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

As evening fell, Vincent drove Sean and Rachel through Philadelphia's congested streets, heading towards North Philadelphia.

Sean sat in the passenger seat, while Rachel nestled in the back seat, watching the gradually decaying street scene outside the window.

"To be honest, Sean, I thought you'd rent a high-end office in the city center," Rachel broke the silence. "After all, you're a former Hollywood star; image is important."

"Images are for voters, the office is for your own people." Sean glanced back at her. "Besides, I'm the 'people's candidate,' wouldn't it be more down-to-earth for me to live in North Philadelphia?"

"Come on, you just don't have any money," Rachel bluntly called him out.

"...It's just about being frugal, Rei."

And so, the car turned into an old industrial neighborhood, finally stopping in front of a three-story red brick building. Faded paint still clung to the wall: Philadelphia Tribune North Printing Plant.

"Pan, Miss Jones, we've arrived." Vincent turned off the engine and got out of the car. For a moment, he felt like a butler.

Sean got out of the car and pushed open the office door.

"Welcome to my luxurious campaign headquarters." Sean opened his arms, his tone full of pride. "This used to be the newspaper's printing plant, and now it's my temporary headquarters, Sean Penn's headquarters."

Rachel looked around: several long tables pieced together were piled with documents and laptops, and there was even a paper shredder in the corner; the walls were covered with maps, schedules and memos; and an old coffee machine was gurgling away in the corner.

Two or three young men recruited by Matthew were busy at work. When they saw Sean enter, they all looked up. This was the first time they had seen Sean in person, and it was also the first time Sean had seen them.

"Hello," Sean said warmly.

"Mr. Pan is back!"

Congratulations on winning the case!

Sarah suddenly appeared at that moment, shouting, "Boss, you're awesome!"

Sean waved for everyone to be quiet, then pointed to Rachel and introduced her: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Rachel Jones, a former star reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She may or may not join our team. But either way, please be kind to her."

Matthew came out of the bathroom after hearing the noise, and he was stunned when he saw Rachel.

"Hello, Miss Rachel. I'm Matthew Chen, Mr. Pan's assistant," he said shyly.

"Hello, history major." Rachel smiled and shook hands with him. "I've heard Sean mention you."

"Sarah Rosie, in charge of finances." After Matthew finished speaking, Sarah introduced herself immediately. "Miss Jones, would you like a cup of coffee? Although our coffee machine is a bit old, the taste is still passable."

"Thank you, but no need," Rachel waved her hand. "I won't be staying long."

She turned to Sean: "Sean, I need to think about joining your team. After all, it's a big decision."

"No problem, take your time thinking about it." Sean nodded. "But don't think about it for too long, I can't afford to wait."

Rachel didn't reply, but just gave him a meaningful look.

At this moment, Matthew leaned close to Sean and whispered, "Mr. Pan, there's something I'd like to discuss with you privately."

"What is it?"

"About Mr. Kelly."

Sean frowned, then said "Excuse me" to everyone and led Matthew into the small conference room.

……

After the meeting room door closed, Matthew's expression became somewhat serious.

"Mr. Pan, I've had several meetings with Mr. Kelly these past few days," Matthew said bluntly. "He certainly has extensive political experience and a wide network of connections. But..."

"But what?"

“There’s something wrong with his background,” Matthew said softly. “He was a radical leftist in his youth, and not the kind of moderate social democrat. He’s a real…”

"Commiks?" Sean finished the sentence for him.

“Yes.” Matthew nodded. “His ancestor was Florence Kelly, the first person to translate Friedrich’s works into English. Kelly himself admitted that he used the Russian surname Wisnevitsky when he was young. It wasn’t until the MOVE organization was attacked in 1985 that he ‘reformed’ and joined the Donald Party.”

"I understand." Sean leaned back in his chair. "Is there a problem?"

Matthew was somewhat surprised: "Don't you think this is dangerous? If the media digs it up, they'll say you're a 'Tong Kang'..."

