Every time he finished fishing, Zhou You felt clear-headed and refreshed, his mind at ease.
He continued with a simple routine—sparring practice, swimming—none of these could be neglected; they were his ticket to winning glory for the country later on.
Once school started, Zhou You slipped back into ordinary life. Now, thinking about it, teaching freshmen was great—those kids were innocent, fun, and polite.
Sophomores had become seasoned veterans, juniors couldn't care less, and seniors were nowhere to be found.
Last semester, he donated one million yuan to set up a library science scholarship, which had already been finalized. This was also the result of his advisor's vigorous efforts.
It was a designated donation, and it gave Zhou You a bit of local fame.
This wasn't just working for a salary anymore; it was practically working to pay off a loan.
Many teachers were curious. The senior ones went straight to his advisor, while the junior ones came directly to Zhou You.
Especially some of his fellow library science teachers—most of them, except for a few newcomers like Zhou You, had taught him before.
"Teacher Zhou, you've really hit it big, giving back to your alma mater—good on you!" said a former teacher of his.
"Oh, just making a little money. Mostly, seeing these students reminds me of my own past. If it weren't for all the teachers looking out for me, I wouldn't be where I am today." The teachers in their field weren't particularly ambitious; they mostly coasted through life.
"I wish I'd taken you on as my graduate student back then—now Old Wang gets all the credit. Look at him strutting around these days." Professor Lu was also senior, but he took it easy every day and didn't want to supervise grad students.
Zhou You grinned sheepishly. "Isn't it the same? I'm your student too."
"No, no, you're his direct line, and you're his last disciple. Old Wang isn't taking any more." Professor Lu sipped his tea, sighing. It was rare now that school had started for all the teachers to be sitting in the office.
Usually, you couldn't spot a single person—couldn't find them anywhere. Who knew where they holed up? They'd bolt after class. Library science couldn't have much of a side hustle, could it? He couldn't figure it out.
A counselor who had just arrived last year, originally a grad student from Jiangcheng University, could only be a counselor this year—couldn't even land a teaching position.
Wang Yunyue had just become a counselor this year and still had a bit of a student mindset. Seeing Zhou You, she was all excited: "Teacher Zhou, you're kind of my senior now. When I was paying New Year's visits to the teachers this year, I heard you're a doctoral student under Professor Shi. I was originally Professor Shi's grad student, so you'll have to look out for me."
Zhou You paused, surprised by the coincidence, but quickly got it. This circle was too narrow—full of classmates, senior and junior brothers and sisters.
It was like dentistry later on—almost everyone came from the same school, trained and studied in the same places, all tangled up in connections. Know one, and you basically knew them all.
"Sure, no problem." Zhou You agreed readily. What could happen at school?
"I also want to thank you, Teacher Zhou. Your donation this year solved a big problem for me. My work is much easier now. Sometimes I go to the dorms and see some students who really are pitiful." As a counselor, Wang Yunyue had to visit the dorms often to get a handle on the basics.
College counselors were just administrative staff—low pay, lots of work, heavy responsibility. It wasn't as easy as being a pure teacher; you basically had to stick around on campus.
But even so, the bar kept rising. Degrees were depreciating too fast!
"It's all for the students. If I can help, I do. It's nothing to me personally." If you asked Zhou You to bankrupt himself helping others, he wouldn't do it. Donating a million was just a drop in the bucket for him.
Wang Yunyue noticed the teachers around them thinning out. She quietly walked over to Zhou You's desk, leaned in, and whispered, "I heard from Professor Shi that you've got big investments outside. He told me not to tell anyone."
Her expression was like she'd uncovered Zhou You's secret, as if she were on his side.
"Looks like you're Professor Shi's prized student, if he shares secrets like that with you." Zhou You teased.
In truth, quite a few people at school knew Zhou You invested, but no one knew exactly how much he made—except his advisor, and even he only had a rough idea.
And that was old data.
"By the way, since you're a counselor and you talk a lot with other counselors, do you know any good foreign teachers at our school? I want to learn a few languages." A pillow just when he needed one—Zhou You could find them himself, but asking someone who knew was better.
"Plenty. Our foreign languages department has Japanese, Korean, German, English—tons of those—and even Russian." Wang Yunyue rattled them off like she knew them by heart.
"Anyone you're familiar with? I'll treat you to dinner tonight. You can call them over, and we'll chat face-to-face." Zhou You wasn't sure what to learn first. It mainly depended on the vibe. Learning should be easy and fun; studying with some grumpy guy would really kill the mood.
Wang Yunyue had a ponytail, average height, average build. To most people, she had a decent face, but to Zhou You now, she held zero appeal.
And even if she were a beauty, Zhou You was firm—no grazing on home turf. It was too much hassle and crossed his line.
Foreign teachers were better—they were mostly on exchange, staying at most a year or two before heading back.
Then everyone got what they wanted, all happy, leaving behind fond memories.
"No problem, I'll invite them. So tonight we're mooching off the big spender. Where at?" Wang Yunyue's small eyes crinkled as she smiled, looking like she'd never been roughed up by life.
"Jade Lake Guesthouse." Zhou You's go-to restaurant for hosting.
"Wow, five-star. We're really mooching tonight. Good thing I know you're loaded, Teacher Zhou, or I'd be too embarrassed." Wang Yunyue said she was embarrassed, but inside she was already looking forward to it.
With her meager salary, she could only afford to go once a month, and ordering a few extra dishes would blow it.
Wang Yunyue was outgoing and lively. In just half a year, thanks to her job, she'd gotten to know almost the whole school. They were all young and could chat easily.
"Yina, dinner tonight—come along."
"Azhen, a handsome guy's treating tonight—join us."
"Jingxiang, a big shot's hosting dinner—come out."
She sent out a flurry of messages, and replies came pinging in nonstop.
Many of those on exchange were lonely too, with narrow social circles and only basic Chinese. When they found someone they could talk to, they'd hang out often. Dinners like this, they'd usually join.
And it was the same for men and women. They'd traveled thousands of miles to study and experience things here, wanting to see more, taste more, savor all of life's flavors.
Before long, the dinner party was set. Gotta say—
A go-between sure came in handy.