Chapter 7

Kevin-Thomas was truly terrified. Thanks to Ye Wei's psychological warfare and the professionalism and efficiency of Solton, the lawyer, the matter progressed at an incredibly rapid pace. By that evening, both parties had signed the draft agreement, leaving Kevin-Thomas at the mercy of others.

The 20% share was transferred for $1, Ye Haogen was compensated $500,001, Kevin-Thomas resigned, the profit-sharing clause for "The Wedding Approaches" was canceled, and other investors were notified...

Weiduo Image is a limited partnership company. In simple terms, the company has two types of partners: limited partners who provide capital and bear limited liability, meaning their losses will not exceed their investment amount, but they have no power to manage the company's affairs; and general partners who hold management rights.

Originally, the company's share structure was as follows: Ye Haogen, who initially invested $1.5 million, held 55% of the shares, while Kevin-Thomas, who joined as a producer, held 20%. The other five limited partners, who collectively invested $500,000, each invested $100,000 and held 5% of the shares.

Later, Ye Haogen made an additional investment of $300,000 for the film's distribution, changing the share structure to 58%, 20%, and 4.4% each.

Now, there was only one general partner left, Ye Haogen, who held 78% of the shares. Therefore, how "The Wedding Approaches" would proceed entirely depended on the Ye family, or more specifically, Ye Wei.

After the dramatic changes of the past two days, Ye Haogen and Gu Qiao realized that their son had truly changed, and for the better. When he said he had always been a hidden genius and now needed to reveal himself, the couple was half-convinced, but they were very pleased.

They were willing to listen to their son's ideas, which they had already discussed the previous night when making the plan.

Apart from the compensation, there was still about $100,000 left in the company account, which was intended for distribution. This was from their previous investments.

Ye Wei wanted to halt all distribution of "The Wedding Approaches," similar to a stop-loss in stock trading. The self-funded screenings at three theaters were all canceled. Although the cost of copies and promotional expenses had already been spent, and some breach of contract fees would be incurred, they could still recover over $20,000 and maintain the film's pristine reputation.

In this way, they could recover over $600,000 in total, of which $500,000 was from their personal accounts. This would ease the family's financial strain, allowing them to gradually repay the $1.5 million debt.

As for how to clean up the mess of "The Wedding Approaches," Ye Wei also had a plan.

"We shouldn't think about selling the copyright. There are no attractive stars in the cast and crew, and the quality is too poor, so it won't fetch much money. Selling it at a discount would be too much of a loss. We can reposition the market based on the existing footage, re-edit the film, and possibly reshoot some scenes, rerecord some dialogues, and re-score the music to create the best possible version. Then we can submit it to film festivals that don't require fees, build a reputation, and sell it for a good price. You know, I don't mind handling these tasks."

It was late at night, and in the bright and spacious Ye family living room, Ye Wei was detailing his plan to his parents.

Despite the upcoming challenges, the atmosphere was peaceful, and the flame of hope, though flickering, had not been extinguished.

"I've been studying film for a long time, and I have the capability to handle this task," Ye Wei said confidently. This wasn't just boasting; the teaching at USC was truly excellent.

Ye Haogen and Gu Qiao both exclaimed in unison, wearing helpless smiles. Should they believe him or not? Their son had always been interested in everything but had a short attention span, and he was still just a child under 16.

"You focus on your studies, and your father and I will handle the company's affairs," Gu Qiao made a reasonable decision.

"Yes," Ye Haogen nodded in agreement.

Ye Wei frowned. He already had a good plan for how to re-edit "The Wedding Approaches." "Actually, I'm thinking about whether I should drop out of school..."

"No, of course not!" Ye Haogen and Gu Qiao were shocked, almost jumping up. Dropping out of school!? Wasn't that the same as suicide?

They felt as if he had said, "I want to ruin myself because you are trash parents who can't afford your children's education or support the family." The growth and education of their children were more important than their lives! Whether it was traditional thinking or anything else, they had to go to school!

Even if he was a genius, he still needed to go to school. School wasn't just about learning textbook knowledge! At his age, he should be enjoying his youth on campus, playing with friends, pursuing girls... and going to college! How could they let their son live a life without a college education...

"Wei!" Ye Haogen's face was flushed with excitement. "You mustn't think like that! Your father and mother will handle the money issues. You just focus on your studies. You mustn't..."

His face was grim, and Gu Qiao, in her panic, didn't notice. "Yes, your father is right. You must go back to school tomorrow!"

"Mom, Dad, calm down, I was just joking!" Ye Wei quickly said, afraid of his father's emotional state. "Just joking!"

The couple both breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a joke, just a joke...

Ye Wei smiled and didn't insist on the idea. Could he not understand his parents' wishes? If he didn't wear a graduation gown and toss his cap, they would never be happy. And he also wanted to continue his studies. He just believed that family was the most important thing, and for the happiness of his family, if necessary, he could give up everything.

But it wasn't to that point yet. He said seriously, "I will go to school, and I will also handle the film. I can manage both."

