The crowd shoved and jostled, pushing Lu Chengwen out.
The Vice President put an arm around Lu Chengwen as if escorting him under duress, muttering under his breath.
"Damn it, Smith never told me you were this kind of lunatic! Beating someone in the Oval Office—it's unbelievable. You'd better have some way to save your own skin, or when Eric comes after you later, I'll fucking stand aside, watch him have people beat you up, and laugh my ass off. But before I deal with you, I need to settle things with that idiot Smith first..."
Once Lu Chengwen saw they had gone far enough, he grabbed the Vice President and pulled him into a corner.
"President Lewis, I did it on purpose."
"Why!? Just because he was rude?!"
"Because that money should belong to you and me."
Lewis froze. "Wha... what?"
Lu Chengwen said, "Dong Jianguo's poll numbers have plunged. Everyone knows he's an idiot. Now even idiots know he's an idiot. He has no next term. None. You all know exactly how miserable his life will be after he leaves the Black Palace. And in this situation, you want to hand the money over to him?"
"And those friends who still have power... they're only calling themselves his friends because he still has power, because they're using that power. Once he loses it, how many of them will still dare claim they're friends with an idiot?"
Lewis stared blankly for several seconds. First, he cautiously looked around, then sternly jabbed Lu Chengwen in the chest with one finger.
"I'm warning you! You're insulting the President of Amilika! The supreme leader!"
Lu Chengwen said, "Only temporarily! He's got a little over two years left in office. Two years... no, not even two years. In just over a year, the