Chapter 74

The meeting had just begun, and Bloch, who looked like a kind old monk who chants scriptures and eats vegetarian food, suddenly threw out several fatal public relations issues in the blink of an eye.

No, this guy isn't a monk... Ye Wei increasingly felt that Bloch was like Varys, the fat eunuch from the novel "A Song of Ice and Fire." His mind raced, and he laughed a few times, lowering his head to take something from the suitcase on the ground, also to buy himself more time to organize his words.

But it was only a dozen seconds. He took out those report cards and proof of genius, placed them on the table, and smiled, saying, "Mr. Bloch, please take a look at these first."

The white female secretary walked over and handed the documents to "Varys," who smiled and began to flip through them.

With this short moment, Ye Wei had almost finished preparing. He said to everyone, "These are my report cards, which can prove that there's nothing wrong with my studies, all A's in every subject! And I can skip to tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade at any time! My principal has also confirmed this."

The two focal points frowned, the information they had gathered was contradictory, some said he was a spoiled underachiever, and others said... genius...

"Hmm, indeed..." Bloch nodded slightly as he read, Harvard-Westlake is a prestigious school with a tradition of strict academic standards. If the principal says it, it's true.

Willis's smile deepened, seemingly pleased that he hadn't misjudged the person.

Lowitt and Rifkin were somewhat curious and also wanted to see the report cards.

"Principal Hednert says that Ye Wei has the academic level to apply for university..." Reading this evaluation, Bloch was finally a bit surprised.

"That's right, you can call me a genius!" Ye Wei spread his hands, looking around with full confidence, "If this isn't genius, I don't know what the word means! I'm 15 years and 321 days old, I can apply for university, I've produced a high-quality short film like 'Dance of the Angels'! Who thinks I'm not a genius, look at what they were doing at 15?"

"So what?" Hamon tried hard to pour cold water, "You're still just a teenager."

"So what? Hahaha!" Ye Wei burst out laughing, genius, that's right, Genius! The more he repeated the word, the clearer his thoughts became, and he knew what to do!

He smiled at Bloch, "Originally, how to handle public relations is your job, Mr. Bloch. Even if Mr. Willis joins a film directed by a baby who hasn't been weaned, you should and can package it in a way that makes the whole world praise and look forward to it, right?"

"Ha ha!" Bloch, caught off guard, laughed instead, Bruce was right, this kid is sharp-tongued.

Ye Wei continued without pausing, "Now I'll boldly share two ideas for your reference. The first is to do what should be done, to build my reputation as a genius! Let the whole of America, the whole world, know about me, about this movie genius!"

His voice grew louder as he looked around, "Is it difficult? Not at all, just broadcast 'Dance of the Angels' as a public service short film on TV for free. I believe many TV stations will be willing to do it, and if not, put it on the internet!

Just do this, broadcast it tonight, and arrange a few media interviews for me tomorrow, 'Los Angeles Times,' 'New York Times,' 'Washington Post'... The day after tomorrow, I'll be a globally recognized genius! Then continue to hype me up, make it big, and when the time is right, release the news that Bruce Willis and the genius kid Ye Wei are collaborating on a new film!

At that time, how will the media and the public evaluate it? Crazy? Of course! But Mr. Willis is a man who dares to try new things, who dares to give young people opportunities, he's a hero, a mentor! A hero!

Would this harm his image? Not at all, it would enhance it! As long as the final film isn't bad, look at 'Dance of the Angels,' I can't guarantee that my first feature film will win an Oscar, but it won't be trash! It will certainly meet the expectations of the world for a genius kid!

At that time, how will the media and the public evaluate it? Miracle! This miracle was born because Mr. Willis gave the opportunity, he's a miracle maker!!"

By the end, Ye Wei was almost shouting, his hand pointing up at Willis, his face full of respect!

After hearing this, Willis was clearly moved, his eyes changed, and he was very interested in this blueprint!

Hammon and Gale were in a panic, if this happened, Ye Wei would be the biggest winner, and Focus would get nothing, no, it can't be, of course not...

"A bit of sense." Bloch's laugh made the two even more anxious! No way!!

With this sentence, Ye Wei became even more radiant, almost standing up to give a speech, smiling, "So our problem isn't about Mr. Willis's image, it's about me! About the public's perception of me! As long as my image as a genius is built well, everything will be fine!"

He then looked at Lowitt, saying seriously, "Mr. Lowitt, you can even be my agent. If this works out, I won't let you be the '10% man,' how about 20% commission? Even though my production fee and director's fee will be 0."

"Ha ha ha!" Willis burst out laughing, amused by Ye Wei's humor, and several neutral employees and the secretary also smiled.

