Compared to other people's high school days, He Lezhi's were relatively relaxed. He Qi's expectations for him were never about his grades. Fortunately, He Lezhi was self-aware; his grades climbed steadily, and by the first mock exam of his third year, he could already score high enough to get into a Tier 1 university.

Of course, this was inextricably linked to Han Fangchi's positive influence. In their third year, whenever the two of them were together, they would always be studying. He Lezhi stopped going for runs, and if the teacher wasn't present during the evening self-study session, a single look from Han Fangchi was enough for He Lezhi to obediently take his books and workbooks to the empty desk behind him.

During the last half hour before school ended, the students would get restless, and a buzzing sound would start to fill the classroom. Han Fangchi would then come and sit next to He Lezhi; this was their question-and-answer time. Although He Lezhi's grades couldn't compare to Han Fangchi's, his physics scores were quite good, and he could even occasionally have a discussion with Han Fangchi from a different perspective.

Every time Xiao Yao looked back and saw the two of them whispering, he would huff in annoyance. Han Fangchi would ask him to come over, but he was never willing to. His study time was limited to class hours; who would want to listen to someone explain problems when school was about to end?

"Understood everything?" Han Fangchi asked.

"Understood." He Lezhi nodded.

Han Fangchi: "Any other questions?"

He Lezhi yawned and asked, "Coming to my place tonight?"

Han Fangchi asked him, "What for?"

He Lezhi: "Didn't they say there's a meteor shower tonight? Shall we go to the rooftop to watch?"

The news was all saying this meteor shower was a once-in-a-century event, and He Lezhi had never truly seen a shooting star before.

Han Fangchi said speechlessly, "Don't we have class tomorrow?"

He Lezhi said with a smile, "My mom wants us to have a balance between work and rest."

At that time, He Qi hadn't moved yet, so they were still living in He Lezhi's old home. That night, the two high school students, each in a set of pajamas, took apart a cushion from the long sofa at home and carried it to the rooftop. He Lezhi also brought two cans of Coke.

The rooftop was empty, with a few pieces of old furniture piled up in a corner and nothing else. Using the light from a flashlight, they spread the sofa cushion in the center. The surrounding railings were high, and the night sky was full of stars. If you tilted your head all the way back, so that only the starry sky filled your vision, you would feel a sense of loneliness.

"It's so dark. Fangchi, are you scared?" He Lezhi asked in a low voice.

Han Fangchi said honestly, "A little."

"Me too." He Lezhi echoed honestly.

Han Fangchi said, "We must be crazy."

"We're not. It's a once-in-a-century event." He Lezhi scooted closer, his arm touching Han Fangchi's. "It's better if we stick together."

The forecast said the meteor shower would appear after midnight. Starting from 11:45, they kept their eyes fixed on the starry sky. There weren't as many stars as when they were children; compared to the star-filled canopy of their childhood, the stars now seemed sparser.

The two of them sat shoulder to shoulder in the darkness, waiting for the meteors that might appear at any moment. The surroundings were silent, and the vast starry sky brought a boundless quiet and absolute solitude. Within the universe, they were so small.

It was 12:30, and they hadn't seen a single meteor. He Lezhi was breathing softly, and the fabric of their pajamas brushed against each other intermittently with their breaths.

"Fangchi," He Lezhi called him softly.

Han Fangchi turned his head in the darkness. "Hmm?"

"What are you feeling?" He Lezhi asked.

Han Fangchi turned back to look at the night sky, fell silent for a moment, and said, "I feel like I'm about to lose myself."

"Me too." He Lezhi hugged his knees, tilted his head, and bumped it against Han Fangchi's, saying, "It feels like we're the only two people left in the world."

"Is it still going to appear?" Han Fangchi said. "The meteor."

"I don't know." He Lezhi yawned again. "Should we go home and sleep?"

Han Fangchi hummed in agreement.

Despite saying so, neither of them moved. About five more minutes passed.

"Look."

Just as He Lezhi was getting drowsy, Han Fangchi nudged his arm. He Lezhi looked up and saw a small meteor with a long tail drawing a wondrous arc across the night sky.

He Lezhi's eyes widened, and he let out an amazed "Wow."

"So this is what a shooting star looks like?" He Lezhi asked in amazement.

"I don't know either," Han Fangchi said in a low voice.

It was an extremely profound night for them. Before they went home to sleep at 1:30, they had seen a total of five meteors. Some drew a short, straight line before disappearing, while others streaked gorgeously across the entire night sky until they vanished at the edge of the heavens.

And the meteors themselves didn't seem so important anymore. It felt as if everything between heaven and earth had vanished, with the macrocosm and microcosm stirring in unison within the teenagers' gradually maturing souls. On a night like this, it was just the two of them, still so small beneath the starry sky, spending it together.

Actually, He Lezhi had invited Xiao Yao before school ended, but Xiao Yao couldn't make it and wasn't able to join them. If Xiao Yao had come, perhaps the three of them wouldn't have felt that sense of loneliness. Xiao Yao could liven up any environment.

The next morning, Xiao Yao flopped onto his desk and asked Han Fangchi, "Did you see the meteors?"

"We did," Han Fangchi said.

"A lot?" Xiao Yao asked.

Han Fangchi: "A great many."

Xiao Yao pouted and went over to flop on He Lezhi's desk, asking him the same question.

"Yeah, we saw them," He Lezhi said with a small smile. "The sky was full of them; it was so beautiful."

Xiao Yao felt bitter again and was about to leave with a long face.

So He Lezhi said with a laugh, "Just kidding. We waited half the night and only saw five. Our eyes were about to pop out from staring."

