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

"My God, right on the steps of the art museum? And the mayor is even wearing sunglasses?" Inside the campaign office, Sarah cupped her face in her hands, as if she had just heard a spoiler for a Hollywood blockbuster.

"It's just like a scene from a movie! That kind of scene where two big shots secretly meet in the cold morning wind to decide the fate of the city...it's so cool!"

Matthew sat at his desk, vividly describing what he had seen and heard that morning:

"That's right, Sarah. Mayor Howard's aura was practically two meters and eighty centimeters tall, but our Mr. Pan wasn't intimidated at all. He even dared to bargain with the mayor."

Sean, sitting in the corner, didn't participate in their excited discussion. He was looking down, making final annotations on the "South Philadelphia Integrated Development Plan" that Sarah's team had rushed out overnight.

"Stop flattering me, you two," Sean said without looking up. "Movie protagonists usually have a protagonist's halo, but I don't. If I make this wrong move, what awaits me isn't an Oscar, but a federal prison uniform."

Matthew then left the table and moved closer to Sean: "Alright, Mr. Pan, what are you planning to do next?"

"First, we'll conduct a large-scale opinion poll," Sean circled on a piece of paper. "Once we get five thousand signatures, we'll announce it's a victory for the people. Then we'll use the media to hype it up, making it as big as possible, so everyone thinks I've already secured my ticket to the election."

"and then?"

"And then..." Sean put down his pen, rubbed his temples, and said with a hint of helplessness, "I have to face two damn prosecutions."

Yes, everyone is well aware of Sean's current situation.

The Pennsylvania prosecutors' office is like a piece of chewing gum that you can't shake off.

Although it's almost February and the real culprit who attacked the police hasn't been caught at all, the prosecution seems determined to pin the blame on Sean.

"That's not all." Sean gave a less-than-pleasant smile. "And then there's New Jersey. I really don't know what's going on in those prosecutors' heads. Inciting riots? Endangering public safety? Ha! All of this is my fault? Should I be blamed for the extinction of the dinosaurs?"

Is this a crime that humans could come up with?

Just then, the office door opened, and Vincent Carter, dressed in a suit and tie, walked in. His expression remained serious, and he carried a briefcase.

"The extinction of the dinosaurs may not be your fault, but that bullet in Camden is definitely on your tab now." Vincent put his briefcase on the table. "I just spoke with my colleagues in New Jersey."

"How's the shooter?" Sean asked immediately. "His name is Chen Kaiwen, right?"

"The situation is relatively stable," Vincent said. "He is currently being held in the Camden County Jail. Prosecutors intend to charge him with attempted murder. The good news is, however, that there is no evidence that he has any ties to any extremist group; he acted impulsively."

"We must protect him," Sean said seriously. "He's not a terrorist; he's just an honest man driven to desperation. We can't live with ourselves if he spends decades in prison."

In a sense, they are interdependent. If this difficulty can be resolved, he can also use it to open up his voter base in New Jersey.

"Don't worry." Vincent nodded. "I've contacted the best criminal defense lawyers in New Jersey and sent two senior lawyers from my firm to assist us. We'll approach the case from the perspectives of self-defense and psychological pressure to try and minimize the charges."

"That's good." Sean breathed a sigh of relief, then pointed to himself. "Now the problem is with me. Mr. Carter, New Jersey is planning to file charges against me. Is this really going to be a problem?"

Vincent pulled up a chair and sat down, beginning his analysis from a professional perspective.

"There will certainly be trouble, but it's not that fatal. According to the case of Brandenburg v. Ohio, unless the prosecution can prove that your speech is 'incitement or an imminent unlawful act' and 'probably will occur,' your speech is protected by the First Amendment."

"I didn't understand it, but I was deeply moved."

"In short: Although your words were strong on the podcast, you did not directly call for violence. As for Kevin Chen's shooting, that was an unexpected event and there is no direct causal link between it and you."

Vincent paused for a moment, looking into Sean's eyes.

"Sean, although your methods can be quite flexible at times, you are an upright person when it comes to matters of principle. I believe that, and the judge and jury will see it too. I will help you get through this difficult time."

Sean paused for a moment, then smiled.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Attorney Carter."

"That's a compliment," Vincent said seriously. "However, there's one thing you need to pay attention to in the coming days."

"What?"

Vincent took a black voice recorder out of his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Sean.

"It's best to carry this with you at all times."

……

10:00 AM, City Hall Conference Room 4.

The long conference table was already full of people.

The meeting was chaired by Jesse Lawrence, director of Philadelphia’s Planning and Development Authority, while Mayor Howard sat next to him with the standard politician’s smile.

On the other side of the table, besides Mr. Jackson, the representative from Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, there was someone else that Sean didn't expect.

Catherine Donovan.

The city councilman, Sean's arch-nemesis, was dressed in a dark blue business suit and staring coldly at Sean as he walked in.

Her current level of affection towards herself is -5.

Sean raised an eyebrow, sat down in the empty seat next to Cao Yiqian, and asked in a low voice, "President Cao, do you know why Congressman Donovan is here? Has she cleaned up the mess at the community mutual aid center?"

