【Abstract】In Study 1, we test a theoretical model involving temptation, Monetary Wisdom (MW), and unethical intentions and investigate the direct and indirect paths simultaneously based on multiple-wave panel data collected in open classrooms from 492 American and 256 Chinese students. For the whole sample, the temptation is related to low unethical intentions indirectly. Multi-group analyses across both cultures and genders (four groups) reveal that temptation predicts unethical intentions both directly and indirectly via Monetary Wisdom (the love of money attitudes and outcome variables) for male American students only; but not for female American students. For Chinese students, both direct and indirect paths are nonsignificant. All subconstructs of the Love of Money contribute significantly to Monetary Wisdom for all students. In Study 2, using money as a temptation and giving them opportunities to cheat on a matrix task, most Chinese students (78.4%) do not cheat in open classrooms; supporting survey and structural equation modeling (SEM) results in Study 1. However, students in private cubicles cheat significantly more (53.4%) than those in open classrooms (21.6%). Finally, students’ love of money attitude predicts cheating. Factor Rich predicts the amount of cheating, whereas Factor Motivator predicts the percentage of cheating. The present research offers empirical support that the love of money attitudes (ardent monetary aspirations) predict not only behavioral intentions using “panel survey data” for American male students (Study 1) but also actual cheating behaviors among Chinese students in “laboratory experiments” (Study 2), demonstrating the validity of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Our results shed new light on the impact of temptation and love of money as dispositional traits, money as a temptation, and environmental contexts (public vs. private) on unethical intentions and cheating behaviors.