Chapter 69

In the luxurious presidential suite, the living room was bustling with noise as the Misses Willis argued about where to go next for the Christmas Eve celebration. Demi Moore occasionally chimed in, mostly to help her young daughter, Berry.

At the bar, a row of ancient Roman-style wine cabinets was filled with various fine wines, which glowed under the lights, making the bottles look radiant.

Willis took a bottle of Gallo wine from the cabinet, picked up a glass, and asked, "Kid, do you drink?"

Ye Wei followed behind, and upon hearing this, his mind raced. Whether to say YES or NO didn't depend on his situation but on the preferences of the big shot. Looking at those spoiled princesses, the answer was already clear. Besides, how could a descendant of a veteran not drink, even if he was a teenager?

"Yes, there's no law in my family that you have to be 21 to drink. My grandfather even gave me liquor when I was three or four years old."

"Ha ha! My old man did the same." The answer was correct, and Willis happily took two wine glasses, filling them to the brim. One for himself and one for Ye Wei.

The big shot raised his glass and smiled, "To your short film!"

"Thank you!" Ye Wei also raised his glass with a smile, taking a small sip. The sweet wine slid down his throat, warming his stomach.

Although this wasn't his first time drinking, his grandfather was actually a strict person who, for his health, didn't let him drink too early. As for his parents? If they saw this scene, they would probably call themselves negligent parents.

But this glass of wine was well-deserved! It was the result of a lot of effort, caution, and hard work, a chance!

At that moment, he said seriously, "Sir, our last phone call wasn't very pleasant. I can completely understand your feelings at the time. Who am I? A kid under 16 wanting to make a feature film and inviting you to star in it? That must have seemed crazy."

Willis sat on a high stool by the bar, sipping his wine and listening with a smile.

"But I know who I am. I've been learning about films since I was young. My family even invested in a comedy, and I learned a lot during the preparation, shooting, and post-production processes..."

Ye Wei repeated his usual pitch, speaking quickly and clearly without any hesitation. For about three minutes, he didn't mention anything about how the companies would split the equity or any special terms if they collaborated. He only said that he could handle the role of producer and director for a feature film.

At the end, he opened a suitcase beside him and took out several stacks of documents, "Here are all the preparation documents for 'Dance of the Angels.' This is the script, the storyboard, the production schedule... all of them I made myself."

Willis glanced at them and was immediately captivated, surprised!

Since starting his company, he had been involved in some production affairs and even had a credit as a planner on "Crocodile Hunter." He had written scripts and seen storyboards... He could tell how professional these documents were, just like the short film.

What surprised him most were the storyboards. As Ye Wei casually flipped through them, each page was so detailed, like a comic, and they had been precisely shot in the short film. This clearly showed that the success of the short film was not a fluke but the result of thorough preparation from the beginning.

"These are all drawn by me, no one else added a single stroke." Ye Wei noticed the big shot's expression change and immediately implemented a persuasion strategy: drawing!

He put the documents on the bar, took a pencil and a piece of paper from the suitcase, and started sketching, drawing Willis sitting and drinking.

"Sir, don't mind my work, let's continue talking."

"Oh..." Willis was even more surprised, watching the pencil dance on the paper, quickly sketching out some lines, and his own outline appeared...

"I've been learning to draw since I was young." Ye Wei said, not pausing for a second, drawing as clearly as possible!

He had already presented himself as a "genius teenager who understands films," now it was up to the big shot to decide whether to buy it.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Willis took a sip of wine to calm down, looking at the drawing and then at him. "At your age, school should be the most important thing, right?"

"My studies are fine." Ye Wei continued drawing and explained, how he got A's in all subjects, could skip grades, and had already received special treatment from the school for his talents.

"In the month of making 'Dance of the Angels,' I took many days off, but my studies are still good. Sir, you can see how Harvard-Westlake supports my filmmaking. If my studies weren't up to par, they wouldn't let me shoot in the school theater, and they even participated as extras!

For a feature film, we can schedule the shooting during the summer break, or I can take a leave of absence to fit your schedule. I can even complete the current school year first! No problem at all."

Willis frowned slightly, thinking about something, and asked, "What about the preparation?"

In film production, the most time-consuming part is not the shooting or post-production, but the pre-production. This is especially true in Hollywood. Even with a streamlined independent production process, a project like "Little Miss Sunshine," which was just a script, would take at least a year or two to prepare.

Ye Wei had already thought about this and answered fluently, "I will find one or two executive producers to handle the specific tasks. I will supervise and prepare while I'm in school. I don't think time is an issue. The key is trust, Mr. Willis. Choosing me requires a lot of courage and trust."

Willis swirled his wine glass, seemingly pondering or reflecting, "The film industry always produces young geniuses, one after another. I've seen many, like Shyamalan. But none of them have been as young as you..."

Ye Wei could tell that the big shot's words were not praise but hesitation: Your age really makes me uneasy.

