Chapter 255 The Twenty-Sixth Day of Entering a Restricted Novel (End)

He could clearly see that in the choir, several young people were already shaking violently with suppressed laughter, their faces flushed red, while still desperately maintaining their mouth shapes and producing those distorted notes.

Even the conductor's mouth was twitching uncontrollably.

He just knew it!

Chu Chen had really pulled out all the stops for him!!

And Chu Chen, standing right in front of him, clearly had zero clue anything was off with this "performance."

He was gazing at An Yi with nervous anticipation, those clear eyes mirroring the soft glow of the string lights, brimming with earnest devotion.

An Yi's gaze swept over the team members who were giving it their all vocally, watching their pitiful yet hilarious expressions that screamed "we're doing this for Dr. Chu's happiness," and suddenly, everything clicked—

All those secret preparations Chu Chen had been making for over a month... were they... rehearsing?!

A whole month of rehearsing... and THIS was the result?!

That realization was the final straw that completely broke An Yi's composure.

He slapped a hand over his face—oh my god!

"Pfft—BAHAHAHAHA..."

He couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

The laughter was clear and resonant, carrying unrestrained joy and a hint of sheer absurdity, merging with this "moving" yet "horrifying" choir performance.

He doubled over laughing, tears of mirth pricking at the corners of his eyes.

He never imagined he'd get proposed to during such a... one-of-a-kind "choral performance."

See? He'd said it all along—this world was seriously bizarre!!

Chu Chen was completely thrown by An Yi's sudden burst of laughter.

The tension and hope on his face instantly morphed into confusion and a touch of helplessness. He blinked, glancing at An Yi, then back at the team, who—because he'd turned around—were now singing even more "enthusiastically," and furrowed his brow in confusion: "An An? I... did I mess up?"

An Yi finally got his laughter under control, straightened up, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

He looked at Chu Chen's pure, genuine confusion and nervousness, and held up a hand to cut off Chu Chen's impending self-flagellation: "No! Not at all—this is adorable!"

Sure, this world was bizarre.

Sure, he'd inexplicably become the "comic relief."

But it was a blast!!

The research team, still singing: ????

Adorable?!

President An's rose-colored glasses are way too strong!

He must be head-over-heels!

Wishing them all the happiness!!

He took a deep breath, pushing down the bubbling laughter and emotion in his chest, and looked back at Chu Chen, his eyes still sparkling with leftover laughter, but his voice turning impossibly soft and clear: "Okay, Dr. Curly, I know what you're up to."

Chu Chen's eyes brightened at those words, and he dropped to one knee, holding the ring box out to An Yi.

He looked up and flipped open the velvet box, revealing a one-of-a-kind ring nestled inside.

The band was platinum, sleek and cool, but instead of a diamond, it held a small, polished shard of deep-colored meteorite—the same material as the "Starlight" lamp he'd given An Yi earlier.

"An An." Every word Chu Chen spoke seemed ripped straight from his burning heart: "I went through every piece of material I could find. They said a proposal needs ceremony, needs witnesses, needs the most heartfelt expression of sincerity."

"I don't understand complicated romance. My world is simple—before, it was only formulas and data. Now... now it's completely filled with you."

"I know I'm clumsy and I've probably messed up a lot of things, like... like this choir."

He paused, seemingly just now realizing the choir might not have been perfect, his ears burning bright red, but he pushed through anyway: "But I just wanted to tell you—I love you."

"An An."

He said the words he'd rehearsed countless times: "Will you... marry me? So I can be with you forever, legitimately and out in the open."

The off-key singing had stopped at some point.

The whole platform had gone quiet, leaving only the sound of the evening breeze.

An Yi looked down at Chu Chen kneeling before him.

The smile on his face was like a night-blooming cereus unfurling in the moonlight—soft and breathtaking.

He held out his hand to Chu Chen and said softly, "Okay."

He smiled.

"I accept, Dr. Curly."

Chu Chen's eyes went wide with overwhelming joy as he carefully slid the cool meteorite ring onto An Yi's slender ring finger.

It was a perfect fit.

He'd measured it in secret while An Yi was asleep.

The second the ring was on, Chu Chen shot to his feet and yanked An Yi into a tight hug.

Behind them, the team members who'd been holding it in forever finally lost it, erupting into thunderous cheers, whistles, and applause—a thousand times more powerful and easier on the ears than that choir.

Someone struck up the "Wedding March."

And yeah, it was off-key again. Absolutely hilarious.

An Yi, wrapped up tight in Chu Chen's arms, felt his heart hammering and his body radiating heat, heard the chaotic but heartfelt blessings around him, looked at the meteorite ring glinting on his finger, and laughed softly once more.

Still laughing, he lifted his arms to wrap around his ridiculously excited lover and whispered in his ear: "Dr. Curly, Dr. Curly, you're so adorable!!"

His voice got swallowed by the cheers, but Chu Chen heard it anyway.

He looked up, his ears flushing pink again: "An An's the cutest."

An Yi laughed: "Then we're both adorable!"

Chu Chen was drowning in overwhelming joy, as if every star in the universe had collapsed into his chest, swelling, dancing, desperate for an outlet.

He held An Yi tightly, feeling the warm, solid reality of him in his arms, a torrent of near-dizzying happiness surging through his body.

Then, that flood of emotion found its target.

He locked both arms around An Yi's waist, lowered his head, and kissed him right on those smiling lips!

An Yi was caught off guard by the sudden, fierce kiss.

However, this brazen, fiery scene left the research team members—who'd just been working so hard to set the mood—completely dumbfounded.

The cheers and the "Wedding March" stopped abruptly, as if someone had strangled them.

Everyone: "..."

An Yi: "..."

A few senior professors adjusted their glasses and did a tactical lean-back.

The younger graduate students and assistants exchanged bewildered glances, their lips twitching, their eyes filled with a complex mix of "What the hell," "They're kissing already?" and "Should we just get out of here?"

Finally, the PhD student who'd been leading the choir swallowed hard and whispered to the person next to him, "Did Dr. Chu forget we're still here?"

"So, what do we do now...?" another girl mimed sneaking away.

Everyone exchanged glances, reading the same decision in each other's eyes: time to make a run for it.

Yes, Dr. Chu's happiness matters most.

Let's leave this space to the newly engaged couple, who clearly need some privacy.

An Yi: "..."