I’m No Longer Human After Being Blacklisted – CH30

Chapter 30 – Boss Lin is Adorable

Once the last two tables left, Lin Jiu closed the restaurant and headed to the bank to check the balance on his card. It totaled 20 million.

Lin Jiu hadn’t weighed the Yin Luo fish he had sold, but it definitely wasn’t worth that much. It was clear that Si Xu had overpaid. Since Lin Jiu wasn’t sure how much extra Si Xu had given, he planned to find a chance to repay him.

With the 20 million he already had, Lin Jiu now had a total of 40 million.

Without wasting any time, he took a taxi to “Creation Star.” The sooner he could clear his debt, the better. He didn’t want to delay even a second longer. Only by resolving the compensation could he move forward with canceling his contract.

Lin Jiu went to Mr. Zhang’s office. Mr. Zhang thought Lin Jiu had finally come to his senses and was ready to agree to sell the Black Star Pearl to “Kerry.” But instead, Lin Jiu brought up repaying the compensation.

Mr. Zhang was genuinely shocked. Considering that Lin Jiu possessed the Black Star Pearl, which was highly coveted by major jewelry companies, making money would be easy for him.

The 40 million that was supposed to crush him now seemed like mere pocket change in Lin Jiu’s eyes.

Times had changed. Mr. Zhang no longer treated Lin Jiu as dismissively as he had before, especially since he didn’t know who Lin Jiu’s backer was. He couldn’t afford to offend him easily.

Mr. Zhang personally helped Lin Jiu settle the compensation. Once the payments were cleared, Lin Jiu would no longer be blacklisted, which was also the company’s plan. Lin Jiu was so popular now that even the slightest buzz about the Black Star Pearl or his little Demon Fish restaurant could quickly trend on social media. The company couldn’t pass up the chance to profit.

With a friendly tone, Mr. Zhang said, “Now that the compensation has been paid, isn’t it time to return to work? Is there a specific agent you’d prefer?”

Lin Jiu asked, “If I wanted to terminate my contract, how much would the penalty be?”

Mr. Zhang paused, looking at Lin Jiu’s striking features, and said meaningfully, “Is someone trying to poach you?”

“No, I’m just busy with the restaurant. I don’t have time to work.”

Lin Jiu didn’t want to burn bridges with “Creation Star.” After all, they had helped him when he had nowhere to go, giving him a chance at life and hope. He wasn’t one to forget kindness. Although some people in the company were unpleasant, not everyone was like that. There were also good-hearted individuals.

Relieved, Mr. Zhang replied, “How much can you make from running a restaurant? With your current popularity, it’s only a matter of time before you become a top star through singing, acting, or appearing on variety shows. Once you’re famous, money will be just numbers to you.”

Lin Jiu said, “I want to run my restaurant.”

Mr. Zhang stared at him for a long moment before saying, “Let me put it this way: your contract has 11 years left, and the penalty for breaking it would be astronomical. It’s clearly outlined in the agreement. Unlike other compensation issues, which can sometimes be negotiated down by half or more, contract termination fees are not negotiable. You’d be bankrupt before you could pay it off.”

Lin Jiu had anticipated this. What he hadn’t expected was that someone had already helped reduce his compensation by half. And whoever did it must carry significant influence.

“Can you tell me who helped me?” Lin Jiu was genuinely curious, worried it might be another trap set by the company.

Mr. Zhang scrutinized him, “You don’t know who’s backing you?”

Lin Jiu honestly didn’t.

Mr. Zhang didn’t believe the company would just let 40 million go without a good reason. If there wasn’t something more to gain, they would never have made such a concession.

“The person helping you negotiated directly with the higher-ups. I don’t know who it is either.”

If he knew, he could prepare himself accordingly and figure out how to handle Lin Jiu. But now, everything was uncertain. He couldn’t push too hard or back off too much, leaving him in a constant state of guessing.

