I’m No Longer Human After Being Blacklisted – CH34

Chapter 34 – A Personal Visit to the Restaurant

Jiang Xiwen asked, “Are you sure about this?”

Lin Jiu: “I’m very sure.”

“Alright, as your new manager, I’ll negotiate your contract termination with the company.” Jiang Xiwen put on her sunglasses, picked up her handbag, and left.

Lin Jiu walked her to the door. “Xiwen, I’m sorry.”

Jiang Xiwen let out a small laugh. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for. If anything, I should apologize for not taking better care of you.”

“You were so young when I signed you to the company. You didn’t understand much, and your personality doesn’t really fit in this industry. I thought with time, you’d slowly adapt. But years have passed, and you’re still that quiet, stubborn boy you were back then. You haven’t changed at all. Since the industry couldn’t change you, it’s time for you to leave and live the life you want.”

Jiang Xiwen waved goodbye, her high heels clicking as she walked away.

“Xiwen,” Lin Jiu called after her. She turned around.

“Take care of yourself. You don’t look well.”

Jiang Xiwen smiled but didn’t respond.

Her complexion wasn’t just bad; she looked truly exhausted.

Lin Jiu waited for news from Jiang Xiwen. In the afternoon, he opened all the small Black Star Pearls he had brought back this time. He removed the pearl meat and stored it in the refrigerator, setting a constant temperature.

Of all the small Black Star Pearls he’d brought back, only three contained pearls—a low yield, but at least the quantity was decent.

Lin Jiu counted the Black Star Pearls he had opened. There were 113 in total, which was a very good haul. Most were between 8mm and 28mm in size, with only a dozen or so larger ones, though none were as large as the ones he kept hidden in his freezer.

The pearls stored in the freezer were enormous, and taking them out would probably shock people. On the other hand, the pearls from these small Black Star Pearls were the perfect size. Still, it was better if pearls over 30mm didn’t appear on the market.

Lin Jiu carefully picked out the 13 largest ones and stored away the remaining 100. These would be his leverage for breaking his contract.

Based on the system’s previous appraisal, 33 Black Star Pearls ranging from 9mm to 26mm were valued at 50 million. If Blue Lord was willing to offer 150 million, Lin Jiu would sell all 100 pearls.

The smallest pearl this time was 8mm, but the largest was 28mm, so Blue Duke was definitely getting a good deal. And to sweeten the deal, he was even throwing in an extra pearl to make it a clean 100. It was clear Blue Lord was getting the better end of the bargain.

Lin Jiu tried to convince himself, even though deep down, he felt like he was being overly greedy.

After two minutes of self-reflection, Lin Jiu got ready to prepare dinner at the restaurant.

By now, the line for dinner service had already formed. Lin Jiu parked his bike by the window, took out his keys, and opened the restaurant.

Lin Jiu felt someone watching him—a soft, inquisitive gaze, but without any malice.

He turned around, seemingly unintentionally, and met a pair of smiling eyes.

The man gave Lin Jiu a pleasant and gentle impression, his demeanor refined and friendly. He smiled warmly at Lin Jiu. “Hello.”

Lin Jiu replied with a brief “Hello” before expressionlessly entering the restaurant.

Shi Shuqing’s smile didn’t falter as he turned to look at the chalkboard menu outside the door, which listed the day’s dishes:

Seafood Rice (small portion) / ¥298
Seafood Rice (medium portion) / ¥1098
Seafood Rice (large portion) / ¥3998
Shrimp Tail Sashimi / ¥3998
Sashimi Platter (standard) / ¥8998
Steamed Shrimp Claws (serves 2-4) / ¥29998

Shi Shuqing stood at the front of the line, his calm demeanor giving the impression of someone with endless patience. He had already politely declined several offers to share a table.

Lin Jiu opened the door, inviting the customers inside to dine.

Returning to the semi-open kitchen, Lin Jiu said, “Orders at the counter.”

Shi Shuqing smiled and asked, “Can I order the steamed shrimp claws even though I’m dining alone?”

Beneath Lin Jiu’s mask, his expression was unreadable, but his dark eyes gleamed. “The restaurant doesn’t allow waste. You won’t be able to finish it alone.”

Shi Shuqing: “What if I can finish it?”

Lin Jiu, knowing the size and energy of the ingredients, confidently replied, “You won’t be able to finish it.”

Shi Shuqing chuckled, “Then I’ll call some friends to join me.”

