I feel like Professor Zhou is sort of the non-evil version of Professor Ouyang, with the same interests and concerns but stopping before he becomes a supervillain?
That's a very good POV! Hm. Yeah, he's the less irrational and impulsive version.

I wonder if he and Li Qian would have formed an alliance post-canon based more or less on both missing Shen Wei and wanting to carry on well in his absence; since Professor Zhou can't see Shen Wei in the Institute post, he can at least have his 孫弟子 Li Qian instead.
Very plausible! (And now I want Professor Zhou to actually refer to Li Qian as his 孫弟子 due to Reasons. Ideally in hearing of Li Qian and Shen Wei...)