I’m No Longer Human After Being Blacklisted – CH53

Chapter 53 – Marriage Bring Many Benefits

When Lin Jiu reached the hospital entrance, a familiar black car was parked across the street. He walked over, and the door automatically opened. Si Xu was sitting in the back, with Wen Qin driving.

Lin Jiu greeted Wen Qin, got in, and the car started to pull away.

Si Xu wasn’t wearing a mask, and he didn’t look well.

Lin Jiu was concerned. “Did the test results come back bad?”

Logically, they shouldn’t have. Si Xu’s hidden gene had already been activated by 10%, so things should only be improving, not getting worse.

Si Xu’s voice was calm, “The results were good.”

“Then why are you upset?” Lin Jiu suddenly remembered he forgot to call last night. “I’m sorry, I forgot to call you.”

Back then, Lin Jiu was terrified Si Xu would find out about certain things, and after being scared by the system, he was already considering whether he should flee to the Magic Sea dimension if everything came to light.

Lin Jiu clearly wasn’t getting to the point. Si Xu gave him a strange look.

Feeling the tension, Lin Jiu quietly removed the mask from his face, trying to ease Si Xu’s mood.

Seeing Lin Jiu’s cautious expression, Si Xu sighed softly. “Who did you visit at the hospital?”

“Jiang Xiwen. She’s sick.”

Si Xu knew of Jiang Xiwen. She had played a significant role in signing Lin Jiu and helping him terminate his contract.

“Who did you go with?”

“I went alone…”

Lin Jiu realized something and quickly took out his phone to check Weibo. After a lot of searching, he found that the discussions about him were still focused on whether Demon Fish Shop’s food could grant superpowers. Netizens were stubborn, reposting comments even after they disappeared and continuing to investigate the truth, despite accounts getting suspended. There was nothing about him and Qiu Yuxi.

Lin Jiu was confused. Had he guessed wrong? Was Qiu Yuxi really just trying to visit sister Wen with him and not trying to create a scandal about a secret pregnancy or something big?

“What are you looking for?” Si Xu’s voice came through, emotionless.

“Nothing, nothing,” Lin Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and put his phone away.

Si Xu handed him an envelope. “Open it and take a look.”

Lin Jiu, puzzled, opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of photos. The people in the photos were Lin Jiu and Qiu Yuxian!

There were a lot of photos: some were taken outside the Demon Fish restaurant, others in front of the hospital. In the photos, Qiu Yuxian was holding flowers, smiling sweetly, standing opposite Lin Jiu, giving off a romantic vibe. She wasn’t wearing a mask, as if she was afraid no one would recognize her.

Inside the envelope were several sheets of paper. The first had a bold headline: “Lin-Qiu Relationship Confirmed!”

The second headline read: “Lin Jiu and Qiu Yuxian Secretly Married, Qiu Supports Her Husband’s Career!”

The third: “Lin Jiu Accompanies Qiu Yuxian for Medical Checkup, Second Baby on the Way!”

…

Lin Jiu’s temples throbbed in anger. What relationship?! Where’s the romance?! Could this be any more ridiculous? If he were really secretly married, there would be some hint of it! These gossip media outlets were making up nonsense with a straight face! No first child, yet they’re talking about a second one. Were the media crazy, or were Qiu Yuxian and her agent insane to think people would believe this?

Fuming, Lin Jiu pulled out his phone, ready to blast them on Weibo, but someone took it away.

“What are you planning to post?”

Lin Jiu was furious. “I warned her, but she didn’t listen. I’m going to tear her apart!”

Si Xu: “Are you really tearing her apart, or just giving her free publicity? By doing this, you’re elevating her to your level. The reality is her popularity is nowhere near yours. Not many people know her, but once you call her out, everyone will. Do you think she didn’t prepare for this? She’s just waiting for your clarification. Afterward, she’ll shift the blame onto the media, saying they made up lies. She’ll go back to singing and acting as usual. Even if the rumor is ugly, as long as she achieves her goal, it won’t matter.”

