He Lezhi was quite hard to pursue. Back then, Zhou Muyao had started chasing him from his freshman year of college, expressing his desire to be in a relationship with him. It took Zhou Muyao two years to go from He Lezhi's initial rejection to his eventual silent approval.

During those two years, Zhou Muyao never wavered in the slightest, trying every trick he could think of. The day He Lezhi agreed to be with him was not special in any way. It wasn't anyone's birthday, it wasn't Valentine's Day, nor was it any other notable date. It wasn't even a weekend.

On an ordinary evening, He Lezhi was running on the track. When Zhou Muyao went to find him, he had already run fifteen laps. For a skilled long-distance runner, six kilometers wasn't even enough to make him breathe heavily.

Zhou Muyao ran alongside him, endlessly calling out, "Lezhi," "Lezhi."

His usual refrain: "Let's be together. Be in a relationship with me, Lezhi."

He Lezhi ran for over twenty laps, his heart rate still steady, before gradually slowing his pace. Zhou Muyao, unaware that he was slowing down, ran ahead of him.

"Okay."

Zhou Muyao whipped his head to the side, found that He Lezhi wasn't there, and then turned back with wide, round eyes and his mouth agape.

He Lezhi had stopped. He wasn't wearing his glasses that day, and his eyes curved into a smile. "Sure, let's date."

Zhou Muyao's feet tangled, and he nearly stumbled and fell. After frantically straightening up, he asked cautiously, "You're not kidding, are you? Are you serious, Lezhi?"

He Lezhi smiled and said, "Yeah."

"...Holy crap." Zhou Muyao suddenly threw himself onto the ground, lying spread-eagled and looking up at the night sky. "I must be dreaming."

He Lezhi walked over, squatted down beside him, and said, "I originally didn't want you to walk this path, so I'll allow you to back out at any time."

He looked down at Zhou Muyao, his gaze firm yet gentle, and added, "If the novelty wears off, I'll accept any reason for us to separate. Just make it clear. Let's part on good terms, and not make things too ugly. I hate ugly fallouts, so let's not do that."

"Who wants to break up with you!" Zhou Muyao shot up from the ground and hugged He Lezhi tightly, knocking him onto the ground as well. "I'd have to be crazy to break up with you! Don't you say things like that!"

He Lezhi had a stable temperament, and when Zhou Muyao occasionally got emotional, He Lezhi was willing to coax him. Thus, they hadn't had any major fights over the years. In the long span of nearly eight years, they had never once mentioned breaking up.

From the initial passionate love to the later stability, the word "breakup" seemed like it would never appear in their relationship.

"They broke up."

He Qi twirled a large mouthful of spaghetti and said while eating, "They broke up a long time ago. That was ages ago."

He Lezhi was a little surprised. "I didn't hear you mention it."

"Didn't I tell you? Then I must have forgotten." He Qi pointed to the napkins on the other side of the table.

He Lezhi leaned over to grab one and handed it to her. "Why?" he asked.

"I heard Hong Qi was still in contact with his ex-girlfriend. Xiao An even ran into them eating together at the very restaurant where he proposed to her. I'm truly speechless." He Qi's expression also looked quite speechless. "It got pretty ugly after they called off the engagement. Hong Qi's mom was badmouthing Xiao An, so your Little Aunt went to their house and had a huge fight with her."

He Lezhi had just asked when his cousin's wedding was scheduled, completely not expecting this turn of events.

"She didn't ask you to go with her to fight?" He Lezhi asked. After all, the two sisters did everything together, especially something like a fight. He Qi's fighting prowess was quite impressive.

"No. Maybe she wasn't planning to fight when she went over." He Qi added, "It's actually a pity. They were about to get married, and they'd been together for six or seven years."

"It's not a pity," He Lezhi said. "He was still in contact with his ex-girlfriend right before the wedding. What's there to feel sorry about?"

"Aren't all men like that," He Qi said sarcastically.

After saying that, she looked up at her son and added, "Except for my son."

He Lezhi laughed. He Qi added, "And Xiao Hei."

