath, as if it took all her strength. "When I ran off... it wasn’t because I hate you! Really! I... I was just... I was just kind of stunned... because what you said was so sudden... I’m sorry I didn’t think about your feelings. I know I hurt you. I must have really made you feel awful."
She spoke in a rush, as if reciting lines Su Yuqing had coached her on. "I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me? Can we... can we still be good friends? I... I don’t want to lose you as a friend!"
When she finished, she quickly lowered her head, not daring to see Huang Mao’s reaction, as if those few sentences had drained all her courage. Her cheeks were burning red.