Chapter 10

"Here he comes, here he comes!"

"Hey, buddy, good job!"

Outside the academic center, a burst of laughter echoed as a few boys excitedly approached Ye Wei, high-fiving and bumping fists with him, relishing the principal's expression at the time.

Not counting Ye Wei, a total of seven students had come, from both seventh and eighth grades. They all planned to complete their one hour of the "Squid" project for the year today, with two instructors supervising the situation.

Ye Wei's gaze naturally lingered more on the familiar pretty girl, not because he was captivated by her, but to figure out who she was.

This Caucasian girl had a slender figure, very delicate features, and long, dark brown hair that flowed over her shoulders. She wore a simple, beige Chanel long-sleeved T-shirt, a floral knee-length skirt, a pair of light blue flat sandals, and a brown crossbody bag. She looked elegant and fashionable, exuding a youthful aura.

Her skin was snow-white, her large eyes bright and spirited, with long lashes and thick, long eyebrows that highlighted a spirited and refreshing demeanor, making her face full of vitality, as if she had stepped out of a landscape painting. She was not like an American Barbie, but rather a British lady.

This face had a strong presence, truly a natural for acting. As a budding filmmaker, he couldn't help but think so.

Everyone reintroduced themselves, giving their names and grades. When it was the girl's turn, she spoke calmly, "Lily Collins, eighth grade."

Oh? Hearing this, Ye Wei thought for a moment and immediately remembered. She was Phil Collins' daughter!

Phil Collins was a British lyrical rock superstar. Whether it was the band's albums during his time with Genesis or his later solo albums, his total global sales exceeded 100 million, placing him among the most successful and top-tier singers. Although his peak era had passed, he still had a significant fan base worldwide.

He also understood why she looked familiar, unrelated to any dream. It was because Phil Collins had composed original music for many films, including the 1999 version of "Tarzan." The film's theme song, "You'll Be in My Heart," won the Oscar for Best Original Song the following year.

This song was originally written for his daughter, with the main message being: "Child, don't cry, you will always be in my heart, don't mind what others say, remember I love you."

Lily Collins attended the Oscars with her father that year, appearing on TV and in newspapers. This was a few years ago, in 2000.

He recalled more information. When she was 4 or 5 years old, Phil Collins divorced for the second time, and she moved to the United States with her mother, where she has lived ever since.

Harvard-Westlake has no shortage of students from famous families, like Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jake Gyllenhaal.

It must be said that Lily Collins was quite low-key at school. With her appearance and being the daughter of a rock superstar, becoming a campus star would have been easy. But she hadn't made much of a splash, even in eighth grade, and few had heard much about her.

Thinking this, Ye Wei's gaze lingered on Lily's face a bit longer, long enough for her and others to notice.

She furrowed her brows slightly, "HELLO?"

The boys immediately let out a few light laughs. They were all guys, didn't they understand? They couldn't help but admire VIY's courage; this was Lily Collins!

Many people struggled to speak in front of her, including them...

"Nice to meet you," Ye Wei smiled at her, then withdrew his gaze and asked, "So, what do we do now?"

A Caucasian girl named Trist Longfellow, wearing glasses and braces, answered, "We plan to split into two teams. One team will clean inside the academic center, and the other will pick up trash outside." Ye Wei nodded, "Cool, can I pick up trash outside?" Lily immediately said, "We decided to draw lots."

"What? Do you have to fight over picking up trash?" Ye Wei joked, "What a world!"

Everyone laughed, but Lily didn't. Her brows furrowed even more, and there was a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes. She said seriously, "No, everyone wants to work outside. Drawing lots is fair. You can't bully others just because you're in a higher grade."

"OK, you're right," Ye Wei shrugged. It was just a joke, and clearly, everyone knew she was either a fool or had a bad temper.

The good impression he had of her instantly faded. Phone number? Forget it. Best not to be on the same team, out of sight, out of mind.

They then drew lots, and the result was that Lily, Trist, a Latino seventh-grader named Babu, and Ye Wei would pick up trash outside, while the other four would go inside the building to work. Each team had an instructor as a supervisor, following them from a distance, as if ready to crack the whip at any moment.

The four then divided the tools. This time, they didn't draw lots, but used a democratic approach. Ye Wei was responsible for carrying the plastic trash bin, while Lily, Trist, and Babu held nets and trash tongs.

The place with the most trash was usually the basketball court, so the four headed there. Lily and Trist, who were close friends, walked in front.

Ye Wei and Babu lagged behind. Although he wasn't petty enough to switch teams, he had no interest in being a pet. Chatting with Babu was fine.

"Babu, your name reminds me of Bubba from 'Forrest Gump.'"

"Yes, but I was born in 1990, and 'Forrest Gump' was released later."

