I’m No Longer Human After Being Blacklisted – CH74

Chapter 74: The Attitude of the Si Family

Si Xu drove, bringing a freshly groomed Lin Jiu home.

The entire way, Lin Jiu kept fidgeting with his clothes, pulling at them only to smooth them out again in case they wrinkled, worried they might look too casual.

His fidgeting hands were finally caught by a large hand.

“Don’t be nervous, this isn’t your first time meeting them.”

Lin Jiu: “…”

It wasn’t the first time, but the significance of this meeting was completely different!

Lin Jiu solemnly declared, “I’m not nervous. For the sake of saving your legs, I’ll do my best.”

Si Xu couldn’t help but laugh.

The car stopped at the entrance of the villa, and Si Xu got out, opening the door for Lin Jiu.

Si Xu called over the bodyguards to help carry the items from the car, then led Lin Jiu into the living room.

Lin Jiu held a sealed paper box, heavy in his hands. When Si Xu asked what was inside, Lin Jiu said it was a secret for now.

It was something he remembered while showering at home, so he brought it along.

The family was already seated on the living room sofa, waiting for quite some time.

This time, Lin Jiu didn’t wear a mask.

Song Mo Zhi had seen Lin Jiu several times, but this was the first time she had seen his full face clearly. He truly looked good, had a good personality, and was skilled as well.

Worried he might be nervous, Song Mo Zhi invited Lin Jiu to sit next to her.

Lin Jiu glanced at Si Xu, who let go of his hand, “Go ahead.”

Lin Jiu walked over, placed the box by the coffee table, and sat down next to Song Mo Zhi.

On Lin Jiu’s left was Song Mo Zhi, and on his right was Si Xu’s grandmother. The two women affectionately grabbed Lin Jiu’s hands and began the usual round of questions.

“Good child, tell Grandma, how did Ah Xu court you?”

Lin Jiu: “…”

Si Xu: “…”

Si Xu rubbed his neck awkwardly, “Grandma, is that really necessary?”

Grandma glared at him, “This doesn’t concern you. Don’t interrupt.”

She nudged Grandpa Si next to her, “Didn’t you all have something to talk to Ah Xu about? Go handle that now.”

Grandpa Si: “???”

Grandpa Song: “???”

Si Qinian: “…???”

Grandpa Si was the first to stand up, “Everyone, follow me upstairs.”

Grandpa Song, Si Qinian, and Si Xu had no choice but to follow him upstairs.

The atmosphere in the living room instantly relaxed.

Grandma Si patted Lin Jiu’s hand comfortingly, “Don’t be nervous, we’re just chatting.”

Lin Jiu: “…”

How could he not be nervous with them acting like this?

Song Mo Zhi chuckled, “Mom, you’re going to scare Xiao Jiu. It’s his first time visiting, of course he’s nervous.”

Song Mo Zhi added gently, “We just want to know if you’re with Ah Xu by your own will. We’re worried he might be forcing you.”

Lin Jiu: “???”

Something feels off. Shouldn’t Si Xu’s mother be more concerned about Si Xu?

Lin Jiu replied, “No, he’s not forcing me. I’m with him willingly.”

Both Song Mo Zhi and Grandma Si sighed in relief.

Lin Jiu: “…”

Is Si Xu’s character really that questionable?

Song Mo Zhi sighed, “Honestly, I was prepared for Ah Xu to live alone for the rest of his life.”

Lin Jiu: “…”

Lin Jiu: “…”

Lin Jiu: “…”

How did it come to this misunderstanding?

Song Mo Zhi continued, “From childhood to now, so many girls have liked Ah Xu, but it’s like he was born without that particular nerve. He has no interest in girls at all. People even started to speculate that maybe Ah Xu didn’t like girls, so they tried with boys instead, but still, nothing.”

“Now he’s almost thirty, and still hasn’t shown interest in anyone. Was he really going to stay single forever? Recently, he asked me to prepare a bouquet of roses for him. I thought he had finally figured it out and was going to give them to a girl, but he said it wasn’t for that, so I just made him a flower basket.”

Lin Jiu: “…”

So that’s how the rose basket came about.

