Chapter 80

It was almost noon, and Lily still hadn't received a text message from Ye Weixin. She found it strange and asked others, but they hadn't received anything either. What was going on? Had the contract been signed?

At this hour, he shouldn't be busy, right? Thinking this, she stopped her steps toward the cafeteria and called him. However, after a long time of ringing, it wasn't answered. After a while, when she called again, it turned out to be off! Was he busy with something?

She felt a bit doubtful. Thinking about it, she called Lev, "Hi, have you heard from Wei recently?"

"No, have you? That's strange! I sent him many messages, and he only replied to one, saying he was busy and would contact me when he had time. He seemed very busy."

"Oh, okay." Lily put down her phone. Was he busy with the contract signing? She didn't understand the process, so she could only wait.

But she had a bad feeling. No matter how busy he was, he should have had time to send a text. Is Wei okay...

...

After leaving Xia Yan Corporation, Ye Wei dragged his suitcase and wandered aimlessly on the streets of Santa Monica, occasionally stopping for a long time, watching the traffic and passersby, his face expressionless.

His soul seemed to be frozen, viewing these events as an outsider. The joy and celebration of before, and the frustration of today, didn't evoke much feeling. Was this a psychological defense mechanism, a reaction to a sudden heavy blow?

He didn't know, he had no idea how he had become like this. Because of that dream, he knew the world's dangers, understood many things, and had matured a lot, but he hadn't experienced such a situation. He was still a boy, just a month shy of 16.

He had been so brave, but suddenly found himself trapped in a dark swamp, the water almost reaching his head.

Why? Why like this? Bruce Willis, who was willing to give young people opportunities, who had already agreed, and who had been so excited about the plan that day! Why did he change his mind and try to take away "Little Miss Sunshine" with such despicable means?

Just thinking about it made Ye Wei feel a choking sensation in his heart, so he stopped and let his mind go numb.

Win-win? He didn't want to think about it, not at all. But he could feel the darkness closing in from all sides, about to swallow him...

After walking for a long time, Ye Wei suddenly found himself outside his father's dental clinic. He entered the small building and looked at the clinic entrance. In the hall, his father, dressed in a white coat and wearing a mask, was performing some dental surgery on a patient, with the black nurse Michelle assisting.

"Anesthetic," his father said.

Michelle handed him a small syringe filled with medicine, and his father skillfully and carefully injected the patient, "It will hurt a bit, bear with it, it will be over soon."

Ye Wei watched for a while and then turned to leave, not wanting to disturb the surgery. Lowitt's words echoed in his ears: "Your father works so hard, even on weekends, can you bear it?" And the image of his father coming home exhausted every day came to mind...

After leaving the clinic, Ye Wei walked from Santa Monica back to Brentwood, a two-hour walk, arriving home around noon.

During this time, Lev and others sent messages asking how things were, and Lily even called, but he didn't want to answer. He didn't know what to say, as nothing was clear yet.

Failed? Things had changed, and you could have been in the spotlight, but because I wanted to be a producer and director, I caused you all to suffer, all because of me...

Lily, did we lose this time? Is the game over?

"Mom, I'm home."

Ye Wei called out as he entered the house. Toto ran up happily. In the dining room, his mother was sitting at the table, buried in translating documents. There were always so many documents to translate, they never seemed to decrease, always piled up in stacks.

Mom looked up, smiling hopefully, "Are you here to sign the contract?"

"Um... there's a small issue with the contract, it needs to be revised, so..." Ye Wei shrugged with a bitter smile. It seemed the Solton lawyer hadn't told them.

"What's the problem? Is everything okay?" Mom sensed something. Ye Wei laughed, waving his hand and walking to the backyard, "Nothing, it's a lawyer's thing, I'm not quite sure." Mom didn't suspect anything, asking, "Have you had lunch? There's food in the freezer."

"I've already eaten, where's Dodo?" Ye Wei had no appetite.

"She went to the beach with the Randalls, she'll be back in the evening."

"What? Mom, are you okay with that?" Ye Wei was surprised. Although Mrs. Randall and her family were nice and occasionally helped take care of Dodo, Mom had never been like this before...

"My sister insisted, I couldn't stop her, it's fine, it's not the first time." Mom frowned and buried herself back in the documents, "I have a lot of work to catch up on. Are you going to school this afternoon? I don't have time to drive you, take a taxi."

Ye Wei lowered his eyes, shaking his head, "No, I have some things to do... I just came back to check, I'll go out now, see you, Mom..." He turned and left, and that disgusting voice echoed again: Your mom? Your sister? Are they doing well?

The $500,000 signing advance, the Malibu vacation villa, the talent development plan, a 20-year-old feature film director... just not "Little Miss Sunshine"...

