Chapter 36 – No Need for Discussions—Let’s Sue
Lin Jiu understood that Si Xu meant well. Si Xu was also teaching him that, when necessary, he should use legal means to protect himself rather than always enduring and backing down.
Si Xu’s willingness to help only strengthened Lin Jiu’s resolve. If “Chuangxing” tried to exploit him, he was prepared to fight them in court. Whatever the ruling was, he’d pay the exact amount, knowing it wouldn’t be more than the company was currently demanding.
“We’ll talk about the legal fees later.”
Si Xu had no intention of charging Lin Jiu for the legal services, but he didn’t want to say that now, fearing that if he did, Lin Jiu would refuse his help entirely.
Watching Lin Jiu enter his neighborhood, Si Xu didn’t leave until Lin Jiu was out of sight.
Back home, Lin Jiu opened his smart kitchen, singing as he prepared his meals.
Lin Jiu no longer suppressed his natural tendency to hum songs. He sang freely, confidently, and placed each portion of authentic magic meals into the fridge. He set the timer to keep them fresh so that whenever they were taken out, they would taste just as good as when they were first made.
He was busy until late into the night, still full of energy and with no sign of sleepiness.
He really couldn’t sing anymore. Ever since turning into a siren, once he started singing, he couldn’t stop his feelings of joy. Whenever he felt good, he couldn’t help but sing, and even when he tried to suppress it, he’d end up humming anyway.
He always thought that as long as he didn’t sing, it wasn’t the siren’s song. But it turned out that even humming had a similar effect, though not as powerful as full-on singing.
Si Xu had serious health problems, and although Lin Jiu was genuinely worried, his cheerful mood, heightened by the siren’s song, was hard to rein in.
He tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, and took out his phone to kill time.
He wanted to watch a disaster movie to cool down his emotions, but then remembered the online troll “Creation Star,” who he had argued with before. He wondered how things were going with him.
In the mood for a verbal sparring match, Lin Jiu logged into Weibo. Getting angry might help cool his emotions, and tonight, whether or not he could sleep depended on “Waterborn.”
“Waterborn” was still active, bouncing around cheerfully despite being mocked by many netizens.
Lin Jiu had to admire his resilience. His real identity had been exposed two days ago; he worked at an aquarium.
But even after being doxxed, “Waterborn” didn’t back down. Instead, he boldly advertised the name of his aquarium and welcomed everyone to visit.
There were plenty of people cursing and mocking him, but many were also curious, wanting to see what kind of aquarium he worked at.
It dawned on Lin Jiu that he might have been used for publicity.
“Waterborn” gained a lot of attention after attacking Lin Jiu, with people both supporting and mocking him, all of which only increased his popularity.
After a few days of not checking in, Lin Jiu saw that “Waterborn” had mentioned him several times, practically jumping up and down to provoke a response.
As Lin Jiu debated whether to clap back, he saw a video being rapidly shared and clicked on it.
In the video, a foreign guy was excitedly holding a giant lobster. The species wasn’t clear, but it was massive. The man and his friends had caught it together, and after weighing it, the lobster came in at 25.36 kilograms, easily breaking the world record.
The two men marveled at the size of the lobster, saying they had never eaten one so big. Instead of selling, releasing, or donating it to an aquarium, they decided to cook it themselves. The video documented the entire cooking process, and the two of them exaggeratedly devoured the meat, praising it as the most delicious lobster they’d ever tasted.
The video seemed tailor-made to slap “Waterborn” in the face.
A bunch of amused netizens began tagging “Waterborn” relentlessly.
“Foreigners always release or donate giant lobsters, huh? @Waterborn”
“The giant lobster got eaten on the spot! Can it still be released now? @Waterborn”
“Quick, sniff and see if foreign farts smell any better! @Waterborn”
“Riding on Lin Jiu’s fame to boost your own? You overdid it, didn’t you? @Waterborn”
“Lin Jiu is a bad omen! Whoever interacts with him ends up unlucky!”
“Brain-dead haters are everywhere. You ride on Lin Jiu’s fame, crash and burn, then blame him for being unlucky?”
The giant lobster video seemed to set off a chain reaction, and by early morning, another giant lobster video was going viral. This time, an old fisherman, also a foreigner, had caught it, and he openly declared that he planned to sell it.
Suddenly, what was once a rare sight—giant lobsters—didn’t seem so rare anymore.
However, Lin Jiu didn’t see the second video. By then, he had cooled off and fallen asleep.
*
Before heading to his small shop, Lin Jiu received a call from Jiang Xiwen.
There was a long silence before she asked, “Have you really decided to terminate your contract?”
Lin Jiu had already answered this question seriously before. The fact that she was asking again suggested the negotiations hadn’t gone well.
“What did the company say?” he asked.
Jiang Xiwen sighed deeply. “The company agrees to terminate your contract, but there are three conditions, and all of them must be met. You can’t skip even one.”
