Chapter 163: Back Then, a Henchman
After listening, Xiaobai tugged at Zhou You’s arm, lowering her head to say, “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have told you. I wasted so much money and your time.”
From a cost perspective, it was definitely a loss—both in terms of money and time.
But from a personal and emotional standpoint, there were still benefits.
“Haha, it’s fine. I was just looking for an excuse to get out and have some fun anyway. The other side lost more—their beauty salon is closed, the doctor’s license is revoked, and they can’t work in the medical field anymore.” Though it wasn’t a complete victory, the set goals had been achieved.
“It’s over now. I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ve got some business in the capital.” Zhou You patted Xiaobai on the head.
These past few days, Xiaobai had been in a state of bittersweet bliss—feasting every day, but her body couldn’t quite handle the richness.
Zhou You found her mix of wanting and fearing utterly adorable. Every time, it was like a general returning victorious, refusing to stop until the fortress fell.
Now that she heard Zhou You was leaving, she felt a twinge of reluctance.
A few days ago, she’d overheard him on the phone with someone from the capital, urging him to come. He’d kept putting it off because he couldn’t get away.
“Alright, then. Take care when you go. Drink less, and come see me when you have time.” Xiaobai didn’t dwell on worries—even if she had them, they only lasted a little while.
Before leaving, Zhou You transferred some money to Xiaobai. After all, with her meager salary, she could barely afford to maintain her car.
Though Xiaobai was broad-minded, she had no grand ambitions.
“Quit that tour guide job too. It doesn’t pay. Lately, look into some small business you’d like to do. Become a little boss.” Zhou You advised.
Xiaobai nodded. She was already getting bored with being a tour guide anyway. Switching careers sounded good.
Zhou You had Li Houliang and the others drive back, while he flew directly to the capital.
That evening, Zhou You hosted a dinner for Miao Xia to celebrate Sun Li passing the interview and officially becoming her graduate student.
Once the exam results were out, it was basically settled, but without the interview, there was always uncertainty. Now, finally, everything was confirmed—a reason to celebrate and reward herself for a year of hard work.
This joy naturally had to be shared with Zhou You, so she’d been waiting.
The dinner served two purposes: first, to celebrate Sun Li’s success in the graduate exam, and second, to help Sun Li expand her network in the music industry. That’s why Miao Xia had invited several people from the music circle.
Though Zhou You had some recognition in the film and TV world, he wasn’t well-known in the music scene. Both were part of the entertainment industry, but there were still significant differences between the two circles.
For the evening, they chose a relatively secluded private kitchen restaurant. There weren’t many people—around ten or so.
By the time Zhou You arrived, everyone was already there.
Scanning the seats, he didn’t recognize anyone. Probably no big-name singers, he figured.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Miao Xia was just a university teacher without any major hits, focused on behind-the-scenes work, taking a professional route that differed from pop records.
Wait, no—one person looked familiar.
Squinty eyes.
He was wondering if he’d mistaken them when Miao Xia started introducing everyone.
This one’s an arranger.
This one writes lyrics.
This one’s amazing on guitar.
This one’s a music teacher from another school.
Miao Xia’s influence was still solid. With both of her soundtracks becoming hits, her reputation in the music circle had grown.
Finally, she gave a special introduction: “This is Li Ronghao. He’s from your hometown and has written many famous songs.”
So he hadn’t been mistaken. Everything else could change—hairstyle, clothes—but those eyes never would.
“Hello, I’ve heard the songs you’ve written. I really like ‘The Me Back Then.’” Zhou You shook Li Ronghao’s hand.
Li Ronghao was surprised to hear that. As a behind-the-scenes figure, the outside world rarely knew who wrote the lyrics or music. Who pays attention to that when listening to songs?
Especially that song of his—it was fairly popular, but not a massive hit.
Music was like writing: there’s no clear ranking. The most obscure song has its fans, and the most popular one has its detractors.
“Then I really have to thank you, Mr. Zhou. Unless someone truly loves the song, they usually don’t care about the behind-the-scenes work.” Li Ronghao tried hard to open his eyes wide to show his surprise, but no matter how he tried, he failed.
“Yeah, I’ve loved it for a long time. It was during a low point in my life. I hope I can hear the singer perform it live someday. Now, meeting the lyricist makes me even happier. The lyrics and music are the soul of a song.” Zhou You spoke from the heart, unable to stop himself from chatting with Li Ronghao at length.
But there were too many people there for a private conversation.
The others were also observing Zhou You, curious about this mysterious behind-the-scenes investor who had scored big with several box office hits.
“Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to join this gathering. Through a stroke of luck, I’ve invested in some film and TV projects and collaborated with Teacher Miao. Now that Sun Li is Teacher Miao’s graduate student, I wanted to take this chance to get to know everyone.” Zhou You stood up, raising his glass to the group.
Miao Xia also rose: “Mr. Zhou has helped me even more. He’s been active in film and TV, and now he’s turning his attention to our music circle. Let’s all toast to Mr. Zhou.”
Socializing was all about interaction.
Someone in the know couldn’t help but remark, “I hear Mr. Zhou has also contributed a lot to the documentary industry. He even set up a documentary fund in Shanghai. Who knows how many people that’s helped?”
Zhou You waved his hand and said, “I like watching documentaries, so I invest in them. I hope everyone makes more good ones for me to watch. It’s purely a personal hobby.”
Everyone at the table was stunned by Zhou You’s words. Was he showing off or what?
Investing millions in a hobby that was almost guaranteed to lose money?
All they could say was that they didn’t understand the world of the rich.
Zhou You had no idea what they were thinking, and even if he did, he’d say, “This is nothing. At least I’m not into football.”
Later on, some big shots got into football, pouring in massive amounts of money. Worse, they spent money and still got treated like crap—humiliating!
Since it was their first meeting, no one spoke too deeply. It was all polite pleasantries, and the meal went smoothly.
Afterward, Zhou You kept Li Ronghao behind. He’d known a bit about his life story before; now he was doing okay, at least established.
“You’ve got a lot of talent, and I really like the songs you write. Have you ever thought about putting out your own album?” Zhou You asked Li Ronghao, mainly because he wanted to hear some good music.
“I’ve thought about it, but I haven’t fully made up my mind. Money is one thing, but mostly I lack confidence,” Li Ronghao said quietly.
“No problem. I’ll cover the money. Don’t be afraid of failure. There are too few good songs these days—I can’t stand listening to them. All I hear are old songs.” Zhou You was genuinely frustrated. Once, he opened a music app to check the charts and almost smashed his phone.
Was that music?
It was noise!