Mr. Zhang said, “In any case, you shouldn’t be thinking about terminating your contract. Forget the penalty for a moment—just consider how much the company has invested in your career so far. You shouldn’t have those thoughts. From now on, Jiang Xiwen will be your agent.”

Lin Jiu looked surprised.

“Jiang Xiwen currently doesn’t have any artists under her. She signed you into the company, so it makes sense for her to manage you. You two should be able to work well together.” Asking Lin Jiu about his preferred agent was merely a formality.

“Isn’t she Yi Ning’s agent?”

Lin Jiu was discovered by Jiang Xiwen at a bar and signed into “Creation Star.”

At that time, Lin Jiu had just finished his high school entrance exams, and the school no longer provided accommodation. He had nowhere to go, so he relied on the money he earned from singing in bars to rent a basement temporarily. He planned to move into the school dormitory once his high school was confirmed.

He had to save money for his education, pay rent and utilities, and still eat. Every aspect of life required money, and he was living in difficult conditions.

It was under these circumstances that Jiang Xiwen found him and wanted to sign him as a star.

Fifteen-year-old Lin Jiu asked just one question, “Will there be a place to live?”

Jiang Xiwen replied, “The company has dormitories. They cover housing but not meals, though you’ll get a monthly allowance of three thousand yuan.”

Three thousand yuan was already a huge amount for Lin Jiu at the time, so he agreed without hesitation.

For someone with no way out, he had nothing to fear. He had nothing left to lose.

It was either survive or perish, and he wanted to live and move toward the future.

Jiang Xiwen took him to City A, helped him find a school, and ran back and forth until she finally got him into a high school, allowing him to continue his studies.

At that time, Lin Jiu was still very young, and Jiang Xiwen took good care of him. Lin Jiu always thought he would debut under Jiang Xiwen’s guidance, but unexpectedly, his manager was switched to Qiu Er, and Jiang Xiwen started managing other artists. Since then, Lin Jiu had almost no further connection with her.

Mr. Zhang’s expression was a bit unnatural. “Yi Ning has changed managers. Jiang Xiwen has no one under her now, so she can manage you.”

A manager’s interests are tied to their artist, and Lin Jiu had plans to leave the entertainment industry. He didn’t want to drag Jiang Xiwen down.

Before he could refuse, Mr. Zhang added, “This is the company’s decision. As long as you’re still an artist under the company, you have to follow their arrangements. Unless you can successfully terminate your contract immediately and leave, you must obey the company’s orders.”

Lin Jiu left Mr. Zhang’s office and stood in the hallway for a long time.

He knew the company was playing on emotions, trying to use Jiang Xiwen to keep him. He could ignore most people’s feelings, but he couldn’t disregard Jiang Xiwen’s.

Jiang Xiwen had been kind to him.

This was a decision the company had already made. They were just waiting for Lin Jiu to pay off his compensation before having Jiang Xiwen manage his comeback. With his current fame, returning to the industry would be easy, but whether Lin Jiu was willing wasn’t something the company cared about.

Mr. Zhang had told Lin Jiu to go see Jiang Xiwen, but Lin Jiu hadn’t thought of what to say and didn’t want to meet her right now.

He took the elevator to the practice room. Ling Chen had sent him a message, asking him to contact him once he was back.

All the practice rooms at “Creation Star” were located on the seventh floor. As Lin Jiu stepped out of the elevator, there were quite a few people coming and going. Most were trainees signed by the company who trained here daily.

Lin Jiu had already debuted, and to these trainees, he was a senior, even though he wasn’t much older than them. However, he had more experience.

Lin Jiu’s age was frozen at 19. The day he went to the Demon Sea realm, even though he spent five years there, his face bore no signs of aging. Instead, after awakening his Siren bloodline, his appearance became even more stunning.

The bloodline awakening was like a rebirth.

Lin Jiu’s entire body—his blood, bones, and every inch of his skin—had been reshaped. He now had an appearance unattainable by ordinary people, with senses far sharper than most. Even though his face was still the same, inside and out, he was no longer the person he used to be.