After a moment's thought, she said, "Then again, let's not be so absolute. There are good ones; they're just hard to come by."

He Lezhi poured her a glass of water and said with a smile, "When you're ranting, don't forget my gender."

He Qi waved her hand while eating her noodles. "Gender isn't important. You're my son."

He Qi was He Lezhi's mother, a beautiful and fashionable vocal coach. She had participated in the National Young Singer Grand Prix when she was younger. Later, she worked as a music teacher at He Lezhi's elementary school for a few years before leaving to open her own training center. She had a good reputation in her field, and many students preparing for art school entrance exams came to her for training every year. He Lezhi loved to hear her sing; every time he did, he felt incredibly happy.

"Xiao Hei's birthday is coming up. What are you getting him this year?" He Qi asked.

"I ordered a pair of rings," He Lezhi said.

"Are you going to propose?" He Qi asked.

He Lezhi quickly said, "Don't let him hear you say that. He's finally stopped bringing it up recently."

He Qi burst out laughing.

Zhou Muyao was a lover who needed rituals and romance. Anniversaries had to be celebrated, and holidays had to be observed properly. Every anniversary, he wanted to get married and have a wedding. No matter how much He Lezhi indulged him, he couldn't agree to this. The thought of all their relatives and friends sitting together, watching the two of them get married, and then taking pictures to post on their social media, made He Lezhi feel suffocated.

And with Zhou Muyao's personality, there was no telling what kind of scene he would make.

"Can you take time off next month?" He Lezhi asked.

"Yes. Are you asking me out?" He Qi replied immediately.

He Lezhi said, "Let's go out for his birthday."

"You won't be busy next month?" He Qi asked.

He Lezhi smiled helplessly. "Even if I'm busy, I still have to make time."

He Qi said with schadenfreude, "Go on, keep spoiling him."

He Lezhi also smiled, his eyebrows relaxing. "He's so cute, the silly boy."

That evening, the silly boy had a dinner with his colleagues. He had just transferred, and after a busy period, the department organized a welcome party for him. His department was all men. Zhou Muyao was the youngest and the guest of honor, so he would probably drink a lot.

He Lezhi told him to call when it was over so he could go pick him up.

Zhou Muyao didn't want to trouble him and came back on his own. He returned with a huge bag of ice cream in his left hand, saying he saw a supermarket on the way and wanted to buy some for He Lezhi. In his right hand was a withered rose, which he said an old lady was selling at the restaurant entrance, so he bought it for Lezhi.

He Lezhi had been in the study fixing a chair with a screwdriver between his teeth. He glanced back at him, afraid he might suddenly pounce and stab himself in the mouth, so he took the screwdriver out of his mouth.

Zhou Muyao tossed the bag of ice cream and the flower between his crossed legs and said, "Eat up."

He Lezhi tossed the chair aside, stood up to touch Zhou Muyao's face, stuffed all the ice cream into the freezer, and then grabbed a yogurt popsicle to eat on the sofa.

Zhou Muyao went to throw up, then groggily washed up and changed into his pajamas.

He came out and sat on the floor by He Lezhi's legs. He Lezhi rested his feet on Zhou Muyao's legs, eating his popsicle while playing on his phone.

Zhou Muyao leaned against the sofa, his face resting against He Lezhi's leg, his breath warm.

"They kept making me drink because I'm young," Zhou Muyao said, aggrieved.

He Lezhi comforted him, "It'll be better in a few years. Once there are newcomers, they won't pick on you anymore."

Zhou Muyao said nonsensically, "I love you."

He Lezhi, biting his popsicle, squinted his eyes into a smile and fed him a bite.

Zhou Muyao took a huge bite and said, "I won't betray you, Lezhi."

He Lezhi said, "Good boy."

When Zhou Muyao drank too much, he lost all logic, and He Lezhi was used to it. Tonight wasn't even particularly rowdy, which was already good. One time, he came back in the middle of the night and was being annoying. He Lezhi ignored him and continued to lie down to sleep. Zhou Muyao came in like a raging bull, flipped the entire mattress over, and sent He Lezhi tumbling to the floor. He Lezhi didn't react; he just slept on the mattress on the floor for the night.