Lin Jiu nodded, “Let’s wait until your friends arrive.”

Shi Shuqing ordered again, “In that case, I’ll have the large seafood rice and the sashimi platter.”

Lin Jiu assessed his capacity, “That’s fine, please wait a moment.”

Shi Shuqing returned to his table. The second, third, fourth, and fifth tables followed, each guest going to the bar to place their orders. Although each table ordered different dishes, Shi Shuqing noticed that Lin Jiu didn’t take any notes. He simply listened once and began preparing the food.

Shi Shuqing kept observing Lin Jiu, watching him deliver the dishes to each table with perfect accuracy, and he started to guess what abilities Lin Jiu might possess.

Lin Jiu brought out Shi Shuqing’s order. “Enjoy your meal.”

Shi Shuqing looked at the beautifully colored seafood rice, then at the sashimi platter. The presentation was exquisite, almost like a work of art. Unfortunately, the portions weren’t large: three brightly colored pieces of fish with silver fat marbling, shaped like flower petals, three plump white shrimp tails, neatly sliced white seafood meat, and two pieces of what looked like oyster meat, which appeared especially succulent.

The soy sauce was in a small dish, and the bright green wasabi was placed on a perilla leaf.

Everything seemed familiar to Shi Shuqing — wasabi, perilla leaves — but only after tasting would he know what was truly different.

What intrigued him the most were those three vibrant pieces of fish. They looked like salmon, but the color was unusual, and he’d never seen fish with such silver marbling.

He tasted the fish first.

He picked up a slice and placed it in his mouth.

The fish was cold and melted instantly. The silver fat was incredibly flavorful, and the taste was extraordinarily fresh — it was indeed a rare delicacy.

As he swallowed, a warm sensation spread from his stomach to his limbs. If it were a regular person, they’d simply feel relaxed and very comfortable, but Shi Shuqing wasn’t ordinary. After just one bite, a familiar energy surged through his body, far surpassing the effect of drinking ten energy drinks!

Just as Shi Shuqing was deeply shocked, the door to the restaurant opened, and two familiar faces walked in.

Si Xu: “…”

Jiang Ge: “…”

Shi Shuqing: “…”

The three of them exchanged surprised looks. They had only been talking last night about how they wanted to try the food here but couldn’t get a reservation. And now, here they were, all at Demon Fish Restaurant.

After resting in the morning and handling urgent work in the afternoon, Si Xu had planned to come and talk to Lin Jiu tonight about whether or not he wanted to disclose information about his ingredients to the relevant authorities. If Lin Jiu didn’t want to, the restaurant might have to shut down. After all, if the place stayed open, it was only a matter of time before the special powers department would find out.

But he was late. There was no need for that conversation anymore. The vice-captain of the Enhanced Humans, Shi Shuqing, was already eating here.

By the look on Shi Shuqing’s face, it was clear he had realized the energy contained in the ingredients.

Shi Shuqing quickly regained his composure and smiled at them. “I wanted to order the steamed shrimp claws, but the boss wouldn’t sell them to me alone. You guys came just in time. Let’s eat together.”

Si Xu: “…”

Jiang Ge: “…”

Jiang Ge, bound by his confidentiality agreement, didn’t dare say a word.

Lin Jiu walked over and noticed their strange expressions. “Do you know each other?”

Shi Shuqing smiled silently. Si Xu couldn’t deny it, as they might have to work together in the future. “Yes, we do.”

Lin Jiu sensed the tension between the three and offered, “Why don’t you move to a private room?”

Shi Shuqing grinned, “A private room would be perfect.”

With that, he stood up, carried his seafood rice and sashimi platter, and headed straight for a private room.

Shi Shuqing now understood where Si Xu’s vagueness the previous night had come from. He never would have guessed that the ingredients at Demon Fish Restaurant contained such potent, unknown energy.

It seemed their focus had been all wrong. Lin Jiu’s value might not lie in himself, but in the energy-rich ingredients he had access to.

Lin Jiu noticed Jiang Ge’s conflicted expression and looked at them curiously. “What’s wrong?”

Si Xu sighed softly and whispered, “He probably wants to talk to you about the ingredients.”

Lin Jiu glanced at the prominently displayed “Dining Rules” on the wall. Weren’t they clear enough?

Si Xu, seeing Lin Jiu’s calm demeanor, as if he wasn’t worried about people discovering the truth about his ingredients, added, “Would you like to talk to him?”

