American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

It can be said that all of this is caused by a lack of money.

“From what you’re saying, Mandy left a month’s deposit here, which should just break even. So we don’t need to be sneaking around, right?” Mike said speechlessly, looking at George’s thieving expression.

To be honest, Mandy, who paid a month's deposit, didn't owe the landlord anything. At most, she stayed a few extra days, and she could just pay extra.

Besides, the rent here isn't expensive, only a little over 200 yuan a month. There's no need to pull any dirty tricks for such a small amount of money.

"It's not about the money..." George, who had no money, made up an excuse and said, "Forget it, I can handle things here. You just stay in the car and wait."

After George finished speaking, he didn't give Mike a chance to refute him. He quickly went downstairs, found a place with external support, and climbed upstairs.

These old-style residential buildings are no more than six stories high. And because the residents have made unauthorized modifications, climbing them is not difficult.

It was evening, and little George, dressed in a gray suit, had a natural camouflage.

Mike got out of the car to check the situation, and in order not to attract the attention of the local residents, he did not say anything to stop little George.

On the other hand, little George, who had been out adventuring for half a year, had improved his physical fitness.

In no time, he nimbly climbed up to the third floor and then slipped through the half-open window.

"Ka, ka..."

As soon as he entered the room, before he even had a chance to turn around, little George, based on his experience, determined that it was the sound of gunfire.

"Wait, I'm not a thief, and I mean no harm..." George, who broke out in a cold sweat in an instant, instinctively raised his arms to indicate that he was not a threat.

You should know that in the free country of America, if you get shot for trespassing, you can only blame yourself for being unlucky.

"Kid, slowly turn your body around, don't let me see you make any unnecessary movements." A hoarse voice echoed in the room.

After little George carefully turned around, he could see clearly that in the dark room, an old man with completely white hair was lying in a recliner, with a colorful cartoon blanket covering his legs.

Of course, none of that is the main point. The main point is that the old man's face looked very bad, and he was holding a large-caliber long-barreled shotgun.

Unsurprisingly, this shotgun can kill a person with a single shot at close range.

"Young man, who are you? What is your purpose in coming here?" Similarly, upon seeing that the person who came was an old man in his late teens, the old man's attitude softened somewhat.

However, his aged face with a hideous scar still exuded a strong sense of oppression.

"I'm George Cooper Jr., and I'm here to help my girlfriend with her luggage..." George, who was inwardly cursing his bad luck, explained the situation in detail.

"So you're the kid who got Mandy pregnant?" After understanding George's answer, the old man put down the shotgun he was holding and said, "Mandy is a good girl, she shouldn't be let down."

Judging from the old man's reaction, Mandy must have had a good relationship with her neighbors when she lived here.

"I'm Mandy's boyfriend, of course I'll take good care of her," little George nervously promised.

At that moment, all he wanted was to leave this place as soon as possible.

"Not bad, kid!"

"But you've come to the wrong place. Mandy doesn't live here; her room is upstairs," the old man said after carefully examining little George.

It turned out that the dim evening light caused the guilty little George to go to the wrong floor, leading to this mix-up.

"This..." Realizing his mistake, little George asked awkwardly, "Um, may I leave now?"

"Go on, kid. Don't come to the wrong place next time." The old man waved his hand casually.

"Thank you~" Little George, feeling like he had been granted a pardon, politely thanked him and quickly slipped out the window again.

He was covered in a cold sweat, and the evening breeze made him feel chilly all over. Moreover, after being frightened, his hands and feet were as weak as noodles.

"Why are you sweating so much? And where's your luggage?" Mike, who was in charge of receiving them, asked as he looked at little George sliding down the garbage chute.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little hot after exercising." Little George, who looked pale and not in good condition, said, pretending to be calm. "I just thought about it, and you were right before. We shouldn't have taken things secretly. So I've decided to come back and help Mandy get her luggage back when we have the chance."

Clearly, George, still shaken by the previous incident, did not go back to "explore" the room Mandy had rented.

Mike noticed something was wrong with him and continued to ask, "Which room is Mandy staying in?"