Lin Jiu’s head hurt. “So what should I do?”

Si Xu calmly said, “There are many ways to make her disappear quietly. It just depends on if you’re willing to do it.”

Lin Jiu: “???”

Why wouldn’t he be willing? Whether she sinks or not has nothing to do with him!

Si Xu’s expression turned cold, making Lin Jiu uneasy. “I, I’m not holding back anything.”

Si Xu: “I’ll have Huasheng contact Fengshuo’s higher-ups directly.”

“Thank you.”

The fact that these photos and reports were in Si Xu’s hands meant they’d been intercepted and hadn’t been released.

The car pulled up in front of the Demon Fish restaurant. Lin Jiu opened the door and got out. Si Xu remained seated, not intending to follow.

Lin Jiu bent down and asked, “Aren’t you coming in?”

“No, I have other matters to attend to,” Si Xu’s voice was cold.

Lin Jiu froze for a moment, feeling a bit lost. “Oh, well, I won’t keep you, then.”

He closed the door and watched the car drive away, suddenly feeling very sad. It was as if a hole had been punched in his heart, cold wind rushing in, making him feel miserable. His nose tingled. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want things to be like this with Si Xu. He didn’t want Si Xu to distance himself, to be cold toward him. The thought of Si Xu becoming even colder after learning the truth made him feel like he couldn’t take it.

It was cold outside. Lin Jiu turned numbly toward the shop, but when he tried the door, it was locked.

Fumbling for his keys, he dropped the small insulated box with a *thud*. Bending down to pick it up, he held it in his arms, unlocked the door, and nearly tripped over the stand for the blackboard as he entered. In the process of trying to catch it, he dropped the insulated box again.

The system couldn’t stand it anymore.

[Do you want to cry?]

Lin Jiu shook his head. He hadn’t cried in a long time. Maybe he cried too much when he was young because no matter what happened now, he just couldn’t cry anymore.

[If your ‘prince charming’ doesn’t want you anymore, we can just go back to Demon Sea. You just need to come back to visit him once in a while. Even if no one wants you, you still have me. We’re bonded, after all. I definitely won’t leave you. Not just me—I can even split into many sub-systems. If we get lonely, we can play with them.]

Lin Jiu placed the insulated box on the counter. He hadn’t expected the system, usually so harsh, to comfort him at this moment. His cold heart warmed slightly…

The door suddenly opened, and Lin Jiu turned around to see Si Xu standing there, dressed in a dark coat.

The person who said just moments ago that he didn’t want to cry suddenly couldn’t hold back the tears welling up in his eyes.

“Do you like me?” Si Xu asked.

Lin Jiu tried hard to suppress the lump in his throat.

He did. He must like Si Xu. Otherwise, he wouldn’t feel so upset.

“Do you like me?” Si Xu asked again.

“…Yes, I like you,” Lin Jiu’s voice choked.

Even if he were to find out about everything later and hate him, right now he didn’t want to be distanced from him.

He had looked up to this man for far, far too long.

Si Xu smiled and opened his arms. “Come here, give me a hug.”

Lin Jiu threw himself into Si Xu’s embrace, and Si Xu wrapped his arms tightly around him.

[My unrequited love, in the end, was misplaced.]

The system sighed dramatically.

Lin Jiu: “…”

Si Xu kissed his forehead. “If you like me, why didn’t you say it?”

Lin Jiu mumbled, “I couldn’t.”

Si Xu: “Why not?”

Lin Jiu: “You’ll regret it. You’ll be mad. You’ll hate me.”

Si Xu laughed softly. “I’m curious—what could you possibly do that would make me so angry? More than being someone else’s husband and already expecting a second child?”

Lin Jiu: “…”

Si Xu held his shoulders and took a step back to look at him. “Aren’t you going to explain?”

Lin Jiu: “…”

“I’m innocent!” Lin Jiu exclaimed, desperate to avoid losing this newfound closeness so soon.

