Zongman, gain super powers after helping others

However, there are always exceptions. Some things may have good intentions, but unexpected events often occur during the actual implementation process, leading to unsatisfactory results.

What Lin Qianshu and the other volunteers, along with the summer camp teachers, had to do was to guide the outcome in the best possible way.

As expected, Tsurumi Rumi was once again excluded from the small group. The other four had clear divisions of labor: some started the fire, others processed the ingredients. She was the only one who was not assigned any work and was left out of the group, not knowing what to do. She just kept fiddling with the pick on her camera.

Seeing this, Ye Shan wanted to go up and talk to him, but Lin Qianshu stopped him.

"What's wrong?" Ye Shan asked, puzzled.

"Leave her to me; your going there will only make things more complicated."

Hayama was so conspicuous that he became the center of attention among the elementary school students in less than a day.

But this is to be expected, after all, she is good-looking, easy to get along with, and very good at socializing. Such a person will be the focus of attention wherever she goes.

But that's precisely why Hayama can't get close to Tsurumi Rumi. His brilliance is too overwhelming, just like the saying "the weak cannot tolerate nourishment." Even if Tsurumi Rumi is enveloped by his brilliance and ends up standing in the center of the stage with him, becoming the center of attention.

The final result won't be, "Wow, she can actually be friends with high school students while studying in the US, that's amazing, I want to be friends with her too!" Instead, it will be, "Tsk, what makes her so special?" and then they will isolate each other more and more.

Cinderella is called a fairy tale because the story itself is not very feasible.

After all, in reality, when an ordinary girl suddenly transforms into a glamorous princess, a normal person wouldn't think, "Wow, she's amazing, I want to be friends with her," but rather, "Is this princess serious?"

It's likely that Yukinoshita's situation back then was similar to Tsurumi Rumi's situation now.

Even Hayama helped in the same way back then, and the final result was obvious.

Therefore, Lin Qianshu decided to let Yeshan attract the attention of the other children, while he, as the older brother who had interacted with Tsurumi Rumi before, went forward to inquire about the situation.

Hayama walked to the area where the elementary school students were gathered and was quickly surrounded by them. Tsurumi Rumi had retreated to the side of the crowd and was watching the lively scene with a cold eye.

It felt like the liveliness belonged to them, while I just found it noisy.

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P.S.: I'm back from my hometown, and I'll start updating like crazy tomorrow.

Chapter 123 The Reasons for Tsurumi Rumi's Being Odded

"Elementary school students are such enthusiastic yet realistic creatures."

Lin Qianshu walked over to Tsurumi Rumi's side and said something as if he had a feeling.

"A bunch of idiots..."

Rumi Tsurumi echoed softly, her voice extremely indifferent, and with her calm expression, even Yukino would have to call her Rumi.

"Well, to be honest, we're all pretty much the same. Smart people are ultimately a minority, or rather, in the eyes of most people, the so-called smart people are the stupid ones," Lin Qianshu replied.

Rumi Tsurumi looked at Chisato Hayashi with a puzzled expression and asked, "So, according to you, you're an idiot too?"

"Such a possibility cannot be ruled out."

Lin Qianshu didn't mind being called an idiot at all. The word "joke" had no effect now; it even sounded like she was being coquettish.

"If I'm an idiot, then you're pretty much an idiot too."

Tsurumi Rumi looked at Lin Qianshu with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot, as if to say, 'Are you alright?'

“Who would call themselves an idiot…” Tsurumi Rumi muttered to herself, somewhat unable to understand Lin Qianshu’s thought process.

"In the end, the idea of ​​who is stupid is just a subjective opinion of other people. Apart from innate factors, only you can decide whether you are stupid or not."

"so what?"

Do you envy them?

Lin Qianshu was referring to the group of elementary school students who surrounded Ye Shan, laughing and playing around. They looked so happy.

"No... I'm not envious." Rumi Tsurumi subconsciously shook her head, but her words were hesitant, as if she couldn't make up her mind. In the end, she seemed more like a sour grapes.

Clearly, the young Chinese girl herself was unsure whether she envied or longed to return to the group, which is why she appeared so lost and disoriented.

However, the fact that she hesitated shows that Tsurumi Rumi actually wanted to return to the group. After all, no matter how precocious she is, she is still just a sixth-grade elementary school student. Most adults cannot do things like leaving the group and adapting to loneliness.

Lin Qianshu did not expose this point, but instead changed the subject.

"Let's get the photos developed together tomorrow. By the way, did you take any other photos after that?"

