177: Chapter 177 I'll Buy You a Car

There was a hint of guilt in his gaze as he looked at Lin Xi.

But it was only for an instant.

However, Chen Fan was also clear about what kind of person he was.

Given his current circumstances, if it weren't Qiao Linlin, it would be a Song Linlin or a Wang Linlin.

He was no saint; deep down, he was just an ordinary man. It was just that fate had given him a lifetime of memories and a cheat code, allowing him more choices and confidence than the average person.

He was lecherous by nature, and there would always be times when he couldn't resist temptation.

Since he had wronged Lin Xi in terms of their relationship, he would compensate her in other ways.

However, Chen Fan had no idea how to compensate her for now.

Generally speaking, it was nothing more than buying a house or a car.

But these two things were too expensive, and given Lin Xi's personality, she likely wouldn't accept them.

Still, Chen Fan wanted to try first; if it didn't work, he would think of other ways.

"Xixi."

"What's wrong?"

"Let me buy you a car."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xi looked at Chen Fan with a puzzled expression: "Why would you buy me a car?"

"Your birthday is coming up soon, isn't it? I wanted to get you a gift, but I didn't know what to get. After thinking about it, I figured you might like a car." Chen Fan's tone was very casual, as if he were talking about something very mundane.

Lin Xi stared at him for two seconds, trying to see if he was joking, but Chen Fan's expression was so serious that it didn't look like he was faking it.

She suddenly realized that he really was capable of doing what he said.

"I don't want it." She hesitated almost not at all. "A car is too expensive. Who gives a car as a gift? Besides, my birthday is still three months away."

"You're my girlfriend; it's perfectly normal to buy you a car," Chen Fan said.

"No. I don't want it."

Lin Xi's tone was more resolute than before; it wasn't just politeness, she truly didn't want it.

She had no obsession with cars, and she had a line in her heart: dating was one thing, but she couldn't bring herself to accept something so expensive.

Chen Fan was not surprised by her refusal; one could even say it was within his expectations.

He hadn't expected Lin Xi to agree in the first place, but this was just the first step; what followed was his true purpose.

"Alright, then no car." Chen Fan's tone sounded as if he had been defeated by her; he smiled helplessly. "But tomorrow, when we go shopping at the mall, don't refuse when I buy you things. That's acceptable, right?"

Lin Xi thought about it. What could one buy at a mall? Clothes, shoes, cosmetics—at most a few thousand yuan. Compared to a car worth hundreds of thousands, it was not even in the same league.

"Okay, I promise." She said it decisively.

A hint of a smile flashed in Chen Fan's eyes.

His goal was achieved.

By settling for second best, he had managed to get Lin Xi to agree.

As for what to buy and how much to spend when they went shopping tomorrow, that would be up to him.

...

The car drove for over twenty minutes and stopped in front of a Cantonese restaurant.

Chen Fan had booked a table in advance, by the window, quiet.

He ordered the dishes: steamed sea bass, blanched choy sum, shrimp dumplings, and rice noodle rolls—all things they both liked to eat.

After dinner, they returned home. Chen Fan changed his shoes, tossed the car keys onto the entryway cabinet, and walked into the living room.

Lin Xi followed behind, changed into her light pink slippers, bent down to straighten his shoes, and then placed her own next to them, side by side.

Without much rest, the two of them went separately to the bathroom in the bedroom and the living room to shower.

Chen Fan showered quickly. When he came out, his hair was still half-damp. He was wearing a black loungewear T-shirt and dark gray trousers, and walked into the living room while drying his hair with a towel.

The TV was already on; he had turned it on earlier, and it happened to be on a rerun of iPartment.

He sat on the sofa, draped the towel behind his neck, and leaned back into the sofa.

Before long, the bathroom door opened.

Lin Xi walked out wearing a white bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a hair-drying cap, revealing a small patch of fair, smooth skin on the back of her neck.

She walked to the sofa, sat down next to him, leaned over, and rested her head naturally on his shoulder.

Chen Fan smelled the scent of her body wash—light, subtle, and very pleasant.

The episode of iPartment playing on TV was at the part where Zeng Xiaoxian and Hu Yifei were bickering.

Chen Fan had seen it countless times in his past life; he could almost recite the lines by heart, but watching it again now, it still felt very interesting.

To be honest, Chen Fan couldn't stand watching either comedy TV shows or variety shows from over a decade later; they always felt very awkward, and he didn't know why.

Lin Xi liked to watch it too; she often binged it with her roommates in the dorm. However, perhaps because it was too comfortable snuggling in Chen Fan's arms, after watching for a while, her eyes gradually drifted shut.

Her breathing became light and slow, her eyelashes trembling slightly; she was already half-asleep.

"Are you sleepy?" Chen Fan looked down at her, his voice very soft.

"Mm." Her voice was muffled, with a hint of nasal tone.

"Go sleep in the bed."

"Carry me."

Chen Fan smiled, wrapped one arm around her waist, supported her legs with his other hand, and lifted her up from the sofa.

Lin Xi wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. One of her slippers fell onto the floor, but she didn't care.

Chen Fan carried her into the bedroom and gently closed the door with his foot.

...

The next day at noon, Chen Fan took Lin Xi to the mall.

Although there were relatively few luxury brand stores in Xian in 2010, the largest mall in Chang'an already had counters for most major international brands.

Chen Fan had done his homework in advance and pulled Lin Xi directly up to the second floor to the Chanel counter.

The black and white decor was simple and clean, the lighting was just right, and each display case looked like a small stage.

A few classic bags were displayed in the glass window at the entrance, the light falling on the hardware and reflecting a soft luster.

Lin Xi paused at the entrance, took a look at the interlocking C logo, and tugged at Chen Fan's sleeve with some hesitation: "Why are we here?"

Although the brand name was written in English letters, she could still recognize that this was a Chanel counter.

She didn't know much about luxury goods, but in the dorm, Su Ting liked to flip through fashion magazines whenever she had free time, talking about which bag looked good or which one was classic. Through this constant exposure, she knew that the items inside were not something an ordinary student could afford.

"Let's go in and look. If you see something you like, I'll buy it for you," Chen Fan said casually.

"The things in here are too expensive." Lin Xi shook her head, her feet planted at the entrance, not moving.

"You promised me yesterday that you wouldn't refuse anything I buy for you."

Lin Xi opened her mouth, remembering the agreement in the car last night. Unable to find a retort, she hesitated for a moment before nodding reluctantly: "Then... okay. But don't buy anything too expensive."

"Got it. Let's go, let's go inside and take a look first." Chen Fan reached out, put his arm around her shoulder, and led her inside.