Lin Jiu mentally prepared himself. “What are the conditions?”
Jiang Xiwen said, “You probably won’t agree to them.”
Lin Jiu: “Let me hear them first.”
Jiang Xiwen listed, “The first condition is that you compensate the company with 200 million yuan in breach of contract fees.”
She paused, waiting for Lin Jiu’s reaction, but when she didn’t hear anything, she continued, “The second condition is that you transfer the exclusive sales rights for Black Star Pearls to ‘Kerry.'”
Lin Jiu remained silent, signaling for her to go on.
“The third condition is that the company will produce a food show based on your Demon Fish Shop. You will participate as a culinary mentor, teaching celebrities how to cook. You must complete filming the entire first season for it to count.”
Lin Jiu quietly listened to the conditions and found himself beyond anger.
“Sister Wen, thank you, but there’s no need to continue negotiating with the company.”
Jiang Xiwen also felt powerless. Signing a contract was easy for an artist, but terminating one was nearly impossible. Many companies made their money from these hefty breach-of-contract fees. Even for trainees who hadn’t debuted yet, breaking the contract meant paying a steep penalty, as clearly stipulated in the agreements.
Lin Jiu’s contract was no different. The company had initially had high hopes for him. He was not only good-looking but had excellent vocal abilities. It was only a matter of time before he became popular. That’s why his contract included a clause that stipulated if he terminated the contract early, he would have to pay the company 3 million yuan annually.
This breach-of-contract penalty was clearly written in the contract. On top of that, there were also various training fees, packaging fees, promotion costs, and so on. When it all added up, how much Lin Jiu had to pay depended on how much the company wanted to squeeze out of him.
The three conditions were impossible for Lin Jiu to meet.
Even though he had anticipated the company demanding 100 million yuan, which was already an astronomical figure for him, the actual amount turned out to be double that. There was no room for negotiation. The company wasn’t negotiating in good faith.
What puzzled Lin Jiu was the relationship between “Creation Star” and “Kerry.” How could “Creation Star” sacrifice this opportunity to benefit “Kerry”?
Jiang Xiwen explained, “‘Creation Star’ and ‘Kerry’ have always had a partnership. I heard that the funding for the company’s self-produced food show comes from ‘Kerry.'”
Lin Jiu understood now. Long-term interests could indeed lead people to give up short-term gains.
At the core of it, the cooperation between “Creation Star” and “Kerry” was ultimately about profiting from him.
“Are you still determined to terminate the contract?”
Lin Jiu was fighting alone, and the chances of going up against an entertainment company by himself were slim.
“Of course. Since a peaceful termination isn’t possible, the only option left is the legal route.”
“Lin Jiu, don’t take that step unless absolutely necessary,” Jiang Xiwen was genuinely worried. She feared that provoking “Creation Star” might completely ruin him. Lin Jiu was still so young, and his shop was doing better and better—she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
“It’s already come to that point,” Lin Jiu said. The company had no intention of resolving things amicably, so there was no reason to wait.”
*
Lin Jiu rode his bike to open his shop, and there was already a line outside. Among the crowd were four people who quickly lowered their heads when they saw him approach, not wanting to be noticed by him.
“Mr. Lin, hello.”
A man in a suit walked up to Lin Jiu. “I’m Mr. Si’s lawyer. Could you please sign this authorization agreement?”
Lin Jiu hadn’t expected Si Xu to send someone over so quickly, but he signed as requested.
He had intended to ask about the contract lawsuit but decided against it. The lawyer worked for Si Xu, so he should discuss it with Si Xu first and see if he could hire Si Xu’s lawyer to handle the case for him.
The menu for the day remained the same as yesterday’s, and Lin Jiu prepared to open the shop for business.
The first two tables each had four people, and the third table also had four, all wearing masks and lowering their heads as they tried to enter the shop.
**Warning: Blacklisted individuals detected. Entry to the shop is prohibited!**
Lin Jiu’s expression grew cold, and he raised a hand to stop them. “Wait.”
The four looked startled, and the young man at the front said, “We didn’t break any rules, right? We’ve been waiting here quietly.”
Customers inside and outside the shop were watching. Lin Jiu said, “You’re on the shop’s blacklist. We don’t do business with you.”
The four were stunned. The young man at the front looked angry. “What do you mean? What kind of nonsense is this blacklist? Are you discriminating against people just for eating here?”
Lin Jiu replied coldly, “Haven’t you heard the rumors online? They say Lin Jiu has low moral standards, a bad character, and holds grudges. Everyone who insulted me or the Demon Fish Shop is on the blacklist. People on the blacklist are permanently banned from the shop.”
Everyone who overheard this was shocked. They never expected the Demon Fish Shop to have something like a blacklist.
