Chapter 24

When Friday passed, many things happened.

"The Wedding Date" finished its first and only week of screening, ultimately grossing $2,370 in box office, selling 395 tickets, a predictable failure.

Dream Chasers Film Limited Partnership was officially registered in Nevada!

For legal matters, Ye Wei always sought the help of lawyer Greg Salton. They were already friendly partners, as Ye Wei, despite his young age, was exceptionally talented, giving Salton a strong feeling that "this kid will be a big shot someday," so he charged very reasonably. Registering the company and crowdfunding investment were considered one project, with a total fee of $1,000.

Being young is an advantage! What Salton did was also a form of investment. If Ye Wei really became a big shot, he would also become a top entertainment lawyer. His current hourly rate was $300, but the top lawyers in the industry charged $2,000 to $3,000 per hour! They also participated in production, initiated projects, and so on, much like agents...

Never underestimate the heart of a top lawyer. Greg Salton believed that Ye Wei provided him with a path to rise.

Ye Wei was very clear and grateful about this. Since Greg held him in such high regard, he would not let him down.

With a professional lawyer and the school's permission, the crowdfunding went smoothly. Wise parents signed the investment contract, considering it a worthwhile investment to add a line to their child's resume for a few thousand dollars.

However, cautious parents made many calls, asking the lawyer, accountant, school, and Ye Wei... After a lot of effort, they finally agreed.

Some were initially very angry, thinking Ye Wei was leading their children astray, spending money recklessly, and refused to sign, even arguing with their children. It was Ye Wei who called them and slowly talked them through it, explaining the situation and the world, but the most convincing line was, "Do you want your child to be isolated at school? Just say no."

This was a fact, and it was not something he could control. If everyone was working hard together, and you wanted to quit, you would be isolated.

One by one, parents signed, and one by one, the limited partners of the company were born. Money was transferred to the newly opened third-party escrow account, $1,500, $2,000...

All investments needed time to be processed, but the amount already recorded was over $450,000, with about $50,000 still needed.

On Saturday, Harvard-Westlake Middle School continued its classes.

Ye Wei's Saturday schedule was already quite light, and now he enjoyed the treatment of a prodigy, with 2/3 of his time free, allowed to bring documents to school, and work in the library or meeting rooms. It was awesome.

After the first class, it was not even nine o'clock. Ye Wei walked on the tree-lined path to the library, preparing to do some financial reports.

"Wei, good morning!" "VIY, your plan is amazing, I just joined yesterday!" "Your speech was so powerful, it gave me the answer."...

In just two days, the situation had reversed. Many people had regained their enthusiasm for Ye Wei, praising him again. John Williams and a few others were still being criticized by the old principal, told to "reflect well if you want to advance to the high school, and stop bullying."

Those guys were busy sending apology texts, saying, "Wei, we hurt you, sorry!" but they were actually mocking him for needing the teacher's help.

At the same time, a rumor spread: "This crowdfunding is a foolish act! Only fools join!"

Wasn't it? Note that $500,000 was just to buy the script, but is a script a movie? Ye Wei did not emphasize this point, nor did he clearly explain what to do after buying the script. Shoot a DV movie? Or adapt it into a play and perform it in the school theater?

It was said that Ye Wei wanted to shoot a "real movie," a 35mm film! Ha, how much would that cost? Where would the money come from? Or was it a scam to get a bunch of fools to invest $2 million, and then produce another "The Wedding Date"?

Movies are not that simple. Buying a script is not enough! These complete fools were still excited!

This rumor made many students who were eager to invest reconsider, and doubts about Ye Wei increased. What to do after buying the script? They couldn't think of it, and Ye Wei didn't respond, as he didn't need the trouble of these untrustworthy funds yet.

He already had a preliminary idea of how to produce the movie...

"Wei." At this moment, a seductive voice called out. Ye Wei turned his head and saw two bright and beautiful girls walking quickly towards him, both with charming smiles.

The tall blonde, who had given him a lip-printed phone number and then hung up on him, was dressed in tight clothes, her chest full, her legs long, her makeup complete, with black eyeliner and pink lipstick... She exuded a mature allure and fiery youth.

The brunette Latina girl beside her was probably the second-in-command of her clique. Although she was also made up and had painted nails, her colors were not as bold, but she was still very beautiful and had a Latin flair.

"Hey, beautiful ladies, are you calling me?" Ye Wei pointed to himself, feigning surprise.

"Yes, of course." The blonde's voice was sweet, and she pouted, "I'm sorry, I was too nervous when you called me. Oh, forgive me."

Two clever girls who knew how to change with the wind! Ye Wei sneered inwardly, walked between them, and put his arms around their shoulders, "So, let's get to know each other again?"

