36: Chapter 36 Shopping

The two strolled along leisurely, chatting and laughing, and before they knew it, the sun had risen directly overhead.

There were more and more people in the park, the sunlight was becoming warm, and the snack stalls by the street wafted out waves of fragrance, adding a touch of worldly bustle to the air.

Lin Xi rubbed her stomach, sniffed lightly, and muttered in a low voice:

"It seems... I'm a little hungry."

Chen Fan glanced at the sky, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly:

"It's already noon, let's go get something to eat first."

"Sure, what shall we eat?"

"I haven't decided yet, but let's agree on this first: I'm treating you this time, no refusing allowed. You paid for the tickets this morning."

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment, then her eyes curved gently.

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

After the two left the park, Chen Fan led Lin Xi to the bus stop sign.

Lin Xi looked at him with some confusion, "Where are we going now?"

"You'll know when we get there~"

The bus didn't take long before it slowly drove over.

Chen Fan reached out to protect Lin Xi, letting her board the bus first, while he followed behind and paid the fare.

There weren't many people on the bus, so the two found a seat by the window in the back row.

Lin Xi still couldn't help it; she turned her head to look at him, her curiosity impossible to hide:

"Where exactly are you taking me?"

Chen Fan looked at her sparkling eyes, smiled, and deliberately kept her in suspense:

"Taking you to eat something delicious."

Lin Xi pursed her lips and smiled, stopped asking, and obediently sat by the window.

The bus drove for half an hour when Chen Fan gently reminded her:

"We're here."

After they got off the bus, Chen Fan led her towards their destination.

They didn't walk far before Lin Xi's eyes widened slightly—

She hadn't expected that Chen Fan was actually taking her to a KFC fast-food restaurant.

In fact, Chen Fan had considered taking her somewhere else to eat. There was a Western restaurant in the county, and while the cost was quite high for the county, it didn't mean much to Chen Fan, but taking her there would have seemed too deliberate.

After thinking about it, KFC was the most suitable.

In this day and age, KFC was still a rarity in the county; the first KFC fast-food restaurant had only opened last year, and it was still the only one in the county to this day.

Thanks to this scarcity, while KFC hadn't reached the point where ordinary people couldn't afford it, it was definitely considered a rather high-end place in the county.

Unlike over a decade later, where if you treated a girl to KFC, she would probably feel it was embarrassing.

Lin Xi tugged on his sleeve gently and whispered, trying to persuade him:

"It's a bit expensive here, let's just eat something casual."

"It's fine, we agreed, this time you listen to me."

After saying that, Chen Fan led her into the KFC.

Arriving at the counter, the cashier's eyes lit up when she saw the two.

The guy was handsome, the girl was beautiful; what an eye-catching young couple.

She subconsciously took a few extra looks before smiling and saying:

"Welcome, what would you like to order?"

Chen Fan looked at Lin Xi and said, "What do you want to eat?"

"You order, I'm fine with anything."

Chen Fan thought for a moment and said:

"Two spicy chicken leg burgers."

"A pair of New Orleans roasted wings, and an order of Colonel's chicken nuggets."

"A medium order of fries, and an order of mashed potatoes with gravy."

"Two medium colas."

"And two Portuguese egg tarts."

"Okay, that will be 80 yuan in total."

Lin Xi tugged at Chen Fan's sleeve, "You ordered too much, we can't finish it."

"Don't worry, I have a big appetite."

After Chen Fan paid, he took Lin Xi and found a clean seat by the window.

After waiting for ten minutes, the meal buzzer rang softly.

Chen Fan got up and walked to the front desk, then came back carrying the tray.

He took out a chicken leg burger and handed it to Lin Xi, "Eat it while it's hot; it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Having strolled all morning, Lin Xi's stomach had long been rumbling with hunger. Upon smelling the aroma of the burger, she immediately began to enjoy it.

Even though she was starving, she ate with extreme refinement, pursing her lips slightly, chewing slowly and swallowing carefully. Her long eyelashes drooped, casting faint shadows under the warm yellow lights. Occasionally, when she ate something a bit hot, she would gently wrinkle her nose, only to quickly smooth it out again, looking quiet and well-behaved.

The crispiness of the fried chicken, the slight sweetness of the salad dressing, and the fluffiness of the bun spread in her mouth. Her eyes lit up slightly, and the corners of her mouth curled into a faint arc unconsciously.

Compared to Lin Xi's refinement, Chen Fan's way of eating seemed quite wild.

A burger went down in four or five bites, while Lin Xi's burger had barely decreased by 1/3.

After finishing one burger, Chen Fan felt like he hadn't eaten anything, so he went to order a beef burger and another chicken leg burger.

Lin Xi was already full halfway through. The other small snacks like the chicken wings and mashed potatoes were finished, but there was still a small half of the burger left.

Her appetite wasn't big to begin with, and she really couldn't eat anymore, so she looked at the half-burger in her hand with some difficulty.

"What's wrong, can't finish it?" Chen Fan looked at her and asked.

"Mm~ I can't eat anymore." Lin Xi nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Chen Fan glanced at the half-burger, then at her slightly puffed-out cheeks, and didn't say much, just naturally reached out and took it.

"It's okay, don't waste it; it just so happens I'm not full yet."

Lin Xi watched as Chen Fan naturally took the half-burger and ate it in two or three bites, but the next second, she froze completely.

That was... the burger she had just bitten into.

Her mind went "buzz" and instantly went blank. Immediately after, a sentence she didn't know which romance novel she had seen it in popped out uncontrollably—

"This, isn't this an indirect kiss..."

Her cheeks "whooshed" and burned up, turning red from the roots of her ears all the way down to her neck.

"What's wrong, are you not feeling well?"

"No, it's nothing." Lin Xi lowered her head, not daring to let Chen Fan see her reddening neck.

"If you're done eating, let's go."

"Mm."

After leaving the KFC doors, Lin Xi's complexion had returned to normal, only a trace of red remained on the tips of her ears.

"Where do you want to go this afternoon?" Chen Fan looked at Lin Xi and asked.

"I'm a bit tired, I want to go home."

Lin Xi's head was spinning a bit right now. She just wanted to go back quickly and be quiet by herself; she had no heart to continue strolling.

"Alright, then I'll see you off."

"No need, I can just take the bus back myself."

Seeing Lin Xi's determined look, Chen Fan didn't insist.

"Then be careful on the way, remember to let me know when you get home."

The bus slowly drove up, Lin Xi hurriedly said goodbye to him, boarded the bus, and found a seat by the window.

As the bus started moving, she subconsciously looked back and saw Chen Fan still standing in the same spot, watching the bus leave.

Only when the bus turned the corner and his figure could no longer be seen did Lin Xi lean gently against the window and raise her hand to touch her still-burning ear tips.

On the other side, Chen Fan watched the bus disappear completely at the intersection, chuckled softly, turned around, and slowly walked back.