Si Xu: “Your reputation almost wasn’t.”

Lin Jiu: “… I was wrong.”

In moments like this, regardless of whose fault it is, it’s always his fault.

Si Xu felt both frustrated and amused. Liking someone who attracts so much attention was indeed quite a headache.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

“Wrong… wrong for letting her into the shop?” Lin Jiu made an effort to reflect on himself.

Si Xu had run out of patience. “When dealing with someone who has ulterior motives, you shouldn’t engage with them at all. Even a single word is a waste.”

Lin Jiu turned his head and looked at the bar counter. “Should I stop having an open bar counter?”

Every day, customers harassed him, seriously slowing down his work.

“She sat at the counter and chatted with you?” Si Xu could almost imagine the scene.

Lin Jiu shook his head. “Not really a chat. She talked, I listened. She said I was better suited for the food business, that Creation Star had become an empty shell, that Ling Chen was sold to Huasheng, and that Huo Wei had been sold to Fengshuo. Then she talked about sister Wen being sick and suggested we visit her together. I refused. After lunch, I went to the hospital, and that’s where I bumped into Qiu Yuxian at the entrance…”

“Was that really a ‘bump into’? She was waiting for you.”

Si Xu sneered coldly. “She’s really going all out to get your attention.”

Lin Jiu fell silent, not daring to speak.

Si Xu glanced at the bar counter, clearly displeased with the setup where customers and Lin Jiu were nearly face-to-face.

Fearing that Si Xu would tear the bar counter down, Lin Jiu quickly said, “I’ll change the policy immediately, remove the bar seating. I don’t need the money from those eight spots.”

Si Xu replied, “If you want to expand your shop, you can extend it to either side. Chen’s Noodle Shop or the tailor shop next door—they’re all available. Or you could take over the whole row, even the opposite side is an option. Don’t compromise yourself.”

Lin Jiu: “…”

How much property did you buy, exactly?!

Lin Jiu clutched his chest. “Did you buy Mr. Xu’s tailor shop too?”

“He wanted to sell it. I just bought it in passing. Master Xu was taken to live with his son to help care for his grandchildren.”

The old man had been waiting for a demolition payout, but since that wasn’t happening, he stopped waiting.

Whether the shop could be expanded wasn’t up to Lin Jiu. He had to ask the Demon Chef System.

[Demon Chef System reminder: The shop’s revenue is insufficient and does not meet expansion requirements.]

Lin Jiu: How much revenue is needed?

[Demon Chef System reminder: With revenue of 10 million, the shop can expand to double its current size.]

Lin Jiu: …

Ten million was indeed a hurdle. The shop hadn’t earned that much yet, otherwise, he could’ve opened a mystery box by now. Actually, he wasn’t far off—just last night, he earned over two million.

Lin Jiu said, “We can start by renovating one section, and I’ll pay you rent.”

Si Xu raised an eyebrow. “Rent?”

Lin Jiu: “… What else?”

Did he expect me to buy it?

Si Xu chuckled. “Isn’t this considered our shared property?”

Lin Jiu was stunned, and then his face turned bright red. “We… we’re not married, so it doesn’t count as shared property…”

The moment those words left his mouth, Lin Jiu felt like his entire body was on fire. What was he even saying? It sounded like he was eager to get married!

Si Xu smiled and pulled him into his arms. “Thinking about marriage? If you want, I can figure something out.”

Lin Jiu shook his head repeatedly—too fast, too fast, plus they couldn’t get married in this country…

[Demon Chef System reminder: Upon marriage, the Demon Fish restaurant is considered pre-marital property. As the host’s spouse, they are entitled to free meals.]

Lin Jiu: …

There’s no need to talk about a prenuptial agreement this early!

[When the host marries the ‘Prince Charming’, he will gain the right to know about the Demon Hunter System. He’ll be eligible to access the Demon Sea dimension and assist the host in completing tasks. The system can also split into sub-systems beneficial to the ‘Prince Charming’—this is a perk for being the host’s spouse.]

