Difficult problems in the exercise book
With the midterm exams approaching, the air in the classroom was filled with tension. Lin Weixi stared at a circuit problem in the physics exercise book, having spent the entire class working on it. The dense numbers and symbols on the draft paper seemed to have woven a web that trapped her.
This question involved a circuit principle that she had never fully understood. She bit the tip of her pen, her brow furrowed, feeling her mind had reached a dead end. When the bell rang, she almost buried her head in her arms in despair.
"Hasn't it been solved yet?" Chen Wang's voice came from the side. He had just returned from playing basketball, and beads of sweat still covered his forehead. He smelled faintly of sweat, but it wasn't unpleasant.
Lin Weixi raised her head and put the draft paper into her arms a little embarrassedly: "It's a bit difficult."
Chen Wang leaned over to look at her exercise book. This sudden proximity made her hold her breath. The fragrance of laundry detergent on his school uniform mixed with the heat from exercise, forming a unique scent that enveloped her.
"For this problem," he picked up a pencil and lightly drew a simple diagram on her draft paper, "the key is to first understand the potential difference at this node."
His pen tip moved smoothly on the paper, drawing a clear circuit diagram. Lin Weixi tried hard to concentrate on listening, but her eyes unconsciously drifted to his Adam's apple that rolled slightly when he spoke, and his lips that occasionally pursed because of thinking.
"Here," Chen Wang pointed at a spot on the diagram with the tip of his pen, "the current will split into two paths, so Ohm's law can't be applied directly."
His explanation style was unique. Unlike a teacher's rigid, methodical approach, he used many metaphors from everyday life, like comparing electric current to a stream of people and resistors to narrow channels. These vivid metaphors made complex principles suddenly clear.
"I think I understand a little bit." Lin Weixi said in a low voice, but her heart was still beating faster because of his approach.
"Then let's try again." Chen Wang handed the pen back to her and waited patiently for her to recalculate.
Most of the people in the classroom had already left. The setting sun shone through the window, stretching the shadows of the two people on the desk. Lin Weixi felt his warm breath occasionally brushing against her ears when he spoke, causing a slight shudder from her ears to her neck.
When she finally figured out the correct answer independently, she couldn't help but let out a soft "Ah!" with a glint in her eyes: "So that's how it is!"
Chen Wang smiled approvingly, and that dimple reappeared: "You see, it's actually not difficult. You just have to find the right method."
He stood up and started packing his schoolbag: "If you have any questions in the future, you can always ask me."
Lin Weixi nodded, a warm feeling welling up in her heart. Looking at his back as he left the classroom, she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly chased after him: "Chen Wang!"
He turned at the end of the corridor, and the setting sun gave his outline a golden edge.
"Thank you." She mustered up the courage to say, "Next time...next time I'll treat you to milk tea."
Chen Wang smiled and waved his hand: "You're welcome. It's only natural for classmates to help each other."
Although she was politely rejected, Lin Weixi did not feel disappointed. Because in her heart, these short twenty minutes of solitude were sweeter than any milk tea.
That night, she recorded the entire explanation in her diary, even sketching the diagrams he had drawn. Her pen rustled across the paper, each detail carefully treasured.
"Today he was so close to me, so close I could count his eyelashes. It turns out he doesn't just sweat on the court; when he's engrossed in a lecture, beads of sweat form on his forehead. These discoveries feel like secrets that belong only to me."
Having written this, she put down her pen and thought of the gestures he would occasionally make when he spoke. Those gestures were crisp and clear, just like the beautiful movements he made when playing basketball.
From that day on, asking questions became her secret plan. She would deliberately save difficult questions and wait for the right moment to ask. And Chen Wang was always patient, never showing any impatience.
Once, after she finished asking a question, Chen Wang suddenly said, "You've made great progress. At the beginning, I had to explain the questions to you several times, but now you understand them immediately."
This sentence made her happy all day. It turned out that he noticed her progress and remembered every communication they had.
However, secret love is like walking a tightrope; sweetness is always tinged with anxiety. One day, as she was walking towards Chen Wang's seat, carrying her exercise book, she saw a girl asking him a question. The girl was the arts committee member of the next class, beautiful and with a pleasant voice.
Lin Weixi quietly stepped aside, pretending to look for a book on the bookshelf. She heard Chen Wang explaining to the girl with the same patient tone, and even told a joke she had never heard before, making the girl giggle.
At that moment, she suddenly realized that she was not special. Chen Wang was kind to everyone, and his patience and gentleness were not exclusive to her.
This realization made her feel extremely depressed. That night, she wrote in her diary:
"So he's so nice to everyone. What I thought was special treatment was just his nature. But even knowing this, I still couldn't help but want to get closer. Even if it's just to mingle with those who ask him questions, it would be nice to be able to say a few more words to him."
Days passed, and the midterm exam arrived as scheduled. During the physics exam, Lin Weixi solved the circuit problem very smoothly. When she walked out of the exam room, she saw Chen Wang and several other boys comparing answers.
"Weixi," Chen Wang suddenly called her, "Did you solve the last circuit problem?"
She nodded: "I used the method you taught me."
"See," Chen Wang turned to the boy next to him and said, "I told you that method is the easiest."
At that moment, the sun was shining brightly, and Lin Weixi felt that her heart was also filled with sunshine. Even though he was very kind to everyone, at least at this moment, the light she emitted because of his guidance was truly seen by him.
This may be the most beautiful thing about secret love - you don't need to own it, as long as you can walk side by side, that's enough.
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