"Tongkang?" Sean chuckled. "Just say I'm pro-China. After all, I can speak Chinese. Hello, have you eaten?"

He spoke the last two sentences in standard Mandarin, leaving Matthew speechless.

"Mr. Pan, you seem completely unconcerned." Matthew frowned. "This is a living, breathing communist. Not one of those keyboard warriors who shout slogans online, but a veteran revolutionary who actually experienced that era."

"and then?"

To be fair, he had met far more so-called communists than any American had ever met. So he wasn't surprised at all.

"And then..." Matthew paused, gathering his thoughts, "Kelly is very likely a fundamentalist. Their worldview is completely different from ours. The way they see things and the logic they use to handle matters are incompatible with the average American. If you put him on the core team, he might do something... unpredictable at a crucial moment."

Sean listened quietly, and only spoke slowly after Matthew finished speaking.

"Matthew, you're wrong."

"What?"

"You say I don't understand fundamentalist communism?" Sean laughed. "On the contrary, I probably understand it better than ninety percent of Americans. No, maybe ninety-nine percent."

"Oh, this..."

“To me, Kelly isn’t necessarily an enemy,” Sean continued. “He’s an ally I can win over. He has strong political connections in Philadelphia and even throughout Pennsylvania. Many of the leaders of old unions, old communities, and old districts know him and respect him. These connections are more valuable than any campaign funds.”

"But there are risks..."

“Politics is inherently risky,” Sean interrupted him. “I’ll meet him in person before making a decision. But until then, don’t label him.”

Matthew was silent for a moment, then finally sighed, "I understand, Mr. Pan. Since you've made up your mind, I'll arrange for you to meet."

"Very good." Sean stood up, patted Matthew on the shoulder, and said, "Matthew, you've worked hard these past few days. Recruiting volunteers, coordinating with Kelly, and balancing your studies. To be honest, without you, this makeshift team would have fallen apart long ago."

"I was just doing my job," Matthew said, a little embarrassed.

"Your job? Your job is to study at Penn, get a scholarship, and find a decent job." Sean looked at him seriously. "You've chosen to follow me, an independent candidate with an uncertain future, and mess around with things that's way beyond your job."

"I believe you will succeed, Mr. Pan." Matthew's eyes were firm. "No, it's us."

"Thank you for your trust." Sean smiled. "Let's go, let's go out and take a look."

……

The two walked out of the conference room, only to find that Rachel was gone.

"Sir, Miss Jones just left," Sarah greeted him with a gossipy smile. "She asked me to tell you to give her a definite answer soon. She also said something about 'not keeping her waiting too long.'"

"That's all?"

"That's all." Sarah shrugged, then lowered her voice, "Seriously, Mr. Pan, who is she to you...? Ex-girlfriend? Current girlfriend? Or...?"

"She's an excellent journalist," Sean replied without hesitation. "That's all."

"Really?" Sarah was clearly skeptical. "The way she looked at you didn't seem like she was just a colleague. And she's so pretty..."

“Sarah,” Sean interrupted her, adding with utter insincerity, “I have no lover. If I have to say what I love, it’s this country.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Matthew burst out laughing.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Matthew said, suppressing a laugh. "It's just that this line... I think I've heard it in some Japanese anime before."

Sean rolled his eyes at him and decided not to pursue the topic any further.

"Alright, let's get down to business." He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "I've made the following arrangements..."

"Starting tomorrow, we need to speed up the recruitment of volunteers. Matthew, you continue to be in charge of the campus area; Sarah, help me organize the financial statements, I need to report to several potential donors next week; Vincent, the preliminary work on the New Jersey case is entirely your responsibility. If there are any problems with funding, come directly to me."

"Understood!" everyone answered in unison.

"Also, everyone go home and get some rest early tonight. Tomorrow, we'll be facing a tough battle." Sean nodded in satisfaction.