After leaving Shenzhen, Zhou You flew directly to Shanghai.
This time in Shanghai, he planned to find a law-related company to handle investment and various legal consulting services. Zhou You only invested in a few projects a year—small ones didn't matter, but for big ones, he still needed to take a look. Setting up a dedicated company was too troublesome; keeping a team around whose investment skills weren't even as good as his own wasn't worth it. Finding a legal firm could provide specialized services, and if one didn't work out, he could just find a couple more to spread the risk.
He pulled out his phone and called Zhao Yun.
"Brother Yun, are you in Shanghai? Let me treat you to a meal."
Zhao Yun, hearing the kid being so polite, felt a twinge of unease—it definitely meant trouble. But after all, Zhou You was his benefactor, and thanks to him, Zhao Yun had expanded his network quite a bit, so he had to handle him carefully.
"President Zhou, what instructions do you have? Let's skip the meal—I'm afraid it won't be a good one," Zhao Yun said with a look of grievance.
"Haha, I'm already downstairs at your building. Hurry down," Zhou You said, and he really was at their company's entrance.
He also wanted to check out their legal department. After all, Shanghai TV Station, a big company, dealt with all sorts of contract disputes, and their services were likely outsourced. If they could handle the TV station's work, they must be a major firm.
After hanging up, Zhao Yun took the elevator down quickly. Once he was actually downstairs, he couldn't afford to keep Zhou You waiting.
Seeing Zhao Yun come down, Zhou You couldn't help but laugh. "Did someone beat you up, or are you just overworked? Look at your hair—long and messy."
He grabbed Zhao Yun's arm and headed toward the barbershop next door. "Come on, let's go. I'll treat you to a wash."
Zhao Yun shook off Zhou You's hand. "Get out of here. Washing hair in broad daylight? If Wang Fangfang's going to wash it, it'll be at night."
Zhou You paused, confused about what "washing at night" meant, but after a few seconds, it clicked. Zhao Yun wasn't exactly a saint either, and if he had a place for that, Zhou You wanted him to take him there tonight.
"Fine, fine, we'll go at night. Whatever you say," Zhou You said, going along with it. He was actually looking forward to experiencing something new that evening.
They sat down at a nearby coffee shop. It was quiet, so they found a secluded spot.
"What are you drinking?" Zhou You asked.
"Whatever."
"Waiter, one Americano and one cappuccino." Regardless, he had to treat Zhao Yun.
"Spill it, boss. What's the order? I need to get back soon. Can't you see my messy hair? I've been rushing a project. That documentary I mentioned last year is already in production," Zhao Yun said, looking exhausted.
"No wonder you're so tired. Take care of yourself—don't ruin your health for work," Zhou You said, then added, "Need more money? If not, I'll chip in extra. I'll fully sponsor your first documentary."
Zhou You felt a bit guilty. After all, Zhao Yun had connected him with so many people. By normal standards, he should have earned a lot in referral fees alone. But since he hadn't made any money yet, he didn't know what would be profitable. Zhou You, however, did know. He'd finally met someone genuine, and he couldn't let him down.
Hearing this, Zhao Yun was startled. What was going on? Why was he going all out? "Don't, Old Zhou. Just say what you need. I'm scared. If I can do it, I won't hesitate. If I can't, I'm limited."
Great, he'd scared Zhao Yun. The guy was too honest, with a deep-rooted belief in not accepting favors without merit. Anyone else would have taken the money first and asked questions later.
"It's nothing. Remember when I asked you for that drone company's contact info? I invested in a company yesterday, and we've signed a preliminary agreement. But I want to find a professional legal firm to double-check for any issues. I figured your company must have in-house legal experts. Help me get an introduction. I'll pay the standard fees, and if they're good, I'll work with them long-term," Zhou You quickly explained, afraid he'd scare Zhao Yun off.
Zhao Yun breathed a sigh of relief. So that was it. His company did have dedicated legal staff, as well as partnerships with third-party firms.
"Our company has its own legal team, but we also work with third parties. I'll give you the third-party contact. A lot of our professional legal work is outsourced anyway," Zhao Yun said.
Zhou You smiled. "I get it. It's like my school—we have legal staff and law professors, but we still outsource most things."
Most organizations were like that. Why? To avoid taking responsibility? Plus, being out of touch with the front lines meant a lot of things deteriorated over time, and small details got overlooked. And since the issues involved were so complex, no legal team could know everything.
With that, Zhao Yun called the third-party lawyer and asked him to come down, saying he had a client to introduce.
A few minutes later, a young man in a suit and tie, with black leather shoes, walked out from nearby—a typical business professional.
Zhao Yun stood up and waved. "Xiao Li, over here."
"Let me introduce you. This is Zhou You, President Zhou, a major investor. He has an agreement he'd like your company to review. Charge whatever you need—money's no object!"
Zhou You handed the agreement to Xiao Li. "Take a look. See if there are any loopholes or unreasonable parts. And keep it confidential—I assume you have professional ethics for that."
Xiao Li glanced over the investment agreement and noticed the amount was quite large. "Don't worry, we're a professional firm, one of the big ones in Shanghai. Since the amount is substantial, I'll need to take it back to the company and have our specialized team review it."
"Fine, take it back. Get back to me as soon as possible. If we work well together, I'm planning to sign a long-term agreement with you and handle all my legal consulting through your firm. Report that to your boss when you get back." If Xiao Li had given an on-the-spot answer, Zhou You might have looked for other firms. Taking the agreement back for review showed more professionalism and responsibility.
With that, Xiao Li stood up and left, handing Zhou You a business card and inviting him to visit their company.
Seeing that they needed to take it back for review, Zhao Yun couldn't help but ask curiously, "President Zhou, how much did you invest this time?"
"Not much, just around 10 million," Zhou You said, waving his hand, unable to resist showing off.
Forget it, he shouldn't have asked. Zhou You was showing off again. While Zhao Yun was slaving away at work, this guy was out investing everywhere.
"President Zhou, I don't want to work anymore. Please take me in."
"No problem, you're my brother. I'll take care of you first. Come on, tomorrow I'll take you to Thailand. You can pick whatever style you like, and we'll both be happy," Zhou You joked cheerfully.
Zhao Yun was so annoyed he downed his coffee in one gulp, grimacing at the bitterness, then got up to pour himself a glass of cold water to wash it down.
Zhou You laughed heartily. Showing off to others wasn't satisfying, but doing it in front of someone as self-assured as Zhao Yun gave him a thrilling sense of pleasure.
As Zhao Yun pushed the door to leave, Zhou You called after him, "Don't forget about washing hair tonight!"
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