Many children bring happiness, a shameless start

Lip returned to his seat but decided against reopening his laptop.

He realized something important: despite his small savings, he had a lot of looming expenses—college tuition, living costs, buying a house near the University of Chicago, and even future costs like Karen, Mandy, and Jessica having kids. Add to that the unexpected unknowns, and the few hundred thousand dollars he had now wouldn't cut it.

"Bitcoin won't be valuable until 2016 or 2017," he muttered. "For now, I need to figure out ways to make more money."

Looking back on his past, Lip recalled earning extra cash through tutoring, completing homework, and writing papers. But those tasks were time-consuming, labor-intensive, and barely profitable.

Thinking about Wade earlier, he considered the idea of taking exams for others. It paid decently, but the risks outweighed the rewards.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. Why not sell answers instead?

If he sold answers, particularly for ACT and SAT tests—the American college entrance exams—he could make serious money. These exams played a crucial role in university admissions and scholarships, and a vast number of students needed them to succeed.

The ACT, easier than the SAT, was mandatory in Illinois, where Lip lived. The SAT, on the other hand, was broader in reach and globally recognized. With multiple exam dates each year, the demand for high scores was endless.

Lip's first thought was to target students like Wade—talented athletes with poor academics. But most of them, like Wade before his windfall, came from average backgrounds and couldn't pay much.

"It seems I need to target rich kids who have bad grades," Lip murmured.

"Oh? Whose Bai Fumei are you eyeing now?"

Startled, Lip turned to see Jessica smirking at him. Without warning, she plopped into his lap, wriggling slightly.

"Come on, spill it! Which little fairy caught your attention this time?" she teased, running her hand along his cheek.

"Besides you, little troublemaker, I haven't had any wild thoughts," Lip replied, smirking as he retaliated by tickling her.

Jessica burst into laughter, catching the attention of their classmates, who stared in awe and envy.

"Alright, what brings you to me today?" Lip asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jessica grinned mischievously. "I came to share the spoils. My team and I just took down Wang Teng. Thanks to your key photos, I was able to take control of his assets. Fair's fair—you deserve half."

"What's my share?" Lip asked, half-joking.

"Not much," Jessica said casually, "just around a million dollars."

Lip froze. A million dollars? Here he was racking his brain to earn money, and Jessica had casually handed him a fortune. He couldn't help but marvel at her.

No wonder men lined up to woo wealthy women—it saved them decades of hard work.

For a moment, Lip considered relying entirely on Jessica. But his pride refused. "I have a system backing me up," he thought. "Jessica may be rich, but tonight, she's still calling me daddy!"

"Be honest, Jessica," he said slyly, "are you just trying to keep me around with all this generosity?"

"Maybe a little," she replied with a playful smile.

"Ha! I knew it. You're just after my body!"

Jessica's cheeks turned scarlet, but her playful demeanor didn't falter. "Anyway, I overheard you talking about targeting rich kids. Don't tell me you're planning kidnappings now!"

"Nothing like that!" Lip laughed, then shared his plan to make money by selling answers to wealthy, underperforming students.

"Jessica, scraping money from poor folks won't work in America, especially here in South Chicago. They simply don't have it."

Jessica tilted her head. "Then who's your target?"

"Whoever does have money," Lip replied confidently.

Jessica chuckled, her inner businesswoman shining through. "Lip, let me teach you something. Poor people might not have much individually, but collectively, they're a goldmine. Business is about targeting them as a group, using clever tactics to extract money."

Jessica leaned in, counting off tips on her fingers: "Create an enticing image, control costs, increase profit margins, beautify packaging, market aggressively, and attract investors. At its core, business is about fooling ordinary folks into paying for things they don't need."

Lip whistled. "That's cold. Effective, but cold."

"It's just reality," Jessica replied.

"Well, I'd rather stand tall and earn my money," Lip declared, tapping his temple. "I'll use my brain to make this happen."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Alright, show me what you've got."

Grinning, Lip opened his quantum laptop. Within seconds, he hacked into the American Educational Testing Service database, pulling up ACT and SAT test answers.

Jessica gasped, quickly slamming his laptop shut. "Lip, you're insane! But wow, that's amazing!"

Lip smirked. "Middle-class families can't afford million-dollar donations to get their kids into Ivy League schools. But they'll gladly pay $20,000 or $30,000 for a better future. And that's where I come in."

Jessica's eyes sparkled with admiration. "You're brilliant. What's the plan?"

Lip outlined his strategy: he'd create a website to sell test answers via limited auctions. Lower-accuracy answers would be sold earlier for a smaller price, while near-perfect answers would go up for auction days before the exam.

Jessica clapped her hands. "You've really thought this through. But how will people find your site?"

"That's easy," Lip said with a confident grin. "I'm a hacker, remember?"

Jessica smiled warmly. "I can't wait to see what you do next, Lip."

"Speaking of next," Lip added with a mischievous look, "what's your real reason for finding me today?"

Jessica laughed. "I'm taking you, Karen, and Mandy out for lunch."

Lip couldn't help but laugh. Whatever Jessica had in mind, he'd deal with it—one fiery encounter at a time.