Song Mo Zhi said worriedly, “As parents, we all hope our children will live a happy life. We wanted Ah Xu to find a nice girl and settle down. But since he’s not interested in girls, we couldn’t force him. That would only make Ah Xu miserable and hurt some innocent girl.”

“We thought, if he really liked boys, then we could accept that too, as long as he found someone reliable. But years went by, and he didn’t bring home a girl or a boy. We didn’t pressure him because we didn’t want to add stress, but inside we were anxious. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a boy or a girl, he just needs someone to care about, otherwise, it would be so lonely.”

Lin Jiu: “…”

So, the family’s standards for Si Xu were this low—just don’t end up alone.

Lin Jiu felt conflicted. Did Si Xu know about his mother’s worries?

Song Mo Zhi smiled warmly, “Don’t worry, our family is very open-minded. As long as you truly love each other, we won’t oppose it. Plus, we all really like you. I never expected Ah Xu to have such good taste. When he finally figured it out, he picked the best.”

Lin Jiu was embarrassed by the praise.

Grandma Si added, “You’re a good child. With you by Ah Xu’s side, we feel reassured.”

Lin Jiu: “Thank you, Madam.”

Grandma Si scolded him affectionately, “Since you’re both in love, stop calling me Madam. You should call me Grandma, like Ah Xu does.”

Lin Jiu, feeling nervous and uneasy, said, “Thank you… Grandma.”

Grandma Si was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling. “Good, good, good. This time was sudden, so Grandma didn’t prepare a red envelope, but next time, I’ll give you a big one.”

Lin Jiu smiled, “Thank you, Grandma.”

Grandma Si held Lin Jiu’s hand affectionately, unable to hide her fondness. “The last time I visited your shop, I told your Grandpa that we were missing a granddaughter. If we had one, we’d definitely try to set you two up. Who knew, after all that, you’d still end up in our family.”

Song Mozhi laughed along, “This is just as good. From now on, Xiao Jiu is part of the Si family, and no one will be able to bully you anymore.”

Grandma Si agreed, “Exactly, no one can bully you. As for those scoundrels, your grandpa will make sure they pay. You don’t have to worry. You’ve made great contributions to the country, and the authorities will take this matter seriously.”

Lin Jiu felt deeply touched, as if his heart was soaking in warm water, his whole body filled with warmth. All the worries he had on the way over hadn’t materialized. The Si family was very cultured. Though they regretted that Si Xu hadn’t chosen a girl, they respected his choice. As long as Si Xu liked Lin Jiu, they would accept him.

At that moment, the bodyguards at the door, seeing that the conversation had reached a pause, came in carrying a bucket and a storage box.

Grandma Si looked surprised, “What are these?”

Lin Jiu stood up and dragged the bucket and storage box over to the sofa. “These are some seafood I brought from my shop.”

“Oh my, such big shrimp!” Grandma Si was a bit excited. She had never seen such large live shrimp before.

“And this fish is quite big too! Wow! Such a large tentacle, how big must the whole creature be? This one looks dangerous, doesn’t it?” Grandma Si asked Lin Jiu.

Lin Jiu nodded, “It is indeed dangerous.”

“And what’s in this bucket?” Grandma Si curiously looked at a bucket filled only with water, which seemed to be moving.

Lin Jiu replied, “There’s a fish in there.”

Grandma Si leaned closer to look, but aside from the water, she saw nothing.

Suddenly, with a splash, water spilled from the bucket, startling Grandma Si. Then she burst out laughing.

“Is there really a fish in there?”

Lin Jiu chuckled, “Yes, there really is a fish. It’s called an ‘invisible fish.’ Its natural color is beautiful, but as soon as it’s frightened or senses danger, it turns invisible. The fish is very tasty and highly nutritious, great for boosting the immune system, reducing cancer cell activity, and promoting the accelerated death of tumor cells.”

Song Mozhi and Grandma Si were both stunned upon hearing this.

Grandma Si hesitantly asked, “Does it really work?”

Lin Jiu said, “It should be quite effective. I have a friend who had cancer. After surgery, she was supposed to undergo chemotherapy, but after eating invisible fish a few times, her health improved so much that the doctors decided not to proceed with chemo. Now she’s completely healthy, not taking any medication or following any dietary restrictions, and has recovered very well.”

Grandma Si was eager to say something, but hesitated since Song Mozhi was present.

