Chapter 250 The Twenty-First Day of Entering a Restricted Novel

Chapter 250: Day 21 of Transmigrating into a Restricted Novel

After dinner, the two strolled slowly along the pedestrian path by the river to help digest their meal.

The river's surface reflected the neon lights from the opposite shore, shattering into broken, dreamy ripples of light.

The night breeze was cool and pleasant against their faces.

After walking for a while, the sound of melodious guitar playing and singing drifted over from up ahead.

A small street performer team was putting on a show in the open space by the river, with a small crowd of passersby gathered loosely around them.

They seemed to be hosting some kind of event—beside them stood a handwritten sign that read: "Song Requests & Interaction, Speak Up for Love."

An Yi and Chu Chen had originally planned to walk straight past, but the sharp-eyed young lead singer spotted the two strikingly handsome men walking side by side—especially An Yi, who, under the night sky and neon lights, looked almost unrealistically beautiful.

The slightly taller one was gazing at the person beside him with such deep affection.

They're *that* kind of couple, right?

They're a couple!

The singer's eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted enthusiastically into the mic: "Hey! You two handsome guys over there! Yeah, I'm talking to you! You two look so good together! Wanna request a song? Dedicated to the one next to you?"

At that, several nearby passersby turned their curious gazes toward them, with friendly smiles and curious looks.

A few people even raised their hands to their mouths and let out an "Ooooh" and started egging them on.

Clearly, the singer and a lot of the onlookers had gotten the wrong idea about their relationship.

Chu Chen stopped dead in his tracks.

Hearing words like "perfect together" and "dedicated to the one next to you," his heart skipped a beat.

But... instinctively, he opened his mouth to explain himself: "No, we're not—"

But "not" what?

Not *that* kind of relationship?

The words got stuck in his throat, and he realized he didn't want to say them at all.

He didn't want to deny this misunderstanding that linked him so closely to An Yi.

An Yi also stopped.

He turned his head and happened to catch Chu Chen's furtive glance.

Those eyes, reflecting the neon lights, looked like stars submerged in water, clearly reflecting his own figure in them.

Watching Chu Chen's conflicted expression—wanting to explain but not wanting to let go of the misunderstanding—An Yi suddenly found it kind of amusing.

He turned to the singer, smiled, and nodded: "Sure, sing one for us."

Chu Chen's heart was pounding like crazy.

An Yi... admitted it?

He... he didn't deny people saying we're "perfect together"?

He said "us"?

Sing one for *us*?

Chu Chen's mind went blank with a buzz, like fireworks had gone off inside his head, painting everything in brilliant color.

An Yi took in Chu Chen's reaction, watching his dazed expression, and the corner of his mouth curved up almost imperceptibly.

He looked down at the empty guitar case in front of the singer, pulled out his wallet, and dropped all the cash he had into it.

Seeing this, Chu Chen quickly did the same.

But he had no cash on him, so he just pulled out his phone and scanned the code to transfer two thousand yuan to the singer.

The singer, mid-love-song, went wide-eyed—a big spender!

He immediately sang with even more enthusiasm!

A song request here cost twenty-five yuan, but that handsome guy had just transferred him two thousand!

And the other gorgeous one had also dropped a bunch of bills into his guitar case!

He hadn't counted exactly, but it was at least eight or nine bills!

Damn!

He really had good instincts!

What a great way to drum up business! Wishing these two generous gentlemen a lifetime of happiness!!

Standing there listening to the singer finish the song, An Yi raised his hand and gave a light clap, then turned to Chu Chen, who was standing right behind him, and smiled with his eyes: "Let's go."

Politely declining the singer's offer to play another song, An Yi took the lead and walked away.

Chu Chen, as if a switch had been flipped, followed An Yi with stiff, clumsy steps.

The singer shouted into the mic: "Wishing you two a hundred years of happiness!!"

They walked quite a ways, until the surrounding noise was once again replaced by the quiet sound of the river breeze, before Chu Chen slowly snapped out of his shock and daze.

But his heart was still pounding like a drum, blood rushing joyfully through his veins.

He stole a glance at An Yi's calm profile, and a thought burst forth like bamboo shoots after spring rain, growing wildly—could An Yi be... would he... is it possible... that he's said yes to being with him?

This thought made him so excited he was almost trembling.

He couldn't hold it in anymore.

"An Yi!" He stopped in his tracks.

An Yi stopped too, turned around, and looked at him quietly, waiting for him to go on.

Chu Chen met his gaze. All the words he'd prepared beforehand—the ones he'd learned from various guides, the ones meant to create a romantic mood—had completely slipped his mind.

All that was left was the most direct longing.

He took a deep breath and looked An Yi dead in the eyes: "An Yi, I... I like you. Like, really, really like you."

"Will you be with me? Like, the kind of relationship where we can hold hands forever, take walks forever, and proudly tell everyone we're 'perfect together'?"

After he spoke, he held his breath, his heart in his throat.

An Yi smiled, reached up to cup Chu Chen's cheeks, which were warm and flushed from nervousness.

The instant Chu Chen felt his fingers brush his face, his eyes widened even more.

Joy came flooding in, endless and overwhelming.

Then, he heard An Yi speak, his voice softer than the river breeze, yet each word landed crisp in his ears and carved itself into his heart:

"Okay." An Yi looked at him, a smile glowing in his eyes like spring water cracking through ice: "Dr. Curly."

He smiled and said, "We're together now."

We're together.

A huge, pure joy burst inside him like a star going supernova!

An Yi wore a gentle smile, so radiant it outshone the neon lights around them.

"An Yi!" Chu Chen wanted to wrap his arms tightly around An Yi, to wrap his arms tightly around his waist and back, to bury his head in the crook of An Yi's neck.

But he didn't dare—they had just gotten together.

He flailed his arms and legs awkwardly for a second, then couldn't stop himself from hopping up and down twice.

An Yi tilted his head and let out a soft laugh—so cute.

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They walked side by side along the sidewalk bathed in the warm yellow glow of streetlights, their pace unhurried, as if they both wanted to savor this just-confirmed moment a little longer.

The streetlights stretched their shadows long behind them, and with each step, the shadows shortened and lengthened, overlapping intimately, as if they couldn't be separated.

An Yi's apartment wasn't too far from the river—just over ten minutes on foot.

Soon, it came into view ahead of them.

The landscaping by the building's entrance was meticulously kept, with layered shades of green visible even at night. Soft courtyard lights were hidden among the plants, casting dappled, swaying tree shadows on the ground, separating the area from the noise of the nearby street and creating a relatively quiet, private space.

They stopped in front of the cool, glowing glass door at the apartment entrance, facing each other.