"The '10% man' is a nickname for agents, because according to American law, an agent can only take up to 10% commission from a client at a time.

It wasn't a malicious joke, Lowitt wasn't angry, looking at the kid, he really started to think about this idea, "Be your agent?"

Being able to produce such a short film at under 16, would he become the next M. Night Shyamalan in 10 years? Signing such a promising young talent would be a win, but he was always thinking about the Oscar opportunity, and Ye Wei, being Asian, had limited commercial value, so he wasn't very interested...

"Yes, be my agent." Ye Wei nodded, this would only benefit him. CAA had great power and resources, it would be like resting under a big tree. Moreover, having the same agent would bring him closer to Willis and make Lowitt a valuable ally.

He then looked back at Bloch, smiling, "And Mr. Bloch, you can be my public relations spokesperson, build me up!"

"What's your second idea?" At this point, Rifkin asked doubtfully.

Ye Wei shrugged, "The second idea is very mediocre and timid, to remain invisible until the film achieves something. I'll use a pseudonym for production and direction, with no publicity about me, everything will be low-key, and the outside world won't even notice that Mr. Willis has joined a new project.

Then set two clauses: one, during the pre-production stage, Mr. Willis has the right to withdraw at any time if my work isn't professional enough or for any other reason. Two, if the final film doesn't meet Mr. Willis's standards, he has the right to prevent its release in North America, only selling it overseas.

This way, as long as no one sabotages it, even if it fails, there won't be much negative impact, at most some overseas viewers will see a bad film. But will it? No! I can make it good! Then we'll go back to the first approach, the genius kid!"

When he mentioned sabotage, his eyes glanced at the two from Focus, making them very uncomfortable.

"This is my idea, Mr. Bloch, what do you think? Which plan do you like?"

"Ha ha ha..." Bloch laughed, his multiple chins overlapping, his eyes on Ye Wei were different, no longer just kind, but with a hint of appreciation.

Seeing that Willis was also waiting for an answer, he nodded and smiled, "The ideas of the genius kid are quite interesting."

"Thank you!" Ye Wei couldn't help but be excited, then he should charge in this direction!

"Gentlemen, don't you see? Our interests are actually very aligned. As long as the 'Ye Wei' brand is established, Mr. Bloch, Mr. Lowitt, you'll have an important client; Mr. Willis, Mr. Rifkin, you know, all news is good news for publicity! Think about it, is a middle-aged director more newsworthy or I am?

A middle-aged director? Who cares, they're all middle-aged directors; a teenage director!? Partnering with a superstar!? Never seen before! So easy to promote!

As long as the attention is there, the box office won't be bad! I can be a natural Super Bowl ad, don't you want that?

So, the only one here who has a conflict of interest with us is..."

He turned his eyes to the two despicable men and shouted, "Yes, Focus Pictures! Why are they here? What's it to them? Equity? Distribution capability? There are other art film distributors, Miramax, Fox Searchlight, Warner Bros! Which one is worse than Universal?

As long as my name is established, and this film is a hit, we'll participate in a few film festivals, and it will become a hot commodity! Everyone will fight to distribute it!"

His loud voice echoed through the meeting room, though youthful and naive, it was powerful.

Hammon and Gale, under the gaze of everyone, their faces became even uglier. Suddenly, it felt like a heavy rainstorm, everything changed. They went from VIP guests to obstacles, hindering everyone else's success...

Indeed, now everyone in the Willis team was deeply considering Ye Wei's words, a direction they hadn't thought of before: "Little Miss Sunshine" isn't just about selling Willis, it's also about selling a genius kid!

This direction gave them a sense of clarity.

"Ha ha!" Ye Wei laughed, a hearty laugh, he had just realized that his age could be a priceless treasure, a way to make big money!

He spread his hands, showing himself, and continued to laugh, "From ancient times to the present, humans love young heroes. Everyone never tires of such stories: 'A young man achieves success through his own relentless efforts, and his dream comes true!' The American Dream! What you see in me is a very attractive American Dream!"

He looked up, as if seeing the future, "All of America will go crazy for me, adults, teenagers, children... They will love me, idolize me, and I will become another American icon!"

The meeting room was silent, his words seemed arrogant, but everyone knew that if things went smoothly, it could happen...

The "American Dream" always drives this country into a frenzy, and Ye Wei's story is indeed an American Dream.

No one expected that the meeting had just begun, and Ye Wei, by seizing the first issue, had stunned everyone, dispelling many doubts, and showing a huge potential for profit and a bright future...

"Ha ha ha!" Willis suddenly clapped,