Earlier, Grandpa Song had angrily mentioned that Lin Jiu had saved Si Xu’s life. When Song Mozhi asked what had happened, the family only said that Si Xu had stomach issues recently, vomiting after every meal, and that Lin Jiu had nursed him back to health with his cooking. Song Mozhi believed them.

Lin Jiu knew what Grandma Si wanted to say. “We eat it regularly. Si Xu and I have had it many times.”

“Good, good,” Grandma Si nodded repeatedly.

Lin Jiu then introduced the rest of the seafood. “These two fish are silver carps.”

They had heard of and eaten silver carps before, but had never seen them alive.

Knowing how expensive silver carps were, they were surprised that Lin Jiu had brought two of them, along with the even more valuable invisible fish.

Lin Jiu continued, “This one is magic lobster. Eating it is particularly beneficial for the elderly and those with weak health.”

He paused and added, “But magic lobsters are very aggressive. When handling them, you have to be extra careful. If it clamps down on your wrist, it could easily break it… Maybe I should prepare it for you.”

Lin Jiu was worried that Grandma Si and Mrs. Si might get hurt.

Grandma Si quickly stopped him. “No need to kill it. These seafood are too precious. You’ve brought so much, we can’t finish it all. You should take some back with you later.”

Lin Jiu replied, “These were specially prepared for you. I have plenty of these ingredients at my shop… Oh, and there’s also this.”

Lin Jiu took the paper box from beside the coffee table, opened it, and revealed six bottles of wine—four green and two pink.

He remembered that Grandpa Song and Grandpa Si liked the green plum wine, while Grandma Si and Mrs. Si preferred the red plum wine. Lin Jiu had brought some for them, one bottle each, with an extra for Si Xu.

“What’s this?”

“This is fruit wine I made myself. I noticed you enjoyed it last time at my shop, so I bottled some for you to take home. A cup a day is good for health.” Lin Jiu handed the two pink bottles to Grandma Si and Song Mozhi.

Both women were delighted. They indeed loved the sweet, fragrant taste of the fruit wine, something most women would likely enjoy.

“Good wine deserves good food. I’ll have the kitchen prepare a few more dishes,” Grandma Si said, getting up.

Lin Jiu gently pulled her back. “Grandma, how about we steam the lobster? We can serve the silver carps, invisible fish, and the tentacles as sashimi. They taste amazing.”

Grandma Si was thrilled. “Great, I’ll have the kitchen prepare it.”

Lin Jiu stood up. “I’ll take care of it. Auntie may not be able to handle such large shrimp.”

Grandma Si stood up too, “I’ll help. Let’s prepare it together.”

Lin Jiu and Grandma Si headed to the kitchen. Song Mozhi didn’t sit for long either. Using her cane, she followed them to see if she could lend a hand.

Downstairs, the atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed. Upstairs, however, the mood was tense.

Si Qinian tapped the table, “I just want to know, are you truly in love with him, or is it because of his abilities?”

Si Xu replied, “He would never use his abilities to influence me.”

Si Qinian slammed the table, “And you think your word is enough?!”

Grandpa Si glared, “Speak properly, what did the table do to deserve this?”

Si Qinian: “…”

Grandpa Si turned to his only grandson, “Ah Xu, you tell me, what’s going on?”

Grandpa Si already knew about the existence of the “Special Security Division.” Grandpa Song had only found out after Si Xu officially joined, and they had all signed confidentiality agreements as per protocol.

Si Xu sighed, “Xiao Jiu’s ability is a bit special, it has a certain allure to it. Father keeps thinking I’ve been bewitched, but that’s simply not true. If he had actively tried to charm me, I’d be happy about it. Then I wouldn’t have had to chase him for so long.”

Si Qinian complained, “You’ve never shown interest in anyone before, and now, in just a few months, you’re head over heels for him?”

Si Xu responded, “When you meet the right person, it doesn’t take months. You can know from the first glance that they’re the one.”

Si Qinian, frustrated, snapped, “Look at this! You still claim you haven’t been influenced!”

Si Xu shot back, “Dad, are you really stuck on the idea that I’ve been influenced? Or is it because he’s a man?”

Si Qinian retorted angrily, “If you truly love each other, I don’t care if he’s a man or a woman. I’d be satisfied if you just found someone! But are you two really in love?”

