Chapter 3

In a café named "Low Sugar" on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, customers were few and far between, sipping coffee, chatting, reading newspapers, and enjoying the leisurely afternoon.

Ye Wei sat in a quiet corner, with no interest in tasting the coffee. He was fully engrossed in the documents for "The Wedding Is Near," flipping through page after page, not missing a single letter.

Many of the documents' intricacies were beyond the understanding of an outsider, but he could see them, thanks to his university experience in his dreams.

Cultivating "Film-Makers" was the core philosophy of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and the "Film and Television Production" program he attended was its most prestigious and best major. In the early stages, students learned almost everything related to film production, covering all aspects in introductory courses.

Students had to learn broadly and choose courses based on their talents and interests. Only after completing the introductory courses could they advance to higher-level courses and determine their career paths.

It was common for students to enter school with the goal of becoming a director but graduate as a cinematographer, or to aim for a producer role but end up as an editor.

In his dreams, Ye Wei was determined to fulfill his father's last wish and pursued a director's path from the start, eventually becoming one. However, he was also familiar with production and had practical experience, having served as a producer in several short films.

Every student had similar experiences. When taking the production course CTPR508, students worked in pairs to make "Our Film," often needing friends to help. If you were the screenwriter and director for the first short film, you might be the cinematographer for the next, and then the producer, sound recorder, or editor for the following one.

In short, students would practice every aspect of film production and gain some knowledge in each area.

Ye Wei had even worked as a production assistant and a set assistant on independent film sets outside of school, so he could understand the documents in front of him.

It had to be said that Kevin Thomas, the old fraud, was quite skilled. The production documents were professional, detailed, and thorough, convincing even to insiders.

He had read through more than half of the production schedule. Although there were many places where money was spent unnecessarily and could have been more efficient, these issues couldn't be used against the producer, as they could be explained as a lack of production skills rather than intentional waste.

On the other hand, the storyboards showed that some insert shots and master shots were not filmed, leading to a lack of material for editing. This, too, could be blamed on the director's lack of skill or intentional choice. So these mistakes wouldn't work.

He needed to find a mistake that would leave Kevin Thomas speechless, a fatal error.

However, there was good news. As he read further into the production schedule, he noticed that Kevin Thomas's vigilance decreased, and the errors became more frequent...

Time passed, and the waitress checked on him several times, but his coffee remained untouched. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Ye Wei downed the coffee in one gulp, making a face as he asked for a refill.

His mind was racing. He flipped to another page of the detailed production expenses, and suddenly, a flash of insight struck him.

"Wait..." Ye Wei flipped back a page, his eyes fixed on a small item: Equipment Rental Fee - Steadicam, $1500.

This was an expense from April 8, 2003. At first glance, it seemed fine, but did it really cost $1500?

A Steadicam is a camera stabilizer used by cinematographers to maintain balance during shooting. The rental fee for a large Steadicam is usually between $500 and $1000 per day. Independent filmmakers could often find companies willing to lend equipment for free, so it was rare to spend $1500!

Ye Wei frowned, feeling he was getting close. This was an "additional rental," a last-minute decision, not from the main equipment rental company "SLV." There was no clear record of which company received the $1500, making it hard to verify.

Did SLV not have Steadicams to rent? He was almost certain this was a false expense, an inflated figure.

It wasn't a well-planned action but a moment of greed, a few hundred dollars here and there. Kevin Thomas must have been thinking that no one would ever notice.

Is that so? Ye Wei chuckled to himself, "God makes those He wishes to destroy first mad. Kevin, you're caught."

But he needed concrete evidence, like a rental contract showing $1000 per day!

He continued to browse through other documents and learned that the "The Wedding Is Near" crew was shooting in Orange County on that day. This made verification more challenging, as the Greater Los Angeles area had many film equipment rental companies.

"The simplest method is the best." Ye Wei sipped his coffee, already forming a plan.

The principle of equipment rental is to rent locally, which is even more important than cost, as transportation also incurs fees. It was unlikely that they would rent equipment from New York for a shoot in Orange County. The most likely companies would be the closest ones to Orange County that rented Steadicams.

He would have to contact each company one by one, even if there were a thousand of them, to find the answer.

"Waitress!" Ye Wei called the waitress over and asked, "Do you have a Greater Los Angeles Yellow Pages here? And can I use the internet? I need to look up some information, it won't take long."

"We have the Yellow Pages, but for the internet..." The waitress hesitated, "You'll need to ask the owner."

The "Low Sugar" café didn't offer internet access. There was a computer at the counter, but it was the owner's personal computer, not for customers. After much pleading, and with the owner being a fellow Chinese, he agreed to let Ye Wei use it for a while.

Through the internet, Ye Wei found many relevant company listings and noted down their contact numbers.

By the time he left the computer, nearly an hour had passed. He returned to his seat, checked the Yellow Pages for a while, and began making calls: "Hello, is this Full Speed Photography? Yes, I'd like to ask if you rent Steadicams, and how much per day?"

"We do rent them. A large one is $800 per day, a small one is $100 per day. If the rental period exceeds half a month, the price is negotiable."

Ye Wei said "OK" and asked, "Is it possible to rent a large Steadicam for $1500 per day?"

"No, that's not possible. We charge a fair price."

"Here's the thing, our company might have worked with yours before. Can you check the specific contract details? It involves some financial issues for our company, and we would appreciate your help."

"Sure, if you provide the details, including the date, company, project, and renter, we can check for you."

"Thank you. It's April 8, 2003, Wei Duo Image, the film project 'The Wedding Is Near,' and the renter was Kevin Thomas, for a large Steadicam."

After a short while, Ye Wei received a reply: "I'm sorry, we have no record of that." He said, "Thank you, I appreciate it," and hung up, then called the next company.

He made call after call, contacting over a dozen companies, moving further away from Orange County. This made him furious. Why would they rent from so far away, incurring higher transportation costs, when there were so many nearby options? Was the shooting time so short?

How much of the $2 million production budget had been wasted by that bastard Kevin Thomas?

These small, incremental costs added up to a significant amount, his father's hard-earned money, his family's savings!

Ye Wei took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and continued his investigation. If the scoundrel had colluded with a company to not record the transaction, this false expense would be useless. He could only hope for the best.

After several more calls, as he approached the Los Angeles County area, he finally reached a small company called "Aide Photography Equipment." When he asked the same questions, he received a different answer!

"Yes, we found a record."

"Really!" Ye Wei exclaimed, drawing disapproving looks from other customers. His face flushed with excitement as he asked, "How much?"

"Our records show $600 per day, which is our standard rate."

"Are you sure?" Ye Wei asked repeatedly, to the point where the other party seemed exasperated. "Yes, I'm sure!" He slammed his fist on the table and asked, "If I need it, can you provide a valid contract from that time?"

"Of course, we have it on file."

"Thank you, thank you! We'll be in touch." Ye Wei's heart raced, and he couldn't help but laugh, his eyes gleaming with a fierce light. With this evidence, Kevin Thomas was finished, checkmate!

The $1.8 million invested in "The Wedding Is Near" was a total loss, but now, he could recover some of it.

He checked the time; it was nearly 5 PM. He needed to get home quickly.

He settled the bill, left a tip, and left the café. His wallet was almost empty, so he had to take the bus.