“Fourth floor, unit two, what’s wrong?” Little George blurted out.

Mike finally understood. If he remembered correctly, little George had just entered the second unit on the third floor.

And judging from his appearance, he must have encountered something bad inside.

Of course, Mike couldn't really comment on this kind of blunder.

All he knew was that since the two of them had come all this way, there was no reason not to sort out Mandy's luggage.

"You rest in the car for a while, I'll go upstairs and check the situation again." Having made his decision, Mike began to arrange the next steps for the two of them.

This time, Mike didn't give George much of a chance to argue either. After explaining his plan, he walked towards the building entrance.

A dozen minutes later, to George's astonishment, Mike, carrying two suitcases, was escorted downstairs by a landlady in her thirties.

If I remember correctly, I also met the landlady, George Jr.

Two months ago, when he accompanied Mandy to rent a room, the other party's attitude was not this good.

After Mike put the suitcase in the back of the truck and got into the driver's seat, little George finally couldn't help but ask, "How did you do that?"

"It must be charm!" Mike replied jokingly, seeing George's discomfiture.

“I’m serious, did you pay off Mandy’s rent? If so, I’ll pay you back later,” George guessed.

George, who had never received preferential treatment from strange women before, couldn't understand how Mike had won over his landlady.

“The landlady was very easy to talk to. I just explained Mandy’s situation, and she agreed to let me move out. She didn’t ask for any extra money…” Mike said, “If you and Mandy want to continue renting here, I suggest you continue renting here.”

Mike had just gone upstairs and paid special attention to the room that Mandy rented for 200 yuan a month. Although it wasn't very big, it had everything she needed.

It has a washroom and a kitchen, so it's barely adequate for temporary use.

"Is that so?" Hearing Mike's assessment of the landlady, little George wondered if he was hallucinating. Then, he shook his head and said, "Never mind, the environment here isn't very good. Even if I were to rent a place, I wouldn't choose this one."

Clearly, the "fierce" old man who lived here left a psychological scar on young George.

Chapter 320 Another Christmas

With Christmas Eve fast approaching, some busy streets in the town of Deford have already been decorated with twinkling, colorful lights.

It added a festive touch to this remote town.

“George, have you thought about opening a small shop again? That arcade isn’t a long-term solution,” Mike said to little George, who was staring out the car window in a daze, as they drove back the way they came.

As mentioned earlier, arcades operate in a gray area. If they are targeted by the authorities or subjected to surprise inspections, problems will inevitably arise sooner or later.

Therefore, just like he tried to persuade Grandma Connie, Mike also hoped that little George could get away from the arcade.

"What else do you think I can do?" Coming to his senses, little George knew he wasn't very smart, so he was willing to listen to Mike's opinion.

"Perhaps you could start by opening a small car repair shop. If you really don't know what to do, you can give me the money to run the arcade after you've recouped your investment," Mike suggested.

George actually has a real talent for car repair, and a small shop could easily start with car washing and tire repair.

This kind of storefront shop, which doesn't require a large initial investment, is a great option for little George to try.

Moreover, even if George wasn't interested in the project, Mike gave him another option: to use the money to invest in stocks.

With Mike backing him up, at least George Jr. won't lose money.

The only remaining question is how much money one can make.

Of course, all of this is predicated on George Jr. being willing to separate from the arcade.

“I need to think about it…” George said, his eyes darting around.

Clearly, having tasted success, little George was unwilling to give up the lucrative business of the arcade.

Or rather, having just settled into a stable life, he was afraid of change.

"Whatever you want. But I still suggest you find a proper job as soon as possible." Mike, sensing the other's concerns, gave his final advice.

As the saying goes: eagerness doesn't equate to helping.

Mike has said everything he needed to say. Ultimately, the decision rests with George himself.

Soon, the pickup truck returned to Cooper's yard.

By this time it was completely dark. After watching little George carry his suitcase to the basement, Mike turned around and went to Connie's grandma's house.

"Mike, I'd like to ask you about stocks." In the living room, Connie's grandmother was still awake.

“No problem, what do you want to know?” Mike took off his coat and sat down on the sofa.