Lin Jiu asked, “Can I refuse?”

“You can refuse me, but it might be harder to refuse him. If not now, then another time. Eventually, you’ll have to talk.”

Lin Jiu shrugged. “That sounds like a hassle. Let’s talk, then.”

Si Xu reassured him, “Don’t worry. You don’t have to force anything. Just speak your mind. I’ll support you.”

Lin Jiu’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Thank you.”

Si Xu knew Lin Jiu was smiling, but with the mask on, he couldn’t see it.

Lin Jiu said, “Why don’t you head to the room? I’ll prepare something to eat and be right there.”

*

While preparing the food, Lin Jiu thought about how to handle the upcoming conversation.

He was well aware that his ingredients were perfectly fine — fresh, nutritious, and beneficial to the body with no harmful side effects. However, they were unknown species. Whether they were exposed or investigated, it would likely result in fines and a restaurant closure. Worse, if the ingredients were tested and categorized as rare or protected species, his little shop would be doomed, with no place to sell his goods except for personal consumption.

Lin Jiu finished preparing the steamed shrimp claws and placed them on a wooden tray. The other four tables stared at the enormous shrimp claws, some taking photos and videos. The shrimp claws were truly massive, an extremely rare sight.

Lin Jiu placed the sauce in a small dish and carried the shrimp claws to the private room.

Seeing such large shrimp claws, Shi Shuqing had mentally prepared himself, but he was still quite shocked.

Lin Jiu didn’t say a word. After setting down the steamed shrimp claws, he went back to bring two large portions of seafood rice, shrimp soup, and a shrimp tail sashimi platter.

Because of this unexpected guest, Lin Jiu didn’t have time to prepare anything new for Si Xu. They just had to eat what was available.

Shi Shuqing spoke gently, “Can I take a few minutes of your time to chat?”

Lin Jiu put down the tray and sat in an empty seat, “What would you like to talk about?”

Lin Jiu could sense a wave of energy radiating from Shi Shuqing, like a transparent shield enveloping the entire room. He was puzzled but didn’t show it.

Si Xu, equally sensitive, also noticed something unusual, but not as clearly as Lin Jiu.

Shi Shuqing asked, “Can I ask where your ingredients come from?”

Lin Jiu remained expressionless, “Did you read the ‘Dining Rules’?”

“I did, but this is important, so I still want to ask. Can you tell me?” Shi Shuqing’s tone was polite and inquisitive, making it impossible to dislike him.

Lin Jiu stared at Shi Shuqing for a few seconds before responding, “You know this is important, yet you’re still asking?”

Shi Shuqing: “…”

Si Xu: “…”

Jiang Ge, who had been silently eating, choked and started coughing uncontrollably.

Shi Shuqing chuckled helplessly, “To be blunt, the ingredients here are crucial to people like us with special abilities. We really need them.”

Lin Jiu gave him a curious look, “So, are you asking where they come from so you can catch them yourself?”

Shi Shuqing: “…”

The conversation was hitting a wall.

Shi Shuqing took a deep breath, still smiling, “If possible, we’d like to acquire them in large quantities.”

Lin Jiu understood, “Sorry, but you really can’t. And don’t even think about acquiring them in bulk. It’s not realistic.”

Jiang Ge wanted to warn Lin Jiu to be careful with his words. After all, Shi Shuqing was the vice-captain of the Enhanced Humans. Those people weren’t ordinary, and offending them wasn’t wise.

Shi Shuqing smiled, “So, can I take it that only you can obtain these ingredients?”

Lin Jiu replied indifferently, “You can think of it that way.”

“So, the year you disappeared, and the months you’ve been missing since — were you preparing these ingredients?” Shi Shuqing’s tone was certain.

Lin Jiu couldn’t hide such things. Anyone who paid attention to him would know without needing official personnel to investigate.

“Yes,” Lin Jiu admitted directly.

Shi Shuqing pondered, “Can you guarantee that you’re the only one who can get these ingredients?”

“Of course,” Lin Jiu replied, unless someone else went to the Demon Sea Dimension and was chosen by the demon-hunting system.

Only then did Shi Shuqing relax a little. “I mean no harm. I’m just concerned that others might also discover these ingredients. That would be a huge loss for us because it’s not just us who need them — others need them too.”

