I understood quite clearly that he wouldn’t have said “no” earlier so this is a significant improvement. But yes, I understand your comment as reminding readers that they may have less problems of saying “no” initially and for them it may make things more difficult instead of improving things.
Do keep in mind that if a friend actually follows through, you’ve significantly raised the stakes of saying “no” later.
I understood quite clearly that he wouldn’t have said “no” earlier so this is a significant improvement. But yes, I understand your comment as reminding readers that they may have less problems of saying “no” initially and for them it may make things more difficult instead of improving things.
Absolutely—so don’t be insincere in the setup. If you think “no way”, say “no way”.