The next day, Zhou Muyao woke up to the scene and was scared out of his wits. He then guiltily slept on the floor for a week. Even when He Lezhi told him not to, he still lay down on the floor, insisting on holding He Lezhi's hand as he slept.

He Lezhi didn't hold things against a drunk person. He let Zhou Muyao do whatever he wanted when he was drunk.

He Lezhi finished his popsicle and was playing with his phone while holding the stick. Zhou Muyao suddenly leaned over, took the popsicle stick with his mouth, and spat it out onto the coffee table.

He Lezhi laughed and kicked him. "Don't act like a dog."

Zhou Muyao, dazed, said again, "I'm really drunk. I am your dog."

He was incoherent, talking nonsense as he drifted in and out of sleep, and said he didn't want to go to bed. So He Lezhi just sat there with him.

"I feel awful, Lezhi," Zhou Muyao whimpered with his eyes closed.

He Lezhi reached down and perfunctorily patted his head.

"It's not a headache. My heart hurts," Zhou Muyao said, grabbing his hand and resting it under his cheek.

He Lezhi, looking at his phone, asked casually, "Why?"

"Because I'm scared," Zhou Muyao said.

He Lezhi asked again, "Scared of what?"

Zhou Muyao fell silent.

He Lezhi had heard too much incoherent rambling from him when he was drunk and didn't take it seriously.

After a while, he suddenly felt something wet on his hand. He Lezhi thought Zhou Muyao had drooled on him and was about to pull his hand back when he glanced down and saw that Zhou Muyao was actually crying.

He Lezhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What are you crying about?" he asked.

Zhou Muyao's voice was muffled; he was really crying. "Lezhi, I'm in so much pain."

"What's wrong?" He Lezhi bent down and asked him, "What's wrong, Xiao Hei?"

Just as He Lezhi thought he was about to say something clingy to be coaxed, he saw another tear slide from Zhou Muyao's eye. With a heavy nasal tone, Zhou Muyao said, "I want that memory to disappear, but I just can't forget it. I want to apologize to you every day... but I don't dare."

His expression was one of genuine pain. He Lezhi stared at him for half a minute, his own expression gradually becoming serious.

"What memory?" He Lezhi brushed his thumb over his eyebrow. "Tell me. It's okay."

"It won't be okay. I'll lose you," Zhou Muyao said.

He Lezhi said, "You won't. What's wrong?"

Zhou Muyao asked, "What will it take for you to forgive me?"

He Lezhi said, "I forgive you."

"You won't." Zhou Muyao opened his eyes to look at him, then immediately closed them again.

His brows furrowed in agony. "I made a mistake, and I don't dare to tell you. I'm too scared. I remember it every day, but I don't want to hide it from you... I feel so awful I could die."

He was sounding quite serious. He Lezhi paused for two seconds, then asked softly, "What did you do?"

Zhou Muyao gripped He Lezhi's wrist tightly, his palm drenched in sweat.

He Lezhi realized his own palm was sweating too.

"Xiao Hei," He Lezhi called calmly. "What are you afraid of?"

Zhou Muyao seemed to have briefly fallen asleep for a few minutes. Now, still drowsy, he recalled the earlier pain and lowered his head, pressing his forehead against He Lezhi's palm, muffling his voice in the sofa.

"I hooked up with someone."

Zhou Muyao forced the words out, his voice filled with a tearing pain, as if foreseeing his own death sentence. "I messed around with someone else... I'm going to lose you sooner or later, Lezhi."

He Lezhi froze on the spot. He stared down at Zhou Muyao, dazed, his expression one of bewilderment.

Every word was simple, yet he just couldn't understand.

Everything in the room was quiet. Soon, even Zhou Muyao became quiet. The alcohol had finally made him confess the thing in his heart that he had always been afraid of. Having lost his sobriety, he returned to his true nature—one that disliked lies and preferred a pure, transparent love.

He Lezhi just sat there for an hour.

He thought with self-mockery, 'So someone's sky really did fall.'