Zhou Xu's Insight

The cold November wind began to sweep across the campus, and the leaves of the sycamore trees had almost all fallen, leaving only bare branches pointing towards the gray sky. Lin Weixi, holding the math homework books she had just collected, walked quickly towards the teacher's office, but almost bumped into someone at the corner of the stairs.

"Be careful." The other person supported the shaky exercise book in time and spoke in a gentle voice.

Lin Weixi raised her head and saw Zhou Xu's face, which always had a gentle smile. He was Chen Wang's best friend and a famous "observer" in the class, always noticing details that others overlooked.

"Thank you." Lin Weixi whispered, hurriedly sorting out the scattered homework books.

Zhou Xu squatted down to help her pick up the last book, and his eyes inadvertently swept across the cover of the top book - that was Chen Wang's homework book. There was a small basketball pattern lightly drawn in pencil in the lower right corner of the back cover.

"Chen Wang's homework book is always so easy to recognize." Zhou Xu said casually and handed the homework book back to Lin Weixi.

Lin Weixi's hand paused imperceptibly, and her fingertips turned slightly white when she took the homework book. This detail did not escape Zhou Xu's eyes.

"Yeah," she forced a smile, "his handwriting is very special."

Zhou Xu didn't expose this obvious lie—he was clearly referring to the basketball pattern, not the handwriting. He simply nodded and stepped aside to make way. "Hurry up and turn in your homework. Class is about to start."

During the afternoon's PE class, while the girls were free to play, Lin Weixi sat in the stands reading. Zhou Xu, unable to participate in basketball practice due to a foot injury, also sat nearby listening to music. When Chen Wang made a beautiful three-pointer, Lin Weixi unconsciously put down her book and followed the figures on the court.

Zhou Xu took off one of his headphones and asked casually, "What do you think of Chen Wang's basketball?"

Lin Weixi seemed to be startled and picked up the book in a panic: "Not bad... not bad."

"Just good?" Zhou Xu smiled, "He's the ace of our team."

Lin Weixi didn't answer, but her ears were quietly red. Zhou Xu noticed that whenever Chen Wang scored a goal, the corners of her mouth would slightly rise; when Chen Wang made a mistake, her brows would lightly furrow. These subtle changes in expression, like silent narration, told an unknown story.

During Friday's class meeting, the homeroom teacher rearranged the seating arrangements. When the line "Lin Weixi, sit next to Zhou Xu" was read, Lin Weixi subconsciously glanced in Chen Wang's direction. That fleeting glance was captured perfectly by Zhou Xu—a mixture of reluctance and regret, far exceeding the emotions of ordinary classmates.

After becoming deskmates, Zhou Xu had more opportunities to observe. He noticed that Lin Weixi would always unconsciously look to the right front - that was the direction of Chen Wang's seat. Occasionally, a basketball pattern that she had unconsciously drawn would appear on her draft paper, exactly the same as the one on Chen Wang's homework book. Even more obvious was that every time Chen Wang spoke to her, her fingers would tremble with nervousness, despite pretending to be calm on the surface.

During a break, Chen Wang came to Zhou Xu to discuss a basketball game. Lin Weixi was working on her homework, but Zhou Xu noticed that her pen lingered on the paper for a long time without writing a single word. Only after Chen Wang left did she breathe a sigh of relief and continue writing.

What confirmed Zhou Xu's guess was an incident after the midterm exam. That day, Chen Wang was in a low mood because his sister's condition worsened, and he was silent all day. After school, Zhou Xu saw Lin Weixi quietly put a box of chocolates and a card in Chen Wang's desk. There was only a simple smiley face drawn on the card.

The next day, Chen Wang's mood improved significantly, and he even thanked Zhou Xu specifically: "Thank you for the chocolates and card yesterday. Xiaoxing was so happy to see that smiling face for a long time."

Zhou Xu was stunned for a moment, then he understood. He didn't expose this beautiful misunderstanding, but just smiled and said, "As long as Xiaoxing is happy."

From then on, Zhou Xu began to create opportunities, intentionally or unintentionally. When working in groups, he would suggest that he and Chen Wang be in the same group; when collecting and distributing homework, he would "just happen" to let Lin Weixi be in charge of Chen Wang's row; sometimes, when Chen Wang wanted to talk to Lin Weixi, he would tactfully find an excuse to leave.

Lin Weixi seemed to have sensed Zhou Xu's kindness. Once, she whispered to him, "Thank you."

Zhou Xu just shook his head: "No need to thank me. I just feel that some feelings should not be buried."

He didn't point out what the feeling was, but the two of them understood it tacitly. This tacit understanding made Lin Weixi both grateful and terrified - her biggest secret had already been seen through.

After the monthly exam at the end of November, Zhou Xu called Lin Weixi in the corridor: "Next week is Chen Wang's birthday, and a few of us friends are planning to give him a surprise. Do you want to come with us?"

Lin Weixi's eyes lit up for a moment, but then dimmed: "I...I'm not really suitable."

"Why not?" Zhou Xu asked gently, "You are our classmate and friend."

Finally, in Lin Weixi's diary, the following words appeared:

"Zhou Xu seemed to know everything. His eyes were always so understanding, yet he never pointed it out. This made me both afraid and grateful—afraid of having my secret exposed, but grateful for someone who understood. Perhaps this is what secret love is like: no matter how cautious you are, there will always be someone who sees through it."

The moon outside the window was obscured by thin clouds, revealing only a hazy halo. Lin Weixi closed her diary and thought of Zhou Xu's all-seeing eyes. Once a secret is known to another person, it is no longer a secret. But strangely, she did not panic as she had imagined, but instead felt a sense of relief.

After all, secret love is a personal matter, but being understood is the warmth of two people.