Lin Jiu: …

Lin Jiu: …

Lin Jiu: If you recognize marriage from any country, we’ll go get married right away; Lin Jiu had no doubt there were hidden catches besides the so-called spouse benefits.

[The system only recognizes marriages from the Mo Hai dimension.]

Lin Jiu: …

Lin Jiu: So is there a chance this marriage can happen?

[As long as the ‘Prince Charming’ possesses 40% of the demon spirit bloodline, the marriage will be recognized by the Demon Sea dimension, and you can form a marriage contract with the siren race.]

Lin Jiu breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn’t hopeless.

Lin Jiu: How much demon spirit bloodline does Si Xu have right now?

[Currently 10%, with latent genes activated. Once the host obtains a mid-level gene enhancer and successfully activates it, the 40% threshold will be met, and you can marry.]

[Friendly reminder: When sirens wish to marry outside their race, they must beware of the Haija race. The Haija, the most intelligent species in the Demon Sea dimension, are aggressive and powerful. They’ve always intermarried with sirens, relying on siren songs for calming effects. They have an instinctual possessiveness over sirens and will not tolerate interspecies marriage. The host must exercise caution.]

Lin Jiu: …

[Special note: The Haija race despises the demon spirit race. The two races have been rivals for dominance—Haija over the sea and demon spirits over the land. So, when it comes to marriage, consider carefully. Choosing your ‘Prince Charming’ means both of you will be in danger.]

Lin Jiu: …

Lin Jiu realized something important. Are the Haija on Earth as well?

If they weren’t, the system wouldn’t be going out of its way to warn him.

[Inquiry about other demon species: 10 magic points per question. Do you want to proceed?]

Lin Jiu glanced at his magic points and silently declined. No thanks.

“What are you thinking about?” Si Xu’s voice rang beside him.

Lin Jiu’s breath hitched, and his ears instantly tingled. “I’m thinking about…”

The word ‘marriage’ almost slipped out!

Lin Jiu quickly changed his tune. “I’m, I’m thinking about your test results.”

Si Xu stared at him, “I don’t think so.”

Lin Jiu’s ears turned red, and he guiltily avoided the man’s gaze. “It’s… it’s about checking the results.”

Definitely not thinking about marriage!

Si Xu laughed, “You’re not thinking about marriage?”

Lin Jiu: “…”

Lin Jiu: “… No!”

Worried that he might upset him, Si Xu gently patted his back to comfort him.

“The results were excellent, shocking the entire base.”

Si Xu spoke casually, completely disregarding how the research staff at the base had their worldview shattered at the time, questioning if all their years of study were in vain, unable to explain what had happened with Si Xu.

Si Xu carefully chose his words, “Can I ask about that serum?”

“Not yet, but I can tell you later.”

As long as he used the intermediate gene enhancer, many things would become clear to Si Xu… if they hadn’t broken up by then.

Si Xu thought for a moment, “Is it easy to obtain?”

“Not easy.” In other words, it was very precious, and each dose was hard to come by.

Of course, if he had vast amounts of magic power, he wouldn’t have to rely on luck to get it from treasure chests.

Si Xu’s expression was unreadable, “Did you exchange something or sacrifice anything for it?”

Having confirmed Lin Jiu’s feelings, Si Xu worried that Lin Jiu might have made a deal, trading something in exchange for such a serum because of his illness.

“No, I got the serum purely by luck. I originally thought it was something useless, but I didn’t expect it to be so useful.”

Si Xu knew Lin Jiu had many secrets. Since Lin Jiu didn’t talk about them, Si Xu never pressed for answers, but this serum was an exception.

Si Xu had used it himself and understood its incredible power. A serum as potent as this wouldn’t be easy to obtain, and he feared that Lin Jiu might have done something to harm himself. The wounds on Lin Jiu’s body and the blood in the bathtub had haunted Si Xu, turning into nightmares. No matter what, he couldn’t bear the thought of Lin Jiu getting hurt again.

