Chapter 4: Crossing Boundaries

The morning after Zhang Jun’s confession, Li Wei woke up feeling as though he were carrying the weight of the world. Sleep had been elusive, replaced by a constant replay of Zhang Jun’s words: “I care about you, Wei. More than I probably should.”

He dragged himself out of bed, hoping a strong cup of coffee would bring some clarity, but as he stood by the window of his small apartment, staring at the bustling city below, his thoughts refused to settle.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

Their arrangement had been simple, free of strings, emotions, or anything resembling the complexities of a relationship. But Zhang Jun had changed the rules, and now, Li Wei felt like he was teetering on the edge of a precipice.

His phone buzzed on the counter, startling him. He hesitated before picking it up, half-expecting another message from Zhang Jun. Instead, it was a notification from work—a reminder about the quarterly sales presentation he had to prepare.

Li Wei sighed, relieved for the distraction. He couldn’t afford to let personal drama interfere with his professional life, especially now that he was gunning for a promotion. Work, at least, was predictable.

---

The day passed in a blur of meetings and spreadsheets, but Zhang Jun was never far from Li Wei’s thoughts. By the time he returned home, the tension in his chest had only grown worse.

He collapsed onto the couch, his mind replaying their conversation over and over again. Zhang Jun’s vulnerability had caught him completely off guard. For all his bravado and confidence, Zhang Jun had never shown this side of himself before.

Why did he have to say it?

Li Wei groaned, burying his face in his hands. He needed advice, someone to help him make sense of this mess.

Without thinking, he grabbed his phone and called Mei, one of his closest friends.

“Li Wei!” she answered, her cheerful voice a welcome relief. “What’s up?”

“I need to talk,” he said, his voice tight with urgency.

“Uh-oh. Sounds serious,” Mei replied. “Give me the details.”

Li Wei hesitated. “It’s about Zhang Jun.”

Mei was silent for a moment before she let out a knowing sigh. “What did he do this time?”

“It’s not what he did—it’s what he said,” Li Wei admitted, his heart pounding as he recounted the conversation from the previous night.

When he finished, Mei let out a low whistle. “Wow. That’s… a lot.”

“You’re telling me,” Li Wei muttered.

“So what are you going to do?” Mei asked.

“I don’t know,” Li Wei admitted. “I thought we had everything figured out. But now, it feels like everything’s falling apart.”

“Li Wei, let me ask you something,” Mei said, her voice softening. “How do you feel about Zhang Jun?”

Li Wei froze. He’d been so focused on Zhang Jun’s feelings that he hadn’t stopped to examine his own.

“I… I don’t know,” he said finally.

“Come on, Wei. You’ve known him for years. You’ve been in this arrangement for weeks. You must feel something.”

Li Wei sighed. “I care about him. Of course, I do. But I don’t know if it’s enough. What if I ruin everything?”

Mei chuckled. “Wei, you’re always so worried about the ‘what ifs.’ Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith.”

“A leap of faith?” Li Wei repeated, his voice skeptical.

“Exactly,” Mei said. “Look, I can’t tell you what to do. But if Zhang Jun is willing to put himself out there, maybe you should too.”

Li Wei thanked her and ended the call, but her words stayed with him.

---

That weekend, Zhang Jun invited him over for dinner again. Li Wei almost declined but decided against it. Avoiding Zhang Jun wasn’t going to solve anything.

When he arrived, Zhang Jun greeted him with his usual charm, but there was a tension in the air that neither of them could ignore.

“Dinner smells great,” Li Wei said, trying to break the awkward silence.

“Thanks,” Zhang Jun replied, his voice unusually subdued.

They ate in near silence, the clinking of chopsticks against plates the only sound between them. Li Wei could feel Zhang Jun watching him, waiting for him to say something, but the words refused to come.

Finally, Zhang Jun set his chopsticks down and leaned back in his chair. “We can’t keep doing this, Wei.”

Li Wei looked up, startled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, this… whatever we’re doing… it’s not working,” Zhang Jun said, his voice calm but firm. “I need to know where you stand.”

Li Wei’s heart raced. “Jun, I—”

“Don’t overthink it,” Zhang Jun interrupted. “Just tell me how you feel.”

Li Wei hesitated, his mind racing. He thought about Mei’s words, about the leap of faith she’d urged him to take.

“I’m scared,” he admitted finally.

Zhang Jun’s expression softened. “Scared of what?”

“Of ruining everything,” Li Wei said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Of losing you.”

“You’re not going to lose me,” Zhang Jun said, reaching across the table to take Li Wei’s hand. “I’m not going anywhere. But I need to know if you’re willing to give this a chance.”

Li Wei stared at their intertwined hands, his chest tightening with a mix of fear and hope.

“I don’t know if I can promise you anything,” he said honestly. “But I’m willing to try.”

Zhang Jun’s lips curved into a small, genuine smile. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

---

Their relationship didn’t change overnight. It was a slow, tentative process, full of awkward conversations and small, meaningful gestures. But for the first time in weeks, Li Wei felt like they were on the same page.

They still spent their evenings together, cooking, watching movies, and sharing quiet moments that felt more intimate than ever before. But now, there was a sense of openness between them, a willingness to confront the emotions they’d both tried so hard to ignore.

And as the weeks turned into months, Li Wei found himself falling deeper than he ever thought possible.

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