51: Chapter 51 Swarovski

Naturally, Chen Fan had no idea what was happening back at the jewelry store.

By now, he was already in a taxi heading toward the Century Golden Blossom Bell Tower store.

The two shopping malls were very close; he reached his destination in less than ten minutes.

After entering Century Golden Blossom, Chen Fan quickly found the Swarovski counter.

Following the sales associate's recommendation, he spent over four thousand nine hundred yuan on a necklace suitable for a young girl like Lin Xi.

It had a very long name.

Something called the Swarovski Atelier Swarovski Romantic Flower Bloom.

In reality, it was just a butterfly-shaped necklace.

It was small and delicate.

It would definitely look great on Lin Xi.

After leaving Century Golden Blossom, he checked the time; it was already past five in the evening.

It looked like he wouldn't be able to head back today.

He needed to find a hotel to stay in.

However, after a busy afternoon, Chen Fan's stomach was growling uncontrollably, so he had to go eat first.

After a simple meal, Chen Fan prepared to head to a hotel.

When it came to hotels, Chen Fan naturally wanted to stay in a five-star one. He basically didn't consider cheap hotels; wasn't the point of making money to spend it?

Chen Fan didn't know much about the current hotels in Chang'an.

Ten or so years in the future, the most famous one would naturally be the W Hotel in Qujiang, but he wasn't quite sure which was the most luxurious right now.

He opened Baidu on his phone to search.

The speed of the 3G network was indeed subpar, but after a few minutes, he finally found the answer he wanted.

The best hotel in Chang'an right now was the Sofitel on Renmin Square in the Xincheng District. Online, it was described as the only hotel with a large garden of rare trees.

Chen Fan decided to stay there for a night to see how it was.

After arriving at the Sofitel.

Chen Fan looked up at the French-style building. It wasn't the glittering, ostentatious luxury he had imagined; instead, the grayish-white exterior walls and simple lines gave it a sense of low-key elegance.

Walking up to the front desk, Chen Fan said, "I'd like a room with a king-sized bed."

The receptionist asked with a smile, "Hello, sir. We have Deluxe King Rooms and Executive King Rooms. The Executive rooms are on the higher floors and come with Executive Lounge benefits. Which one would you prefer?"

"What are the prices for each?"

"The Deluxe King Room is 1,188 yuan per night, and the Executive King Room is 1,688 yuan per night," the receptionist replied with a smile. "Executive rooms are on the 12th floor and above, offering a better view and complimentary access to the Executive Lounge. We have afternoon tea in the afternoon, and Happy Hour with light snacks and drinks in the evening."

She paused, then added, "Both include breakfast."

"I'll take the Executive room, for two nights first." Chen Fan handed over his ID card.

The Executive room was only 500 yuan more expensive, so of course he chose that.

The receptionist took the ID card, her fingertips tapping briskly on the keyboard for a few moments before she looked up with a professional smile:

"Hello, Mr. Chen. Two nights in an Executive King Room comes to a total of 3,376 yuan. This includes breakfast for two. The Executive Lounge is on the 15th floor and is open from 2 PM to 10 PM. Afternoon tea is from 2 PM to 4 PM, and Happy Hour is from 5 PM to 7 PM. Will you be paying with cash or card?"

Chen Fan pulled a bank card from his wallet and handed it over.

The receptionist took the card, swiped it through the POS machine, and handed him the PIN pad: "Please enter your PIN."

Chen Fan pressed a few buttons, and the machine emitted a 'beep' as it spat out a receipt. The receptionist tore off the receipt and handed it back along with the bank card: "Please sign here to confirm."

Chen Fan signed his name. She tore off one copy for him and kept the other for her records.

"All set, Mr. Chen. This is your room card, Room 1508 on the 15th floor. The elevators are this way." She pointed toward the right side of the lobby. "The room has been prepared as non-smoking for you. Enjoy your stay."

Chen Fan took the room card and bank card, nodded, and turned to walk toward the elevators.

The elevator stopped on the 15th floor. When the doors opened, the hallway was covered in deep gray carpet. On the walls hung several black-and-white old photos of Xian—the old shadow of the Bell Tower, the silhouette of the City Wall, and street-side food stalls. The lighting was a warm yellow, hitting the photos and giving those old times a bit more warmth.

Room 1508 was at the end of the hallway. Chen Fan swiped his card and entered.

The room was larger than he had imagined. A two-meter-wide king bed occupied the center of the space.

Chen Fan walked in, placed his backpack on the bed bench, and began to look around the room.

To the right was an open-style walk-in closet,

And to the left was the bathroom. When he pushed open the frosted glass door, the lights inside automatically turned on.

It had a double-vanity design, with two sinks on either side and a vanity mirror in the middle. On the counter were four bottles of toiletries—shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion—all English brands that Chen Fan didn't recognize.

He returned to the center of the room, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains.

In the distance, he could see the silhouette of the Bell Tower.

He stood before the window.

On the nightstand sat a tray containing two bottles of mineral water, two glass tumblers, a packet of coffee, and two boxes of tea bags.

Beside it was a small box. He opened it to find four handmade chocolates wrapped in gold foil and dusted with cocoa powder.

Under the box was a hand-written welcome card with neat handwriting:

"Welcome to the Sofitel on Renmin Square, Xian. May you have a wonderful time in this ancient capital."

Chen Fan picked up a chocolate and put it in his mouth; the slight bitterness of the cocoa and the sweetness of the cream melted on his tongue. He leaned against the headboard, watching the light outside slowly dim, suddenly feeling that this thousand-plus yuan was quite well spent.

After resting for a night in a room worth over a thousand yuan.

The next day, after Chen Fan finished breakfast at the hotel.

He took a taxi to the university where Chen Tong was—Changan University of Arts and Sciences.

Arriving at the school gate, Chen Fan originally thought he would be stopped.

To his surprise, he could just walk in freely.

Was university gate management really this loose these days?

However, he didn't plan on going in. He pulled out his phone, found Chen Tong's number, and dialed it.

A minute passed after dialing before Chen Tong finally picked up.

"Hello, Xiaofan? Why are you calling now? Your sister is in the middle of a class."

"Hehe," Chen Fan laughed somewhat sheepishly, "I'm at your school gate~"

"Ah? What did you say?" Chen Tong's voice jumped an octave. "You're at my school gate? Which gate?"

"Just the main gate."

"Wait for me, wait for me! I'm coming down right now!"

Half a minute later, Chen Tong's voice came through again: "Okay, okay, I'm out. Wait for me, I'll be there in five minutes."

"No rush, take your time—"

Before he could finish, the call was disconnected.

Barely three minutes had passed when Chen Fan saw a familiar figure sprinting toward him at high speed.