Chapter 57: Pus.h.i.+ng It Too Far
As noon approached, Lin Jin escorted his last customer out of the hall. For the entire morning, he actually managed to appraise and treat more than ten pet beasts.
Other appraisers could have achieved this speed as well but they certainly couldn’t have been as detailed as Lin Jin.
Everyone who had decided to purchase Lin Jin’s consultation token found it to be worth their money and were more than satisfied.
How could they not be?
For the same problem, if they had consulted other beast appraisers or apprentices, they might need to visit the a.s.sociation several times and even return for regular check-ups. Not to mention the confusing appraisal procedures they had to go through prior to the actual check-up.
Almost none of their problems could be solved in one go.
But at Appraiser Lin’s, everything was solved in one visit. Just his few sheets’ worths of evaluation report held greater weight than the perfunctory stuff the other appraisers wrote for them. Lin Jin’s reports were detailed, and whoever knew how to read could understand immediately what it contained.
“Appraiser Lin, I… I’m going to reason with them,” Lu Xiaoyun burst out, finally unable to hold back.
“Come back!” Lin Jin ordered her to return. “It wouldn’t help even if you reason with them. It might even give them a basis to bad-mouth us instead. If they want to remove my tokens, so be it. If they want to shut the hall down, let them do it.”
“But…”
Lin Jin waved his hand without another word.
Outside, Zhou Xiu led his men from the general affairs department over.
In fact, they had already arrived but were waiting outside until the last customer left before entering the hall.
Lu Xiaoyun was about to march over while Zhao Ying glared at them. However, Lin Jin knew that Zhou Xiu had been helping him in the dark. If they came to shut the hall down when the place was filled with customers, Lin Jin’s reputation which he was desperately trying to rebuild would have gone down the drain.
“Zhao Ying, Xiaoyun, mind your manners. Manager Zhou is only fulfiling his duty,” Lin Jin commented, clearly signifying that Zhou Xiu had no say in the decision to shut down his hall. The perpetrator behind this decision wasn’t Zhou Xiu.
The only person who had the authority to issue this order was Chief w.a.n.g Ji.
Zhou Xiu was an intelligent man. He knew that Lin Jin had accepted his favor after he tried to buy them some time. Hence, he sighed before announcing, “The a.s.sociation has decided, due to Appraiser Lin’s severe appraisal mishap, from today onward, his tokens will be removed and his hall will be temporarily shut down. Further arrangements will have to wait until the investigation results are out.”
To remove Lin Jin’s tokens meant that Lin Jin’s consultation tokens will no longer be available to the public. Those who would like to seek his services could no longer do so.
To shut his hall down simply meant that this hall would be sealed off. Even Lin Jin himself would be prohibited from entering the premises.
For an appraiser, this was no doubt the biggest dishonor.
Was Lin Jin furious?
How could he not be? But Lin Jin knew that anger was not helpful at such a moment. By throwing a fit, he would just be embarra.s.sing himself and giving way to ridicule. A clever person’s counterattack would be to hit where it hurts and deal a fatal, decisive blow.
And before that happened, he had to tolerate and plan his retaliation.
“We’ll leave after packing up. We’ll be troubling you, Manager Zhou,” Lin Jin said with a salute.
Zhou Xiu’s heart thumped.
In the face of such a huge insult, Lin Jin could actually accept it calmly without showing frustration. Was this the mental state that belonged to a young man? Upon closer inspection, he could see how clear Lin Jin’s eyes were and how confident he was. He obviously had someone or something backing him up.
Zhou Xiu only felt his scalp p.r.i.c.kle. He mused, ‘Have my eyes been blinded by c.r.a.p? How have I never realized how extraordinary Lin Jin was?’
While it seemed like Chief w.a.n.g Ji had the upper hand this time, and Lin Jin couldn’t possibly turn the tides anymore, Zhou Xiu still had a hunch that changes might still occur.
There wasn’t much left in the hall. He would leave the books behind, taking only the pet beasts, some writing materials, and clothes. Hence, the packing up was done quickly. Throughout the process, Zhao Ying, Lu Xiaoyun, and even Han Dong’s eyes were misty and red as they remained silent.
At this, Lin Jin chuckled. “It’s only closed temporarily, not forever. Since you’ve decidedto learn under me, you should have faith in me. Let’s go. I’m hungry. I’ll treat you guys to a nice meal.”
w.a.n.g Ji had obviously sent someone to secretly observe the situation here.
