America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

Chapter 105 The Real World

In the Berkeley campus parking lot at night, the lights were sparse.

Sean and his group found the inconspicuous vehicle. As they approached, they saw the passenger window rolled down, and Rachel Jones was looking down, the cold light from her phone screen illuminating her pale blonde hair and focused profile.

Sean opened the driver's side door first, peeked inside, and teased in a relaxed tone, "Lei, playing on your phone in such a dark place, be careful your glasses lenses get thicker."

Rachel didn't even look up, her fingers still rapidly swiping across the screen, and retorted, "Don't call me Rachel," who would call me that?

""

"Alright, Ms. Rachel." Sean got into the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, and his smile remained. "Looks like Mr. Carter or Kelly has some new instructions?"

Liam opened the back door and was about to get in when he hesitated for a moment, then turned around and said, "Mr. Pan, how about I drive?"

You've had a long day.

They had originally planned to stay another night, but since Sean was already there, they decided to go back with him. However, Sean hadn't brought a driver this time, and Liam thought he must be quite tired, so he offered to help.

However, Sean silently started the engine and replied in a friendly manner, "It's okay, I'll drive. You two sit in the back and relax, you've had a tiring night."

He saw in the rearview mirror that Matthew had already gotten into the back seat, so Liam had no choice but to follow suit.

The car smoothly drove out of the parking lot and merged into the sparse evening traffic. The light and shadow of the streetlights quickly alternated inside the car.

"So, what happened after the discussion?" Rachel finally put away her phone. "I received a thank-you email from Professor Anderson, forwarded by Kelly, saying that your presence brought the event to a perfect close."

"7

"Matthew and Liam did an excellent job," Sean praised. "They handled a lot of tricky questions, including a lawsuit deliberately brought up by the people from Crane's side. They didn't panic and handled it very strategically."

Matthew smiled sheepishly from the back row and muttered in Cantonese, "I did expect it to be this exciting."

Liam, still somewhat excited, said, "You flatter me. But I'm curious, was the last person who came to see you really Crane's former staff member?"

"Maybe." Sean wasn't sure either.

Rachel raised an eyebrow: "Another spy? Crane's move is ruthless."

Matthew leaned forward, gripping the seat in front of him, and asked, "Mr. Pan, how are the talks in Silicon Valley going? Weren't you planning to finalize a few potential backers today?"

Before Sean could answer, Rachel snorted and spoke for him: "Don't even mention it. Of the three tech upstarts we arranged to meet, one flew to Aspen for skiing at the last minute, another's assistant said the boss was undergoing digital detox," and his phone was off for a week. We only met the third one, the founder of a small edtech company. The conversation went well, but he was cautious about political donations, saying he needed to see our subsequent legislative proposals—"

"On the contrary, a manager from Watts, Los Angeles contacted me today; they seem to have a good topic to discuss—"

This was the first time Matthew had ever seen Rachel speak so much in one go. Sean, standing beside him, smiled and waved his hand dismissively: "I wasn't expecting anything big from this trip to Silicon Valley. Just to get acquainted with them, to hear their real concerns, especially understanding these emerging capitalists' fears about regulation and taxes—that's a gain in itself, isn't it?"

He paused, then continued outlining his plans: "I plan to launch a petition drive in California in three days. I have a feeling my name will appear on the California voter registration list. Then there's our street interviewing work; that's definitely something we can do too—"

"Two weeks from now," he glanced in the rearview mirror, his eyes gleaming, and continued his boasting, "we need to expand our reach to the East Coast. New York State, or other places, while recruiting new talent. We need more passionate and innovative young people like Matthew and Liam, and we also need to establish our connections locally."

Rachel couldn't help but retort, "Hit and run, take over the West Coast and then the East Coast. Are you waging guerrilla warfare?"

A soft laugh rang out from inside the car.

Sean laughed too: "It's about adapting to local conditions. We have limited resources, so we can't deploy like the two major parties and wage regular military operations. Guerrilla warfare has its advantages."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the car had already entered the highway leading to Pasadena. The night was deep, and the lights of downtown Los Angeles in the distance resembled a fallen galaxy.

Just then, Rachel's phone vibrated again. She looked down at it, her expression turning serious.

“Speaking of the regular army,” she looked up, her tone becoming more formal, “Mr. Kelly and Mr. Carter just messaged me. They said they finally finished that proposal you’ve been asking for, after pulling several all-nighters.”

"What plan?" Matthew, in the back seat, asked curiously as well.

Rachel replied calmly, "'Kill Harris Crane,' what a cliché name."

Matthew and Liam in the back row both gasped simultaneously, their eyes widening in shock. Liam stammered, "Damn it? You mean...you mean that?"

"What are you thinking!" Sean rolled his eyes at him. "It's legal and compliant, but politically it's killing him—or, to use my own crude and characteristic naming convention, I call it Operation Badger Hunt."

