Mountains have trees, trees have branches, my heart loves you, but you do not know

“The mountains have branches and trees, and the heart is happy that you're not aware of them” is an expression of concealed, one-sided affection whose force in the narrative comes from its sudden application to Jun Xi's name. Rather than serving as decorative poetry alone, it makes Su Xiangcheng read the entertainment figure through the possibility of love that remains unspoken or unnoticed.

Appearance and Literary Association

The expression appears when Su Xiangcheng learns that the woman accompanying Lu Nianjin is Jun Xi, a stage name associated with a newly emerged dark horse in the entertainment circle. The name prompts Su Xiangcheng to recall the poem behind the phrase and wonder whether Jun Xi's identity has descended from, or been shaped by, that poetic source. The association is therefore presented as a private act of recognition: a contemporary public name opens onto an older literary image.

Unrecognized Affection

The expression joins natural imagery with emotional asymmetry. Trees and branches provide the outward image, while the second half turns inward toward a heart whose happiness is not perceived by the beloved. Its central tension lies between intensity and silence: the feeling exists fully for the person who bears it, yet remains invisible to the person who might answer it. In the scene, this meaning gives Su Xiangcheng a way to interpret Jun Xi without claiming that Jun Xi's feelings have actually been disclosed.

Function in the Scene

The allusion briefly changes the texture of a tense business gathering. Su Xiangcheng has been shaken by the party but also absorbed by the forceful argument between two men who appear evenly matched. Against that competitive atmosphere, the recalled expression introduces a quieter emotional register, shifting attention from public confrontation to private implication. The poem does not resolve any relationship; instead, it creates an interpretive pause in which a stage name, a remembered line, and the possibility of hidden feeling become connected.

Narrative Significance

The expression also establishes a contrast between visible performance and concealed emotion. Jun Xi belongs to the entertainment circle and appears publicly beside Lu Nianjin, yet the poetic association emphasizes what cannot be confirmed from outward behavior. Her presence is legible as spectacle, companionship, and social positioning, while the expression preserves an inward meaning that remains uncertain. Used in this way, the allusion gives the scene a restrained romantic undertone: affection is suggested through literary memory rather than stated as fact, allowing silence and unawareness to carry the emotional weight.