Halfway through the wine, Zhou You was feeling tipsy and lightheaded.
"Brother Jing, I set up a free fighting gym in Luzhou. If you're free, come hang out with me. My coach used to be a national champion."
Wu Jing was starting to make a name for himself in the entertainment circle, but he hadn't yet developed that commanding, unstoppable aura of his later years. Right now, his acting roles were limited—mainly because of his baby face, which was a real disadvantage. He was planning a transformation but hadn't fully figured it out yet, thinking about writing, directing, and starring in something himself.
Now that Zhou You was extending an invitation, it was like a pillow arriving just as he was nodding off. "Sure, I've got nothing going on lately. I'll come along with you then. Tomorrow, you and I can head over to Brother Qian's zoo for a look."
After being introduced, Zhou You also got to know Li Tong from the Black Panther band sitting nearby. Emboldened by the alcohol, he said to him, "The day before yesterday, I was planning to set up an independent musician fund. It's not a lot of money—an initial investment of five million—specifically to support independent musicians in their creative work. I'm still short a few judges. Are you interested?"
Li Tong was a bit stunned. At this point in time, someone was still asking them to be judges.
Yu Qian perked up excitedly. "If you'd made it big a few years earlier, you could've started a crosstalk support fund too."
"Crosstalk doesn't need support right now. Look how broad its audience is."
"But I did set up a documentary support fund, specifically for independent documentary directors." Zhou You was really getting into the groove.
If you talked about this stuff with other people, they'd think you had ulterior motives or were just bragging.
But these buddies were different. Hearing Zhou You say this, they all raised a toast to him. "Classy!"
"Mainly, I just love to have fun, and I can't stand seeing talent go to waste. Is there talent in this industry? Plenty. But they can't break through!"
"If they can't break through, what am I supposed to listen to or watch? I don't care about anything else—luxury cars, fancy stuff, yachts, private jets—none of that interests me. I just love discovering talent!"
Wu Jing laughed at that. "Brother You, do you think I'm talent?"
"Absolutely talent. Everyone at this table is talent. If you ever want to make a movie, come to me—I'll invest!" It was a mix of bragging, doing favors, and making money.
This was the classic case of wanting it all—having your cake and eating it too.
"Got it, I'll chug this bottle." Wu Jing stood up with a whoosh.
Zhou You wasn't about to back down. "Ever since I mastered my skills, I can drink too!"
He grabbed a bottle, tilted his head back, and chugged.
It was utterly exhilarating.
At that table, everyone except Zhou You could hold their liquor, but they all drank to their heart's content without pressuring anyone.
After agreeing to meet up the next day, Sun Li drove Zhou You home.
Sun Li had never seen Zhou You drink this much. While bathing him in the bathroom, she asked, "Why did you drink so much today?"
"Because I'm happy. 'When life goes well, enjoy it to the fullest; don't let the golden cup face the moon empty.'"
Zhou You used to live too cautiously. He had no choice—alone, with no one to take care of him. If he drank too much, there wasn't even anyone to pour him water.
Besides, a leopard can't change its spots.
Unless something major happens.
For Zhou You, this was a major change.
Living a second life, being cautious again just wouldn't be fun.
Too bad you had to stand in the shower—no lying down in the bathroom. A little drink, a soak in the tub—that would be perfect!
Sun Li wasn't going to cut it. Tomorrow, he'd ask Yu Qian to find a big house with a bathtub.
Why do martial artists need to calm their minds?
Because the blood and energy surge inside, making you easily agitated, so you need to balance it out.
He used to feel tired sometimes, but now he was bursting with vitality.
Once you've tried it, you know it's good!
Sun Li had nothing to do now, so she followed Zhou You everywhere.
The next day, the group arrived at the zoo.
It wasn't big—only about fifty or sixty acres in total.
Every time a friend came, Yu Qian couldn't help but explain, "Ah, I originally wanted to run it myself, but I found I was running around all the time and didn't have enough hours. Plus, to make more friends, I opened it to the public."
Looking up, you could see the zoo's name: "Heaven and Earth Essence Zoo."
Zhou You couldn't resist teasing, "Brother Qian, that name's way too grand."
Wu Jing was laughing too.
"That's not what I named it. It was all from netizens." Yu Qian was pretty helpless.
That was the downside of being famous—as a public figure, you couldn't be careless with your words and actions. You earned your money from the public, so you had to be under their scrutiny.
Unless you decided to quit the game.
"I've set up nearly a thousand acres at home, including a hill, for organic farming. I've got tens of thousands of chickens, ducks, geese, and some sheep."
"This time, I'm also looking to get two horses to keep there, ride them when I've got nothing to do."
Wu Jing and Yu Qian exchanged a glance, thinking, Your scope of business is pretty broad—you've got a hand in everything.
"Wow, I've only got a few dozen acres here, and you've got nearly a thousand." Yu Qian couldn't help but envy.
"It's different. I did it to give folks back home something to do, kind of like developing an industry and contributing to the village." Zhou You had no choice—he couldn't think of a better path.
"No way, I've got to go see it. I've got dogs here—want me to bring a few over? They're great for guarding the house." Yu Qian had loved playing his whole life.
As a kid, he played with cats, dogs, pigeons, hawks—there was nothing he didn't play with.
Now he found that Zhou You also loved to play, with some interests overlapping and others different, which piqued his curiosity.
That made it interesting—expanding the scope of fun.
"Sure, you and Brother Jing can come together. I've also got a few swimming pools over there, set up because I love swimming." Zhou You had nothing going on anyway, so bringing friends along to play was nice.
When he was a kid, he had playmates to swim and catch fish with. As they grew up, got married, and started careers, the playmates basically disappeared.
Everyone was busy surviving.
Playing was a luxury.
This pony's nice—cute.
That big horse is majestic—can you ride it? Is it safe?
Zhou You's heart stirred. What man doesn't dream of galloping with a whip?
Seeing Zhou You's excitement, Yu Qian was happy too. He called someone over. "Of course you can ride them. They're all trained. I'll have the trainer take you."
These horses came from various sources, with two specially brought from the Western Regions.
Wu Jing knew how to ride, so he didn't bother joining in. After years of filming, he'd long since learned.
Zhou You and Sun Li were both curious. Watching others ride horses seemed so simple. But when you actually got on one, even walking up to it felt intimidating.
At first, they needed someone to help them up, or they couldn't even mount.
"Trainer, please pick the gentlest one for me. I'll start practicing." Zhou You spoke very cautiously.
You couldn't be careless with this. A minor slip and you'd get thrown off; a major one and you'd get trampled or hit, resulting in serious injuries.
Horses didn't care if you were rich or not.
"Trainer, please lead it and take me for a couple of laps." Zhou You not only wanted the horse but also someone to guide him.
Everything had to be taken step by step, like getting a driver's license. Without someone to guide you or a teacher to teach you, the chances of an accident were high.
Sun Li giggled softly. She'd never seen Zhou You this timid before.