"Ah!" Xiao Yao turned back and asked happily, "Really?"

"Really," He Lezhi said. "It wasn't that interesting."

Later, after He Lezhi grew up, he saw meteors many times. When camping in the desert, they streaked past his eyes one after another, but none of them ever gave him the same feeling as those "not that interesting" five.

They were still so young back then, with an infinitely long future ahead of them. In the midst of their busy third year of high school, they stole a moment of leisure to pull an all-nighter. One dared to suggest it, and the other dared to follow, watching the stars in boredom on the rooftop.

And this crazy half-night of stargazing wasn't for nothing. The next day, He Lezhi slept through a class in the morning, and Han Fangchi slept through the entire lunch break. By the afternoon, both of them started to get headaches and feel congested.

"Did we catch a cold?" He Lezhi asked.

Han Fangchi pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I think so."

At the same time, a new wave of viral flu was sweeping through the school, and students were getting sick one after another. The two of them couldn't tell if they got sick from being out in the wind while stargazing or if they caught it from a classmate; they couldn't trace the source. He Lezhi belatedly said they should have worn more clothes, but Han Fangchi said it was the flu.

His two younger sisters at home were still little, and Han Zhiyao hadn't even started kindergarten yet. The last time she had a cold, his mother had to hold her while she was on an IV drip for a week. This time, Han Fangchi was afraid of infecting her and simply didn't go home.

He Qi was away on a business trip. The two of them went to school during the day and came home to take medicine and sleep at night. Han Fangchi slept in He Lezhi's room, and He Lezhi slept in He Qi's room. They spent several days like this.

One night, Han Fangchi's fever got really high. He Lezhi found a cooling patch and stuck it on his forehead. Han Fangchi was frowning, his face pale, and he looked extremely uncomfortable. He Lezhi sat on a chair by the bed and asked worriedly, "Should we go to the hospital?"

Han Fangchi couldn't shake his head, only saying, "Don't want to move."

His palm was scorching hot. He gripped He Lezhi's wrist and said, "Lezhi, I'm cold."

"I know, I know." He Lezhi flopped down, lying horizontally across Han Fangchi's stomach over the blanket. He buried his face in the covers and said in a muffled voice, "What should I do... I'm worried sick."

At that moment, He Lezhi thought to himself that it was a good thing he was an only child and had a small family; otherwise, it would be this heart-wrenching every time someone at home got sick.

Han Fangchi unconsciously raised his hand, and as it fell, it slid down the back of He Lezhi's head to his neck, his burning palm pressing against him.

"Don't worry, it's fine," Han Fangchi said.

He Lezhi stayed there muffled, thinking that if the fever didn't break soon, they would have to go to the hospital. He hoped it wouldn't fry his brain.

Han Fangchi's head was groggy, and his eyes ached from the fever. His mind was a complete blank at that moment; besides the discomfort, the only thing he could feel was He Lezhi.

He Lezhi would periodically change the cooling patch for him, check the temperature of his palm, or feel his neck. Whenever He Lezhi moved around near his face, Han Fangchi could smell the faint fragrance on his sleeves. It was the scent of the laundry detergent He Qi used, a very gentle scent.

He Lezhi himself also had a slight fever, but not as high as Han Fangchi's. He bustled about taking care of Han Fangchi for half the night, until the fever finally subsided in the early hours of the morning.

Han Fangchi drifted in and out of sleep. Sometimes, He Lezhi was sitting beside him, watching him. Sometimes, He Lezhi was rubbing his palms with alcohol. And sometimes, He Lezhi was like a floppy bear, lying on his stomach.

Han Fangchi cleared his throat and called him, "Lezhi."

"Here!" He Lezhi said, sitting up straight.

Han Fangchi looked at him. "Go to sleep."

"I am sleeping." He Lezhi flopped down bonelessly again, his stomach pressing against Han Fangchi's through the blanket.

He mumbled, "Are you feeling better?"

"Much better." Han Fangchi stroked his hair and said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He Lezhi lay there, his eyes curving into a smile, and muttered, "As long as you get better."

Three years wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. During these three years, they were undoubtedly an extremely important part of each other's lives, companions and protectors for one another during their numb high school careers. The youths were pure and kind, their friendship sincere and transparent.

Han Fangchi was the class monitor, had good grades, and was on good terms with everyone, always quietly taking care of people. On the surface, he took care of He Lezhi more, going along with He Lezhi's rare whims, helping him with his studies, and analyzing his grades. But emotionally, it was Han Fangchi who relied on He Lezhi more. He Lezhi possessed something different from others, something that was uniquely his own.

It was like a feeling of being enveloped in constant warmth, like the gentle fragrance slowly released from his sleeves.

Back then, he always stood by Han Fangchi's side, long and steadfast. His mind was sensitive and delicate, and he watched over Han Fangchi with tender affection.

Back then, the strapping youth had not yet grown into an indestructible adult; deep inside, there were still corners of vulnerability and confusion. While Han Fangchi was used to looking after everyone from the perspective of an older brother, only He Lezhi knew where those corners were.

On the night they watched the meteors, Han Fangchi felt himself gradually fading away. He didn't know who he was or where he came from; he had become a tiny speck of light in the void. But He Lezhi was always rustling beside him, reminding him that someone else was there. When the first meteor drew a faint line before his eyes, accompanied by He Lezhi's amazed "wows," Han Fangchi felt himself being filled up again. A myriad of starlight flowed into his eyes, and for many years after, it remained the most beautiful starry sky Han Fangchi had ever seen.

Even if their youthful friendship at the time had nothing to do with romantic love, they were inseparable.