Sirens were born with the power to charm others. If he wanted to seduce someone, a single glance was all it would take. Since returning, he had only used his Siren abilities once, and that was to deal with some troublemakers who had blocked his way. But he knew his limits and only gave them a small lesson, without truly hurting anyone.

As he passed by several practice rooms, he heard music, dancing, and conversations, along with surprised whispers in the hallway.

“Oh my god, is that the famous Boss Lin? Look at that black mask and long, straight black hair. It has to be him, right?”

“It must be! He’s one of our company’s artists. I can’t believe he’s actually here. This is a rare sight. I really want to go up and ask for an autograph…”

“He feels so cold, kind of scary, like he’s radiating an ‘approach and you’ll die’ vibe…”

“Why is he suddenly back?”

Several trainees exchanged glances and discreetly followed him, curious about why Boss Lin had returned. If they could dig up some news and post it online, it would definitely attract a huge wave of attention.

Lin Jiu still didn’t know how popular he was on social media. His fan base was incredibly diverse. There were foodies who loved his dishes but could never get a reservation, wealthy women obsessed with the Black Star Pearl who hoped Boss Lin would sell them a few, and those who believed his food was medicinal after noticing their ailments disappear after eating at his restaurant.

There were also fans of Si Xu, who had indirectly praised Lin Jiu and switched their loyalty to him, and a large group of admirers who were simply captivated by his appearance.

Lin Jiu’s fanbase was growing rapidly, and wherever his name was mentioned, people would immediately follow to see what was happening. As a result, some people had made a career out of posting daily updates about his life online, and their follower counts were skyrocketing.

These were all ordinary photos—Boss Lin entering his shop, leaving his shop, talking, pushing a cart, or riding a bike. In every picture, Lin Jiu wore a black mask, and no matter what he was doing, he looked better than anyone else.

Underneath these pictures, there were always fans screaming in excitement, and it was always lively. The few trainees following Lin Jiu wanted to do the same and ride the wave of his popularity.

Lin Jiu paused outside a piano room, glancing back at the group of trainees, who immediately pretended to look elsewhere awkwardly.

He didn’t pay them any attention and pushed open the door.

Ling Chen was practicing the piano in that room, with Huo Wei present as well.

Lin Jiu glanced at Huo Wei, then asked Ling Chen, “You wanted to see me?”

The fourth episode of ‘Island Survival’ had already been filmed and aired, but Lin Jiu hadn’t watched it yet and didn’t know how Ling Chen had performed.

When Ling Chen saw him, he smiled and asked, “When did you get back?”

Lin Jiu replied, “Yesterday afternoon.”

Ling Chen said, “I heard you went to restock supplies. Why did it take so long? Was it far?”

Lin Jiu replied, “Yes, very far.”

Ling Chen smiled, “Thanks for helping me with the reality show.”

Lin Jiu was surprised, “You know about that?”

Huo Wei snorted, “The production team told us. They originally wanted to invite you, but since you were busy with the shop, you recommended Ling Chen to them instead.”

Lin Jiu: “…”

So direct?

Lin Jiu asked, “Do you have a manager now?”

At the mention of a manager, both Ling Chen and Huo Wei’s expressions became quite intriguing.

Lin Jiu was puzzled, “What’s going on?”

Ling Chen said, “I was about to ask you. Do you know what’s going on with my manager?”

Lin Jiu: “???”

Huo Wei said with a sour tone, “His manager is Brother Sen.”

Lin Jiu’s eyes widened slowly. “Creation Star” had only one Brother Sen, and that was Gu Xiaosen, the manager who brought first-tier male star Du Jiangting to fame.

Gu Xiaosen was the top manager at “Chuangxing,” known as Brother Sen.

For years, Gu Xiaosen had only managed Du Jiangting, so how did he suddenly become Ling Chen’s manager?