Next, at Connie's grandmother's request, Mike gave a systematic explanation of the stock trading process.

"Isn't this too complicated..." Even after hearing the explanation, Connie's elderly grandmother still looked bewildered.

However, Connie's grandmother's lack of in-depth understanding was one of her greatest strengths. She preferred to trust Mike, her "family member," rather than complicated stock trading techniques.

“You told me before that if I wanted to invest in stocks, I could ask you for help. So I want to entrust my retirement savings to you to manage.” Grandma Connie took out three large stacks of banknotes she had prepared and said casually, “Here is thirty thousand US dollars. If we lose money, it’s all on me. If we make money, we’ll split it 50/50.”

The 30,000 US dollars on the table consisted partly of Connie's grandmother's savings from this period and partly of the money from selling the arcade.

It seems she listened to all of Mike's advice.

“I’ll open a separate third-party account for you, but let’s not talk about splitting the profits.” Mike had no intention of using his position to make money off Connie’s grandmother.

With a net worth already in the tens of millions, there's no need for him to do that.

Furthermore, to ensure that no financial disputes arise with Connie in the future, Mike also decided to introduce a three-party oversight system to make the flow of Connie's grandmother's funds transparent.

This is where Chris, the former brokerage firm employee, proved useful.

Chris was the male gangster in the trio that Mike had rescued from the cannibals.

He now has a new identity: Mike's economic advisor in stock trading.

Adhering to the principle of "even close brothers should keep clear accounts".

Mike was going to introduce Chris to Connie's grandmother.

Of course, this doesn't mean Mike will wash his hands of the business. He will still strictly oversee Connie's stock trading activities afterward.

"Alright, the stock account is all set up. If you have any questions about the stock market in the future, you can ask me or Chris." Mike, who helped Connie's grandmother open an account through a third party, was trying to teach her how to analyze the stock market trends herself, rather than just giving her a fish.

If this approach succeeds, it will undoubtedly put Connie's grandmother at ease.

"It's alright, I trust you with the stock matters." After completing her first stock purchase, Grandma Connie said with a smile, "It's getting late, I'm going to rest now."

Well, it seems that Grandma Connie isn't really interested in stocks, and out of trust in Mike, she seems to just want to be a hands-off manager.

This operation is tantamount to entrusting professional matters to specialized personnel.

What could Mike say in this situation? He could only choose to "take Connie with him."

Time flew by, and it was time for the school's Christmas party.

The auditorium, decorated with countless colorful lights, ribbons, flags, and Christmas trees, was filled with a festive atmosphere.

Compared to last year, this year's school Christmas party was exceptionally grand.

"Welcome everyone to the school's annual Christmas party..."

On stage, Ms. Sharon changed her usual rigid image, put on a beautiful evening gown, and took on the role of host for tonight's party.

It must be said that Ms. Sharon, who is just over thirty years old, has a unique charm when she dresses up.

"Now, let's welcome Principal Tom to the stage to give a speech!"

As the host finished speaking, Principal Tom, dressed in an academician's gown, slowly walked onto the stage with the help of Dean of Studies Tim.

Principal Tom, who has reached retirement age, has visibly aged considerably in the past six months.

At that moment, he looked exceptionally kind.

"It's a pleasure to spend this special day with you young people. You are the hope of the future..."

Principal Tom finished his opening remarks as if reflecting on life.

Then, he continued, "Thank you for patiently listening to an old man's ramblings. Now, let's witness together the great achievements Melford High School has made this year..."

"First, let me introduce the entire Melford Rugby Team. They not only won first place in the regional invitational tournament earlier this year, but also took the league championship in the summer league later this year..."

Amidst enthusiastic applause and the reading of honors, Coach George and Mike, along with other rugby players, walked onto the stage one by one to receive the blessings of the crowd.

The cheers that nearly lifted the roof off the stadium testified to the popularity of rugby among the students.

After the rugby team was commended, the members of the math Olympiad team, who won this year's math Olympiad championship, also came on stage to show their faces, accompanied by teacher Sharon.

With this, Mike achieved a brace.