Chapter 239: This Military Strategist Is Here to Advise You

Although Chen Mo didn’t quite understand, he saw that Su Yuqing wasn’t neglecting her studies.

Besides, her mock exam scores were quite good, so he didn’t meddle.

What he found even more interesting was that Su Yuqing wasn’t completely relaxed when she read manga.

Her brow would occasionally furrow, then smooth out. Her fingertips would swipe quickly across the screen, yet her gaze was unusually focused, as if she were conducting some kind of serious "academic research."

At times, as she read, her eyes would suddenly light up like a lightbulb, shining with an excited, ’I’ve got it!’ kind of light. Then she would quickly glance around (looking especially guilty whenever he glanced over), hastily fish that familiar little hardcover notebook from the depths of her schoolbag, turn her back, use her body to block his line of sight, and furiously scribble something down.

Once she finished writing, she would casually stuff the notebook back and go back to scrolling through the manga, as if that burst of inspiration had just been his imagination.

Chen Mo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’This girl... what on earth is she up to? Is she studying romance manga like it’s a textbook?’

’Her grades haven’t slipped, but wouldn’t it be better to channel this dedication into the final sprint before exams?’

Still, watching her being so sneaky yet so incredibly earnest, that pure, clumsy cuteness made his heart melt.

’Oh well. As long as she’s happy and it doesn’t interfere with anything important, I’ll just let her be.’

He trusted that Su Yuqing knew what she was doing.

Zhao Yuanyuan, however, revealed a meaningful smile when she saw this.

Because she had finally figured out why Su Yuqing was getting friendly with Wang Susu.

She also knew what Su Yuqing had been up to lately.

It wasn’t because Wang Susu had a big mouth.

It was because Su Yuqing desperately needed a strategist.

There weren’t many strategists she could turn to, and Zhao Yuanyuan was naturally one of them.

It was through this that Zhao Yuanyuan finally found out what Su Yuqing had been secretly doing behind Chen Mo’s back.

Of course, her involvement wasn’t because Su Yuqing had actively recruited her. It was more a case of making the best of the situation after she was found out.

After all, Zhao Yuanyuan had no dating experience and was also very close to Chen Mo.

Su Yuqing was afraid that if Zhao Yuanyuan found out, she might spill the beans to Chen Mo, so she hadn’t told her anything at first.

But she was caught later, so there was nothing to be done.

It had happened during the break between classes that morning. Zhao Yuanyuan had bounced over to Su Yuqing’s desk as usual, planning to share some fresh school-wide gossip, when she happened to catch Su Yuqing frantically shoving her "love strategy" notebook deep into her desk drawer.

"Well, well, well!" Zhao Yuanyuan was quick. She grabbed Su Yuqing’s wrist, catching sight of the two words "Confession Plan" on the notebook before it could disappear completely. A sly, all-knowing, fox-like grin spread across her face as she lowered her voice. "Yuqing! Caught you red-handed! So this is the ’grand plan’ you’ve been working on, being all secretive for the past few days and even hiding it from me!"

Su Yuqing’s face instantly flushed red as a ripe tomato. Her flustered gaze darted in Chen Mo’s direction—thankfully, Zhou Hao had pulled him outside to chat about something or other.

"Yuanyuan! Keep your voice down!" Even though Zhao Yuanyuan had already lowered her voice, to Su Yuqing’s ears it sounded as loud as thunder.

"Hehe, relax. Brother Mo is outside chatting with some guys from another class; he can’t hear us." Zhao Yuanyuan leaned in closer, wiggling her eyebrows. "How could you launch ’Operation: Confession’ without me? I knew something was up when you started getting chummy with Wang Susu! Come on, spill it! How far have you gotten? Do you still need a strategist? I’ve got tons of great ideas!"

She patted her ample chest, striking a heroic "Leave it to me!" pose.

Su Yuqing looked into her friend’s sparkling eyes, which were filled with gossip and enthusiasm, and the small fortress she’d built around her secret instantly crumbled.

The pressure and uncertainty of planning everything alone seemed to find a release at that moment.

"First, you have to promise me you won’t let Chen Mo find out beforehand. He can’t get even the slightest hint."

"No problem. I can even help you run interference. We’ll just say you’re planning his upcoming birthday party or something," Zhao Yuanyuan said, her mind working quickly.

That excuse seemed perfect for throwing Chen Mo off the scent. Su Yuqing hesitated for a moment before finally giving a small nod, her expression a mix of shyness and a plea for help. "Okay... I have been thinking about how to confess... but I really don’t know what to do. I originally went to Wang Susu to ask about her confession experience..."

"...but it turned out her experience isn’t suitable for me at all."

"I knew it!" Zhao Yuanyuan was so excited she nearly jumped out of her seat. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, glanced around cautiously, then pulled Su Yuqing toward a relatively secluded corner of the hallway outside. "Let’s go, let’s go! This isn’t the place to talk! We need to find a secure location to plot properly!"

A few minutes later, the two were huddled in the small stairwell on the top floor of the academic building, which led to the rooftop.

Few people ever came up here. The afternoon sun streamed through a high window, casting down shafts of light where dust motes danced in the air.

Su Yuqing carefully took out her notebook, its edges slightly curled from frequent use, and flipped to the page with the two big words, "Confession Plan," written at the top.

Below it, a few ideas were jotted down, but most had been crossed out:

~~After the graduation ceremony? (Too many people, too noisy, doesn’t seem special enough...)~~

~~On his birthday? (Wouldn’t that steal his thunder as the birthday boy? Plus, if the confession anniversary and his birthday overlap, we lose a special day for no reason. Doesn’t feel right...)~~

~~A special gift? (A watch? A fountain pen? Too generic... not meaningful enough...)~~

~~Just say "I like you"? (Is that too simple?...)~~

~~Copy the manga... confess under a tree? (But our school doesn’t have any cherry blossom trees like that, and while it looks romantic in manga, it seems a bit too casual in real life...)~~

...

Every line was filled with hesitation and uncertainty.

Zhao Yuanyuan leaned in, clicking her tongue in admiration. "Wow, Yuqing, you’re putting more effort into this planner than I do into my mistake-correction notebook!"

She pointed at the crossed-out entries. "I get all your concerns! Your relationship with Brother Mo isn’t just some ordinary high school romance—you guys are in it for the long haul! This confession has to be epic and unforgettable!"

"Epic?" Su Yuqing jumped. "It doesn’t have to be... I just want it to be... formal enough, and heartfelt enough, so he can feel how serious I am..."

Her voice trailed off, and her face turned red again.

"Relax, relax, I get it!" Zhao Yuanyuan waved her hand dismissively, her eyes darting around as her brain worked at high speed. "Not epic, but special enough and thoughtful enough, right? Location, time, method, gift, the script... not a single element can be missing!"

She snatched the pen from Su Yuqing’s hand. "Here, let your master strategist give you a hand!"