Gu Xiaosen had abundant resources and connections, and the company wouldn’t casually assign him an artist. Even if they did, Gu Xiaosen could refuse. At his level, he picked his own artists, not the other way around. Many entertainment companies and artists wanted to recruit him, so the company wouldn’t dare upset him, knowing he could take his resources and leave. They preferred to keep him happy.

“Why would it be Brother Sen?” Lin Jiu couldn’t figure it out. Why would a manager who handled first-tier stars choose someone like Ling Chen, whose career was barely holding on?

“You didn’t know?” Ling Chen said thoughtfully.

Lin Jiu blinked, “Should I have known?”

Ling Chen and Huo Wei exchanged a glance. Huo Wei shrugged, “Ling Chen thought it was through your connections that he got such a good manager.”

Lin Jiu was baffled. He was someone always ready to terminate his contract—what connections could he possibly have in the company?

“If it wasn’t you, then this is strange. Brother Sen didn’t even want to manage Yi Ning, but he chose Ling Chen. It’s so odd,” Huo Wei said, confused.

Lin Jiu froze, “Yi Ning?”

Huo Wei sneered, “There’s word that Du Jiangting might retire. The company wanted Brother Sen to manage new talent, and Yi Ning somehow heard about it. Despite everything Sister Wen did to nurture her, Yi Ning tried to pull strings to get Brother Sen as her manager. But Brother Sen wasn’t interested in her and chose Ling Chen instead. Yining then tried to go back to Sister Wen, but Sister Wen’s temper wouldn’t allow that. Yi Ning has some higher-ups backing her, so they pressured Sister Wen to keep managing her, but Sister Wen refused. The higher-ups didn’t want to lose Sister Wen, so they had no choice but to assign Yi Ning to someone else.”

Lin Jiu recalled Mr. Zhang’s expression when he mentioned Yi Ning changing managers, and a strange thought crossed his mind. Could Yi Ning’s “higher-up” be Mr. Zhang?

It seemed highly likely. Mr. Zhang was someone who acted based on his lower instincts, always pursuing women who rejected him, so he’d definitely take the bait if someone approached him first.

Ling Chen reminded him, “Where did your reality show resource come from?”

Given Lin Jiu’s situation, landing such a prime opportunity wasn’t because of his overwhelming popularity.

Lin Jiu thought for a moment. “Hold on, I’ll make a call.”

Lin Jiu opened the door and bumped into a trainee outside, startling both of them. He walked to the end of the hallway to make the call, where there was a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the cityscape of City A.

His finger hovered over the contact labeled “God of Men,” and he felt a bit nervous. This was the first time he was voluntarily calling his idol.

Last time didn’t count—he hadn’t even known that was Si Xu’s number, so dialing it had been effortless. This time was different. After pressing the call button, he considered hanging up, worried that Si Xu might be busy and that calling him out of the blue might be an inconvenience.

Before he could hang up, the call was answered. “Finally decided to call me?” came Si Xu’s voice, full of laughter. His tone made it seem like he had been waiting for Lin Jiu’s call for a long time, which left Lin Jiu wondering if he was misunderstanding.

“Are you busy?” Lin Jiu fidgeted, tapping the glass as if he were a nervous child making small gestures.

Si Xu laughed, “What could I be busy with? I canceled my concert, so I’ve got nothing going on.”

Wen Qin, who had a pile of tasks waiting to discuss: “…”

He wanted to applaud Si Xu for his self-awareness—at least he knew he had canceled the concert.

Listening to his idol laugh, Lin Jiu felt light-headed. “If you’re not busy, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” Si Xu said, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Did you help with Ling Chen’s manager?” Lin Jiu had a hunch, but he wanted to confirm it.

The expectation on Si Xu’s face immediately shattered and crumbled.

“No, it wasn’t me. Wen Qin knows Gu Xiaosen and recommended Ling Chen to him. Gu Xiaosen chose to manage Ling Chen because he has potential; otherwise, no recommendation would have worked.”

“Thank you,” Lin Jiu sincerely expressed his gratitude.

