The night passed without incident. People who are as exhausted as dead dogs have no other desires.
At the summit of Yellow Mountain, the night was just beginning to fade. The stars in the sky gradually dimmed, replaced by a deep blue canopy. A gentle breeze brushed through the mountains, bringing a hint of coolness and tranquility.
At this moment, the eastern sky had already taken on a faint pink hue. That pink was like a massive canvas, gently unfurled across the sky.
As time passed, the pink deepened into a warm orange. The outline of the sun began to emerge, like a giant fireball rising slowly from behind the horizon.
The sun's rays began to spill across the earth, illuminating the surrounding peaks. Those mountains, which had seemed dull and lifeless in the night, were now bathed in golden light. They looked as if they were cast from gold, shimmering and radiant.
Meanwhile, the sea of clouds began to transform. What had been a pitch-black expanse now became a riot of colors under the sunlight. The clouds seemed dyed in every shade—red, yellow, orange, green, blue. These colors intertwined, creating a magnificent tableau.
The entire summit, bathed in golden sunlight and the vibrant sea of clouds, felt exceptionally serene and beautiful. It was the start of a brand-new day, full of vitality and hope.
Zhou You and Wang Fangfang clung tightly to each other, shivering like a pair of frozen fools.
There were rental coats available on the mountain, but both of them found them too dirty. Relying on their youth, they decided to tough it out.
*Foolish lad, sleeping on a cold brick bed,* *All depends on youthful fire instead.*
After watching the sunrise, they turned and ran straight back. At the restaurant, they downed some fried dough sticks and a few bowls of porridge, slowly letting the warmth return to their bodies.
Some experiences are worth having once. There's no need to repeat them multiple times, or you'd just be a glutton for punishment.
They took the cable car down the mountain.
Hours to climb up, minutes to descend.
Technology changes life.
Sitting in the cable car, Zhou You grew more and more impressed by Xu Xiake. To constantly traverse through nearly pristine rugged mountains required not just perseverance but also physical strength.
Back in Luzhou, Zhou You's idea about drones grew stronger. When in doubt, ask Zhao Yun.
"Bro Yun, have you heard of drones?" "Heard a bit, but they're not very mature yet. We rarely use them—too expensive. Fixed-wing ones cost a lot per flight," Zhao Yun complained. "What kinds have you come across? Can you find me some contacts? I'm interested in this and want to learn more," Zhou You pressed on. "I'll ask around for you. This market is a bit chaotic and messy. Are you planning to build a documentary production chain?" Zhao Yun teased. "Haha, I'm just curious. Otherwise, I wouldn't be making documentaries." "Get back to me soon. I'm waiting for good news." "I've only taken a little of your money, and now I'm practically your butler," Zhao Yun said helplessly.
Haha, Zhou You was pleased. Having someone to boss around was great.
Through this period of investment, Zhou You realized he had been a bit conservative at first.
An ordinary person reborn, suddenly rich after being poor, with a small-farmer mindset dominating—he just wanted safety and modest comfort. There were many things he hadn't encountered and didn't know how to do. But as he grew during this time, his horizons had indeed broadened.
As long as he stuck to one principle—staying behind the scenes—nothing major would go wrong.
He had bought too few Bitcoins. Recently, he planned to buy more, spreading some across Hong Kong, the United States, and Europe.
Eventually, he would convert everything into foreign currency as overseas liquid assets.
*Heaven's gifts not taken bring their own blame.*
Moutai's stock had nearly doubled. But after the alcohol ban came out, Moutai's stock would have a year-long downturn, dropping by nearly half. For now, he could gradually shift the funds out.
Then he could ride the wave for another round of extra income.
Tencent would stay put for now—it was still in a slow upward trend with little fluctuation.
This way, his liquid assets remained ample, enough to invest in DJI.
Once he became a shareholder in DJI, the returns wouldn't just be tens of times over.
They'd be at least hundreds of times.
What he'd gain wouldn't just be money, but social status.
Investing in real businesses and stocks—especially companies like DJI that change social life to some extent—was far more valuable.
And by 2014 or 2015, there would be another big wave in the stock market.
It would be the last overall bull market. You could buy almost any stock and see it multiply several or dozens of times.
At that point, everyone would be a stock god, and all anyone talked about was stocks.
That's when Zhou You could step in and scoop up money, another round of extra income.
After that, the stock market would slump and never see another broad bull run.
The market would start to diverge, becoming harder and harder to control.
Just like his documentary investments—as his reputation in the circle grew, companies would come to him on their own, instead of him having to search everywhere.
He also needed to check on the progress of his family's house, which was key to his happiness when returning home each year.
"Dad, how's the house renovation going? Is the money enough?" "How could it not be enough? It's never-ending. Everything's done to your specifications. By the time you come home for summer break, it'll basically be finished," his dad said angrily, as if Zhou You was a spendthrift. "Good. Where are you staying now?" Since the old house had been torn down and rebuilt. "At your uncle's place. His house is empty now." That was the good thing about the countryside—relatives lived close by and could help each other. "Alright, you and Mom take care. Hire people if you need to—don't do it yourselves. If you get sick from overwork, I'll have to come back and take care of you," Zhou You said cheerfully.
Even though he said it that way, his parents still felt warmed by it. Their son had grown up and learned to worry about them.
Work a few days, rest a few days—he controlled his own pace.
Xiao Bai occasionally sent Zhou You messages. Every time he replied, he felt a guilty conscience, like a thief. His mental fortitude still needed work.
A few days later, Zhao Yun sent over the contacts for several domestic drone companies.
Zhou You glanced at them and found that aside from DJI, he hadn't heard of any of the others.
It seemed the startup risks were high. These companies probably didn't survive in the end.
Zhou You had read relevant books before. Back then, several companies had different development paths: fixed-wing drones, helicopter drones, flapping-wing drones, and multi-rotor drones.
By application, they were divided into civilian drones, military drones, and consumer drones.
DJI was probably in the consumer drone category. Military drones were hard for private capital to enter, with too much risk.
At this point, DJI should be in the darkness before dawn. Though it had passed its infancy, the domestic competition was fierce. It hadn't yet found its niche or a profitable point.
So Zhou You's chances of success were high. He was determined to win.