Mao's score in the free program was also her highest, personal score.
Apparently, last night after the short program, a lot of skaters from other countries wrote on twitter about her, saying that it was unfortunate that she didn't do well, but that she was still good and that they looked forward to her free program. She saw this, and probably this helped her a lot for the free program today.
Might not have gotten a medal, but definitely a personal victory for sure. (: