Chapter Seven: The Trap

He was out early and back late every day, so there was quite a bit of trash piling up at home, along with other things he no longer needed.

[Consumed plastic bag x1, gained 1 Devour Point.]
[Consumed old travel shoes x1, gained 5 Devour Points.]
[Consumed old magazine x1, gained 3 Devour Points.]

Yan Xuan slapped his forehead. He should have torn the magazine apart and devoured it page by page—it would have been more efficient that way.

As he was thinking this, a black ring appeared in his hand—Little Blackie had woken up hungry again.

“Food, food.” Yan Xuan was thinking about food and muttering it aloud. He subconsciously recalled the two flatbreads he’d bought last night on the table. “Come on, time to eat.”

He tore off a small piece of the flatbread and tossed it over. Little Blackie leaped up and devoured it with ease.

Yan Xuan burst out laughing—this little thing was even more fun than raising a cat or a dog. Not only was it easy to care for, it never made a mess.

The best part was that pets weren’t allowed by the landlord, but Little Blackie could hide inside his body, invisible to others.

Only when the last bit of flatbread was gone did Little Blackie still seem unsatisfied, wandering around the room. After it swallowed Yan Xuan’s lighter, he hurried over and pinned it down.

“My little ancestor, don’t just eat anything! Just take what I give you, all right?” Yan Xuan broke out in a cold sweat.

Right next to the lighter was his laptop—if that got swallowed in one bite, his whole night’s work would be for nothing.

Little Blackie seemed to understand and wriggled around.

Yan Xuan didn’t dare slack off any longer. He finally realized that this thing wasn’t an animal at all and didn’t need to be fed food—using other things instead was much more convenient.

He brought over all the unwanted items he’d found in the room and fed them to Little Blackie one by one, watching as it devoured them and finally returned to his hand and disappeared. Only then did Yan Xuan breathe a sigh of relief.

It seemed he’d have to keep feeding it things regularly, and better make sure they were items of value—otherwise, if his little ancestor got hungry and started swallowing things at random, he’d be the one to take the loss.

Anyway, with five million from the jackpot, he was so excited he couldn’t sleep. Yan Xuan simply decided to give his room a thorough cleaning. Other than the dust, everything else he found he let Little Blackie devour.

During this time, the neighbors on both sides came home, so Yan Xuan tried to move even more quietly.

By the time he finished, it was already past midnight. The room was spotless—not a scrap of waste paper remained.

And his Devour Points had reached 182.

He could redeem another prize!

Yan Xuan’s sleepy eyes brightened again as he chose a random exchange.

[Ding. Consumed 100 Devour Points. Congratulations, you have randomly obtained “Selected Fundamentals of Interior Design, Volume I.”]

What?

Yan Xuan took the book out of his system inventory. It wasn’t particularly thick, and the text inside was completely new to him—yet he could understand every word.

He opened it and found it was filled with color pages, each one a classic interior design case, followed by explanations of design concepts.

Yan Xuan was quickly absorbed after just a few pages.

These examples were truly ingenious. Many of the designs were eye-opening, and the concepts seemed to unlock a new world for him. He felt as if he’d discovered an entirely new way of thinking.

Yan Xuan went from sitting upright to lying on his bed, reading until his eyes could barely stay open before he finally set the book aside.

That night, he dreamed he was a gold-medal designer, wooing the boss’s daughter and eventually marrying her.

Even though he’d gone to bed late, nothing could dampen his spirits after such good fortune. Yan Xuan woke early, feeling refreshed.

After getting up, he checked again—he really had won five million.

He kissed the lottery ticket and carefully stored it in his system inventory.

He had breakfast near his office—a rare indulgence of two pork buns and a large bowl of wontons. Normally, he’d just grab a pancake or a flatbread with egg and a cup of soy milk for less than four yuan. But today was different.

While eating, Yan Xuan discreetly devoured all the trash and waste paper around the stall, leaving the place as spotless as a hotel lobby. Even the proprietress was stunned.

He’d accumulated 182 Devour Points yesterday, and after drawing once, had 82 left. At the breakfast stall, he easily reached his target and drew another random item.

This time it was a gadget from an alien planet. Yan Xuan didn’t find it particularly useful, but since he had it, he simply installed it on his laptop.

Breakfast cost him more than ten yuan, which he’d never have spent before—but today, he didn’t mind at all.

After all, he’d be claiming his lottery prize this weekend—tomorrow, in fact.

All morning, Yan Xuan was focused on his design work. Yesterday, he’d only completed the node diagram; today was the real challenge.

After reading that book the night before, his thinking had subtly changed. He now had a new understanding of both the floor plan and the client’s requirements.

The morning flew by as he sketched and wrote.

By noon, Tang Xueying came over to his desk. “Brother Yan, want to grab lunch?”

Yan Xuan was surprised to find the office already half empty and quickly nodded. “Sure!”

The two of them left the company together and went to a nearby bistro.

There were plenty of such small restaurants in the area, favorites among the office workers.

“Brother Yan, let’s sit here,” Tang Xueying said, tugging on his sleeve and choosing a two-person table.

She skillfully ordered two dishes, then asked, “Do you want to add anything else?”

Yan Xuan smiled, feeling a warmth in his heart.

She’d ordered stir-fried pork and shredded potatoes with hot peppers, two bowls of rice, and an egg drop soup. One meat, one vegetable—just enough for two people.

And both were his favorites.

“Let’s add a bit more,” Yan Xuan said, scanning the menu on the wall. “Let’s get sweet and sour pork, and a cup of milk tea.”

“Sure thing,” the waiter replied, quickly jotting down the order.

“Brother Yan…” Tang Xueying glanced at him. “Don’t you usually avoid sweet and sour dishes?”

“I’m fine with anything,” Yan Xuan replied with a slight cough.

He used to avoid them because such dishes were expensive—one order could cost forty or fifty yuan, enough for two days’ worth of meals at a place like this. But today was different. Soon he would be rich. Even if he wasn’t, for Tang Xueying, he was willing to spend the money.

As they chatted, someone at the next table suddenly spoke up, “Yan Xuan, you really have no shame. Letting a girl treat you, and you order all that?”