I’m No Longer Human After Being Blacklisted – CH15

Chapter 15 – Robbery in the Street

Zhang Liu’s expression relaxed a lot when he heard it was seafood. Opening a seafood shop in Old Street is challenging, isn’t it? Wealthy people don’t come this way; Old Street is too remote.”

Lin Jiu: “It’s alright.”

Uncle Xu, standing at the door, assessed the shop. “The decoration is really good, matches your young people’s taste. If you’re selling food, it’s best to put up a menu. Otherwise, no one will know this is a place to eat.”

Uncle Xu was the owner of the tailor shop next door, living alone while his children were away. He had rented out the second and third floors of his building. The shop business was quite slow, but since it was his own property, he wasn’t worried about paying rent.

When buying the house, Grandma Yu and Lin Jiu discussed a lot about Old Street and the neighbors. Grandma Yu had particularly emphasized that dealings with Chen Ji Noodle House required extra caution, as Chen Dong and his wife were quite shrewd.

Lin Jiu nodded, “Thank you.”

He then went inside to bring out the small blackboard.

Uncle Xu nearly choked on the words, “You should come by and give it a try sometime.” The pricing was indeed quite high; it would be hard for most people to spend so much on a bowl of food.

Zhang Liu, seeing the menu, also gasped and turned back to Chen Ji Noodle House.

Curious onlookers who had come to check out the shop were deterred by the prices.

At noon, Jiang Ge came by and saw the two flower baskets next to the golden wheat stalks. “Did you buy these flower baskets yourself? Why are there so few flowers?”

Looking up, he saw there were also quite a few flower baskets inside the shop, and they were much more beautiful than those outside.

Lin Jiu glanced at the entrance, noticing that Jiang Ge was the only visitor. “No, they were picked.”

Jiang Ge clicked his tongue, “The locals here, especially the elderly and children, can be quite something. Why did you choose to open the shop here? If you can’t find a good location, I can help you.”

“No need, this place is quite good.” This was his own house, his second home, and he really liked it.

Jiang Ge looked at the sparsely populated shop, noting that it probably hadn’t officially opened yet. He commented again on the poor location, saying that if the shop were in the city, the business would surely be booming.

Jiang Ge ordered another large serving of seafood rice, sitting in the main hall, eating and chatting.

“This seafood here is so nutritious. I ate too much last night, and this morning I woke up full of energy, like I could walk on air. Ah Xu has perked up too and is busy with company matters. He’ll probably come by in the evening; he can’t do without your seafood to keep him going.”

Jiang Ge chattered away, finishing a large portion of seafood rice and still wanting a serving of silver carp sashimi, which Lin Jiu refused without hesitation.

Before leaving, Jiang Ge grumbled that the owner was too laid-back and found it annoying.

During lunchtime, Jiang Ge was the only customer. Once the time was up, Lin Jiu closed the shop and went out. He needed to visit “Blue Jewel Jewelry” to discuss the 20 million yuan he was offered. He definitely could not accept that money. Since they had settled the price previously, he wouldn’t accept more.

He took a taxi to the city. As he was about to enter the store, someone suddenly rushed out and blocked his way. Lin Jiu, alert, took a step back, fearing an aggressive fan.

The person was well-dressed in a suit, panting as if he had run over.

The man quickly said, “Hello, I’m Zhao Wei Qi, the sales manager at ‘Kerry.’ Do you still have any pearls? ‘Kerry’ is very eager to cooperate with you. If you have any Black Star Pearls, please consider Kerry.”

The Black Star Pearls were immensely popular, far outstripping the Goddess Series.

The higher-ups at Kerry had learned that the Black Star Pearls should have belonged to them but were turned down by a shortsighted salesperson. Now they were being overshadowed by Blue Duke, and even firing that salesperson couldn’t recover Kerry’s losses.

Since the incident happened under Zhao Wei Qi’s jurisdiction, he was held accountable. He faced the anger from his superiors, who demanded he locate Lin Jiu and acquire the Black Star Pearls at any cost.

With such a large city, where could he find Lin Jiu? He had no choice but to use the most rudimentary method: wait for him to appear.

Every day he received calls from the higher-ups asking if he had found the person. Zhao Wei Qi was anxious, drinking tea to calm down, and waiting by the store, almost turning into a statue of longing.

Today, he finally spotted Lin Jiu. Seeing the familiar long hair, black hat, and black mask, he didn’t hesitate and rushed through the traffic without waiting for the green light.

“Sorry.”

Lin Jiu tried to leave, but Zhao Wei Qi blocked his way again, “Please give Kerry a chance. I am willing to apologize for the salesperson’s behavior. We are willing to offer a higher price than Blue Duke. Please consider it.”

“Sorry, please move aside.” Lin Jiu tried to avoid him, but Zhao Wei Qi, in a panic, reached out to pull him. Lin Jiu dodged, and Zhao Wei Qi’s eyes lit up when he saw Lin Jiu holding a paper bag. “Is there a Black Star Pearl in the bag? Do you have more Black Star Pearls?”

Zhao Wei Qi’s voice was loud, and with the commotion on the street, many people had stopped to watch. Especially when they heard Black Star Pearl, some quick-reacting individuals had already taken out their phones to record.

Lin Jiu pulled down his hat and tried to leave, but Zhao Wei Qi held onto him.

At that moment, a group of people from Blue Duke ran out. The security guards pulled Zhao Wei Qi aside and pushed him away.

