All Chapters of The Intelligence Edge: From Zero to Billionaire: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

The moment the call connected, Evan's roar nearly shattered the speaker."Chris! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shiiit!"His voice cracked with excitement, half-screaming, half-sobbing, tumbling out in a garbled mess."560,000 dollars, Chris! 560,000 dollars! I've never… ever… in my entire life… seen that kind of money! I... I'm not dreaming, am I?!"Chris had no idea what he was babbling about. All he could hear was Evan carrying on like a lunatic, shouting "thank you" over and over, mixing it with incoherent cries.The noise made Chris's ears ache, yet his smile only deepened.He waited patiently—an entire minute—until Evan finally screamed himself hoarse and was left gasping for breath on the other end. Only then did Chris speak."All right, all right, Evan. Catch your breath before you keel over on me."His tone carried a hint of teasing. "We're bros. No need to thank me like that. As long as you profited, that's what matters."Silence.Then Chris clearly heard it—a stifled,

George stood frozen, as if bound by an invisible spell. His entire body stiffened, locked in place.His eyes bulged wider than copper bells, pupils unfocused, staring blankly ahead as though his soul had already slipped from his body. His lips trembled uncontrollably."Seven... million..."The words scraped out of him in a voice no louder than a mosquito's hum, thick with the dazed quality of a man speaking in his sleep. "That... that's how many zeros?"With a hand that shook just as violently, he reached out and began clumsily tracing numbers in the air."One... ten... hundred... thousand... Ten thousand... hundred thousand... million..."Again and again he counted, but his mind was a muddled blur. No matter how he tried, he couldn't grasp what those numbers truly meant.Watching his parents sink into shock, Chris knew he could no longer tease them.He guided Laura step by step to the sofa and helped her sit down. Then he straightened, drawing in a deep breath. The playful smi

Society these days was nothing if not realistic.As he buttoned his shirt, George couldn't help grumbling under his breath."Back in the day, decades ago, people weren't so picky. Everyone dressed more or less the same. Nobody looked down on you just because you didn't wear fancy clothes."Laura placed his new leather shoes by his feet and replied without even looking up."Decades ago, that was because everyone was poor. We were all the same. There was nothing to compare. Now it's different."She rose to her feet, smoothed the Chanel jacket draped over her shoulders, and studied herself in the mirror, turning this way and that."These days, if you go to buy a house or a car and show up looking shabby, those salesgirls will take one look at you and decide you're not worth their time. They won't even bother with a smile, let alone waste their breath on you."George thought it over, then sighed."You know, you're right."Suddenly, he chuckled, as if reminded of something."Isn't

"Please rest assured," the saleswoman said warmly, her hand gesturing with effortless grace toward the enormous, meticulously crafted scale model. "Every residence at Crownsville represents the very peak of design and quality in this city."We offer cozy townhouses perfect for a family of three, large stand-alone villas, and even grand lakeview mansions nestled against the mountains. The greenery coverage exceeds sixty percent. The community includes an exclusive clubhouse, a bilingual kindergarten, and twenty-four-hour concierge-style property management."I guarantee, there will be one home that captures your hearts at first sight."The barrage of enticing features came down like a storm, leaving George and Laura dazed. For them, buying a villa was like reading a foreign script. Floor-area ratios, building intervals, pedestrian-vehicle separation… All sounded like incomprehensible jargon.They exchanged a glance, each silently conveying the same thought, 'Listen to our son.'F

The manager rubbed his hands together, grinning so broadly that the wrinkles on his face bunched into folds."We have decided to gift you three years of complimentary VIP property management services!" he declared enthusiastically. "On top of that, we'll throw in ten full-house deep cleaning sessions, free of charge! From now on, whatever you need, one phone call, and we'll be there immediately."The perks were far from cheap. But what impressed Chris most wasn't the value; it was the attitude.He nodded with quiet satisfaction. "That's very thoughtful."Just three simple words, yet to the manager, they sounded like a monumental endorsement. His chest swelled with excitement, and he nearly bowed on the spot.The paperwork was handled swiftly. Within twenty minutes, every contract and property document had been neatly packed into a leather portfolio and handed to Chris.A short while later, George and Laura returned from their viewing. Their expressions mirrored one another—dazed,