Zhou You's words moved Sun Li to tears, her heart completely tied to him. After the formalities were done, the two began to redecorate the room. Originally, they had only planned to hire a cleaner, but Zhou You's words stirred Sun Li's emotions, and now she was decorating it entirely like a wedding room.
Zhou You had brought this upon himself. Over the past few days, Sun Li dragged him around, buying a ton of stuff, exhausting him to the point where he wanted to buy a car. But this time, Sun Li firmly disagreed. She barely drove a few times a year, spending her days in class studying. Besides, Beijing traffic was a nightmare—driving wasn't faster than taking a taxi or the subway. A car would just sit at home and rot. Zhou You didn't push it; things could progress step by step, and if not, they'd deal with it next year.
After all the decorating, the home looked brand new—windows, sofa, dining utensils, pots and pans—Sun Li had replaced everything except what couldn't be moved. She especially bought two big red quilts. Then, they quickly took a few photos together to display as tabletop decorations at home. Zhou You wanted to take them in the style of wedding photos, but Sun Li disagreed, mainly because the turnaround time was too long and they couldn't wait.
Once the decorating was done, Sun Li cooked a table full of dishes. They opened a bottle of red wine and lit two red candles. The atmosphere was so well-crafted that even Zhou You felt moved. They poured the wine, filling each goblet halfway. The deep red wine glowed even redder under the light, casting a faint blush on Sun Li's small face, making her stunningly beautiful. When a spirited woman softens, a man can't resist.
Sun Li picked up her glass with one hand and grasped Zhou You's with the other. "Brother You, today is like our wedding night. I'm so happy. Even if we're not legally together, emotionally, we're already husband and wife." As she spoke, her eyes reddened, both from emotion and excitement. Zhou You held her hand tightly. "Meeting you is the luck of my life. I'll cherish our bond. Come on, let's drink to this—wishing us a long life together." "To a long life together," Sun Li echoed, clinking her glass.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, both were brimming with affection, their emotions at a peak. Zhou You picked up Sun Li and carried her to the bedroom. Lifting the red quilt revealed red sheets and red pillows—what else could it be but a wedding night? The night was a storm of passion, waves crashing. Skip ten thousand words here.
If there had been a faint distance between them before, after that night, it was gone. In the morning, Sun Li got up to make breakfast. Who would have thought that a spirited woman, tying on an apron to cook for you, could bring such satisfaction? "Today, I'm meeting with Xu Zheng to invest in his movie. If there are no issues, we'll sign the agreement. Do you have time to come with me?" Zhou You asked Sun Li as he sat on the sofa after eating. "I won't go. I've missed a lot of classes lately, and I need to catch up to pass the exam," Sun Li said while washing dishes.
Sun Li had lost her curiosity about the entertainment industry. She just wanted to get into the music conservatory's graduate program and keep improving herself. Whether she later pursued a path as a songwriter or worked behind the scenes, she'd have plenty of options. Even if Zhou You recommended her now, she wouldn't go far. After eating, Sun Li washed the dishes and left for class.
Zhou You set the meeting spot near the music conservatory. After resting at home for a while, he strolled downstairs. At the agreed location, he found Xu Zheng sitting with a woman. "Hello, CEO Zhou. I brought my wife along today; she'll make a cameo in the movie," Xu Zheng said, standing up to shake Zhou You's hand. "I know, Teacher Tao," Zhou You said, recalling. She was the Little Dragon Girl from *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* back in the day, and later appeared in *Little Joy*. Time was a butcher's knife, mercilessly cutting into people's hearts. Unfortunately, it was all a mess afterward—greed knows no bounds, desires never filled.
Xu Zheng handed the agreement to Zhou You. Zhou You skimmed it—it wasn't much different from before—and sent it straight to legal for review, asking for a response once done. With a legal firm handling things, Zhou You saved a lot of hassle. It provided protection and avoided many small issues, much more convenient than running his own company. Plus, Zhou You's terms were simple—no major principled problems, minor details didn't matter, as long as his investment interests were protected.
While waiting for the agreement, Xu Zheng kept the conversation going. After all, Zhou You was the movie's biggest investor, covering a third of the funding. "CEO Zhou, my wife Tao Hong isn't just an actress. She was also on the swimming team and won a silver medal in synchronized swimming at the National Games—pretty impressive," Xu Zheng said, holding Tao Hong's hand. "Oh, I didn't know Teacher Tao had that background. I've set up a few swimming pools in Luzhou. I like swimming and even hired a coach, but I've only watched synchronized swimming—it looks incredibly tough," Zhou You said, intrigued. "That was a long time ago. I haven't swum in years, and my figure's changed," Tao Hong smiled. "I really enjoy swimming—it's good exercise. Because I love it, I invested in those pools, making sure the water quality was top-notch so I could swim with peace of mind. It turned out the reputation grew, and I didn't even lose money," Zhou You said with some pride.
Zhou You didn't have a strong impression of Tao Hong, only remembering her role in *Little Joy*. How to put it? You could clearly see the passage of youth, yet she still retained a certain timeless charm. Neither "still attractive" nor "aging gracefully" quite fit—she just had a unique aura. But Zhou You had his boundaries. There were countless beautiful women in the world, and not all of them would be interested in him or have anything to do with him. Especially married women—he always kept his distance.
Before long, legal got back to him—no issues. They signed the agreement, which stipulated a total investment of 10 million yuan, to be injected in two installments. In front of Xu Zheng, Zhou You transferred 5 million yuan to the account. His straightforward style made Xu Zheng envious, wondering when he'd be so generous and bold. They were supposed to have lunch together, but Zhou You declined, saying he needed to go home and eat with Sun Li. As he left, he shook hands with both of them.
But when he shook Tao Hong's hand, she squeezed his slightly, stirring a bit of emotion in him. He'd always heard they had an open marriage, but he never quite understood what that meant. After all, Zhou You wasn't really part of the entertainment industry—at most, he was just skimming profits from it.