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

"Yes, yes, yes!" Zhao Yueyue exclaimed as if grasping at a straw. "It was so sudden! It was really so sudden! It's like... like Brother Mo suddenly came up to me and said he wanted to date me! Can you imagine?"

Her analogy struck a chord with Su Yuqing, reminding her of Chen Mo's earlier analysis and further confirming the crux of the problem.

She gently patted Zhao Yueyue's hand: "So, you don't dislike Huang Mao. You're just scared by the fact that your best friend suddenly becomes a suitor, right? It's like you've been suddenly pushed onto a completely unfamiliar stage, with the spotlight shining on you, but you haven't even read the script, or even know what role you're playing, so you instinctively want to run away?"

Zhao Yueyue stared blankly at Su Yuqing, the confusion in her eyes seemingly dispelled by the precise metaphor. She nodded vigorously, tears welling up again: "Yes! That's the feeling! Yuqing, am I... am I very childish? Very useless? When others are confessed to, they are shy or happy... but all I can do is run away..."

“This isn’t childish, Yueyue.” Su Yuqing’s tone was comforting. “It just shows how much you 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 it will be extremely awkward when you meet, right? You’re afraid of losing this relaxed and comfortable relationship you have now.”

Su Yuqing's words truly struck a chord with Zhao Yueyue.

Zhao Yueyue's tears flowed even more fiercely. She choked out, "Yes... I was so scared... When I ran away, I was thinking, 'It's all over, Huang Mao must hate me to death. He'll never play with me again, he'll never see me again... What... what should I do?'"

Her words were filled with a deep fear of losing this friendship.

"Silly girl." Su Yuqing gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. "Huang Mao won't hate you. He's just very sad and disappointed because he mustered up a lot of courage but didn't get the response he expected. But he also understands that he chose the most shocking but also the most sudden time, just like Chen Mo just told me, you're still very clueless about relationships, so you don't know how to deal with it for a while."

Hearing that Chen Mo also thought so, Zhao Yueyue seemed to find some comfort, and asked through sobs, "Brother Mo...does he say that too?"

“Yes,” Su Yuqing nodded, “He understands you and Huang Mao very well. He said that Yueyue’s temperament is actually more like a child’s, and she’s not ready to think about something as profound as ‘love’. It’s perfectly normal for you to be stunned and need time to process such a big emotion suddenly placed in front of you. It’s not your fault.”

"Then... what should I do?" Zhao Yueyue's eyes were filled with helplessness. "I don't even dare to see him now... every time I see him, I remember his 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..."

"Yueyue." Su Yuqing held her shoulders, making her look at herself. "The last thing you need to do right now is force yourself to think clearly about whether or not to accept Huang Mao's feelings. What you need right now is security—security for Huang Mao, and security for yourself."

Zhao Yueyue looked at her blankly.

"Give Huang Mao a sense of security by letting him know that you ran away not because you dislike him, but because you still value him as a friend. Your relationship won't be completely over because of this confession. You must make this clear to him, and then ask him to give you some time to think about how to respond to his feelings."

"Is this really okay?" Zhao Yueyue asked, a little scared.

“Yes, you can.” Su Yuqing’s eyes were gentle but firm. “Since you cherish your friendship with Huang Mao so much, you should also know that Huang Mao should cherish your friendship as well. His sad expression wasn’t because he was rejected by you, but because he was afraid that you wouldn’t even be able to be friends in the future.”

So you have to allow yourself to have a jumbled mind right now, and allow yourself time to think things through. Don't force yourself because you feel you 'should think it through' or 'afraid of holding him back'.

When it comes to matters of the heart, you can't rush things, especially since this is a completely unfamiliar area for you.

You need time to feel your own heart and figure out if you have any feelings for Huang Mao other than 'good friend'.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live with him in the future? Only you can find the answer to that yourself.

Su Yuqing paused for a moment, watching as the turbulent emotions in Zhao Yueyue's eyes gradually subsided. Although she was still confused, the intense self-blame and panic seemed to have lessened somewhat.

"And another thing," Su Yuqing's voice softened, "Yueyue, try to recall, when Huang Mao said he liked you, besides shock and fear, was there even a little bit of... other feeling? Even a momentary increase in heart rate, or a slight... indescribable... different feeling? Happiness, shyness, or something like that?"

Zhao Yueyue's body visibly stiffened.

Her gaze began to wander, as if she were trying to uncover the subtle feelings that had been obscured by the immense impact of that chaotic moment.

In the dim light, a very faint blush seemed to rise on her cheeks.

She didn't answer, but buried her head back in her knees. This time, however, it wasn't a complete escape, but rather a kind of contemplation tinged with confusion and shyness.

Outside the window, the waves continued to relentlessly crash against the rocks. Inside the room, two girls nestled together under the dim light, one gently smoothing out the other's tangled thoughts with tender words.

Seeing that she had comforted him enough, Su Yuqing took out her phone and reported the battle results to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo had finished ordering his late-night snack and returned to his room. Seeing that Huang Mao's expression had improved considerably, he immediately showed Huang Mao the message Su Yuqing had sent him.

[Chen Mo, your analysis is spot on. Yueyue is just too oblivious to her own feelings and is momentarily stunned. It's not that she's rejecting Huang Mao as a person; she needs time to process it. What she's most afraid of right now is losing Huang Mao as a friend, fearing awkwardness when they meet in the future and not even being able to remain friends.]

Upon seeing Su Yuqing's report, Huang Mao felt as if his heart had been suddenly immersed in warm water, instantly warmed. It turned out that Yueyue's panic was not about her own relationship; they were both afraid of the same thing.

"So, do you believe me now? Don't let Yueyue's usual gossip and acting like a love expert fool you. She's still just a child at heart, completely immature. When it comes to actually falling in love herself, she's totally dumbfounded." Chen Mo chuckled, patting Huang Mao on the shoulder. "If you just let her know that she'll never lose you as a good friend, then all the problems between you will be much easier to solve. The most important thing about your confession is completing that part." (End of Chapter)