“We are!” Si Xu answered firmly.

“Dad, if it weren’t for Xiao Jiu, who knows what would have happened to Mom. If he didn’t genuinely care about me, why would he risk his own safety to save her? Does his own life not matter? 

“And look at me! The reason I’m healthy and sitting here now is all thanks to him. Without him, I might not even be alive today.”

“Also, do you think Mom recovered on her own? No, it was Xiao Jiu who used his precious resources to help her recover!”

“If he had influenced me like you say, what would be his motive? To make me like him? There’s no need for that! I already like him a lot, and when I confessed, he still hesitated and didn’t immediately agree!”

“Or do you think he’s after my family background? He doesn’t even know about your and Grandpa’s positions. The only thing he knows about is Grandpa Song and the Mo Hong Group. Do you think he’s the type to care about money? He doesn’t care about wealth, power, or status. So what exactly would he be influencing me for?”

The three people present were left speechless by Si Xu’s words.

All along, it had been Lin Jiu giving to their family. What could their family offer Lin Jiu in return?

Grandpa Song finally spoke, “I only have one question. Do you two truly want to be together? Have you made your decision?”

Si Xu: “When we decided to be together, we didn’t plan to ever separate.”

Grandpa Song: “Good! In that case, I have nothing more to say. You’re both good kids, and I support your decision!”

After Grandpa Song spoke, he looked at Grandpa Si.

Grandpa Si, with a serious expression, said, “The path you’ve chosen is yours to walk. No matter what difficulties lie ahead, I hope you’ll stick to your decision and never regret it.”

Si Xu: “I’ll never regret it!”

Si Qinian glanced at his father, then at his father-in-law. His opinion no longer seemed to matter.

Grandpa Si added, “Qinian, are you underestimating Ah Xu? Even if there was influence, it’s likely Ah Xu who influenced that kid! Look at how old Ah Xu is, and how young that kid is. With a mind like Ah Xu’s, do you really think he could be influenced?”

Si Xu: “…”

Si Qinian looked at his son differently now. “I want to know, when you confessed and he didn’t agree, what did you do afterward?”

Si Xu: “…”

Si Xu, after a pause, reluctantly admitted, “I used a little strategy.”

Si Qinian: “What kind of strategy?”

Si Xu glanced at his grandpa, wary of getting hit by his cane again. “I… deliberately distanced myself, made him realize how important I am.”

Grandpa Song indeed reached for his cane, but Grandpa Si quickly stopped him. Si Xu had already darted to the door.

Grandpa Song shouted at Si Qinian, “You see? And you say that kid influenced him. Clearly, it’s Ah Xu who strategized to influence that kid!”

Si Qinian: “…”

Si Qinian, in a daze, thought how fortunate it was that Lin Jiu had the ability and not Si Xu. If Si Xu had it, he’d use it in an instant, without needing any strategy. What a rascal.

Si Xu, realizing that staying any longer might result in a beating, quickly said, “I’ll go check on how their conversation is going.”

Si Xu hurried downstairs, only to find the living room empty.

He was puzzled for a moment but heard voices coming from the kitchen. When he walked over, he was stunned by what he saw.

Lin Jiu was in the kitchen preparing the magic striped dragon, while Grandma Si was gutting fish beside him, and Song Mozhi was helping by passing knives and bowls.

Lin Jiu was instructing Grandma Si on how to cut the fish more easily, how to slice it thinner and more evenly. He occasionally demonstrated, and both Grandma Si and Song Mozhi followed his instructions with utmost seriousness.

Si Xu: “…”

The three others who had just come downstairs: “…”

While they had been upstairs debating who was influencing whom, downstairs, the family had already fully embraced its newest member.

Laughter from Grandma Si and Song Mozhi echoed from the kitchen. The three men outside exchanged glances and couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

Before her illness, Song Mozhi had occasionally cooked. She enjoyed making meals for her husband and son. Since the incident, however, she hadn’t set foot in the kitchen.

Watching his wife like this, Si Qinian was filled with emotion.

It was clear that Grandma Si and Song Mozhi truly liked Lin Jiu. This wasn’t something that could be faked.

At that moment, all of Si Qinian’s worries vanished. What could be more important than a happy family?

