Chapter 43

Two balloons swayed in the air, eager to fly toward the clear blue sky. On the road to the City of Tomorrow, Anastasia blinked her big eyes in confusion, "Me?"

"Yes, you, only you!" Ye Wei nodded emphatically. The more he looked at her, the more satisfied he felt. He was telling the truth; even Dakota Fanning wouldn't make him change his mind! Anastasia's liveliness, mischief, and smile were exactly what he wanted!

"You're perfect for it. It seems that fate has brought us together today to give us this opportunity to collaborate. Thank you, heaven!"

Seeing how excited he was, Anastasia became interested and opened her eyes even wider, "What kind of short film?"

"It's my student short film." Ye Wei had already thought it through; for now, it was more convenient to use the name of a student project. He would tell her and everyone else the same thing: "My school will host its first film festival next year, so I'm preparing to make a short film. I've already written the script, and it's about a little girl and a dog..."

He then vividly told Anastasia the story of the short film, using his hands and feet to create the atmosphere, even acting out the role of Annie himself.

Anastasia was deeply moved as she listened, her brows furrowing and relaxing with the progress of the story...

When Ye Wei finished, she was full of praise, "What a great story, you're amazing! I also have a dog, a Maltese and Poodle mix, named Bella. She's here in Los Angeles too, and we get along really well."

"Cool!" Ye Wei laughed, then added, "If you play the role, we can change Annie's name to Anastasia, or Anna, whichever you like. Toto can be renamed Bella, and Bella can play the role."

"Cool!!" Anastasia laughed too. This would be her and Bella's story, which was really cool! She sighed, "I love acting, but in recent years, it's been nothing but auditions, auditions, and more auditions. I just want to act."

"Absolutely, you'll get to act to your heart's content. Let me tell you a secret, this isn't just an ordinary student project. I've been learning all aspects of filmmaking since I was young, and I'm aiming to make a professional-level short film." Ye Wei was full of confidence; there was no need to be modest in front of a 10-year-old girl.

"Wow!" Anastasia became more and more excited. It felt like fate, destiny! She asked hurriedly, "When will we shoot? I have another audition in a few days."

"No problem, we can accommodate your schedule. We can shoot on the weekend. I estimate it will take two to three days to finish your scenes, about 10 hours each day."

Before Ye Wei could finish, Anastasia interrupted with delight, "That means I'll really get to act!"

He nodded, "Yes, after shooting, we should be able to complete post-production before Christmas. I'll give you a DVD copy, so you can show it to the casting directors during your auditions. Like in 'Because of Daisy,' if they see how great your chemistry is with the dog, do they really need to continue the auditions? You'll get the role!"

This wasn't just a pipe dream; he was confident he could make the short film well. This plan was bound to succeed, and Wang Ying would be shocked!

"Wow..." Anastasia blinked, showing her front teeth in a smile, "I want to play—Anna!"

"Thank you, the role of Anna is yours!" Ye Wei clenched his fist in excitement, "We still need to get your parents' and agent's approval, but I'll convince them."

"No problem." Anastasia wasn't worried at all, tugging at the balloon in her hand, "We don't know each other, and you've already given me a gift. Now that we're friends, of course I'll help you. That's what friends do, and I love acting."

"Meeting you is a gift from heaven." Ye Wei was almost shouting with joy. After the setback with Willis, this smooth progress was so beautiful.

"You too." Anastasia smiled sweetly, then continued, "I don't have many friends. I was homeschooled and never went to school, so I don't have many friends. This year, I made a good friend named Taylor Durre, who is the same age as me and also an actor. We're even competitors. Today, I've made another friend, Ye Wei, hehe."

She became even more excited, talking as they walked, "I'm really like 'Anna.' I also love dancing and have been taking dance and gymnastics classes for over four years. Now I can do over ten backflips in a row."

She was about to show off, but Ye Wei quickly exclaimed, "Hey..."

"You got me." Anastasia stood up straight and laughed. Ye Wei couldn't help but give her a thumbs up, "You're good, I believe you. I usually only trick others, but you're an exception."

"But I'm serious, I'll perform for you next time! Let me tell you something interesting. My great-grandmother was named Anna Sophie, my grandmother is named Anna Marie, and I'm named Anastasia. Isn't that interesting? I don't have any siblings, but I have ten cousins, eight girls, and two boys..."

