56: Chapter 56 Goes Further

At eight o'clock in the evening, Chen Fan left the house carrying a bag containing a Swarovski necklace and a Ferrero Rocher gift box.

He had happened to see the Ferrero Rocher while grocery shopping at the supermarket; thinking that girls all liked chocolate, he had bought a box on a whim.

After arriving at a pavilion in a secluded part of the residential area, he took out his phone and sent a message to Lin Xi.

[Chen Fan: Come down for a bit; I'm waiting for you at the pavilion in the northwest corner of the community.]

[Lin Xi: You're back?]

[Lin Xi: I'll be right down.]

Two minutes later, Chen Fan saw a familiar figure walking toward him.

A simple white T-shirt paired with denim shorts perfectly showcased Lin Xi's graceful figure.

"Chen Fan."

She walked to the edge of the pavilion and called out to him, her tone carrying a hint of excitement that she deliberately tried to restrain, as if trying to remain demure.

Chen Fan smiled. "Come and sit."

Lin Xi sat down beside him, glanced at the two bags next to his hand, and couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile, yet she still asked casually, "What are these?"

"These chocolates are for you—Ferrero Rocher, a foreign brand. Take them back with you later; you can let your parents try some too."

"Mhm~" Lin Xi responded obediently.

"And this is a surprise I prepared for you."

"What surprise?" Lin Xi's eyes instantly lit up.

Chen Fan handed her the bag containing the Swarovski. "Open it and see for yourself."

Lin Xi took the bag, unwrapped the packaging, and opened the box.

A delicate butterfly necklace, shimmering with a crystalline glow under the faint light of the streetlamp, lay quietly inside the box.

Lin Xi fell in love with it immediately.

"Is this...?"

"A Swarovski crystal necklace."

"This... this must be very expensive, right?"

"It's not expensive, just a few thousand yuan."

Lin Xi's hand paused, and her expression shifted from delight to shock.

"A few thousand yuan?" She looked up at him. "Chen Fan, where did you get so much money?"

Chen Fan was stunned for a moment, then realized—she didn't know.

On the night they had dinner, when he mentioned he had "made some money," Lin Xi happened to be looking down at her phone and hadn't asked for details afterward.

She only knew he wrote novels, but she had no idea exactly how much he earned.

"Didn't I tell you? I've made some money writing novels."

"I thought you meant a few hundred... at most one or two thousand." Lin Xi looked down at the necklace in her hand, then back up at him. "A necklace worth thousands of yuan—this is too precious, I can't accept it."

As she spoke, she tried to close the box and push it back into Chen Fan's hands.

Chen Fan didn't take it, looking at her with a smile. "You're pushing away a gift I'm giving you?"

"But it's just too expensive..." Although Lin Xi loved the necklace, she couldn't bring herself to accept it. She liked Chen Fan for who he was and didn't want him to think she was with him because of his money or his things.

"Xixi, listen to me." Chen Fan held Lin Xi's shoulders and looked at her with a serious expression.

"I really have made quite a bit of money writing novels; a few thousand yuan is nothing to me. But last time you treated me to dinner, you spent over two hundred yuan, and back then, that was all the pocket money you had. In comparison, the value of what you've given me is much higher."

Lin Xi was taken aback, blinking, not knowing what to say for a moment.

It seemed... that made sense?

"So, can you accept it now?"

Lin Xi looked down at the necklace, then at him, and suddenly asked, "Then tell me, exactly how much money have you made?"

Chen Fan looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and decided to tell the truth.

"A few hundred."

"A few hundred? A few hundred yuan?"

"Ten-thousand."

Lin Xi's fingers tightened slightly. "A few... million?"

"Mhm."

Lin Xi's eyes widened. "Then why didn't you say anything the night we had dinner?"

"I was afraid if I said it, no one would be able to enjoy their meal." Chen Fan smiled. "Besides, aren't I telling you now?"

Lin Xi opened her mouth, wanting to say something else, but seeing Chen Fan's grinning face, she swallowed her words.

Chen Fan held the necklace out to her. "So, can you accept it?"

Lin Xi looked at the necklace, then at him, and whispered, "Then help me put it on."

"As you wish."

Chen Fan smiled, took the necklace, and moved behind her.

The pavilion was very quiet, save for the distant chirping of insects. Lin Xi felt his fingers gently brush aside the stray hairs at the back of her head, and the clasp touched the skin of her neck, feeling cool.

"There." Chen Fan said.

Lin Xi looked down; the butterfly necklace rested perfectly in the hollow of her collarbone, shimmering in the afterglow of the streetlamp.

She looked up at Chen Fan. "Does it look good?"

Chen Fan looked at her and nodded. "Beautiful, like a fairy."

Lin Xi's face flushed red. Just as she was about to say something, Chen Fan pulled her into his arms and sat her down on the pavilion's bench while holding her.

"Chen Fan!" she cried out softly, struggling to stand up. "We're... we're outside!"

Chen Fan didn't let go, looking at her with a smile. "This place is very secluded, and who would be around this late at night?"

Lin Xi didn't speak. She looked up at Chen Fan and saw his eyes burning with intensity as he looked at her.

"Chen—" Before Lin Xi could finish, her lips were sealed by Chen Fan's.

After the kiss, Lin Xi's face was bright red. She glared at Chen Fan and began to straighten her clothes, which he had rumpled.

Chen Fan watched her with a cheeky grin.

Seeing his playful expression, Lin Xi couldn't help but swat him. "You're still laughing."

Chen Fan quickly feigned a plea for mercy. "My mistake, I'll stop."

Seeing Chen Fan's antics, Lin Xi couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Not angry anymore?" Chen Fan put his arm around Lin Xi and stroked her head.

Lin Xi didn't speak, but simply curled closer into Chen Fan's embrace.

After they shared a moment of tenderness, Chen Fan estimated it was getting late and said, "It's late. I'll walk you upstairs."

"Mhm~" Lin Xi nodded, then somewhat reluctantly pulled away from Chen Fan's embrace.

When they reached Building 8, where Lin Xi lived, Chen Fan glanced at her. "Go on up."

"Goodnight~"

At the entrance to the stairwell, Lin Xi turned back and waved to Chen Fan again before heading inside.

Watching her disappear into the stairwell, Chen Fan withdrew his gaze, leaned back against a bench, and let out a long breath.

He was feeling quite worked up tonight; he'd probably need a cold shower to cool down.

...

Carrying the gifts from Chen Fan, Lin Xi wondered if she should hide them from her parents.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain.

Arriving at the front door, she opened it cautiously and saw her parents watching TV in the living room.

So she stood on her tiptoes, hoping to sneak into her room.

"Xixi, what are you holding in your hand?" Her mother, Zhang Yuhua, suddenly spoke.

Her expression stiffened. She turned around to see her mother looking at her with a smile, while her father, Lin Wenhua, sat nearby with a stoic face, his emotions unreadable.

Lin Xi quickly put on a smile and walked over to her mother, showing the bag of chocolates. "Mom, these are chocolates Chen Fan brought back from Chang'an. They're supposedly a foreign brand. Have a taste."

"And what about this one? Is it also chocolate?" Zhang Yuhua looked at the other bag in Lin Xi's hand with a knowing smile.

"This... this is a gift Chen Fan gave me."

"Is it this?" Zhang Yuhua pointed to the necklace around Lin Xi's neck.

A flash of panic crossed Lin Xi's eyes. How could she have forgotten to take off the necklace and put it back in the box?

Now that her mom had seen it, she had no choice but to admit it.

"Yes."

"Can Mama have a look?"

Lin Xi hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded.

Then she slowly took the necklace off from around her neck.