Why does she said "No" here? What does it refer to?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
"No" isn't actually used here to refute anything. The speaker has used this to indicate that she doesn't blame Ben for being so stiff, expressing a feeling of sympathy and understanding. When "no" is followed by an expression of understanding, we can take this as a cue to mean that "no" does not actually mean a rejection of something. Ex: A: I'm so sorry for being late. The train was delayed. B: No, I get it. There's always some sort of delay.