"No." Tsurumi Rumi's answer was short and forceful, almost without hesitation.

"This is a rare opportunity, don't you want to create some memories?"

“If these are the kinds of memories… keeping them will only cause more suffering, so I don’t need them.” Tsurumi Rumi seemed to be convincing herself, and then added.

"I can make friends with students from other places after I enter junior high school."

It's clear that Rumi Tsurumi is also trying to save herself and is doing her best to find a way out, even though the essence of that way out is still to escape the existing problems and buy time.

Just as Tsurumi Rumi finished speaking, a clear and cool voice, somewhat similar to hers but more mature, interrupted.

"I'm very sorry, that's impossible."

Yukino Yukinoshita bluntly extinguished Rumi Tsurumi's beautiful dream.

Tsurumi looked at the older sister who had suddenly interrupted, a hint of confusion and annoyance at being rejected flashing in her eyes.

Yukino Yukinoshita ignored Rumi Tsurumi's dissatisfaction and gave her judgment in simple and clear language that even an elementary school student could understand.

"Your classmates will also go to the same high school, and everything will just repeat itself. The so-called 'classmates from other places' you mentioned will either join them or be ostracized along with you. What do you think those classmates will choose then?"

"..."

Yukinoshita was right. In Japan, whether you go to a local public junior high school or a private junior high school, you will inevitably run into classmates from your elementary school days.

Because of this, the negative image she had in elementary school will follow her into junior high school.

Even if Rumi Tsurumi does make new friends during her junior high school years, this image will eventually be communicated to her friends in various ways.

At that time, whether Tsurumi Rumi likes it or not, her past experiences will become topics of conversation or jokes among her friends. If they can accept it, they can still be friends on the surface. If they cannot accept it, then everything will go back to the beginning.

Of course, it's also possible that Rumi Tsurumi was very lucky and met some very good people who, upon learning about her past, would not only not be prejudiced against her but would also stand up for her.

But given the atmosphere on Japanese campuses, it's more practical to think about how to save yourself than to pray for encountering such a kind person.

The mountains fall, but everyone runs.

If you don't have good interpersonal relationships, the first thing you need to do to establish yourself in a Japanese school is to strengthen your mind. You don't have to be like Yukino Yukinoshita, who treats all the jealous people as stupid idiots, but you should at least be like Hachiman Hikigaya, who can live well even without friends.

Since Yukinoshita said that, it means that she has chosen the path of helping Tsurumi Rumi—to help her become stronger and adapt to loneliness.

“You’re well aware of all this, aren’t you? But you still cling to a sliver of unrealistic fantasy,” Yukino Yukinoshita continued.

However, these words were too blunt, making Lin Qianshu somewhat worried about whether Tsurumi Rumi could handle them. In addition, he also noticed that Yukinoshita was also tightly pursing her lips, as if she was enduring something, as if she was recalling past scars.

She saw her past self in Rumi Tsurumi.

In fact, Yukino Yukinoshita was quite lucky. During her middle school years, her family sent her abroad, which greatly helped her get rid of the debts associated with Japanese school and gave her a chance to start over.

However, Tsurumi Rumi may not be so lucky. Although it is clear that Tsurumi Rumi's family is well-off, it is only well-off. Compared to the Yukinoshita family, a prestigious family that has been entrenched in Chiba City for a long time, they can only be described as ordinary middle class at best.

Even if they could afford to support Tsurumi's studies abroad in the United States, his parents might not be willing to pay such a high price.

Not every parent has the insight and skill of Xue's mother.

Rumi Tsurumi's answer confirmed Yukino Yukinoshita's judgment.

"I knew it... You were right, I really am an idiot."

Seeing this, Lin Qianshu raised an eyebrow and asked, "What did you do?"

Rumi Tsurumi shook her head, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. She spoke in a flat, empty voice, “Several people were ostracized before… but usually, things would return to normal after a while, and everyone would start chatting again. It was like a passing fad. Each time, someone would start it, and then everyone would follow suit.”

Yes, it fits Lin Qianshu's stereotype of the atmosphere on a neon-lit campus. If she were to conduct an experiment on the herd mentality, she would believe that a neon-lit campus would be the best petri dish.

"So now it's your turn. Do you think it will be the same as before?" Lin Qianshu asked.

“No…” Tsurumi Rumi understood clearly, “This time it’s different.”

“Because initially, it wasn’t me who was ostracized, but someone I was very close to and often chatted with. He was ostracized, so at the time, I kept a little distance from him, just like everyone else… and then I don’t know when it was my turn, even though I hadn’t done anything.” Tsurumi Rumi’s small face showed a distressed expression.