If it weren’t for Si Xu, Wen Qin wouldn’t have known about Lin Jiu, and wouldn’t have stepped in to help Ling Chen at the right time.

“I thought you called to invite me for a meal, but it turns out it’s about someone else. It’s going to be even harder to enjoy your cooking in the future,” Si Xu said, his tone full of regret.

“It won’t be hard. You’re the highest-ranked customer in my restaurant, so you have certain privileges,” Lin Jiu responded seriously.

In other words, no matter when Si Xu showed up, the private room would always be reserved for him.

Si Xu laughed, “Great. I’ll come by tonight, is that okay?”

“Y-yes, it’s fine.” Lin Jiu, feeling nervous, hung up the phone.

The sound of his idol’s laughter seemed to linger in his ears, and Lin Jiu felt as though his whole body was heating up. He practically turned into a steam engine, puffing out heat, his face turning bright red under his mask.

Lin Jiu opened the window to let the cold air in and stood there for a while before returning to the piano room with a calm expression.

Ling Chen and Huo Wei were both looking at him.

Lin Jiu said, “A customer who knows Brother Sen recommended you. You were chosen because of your own talent.”

Ling Chen and Huo Wei had complex expressions. Lin Jiu’s restaurant had become quite an accomplishment, to the point that he had broader connections now than when he focused solely on the entertainment industry.

“It’s almost dinner time. I need to head back and prepare. I’m leaving.”

Seeing that Lin Jiu was really about to go, Huo Wei hesitated for a long time before saying, “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”

Without looking back, Lin Jiu replied, “No.”

Huo Wei: “…”

Huo Wei continued, “About you and Duan Chengzhou…”

*Bang!*

The piano room door slammed shut with a loud noise, cutting off Huo Wei’s voice inside the room.

*

Dinner turned into another battlefield, with a large group of people trying to cross a narrow bridge, but only five tables could enter the restaurant.

Si Xu hadn’t heard from Jiang Ge and couldn’t reach him by phone, so he went to Demon Fish by himself.

He arrived a bit late, missing the peak entry time, and casually walked into the restaurant alone with a mask on.

“Ahhhh—!!!!!”

Suddenly, excited screams erupted from the roadside. It was a group of fans who had been waiting all day. Shivering in the cold wind, they had thought their idol wouldn’t show up today, but to their surprise, they had actually waited for him!

The group excitedly rushed over. Si Xu made a quiet gesture, pointing to the Demon Fish restaurant before walking toward them on his own.

The fans understood. Their idol didn’t want to disturb the people inside who were eating.

They restrained themselves, whispering as they spoke.

“Si Xu, are you feeling better? Has the concert been rescheduled?”

“Si Xu, can you sign something for me?”

“Si Xu, how are you planning to celebrate your birthday? Will it be with your fans?”

“Si Xu…”

Amid the barrage of questions about their idol, an out-of-place voice suddenly asked, “Si Xu, is Boss Lin really that good-looking?”

The fans fell silent.

Fans: “…”

What the heck? Weren’t the CP (couple) fans kicked out already? How did one manage to slip through?

Si Xu paused in the middle of signing, then burst out laughing.

Fans: “…”

Fans: “Ahhhh—!!!!”

Their idol laughed!

He actually laughed!

Oh my god! Why did he laugh?!

No mentioning Boss Lin and laughing!

Husband, you’re not allowed to laugh!

Si Xu quickly finished signing, “If anything is planned, the company will announce it. It’s cold tonight, head home and stay safe.”

The fans jumped and waved as they sent him off.

Si Xu took a few steps, then turned back and said, “Boss Lin is really cute.”

Fans: “…”

Fans: “Ahhhh—!!!!”

Si Xu waved at them and entered the restaurant.

*

Translator Note:

Hi guys! Thank you for your support till now, I really appreciate it XD

Just a quick announcement, so starting from Chapter 31, the posting schedule will change from everyday posts to Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday every week

For those who prefer not to wait, you can head over to my Ko-fi store and purchase the rest of the translated novel for early access.

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