Not the prettiest confession but it was so them. A clumsy confession by a clumsy girl. Cute asf
The topic of sexuality wasn't really a talking point here like I thought I was gonna be. Although an argument could be made that them kissing in public in front of people inadvertently squashes the doubts that Xia Lin had about liking girls. It's the ultimate power move to reaffirm herself in her sexuality.
The story leaned more towards Xia Lin's fear that somebody else will take her place next to Song. And that's the interesting thing here is that Xia Lin talked about how all the things they used to do together growing up such as holding hands and sleeping together were a natural occurrence. Xia Lin felt comfort in those things and wasn't able to piece together the underlying messaging behind Song's advances. She though things would never change; not until insecure thoughts started creeping in that this arrangement is not forever. Song is not always convenieny going to be there waiting and will eventually find someone else.
And that's why I'm glad Xia was picking up what Song was putting down. When Song said
"I saw how you were staring at me just now. I thought it might be because you liked me." I feel Xia Lin before would have responded with "Of course I like you, you're my best friend" or something like along those lines. But now she understands Song's intentions. Even though Song nudged her toward confessing, the final choice belonged entirely to Xia Lin. That distinction matters for her character development. She spent most of the story following whatever Song wanted. Making this decision of her own volition transforms the nature of their feelings from compliance into genuine love.
Thanks for the translation!