Zhang Feiheng, the sales manager from Blue Duke, was sweating profusely. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

Since the Black Star Pearls became popular, Zhang Feiheng had finally felt a sense of accomplishment. The Black Star Pearls were bought from his store, leading to a surge in customer traffic. People came in daily asking for Black Star Pearls, and those who couldn’t get them often bought other jewelry, boosting sales significantly.

General Manager Ji had personally instructed him to stay alert. If someone selling Black Star Pearls came by, he should notify him immediately. Zhang Feiheng had been at the store all this time and had just heard from the staff that someone selling Black Star Pearls had arrived but was blocked by Kerry’s sales manager.

Zhang Feiheng and the security rushed out to intercept Zhao Wei Qi thinking: In Kerry’s dreams!

Zhang Feiheng politely invited Lin Jiu into the store, letting the store manager take him to the reception room. He contacted General Manager Ji and reported that Kerry was attempting to steal the pearls.

This was also General Manager Ji’s biggest concern: not securing exclusive sales rights for the Black Star Pearls meant they could be sold to Kerry, Blue Duke, or anyone else.

Ji Anchen rushed over as quickly as possible. Lin Jiu had just finished a glass of water.

Lin Jiu got straight to the point, “Mr. Ji, give me an account number, and I’ll transfer the money to you.”

On the way, Ji Anchen had been wondering why Lin Jiu had come again. The possibility of selling the Black Star Pearls seemed small; it might be about the money.

Indeed, Lin Jiu mentioned it as soon as they met.

Ji Anchen said, “Previously, we didn’t understand the effects of the Black Star Pearls and offered too low a price. I want to compensate you.”

“No need. I agreed to sell for 5 million, so it’s 5 million. Accepting extra money feels unsettling. Give me an account number.”

Ji Anchen looked at him, his eyes exceptionally beautiful, and said, “To be honest, I listened to your advice and kept a few Black Star Pearls for my elders. They’re eating well, sleeping well, and in good spirits. They keep saying I offered too little and urge me daily to make up the difference. I can’t do otherwise.”

Lin Jiu was silent. He could never refuse goodwill towards the elderly.

Seeing Lin Jiu’s hesitation, Ji Anchen pressed on, “The Black Star Pearls are also very helpful for patients. My cousin, who has been ill and couldn’t sleep well at night, used the Black Star Pearls and could sleep peacefully. Such valuable pearls, I can’t just let it go without compensating you.”

Lin Jiu: “……”

Could this “cousin” be referring to his idol?

Thinking back to the video posted by Si Xu, where he mentioned a cousin who gifted him a pearl, and it happened to be the day after Lin Jiu sold the Black Star Pearls…

Lin Jiu: “……”

Lin Jiu: “……”

Lin Jiu: “……”

What a coincidence. Jiang Ge is Si Xu’s friend, and Mr. Ji is Si Xu’s cousin. What kind of luck is this? Even industries that seem unrelated to Si Xu are somehow connected.

Remembering he had just sent a Black Star Pearl to Si Xu yesterday, Lin Jiu felt a bit uneasy, worried that his cover might not hold.

He touched his ear and took a box out of the paper bag. “There are 12 Black Star Pearls here. You can consider the money you gave as payment for these pearls.”

These pearls were from the small Black Star Shell he had opened last night. Each shell contained only this many pearls. Worried that Mr. Ji might not give him an account number, he decided to use the pearls as compensation, not wanting to owe anyone a favor.

The Black Star Pearls were all small, with diameters ranging from 8mm to 19mm, and they looked quite uniform.

The pearls were in a box from a certain chocolate brand, with a transparent lid that made it easy to see the Black Star Pearls inside. Ji Anchen held the box and was at a loss for what expression to make. Such expensive and rare Black Star Pearls deserved a more fitting container than a chocolate box.

Ji Anchen said, “Leave a contact method.”

Lin Jiu replied, “No need. If there’s something, I’ll come to the store.”

Ji Anchen, feeling helpless, gave Lin Jiu one of his business cards, hoping he would contact him voluntarily.

Lin Jiu accepted the card.

Ji Anchen then asked, “If Kerry keeps pestering you, do you need my help?”

Ji Anchen wanted to gauge if Lin Jiu was open to cooperation with Kerry.

Lin Jiu simply said, “No need.”

He then turned and left.

Ji Anchen was unsure of Lin Jiu’s intentions and faced another day without securing exclusive sales rights.

The security at Blue Duke kept a vigilant watch to prevent anyone from Kerry from rushing in again. They helped Lin Jiu get into his car before returning to the store.

Lin Jiu was unaware that the commotion outside Blue Duke had already been recorded and posted on social media.

Initially, the number of viewers was small, but with the headline “Black Star Pearl Original Merchant,” it caught people’s attention. The more prominent story was the public confrontation between the two major jewelry stores, Blue Duke and Kerry, which provided a dramatic spectacle for those unable to buy Black Star Pearls.

The sales managers of Blue Duke and Kerry were clearly visible in the footage and recognized by many, solidifying the fact that both stores were fighting over the pearls.

When Wen Qin called, Si Xu was at the company.

“I noticed the person in the video looks a bit like Lin Jiu. That long hair matches perfectly. They say the person is the Black Star Pearl merchant. Is it really him? Did you receive your Black Star Pearls from him?”

After hanging up on Wen Qin, Si Xu immediately searched for the video online. The video was already trending, with many people commenting, asking influential figures to find out who the original merchant was so they could buy the pearls or find a bargain.

*

Translator Note:

Hello, dear readers!

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Thank you so much for your support and understanding, and I hope you enjoy the journey ahead!