"Is that so." Gu Qiao glared at him. "You don't need to worry about the debt. It's fine. I can go to work, and we can find a cheaper daycare for Dodo."

Hearing this, Ye Wei immediately imagined his mother's weary face from overwork in his dreams. He said urgently, "Mom, no daycare can replace a mother's love. Dodo needs your care! Believe me, I can handle the debt."

"Let's not argue. With the current situation, I can manage it alone. I just need to spend more time at the clinic," Ye Haogen interrupted, his attitude very firm.

Ye Wei nodded silently, not arguing with his father for the moment. Gu Qiao remained silent, her brows furrowed, lost in thought.

"There's one more thing..." Ye Haogen hesitated for a moment but then said, "Wei, I want to keep one theater to release 'The Wedding Approaches' on Friday."

His expression was complex, a mix of shame and a different kind of excitement. "Seeing my film on the big screen in a theater, I've been looking forward to this moment for so long... Even though there's a 99% chance it will end in a loss, but... Qiao, Wei, can you understand me?"

Ye Wei nodded vigorously. Of course, he could understand. This was his father's dream.

"I've been looking forward to it for so long... Besides, we've already invited many relatives and friends to come and support us. They are all looking forward to it, and we can't suddenly cancel it..."

"Yes," Gu Qiao squeezed her husband's hand and smiled gently. "Yes, keep one theater. Otherwise, there will be regrets."

Ye Wei looked at his parents. His mother just wanted to fulfill a dream, and his father seemed to have a bit of hope for a miracle. Let the big screen decide the quality of the film, right? Okay, okay. He nodded and said, "Let's keep one, consider it a wish fulfilled."

"Thank you..." Ye Haogen smiled bitterly, muttering to himself, "Son, I only hope you can be proud of me."

The three of them chatted for a while longer before ending the meeting. Ye Wei was strictly ordered to focus and return to school the next day. He had already been absent for a day and a half due to "illness."

He had to go to school, but he also had other things to do. Ye Wei maintained this mindset, and just re-editing "The Wedding Approaches" was far from enough. Expecting its re-edited version to sell for $1 million was unrealistic. He needed to think about other opportunities...

Back in his room, he scanned the surroundings. The spacious room was cluttered with posters of movies, beauties, and sports stars, shelves of comics and books, countless toys like action figures, Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear, and panda plushies, and even life-sized R2-D2 and C-3PO robots in the corner.

Looking around, he saw Chinese swords, air guns, nunchucks, punching bags, soccer balls, basketballs, "Playboy" magazines, a computer, a guitar, a drawing board, a DV camera, DVDs, a telescope, a biological microscope, amber fossils, a volcano model, a globe, a spaceship... and a 1:1 black monolith from "2001: A Space Odyssey"!

There were many more odd and peculiar items that even he found messy, like the "telepathy device" made of a wire and a broken black box. When AA batteries were installed, the black box could supposedly receive brainwaves and transmit them to the brain of the person being shocked, achieving telepathy.

The most ridiculous part wasn't that he only got a painful shock and couldn't sense what Toto was thinking, but that this device cost $2,000 and was bought at a flea market.

These items were a testament to his past short-lived interests and wasteful spending!

"Fortunately, I've quit," Ye Wei muttered, his gaze finally resting on an item hanging on the wall. It was a director's viewfinder, a gift from his father for his 10th birthday.

Make a movie? A thought struck him, and he couldn't shake it off. "I'm a professional graduate. Even if I were to direct a script now, there would be no problem!"

He walked over and took down the director's viewfinder, his heart racing. This wasn't just a daydream. Spielberg made a feature film with Super 8 at 16, and when it came to short films, this great director started at 11!

Tim Burton at 13, Peter Jackson at 16, Martin Scorsese at 17, Sam Raimi at 18, Orson Welles at 19!

Many others had already been involved in the film industry at even younger ages. At his current age, there were countless people making TV commercials and corporate promotional videos...

Why not me?

I have so many advantages!

A bad movie is the source of all problems, but a good movie can solve everything.

"Right, right," Ye Wei nodded, growing more ambitious. This was it! This was what he needed to do!

He squinted and used the viewfinder to scan the room, everything becoming like a movie screen. Looking at the world through a lens was truly fascinating!

At that moment, something light-footed entered the room. It was Toto, who came over, wagging its tail and looking up at him with round, chubby eyes.

"Hey, buddy," Ye Wei said, looking at it through the viewfinder. It tilted its head pitifully, and he smiled. "Yes, something happened at home, but it's okay, everything will be fine. What do you think about me making a movie? Right, a great idea! We can look for good opportunities in the industry. We have a lot to do, 'The Wedding Approaches' is being released on Friday, and I have to go to school tomorrow. What are you thinking, nonsense? Ha, yes, nonsense!"

He sat on the floor, petting Toto's head and laughing. "Buddy, five hours of inkfish, thinking about it gives me a headache... But it will be fun, right?"

The page turns, and the ad begins.

The page turns, and the ad ends.