This period was one of the happiest times for Yin Na. There was fine wine. There were hobbies. And she could learn Chinese. Some languages can't be learned just by reading books. They require life experience. For example, seizing every opportunity, persevering with tenacity. Yin Na was very grateful to Zhou You for taking her to learn Sanda, and she asked him to teach her an idiom to express her thanks. After careful consideration, Zhou You said solemnly, "In our culture, we say, 'A drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring.'" Yin Na was completely speechless. If it weren't for the fact that everyone around me is Chinese, I might have been fooled by you. If I learned the idiom wrong and used it incorrectly back home, that picture would be too beautiful to imagine.
Meanwhile, Zhou You's life was soaring. If it weren't for Xiao Bai suddenly calling, he might have forgotten he hadn't been to Shanghai in a long time. "What's wrong?" Zhou You asked, hearing something off in her voice. "Wuwu, Brother You, I got scammed?" Xiao Bai couldn't help but cry when she heard Zhou You's voice. Hearing her sobbing, Zhou You grew a bit anxious: "Don't panic, take it slow. Are you okay?" "I'm fine, just lost a few tens of thousands of yuan." Xiao Bai felt a warmth inside when she heard Zhou You's first concern was for her well-being. "As long as you're okay, a few tens of thousands is nothing. What exactly happened?" Zhou You relaxed upon hearing she was safe. Getting scammed was all too common these days—if you haven't been cheated, you can hardly claim to have been tempered by society. "That day, I was shopping at the mall with my best friend when someone approached us promoting beauty treatments. I wasn't interested and didn't want to go, but my friend was tempted. Hearing it was free, she wanted to try it." Xiao Bai had stopped crying now and recounted the events in fragments. "When we got to the store, they said it was a free face-whitening treatment. But halfway through, they said the free part was over and we'd have to pay." "We said we didn't want to continue and asked them to wash it off, but they refused." "I stood up to leave, and then a few people surrounded me, not letting me go." "I was terrified and didn't know what to do. Then a few others kept brainwashing me, saying it was the best deal, and I ended up confusedly paying. They also tried to get me to take out a loan, but I had enough money, so I didn't." Xiao Bai finished telling the story in bits and pieces.
Zhou You understood immediately—it was a scam. There were too many beauty salons running such schemes, all chasing quick money. If you said you'd go out and call the police, sorry, it wouldn't help. They didn't hold a knife to your throat. If you said a few big guys surrounded you, did you have evidence? Did they touch you? There were no cameras in that spot. This was a consumer dispute, which should be handled by the market regulation department. The market regulation department would say it was a normal transaction. It wasn't until later years that a crackdown improved things. For now, individuals had almost no choice but to accept the loss and count it as bad luck.
But this time, Zhou You was determined to get even. He couldn't stand these dirty tricks, using underhanded methods to deceive people. If the treatment actually worked, he might let it slide. But now they were messing with someone under Zhou You's watch. He couldn't tolerate it. He wanted to see just how much this beauty salon was worth. "It's okay, don't worry. I'll go to Shanghai tomorrow and come with you. For now, just rest at home." Zhou You first calmed Xiao Bai down. Xiao Bai was a recent college graduate, timid by nature, and afraid of making a big scene: "Brother You, forget it if it's too much trouble. I won't go again. I don't want to cause you any trouble!" It couldn't be helped—poverty makes people timid. Ordinary folks were used to being pushed around, often just accepting it. Mainly because they had no backbone. An average person didn't have the time, energy, or money to fight back, and in the end, they usually just chalked it up to bad luck. "Haha, I don't bully others, but I won't let myself be bullied either. It's fine, just rest." Zhou You hung up after saying that. To be honest, Zhou You was a bit excited. It had been a while since he'd encountered something this interesting. Whether in his past life or this one, Zhou You had a principle: I don't bully others, and others shouldn't try to bully me. If you're rich, powerful, or influential, I'm not afraid. If I can't fight back in a big way, I'll still make you miserable. Push me too far, and we're all just flesh and blood. If you're poor and weak, don't think being weak gives you the right to be unreasonable. If you cross Zhou You, he won't be a bleeding heart and let things slide. Unless Zhou You truly didn't care. That was Zhou You's survival strategy. Everyone had their own, so there was no comparison. To outsiders, Zhou You seemed like a straightforward guy, always smiling. But once you crossed his bottom line, even a common man's anger could draw blood.
Normally, Zhou You could handle this himself. But now he was a billionaire—a real one. Going out to demand an explanation, if he got hurt by some reckless fool, how embarrassing would that be? One-on-one, he wasn't afraid. But if the other side had weapons and outnumbered him, even Li Houliang would end up regretting it. A wise man doesn't stand beneath a crumbling wall. There was no need to take risks alone. He drove to the training center. He briefly explained the situation to Li Houliang. "No problem, Brother You. I'll bring a few guys and go with you tomorrow." Li Houliang had been eating and training without doing much, feeling a bit useless. But in a modern, law-abiding society, opportunities to use his skills were rare. Seeing Li Houliang's eager expression, Zhou You suddenly felt a bit worried: "Bringing people is just a precaution, not for a fight, got it? Fighting and brawling is no way to make a living. But if it comes to a real crisis, don't hold back!" "Got it, Brother You. We know our limits. In our line of work, we've studied self-defense inside and out!" Li Houliang grinned widely. From learning Sanda, he'd been in countless fights; knowing boundaries was basic. "Based on how things go, I estimate it'll take at most two days to handle. Everyone gets a ten-thousand-yuan travel allowance!" Even an emperor doesn't send hungry soldiers. Zhou You couldn't be stingy; he had to cover expenses. Li Houliang shook his big head repeatedly: "Can't take money. We've trained for a long time for moments like this. Finally, a chance to prove ourselves—how can we take money?" "It's not for you; it's for the brothers. This is my rule, and it's not up for debate!" Zhou You said with a stern face, not giving Li Houliang a chance to argue. Favors were built little by little and used up the same way. Did Zhou You lack this money? No. Li Houliang picked a few people and briefly explained the situation. They were all excited. This was familiar territory—just showing up to back someone up, almost never needing to fight. A free trip and extra cash—who wouldn't jump at it? Xiao Si was among them, mainly because he was closer to Zhou You, agile, and quick on his feet. He told the guys to pack lightly. They all wore sportswear—track pants and sneakers. Clearly, they were experienced. It wasn't about fearing the worst, but about being ready to move freely if things got physical. The next day, Li Houliang drove the Volvo. The five of them packed in tight and headed for Shanghai.