As the box office of *Lost in Thailand* continued to heat up, even the cold winter felt feverish. Several directors he had worked with before, now aware that Zhou You was one of the behind-the-scenes investors, called to congratulate him.
The entertainment industry is superstitious, because no one can predict which film will be a blockbuster. Almost every year, dark horses emerge, and many low-budget movies manage to pull off upsets. The path to fame for actors is especially bumpy and unpredictable—you never know when luck will strike, leading to a sudden explosion of popularity, recognition by audiences, and ultimately, stardom.
That's why every film production holds a kickoff ceremony—it's both a tradition and a form of reassurance.
Teng Huatao was riding high on his last film, but his subsequent projects, without Zhou You's investment, had mostly been lukewarm. During the peak of *Lost in Thailand*'s run, a small gathering was happening in his circle. Present were Miao Xia, Hai Qing, Bai Baihe, and a few others from the industry. As the wine flowed, they couldn't help but discuss the hottest topic: *Lost in Thailand*.
Teng Huatao: "I never expected *Lost in Thailand* to blow up this hard—it's almost at a billion!"
Hai Qing: "Yeah, who would've thought? The actors in it are about to see their value skyrocket. Hey, my latest film is about to release too—I wonder how it'll do?"
Bai Baihe: "Director Teng is impressive too—you started small and scored a big hit back then."
Miao Xia: "Uh, it seems like Zhou You invested in all of these."
Everyone suddenly realized this. The table fell silent for a few seconds, then erupted into chatter.
Teng Huatao: "Yeah, Zhou You's got incredible luck. Every project I know of his has been a massive hit—even that documentary was a jackpot. Sure, *Mr. Tree* lost money at the box office, but it won plenty of awards, so it still paid off."
Hai Qing: "Oh, the film I'm about to wrap up is also invested by Zhou You. Do you think it'll blow up too?"
Bai Baihe: "I feel like it could. Zhou You has this magic about him that inspires a strange sense of trust."
She silently added to herself, *And he's in great shape too. I was just messing around, but it turned into a pleasant surprise.*
Everyone turned to Miao Xia: "Teacher Miao is lucky—you're closest to Zhou You now. His girlfriend is studying under you, and soon she'll be your student."
Miao Xia couldn't help but smile: "I have to thank Director Teng for that—he made the introduction. I've been reaping the benefits too. I'll even get to work on the soundtrack for Hai Qing's new film."
Hai Qing, being straightforward, couldn't resist asking: "Do you think Zhou You's success is luck or good judgment?"
Everyone fell into thought.
"We're all insiders. There are plenty of films with great scripts, great actors, great directors, and solid production quality—but how many of them actually blow up?" Teng Huatao said after careful consideration, a note of resignation in his voice.
That one sentence silenced everyone. Yeah, when they thought back to their own paths to fame, luck played a huge role. They were decent actors, but there were plenty better than them—how many of those had made it big?
Most leaned toward believing Zhou You was just lucky, born with good fortune. But the sample size was still small. If his next film also exploded, that belief would only grow stronger.
Zhou You, meanwhile, continued his leisurely life.
He went to class, trained, and practiced kickboxing every day as usual.
Ever since he'd tasted the benefits of exercise, Zhou You had grown to love the feeling of constantly improving himself.
"Fangfang, time me. I want to test my 50-meter freestyle," Zhou You said to Wang Fangfang.
Wang Fangfang stood by the pool with a stopwatch.
Zhou You, wearing a black swim cap, black goggles, and black swim trunks, bent over on the diving block in a semi-professional stance, waiting for Wang Fangfang's whistle.
*Beep*
At the sound, Zhou You dove in with a splash, using the block's momentum to glide underwater for a few strokes.
Then he broke the surface, his arms spinning like windmills as he churned forward, his sturdy legs kicking the water like little electric motors.
The pool splashed noisily, a steady rhythm of *slap-slap-slap* filling the air.
Since the pool at the guesthouse was 25 meters, he had to push off the wall for a turn. That gave him an extra boost, so times on a 25-meter course were generally better than on a 50-meter one.
When he reached the end, Zhou You grabbed the lane line and popped his head out: "What's the time?"
Wang Fangfang laughed beside him, unable to hide her congratulations: "Exactly 30 seconds—that's already the standard for a third-level athlete."
"Haha," Zhou You laughed joyfully. No matter how you looked at it, he'd crossed into professional territory.
From a complete amateur to this point, it had taken nearly two years, and he'd only achieved it after building up his stamina through kickboxing training.
For most people, this was basically the limit of what amateurs could achieve. Zhou You was more than satisfied—it felt like a dream come true.
What did "leisurely" mean? This was it!
Being able to arrange his own time, not wasting it on repetitive, meaningless tasks, and not being forced into things he didn't enjoy.
Leisure wasn't about lying flat—it was about being carefree, natural, and easygoing.
Lying flat was a helpless move.
Leisure was a personal choice.
No time pressure, no hurried steps.
Strolling at ease, relaxed and free—that was Zhou You's pursuit.
Even though the films Zhou You invested in had all been huge hits, aside from those in the know behind the scenes and a few people close to him, it hadn't caused widespread buzz. After all, for the average person, knowing the actors was already impressive enough—let alone the producers and screenwriters. Sometimes, they didn't even know who the director was.
But in the film investment circle, Zhou You was no longer a nobody.
Entertainment industry investments came from all sorts of sources—people from every walk of life. Besides the major entertainment companies, there were plenty of small-time investors hoping to grab a piece of the pie, though most ended up losing everything.
Zhou You didn't know it yet, but a small group had already started seeing him as a lucky charm—only projects tied to his investments had a chance to blow up.
Originally, Zhou You had only invested in films as a way to pick up bargains, offering help when it was needed most. He didn't hold out much hope for future hot IPs, given his lack of connections and resources.
For instance, with Xu Zheng's subsequent series, he took a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. After all, once a director had proven himself, the second installment rarely lacked investors—unless the second one flopped, making the third a tough sell.
"Mr. Zhou, we're planning a celebration banquet—you absolutely have to come!" Xu Zheng called.
Holding a celebration banquet after a box office smash was standard practice, and this time, with such a big hit, they'd also be handing out bonuses to the cast and crew. It had gradually become an industry norm.
"Sure, no problem." Zhou You was getting restless from all the stillness. Now that his body was in good shape again, he was ready to dominate and charge out like a tiger emerging from the mountains.
What was the point of exercise? First and foremost, to build a strong body, stay healthy, and live long.
Second, to enjoy life.
And finally, well, to showcase a man's charm.