"She came in place of a sick construction workers' union representative," Cao Yiqian said. "Don't forget, Councilor Donovan is a core member of the city's vulnerable protection committee and has close ties with major unions."

"I see."

Despite being embroiled in scandal, Kathleen is deeply entrenched in Philadelphia politics and still represents significant union interests. The new arena means thousands of construction jobs, and the union will certainly be involved.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin." Jesse Lawrence tapped the table.

Mr. Jackson spoke first. Unlike Morey last time, this representative was not arrogant; on the contrary, he was very polite.

"Ladies and gentlemen, considering the community's needs, we have revised the plan." Jackson turned on the projector. "We have decided to set back the building's boundary line of the new arena by fifty meters, while retaining the archway at the Chinatown entrance. At the same time, we will establish a community development fund totaling fifty million US dollars to support local businesses and residents."

A beautiful rendering appeared on the screen, showing the new arena looking gleaming and surrounded by lush greenery.

"This is a sincere proposal," Jackson concluded. "We hope to reach a consensus today."

All eyes turned to Sean.

Cao Yiqian gripped his teacup nervously, clearly swayed by the promise of fifty million US dollars.

But then Sean stood up slowly.

"That's certainly a nice presentation, Mr. Jackson," Sean said with a smile. "Fifty meters of concession, a fifty million fund. It sounds like we're celebrating Christmas."

"But haven't you forgotten something? Will yielding fifty meters solve the congestion for 20,000 people every match day? Can a $50 million fund buy back the peace of the community destroyed by noise and chaos?"

“So what do you want?” Catherine Donovan suddenly interjected. “Mr. Pan, don’t be too greedy. This is already the most generous community agreement in Philadelphia’s history. Do you know how many construction worker jobs this project will create? Three thousand! Three thousand families are counting on this wage to get through the winter!”

“Congressman Donovan,” Sean turned to her, his tone flat, “of course I care about the workers’ jobs.”

He pulled a file out of the folder; it was an analysis report prepared by Sarah's team.

"If we force this project into the fashion district, you will face endless lawsuits, environmental assessments, traffic hearings, and daily protests for the next five years."

Sean looked around and emphasized his words.

"Think about it, Mr. Jackson. Every day your construction site is shut down, you lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. Every time your workers are blocked at the gate by protesters, the project is delayed by a week."

"Are these 3,000 jobs just empty promises, or a trap that could fall apart at any moment?"

"What awaits you might even be a bullet!"

A silence fell over the meeting room. Although Sean was clearly exaggerating, there was some truth to what he said.

"So what brilliant idea do you have?" Jesse Lawrence asked, frowning. "If we're not in the fashion section, are we really going to go to New Jersey?"

"Of course not!" Sean slammed Sarah's proposal on the table. "I just want to ask: why don't we locate the new project in South Philadelphia?"

"South Philadelphia?" Jackson frowned. "We just want to get out of there."

"No, you want to leave that awful lease, not that prime location," Sean quickly retorted. "Look at this proposal. What if we build a new arena for the 76ers on vacant land in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, or renegotiate a joint development agreement with the Air Jordans..."

"First, the land is readily available, so there's no need for demolition or disputes with the community."

"Secondly, the transportation is readily available, with subways, highways, and parking lots all readily available."

“Third,” Sean looked at Catherine, “Congressman Donovan, the South Philadelphia project is much larger. It not only includes a stadium, but also hotels and entertainment centers. This will create not three thousand, but five thousand jobs! And they are stable jobs that can be started immediately!”

Catherine was stunned. Her prepared attack lines were abruptly cut off by the phrase "five thousand positions."

"Fourth," Sean said, turning to the mayor, "Ms. Howard, if the project is implemented in South Philadelphia, you will gain a harmonious city, a thriving sports district, and two ethnic communities that no longer hate each other."

"This is a true win-win situation, no, a multi-win situation, a win-win situation beyond belief!"

After Sean finished speaking, he sat down again, picked up the water glass in front of him, and took a sip.

The meeting room was extremely quiet, with only the rustling sound of documents being turned.

Jackson carefully examined the proposal, his brow gradually relaxing. As a representative of capital, he didn't actually care where the arena was built; what he cared about was the rate of return and the risk.

The fashion district plan is now at a critical risk level, while the South Philadelphia plan... after Sean's analysis, seems to be the least resistant way to make money.

"Mr. Pan, this data..." Jackson pointed to one of the pages, "Which consulting firm did this? The model is very professional."

"A top student from Wharton Business School, plus Elon Musk's AI team," Sean replied casually.

Upon hearing Musk's name, the bureaucrats present involuntarily sat up straight.

Mayor Howard finally spoke. She took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"It seems Mr. Pan has indeed provided us with a... very insightful new idea. But what will Comcast, the Flying Men's parent company, think? That's a question we all have to think about."

Finally, she looked at Jackson:

"Mr. Jackson, I think we need to take a half-hour break so your team can assess the feasibility of this plan."

"No problem." Jackson closed the folder, his eyes showing a hint of respect as he looked at Sean. "Mr. Pan, if you decide to leave politics in the future, you can come to our company as a strategic consultant."

"Thank you, but I still prefer acting... no, I mean serving the people," Sean replied politely with a smile.