Everyone loves to make fun of his confession, say he's a fool for not recognising that Xie Lian viewed him as a friend since the start — but fail to realise where Mu Qing might be coming from.
To Mu Qing — whose father was a criminal beheaded in the town square, a mother he'd been providing for even since he was young, and to stand among groups of young, rich, spoilt noble disciples, reaching on the same skill level as Xie Lian due to his own hard work — meant he'll always be below, will have this invisible barrier that separated him from the privileged peers (something he was also constantly bullied, called a thief for) of course, he never felt equal to the crown prince. You could call it his insecurity, his jealous, his envy, his thick headedness but it doesn't take away from the fact that it stemmed from years of mistreatment under the same palace where Xie Lian claimed they're equals.
Now they're both gods, and mu qing can stand eye levelled to xie lian. He can say with his full chest he wants to his friend. No one will be calling him names, blaming him for little mistakes, look down at him for being the crown prince's charity case.