The young man cursed under his breath, glaring at Lin Jiu. “Which one of your eyes saw us insulting you? If you don’t want to follow the rules, just say it. Don’t make excuses!”
A stream of information was transmitted to Lin Jiu from the system.
“Zhang Qian, Weibo username: Qian Qian Yi Jun. A month ago, you insulted both me and the Demon Fish Shop online, calling me a greedy boss who overcharges for seafood. You said anyone who eats here is an idiot. What, are you planning to turn into that idiot yourself?”
Zhang Qian instinctively glanced at the three people behind him, suspecting one of them had ratted him out. Otherwise, how could Lin Jiu have known his real name when everyone hides behind online usernames? If he knew his real name, it wouldn’t be hard to dig up more information.
The three behind him looked just as shocked, not like they had betrayed him.
Zhang Qian blustered, “You—you’re making this up!”
Lin Jiu coldly replied, “What part did I get wrong? Are you not Zhang Qian, or did you not insult me and the shop?”
“You…” Zhang Qian was speechless because Lin Jiu’s words were the truth.
Lin Jiu then turned his attention to the two people behind Zhang Qian. “Zhang Zihe, Weibo username: Millennium Zihe. Xu Tutu, Weibo username: Xingchen Tutu. You two were having a lot of fun insulting me alongside Zhang Qian a month ago.”
The two men, whose identities had been exposed on the spot, were both furious and embarrassed.
Finally, Lin Jiu looked at the last person. “Jiang Chengyu, did you bring my compensation?”
Jiang Chengyu, the man who had kicked over Lin Jiu’s bike, looked panicked. He hurriedly pulled out his wallet and handed over a card.
“Here—here’s 150,000. Is that enough?”
Lin Jiu’s gaze was icy as he turned and went inside to get the payment scanner. “Scan this. The total is 148,000.”
Jiang Chengyu quickly took out his phone to scan, but his payment limit prevented such a large transfer, so he had to send the money via bank transfer instead.
Zhang Qian cursed, “Are you an idiot? He can just say any amount, and you’re paying? There were so many people there at the time—why should you cover it all? This is extortion! You could report him to the police, and they’d arrest him!”
But Jiang Chengyu ignored him, repeatedly bowing and apologizing. “I’m sorry, it was all my fault. It won’t happen again. Please forgive me.”
Zhang Qian and the others thought Jiang Chengyu had lost his mind, giving away such a large amount of money and groveling for forgiveness. No normal person would behave this way. He must have gone mad.
Lin Jiu, expressionless, asked Jiang Chengyu, “Why are they here with you?”
Jiang Chengyu looked regretful. “They came with me to settle the debt. If it’s okay, we’d like to have a meal together afterward.”
“They don’t seem to be here just to settle a debt and eat,” Lin Jiu said. Their malice was so strong that they had been flagged by the system and blacklisted. Now they wanted to dine here?
The blacklist was established by the Demon Hunter Chef System, which collected information from the internet. If someone’s malice towards Lin Jiu or the Demon Fish Shop reached a certain threshold, the system would automatically blacklist them. Whether it was the Demon Hunter System or the Demon Hunter Chef System, they both operated through the network. Even if someone only insulted Lin Jiu or the shop privately, the system could still dig up the information if it was posted online.
“Whatever you were planning, it’s not happening. The shop doesn’t do business with you. Please leave.” Lin Jiu stood at the entrance, blocking their way into the shop.
Jiang Chengyu obediently turned around to leave. When he saw that the other three were still blocking the door, he quickly rushed back and dragged them away, fearing that Lin Jiu would be displeased. As they left, he kept apologizing.
Zhang Qian was furious. He had always disliked Lin Jiu—resenting the rich, homophobic, and disdainful of pretty-boy influencers, all of which Lin Jiu represented. Zhang had planned to sneak into the Demon Fish Shop, take a few bites, snap some photos, and then expose online that the food wasn’t as good as the rumors claimed. However, he wasn’t even allowed inside!
This scene had already been recorded and posted on Weibo, where netizens were shocked. It was the first time they had learned that the Demon Fish Shop had a “blacklist,” and that anyone on it was permanently banned from the shop.
If the criteria for being blacklisted were simply insulting Lin Jiu and the Demon Fish Shop, then many people were surely going to be turned away.
Among Lin Jiu’s current fans, a small portion had once been his haters. During the peak of the controversy a month ago, they had also insulted Lin Jiu and his shop. But after realizing the true character of Mi Youyou, they apologized under Lin Jiu’s Weibo posts and decided to switch from haters to fans.
If the blacklist operated under such a strict standard, wouldn’t they all be out of luck?
A group of people flooded Lin Jiu’s Weibo, crying and repenting, begging him to take them off the blacklist. They didn’t want to be banned from the shop; they wanted to dine there. They had long since stopped being haters and were now die-hard fans, pleading for another chance.
