The spring of 2021 arrived unusually early. Ke Yang stood in the company pantry, his fingers unconsciously tapping on a mug, surrounded by the rhythmic sounds of colleagues typing on keyboards. As a backend programmer at a medium-sized internet company, his daily life was as precise, repetitive, and predictable as the code he wrote.
"Have you heard? Xiao Wang from the tech department has resigned." Colleague Lao Zhang leaned over, lowering his voice, "I heard he made over three million from Bitcoin."
Ke Yang's fingers froze. Over three million, equivalent to his total salary for eight years.
"Is it true or not?"
"It's absolutely true. Last Friday he treated us to dinner, and I saw his account balance on his phone with my own eyes." Lao Zhang mysteriously pulled out his phone, "Look, this is the Dogecoin I bought following him, it has quadrupled in two weeks."
Ke Yang stared at the constantly fluctuating number, feeling a tightness in his throat. That night, he unusually did not leave work on time but instead immersed himself in various cryptocurrency forums until three in the morning.
A week later, Ke Yang transferred all of his savings of two hundred thousand, accumulated over five years, to a trading platform. He chose Bitcoin—the most 'stable' digital currency. At first, he checked the market dozens of times a day, even refreshing the price while in the restroom. But two months later, when his account balance reached three hundred fifty thousand, he could calmly discuss technical plans in meetings, sneaking a glance at his phone under the table.
"Yang Ge, you look good these days." During lunch break, intern Xiao Li handed him a cup of coffee.
Ke Yang smiled and said nothing. He had just made another hundred thousand from Ethereum, a number that had already surpassed the year-end bonus of the department manager.
In the summer of 2021, the cryptocurrency market experienced unprecedented prosperity. Ke Yang's account balance swelled like an inflated balloon. He began frequently attending offline cryptocurrency meetups, where analysts in suits pointed at complex candlestick charts with laser pointers, predicting the next hundred-fold coin.
It was in such a setting that he met Zhao Tianyu.
"Mr. Ke, I've heard so much about you." A man with slicked-back hair extended his hand, the Patek Philippe on his wrist shining under the lights, "I've read your technical analysis on the forum, very insightful."
Ke Yang was taken aback. Zhao Tianyu was a well-known figure in the circle, with his private equity fund boasting an annual return of up to 800%. That night, they chatted late into the night at an outdoor bar in the hotel, and every word Zhao Tianyu spoke sounded as crisp and pleasant as gold coins falling into a bag.
"Traditional finance is dead, Brother Ke." Zhao Tianyu shook his whiskey glass, the ice clinking crisply, "The central bank keeps printing money, and fiat currency depreciates every day. Bitcoin has a total supply of only 21 million coins, that's the real digital gold."
Three months later, Ke Yang resigned from his job and became a partner in Zhao Tianyu's "Star Project." This private equity fund promised capital preservation, with an annual return of not less than 300%. Ke Yang not only invested all his savings but also mortgaged the apartment his parents had prepared for his wedding. "Are you crazy?" his girlfriend Lin Fei slammed her coffee cup on the table, "That's our future home!"
"Conservative investing can never achieve financial freedom." Ke Yang said calmly, his finger drawing a series of numbers on the tablet, "Look, in just two weeks, the returns have already covered half a year's mortgage interest."
On the day Lin Fei left, Bitcoin broke through the historical high of sixty-nine thousand dollars. Ke Yang posted a picture of the starry sky on his social media, captioned: "Be greedy when others are fearful." Zhao Tianyu liked it immediately and commented: "The stars and the sea are our journey."
The following days felt like a dream. Ke Yang moved into a high-rise apartment in Lujiazui, overlooking the Huangpu River every morning from the floor-to-ceiling windows, the numbers on his phone more dazzling than the morning light. He bought three luxury watches but always forgot to wear them; he ordered a fully loaded Porsche but was too lazy to pick it up. On the most outrageous day, he spent five hundred thousand in the NFT market to buy a pixelated monkey avatar, just because Zhao Tianyu said it was "a symbol of status."
On New Year's Day 2022, at the annual meeting of the Star Fund, Zhao Tianyu announced the launch of the platform token "Starcoin." Ke Yang, as a core team member, pre-purchased five million coins at a price of $0.1. On the day of the listing, Starcoin soared to $3, and Ke Yang's paper wealth exceeded fifteen million.
"This is just the beginning." Zhao Tianyu wrapped his arm around Ke Yang's shoulder at the celebratory banquet, the smell of alcohol wafting over, "Next year, we aim to be the number one in Asia."
However, spring was not yet over when the crisis quietly approached. First, news of interest rate hikes in the US caused market turmoil, followed by rumors of a major exchange going bust. When Starcoin fell from $3 to $1.5, Zhao Tianyu sent a voice message in the group: "Wash out the weak hands, the strong will always be strong." Ke Yang added another two hundred thousand to his position.
One late night in May, while organizing project documents, Ke Yang accidentally discovered unusual transfer records in Zhao Tianyu's overseas account. The amounts weren't large, but the frequency was high. He stared at the screen, his finger hovering over Zhao Tianyu's number, but ultimately did not make the call.
"Maybe to avoid taxes." he told himself, casually opening the trading app and buying another five hundred thousand Starcoins.
The crash came faster than expected. One morning in June, Ke Yang was awakened by the incessant notifications from his phone. Bitcoin plummeted by 30%, and Starcoin went to zero. Zhao Tianyu's phone was no longer reachable, and the office was already empty. Worse, due to leverage, Ke Yang's account not only hit zero but also owed the platform over eight hundred thousand.
As autumn winds swept away the leaves, Ke Yang sat in his former apartment, watching the movers take away the last piece of furniture. His phone lit up with a message from Lao Zhang: "I heard Zhao Tianyu was arrested in Dubai, do you want to..."
Ke Yang turned off his phone. Outside, the sycamore leaves danced down, reminiscent of the irretrievable numbers on the candlestick chart.
