Zongman, gain super powers after helping others

You'll understand in Chapter 139, right?

Yukino and Chiki found a secluded corner to sit down, and as soon as they sat down, she asked:

"Speaking of which, have you heard of the Toyokawa Group, Mr. Chishu?"

"never heard of that."

Lin Qianshu is quite honest, and his motto is "I'll answer whatever you ask."

"Why is Yang Nai asking this?"

"It's about the family business." Yukinoshita Haruno didn't try to hide anything and immediately told him about the order and her family's concerns.

"So, what Yang Nai means is that she wants to confirm whether the Toyokawa Group's order is reliable, right?"

"Yes."

"I don't know the specifics, but I can try to find out for you."

"Would it be too much trouble for you?"

"What would you do if I said it was troublesome, Haruno-nee?"

"Then I have no choice but to beg you."

As Yukino Yukinoshita put on a pitiful expression, Lin Qianshu had reason to suspect that if this were not a public place and the other person was not wearing an evening dress but ordinary casual clothes, Yukino would not hesitate to grab his hand and humbly ask him for help.

pity.

“In that case… Sister Yang Nai, you owe me a favor.” Lin Qianshu held up one finger. He wasn’t the kind of guy who would rush to help a pretty woman without expecting anything in return.

Even if the person asking him is named Yukino Yukinoshita, it won't work.

Rather, it's precisely because it was Haruno who asked him for a favor that he had to be even more meticulous with her. After all, opportunities to make Haruno owe him a favor are rare, so he had to make the most of them.

Besides, human relationships are based on mutual debts; you owe me, I owe you, and over time, the bond between us deepens.

Of course, if it were her younger sister Yukino, Lin Qianshu would probably have helped her directly. It's not that she was being treated differently... well, actually, it was being treated differently.

People inevitably have varying degrees of closeness and distance. Yukino Yukinoshita is Lin Qianshu's good friend, and in the future, there's a high probability that the word "good" in "good friend" will be separated into its components.

My best friend's girlfriend is pregnant with his child.

On the other hand, could Yukinoshita Haruno do the same?

Eh, it seems that it is not impossible.

"Hey~ I've already given you Yukino, do you still owe me a favor?" Yukinoshita Haruno said half-jokingly.

"Yonai-nee, if Yukino heard you say that, she'd probably start arguing with you again." Lin Qianshu shook her head.

"She's not here."

"I'll tell her when I get back."

"...Chiki, has anyone ever told you that boys who like to tattle are really not likable?"

Lin Qianshu replied with a smile, "I thought Yang Nai would say that Yukino wouldn't believe it."

Yukino Yukinoshita sighed and said with a melancholy tone, "There's nothing I can do. She depends on you more now than on me."

As soon as she finished speaking, the beautiful young woman stared intently at Lin Qianshu with her light red eyes.

She said, "Now even I have to rely on you."

Lin Qianshu felt that something was off about what Yukinoshita Haruno said, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He could only reply, "I know, it's just helping to find out some information. Relying on anything... that's a bit of an exaggeration."

Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukino's eyes flashed with surprise. Then, as if confirming something, she stared at Lin Chishu for a while. Only after realizing that the other's expression was genuine did she resume her usual cheerful tone and say, "Haha, then I'll leave it to you. If you need any help from your older sister, just say the word. Even if you have to kidnap Yukino to your house, I won't hesitate!"

"It's clearly Yang Nai who owes the favor, so why is it being pinned on Yukino again?" Lin Qianshu teased.

Yukinoshita glanced sideways at Lin Qianshu, then suddenly her tone became alluring, her voice sticky and soft as if it could be drawn into silk, and said, "Qianshu, do you want me to tie myself up and send myself to your house?"

"It's not necessary."

Lin Qianshu sat upright, rejecting the tempting offer with an air of righteous indignation.

Thanks for the invitation, Microsoft.

"This won't work, that won't work, are you trying to tie me up with Yukino?"

"Ahem... You can't just say things like that."

Lin Qianshu was defeated. After asking a servant to refill her glass of juice, she met the college classmate who brought her there, through the introduction of Yukinoshita Haruno.