Yes, 16 is an awkward age, not old enough, not young enough. If he were 26 or 6, Willis might have already slapped his thigh and said, "I'm in!"

26 is a normal age for a young genius to make a film, and 6 is very abnormal. No matter how good or bad their films are, they wouldn't be ridiculed. But 16? Awkward.

He thought for a moment and then said, "Sir, please think about it. If another 26-year-old came to you with the 'Little Miss Sunshine' project and showed you 'Dance of the Angels,' would you trust him like you trust Shyamalan?"

"Hmm..." Willis sipped his wine, his voice becoming lighter, "Maybe, but you're not 26, and the story of 'Little Miss Sunshine' seems too mature for you."

"I don't think so, sir. You might not know, but my family faced many difficulties due to a failed film investment, just like the story of 'Little Miss Sunshine.' This changed me a lot and made me understand a lot. I have a deep understanding of the story's emotions and meanings, about family, success, and failure. I can direct it well."

Ye Wei's tone was firm, and his expression was confident, "And I love this story, I'm passionate about it."

"What film did your family invest in that failed?" Willis asked.

"A wedding comedy called 'The Wedding Date.'" Ye Wei was on high alert because if they continued talking, Willis would eventually find out about "The Wedding Date." It was better for him to tell it himself, but he had to downplay it. A genius teenager shouldn't let a mediocre producer deceive his family.

"It didn't do well at the box office. We missed the trend, the producer and director were mediocre, and there were issues with the editing. I plan to re-edit it."

Willis seemed to understand something, "Is this why you're in such a hurry?"

Ye Wei nodded, his eyes flashing with determination, "One reason, but the main reason is that I can't waste my youth. I need to do something big that matches my abilities."

"Big... big..." Willis took another sip of wine, nodding slightly, "Young people are full of energy."

At that moment, the three girls on the other side had finished arguing. Seeing that the time was right, Lulu called out, "Dad, are you done? We're going out to play!" Berry also shouted, "Dad!!"

Seven minutes had passed. After responding to his daughters, Willis looked at Ye Wei and suddenly smiled, asking, "Young man, why did you choose me? Not Stallone, not Schwarzenegger, but Willis?"

"Sir, I've already given the answer." Ye Wei smiled, speaking sincerely, "Because you give young people opportunities!"

With that, he stopped drawing and unfolded the sketch, a clear portrait of Willis sitting on a high stool, drinking leisurely.

"Ha ha..." Willis couldn't help but laugh, his laugh lines deep, "Kid, you always have a plan. I don't know if you can handle a feature film, but you're a great persuader."

Ye Wei couldn't tell what the big shot meant, so he just smiled and asked, "Can I leave these documents here? Sir, you can look at them when you have time and interest."

All the documents had been copied and backed up, and this box contained the original manuscripts.

"Sure." Willis nodded, finishing the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp, and said seriously, "I'm still not clear about this. I need to think about it. But I have to say, your short film, your sincerity, and your efforts are all good. I don't think your plan is completely absurd. It's possible, it's possible."

This "possible" made Ye Wei's eyes widen in surprise, almost shouting out loud. He quickly took a sip of wine to suppress his excitement... but he couldn't suppress it. Possible!

Willis saying "possible" meant a shift from being furious to "possible"! Possible collaboration, possible acting! This could succeed!!

The light of success seemed to be shining on him, making every pore in his body feel joyful and elated!

"Sir, you are the incredible one, you are!"

"Ha ha, I'll think about it, but not during this Christmas holiday. You know, it's best not to work during Christmas." Willis laughed, putting down his empty glass and heading towards his family.

"Yes, of course, of course!" Ye Wei nodded repeatedly, thinking he should leave gracefully. Getting this "possible" was enough; there was no need to push further and risk losing the victory.

He smiled, "Sir, take your time. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to call me, 24/7, anytime! I won't disturb you anymore. Merry Christmas!"

He quickly packed the documents into the suitcase, including the sketch. After finishing, he nodded to Willis's daughters and ex-wife, saying a few words of blessing, and left with just a suitcase of clothes.

"Bye, remember to ask Anna if she's selling Bella!" Berry's voice called out from behind.

"See you later." Lamo opened the door for him, while Lulu, not far away, seemed angry and ignored him.

Walking out of the presidential suite, he entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 1st floor. Ye Wei let out a long breath. It had been less than half an hour, but it felt like a world war!

Victory! Light has triumphed again!!

His heart gradually sank into joy and excitement, his whole body trembling. Although he hadn't succeeded yet, wasn't this Christmas Eve already perfect?

"Ha ha ha!" Regardless of the other people in the elevator, he laughed uncontrollably, repeatedly saying to them, "Merry Christmas, ladies and gentlemen, Merry Christmas!!"

"Merry Christmas." The others responded politely, though they were a bit puzzled by the red-faced, wine-breathed teenager. Was he drunk?

"Come on, don't cry, everything will be fine..." Ye Wei happily sang, taking out his phone like a mother hugging