34: Chapter 34 Popping Balloons

Inadvertently, the two of them walked past a balloon shooting stall.

A crowd had gathered around the stall. The owner was a middle-aged man in his forties, holding an air pump in his hand. As he pumped air into the balloons, he shouted, "Ten yuan for fifteen shots! Hit all the balloons and get a plush toy for free!"

Hearing this, Lin Xi couldn't help but look toward the stall. When she saw the half-person-sized panda plush toy on the display, her eyes lit up instantly.

"Let's play this!" She tugged at Chen Fan's sleeve.

"Sure."

Seeing Chen Fan agree, a smile appeared on Lin Xi's face, and she immediately pulled 10 yuan from her pocket and handed it to the owner.

The owner took the money and handed over a gun.

After receiving it, Lin Xi turned and handed it to Chen Fan.

"Aren't you playing?"

"I'm not a good shot," Lin Xi said, feeling a bit embarrassed, as she pushed the gun into his hand. "You help me shoot, okay?"

Looking at her expectant gaze, Chen Fan nodded.

To be honest, he wasn't confident either. This balloon shooting game looked simple, but you only realized how difficult it was once you actually held the gun—it was a toy gun, so whether the sights were off or not was entirely up to luck, and the balloons were small; the slightest tremor meant a miss. He had tried it before, and hitting five out of ten shots was already considered good.

But last night, the store had just refreshed with a new item—[Shooting Mastery] for 10,000 Wealth Points.

At the time, he had glanced at it and didn't think much of it, feeling that he wouldn't need it.

But now, Chen Fan decided to buy it.

A man cannot say he is incapable.

After spending 10,000 Wealth Points to purchase Shooting Mastery, in an instant, something extra appeared in his mind—how to hold the gun, how to aim, how to control his breathing and the timing of the trigger—it was all crystal clear, as if he had practiced it a thousand times.

Chen Fan blinked and took the gun Lin Xi handed him.

"Can you do it?" Lin Xi asked in a low voice.

Chen Fan didn't speak; he raised the gun and aimed at the first balloon.

His finger rested on the trigger, and his breathing slowed—those unfamiliar memories in his mind seemed to be etched in, naturally guiding his body.

"Bang." The first balloon popped.

Lin Xi's eyes lit up.

"Bang. Bang." Two in a row, one shot, one hit.

Several children waiting to play crowded over to watch, and the owner also put down the air pump in his hand, standing to the side with great interest.

The fifth shot, the sixth shot, the seventh shot... Every shot hit steadily, the sound of the balloons popping crisp and clean.

By the tenth shot, Lin Xi was already clenching her fists nervously, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Bang." The tenth balloon popped.

A child nearby let out a "Wow."

Chen Fan didn't stop.

The eleventh shot, the twelfth shot, the thirteenth shot... until the fifteenth shot was finished, that row of balloons on the wall was completely empty, not a single one left.

The surroundings were quiet for a second, and then several children started clapping.

The owner was stunned for two seconds, then chuckled as he took down the half-person-sized panda plush toy from the shelf: "Young man, impressive! This marksmanship, have you practiced it before?"

Chen Fan took the panda and turned to hand it to Lin Xi.

Holding the half-person-sized plush toy, Lin Xi was completely stunned. She looked down at the panda, then looked up at Chen Fan, opened her mouth, and finally managed to squeeze out: "You... how are you so amazing?"

Chen Fan returned the gun to the owner and said casually: "Can't help it, I'm a genius."

Lin Xi was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You are so thick-skinned."

"Still want to play?" Chen Fan looked at Lin Xi.

"We already got this, no more," Lin Xi said, pointing at the panda plush toy.

"Then let's go."

"Mm-hmm~"

The two continued walking. Lin Xi was holding the half-person-sized panda, having to hoist it up every few steps—the panda was too big, its legs kept sliding down, almost dragging on the ground. She simply held it vertically, its head resting under her chin, its legs straddling her arms, like she was holding a child.

"Are you tired? Let me carry it for a while," Chen Fan said.

"No need." Lin Xi bounced the panda up, "I won it myself... no, you helped me win it, but I'll carry it myself."

After walking a few steps, the panda slid down again, and she scrambled to adjust her posture, almost dropping it.

Chen Fan reached out: "Give it to me."

Lin Xi hesitated for a moment, but still handed the panda over.

Chen Fan took it, grabbed the back of the panda plush toy, lifted it lightly, and said, "Let's go~"

For the time that followed, the two strolled around for quite a while longer, and it was already almost six o'clock in the evening.

"It's getting late, I have to go back~" Lin Xi looked at her phone and said to Chen Fan, looking up.

Chen Fan nodded: "I'll see you home."

"No, no need." Lin Xi quickly waved her hands, "I can go back by myself, it's not far."

"It's fine, I'm free anyway." Chen Fan said naturally, without stopping his pace, "Where do you live?"

Lin Xi glanced at him, "Zijin Garden."

Chen Fan was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected Lin Xi's home to be in the same residential complex as the new house he had bought.

"What's wrong?" Lin Xi asked.

"It's nothing." Chen Fan withdrew his gaze, "Let's go."

The two walked in silence all the way, the streetlights stretching their shadows long. Lin Xi held the panda, occasionally looking down at the road, occasionally stealing a glance at Chen Fan, then quickly looking away.

After arriving at the entrance of the Zijin Garden complex, Lin Xi took the panda from Chen Fan's hands, "Chen Fan, I'm going in then."

"Yeah, bye."

"Bye~"

Watching Lin Xi walk into the complex, Chen Fan didn't linger and walked in the direction of his own home.

It was a pity that the house in the Zijin Garden complex couldn't be lived in yet, otherwise, he wouldn't need to go back.

After returning home, Chen Fan lay on the sofa, reminiscing about the time he spent with Lin Xi today.

Walking around with a beautiful girl like Lin Xi, I have to say, this feeling is really quite nice.

Chen Fan stared at the ceiling, the corners of his mouth curling up unconsciously.

His phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw a new QQ message notification.

After opening it, it was an anime girl avatar, with the note "Lin Xi".

[Lin Xi: Are you home yet?]

[Chen Fan: Yes, I am.]

Lin Xi didn't reply immediately. After more than ten seconds, she sent a new message.

[Lin Xi: Today was very fun.]

[Chen Fan: Me too.]

[Lin Xi: I put that panda on my bedside table.]

[Chen Fan: Mm.]

[Lin Xi: It's a bit big, it takes up half the space of my bedside table.]

Chen Fan stared at the screen, pondering how to reply. He wasn't very skilled at chatting with girls.

If it's too big, just get a smaller one, right? He typed casually.

[Chen Fan: Then I'll get you a smaller one next time.]

On the other end of the phone, Lin Xi looked at the message, her cheeks warming slightly, and she couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth.

After a few seconds of silence, she gently replied: [No need, this one is just fine.]

[Alright!] After replying casually, Chen Fan left it at that.