“What is that Zhou Xiu doing? Why did he give Lin Jin time to prepare himself? He should have shut the hall down in front of everyone! But nothing matters at this point, the results are the same. Oh Lin Jin, trying to emanc.i.p.ate yourself? I won’t give you that opportunity.”
After receiving word that Lin Jin’s hall was shut down, that heavy rock that was weighing down w.a.n.g Ji’s heart finally fell to rest. With this, he only had to wait for headquarters to send an inspector to Maple City. Once they verified that Lin Jin had caused the accident, his certification could be revoked on the spot.
At that moment, a report came, saying that Jia Qian was requesting an audience.
There was a glint in w.a.n.g Ji’s eyes. He leaned back and informed them to allow her to enter.
Soon, Jia Qian stepped into the room.
“Greetings, Chief!” Charming as always, no man could possibly resist Jia Qian’s allure.
w.a.n.g Ji glanced over her voluptuous figure and silently cursed, ‘What a witch.’.
Come to think of it, Jia Qian was the reason why w.a.n.g Ji started attacking Lin Jin. Back then, he had wanted to get a taste of her and was hoping to use this method to keep her as his personal plaything.
But it didn’t take long for w.a.n.g Ji to realize that Jia Qian wasn’t an easy target. Each time, she would find a way to slip out of his fingers. Despite the time he had invested into her, he gained not a single benefit. Forget taking a bite, he hadn’t even held her hand before.
It was like having a scrumptious dish placed right before one’s eyes. However, one could only watch, and was forbidden from taking a bite. Anyone else would be just as irritated as w.a.n.g Ji.
And w.a.n.g Ji was infuriated.
His patience for Jia Qian was wearing thin, and he was only attacking Lin Jin for the sake of establis.h.i.+ng his prestige. Because he had given Lin Jin a terrible score, Lin Jin had to comply with w.a.n.g Ji’s ‘evaluation’. Otherwise, it would be w.a.n.g Ji who would get investigated in the end.
Besides this, one of the a.s.sociation’s elders, Nan Gongxian had once mentioned to him to promote Dong He when an opportunity arose. Nan Gongxian’s wife was Dong Que, Dong He’s sister. One was the a.s.sociation’s elder with a profound background. The other was a female apprentice that had nothing more than a gorgeous appearance. There wasn’t a need to question his choice.
“Is something the matter?” w.a.n.g Ji immediately put on a false air of excellence. They were at his consultation hall. Although they were alone, he shouldn’t let things go overboard in case someone saw.
“I heard that Lin Jin’s consultation hall has been shut down,” Jia Qian said.
w.a.n.g Ji nodded. “That’s right, and it was under my orders. You should be happy about this.”
Jia Qian glanced around before taking a step forward, smiling. A waft of fragrance immediately filled his olfactories.
“Chief, it looks like Lin Jin’s end is near. When will you be providing me with a recommendation?”
Her voice carried a tone of seduction.
w.a.n.g Ji smiled as well. “Come to me tonight. I’ll tell you.”
He was being extremely direct. Having said that, he extending an arm to grab Jia Qian’s waist.
Jia Qian’s expression changed slightly. With a swift movement, she dodged away and intentionally responded with a coquettish voice, saying, “Chief, didn’t we agree that once I became an official beast appraiser, I would fulfill your wish?”
w.a.n.g Ji frowned, getting annoyed. “It’s the same thing every time. You ask me for favors but you wouldn’t even let me touch your hand. Now I’m beginning to suspect if you’re just toying me.”
Jia Qian quickly said, “I wouldn’t dare to. We’ve already made an agreement. If my wish is fulfilled, I would never go back on my word. However, before it comes true, please be a little more patient for now..”
w.a.n.g Ji was clearly losing patience. It was the same excuse every time.
He planned to force himself on her right now. After all, even if he took her, he a.s.sumed that Jia Qian wouldn’t dare to utter a single word about this.
However, there was a sudden knock on the door, extinguis.h.i.+ng the l.u.s.t and fury in w.a.n.g Ji’s heart.
Jia Qian took this opportunity to announce her departure. Once outside, her expression darkened. She took a deep breath to calm herself down before storming off.