Chapter 3: A New Arrangement

Chapter 3: A New Arrangement

The air in Zhang Jun’s apartment felt heavy as Li Wei sat on the couch, still reeling from their agreement. It wasn’t just the absurdity of what he’d agreed to; it was the way Zhang Jun had looked at him—confident, knowing, like he’d already mapped out the entire situation in his head.

Li Wei couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d just walked into a storm without an umbrella.

“Well, now that we’re all set,” Zhang Jun said, breaking the silence as he walked into the kitchen. His voice was casual, almost teasing, like they’d just decided on a dinner menu. “Drink?”

“I don’t think I should,” Li Wei muttered, more to himself than to Zhang Jun.

“Relax, Wei. You’re not signing your soul away,” Zhang Jun called over his shoulder. Moments later, he returned with two glasses of wine, setting one in front of Li Wei.

“Jun, I—”

“No overthinking,” Zhang Jun interrupted, his tone light but firm. He took a seat across from Li Wei, leaning back with an easy grace that Li Wei could never hope to replicate. “This isn’t a contract. It’s just us… having fun. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Li Wei picked up the glass but didn’t drink, instead swirling the dark liquid around as if it held the answers he was looking for. “I’m just worried,” he admitted after a moment.

“About what?” Zhang Jun asked, genuinely curious.

Li Wei hesitated, his fingers tightening around the glass. “About how this will change things between us. What if it gets messy? What if we can’t go back to the way things were?”

Zhang Jun leaned forward, his gaze softening. “Wei, you worry too much. This won’t change anything unless we let it. At the end of the day, we’re still friends. That’s not going to change.”

Li Wei wanted to believe him. He wanted to trust that Zhang Jun’s confidence wasn’t misplaced. But deep down, he knew that once they crossed this line, there was no going back.

---

The first time they tested their arrangement, it was awkward, almost laughably so. Zhang Jun had invited Li Wei over for dinner, insisting it was a “casual hangout.” But as the evening wore on, the tension between them became impossible to ignore.

Li Wei fidgeted with his chopsticks, barely touching his food. Zhang Jun, on the other hand, was as relaxed as ever, effortlessly charming as he regaled Li Wei with stories from his latest fashion projects.

“So then the model—this six-foot-tall guy with zero sense of humor—tripped over the backdrop and landed right on the stylist,” Zhang Jun said, laughing as he gestured animatedly.

Li Wei managed a weak smile. Normally, he would’ve found the story hilarious, but tonight, his nerves were getting the better of him.

“You’re tense,” Zhang Jun observed, his tone softening.

“I’m fine,” Li Wei lied, his voice a little too high-pitched to be convincing.

Zhang Jun leaned across the table, his gaze steady. “Wei, if you’re not comfortable, we don’t have to do this.”

Li Wei shook his head, his cheeks flushing. “No, I want to. I just… I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Zhang Jun’s lips curved into a small, reassuring smile. “That’s okay. We’ll take it slow.”

After dinner, they moved to the couch, where Zhang Jun poured them another glass of wine. The atmosphere was warm and intimate, but the unspoken tension lingered.

“Relax,” Zhang Jun said, shifting closer to Li Wei. “This isn’t a test. There’s no right or wrong way to do this.”

Li Wei nodded, though his heart was pounding in his chest. He took a sip of wine, hoping it would calm his nerves, but it only seemed to make him more aware of Zhang Jun’s presence beside him.

Then, Zhang Jun leaned in.

It wasn’t sudden or forceful. It was gentle, almost hesitant, as if Zhang Jun was giving him a chance to pull away. But Li Wei didn’t.

Their lips met, and for a moment, all of Li Wei’s doubts melted away. Zhang Jun’s kiss was warm and familiar, yet it ignited something entirely new in him.

---

The weeks that followed were both exhilarating and confusing. Their arrangement was exactly as Zhang Jun had promised—casual, unhurried, and without the complications of labels or expectations.

They would meet a few times a week, sometimes at Zhang Jun’s place, other times at Li Wei’s. They shared dinners, watched movies, and occasionally spent the night together. It was fun, thrilling even, but Li Wei couldn’t shake the feeling that he was in over his head.

Despite Zhang Jun’s insistence that nothing had changed, Li Wei couldn’t help but notice the subtle shifts in their dynamic. Zhang Jun’s texts became more frequent, often peppered with flirtatious comments that made Li Wei’s heart race. Their conversations, once light and easy, now carried an undercurrent of something deeper, something neither of them dared to name.

Li Wei told himself he was imagining it. This was what he’d agreed to, after all. Friends with benefits. No strings, no expectations.

But late at night, when Zhang Jun was asleep beside him, Li Wei would lie awake, staring at the ceiling, and wonder if he’d made a mistake.

---

One evening, after a particularly long day at work, Li Wei arrived at Zhang Jun’s apartment to find him in an unusually serious mood.

“Everything okay?” Li Wei asked as he stepped inside, shrugging off his coat.

“Yeah,” Zhang Jun replied, though his tone lacked its usual playfulness. He gestured for Li Wei to sit, pouring them both a glass of wine.

Li Wei frowned, taking a seat on the couch. “You’re acting weird.”

Zhang Jun chuckled, though it sounded forced. “Just thinking.”

“About what?”

Zhang Jun hesitated, his gaze fixed on his glass. “About us.”

Li Wei’s heart skipped a beat. “What about us?”

Zhang Jun sighed, setting his glass down on the coffee table. “I know we said no strings, but… I feel like something’s changed.”

Li Wei stared at him, his chest tightening. “What do you mean?”

Zhang Jun met his gaze, his expression uncharacteristically vulnerable. “I mean, I care about you, Wei. More than I probably should.”

Li Wei’s breath caught in his throat. This was the one thing he hadn’t prepared for, the one possibility he’d tried so hard to avoid.

“Jun, we agreed—”

“I know what we agreed to,” Zhang Jun interrupted, his voice firm but not unkind. “But I can’t help how I feel.”

Li Wei looked away, his mind racing. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They’d set rules, clear boundaries to protect themselves. But somewhere along the way, those boundaries had blurred, and now, they were teetering on the edge of something far more complicated.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Li Wei admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Zhang Jun reached out, his hand brushing against Li Wei’s. “Wei, I’m not asking for anything. I just… needed you to know how I feel.”

Li Wei looked at him, his chest aching with a mix of emotions he couldn’t name. He wanted to run, to escape the weight of Zhang Jun’s confession, but he also wanted to stay, to let himself fall into the warmth of Zhang Jun’s gaze.

“I need time,” he said finally.

Zhang Jun nodded, his smile soft but understanding. “Take all the time you need.”

---

That night, as Li Wei lay in bed alone, he couldn’t stop thinking about Zhang Jun’s words. The lines between friendship and something more had always been blurry for them, but now, they were completely erased.

And for the first time, Li Wei wasn’t sure what he wanted.

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