Chapter 28

These three days seemed extremely long for Ye Wei and the others, as well as for the repurchasers Ron Yeksa, Albert Berger, and others. The Dream Chasers were waiting, while the repurchasers were struggling, agonizing, and suffering. Yeksa and the others really liked the story of "Little Miss Sunshine," but liking it was one thing; they had many scripts they liked, some suitable for filming, others only for written storytelling, and "Little Miss Sunshine" fell somewhere in between.

In the end, they couldn't be sure, especially when they learned that the sudden buyer was a 15-year-old wealthy middle school student whose family had just produced a terrible comedy.

So, was this the true quality of "Little Miss Sunshine"? The big shots despised it, but an unknown, immature kid treasured it?

They could come up with the $500,000, but as professional producers, they had more than one project. If they didn't know how to prioritize, their careers would have been over long ago.

Richard, Cheryl, Oliver, Dwayne, Frank, Grandpa... This strange family that they both loved and hated, this project that had become their nightmare, perhaps they should just... let it go...

Wednesday passed, and Ye Haogen carefully tore off the page for November 19, 2003, preparing to frame and keep it. He told Ye Wei and the others, "This is a big deal. Whether it succeeds or not, these calendars are like your first lost tooth! Yes, there are calendar fairies watching, and we need to keep them well."

Thursday passed, and it was the Dream Chasers Club's activity day. Everyone was nervous, not about the movie project, but because several girls had come! It was Lily and her friends, all investors. Lily contributed $10,000, while Trisst, Connie, and others each contributed $1,000 to $2,000.

This made Lev very happy. Lily was Ye Wei's, but the other beautiful girls were destined to be crazy about his big nose! What a dilemma, should he choose Trisst or Connie?

While he was agonizing, Li Ming, Babu, and even Chen Nuo, Bad, and the other boys were all surrounding the girls, trying to win their favor.

Then, Friday also passed...

The three-day matching period was over! Completely over! The repurchasers did not match!!

This meant that unless Martin and Dr. Brown went back in time to cause trouble, the contract signed between the Dream Chasers and Focus Features was valid!!!

"We succeeded! We succeeded!!"

That night, Ye Wei, like Oliver in the script who learned he could participate in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, ran around the house, shouting excitedly, "We succeeded! Little Miss Sunshine, oh my... God! Little Miss Sunshine!!! Little Miss Sunshine!!!!"

"Woof woof woof!" Toto barked happily behind him, and Dodo, who didn't know the details, also laughed and shouted, "Little Miss Sunshine!"

"Yes!!" Ye Wei picked her up, spinning her around in the air, laughing nonstop, "Dodo, we succeeded!! We're going to make a movie, oh my God, your big brother is going to be a director! A real movie director, hahaha--Hollywood, tremble, Big Brother Wei is here!!"

Ye Haogen and Gu Qiao, watching from the side, embraced and laughed, their faces full of pride for their son.

It was Saturday again, and Harvard-Westlake Middle School was still bustling.

Last night, Ye Wei had already sent out the group text. After the class meeting, during the third period, all members of the Dream Chasers would gather in the Reynolds Hall at the Academic Center! Whether it was X time, skipping class, or rescheduling, everyone had to come!

As soon as the class meeting ended, students marched proudly to Reynolds Hall. They were radiant and loud, and if this were a cartoon, one might see a bubble cloud above each of their heads, with "I am proud!" written inside.

Each member of the Dream Chasers was extremely proud; they were the coolest people in the school!

Reynolds Hall was a bit like the Great Hall of Hogwarts, but with round tables. It was a venue for many club activities, and students could also read, talk, and eat there. Today was different from the past; the storage room couldn't accommodate 162 people.

Ye Wei had already taken over the best inner positions with several round tables. The twelve disciples stood guard at various points, and on the main table was a pile of script documents. If anyone acted rashly, they would tear them apart and feed them to Bad!

However, everyone's eyes naturally fell on those documents, feeling excited by the words "Little Miss Sunshine" on the cover, as if their dreams were just within reach!

Whenever someone asked the calmly seated VIY, "Can we take a look first?" he would smile and say, "Don't worry, kids, the treasure is already in our pants, no one can take it away."

At this moment, Lily and the others arrived. Seeing the mountain of scripts, they couldn't help but exclaim, "Is there one for each of us?"

"Hey, ladies, you finally made it, hi, Jane!" Ye Wei stood up, spreading his arms to greet Lily, as if for a warm hug.

"Get lost!" Lily laughed and scolded, ignoring him and avoiding him.

Ye Wei then hugged the nearby Bad, rubbing his head against Bad's thick shoulder, whispering, "It feels about the same." Everyone laughed, and Lily scolded again, "You idiot!" Ye Wei let go of Bad, seeing that the time was right and most people had arrived, he shouted, "The little beauty is here, the sun is here, so let's start the activity!"

Everyone thought he was going to give a serious speech, but he frowned and looked around, asking, "Oh my God, I'm so nervous, where is Mr. Capson?"

Mr. Capson wasn't there; he probably didn't get the notification. The laughter grew louder, and the feeling of doing something big without the adults was exhilarating.

Ye Wei cleared his throat, rubbed his mouth, and then became serious, "Guys, I am very happy and honored to formally tell you that we have successfully bought the script! Yes, these golden ones, we did it! Let's applaud for one minute, give ourselves a round of applause!"

Reynolds Hall immediately echoed with cheers and applause. Young faces beamed with joy, and some were even dancing, like a party.

After a full minute, Ye Wei smiled and picked up a script, flipping to the first page after the cover. Everyone saw a list of names, their eyes widening in excitement—these were their names!

"Here are the names of all 162 partners in our company, listed in alphabetical order. Congratulations to those whose names start with A-A! No matter what, 162 heroes, 162 glories, it's the brilliance you've given to the script! Guys, you make me humble; there are so many brave dream chasers in this world!

After the activity, everyone can take a script home to enjoy at their leisure. This is the reward you deserve!"

Because of Ye Wei's words, everyone's spirits soared, ready to burst into another round of cheers. Ye Wei then said, "But, treat it like your diary filled with secrets; don't show it to anyone, not even your family! We need to keep it confidential, so it doesn't end up in everyone's hands in a few days, got it?"

"Okay," "Understood," everyone responded. If professional practice required confidentiality, they would follow it.

"OK, then..." Ye Wei made a gesture inviting a dance, "Next is the press conference segment. You can ask any questions, and I'll do my best to answer."

Everyone nodded slightly. The question was still the same, and it had been circulating for days: After getting the script, how would they produce the movie? What was the budget, and where would the money come from? Would they launch another crowdfunding campaign, or what?

Their names were on the first page of the script because they trusted VIY, believing he had a plan and that everything would be fine, so they were now eager for answers.

"We want to know your production plan, like the source of funding," Lily asked, with a serious smile.

"Great question, great." Ye Wei looked at her, then at everyone, becoming a bit serious, "I know there's a rumor going around school that we're idiots, that I only crowdfunded to buy the script to show off, without any plan for what to do next.

They say we can't make a real movie, that they're waiting for us to give up halfway, then they'll open their mouths, deformed from chewing too much gum, and laugh. Not just them, Focus Features also thought this way, adding some restrictive clauses to the contract, believing we would just hold the script and laugh like fools for the next two years.

And the principal, our parents, even our rational and pessimistic selves! All these voices say, 'You kids can't do it.'

But, my brothers and sisters, my friends who share the same dream, I can tell you, they are wrong, completely wrong!"