Listening to her talk, Ye Wei knew she really didn't have many friends but was very outgoing and eager to make friends. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so eager to share even what she had for breakfast that morning. In fact, she mentioned that she liked eating cake.

From food to heritage, she had British, Scottish, Irish, Danish, and Swedish ancestry, a real mixed heritage.

Although she didn't go to school, her education was not a problem. She learned more than her peers who went to regular schools. She loved reading, especially fantasy and historical novels...

Ye Wei, usually the one controlling the conversation, this time truly listened, occasionally responding to keep the conversation flowing, letting her talk to her heart's content.

As they talked, they arrived at the Tomorrowland Square. Before they could start a search, a middle-aged white couple rushed over, "Oh, Anastasia!" "Sophia!"

They were Anastasia's parents, who immediately patted their daughter's head, relieved, "Where did you go?" "We were about to call for help."

"Dad, Mom." Anastasia had no remorse, as she had a great gain from this incident. She happily introduced, "I want to introduce you to my new friend, Wei!"

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, nice to meet you!" Ye Wei greeted them with a smile, trying to appear as harmless as possible to make a good impression.

Anastasia's parents were not children and were naturally more cautious with strangers. After hearing their daughter's story and seeing Ye Wei's polite demeanor, they relaxed and thanked him. However, they were soon surprised by their daughter's excited announcement, "Wei invited me to act in his short film, and I agreed!"

What? What short film!? The two were stunned, what was going on?

"Yes, that's right..." Ye Wei explained clearly, analyzing the pros and cons, "After this short film is made, it will definitely be a plus for Anna when she auditions, increasing her chances of getting the lead role in 'Because of Daisy.' If you think it's not good, you don't have to show it; the film crews won't know."

Anastasia nodded confidently, "It will be good, the story is great."

Anastasia's parents exchanged glances, unsure how to react. They had never thought this would happen while visiting an amusement park, getting an acting opportunity? But... a student short film?

Her acting career had always been managed by her mother, Janet, who also handled her education. Janet had quit her job when she was pregnant and focused on raising her child. Usually, Janet drove Anastasia to Los Angeles for auditions. If it weren't for Thanksgiving, her father, David Roberts, an architect with a busy schedule, would still be in Denver.

So, the decision was up to Janet.

"You said... you're a student at which school?" Janet was still a bit dazed.

"Harvard-Westlake, I'm in the ninth grade. The school will host a film festival next year." Ye Wei answered humbly. This identity was important; he was a student at the prestigious Harvard-Westlake, not some gangster thug! Yes, he was not dangerous.

"I can give you the phone number of my guidance teacher, Ms. Acey, or you can call the Harvard-Westlake Middle School office to verify my identity."

"Oh..." Janet's expression relaxed even more, smiling, "I think we should also consult Anastasia's agent, Juen."

Ye Wei had known this step would be necessary. Since Anastasia was signed with an agency, any performance needed to be approved by her agent. He smiled, "Sure, here's my business card. Stay in touch. Can you give me Juen's phone number?" Her number could also be found on IMDbPro because Anastasia had appeared in a commercial.

They exchanged phone numbers, and it seemed the next step was to see if Juen would approve. But Anastasia looked very determined, saying several times, "I want to act."

"OK, then..." Ye Wei was about to say goodbye, but Anastasia quickly said, "Can we play together? Dad, Mom, can we?"

"If Wei has time." Anastasia's parents didn't seem to mind; it was rare for their daughter to make a male friend, and he seemed very decent.

"Of course." Ye Wei nodded with a smile. First, he felt a bit sorry for her, as if she had no friends at all by the age of 10. Second, he could continue to show himself, building rapport and persuasion. Third, he had decided that today he would not refuse any reasonable and legal request, as a way to show gratitude to heaven!

"Great! What do we want to play?!" Anastasia was thrilled.

"I wanted to go on the Matterhorn Bobsleds, but the line was too long."

"Roller coaster? Sure, I think I'm tall enough. Let's go check it out?"

In fact, in the afternoon, every attraction required a wait. So, the three of them went to the artificial Matterhorn and waited in line for about 15 minutes before finally boarding the car.

"Do you know, Disney's roller coasters are not very safe. Many people have died over the years, and one poor guy died in September, with several others injured. Can you feel it? The chilling wind..."

Before the roller coaster started, Ye Wei said to Anastasia, who was sitting next to him, making her eyes widen!

As the roller coaster started, screams and joyful laughter filled the air!

"Ah ah ah!"

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