The kitchen lacked a large enough steamer, so Lin Jiu separated the magic striped shrimp into head and tail, steaming just the tail and using the shrimp roe to make a steamed egg dish.

The shrimp legs were grilled with a pepper-salt seasoning, and the large claws were placed in the freezer, with Lin Jiu instructing the aunt on how to steam them later for the tenderest texture. She carefully took notes, planning to cook it for the lady of the house later.

Grandma Si helped prepare the silver carps, but the invisible fish was beyond her abilities.

Lin Jiu placed the shrimp tail and the steamed egg in the steamer, leaving the aunt to watch over it while he went to handle the invisible fish.

Everyone watched with full attention. It was fascinating to see Lin Jiu seemingly grabbing and slicing through thin air, as though he was cutting an invisible object.

Lin Jiu had processed half of the invisible fish. When he placed the fish meat on a plate, it looked like an empty plate.

To verify there was something there, Grandma Si deliberately poked it with chopsticks. The sensation was real—there was indeed something there, just invisible.

Lin Jiu, wearing a strawberry-patterned apron, came out holding a large plate of invisible fish meat. When he saw Si Xu standing outside the kitchen, his gaze softened.

Si Xu walked over, took the plate from Lin Jiu, and placed it on the dining table.

“You’ve worked hard, sweetheart,” Si Xu said, pulling him in for a hug and kissing the top of his head.

Lin Jiu quickly pulled away, nervously glancing at both the living room and kitchen. Seeing that no one seemed to notice, he shot Si Xu a warning glare.

Si Xu laughed. He absolutely adored Lin Jiu’s anxious yet calm demeanor.

Suddenly, there was a cough from the living room.

Lin Jiu, nervous and guilty, glanced over and saw that it was Grandpa Song coughing while seriously inspecting the fruit wine.

In the kitchen, Grandma Si, holding a plate of silver carp, took two steps out before retreating back.

“What’s going on…”

“Shh!”

Song Mozhi had just opened her mouth to speak when Grandma Si stopped her, pointing toward the dining room.

Song Mozhi peeked over and saw her son standing very close to Lin Jiu, practically leaning against him. Si Xu was smiling tenderly, while Lin Jiu, his face flushed, gave him a glare that lacked any real threat.

Song Mozhi chuckled and shook her head. Earlier, she had been worried about whether the two were serious about their relationship. But seeing them together now, as someone who had been through it herself, she understood completely.

All their previous concerns were unnecessary.

The shrimp tail was soon done, and Lin Jiu went back to the kitchen to busy himself.

Grandma Si came out with a plate and, in a low voice, scolded her grandson, “Don’t bully Xiao Jiu.”

Si Xu laughed, “Alright.”

Grandma Si glanced toward the kitchen, then sneakily pulled out a bank card and stuffed it into her grandson’s hand. “Xiao Jiu brought over so many gifts, it’s too much. I’m afraid if I gave him money directly, he wouldn’t accept it. You go withdraw it and give it to him. The password is your birthday.”

Si Xu teased her, “Grandma, how much is in this card?”

Grandma Si pretended to hit him. “This is the money Grandpa and I saved for your wedding house. It’s enough for you to buy a villa in the best part of City A.”

Si Xu acted surprised, “That much? Did you take out all your retirement savings?”

Grandma Si laughed, “Don’t worry, Grandpa and I still have plenty left to spend.”

Si Xu tucked the card away, “I’ll thank Grandpa and Grandma on his behalf.”

Neither of them lacked money, and Si Xu even less so, but he accepted the heartfelt gesture from his grandparents.

The shrimp tail meat had been cut into small bite-sized pieces, neatly arranged on a large plate. The sauce was prepared, and it was time to eat.

The dinner spread was extremely lavish, with seafood as the highlight alongside some home-style dishes.

Grandpa Song and Grandpa Si both brought bottles of wine to the table.

Si Qinian, who had never tried this type of wine, also grabbed a bottle, intrigued by how much the two older men were praising it. He wanted to try it for himself.

Si Qinian thought they were going to drink an entire bottle each, but the two older men just held onto their bottles without any intention of opening them.

Si Qinian was confused.

Grandpa Song said, “Qinian, open one.”

Si Qinian: “???”