Yukinoshita was silent for a moment before saying, "Being ostracized doesn't need a reason. If there really is a reason, it's because you're different from others."

"Is that so? But I'm certain it's because of that person this time."

The person Tsurumi Rumi was referring to was probably the one she was close to, the one who was initially ostracized.

“I talked to him about many things, and it was precisely because we talked too much that I ended up like this.”

It was just a short sentence, but it sent chills down one's spine.

It is clear that what Tsurumi Rumi meant was that the person who was ostracized in the past used a private conversation with Tsurumi Rumi's friends as an atonement for not being ostracized, in exchange for those people's 'friendship'.

It's important to know that conversations between close friends often go deeper and more extensive. Some things can only be said to close friends, and once they're brought up in public, the meaning becomes quite different.

Some things weigh less than four ounces on a scale, but can weigh a thousand pounds on a scale.

From Tsurumi Rumi's description at the beginning, it is clear that she actually dislikes or is disgusted by this inexplicable trend of ostracizing people, and she may have told that person this as well.

Another point is that by the time students reach the sixth grade of elementary school, they have already begun to understand the opposite sex. Topics related to love are new and exciting for elementary school students, so it is only natural that they would feel the urge to confide in someone.

Because this is also an embarrassing and taboo subject, I only tell it to people I trust.

Clearly, disaster begins when those you trust no longer keep their word.

Elementary school students, at this age when their minds are not yet mature, always feel that the people close to them are completely trustworthy, and they don't understand that when a secret is known to a second person, they should be prepared for the secret to no longer be a secret.

It's impossible for everyone in the world to be a good person; ordinary people make up the vast majority.

The vast majority of ordinary people may behave like good people in daily life due to the constraints of social morality and law, but they can also turn into bad people without hesitation in times of crisis.

Human nature is the most difficult thing to fathom.

Betrayed by a close friend and made a scapegoat, all the ways they used to build a closer relationship have now become the sharpest arrows piercing their heart.

This can be considered a rather heavy lesson in Tsurumi Rumi's growth path. Although the price was high, if she can learn from the experience in time, she may be able to navigate interpersonal relationships more smoothly in the future.

But without proper guidance, no one knows what Rumi Tsurumi will eventually become.

At least for now, Lin Qianshu has seen regret, anger, and resentment in her.

After being treated that way by her friends, it's possible that Tsurumi Rumi might rejoin the group in the same or similar way, just like that person.

Is it really meaningful to return to a group through such despicable means?

Chapter 124 So, under the snow, she once again got stuck in a rut.

Lin Qianshu and Xue Shita stood side by side watching Tsurumi Rumi walk back to her squad, the gloomy aura emanating from her almost visible to the naked eye.

While Yukinoshita helped Tsurumi Rumi face reality, she also blocked any possibility of her escaping. The cruelty of reality was hard for Tsurumi Rumi to bear, so it was only natural that she felt like giving up.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Seeing Tsurumi Rumi's reaction, Yukinoshita inevitably began to doubt her own decision and subconsciously sought answers from Hayashi Chiki.

Even Yukino Yukinoshita herself didn't realize when she had become so dependent on Chiki Hayashi.

"Why do you think that?" Lin Qianshu noticed Xue's confusion and asked in return.

Yukino pursed her lips, turned her head away, and suddenly regretted asking Lin Qianshu that question.

You have to understand that they are now competitors. Who would ask their competitor if their strategy is right or wrong?

But since you've already asked, you might as well be more explicit.

"If I had phrased it more tactfully, perhaps she would feel better now?"

"That's not like you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qianshu chuckled and shook her head.

"Not like me?"

A look of confusion appeared on Xue Shine's beautiful face.

"In my memory, Yukino, you are quite strict with yourself and others, and you speak without any mercy. How come you are starting to doubt yourself now?"

"Because her situation is different from mine when she studied in the US."

At first, Yukinoshita thought that Tsurumi Rumi's experience was the same as hers, but after listening to the other's experience, Yukinoshita clearly realized that although Tsurumi Rumi was ostracized like she was in elementary school, the situation she faced was completely different from hers.

“They’re all essentially the same thing,” Lin Qianshu interrupted.

"Whether it's because of being too outstanding or betrayed by a friend, it's essentially just a large-scale obedience test. It's nothing more than bullying behavior that relies on trampling on the dignity of others to consolidate the relationship of a small group."