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

Los Angeles at 4 a.m.

Sean walked down the empty street, the streetlights casting long, elongated shadows. He declined the offer from the detectives who were working overtime to call him a taxi, choosing instead to walk back alone to his apartment in West Hollywood.

With almost no cash on him, he could only rely on his remaining instincts to navigate the maze of streets. He also wanted to get familiar with the city.

If he were to encounter an accident, it would simply be bad luck. Fortunately, there were no drug addicts, no coyotes, and he didn't even see Santa Claus tonight. He was able to stand unharmed in front of the apartment where the monthly rent was $3,500, but he was already two months behind on payments.

He sighed, then pushed open the door and pressed the switch on the wall.

When the lights came on, a scene of utter chaos unfolded before our eyes.

"This guy really squandered a winning hand."

Moreover, he was the only one fortunate enough to witness such a chaotic scene.

After all, the original owner's parents had already met God, and his few friends were all treacherous, having all fled after his accident.

This also means that no one can threaten him with so-called relatives and friends, and he does not need to be bound by any old interpersonal relationships.

At the same time, an idea flashed through Sean's mind. He walked to the desk and opened the original owner's laptop.

The first thing he did was open his browser and type a few Chinese words into the search box. Those were the names of his accounts on short video platforms in his previous life, as well as the names of several large projects he had participated in.

Search results show:

No relevant content found.

So he switched to several search engines and even tried to find those famous Chinese social media platforms from his previous life.

The result remains the same. This world has a similar historical trajectory and a similar level of technology, but in this respect, he has indeed arrived in a parallel universe.

Sean sat in the chair and tried typing a paragraph of Chinese into the document.

The northern landscape is a scene of ice and snow stretching for miles.

"I never expected this..."

He can still use the language fluently, and he even remembers some of the complex grammar of classical Chinese clearly.

I wonder if this counts as a cheat code?

Perhaps one day in the future, this ability will allow him to become a so-called sinologist, or go to TikTok and shout "I love China" to earn some pocket money.

At least he truly loves China!

But right now, he needs to address more practical issues.

Right now, neither of his two identities binds him with any emotional obligations. He needs to live his life for himself again.

Sean closed the document and began cleaning up the financial files on his computer.

As each electronic bill was opened, the turmoil that the original owner had been caught up in gradually revealed its cruel true nature.

This was a Ponzi scheme known as the "Avalon Fund," which claimed to be a high-yield investment in Hollywood film production. The original owner, a former "son of the nation," was chosen by the behind-the-scenes operators to become the fund's chief ambassador.

Those people used Sean Penn's remaining fame to attract a large number of retail investors. Among them were not only ordinary middle-class people, but also many retired grassroots public officials.

Then, Sean found another list on the computer.

Although the names on the list were unfamiliar to him, for some reason, he felt a slight chill almost reflexively.

Besides several notorious Wall Street brokers, the list also includes names that frequently appear in current affairs news.

Some senior state senators, several senior officials in the Department of Justice, and even the head of a large union were among them.

While the names on this list may not be as high-profile as those involved in the Epstein case, they are still enough to give netizens a small shock.

"It's actually a real list, not just a document full of black bars," Sean muttered to himself.

I don't know if these weren't collected by the original owner, but what was his purpose in collecting them? Was it to prevent future problems?

The only thing that might support the authenticity of this list, besides the seemingly plausible layout, is his vague memory.

However, this is not a simple fraud case at all; it's a huge money laundering funnel. Those powerful figures used this project to transform tainted political donations into legitimate investment returns, while also reaping profits from a group of unsuspecting individuals. Sean Penn, the original owner of this case, was simply a puppet pushed to the forefront to take the fall.

Once the fund collapses, all the anger will be directed at Sean.

Those who actually profited have already made a clean getaway under the cover of the rules.

Sean checked his bank account.

Great, not only are we broke, we're also overdrawn.

To make matters worse, his phone contained over a dozen text messages from different law firms demanding rent, as well as an ultimatum from his landlord. The landlord said he would be evicted from the apartment if he didn't pay the rent by next Monday.

Without a fixed address and bearing such a terrible reputation, he can only become a homeless person. After struggling for three, four, or five years, he will be slaughtered by the evil capitalism!

Fortunately, winters in California aren't too cold.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but rub his temples.

"No, I need resources, and more importantly, a channel to speak out for me."

It seems that we can't just give up all our old interpersonal relationships.

At this time, the sky outside was beginning to turn a pale white.

His intuition told him that if he went directly to the media and revealed the names of those powerful figures, he certainly wouldn't survive past noon. Those people had countless ways to kill him—a sudden car accident, or a home invasion robbery.

But perhaps the worst-case scenario is that he revealed everything, but nobody took him seriously. This would mean that his list was truly just for his own amusement.

Hopefully, the huge protective umbrella of "running for president" will turn him into a target of public attention.

Under the spotlight, assassinations become extremely costly and risky, and his every move will have a more powerful impact than usual.

Just then, his phone rang.

It wasn't a text message reply, but an incoming call from an unknown number.

Sean pressed the answer button, but didn't speak.

"Sean," the voice on the other end of the phone was altered, "the FBI actually let you go home, which is very troubling for us."

"Being troubled is a bad thing; it means you haven't learned how to handle surprises yet," Sean replied calmly, looking out the window.

"Listen, child," the other person said coldly, "that's the end of the Avalon affair. A car will pick you up tomorrow at noon. We'll arrange for you to go to Mexico, where you'll have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life. If you refuse…"

"Wait, can you tell me where in Mexico this is?"

There was no response from the other party, so it seems they hadn't prepared this lie in advance.

"Okay, what if I refuse?" Sean asked again.

"Los Angeles's missing persons list doesn't need another one like you."

"Thank you for your suggestion," Sean said softly into the phone, "but I have a more important appointment right now. The whole of America is waiting to hear my speech."

"Oh? Kid, who do you want to tell this to? Newspaper reporters? The media? Who wants to listen to the nonsense of a disgraced, unknown celebrity?" the other person sneered. "Maybe you can sell your story to those conspiracy theorists on YouTube and tell it to those idiots."

"Since you've rejected our advice, we can only wish you good luck. A final friendly reminder..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sean decisively hung up the phone. Sean was thoroughly tired of his pointless ramblings.

However, he did give a very constructive suggestion.

As for what his opinion was? It was to go to YouTube and tell his story to those who didn't trust him.

Bypass CNN, bypass FOX, bypass all traditional media, go to X, go to YouTube, and go directly to those who need his voice!