The Warm Water Trap

[Fake aloofness (Xuan Lin) x Intuitive type (Ji Anran)]

Office gossip has its own special flavor. Xuan Lin would have enjoyed it more if he hadn't been sitting right beside the coworker everyone was gossiping about.

While everyone was talking about “Ji Anran being gay,” his coworker Ji Anran smiled and asked, “Brother Lin, can you help me move some things?”

Xuan Lin agreed, and ended up helping him all the way to a bar. Somehow, they kissed, and somehow, they became friends.

As their friendship grew closer, they shared a second kiss.

When things between them turned complicated, a third kiss came at the worst possible time, but neither of them could stop it.

After three kisses, Xuan Lin wanted to date Ji Anran.

Fortunately, Ji Anran had wanted that since their second kiss.

*

At first

Xuan Lin: Don't be friends with coworkers.

Ji Anran: Let's be friends.

Xuan Lin: Okay.

Later

Ji Anran: Team Leader Xuan, about this document...

Xuan Lin: Everyone else is gone. Let me kiss you.

/

Content warnings:

1. An office romance where they never actually work. Skip most of the work-related plot.

2. Both leads have exes, and they were each equally responsible for their past breakups. The exes appear on-page. They also had other partners while single after those breakups, but that is only briefly mentioned.

3. This is not a romance between mature men, and there is no drawn-out flirtation.

Theme: The past is a prologue.