Bank debt, terrifying dreams, a more difficult path, everyone's false hope, failure, disappointment...

Agreed, dreams shattered... Refused, dreams also...

"Sometimes, I really hate you dream chasers!... Wasting your talent, wasting your youth!"

"Our dreams came true!"

"Go forward, Wei, go forward!"

Disordered thoughts, broken voices, like a storm sweeping through his mind, causing waves of turmoil, entanglement, and surging. He shook his head violently, grabbing his head, hitting his forehead, almost making himself vomit, but those damned voices kept coming...

Faintly, it seemed his own voice was saying, "Agree? Isn't it good enough? As they say, be rational, be smart, agree?"

That voice became clearer: Why bother? When you become a big shot, these things won't matter, why hesitate? Why can't you understand why you're so persistent? Why?

"No, no, no..."

Ye Wei dragged his suitcase down the street, shaking his head, dispelling the hateful voices. Why? Because he didn't want to be a despicable person. If he abandoned all his beliefs for so-called success, what joy would there be in success?

That would be a failure, wouldn't it?

"No!! No!!!" He suddenly shouted, his eyes wide and almost bursting, "I don't want to be that kind of person, I, Ye Wei, am not that kind of person... I'm not a zombie, I'm not a living person, I'm a hero... I'm a hero..."

The spark in his eyes still burned, though in a stormy environment, it flickered and was very weak, but it didn't go out...

There must be a way, there must be a way...

He took out his phone, turned it on, and called someone.

...

Around 3 PM, when Harvard-Westlake School was letting out, Lily's worry was growing heavier. Wei still hadn't replied to any messages! Something must have happened.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated with an incoming call. She quickly took it out and saw it was from Lam. She walked to a less crowded area by the roadside and answered, puzzled.

"Good afternoon, Lam."

"Lily, bad news..." Lam's voice was low, as if he found it hard to say. Lily was alarmed, "Is it about Wei? What happened?" Lam sighed, "I just found out. When he asked for my dad's phone number at noon, he seemed normal..."

"What!?"

"That old man went crazy, I'm ashamed of him, he went crazy." Lam was depressed and ashamed, with no trace of arrogance, "They no longer want Wei to be the producer and director of 'Little Miss Sunshine,' and they seem to have used some underhanded tactics to take the project. Wei didn't agree, he... he must be very upset."

What? What...!? Lily was stunned, shaking her head to clear her thoughts, and asked urgently, "What do you know? Tell me everything!"

"I don't know much..."

...

In Crestwood Mountain Park, Ye Wei sat in a small hillside forest, leaning against a beautiful big tree, making a phone call.

It rang a few times and was immediately hung up. Willis wouldn't answer, and this was the thirty-second time from noon.

At this moment, his phone rang again, it was Lily, who had called five times, but he really didn't want to answer. He wanted their next conversation to continue from the previous excitement, talking about the joy of success, not sadness and disappointment.

He sent her another text, "I'm really fine, I'm busy with something important, don't disturb me, thanks."

Almost instantly, she replied, "Where are you? I'll face it with you."

She knows? Which bastard told her! Too much meddling! Face what, a pile of crap!? Is it fun?

Ye Wei almost threw his phone, but he held back, pressing the phone keys and sending a message to Willis, "Mr. Willis, what are you afraid of? A tough guy who can't even answer a phone? If you have something to say, just say it clearly, don't act like a little girl!"

After a while, he called for the thirty-third time, and this time, after nearly ten rings, it suddenly connected!

Ye Wei's eyes lit up, he sat up straight, and his whole body was energized, "Mr. Willis, sorry, that was just a provocation, we need to talk!"

"There's no need." Willis's voice was very calm, as if what was incredibly important to him was nothing to the big shot.

The phone transmitted his calm voice, "That's how it is, they've explained it clearly to you. I was wrong, but that's how it is. In Hollywood, anything can change, anyone can change, even your family.

Wei, I did consider it, I did agree, but I also want to win an Oscar, which you can't bring me. The revised plan is still good for your age and status! Why be so hasty and greedy? If you listen now, in a few years, you'll have a chance to direct."

It was the same old talk from Lowitt. Ye Wei lowered his head, "Sir... don't let those people deceive you, the Mr. Willis I know is sincere, friendly to young people, and willing to give opportunities..."

"That's enough, that's it. If you change your mind, contact Lowitt, don't bother me anymore, I can block you, don't make me do it."

Willis hung up as soon as he finished, leaving only the ringing sound on the phone.

Ye Wei's face turned pale, and he stared at his phone for a long time before putting it down. He shook his head and laughed, not knowing why he was laughing. A big shot? This is a big shot.