"Ha, don't be like that!" "Your hands are hurting me." The two girls laughed, telling him to go away, but they didn't push him away. They enjoyed the attention from the students passing by.

The blonde smiled, "I'm Christina Sleet, eighth grade." The brunette followed, "Ava Jimenez, eighth grade."

"Wow, you're in eighth grade?" Ye Wei looked at their faces, "Did you repeat a grade? How many times?" This was a compliment to them, and they smiled even more, saying no. Ye Wei laughed, "You're so smart, but smart girls aren't liked, luckily you don't look alike." They laughed again.

He continued to walk, holding them, and sniffed their hair, "What perfume are you wearing? It smells good."

"I don't use perfume, it's my natural scent." Christina leaned into his arm, looking docile and seductive.

"Really?" Ye Wei didn't believe her but didn't call her a liar. He laughed, "Cool! Wait, I have an idea. I'll put your molecules in a bottle, call it 'Christina Particles,' and the usage is to integrate it into DNA. The effect is to always smell good. Many people will buy it! Damn, why didn't I think of this before? I'll sell it for $10,000 a bottle and get rich."

They laughed, not realizing the technical difficulties, "Is it really possible?"

"The only problem is, I don't have a Christina." Ye Wei tightened his hold on the blonde, his mouth almost touching her ear, and whispered, "We don't have school tomorrow, want to go out tonight?"

"With both of you?" Ye Wei's mind was working. Should he play a trick on them? Agree and then ask Lev and the others if they want to join...

"Only one, you can choose." Christina pouted, knowing Ava wouldn't dare to compete. Sure enough, Ava said, "Christina has priority."

On the other side of the tree-lined path, Lily, Trist, and her good friend Connie were walking, discussing recent events, such as President George Bush's upcoming state visit to the UK and the anti-war protests in London...

This was a serious political discussion, but as they talked, Trist and the others were surprised to see Lily couldn't help but laugh. They asked, "What's so funny?"

"You misunderstood, you know my stance on the Iraq War," Lily said seriously, "I just thought of something else."

They nodded, "Want to share?"

"Sure, you know, in the army, every soldier has a nickname..." Lily was about to tell a joke but laughed, "It's a nickname joke, listen..."

Suddenly, Trist saw something at the intersection ahead and exclaimed, "Look, VIY!"

What! Lily's heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look, feeling a unique surprise and excitement. But when she saw clearly, her eyebrows furrowed, her face changed, and her eyes were full of complex emotions... She couldn't control herself and said, "It seems that bastard is back in the limelight, with two at once, wow!"

On the other side, Ye Wei hadn't seen them yet and was still teasing, "But I want to go on a triple date with you, what do you think? Don't worry, I can handle it."

"That's not okay, we don't like playboys, we're serious." Christina pouted, her chest touching his body intermittently.

"I'm serious too... Okay, okay." Ye Wei let go of Ava and only held Christina. Since this was the case, he would only tease this snob. Lev would be very happy. He held her waist and smiled, "So, it's you, my little Chris, where should we go, Beverly Hills? Or Santa Monica?"

Christina was very excited. A date with VIY would make her the most popular girl in school, "I want to go to Santa Monica Beach."

"Great, let's have a romantic dinner by the sea tonight, then walk on Third Street Promenade. If we're lucky, we can buy some beer and go back to the beach to drink, chat, and enjoy the sea view, and..."

When he looked ahead, Ye Wei's words suddenly stopped. He saw Lily and the others walking towards him, her face expressionless, his brows furrowed, wrong time, wrong place!

Damn!!

Lily and the others didn't even greet him, walking past and turning into the path, disappearing among the trees.

"I have something to do, I'll contact you later!" Ye Wei quickly let go of Christina and hurriedly walked away.

What's going on... Christina was stunned. The one just now was Lily Collins! Remembering the rumors, she understood and was almost fuming, screaming, "Wei! VIY! Come back, do you still want to go on a date with me!?"

Her loud shouting got this response from Ye Wei, "Who cares! Go to hell!"

She was almost driven mad, looking at Ava with a helpless expression, stomping her foot, and screaming, "Really!? Are you kidding me? That thick-browed girl!? A British bush that can't be tamed! A tomboy who has never plucked her eyebrows!! A furry monster from 'Monsters, Inc.!!'"

"If you say one more word, you'll be Shrek in school before the end of the day." Ye Wei suddenly ran back, his tone not aggressive but full of warning.

"You... you bastard!" Christina, on the verge of tears, pulled Ava and walked quickly, glaring at the few onlookers, "What are you looking at, go to hell!"

Ye Wei took a deep breath and ran after Lily and the others again.