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

Chen Mo is a "shrewd old fox" at the poker table, with top-notch control over the game.

While playing cards, he kept a close eye on everything around him, constantly monitoring the condition of Zhao Yueyue and Huang Mao.

Su Yuqing sat next to him, her mind clearly not entirely on the cards. Her gaze followed Zhao Yueyue tenderly, carrying silent encouragement and support.

After several rounds, Zhao Yueyue and Huang Mao, whose card skills were the least developed and who were also distracted, naturally had no chance of winning.

Finally, after a crucial play, Chen Mo, as the winner, gently slapped his last two cards on the coffee table, revealing a meaningful smile that hinted at a "well-thought-out" attitude.

His gaze swept over Zhao Yueyue and Huang Mao, who were still holding a hand of cards.

"Hmm..." Chen Mo deliberately dragged out the tone, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, as if he was contemplating a "difficult" decision.

All eyes were on him, and the air instantly became quiet. Everyone was a little nervous, wondering who Chen Mo would ask what kind of truth or dare question.

When Su Yuqing saw Chen Mo looking at her lips, her face immediately flushed red.

Even though we had just kissed passionately on the cliff.

It was dark back then, so it wasn't a big deal.

The living room was brightly lit, and there were a bunch of people watching. If Chen Mo were to suggest a dare—that he kiss him—it would be so embarrassing.

Seeing Su Yuqing's reaction, Chen Mo's lips curled up slightly before he looked away, clearly having been deliberately teasing her.

After Su Yuqing noticed this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him slightly.

She looks even cuter this way.

If he hadn't already planned it out, he really wanted to tease Su Yuqing in public and see more of her cute and shy reactions.

Chen Mo proposed this game as a deliberate dare to punish Zhao Yueyue and Huang Mao. He planned to have the two of them go to the nearby supermarket to buy some fruit cakes for everyone as dessert.

This creates an opportunity for the two of them to be alone.

After scanning around, Chen Mo's gaze finally settled on Zhao Yueyue and Huang Mao, and the corners of his mouth deepened: "Well then, Yueyue, Huang Mao, I think you two are having a bad night's luck with cards, you need to change your luck."

"I'm giving you a chance to go out and stretch your muscles."

“I have a big adventure for you guys—” He paused deliberately, glancing at the two of them who suddenly tensed up, before continuing, “Go to the 24-hour convenience store that’s about a hundred meters from this guesthouse and buy some fruit and cake for everyone as dessert!”

After this "punishment" was announced, a brief, unspoken silence fell over the living room.

Zhou Hao immediately smiled and said, "I want strawberries!"

Qu Danwan nodded, suppressing a laugh, "Thank you for your help."

Lin Yu'an and Zhao Yuanyuan echoed softly.

Zhao Yueyue and Huang Mao were both stunned.

Holding the plate of cold chicken wings (she hadn't actually eaten much), Zhao Yueyue looked blankly at Su Yuqing, then quickly glanced at Huang Mao, her eyes filled with panic: "Huh? Going out alone?"

Huang Mao seemed stunned by this sudden opportunity to be alone with her, and subconsciously looked at Chen Mo, receiving a firm "seize the opportunity" look from him. "Just... just the two of us?" Zhao Yueyue's voice was a little weak.

“Yes, just the two of you. Who told you to leave the most cards? Look at the others.” Chen Mo’s tone was unquestionable, with a hint of mischief. “Go and come back quickly, everyone is waiting.”

He waved his hand, as if shooing away two small animals that needed some fresh air.

Looking at the cards in the hands of the others around them, it was clear that they didn't have many left. Only the two of them had the most, so Zhao Yueyue and Huang Mao couldn't really argue with that.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, filled with encouragement, anticipation, and a hint of schadenfreude, Zhao Yueyue and Huang Mao stood up almost simultaneously.

Zhao Yueyue put down the plate of symbolic "trophies"—chicken wings—while Huang Mao frantically reached into his pockets for his phone and wallet.

Neither of them dared to look at each other, and they moved stiffly toward the door, one after the other.

The moment the door closed, the tense atmosphere in the living room seemed to finally relax.

Zhou Hao let out a long sigh of relief, slumped onto the sofa, and looked at Chen Mo with a smile, saying, "Old Mo, that was a brilliant move."

Su Yuqing walked to the window and watched the two figures, one in front of the other and with a clear social distance between them, slowly walking towards the convenience store under the streetlights downstairs. A worried yet expectant smile appeared on her face: "I hope... they can have a proper talk."

Chen Mo walked over, put his arm around her shoulder, and followed the two figures with his gaze: "We've done all the groundwork and given them the space they need to be given. The rest is up to them. They have to take this step eventually."

He believed that the convenience store's short distance, the dim streetlights, and the task they needed to complete together would be the best catalyst to break down the barrier between them.

Downstairs, Zhao Yueyue had just stepped out of the guesthouse courtyard when she suddenly stopped.

She also realized that Chen Mo had deliberately arranged for the two of them to leave together this time.

This gave the two of them an excellent opportunity to resolve their misunderstandings.

This misunderstanding must be cleared up as soon as possible to minimize the damage to the relationship between the two people.

Therefore, Zhao Yueyue felt that she needed to muster up her courage now, since Huang Mao had already mustered up his courage to confess his feelings.

Sensing the pause behind him, Huang Mao turned around curiously and met Zhao Yueyue's gaze.

When Zhao Yueyue saw Huang Mao's eyes, the burning passion and nervousness of his confession were gone, as were the dejection and hurt after being rejected. At this moment, there was only a trace of cautious probing and a sense of familiarity that he was trying to maintain as "Huang Mao".

Courage gathered in my chest.

Zhao Yueyue pursed her lips, took a deep breath, looked at Huang Mao, and spoke in a clear but soft voice with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, yet with unusual seriousness: "Huang Mao..."

Huang Mao paused, his heart leaping into his throat once more.

“I…” Zhao Yueyue took another deep breath, as if she had used up all her strength, “I just ran away… not because I hate you! Really! I… I was just… just a little confused… because what you said was so sudden to me… I’m sorry I didn’t consider your feelings at the time, I know I hurt your feelings and it must have hurt you a lot.”

She spoke quickly, as if reciting what Su Yuqing had taught her, "I apologize to you, can you forgive me? Can we...can we still be good friends? I...I don't want to lose you as a friend!"

After she finished speaking, she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at Huang Mao's reaction, as if those few words had exhausted all her courage, her cheeks flushed bright red. (End of Chapter)