Chapter 162: Human Effort Has Its Limits
After a hearty meal, Zhou You took the little white car home. Before leaving, he transferred 100,000 to Li Houliang for expenses during this period.
Arriving at the neighborhood, Xiao Bai smiled and asked her best friend, "Want to come up together?"
The friend sat in the car for two seconds, unsure if she was wrestling with herself internally, hesitating. Zhou You had no idea what they were up to: "If she has things to do, let her go home. It's already this late."
The friend stopped deliberating and got out of the car. Once outside, she grumbled, "You won't even give me a name—no sincerity at all!"
After the friend left, Xiao Bai chuckled and said, "Your big-shot aura totally won her over. She wants to get to know you."
Zhou You looked baffled. Were young people really this bold these days? But seeing that her friend's strengths weren't particularly outstanding, he truly had no interest.
"You think just anyone can catch my eye?" Zhou You decided he'd have to teach Xiao Bai a lesson later.
"Oh, then what kind does Brother You like?" Xiao Bai asked curiously.
Zhou You rubbed his chin, thinking seriously for a moment, then said, "They need to have character. A plain pretty face means nothing—tall, short, plump, slim, petite and cute, valiant and spirited, with a good personality, no drama, standout physical traits, fair skin, and beauty. In short, they can't be cookie-cutter; they need their own unique qualities!"
Xiao Bai opened the door, laughing as she ran to the bedroom: "Brother You, do I have any standout traits?"
???
Zhou You got excited. Had she learned role-playing now? Before any sparring practice, he could easily lift Xiao Bai, and now he could hoist her up with one hand.
A long while later, Zhou You watched Xiao Bai trembling slightly, her hands covering her face, humming and moaning as if lost in a dream.
Women conquering men? Hah, that only applies to other men.
Zhou You got up and opened the window. A spring breeze blew in from outside, carrying a mix of fragrances. When it came, it drew a swarm of bees and butterflies—only the strongest one could harvest more honey and live in abundance.
Over the next few days, Zhou You earnestly accompanied Xiao Bai on outings. In her words, she had no grand ambitions in life—just wanted to eat, drink, and travel, not needing too much money, just enough.
Zhou You liked Xiao Bai's personality too—bouncy and carefree. Wasn't it nice to keep a bit of innocence? She'd met him right after graduation, before she'd learned the slickness of old tour guides. She hadn't suffered too much from society's harsh lessons either—the dose was just right.
These days, Zhou You was also waiting for news from the lawyer. Zhao Yun dropped by a few times, briefly mentioning the documentaries he'd recently invested in.
"Some are independent, some are collaborations with TV stations. Anyway, I've made a name for myself now. Oh, and there's one film you might be interested in. It's still being shot, almost done, in post-production. I'll send you a copy when it's ready."
Zhao Yun chattered on, full of drive. Back then, even making a documentary was tough; he never dared to dream of having financial backing now.
"What documentary?" Zhou You was genuinely curious.
Zhao Yun gave a brief rundown of what he knew, since he hadn't seen the final cut yet. "It's about tracking and filming a village, some stories that happen there. They say the素材 is rich, with highlights, and there's a semi-protagonist type. Feels like someone born at the wrong time, unrecognized talent, restless for most of his life, but ultimately having to bow to fate."
A pearl lost in the sea. Human fate truly is unfair. But time can't flow backward, and you can't judge if it's good or bad. Many people's regrets stem not from other reasons, but because their lives are passively chosen, not actively chosen. It's a bit like later autonomous driving—if something goes wrong, who's responsible? The company or the individual? Most people can accept damage from personal error. But mistakes from other causes, even computer control, are unforgivable and hard to accept emotionally.
Zhao Yun was living comfortably now. He'd once thought about joining Zhou You, but now he was content with the status quo and didn't want to move. It was just too comfortable. At work, he was no longer at the bottom, with a wide network and many friends. Though his salary was still the same, his mindset had changed—he had time for his own projects and could leverage such a big platform. He felt increasingly grateful to Zhou You.
So the footage aired that same day. The画面 didn't mention anything specific, just said they'd received public complaints and came to investigate, pointing out issues like forced consumption, illegal fees, and inflated prices, ending with: "This station will continue to follow up."
The law firm was also efficient. For an ordinary person, from discovery to resolution, it would take at least a month. The firm directly gathered relevant information, dispatched multiple teams to liaise with victims, complainants, and various departments. They eventually found that the beauty salon and medical aesthetics institution had a profit-sharing scheme, using the salon as a client funnel to trick consumers into getting plastic surgery at the medical facility. They also discovered many consumers, short on funds, were coaxed into taking out loans—commonly called "beauty loans." But this wasn't used as evidence, as the law neither prohibited nor encouraged it, making it a gray area. Like later campus loans, it was all about exploiting young people's roots, just on a smaller scale without causing a major social uproar.
On the fourth day, everything was finally wrapped up. They specially invited Zhou You to visit their law firm and hear the report. After cooperating for so long, he'd never been there, so this was a good chance to check it out.
The firm was in the bustling Wujiaochang business district, with hundreds of employees and branches in several major cities. "Let me briefly report the results to President Zhou. This time, we worked with relevant departments to secure the main evidence. The beauty salon was found to have products without quality certificates, unlisted prices, and issues with false consumption. The medical institution had more problems. Chi Zhaomei's practice scope was unqualified—he specialized in dentistry but learned cosmetic surgery techniques when he saw it was profitable. Only doctors with clinical specialties can perform such services. We also uncovered issues with their fire safety and taxes, which have been submitted to the relevant units for further penalties. However, we ultimately found no other illegal activities, so this case can't lead to criminal charges."
Zhou You nodded after listening. "Alright, follow the law completely. Have the victims been compensated?"
"The process is underway. Compensation should be issued in the next few days."
There was no helping it. Zhou You had spent so much time, energy, and money, and this was the best outcome possible. At the very least, the shop couldn't stay open. For an ordinary person, they'd probably have to just swallow it and move on.