After seeing that it was indeed the first time Lin Qianshu and Lianzi had met, Yukinoshita Haruno finally dispelled her doubts and realized that she might have been overthinking things.

Lin Qianshu had no reason, nor was it possible, to go to such lengths specifically for him; it was all just a coincidence.

The reason Reiko invited him to this dinner party was most likely because she wanted to use this opportunity to outdo him.

After all, she always had the upper hand in school. Although their relationship wasn't bad, Reiko's competitive nature meant she would definitely try to make up for it.

Just as the group was having a pleasant conversation, the dinner entered its second phase.

Guided by hotel staff, guests moved from the reception room to the adjacent concert hall.

Just as a bonfire party is never complete without a traditional folk dance, a banquet is also inseparable from dance activities.

Originating as a formal social activity among the European aristocracy, balls gradually became popular among the upper class in Japan after the Meiji Restoration in the mid-19th century.

Balls often revolve around socializing through ballroom dancing. Participants are required to wear formal attire such as evening gowns to attend the ceremony. The main program includes three parts: the opening dance, free dance invitations, and the final performance.

The free dance session is the core of the entire ball, during which guests will expand their social circles by dancing together.

Typically, the first dance at a ball is initiated by the man inviting his female companion.

Lin Qianshu came with Grandpa Lin without any female companions, but fortunately, Yukino Yukinoshita's appearance solved this problem.

"Can you dance?" Yukinoshita asked.

"I know a little," Lin Qianshu replied. He remembered that his parents had taught him relevant knowledge when he was still an orphan.

It was supposed to be a lesson, but actually, Lin Qianshu's parents were just giving him a demonstration while dancing. In the end, they completely ignored him, vividly demonstrating what it means for parents to be the true love and children to be just an accident.

After hearing Lin Qianshu's answer, Yukinoshita Haruno did not reply, but just smiled and looked at him.

Lin Qianshu wasn't a blockhead; he quickly understood Yukinoshita's meaning. As melodious music filled the concert hall, he bowed slightly, extended his right hand, palm up, and said, "May I ask you to dance?"

"I'd be delighted." Yukinoshita Haruno placed her fingertips on Hayashi Chiki's palm, agreeing to the request to dance together.

In fact, Yukino Yukinoshita doesn't like attending balls. Because of her outstanding appearance, she always receives invitations from the opposite sex and jealousy from the same sex at balls. Due to social etiquette, it is often quite troublesome to refuse.

Generally, when Yukino Yukinoshita participates in such events, she will invite someone of the same sex to dance. After dancing a few songs, she will refuse any further dance invitations by saying, "I'm a little tired and need to rest."

However, sometimes she encounters some persistent individuals. When faced with these people, Yukinoshita Haruno will show her strong side and gracefully make them lose face.

Despite having ample room to handle all sorts of situations that might arise at the ball thanks to her superb social skills, Yukinoshita Haruno inevitably feels mentally exhausted.

Therefore, of all social activities, Yukino Yukinoshita's second least favorite was the ball.

Fortunately, although Yukinoshita Haruno dislikes dances, she doesn't dislike Hayashi Chiki. If they really had to dance together, he would be the best choice.

"Speaking of which, when you and Yukino were spending time together in private, did you ever dance together?"

Yukinoshita placed her hand on Lin Qianshu's arm and asked curiously.

"No, actually this is the first time I've ever danced with a person of the opposite sex who isn't related to me by blood," Lin Qianshu replied.

"really?"

"Really, and the last time I danced was probably in junior high school."

"...So you really only know a little bit?"

When Lin Qianshu said he knew a little bit before, Yukino Shino took it as a humble remark. But now that Lin Qianshu said it, it turns out he really only knows a little bit.

Is this guy about to step on himself?

Yukino Yukinoshita was wearing a pair of open-toed high heels today, held together only by a few thin black threads. Apart from that, there was nothing covering her toes, which were as delicate as tender buds. Her nails were neatly trimmed and had a faint pink hue. The skin on her heels was smooth and delicate, with only the areas where they came into contact with the threads showing a faint red from friction, like the tender color of early spring branches that had not yet faded.

