On a rainy night, the school beauty knocked on my door and asked for shelter

The mirror reflected a dejected face, with vacant eyes and a drooping mouth.

Chen Mo leaned against the wall outside the bathroom door, not urging him, but just waiting quietly.

He could hear suppressed, heavy breathing coming from inside.

After a while, the sound of water stopped.

The doorknob turned, and Huang Mao walked out, his hair plastered to his forehead, making him look even more dejected.

He didn't dare look at Chen Mo, walked straight to the bedside, threw himself heavily into the mattress, buried his face in the pillow, and let out a muffled sigh that sounded like a sob.

"Did it crash?" Chen Mo walked over and sat down beside his bed. His voice was calm, without mockery, only brotherly concern.

Huang Mao's body stiffened for a moment, and he nodded his head, which was buried in the pillow. "...Mm."

Huang Mao's voice came through muffledly, with a heavy nasal tone.

"How do you want to translate it? Tell me, it's harder to keep it to yourself." Chen Mo's tone carried a reliable quality that inspired instinctive trust.

Huang Mao sat up abruptly, his eyes red, whether from water or crying, it was hard to tell. He scratched his wet hair, his voice heavy with defeat: "Old Mo! I'm finished! I've completely messed up!"

"Don't worry, I've seen what's going on with Yueyue and you. It can't be that bad. Tell me what happened first," Chen Mo comforted her.

"I...I chose the moment when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl embraced, the golden light bursting forth at its brightest! I thought the atmosphere was amazing! I mustered all the courage I had in my life and blurted out everything I had kept inside for so long! I said I liked her! I said I loved seeing her smile as bright as the sun! I wanted to date her!"

And then… she… she was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning! Her eyes widened in disbelief! She told him to give her some time!
Then…then she started backing away! Her eyes darted around, her face turned pale! Then…then she ran! She ran without looking back! She ran incredibly fast! As if a ghost was chasing her! It seems she really doesn't like me.”

Huang Mao's voice was filled with immense disappointment: "Right now... right now I'm not most afraid of her rejecting me! I'm afraid... afraid that we won't even be able to be friends anymore! That it will be awkward when we see each other! Then I... then I..."

He choked up, his head slumped down, his hands buried in his wet hair, his shoulders slumped, and his voice was so low it was almost inaudible: "Am I... completely finished? And have I messed everything up?"

Chen Mo listened quietly without speaking immediately.

He understood Huang Mao's recklessness and his pain at this moment, but he also keenly grasped the key point—Zhao Yueyue's reaction was not disgust, but pure panic and helplessness caused by being stunned.

He patted Huang Mao on the shoulder with a steady, firm touch.

“You didn’t mess up the ‘play,’ you messed up the timing and the method.” Chen Mo’s deep and clear voice reached Huang Mao’s ears. “I think she was just frightened.”

"Scared?" Huang Mao suddenly looked up, his face blank. "I...I was just confessing my feelings!"

"For Yueyue, the sudden and unexpected transformation of your long-standing 'good buddy' relationship into a 'romantic relationship' in such a shocking setting was a huge shock to her."

You know how carefree she usually is.

When I observed her interactions with us, she never considered that kind of relationship. Your confession wasn't a surprise for her; it was a shock.

Let's use this analogy: how do you perceive my relationship with Yueyue?

“Like siblings.” Huang Mao said directly. “That’s right. Yueyue and I are very close, but no one thinks we are a couple, or that we are suitable to be a couple. Even Yueyue and I know very well that our closeness and deep affection are actually similar to that between siblings.”

Even when we're playing and fooling around together very intimately, you never find it strange, and I've never seen you get jealous, right?

Upon hearing Chen Mo's words, Huang Mao instantly felt half of the confusion in his mind clear up, and he nodded blankly.

Indeed, he would be jealous if he saw Zhao Yueyue getting close to other boys, but he wouldn't be jealous at all when he saw Zhao Yueyue and Chen Mo playfully teasing each other and caring for one another.

That's because he knew very well that the relationship between the two was purely that of siblings.

"Now put yourself in her shoes. If I suddenly confessed my feelings to Yueyue after everyone had already accepted this relationship as the default one, how do you think she would react?"

Huang Mao suddenly understood.

"She probably won't know what to do, so she'll probably run away."

"That makes sense. Her running away from your confession doesn't mean she has no feelings for you or doesn't consider you a friend. She just hasn't figured out how to handle the relationship between you two yet."

"You don't mean she sees me as a brother too, do you?" Huang Maoming realized, and felt even more disappointed.

"You're so stupid. How could your relationship possibly be like that of siblings?"

For Yueyue, you are definitely a good friend, but upgrading from good friends to lovers requires a cognitive transformation process.

Even though Yueyue is the same age as us, she is actually quite childlike in nature.

"If you suddenly put such a heavy emotional connection in front of her, I'd be surprised if her mind didn't go blank," Chen Mo explained patiently.

Chen Mo paused, looking at Huang Mao's thoughtful yet pained expression, and continued, "She doesn't hate you as a person. She was stunned by the sudden concept of 'love' and even began to doubt whether she could handle this relationship. She's afraid of losing the relaxed and comfortable relationship you two have now. Did you see that? Before she ran away, she said 'give her some time'? This shows that she's not completely rejecting it; she really needs time to process this huge information gap."

As Chen Mo analyzed, Huang Mao's eyes slowly brightened from their despair, but were quickly overshadowed by greater worry: "Then... what should I do now? I feel like it would be very awkward for both of us to meet her now!"

Chen Mo decisively said, "Go about your business as usual, but don't mention this for now. Let her see that you're still here, that you're still Huang Mao, and that you won't become strange or distant just because your confession failed."

Reduce the pressure on her when dealing with your feelings for her.

The rest... is up to time and her to figure it out herself.

What she needs right now is security, reassurance that no matter what, she won't lose you as a friend.

Because she is currently facing inner confusion, and is under pressure to accept your confession because she doesn't want to lose you as a friend.

This might make her think that she accepted your confession not because she loves you, but because she has trampled on your feelings.

You should know that Yueyue has a tough exterior but a soft heart. She's a very gentle girl and can't bear to see others hurt, especially a close friend like you. Even the slightest harm done to you would be unforgivable to her. (End of Chapter)