"Badger hunting?" Matthew asked, puzzled.

“Yes,” Sean continued, his voice unusually clear in the enclosed car, “His political style is like a badger: usually hiding in a comfortable burrow in Washington, only to emerge occasionally to fiercely attack his opponents, cunning and difficult to deal with. He thinks that suing me will drag me into the mire, or at least keep me busy on the defensive and unable to attend to anything else. But we’re not going to play by his script. We’re going to take the initiative and lure him out of his burrow.”

This is the first time since his time travel that Sean has clearly expressed his intention to proactively set up a trap and systematically attack a political opponent.

"What's the specific plan?" Liam asked impatiently.

"There's no concrete plan, but there's a draft. Believe me, we absolutely cannot carry out our work exactly according to the draft," said Rachel, the defeatist strategist.

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Rachel. Just talk to them about it," Sean said with a forced smile.

Seeing this, Rachel sighed and began to relay the key points of the plan devised by Kelly and Vincent, her tone clear and concise: "First, a comprehensive audit and requests for information disclosure. Mr. Carter has contacted several public interest law organizations and investigative journalists he has worked with, preparing to jointly launch a series of requests for information disclosure (FOIA) and calls for financial audits against multiple foundations and political action committees (PACs) associated with Senator Crane. The focus will be on investigating any suspicious overlap in their fund flows with the Avalon Foundation or its affiliates."

"Secondly, Crane's district is in California, but he's spent too many years in Washington. Mr. Kelly plans to send a small team to his district, or several key towns in other districts, especially those with weaker economies that he considers 'strongholds,' to hold community forums, record voters' real complaints about jobs, healthcare, and inflation, and then subtly guide the discussion, using the internet to stir up trouble in his own backyard."

"Third, academic critique. Matthew and Liam, you might be able to help with this." Rachel looked at the back row. "Contact some scholars and ask them to collaborate. While supporting us, they should also analyze Crane's political career—then write these analyses into easy-to-understand articles or produce short videos, and spread them through academic networks and public knowledge platforms, giving the attacks a professional and rational veneer."

"Fourth, a countersuit. Mr. Carter is preparing materials and plans to file a countersuit against Crane and his campaign at the appropriate time, possibly when Crane's lawsuit enters the discovery phase and exposes more problems with their investigative methods. The countersuit will accuse Crane and his campaign of abusing the judicial process for political persecution, damaging Sean's reputation, and interfering with the election. This isn't about winning, but about further diverting their attention and firmly securing the 'political persecution' label."

"Finally," Rachel concluded, "all the material gathered from these actions won't be released all at once. Kelly will choose a key moment to launch a concentrated media offensive, transforming him from a seasoned politician 'in trouble' old guard,' thereby winning over swing voters and media space for us."

The car was quiet for a few seconds, with only the low rumble of the engine and the whistling wind outside the window.

Matthew and Liam were deeply moved, yet also felt a chill run down their spines.

This plan is interconnected, involving strong legal counterattacks, grassroots political infiltration, and academic and public opinion manipulation.

It is not as open and aboveboard as political slogans; it is full of calculation and aggression, but it is undoubtedly very effective.

"Is this... this the real political struggle?" Liam murmured, his tone complex.

Sean glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "Welcome to the real world, Liam. I won't offend others unless they offend me; if they do, I'll retaliate!"

After hearing this, Liam's favorability rating not only didn't drop, but actually surged, reaching a total of [90]. This kid seems to have awakened something strange...

"Of course, while the titles sound impressive, the actual operations are primarily handled by Kelly and Mr. Carter. Your current focus, especially Matthew and Liam, is on assisting with policy refinement, content creation, and campus expansion. Don't get too distracted by these struggles, but understand them. This is the reality we live in."

Rachel added, "Mr. Carter emphasized that all actions will be conducted within the framework of law and ethics. We will not fabricate rumors, make personal threats, and all attacks must be supported by facts or reasonable grounds. This is the bottom line."

To be honest, she has never been the most ethical person on the team, after all, the news industry is too complicated.

The car then drove off the highway, and half an hour later they entered a quiet neighborhood in Pasadena.

The lights were still on in the windows of the building where the campaign headquarters was located.

"We're here." Sean parked the car and turned off the engine.

The four of them got off the bus together, and the cool night air invigorated them.

The moment the door opened, warm light and the aroma of coffee wafted out. Kelly and Vincent were sitting in front of the whiteboard in the living room, which was already covered with intricate arrows and codes. Hearing the door open, they both looked up at the same time.

"You're back?" Kelly's reading glasses slipped down to the bridge of his nose, and he looked at them with sharp eyes. "Young men, how are you feeling?"

"Not bad." Sean took off his coat and walked towards them. "Now, let's talk about how to dig a hole for that old badger."