Chapter 249 The Twentieth Day of Entering a Restricted Novel

Chapter 249: Day 20 Inside a Restricted Novel

But An Yi got it.

Looking at Chu Chen's eyes, now brimming with pure, unreserved joy, he felt that being with him was... honestly, pretty great.

Every emotion was written all over his face, and he laid every bit of his care out in the open, plain and sincere.

He smiled, dropping the teasing, and simply switched off the meteorite lamp in his hand again.

"Mm." An Yi's voice came out easy, trailing off into the afternoon: "I'm pretty happy too."

Chu Chen smiled, letting his heart lead as he naturally edged a small step closer to An Yi.

Their sleeves brushed softly as they walked, whispering with a faint rustle.

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Dusk crept in, softly folding the day's noise into its gentle embrace.

But the city didn't sleep; it woke to a different kind of energy.

Countless lights blinked on one by one, tracing the cold, sharp outlines of skyscrapers. On the winding, crisscrossing roads, streams of headlights linked up, merging into flowing rivers of light.

From afar, it looked like another dazzling, bustling river of human stars spilled over this steel forest, mirroring the darkening sky above, where a few stars hung scattered.

The revolving door of the An Group headquarters slid open, and An Yi stepped out, still carrying the faint chill of the conference room's AC.

An early-autumn breeze, cool and light, brushed his face, stirring the soft bangs on his forehead.

Beside him, Chu Chen shadowed his every step, his slightly curly hair ends playfully tousled by the night breeze.

They'd just wrapped up a long meeting about the project's next phase. The results were solid, but the nonstop brainpower had left them both a little drained.

They'd agreed to grab dinner together—a small reward for the stressful day.

The restaurant was one Chu Chen had randomly picked nearby on his phone's map—a clean, neat-looking spot just a few minutes from the office.

The waiter showed them to a private room, brought the dishes out quickly after they ordered, and slipped out quietly.

With a soft click, the room went completely quiet.

All that remained was the faint hum of tea warming in the white porcelain pot and the light, tempting aroma of the food.

Warm yellow light spilled down from above, catching the elegant line of An Yi's nose.

An Yi was looking down, nudging the little ceramic chopstick rest in front of him with his fingers, as if trying to get it into the perfect spot.

In the dim light, his profile looked like warm jade carved by a master craftsman—smooth, elegant lines, with long, thick lashes throwing faint shadows under his eyes.

Beautiful. Really beautiful. Chu Chen didn't dare look any longer.

He sat across from An Yi, trying to look away but getting pulled back to those hands without realizing it.

Under the warm light, those hands seemed to have their own soft glow—long and slender, fingertips delicate but strong, faint blue veins showing through the skin as he moved.

There was something indescribably pleasing about them.

Chu Chen watched An Yi's fingers move across the table, light and shadow shifting with each motion, and his scattered thoughts drifted off before he even noticed. His throat went dry—

Almost on instinct, he reached across the small stretch of table and gently caught the fingertips An Yi was using to adjust the chopstick rest.

An Yi: "...?"

The touch and warmth made him freeze mid-motion. He looked up, surprised, shooting Chu Chen a puzzled glance, his eyes full of clear question marks.

At almost the same instant, Chu Chen realized what he'd just done.

He yanked his hand back like he'd been burned, his face flushing from his cheeks to the tips of his ears, even his neck going faintly pink.

"Sorry!" he blurted, his voice tight with nerves, like a kid caught red-handed: "I... I didn't mean to..."

He didn't know why, but he'd just had that split-second impulse.

An Yi found his instant flush and flustered panic amusing.

He slowly pulled back the fingers Chu Chen had held, the tips still seeming to retain the other man's warmth and a faint dry texture.

He spread his fingers slightly, then curled them back, as if savoring the brief contact. His face stayed neutral, but a faint smile flickered in his eyes.

Chu Chen watched An Yi pull his hand away, and a wave of disappointment hit his chest.

He pressed his lips together, then, very seriously, laid his right hand on the table in front of An Yi, palm up, fingers slightly spread, and said in a sincere tone: "An Yi, you can... hold mine too."

That way they'd be even, and... he secretly thought, with a mix of shame and anticipation, that he was really too wicked—he actually wanted to hold An Yi's hand.

An Yi dropped his gaze and glanced at the hand offered to him.

The owner of that hand was staring at him now, eyes eager and full of hope.

A teasing chuckle slipped out of An Yi's throat.

Then he held out two fingers and, as if picking up some delicate little trinket, gently pinched the tip of Chu Chen's outstretched index finger.

He looked up, smiling playfully at Chu Chen, his voice dripping with teasing: "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

The second An Yi's fingertips touched him, something shot from the point of contact up his whole arm, a strange tingle that nearly made him shiver.

Every nerve in his body seemed to zero in on that tiny patch of skin An Yi had pinched. At An Yi's teasing question, he blanked for a second, then instinctively answered honestly in his head: Ah... he... really had done it on purpose.

It was the kind of on-purpose that came from wanting to be close to An Yi.

He was really too wicked.

He opened his mouth, but before he could get the words out, An Yi had already let go. Those two cool fingers withdrew, as if taking all feeling from his arm with them, leaving only a hollow, wistful ache.

Chu Chen stared at the finger that had been so favored, a strong urge rising in his chest—wanting An Yi to pinch it a few more times, or... just hold his hand outright.

An Yi had already picked up his chopsticks and started eating. Chu Chen slowly pulled his hand back, wrapping the pinched finger in his palm.

An Yi caught his dazed look and smiled, eyes curving: "Why aren't you eating? Want me to feed you?"

Chu Chen's ears were bright red, his eyes hopeful: "Really?"

"No." An Yi laughed. "Just messing with you."

"...Oh."

Okay then.