He threw his phone away, and it hit the suitcase beside him. He turned to look, opened the suitcase, and was stunned.

The documents inside were arranged exactly as he had left them, even the sketch hadn't been moved, still at the front of the storyboard documents... Willis hadn't even looked at them, or more accurately, hadn't even opened the suitcase.

"Ha ha ha!" He couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Ha ha ha ha!"

Scenes from the past few months flashed before his eyes, at the Ivy Restaurant, in Las Vegas, in Santa Monica... as if it were yesterday, the repeated anxiety, the repeated efforts, all came to mind! The result... the result!

"Ha ha ha ha!" He laughed, took out the sketch, folded it into a paper airplane, and threw it hard, whistling, "Take off, Sheriff!!"

The paper airplane wobbled in the air, flew about ten meters, and fell on the grassy hill.

"Oh oh, crash, ha ha ha..."

Soon, another paper airplane appeared in the sky, then another.

...

After receiving Lam's call, Lily was both extremely angry and deeply worried. Wei's text message only increased her concern.

Although she was supposed to have training with the track team, she couldn't stay at school. She hurriedly left, calling everyone to find out about Wei's whereabouts. She wanted to see him, to be by his side in this difficult time...

When she took a taxi to Ye Wei's house, Lily still couldn't find him. His mother didn't know what was going on and didn't know where Wei had gone. She pretended everything was fine and left. Wei was in Brentwood at noon, was he still there? Where?

She suddenly thought of a place, that big tree! He was there, she felt it.

She continued to take a taxi to the destination. About ten minutes later, Lily arrived at the park. It was after 4 PM, and only the western playground had some visitors, while the northern forest was very quiet.

When she climbed the hill and didn't walk far, she saw paper airplanes scattered on the grass, clearly newly folded, with pencil drawings and words on them. She picked one up, and to her surprise, it was a storyboard for "Dance of Angels"...

Her eyes widened in panic. She picked up another one a few steps away, a page of the script, with Wei's handwritten lines: "5 Interior, Anna's house, day and night..."

Wei, don't do this, don't hurt yourself... Picking up the paper airplanes, her heart ached, as if it were about to split. She suddenly threw away the paper airplanes in her arms and ran forward, seeing Wei sitting by the big tree!

He was folding another paper airplane, using some document.

"Wei!" She called out before reaching him.

Ye Wei looked up and, upon seeing her, immediately went from calm to manic. He grabbed his head with one hand and crumpled the unfinished paper airplane with the other.

He stood up, angrily shook his hand, and suddenly kicked the open suitcase beside him, making papers fly, then punched the tree trunk, "Which bastard!! Can't you keep your mouth shut!! Don't come over, leave me alone!!"

Lily still walked over, her eyebrows slightly raised, and said softly, "Wei, I just want you to know, I'm on your side..."

Ye Wei turned to look at her, his eyes red with bloodshot, and suddenly, without saying anything, he grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her eyebrows, her nose, her mouth...

"Um... hmm..." Lily was uncomfortable with his rough treatment, but she didn't avoid it, instead, she hugged him, gently stroking his back, and responded to his kiss.

But as soon as she kissed back, Ye Wei stopped, lowered his head, and said hoarsely, "I'm sorry... Lily, I'm sorry, I'm a mess..."

"No, Wei, you're amazing." Lily comforted him, her heart aching even more, feeling short of breath.

He gradually hugged her tightly, burying his head in her right shoulder, his shoulders slightly trembling, and his voice was, "It's over, those beautiful dreams, all over... I'm not a hero, I'm just a failure... just a naive, foolish, and delusional failure, I can't do anything, it's over..."

"No, no... it's not over!" Lily also hugged him tightly, her eyes tearing up, her eyebrows still strong, her voice firm, "Someone once told me, 'As long as you dare to dream, anything is possible!' That person was you, Ye Wei, that's who you are! As long as you dare to dream, beautiful dreams will never end!"

She suddenly choked up, kissed his hair, "Wei, don't give up! I like people who try hard and fail, but I don't like people who give up! Don't give up, be yourself!"

Ye Wei was silent, his shoulders gradually calming down... In her repeated whispers of "don't give up," after a while, his breathing also gradually steadied...

"Beauty... then you have a lot of trouble, because the guy named Ye Wei never gives up!"

He suddenly spoke, kissed her lips, and let her go. Lily smiled with joy, exclaiming, "That's Wei, the Wei I like!"

"I need to make a call." Ye Wei smiled, his eyes no longer filled with confusion, his face resolute, "I have an answer to this."

"Huh?" Lily blinked.

Ye Wei searched the grass, picked up