My absurd experiences in North America over the years

In the sweltering heat of August, Li Fu returned to Los Angeles.

He had to sign the backlog of documents from MGM and Forrest Capital, or it would affect the overall business operations.

Just past midnight, the lights of Los Angeles flickered on and off outside the car window, like a constantly flipping ribbon of light and shadow.

Li Fu sat in the back row, watching the familiar street scene slowly recede. The tall palm trees of Beverly Hills cast long, thin shadows under the streetlights, rustling in the wind as if someone were whispering in the dark.

The convoy stopped in front of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Instead of going through the lobby, he entered through a side door, walked through a corridor covered with a deep red carpet, and took the elevator to the top floor.

When the elevator doors opened, the corridor was quiet, except for a door at the end that was ajar, letting in a sliver of warm yellow light; someone was waiting for him there.

Cole's tall figure stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the door, holding a barely touched glass of whiskey, the glass reflecting the light faintly.

He heard the door open, but instead of turning around immediately, he continued to look out the window at the city's night view.

"Come in, and close the door behind you."

This was a secret meeting, a time that Cole deliberately set aside during his gubernatorial campaign.

Li Fu entered the room and closed the door behind him.

The suite's living room was large, but simply furnished. A table lamp was on, its light falling on the documents and notebooks on the table, as if someone had just been working.

Cole turned around and hugged and exchanged pleasantries with Li Fu.

Although they keep in touch frequently, they haven't actually seen each other for more than half a year.

Their deep friendship began with Lucy, but it didn't stop there. Apart from often cooperating on management matters at Forrest Capital, they were practically brothers to each other personally... if this were in China.

Cole sat down on the sofa, placed his wine glass on the edge of the coffee table, and the bottom of the glass made a very soft thud as it struck the wooden tabletop.

"I'm here on a very important matter," he said, his gaze falling on Li Fu's face. "I've heard some news in Nashville that the president's cabinet is very dissatisfied with you and may already see you as a thorn in their side."

"Because of these things about Japanese chickens?" Li Fu was mentally prepared for this.

"The issue with Japan is just the surface; they don't really care about Japan's reputation," Cole shook his head. "The important thing is that the public outcry has been too great lately, and people are extremely disgusted with Japan. The Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy has been stalled."

The combined effect of Li Fu's actions—including the Pacific Tragic Memories documentary, his foundation, labeling Japanese right-wingers as anti-Semitic, disseminating information about the Nanjing Massacre through the Tribune, and the recent launch of new features on Twitter—has been enormous.

This is completely beyond what the presidential cabinet can tolerate.

"Perhaps you're not deeply involved in politics and don't quite understand what it means that the Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy has been temporarily shelved." Cole's tone gradually became serious.

"What does it mean?" Li Fu took a deep breath.

"This means that without any electoral authorization, you changed the course of a foreign policy strategy that was bipartisan and passed by Congress," Cole sighed. "They see you as an unpredictable, uncontrollable, and unbuckled variable."

The weight of these words is self-evident.

Thomas has received both overt and covert warnings from the Democratic and Republican establishment to keep his people in line and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.

If it weren't for the protection of the Forrest family, and the Tea Party's recent extremely fierce attacks,

Li Fu's current predicament is absolutely unavoidable by Congress.

Even the absence of either one could not prevent the situation.

The room fell silent for a moment.

The distant city lights outside the window resembled a thin golden veil spread across the boundless darkness.

Los Angeles is incredibly prosperous, but also extremely dangerous.

Cole pulled a set of documents out of his bag and handed them to Li Fu. "Don't blame me for making this decision for you without my consent. We're all just being pushed along by the situation."

Li Fu took it and looked at it. It was his complete set of naturalization documents, with official seals and all the approvals. As long as he signed his name in the signature column, everything would be effective.

In fact, if Cole wanted, everything could be done without his signature.

Letting him sign it himself is simply a matter of respecting his wishes.

"Becoming an American citizen is an important way to reduce the risk. They can't launch a review based on accusations of endangering national security or seeking benefits for other countries," Cole patiently explained. "We will face much less pressure."

Li Fu knew that this was the final choice made by the Forrest family. Of course, he could refuse, but doing so would be no different from acting out of spite.

It only creates gaps between allies and gives the enemy an opportunity.

Since there are no plans to return to China in the short term and the person will continue to live and develop in the United States, signing the agreement is the best option.

This is probably what they mean by "the situation is beyond our control".

He didn't hesitate for long and calmly signed his name.

Cole breathed a sigh of relief, patted Li Fu on the shoulder, and said nothing more.

Li Fu understood the Forrest family's choice. The commotion they had created was too great. As Cole said, this wave of public opinion even hindered the Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy.

If he were still Chinese, Congress could easily deal with him. The reason we're not taking action against him now isn't because we don't want to, but because the midterm elections are at a crucial stage, and the Tea Party and the Democratic Party are locked in a fierce battle.

The president's cabinet did not want to push a civilian who had been suppressed by Washington to the forefront at this critical juncture.

But things will be different after the election.

If he were an American, Congress's reasoning would be less valid.

It's even possible that Thomas sees this as a test; if he hesitates or refuses to sign, the Forrest family will have to re-evaluate his actions.

Strictly speaking, the Forrest family also represents the old money and is part of the Republican establishment.

However, now the family's interests are deeply intertwined with Li Fu's investment operations, and Forrest Capital has created endless wealth for the family.

They were more inclined to believe Li Fu.

"I completely understand. Since I'm going to be developing my career here in the future, changing my nationality is inevitable. It's better to change it sooner rather than later," Li Fu said, having figured out the pros and cons, and naturally no longer had any objections.

Hearing this, Cole was very pleased. He had always believed that Li Fu had deep feelings for his siblings and the Forrest family.

Li Fu's actions have never harmed the interests of the Forrest family.

That's why he took time out of his busy schedule competing for governorship to travel thousands of miles to meet with Li Fu in person.

Before he came, he repeatedly assured his father, Thomas, that Li Fu would never do anything detrimental to the Forrest family.

Li Fu indeed did not betray his trust.