Feeling puzzled, he opened his own bottle.

Grandpa Song and Grandpa Si simultaneously pushed their glasses toward Si Qinian, “Come on, fill them up.”

Si Qinian filled their glasses.

The two old men clinked glasses, took small sips, and looked very pleased.

Si Qinian poured himself a glass and drank half of it in one gulp, only to be shocked.

He stared at the bottle in his hand, then at the bottles held by the two fathers, and quickly placed his own bottle in front of Si Xu, got up, and took the last unopened bottle from the coffee table, holding onto it tightly.

Si Xu: “…”

Si Qinian downed his glass of fruit wine and pushed his empty glass toward Si Xu, “Come on, fill it up.”

Si Xu: “…”

He looked around and noticed that everyone else, even Grandma and Mom, had their own bottles. They all had full bottles, except for the one he had opened…

Suddenly, he understood.

They weren’t willing to drink their own wine—they were planning to mooch off his bottle!

Grandma Si and Song Mozhi also pushed their glasses forward. “Today is a special day. Come on, fill them up. We want to taste this fruit wine too.”

Si Xu: “…”

Si Xu looked at Lin Jiu beside him, a bewildered expression of being taken advantage of on his face.

Lin Jiu had figured out their little scheme as well and held back a laugh, giving Si Xu’s leg a reassuring pat under the table.

It’s okay. We can refill it later.

With his wife’s support, Si Xu decided not to be stingy. He filled everyone’s glasses.

The Si family’s wine glasses were smaller than the ones used in the Demon Fish Shop, so two glasses wouldn’t be a problem.

Si Xu said, “This kind of green plum wine has more energy than the red plum wine. Each person can only drink one glass a day. Any more than that could cause issues. Grandpa, Grandpa Song, don’t get greedy. One glass a day is enough.”

The importance of this energy wine didn’t need further explanation. Even Si Qinian understood.

He was curious though, “Why is it that the Special Security Division can only purchase red plum wine but not qinghua fruit wine?”

Si Xu, as if reading his father’s mind, explained, “If the budget allows, it’s not impossible to buy green plum wine.”

Si Qinian: “…”

Understood. This green plum wine must be much more expensive than the huahong fruit wine.

Si Xu felt satisfied as father and son subtly competed with each other, both trying to outsmart the other.

The dinner was filled with joy and laughter. All the seafood was devoured, leaving a lot of the regular dishes untouched.

Having consumed so much energy-rich seafood and fruit wine, everyone felt invigorated and completely refreshed.

This is the magic of energy-rich ingredients.

It was already very late, and Grandpa Song, along with Grandma and Grandpa Si, were getting ready to leave.

Lin Jiu packed up the demon lobsters, giving one to each of them, and shared a portion of the Blue Magic Tentacles with them, leaving the rest for Song Mozhi to recover.

Lin Jiu told them that if they ever wanted seafood from Mo Yu, they could call him, and he would have it delivered to them.

Before leaving, Grandpa Song handed Lin Jiu a set of car keys. “It seems like Xiao Jiu doesn’t have a car yet. We have plenty of cars at home, and this one was just bought recently. It’s for Xiao Jiu to use.”

Lin Jiu: “…”

Looking at the car keys, Lin Jiu hesitated to accept.

Si Xu said, “It’s a gift from Grandpa, just take it.”

Only then did Lin Jiu accept the keys. “Thank you, Grandpa.”

Grandpa Song was very pleased, “No need to thank me, as long as the two of you are doing well.”

After sending off the three elders, Lin Jiu was also about to head home.

Before leaving, Song Mozhi also handed Lin Jiu a set of keys — to a villa in a prime location. They had bought it a while ago but hadn’t had the chance to give it to him.

It was a heartfelt gift from Si Xu’s parents, and Lin Jiu accepted it.

Since everyone had been drinking, Song Mozhi arranged for the family driver to take Lin Jiu home.

Si Xu accompanied him in the car, and while they were on the way, he took out the card his grandma had given him, asking Lin Jiu if they should withdraw the money.

Lin Jiu declined, saying that he didn’t need the money right now. There was no point in taking so much from his grandparents, so he told Si Xu to return it.

But returning it wasn’t an option. Si Xu decided to keep the card for Lin Jiu until he needed the money.

—