"It was 1994, but 'Forrest Gump' was based on a novel, which was published earlier. Buddy, it's no big deal. Bubba is a good guy, and 'Bubba Gump Shrimp' is delicious. Look at me, Vigor sounds a bit like Viagra. I was born in 1988, and that thing was released in 1995, so I ended up with the nickname Viagra! I told my dad, this is what happens when you don't name me after the Bible."

"Ha ha ha, that thing... isn't a bad thing."

"True, so I actually like the nickname."

At this moment, Lily, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and turned, her voice cold, "Can you stop talking about that? We can hear you! Babu, don't let that guy corrupt you."

Babu's face turned awkward. It turned out they could hear...

"My bad, I won't say anything more," Ye Wei was speechless. At this distance and volume, they shouldn't have been able to hear unless they were listening carefully...

The atmosphere became a bit silent. The four focused on their work, but with the strict school rules, few students would risk being scolded or punished by littering. Naturally, there wasn't much to pick up, and Ye Wei became a mobile trash bin, with passing students throwing their trash into the bin in his arms.

"Wei." This time, it was Trist who spoke, seemingly trying to break the silence. She turned back curiously and asked, "How do you know the release dates of so many movies so clearly?"

Talking about movies, Ye Wei got excited and was happy to answer, "I've seen them all, and once I see them, I remember. My memory is pretty good, ha ha."

"Wow." Trist praised.

At this moment, Babu had another question, asking excitedly, "Buddy, tell us about the lunch in the cafeteria. Did you make John Williams and his gang look bad?"

He recounted what he had heard, which had spread throughout the junior high school. How Ye Wei had made Williams look like crap, the jokes, the challenge at the film festival, all the details! Many who had been bullied by Williams' gang cheered for Ye Wei.

"Yes, that's true," Ye Wei nodded, "Next year at the film festival, I'll kick his ass again."

Babu looked excited, and Trist was smiling, but Lily seemed to be mocking, "Besides remembering release dates, do you understand movies?"

Ye Wei laughed, "Of course, not as good as Spielberg, but better than that bastard."

"Hey!" Lily's face suddenly turned angry, "Stop using foul language, okay? It doesn't make you look cool."

Trist nodded in agreement, "Don't use foul language."

"I don't care, only foul language suits that bastard." Ye Wei frowned, looking at the two, thinking of a possible reason, "What, are you friends with him?"

"No, of course not. We don't want to have anything to do with those bullies." Trist shook her head, adjusted her glasses, and explained, "It's just that foul language makes people feel uncomfortable. Lily and I both came from St. Mark's School in Torrance..."

"Oh! I see, okay, no foul language."

Ye Wei showed respect to them. Was he mistaken? Was this the reason for Collins' seriousness?

St. Mark's in Torrance was a Catholic private school in West Los Angeles, close to his home, and one of the best elementary schools in Los Angeles. It had many strict rules, far more than Harvard-Westlake, where using "impolite language" was also forbidden.

Now he was curious, "I heard at St. Mark's, you can't even chew gum?"

Trist nodded, "Yes, no chasing, no roughhousing, no challenging authority... If you had said that foul language at St. Mark's, you would have been in big trouble."

"Scary." Ye Wei laughed, "Good thing I came from Berkeley Hall."

Berkeley Hall was also located in West Los Angeles, an expensive private elementary school. It was the first co-educational private elementary school in Los Angeles. Although it was strict and didn't allow foul language, the school atmosphere was more open and didn't have those bizarre rules.

When his parents chose his elementary school, they almost picked St. Mark's in Torrance, but later decided Berkeley Hall was more suitable for his "lively" personality. Now, it seemed they were right; otherwise, he would have been expelled long ago. What a close call.

"I, I come from..."

"Trist! Let's check over there."

Lily suddenly pulled Trist away, walking briskly toward a small grove of trees, leaving the two boys stunned. Things were not as Lev had said; on the contrary, she clearly didn't want to talk to Ye Wei.

Ye Wei felt innocent. It had nothing to do with the school, just because he looked at her a few times?

"Babu, look at that, such a typical bad-tempered miss!"

"Uh... actually, I have to say, buddy, before you came, Collins was very easy to get along with. She spoke gently, smiled like sunshine, and even joked with us..."

"Then why does she want to kill me?"

Meanwhile, Trist was looking at Lily with confusion, whispering, "What's wrong? This isn't you." She knew Lily as an outgoing and kind person, rarely, if ever, rude. What was going on now?

Lily found her friend's question strange, "Why should I be nice to him? You talked to him so much, and he's a bully too!"

Trist didn't entirely agree, "But he's not the kind of bully who bullies others, he's quite cute..."

"He doesn't bully others? He!?"

"Isn't he?"

"Have you forgotten?" Lily was very surprised. Trist shook her head in confusion, "What are you talking about?"