Shi Shuqing pulled out his credentials. “Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Shi Shuqing, the vice-captain of the Enhanced Human Squad in the Special Powers Safety Management Department. Our department was established fairly recently, and we have far fewer enhanced humans than other forces. This has become a significant shortcoming. We’re working hard to strengthen the training of enhanced humans, but unknown energy is dangerous and mysterious. Acquiring it is extremely difficult. If you could join us, your help would be invaluable to our efforts.”

Si Xu glanced at Shi Shuqing, surprised at how direct he was. Whether Lin Jiu was an enhanced human or not, Shi Shuqing wanted him to join the squad.

Lin Jiu looked at Shi Shuqing’s credentials and returned them to him. “What are enhanced humans and unknown energy?”

Lin Jiu had a vague understanding but wasn’t entirely sure.

Shi Shuqing explained, “You can think of ‘enhanced humans’ as people with superpowers. Unknown energy is a mysterious force discovered on Earth that can enhance the human body, giving people extraordinary abilities.”

Lin Jiu thought for a moment. “Like the superpowers in novels and sci-fi movies?”

Shi Shuqing nodded, “Pretty much.”

Lin Jiu radiated calm, but inside, he was frantically questioning his system. ‘Is this still the world I know? Are there more like me out there?’

The system responded, [You are the last of the Siren race. Don’t doubt your origins]

‘How can I not doubt it?’

[You possess the last remaining Siren bloodline, which was activated by demonic energy, making you a true Siren.]

*So there really were Sirens on Earth?*

*There’s no need for concern. If the Sirens existed on Earth, they should have gone extinct by now without demonic energy to sustain them.*

*If they’re extinct, how do I have Siren blood?*

For a moment, Lin Jiu had the impulse to find out who his biological parents were, but he quickly suppressed it.

He had been abandoned as a child. His parents had given birth to him but didn’t want him. He hadn’t even been sent to an orphanage; they had just tossed him away.

According to Grandpa Lin, he had been found by the river. When Grandpa Lin discovered him, little Lin Jiu was soaking wet, half of his body submerged in the water, with only his head and shoulders above the surface, crying loudly.

Throwing a baby into the river clearly indicated they hadn’t wanted him to live. Grandpa Lin always said it was a miracle he survived. So Lin Jiu had never thought about finding his parents, and the fleeting thought just now was only out of curiosity about which side of his family had Siren blood.

‘Are enhanced humans still considered human?’

The system replied, [Asking about information unrelated to the host requires using magic points. Do you wish to proceed?]

[Forget it, I won’t ask anymore.]

[Boss Lin is a cheapskate, stingy as can be, don’t expect to trick him into giving away any magic points.]

Why ask for something that costs magic points when there’s a free option?

Lin Jiu said, “Then, are you guys still human?”

Shi Shuoqing: ‘…’

Si Xu: ‘…’

Jiang Ge: ‘…’

None of the three expected Lin Jiu, after all his deep thinking, to ask something like that.

Shi Shuoqing coughed lightly, “Of course we’re human. The unknown energy just activates our genetic potential, it doesn’t change our species.”

“Oh.” Lin Jiu seemed a bit disappointed. The loneliness of being different was something no one could understand.

“If I don’t join you, can I still run my shop?” Lin Jiu asked directly, not bothering to beat around the bush.

Shi Shuoqing caught his meaning, “That will be up to the higher-ups to decide.”

“Alright, go back and ask them first. Let me know when there’s a decision. In the meantime, my shop will continue operating as usual. If they decide that I can’t keep my shop open unless I join you and reveal the source of my ingredients, that’s fine too. I’ll just close the shop and eat the ingredients myself. No point in wasting them.”

Lin Jiu stood up. “Please, take your time, I have to get back to work.”

Shi Shuoqing: “…”

Si Xu: “…”

Jiang Ge: “…”

The three of them watched Lin Jiu leave, speechless.

Shi Shuoqing turned to Si Xu in disbelief, “Has he always been like this?”

Si Xu: “Like what?”

Shi Shuoqing thought for a moment, “…A conversation killer.”

Si Xu burst out laughing, “Of course not, it depends on whose conversation he wants to end.”

Shi Shuoqing said, “I didn’t mean to pressure him.”

Si Xu said slowly, “Vice-Captain Shi, you’ve seen his attitude. The shop is his, the ingredients are his. Whatever plans you have, you can’t forget that. If you make him unhappy, he really will shut the shop down and eat everything himself.”

Whether it was the Demon Fish shop or the ingredients, they all belonged to Lin Jiu. Whether he wanted to share them was entirely up to him.