Chapter Thirteen: Changing Apartments?

Yesterday, after the other party swallowed the lighter, Yan Xuan repeatedly admonished him not to swallow his things again.

Though Yan Xuan wasn’t sure if his words were truly understood, today the little black baby really refrained from devouring anything within Yan Xuan’s domain.

Suddenly, a piercing scream from outside shattered Yan Xuan’s thoughts.

He hurried to open his door. “Sister Zhou, what’s wrong?”

This was one of his three neighbors, a woman in her thirties. Seeing Yan Xuan emerge, Sister Zhou rushed over. “Yan, I think our place is haunted!”

“What?” Yan Xuan was startled. “What do you mean?”

Hauntings were things he’d always considered far-fetched; he’d never seen a ghost in his life. Still, with the existence of the Black Hole System as a cheat code in his possession, who could say for sure that ghosts didn’t exist?

The terror on Sister Zhou’s face was genuine, making Yan Xuan’s skin crawl.

“I was just on the balcony tending to my plants—you know, I’ve been working overtime lately, haven’t had the chance…” Sister Zhou was a supermarket promoter nearby, quick-witted and always articulate. “…So I was pruning some branches, when suddenly, with a whoosh, a shadow swept past and the cuttings simply vanished!”

The sound effects in Sister Zhou’s retelling left Yan Xuan dumbfounded, dread rising in his heart. Sure enough, the next moment, he saw his little black baby spinning out from the balcony.

Startled, Yan Xuan rushed forward to cover the little black baby, but before he could, Sister Zhou pointed to a spot on the floor. “Look, right there!”

As she spoke, she began to turn, and Yan Xuan’s heart leapt into his throat. He quickly grabbed her arm.

After a few words of comfort, Yan Xuan discreetly retrieved the little black baby. Back in his room, he questioned the system carefully and learned that, while the little black baby could devour all sorts of things, there were indeed limits.

For example, he could only consume ownerless items.

Anything belonging to someone else was completely off-limits.

Yan Xuan hesitated, wanting to ask if his belongings counted as ownerless, but on second thought, the little black baby was rather obedient. After being told off yesterday for swallowing his things, today, even when hungry, he went off to find food elsewhere, never touching Yan Xuan’s possessions.

At dinner, Yan Xuan went out to eat and, along the way, had the little troublemaker devour a few things to sate its appetite.

There was no denying that clothes make the man. Clad in an expensive new outfit, Yan Xuan drew plenty of glances that day. While eating, two young women even approached to ask for his WeChat.

Surprised and a little flattered, Yan Xuan politely turned them down. Still, he noticed that the wounds left by Zhou Man were healing quickly. Indeed, from a new vantage point, the pain of the past seemed negligible.

The next morning, Yan Xuan rose early, hailed a taxi, and returned home with the many bags he had bought yesterday.

He’d already told his parents last night. Since it was the weekend, his mother would have left early for the market, and he wanted to help.

His parents lived in an old suburb, in a timeworn apartment complex built decades ago. The buildings were all six stories tall with no elevators. His family lived on the second floor—a relatively good spot.

At the sound of the doorbell, footsteps approached inside, and a little girl opened the door. “Brother!”

“Hey, Lanlan.” Yan Xuan smiled at his little sister, Gu Lan.

Once inside, his father, Old Gu, emerged from the kitchen and nodded to him. “You’re back.”

“Dad, I’m back. I bought you a shirt,” Yan Xuan said, picking out a package from his bags and handing it over. “And this—some dendrobium for you to brew in tea.”

Old Gu blinked in surprise. “Why spend money on such things?”

“Come on, Dad, it’s from your son. Just keep it.” His mother, Ding Rong, also came out of the kitchen. “Son, I bought so much food today.”

“Great, I’ll help you cook in a bit.”

“Brother, did you bring me a present?” Gu Lan tugged at his arm, swaying gently.

“Of course. You’re our little princess.” Yan Xuan grinned. “Where’s the big princess?”

“She went downstairs to meet someone. I heard she’s bringing her boyfriend home today.” Gu Lan’s eyes sparkled as she whispered, “I’ve met him before. I don’t like him.”

“Oh?” Yan Xuan handed her the gifts. “There’s a dress for you and a set of the latest stationery. You and Sis can share.”

“Wow, thank you, brother!”

Yan Xuan smiled, ruffling her hair, before passing the rest to his mother.

“Mom, these are for you.”

“You child, why waste money on me? I’m already getting on in years.” Ding Rong was both pleased and worried as she looked at the presents. “Spending so much—are you sure you have enough left? And what about things with Manman?”

Yan Xuan forced a strained smile. “Mom, we broke up.”

“Oh, how—” Ding Rong started to ask, but Old Gu gently drew her aside.

“Let the boy be,” Old Gu said. Though only Yan Xuan’s stepfather, he understood men well. The look on Yan Xuan’s face told him there was a story.

“Fine, you two talk.” Ding Rong sighed and returned to the kitchen.

Old Gu handed Yan Xuan a cigarette, and the two stepped onto the balcony to smoke together.

“Son, I may be your stepfather, but all these years, I’ve treated you as my own,” Old Gu said after half a cigarette.

Yan Xuan nodded. “Dad, I feel the same. If not for you, my mother would’ve struggled to raise me.”

Old Gu shook his head. “Your mother is a capable woman. Marrying her was my fortune. I won’t meddle in your affairs, but she does hope for a grandchild.”

“I know. It’s just, she wasn’t right for me.”

“I understand.” Old Gu nodded, not pressing for details. If his son said it wasn’t right, then it wasn’t. He trusted him.

“How’s work lately?”

“Better and better.”

“That’s good. Come home more often when you can. Ding Rong might not say it, but she misses you. And stop buying so many things; we have everything we need.”

Yan Xuan nodded, finished his cigarette, and stubbed it out. “Dad, would you like to move? Somewhere more spacious, with an elevator. It’d make things easier for Lanlan’s schooling too.”

“Huh?” Old Gu was taken aback, not quite understanding. But before he could ask, the doorbell rang.

Father and son emerged from the balcony just in time to see Gu Ming, the eldest daughter, entering with her boyfriend.

“Dad, this is Song Yang—you’ve met him,” she said.

Old Gu nodded silently. He was a man of few words, but Gu Ming didn’t mind.

“The big princess is back,” Yan Xuan teased. Though not related by blood, the siblings were close in age and had always gotten along well, never missing an opportunity to joke when they met.