After dinner, Sun Li wrapped her arm around Zhou You and led him back to their room, effectively shutting down any ideas others might have had. Actors were truly fun—each one good-looking and pleasant to talk to. Today had been an eye-opener for Sun Li, who had completely shed her idolization of celebrities. What were celebrities for? To make money, of course! Spending every day under the spotlight was exhausting if you weren't earning well, and even worse if you weren't. This had thoroughly extinguished her dream of entering the entertainment industry. She had once thought that since she studied art, it would be a waste not to step into the art world. But now, before even getting in, just observing from the sidelines was enough to make her lose interest.
A young, handsome, strong, and wealthy man with just a hint of sincerity—that was acceptable. Only those poisoned by romance novels believed that a billionaire would have only one woman.
Both of them had drunk a bit that evening, and it felt like they were back in the training room from before. After a long while, Zhou You looked at Sun Li sprawled on the bed. "Drink less from now on. Your tolerance is worse than mine." Sun Li's face was flushed. "Is it because of the drinking? You dare to do it but not say it?" "Still talking back," he said, reaching to help her up. Seeing him approach, she scrambled backward in fear and started trying to change the subject. "Brother You, as an investor, hasn't anyone knocked on your door at night?" Sun Li asked curiously. "Plenty have knocked, but you've blocked them all," Zhou You said nonchalantly. "Besides, take away the screen glamour, and how many are as pretty as my Dali?" "Oh, don't call me Dali—it makes me feel like the Bull Demon King," Sun Li said, retreating to the corner between the bed and the wall, hugging her knees with a pitiful look. "True, you're not big enough yet. I still need to work on that," Zhou You said, stepping closer. He felt like a villain forcing a good woman, unconsciously slipping into roleplay. It must be the influence of his past life's bad habits—he was inherently good-natured, yet here he was learning all the trash. But it was fun, and it truly tapped into human nature. "Miss, you wouldn't want this to get out, would you?" After a round of playful scuffling, they both fell into a deep sleep.
After Zhou You left, Ye Shengde stayed behind to discuss matters with Teng Huatao, since the footage would eventually be uploaded to Tencent Video. "Director Teng, you've dealt with Zhou You. What kind of person is he really?" Ye Shengde leaned back on the sofa, sobering up. "I haven't interacted with him much, but from what I've seen, Zhou You is very generous. When I was short on funding, I got introduced to him through a friend in Shanghai. I didn't think much of it at first since I'd never heard of him, but when we met, he was very polite, without any arrogance. We chatted for half a day, and the investment amount was settled quickly," Teng Huatao said, sipping yogurt. After a pause, he continued, "After investing, he didn't send anyone to the set. If I hadn't invited him, he might not have come. When he did, he was very generous, treating the whole crew to a meal. During dinner, he was respectful to the actors. The whole interaction was very pleasant." Ye Shengde squinted and smiled. "Did he have any extra requests at night?" "I wouldn't know about that. At least he didn't get handsy at the dinner table," Teng Huatao replied, not foolish enough to offend one investor for another.
Neither of them was naive. Without a clear understanding of the situation, they wouldn't make careless introductions, lest they stir up trouble. While they turned down many projects due to Tencent's scale—frankly, small projects weren't worth their time—they couldn't just hand them over to others out of disdain. Now that he had a rough idea of Zhou You's character—at least outwardly generous and magnanimous—Ye Shengde felt more at ease. Tomorrow, he'd definitely say a few good words to keep his options open. As an investor, having a wide network was key; if he ever got fired, finding a new job wouldn't be too hard. That said, while Ye Shengde's salary couldn't compare to Zhou You's, working at a big company with access to major investment resources made life quite comfortable. He didn't need to fawn over the popular stars, but the lesser-known ones flocked to him like moths to a flame. After a moment's thought, he pulled a small blue pill from his pocket and swallowed it. "Old Teng, I'm heading up," Ye Shengde said, standing up unsteadily. A female actress quickly came over to support him as he walked upstairs.
The next morning, Zhou You was awakened by Sun Li's lips. Sun Li had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The past two days felt like a dream. She used to dream of making a name in the entertainment industry, but realizing how distant that goal was, she had gradually let it go and started worrying about life. Just as she was accepting her ordinary self, Zhou You had given her a surprise. In the middle of the night, she even got up, stood by the window, and gazed at the nightscape for a long time, her thoughts churning. Should she take a gamble or accept reality? Thinking of her parents, her classmates, and her future life—if things stayed as they were, she'd never have to worry about food or money. Zhou You wasn't an ungrateful person; even if they eventually parted ways, he wouldn't treat her poorly. But was this the life she wanted? The thought still stung. She had no chance before, but now with a glimmer of opportunity, she wanted to fight for it.
When Zhou You was stirred awake and saw Sun Li about to speak, he quickly held her head. "No, no... don't stop." Exhausted, he knew he couldn't keep this up. He shot Sun Li a glare. "Who treats their own ox like this? Everyone handles theirs with care, but you don't hold back. If you wear it out, you'll be the one crying later." "If it's worn out, I won't use it. Without you, Butcher Zhou, I can still eat pork with hair on it," Sun Li said with a smug grin. "I'm going to check out a project today. Want to come along?" Zhou You asked, seeing how hard she had worked. "No, I didn't sleep all night. I'm catching up on rest today," Sun Li said, looking exhausted. Excitement kept her alert, but once it faded, fatigue took over, and her body was beyond her control. "Why didn't you sleep all night? Trouble adjusting to the bed?" "No, I was thinking. Before I met you, I'd basically given up on my music dream. But yesterday, you gave me hope again. I spent the whole night torn over whether to keep chasing it," Sun Li said, staring into Zhou You's eyes as if looking at that very hope. "Haha, what's there to be torn about? I'm a professional angel investor—I invest in people's dreams. So listen up, girl: your dream is funded." Zhou You was relieved. He had been worried about how to handle things—Luzhou was too small, and having them both in the same place was a strain on him. He wasn't afraid, but running into trouble would still be unpleasant. Now, wasn't this a win-win for everyone?