Si Xu spoke earnestly, “No matter what, always protect yourself first. Don’t let yourself get hurt.”

Lin Jiu nodded obediently. He didn’t want to get hurt either, but his luck was terrible. He had been ambushed by a three-star blue demon, and there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Suddenly, Lin Jiu remembered the invisible fish and hurried to check on the small cooler that had fallen twice. Inside, the fish and crushed ice were mixed together, with the fish buried under the ice, making it look like the ice was floating.

“What’s inside?” Si Xu looked at it for a while but couldn’t make sense of it.

His ability to accept strange things had grown exponentially, so even seeing the “floating” ice didn’t surprise him anymore.

Lin Jiu’s face fell. “It’s invisible fish meat. It’s high in nutrients… and magic energy. This type of fish can boost immunity, reduce cancer cell activity, and speed up tumor cell apoptosis, making it perfect for cancer patients.”

“So you were delivering fish to Jiang Xiwen?”

“Yeah, I prepared two portions and was planning to give you one after visiting the hospital.” But he never got the chance.

Speaking of which, Lin Jiu felt a little aggrieved. “Weren’t you busy? Why did you come back?”

Si Xu held his hand. “I couldn’t bear to leave, so I came back.”

Si Xu had indeed planned to leave, but when he saw Lin Jiu standing alone outside the small shop, looking so lost and about to cry, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He came back, wanting to ask Lin Jiu one more time. If Lin Jiu truly didn’t like him, Si Xu would hold back and not pursue him further.

When Lin Jiu said he liked him, Si Xu was genuinely happy.

Lin Jiu’s actions had made it clear that he didn’t actually have no feelings for him. Lin Jiu had shown him too much kindness, and Si Xu had even wondered if Lin Jiu’s affection was just admiration for an idol or if it was real love. But before he could figure it out, he had already fallen for Lin Jiu.

Whether Lin Jiu truly loved him or simply admired him, Si Xu didn’t want to let him go. He could wait—wait until the day Lin Jiu truly loved him.

Lin Jiu’s ears turned red again. “D-do you still want to eat the fish?”

“Yes.” Si Xu let go of him, not wanting to push him too far.

The invisible fish meat wasn’t dirty; it was just mixed with crushed ice. Lin Jiu took it to the kitchen to prepare it while Si Xu sat at the bar, watching him. The more he watched, the more bitter he felt. The image of a customer sitting at the bar watching his boyfriend work made Si Xu feel incredibly jealous.

After Lin Jiu finished preparing the fish, he served it to Si Xu. Seeing his gloomy expression, Lin Jiu was puzzled.

He was fine just a moment ago, so why was he upset all of a sudden?

“What’s wrong?” Lin Jiu asked.

Si Xu: “Nothing.”

There was no way he could tell Lin Jiu that he was jealous of the customers, absolutely no way.

You couldn’t eat invisible fish with chopsticks; you had to wear gloves and eat it by hand.

As dinner time approached, Lin Jiu had to start preparing for dinner. Si Xu really did have something to attend to and didn’t stay for dinner. After eating the invisible fish, he left, needing to return to the base.

Before leaving, Si Xu said, “Captain Lu asked me to ask you how much red plum wine you have left, they need to restock.”

Lin Jiu: “How much do they need?”

Si Xu gave him a deep look. “Prepare as much as you can. Something happened in the coastal cities abroad, and our coastal cities aren’t exactly peaceful either. You might have been right.”

Lin Jiu: “Got it.”

“I’m leaving.” Si Xu turned to go, but when he reached the door, he looked back to see Lin Jiu still watching him.

Si Xu came back, cupped Lin Jiu’s face, and planted a kiss on his lips, lingering for a long time before reluctantly pulling away.

“I’m going now,” Si Xu said softly.

“Okay, be careful. Call me if anything happens…”

As Lin Jiu said this, he hesitated. He realized he rarely ever got calls from Si Xu.

Si Xu was amused by this and left, smiling.