On the other hand, Lin Qianshu was wearing a pair of shiny leather shoes. Just by looking at the soles, you could tell how high quality they were. If you stepped on them, it would probably hurt a bit.

Lin Qianshu seemed to sense Yukino's worry and reassured her, "Don't worry, I won't step on you."

"Actually, it doesn't matter if I stepped on it, because then I can have some peace and quiet afterwards."

That being said, Yukino Yukinoshita slowed down her dance steps considerably, consciously maintaining a relatively safe distance from Hayashi Chiki's feet as she moved forward and backward. She only completely relaxed after the dance ended.

"Your dancing skills are not bad." Yukinoshita Haruno praised Lin Chishu. At the beginning, she could feel that the other party's dancing skills were a bit rusty, but in the middle and later stages, Haruno could clearly feel that Lin Chishu's dance steps were much more natural, to the point that she didn't have to worry about the other party stepping on her feet.

"Take this as a compliment." Lin Qianshu knew his own limitations; his dancing skills were at best average, definitely not good.

Yukinoshita Haruno is thanking herself for not stepping on it.

The music stopped temporarily, and we entered the intermission.

"I won't take up any more of your space. Be careful not to step on anyone else," Yukinoshita Haruno reminded her.

Lin Qianshu shook her head and said, "I don't plan to continue dancing."

After all, among the guests present, only Yukinoshita Haruno was somewhat familiar to him; the rest were no different from strangers to him, and Lin Qianshu had no intention of socializing.

"Those ladies have been waiting for your invitation since just now. How can you bear to leave them alone in their rooms?"

Because of Lin Qianshu's status, many women had been staring at him since the start of the ball, hoping to dance with him. Moreover, even disregarding his status, many female guests were eager to make a move just because of his model.

"Who taught you to use idioms like that?" Lin Qianshu was speechless, even the phrase "being alone in an empty room" came out.

"Isn't that right? Judging from their expressions, even if you don't go looking for them later, they'll come looking for you on their own."

"The first lesson for adults is learning to say no."

"This is against the rules of the ball."

According to the rules of the ball, a man can invite a woman, and the woman can decline. Conversely, a woman can also invite a man, but the man cannot decline.

"I believe they will understand."

Yukino was speechless; she could understand what Lin Qianshu was trying to say.

The ball has its own set of rules, and Lin Qianshu also has his own set of rules. As things stand, it is clear that Lin Qianshu's rules supersede the ball's rules, and at least the guests present are unlikely to offend him over such a trivial matter.

Unlike Yukino Yukinoshita, who needs to find a suitable reason or excuse when refusing someone, Chiki Hayashi's refusal doesn't need a reason at all, because the other party will find a reasonable explanation on their own.

This is similar to how a "simp" who is rejected by his goddess doesn't get angry, but tries to find reasons to convince himself to defend her.

And this may be the freedom that comes with power.

Yukinoshita was very envious, not of Hayashi Chiki's power, but of his freedom.

True freedom is not about being able to do whatever you want, but about being able to choose not to do what you don't want to do.

Does Yang Nai under the snow have freedom?

Yes, but not much.

She could refuse the invitation to the ball, but she couldn't refuse her mother's arrangements; her freedom was based on not going against her mother's wishes.

This raises a new question: can conditional freedom still be called freedom?

Yukino Yukino didn't understand, but what could she do?

Reality is not a fairy tale. A princess captured by a dragon will most likely end up as compost rather than be rescued by a hero.

Even if it's just a dance, Yukinoshita Haruno wants to experience the taste of freedom.

"In that case, would you like to dance with me again?" Yukinoshita Haruno extended an invitation to Hayashi Chiki.

Lin Qianshu raised an eyebrow and said, "This doesn't follow the rules, does it?"

By convention, a pair of dance partners at a ball is only supposed to dance to one song, and at most, they can dance again during the closing song of the ball.

But this is only the second song of the ball; the closing song is still a long way off.

“You’ll understand, right?” Yang Nai winked at Lin Qianshu.

"Of course." Lin Qianshu didn't mind at all; it was just about dancing one more dance.

However, seeing the change in Yono's emotions after he agreed, he seemed to understand something.

Chapter 140: Shares Acquired, Yukinoshita's Transformation