Ten years ago, if someone had told me that Bitcoin would allow countless people to achieve financial freedom, I would have thought it was a fantasy. After all, back then, the most common investment products we heard about were stocks, funds, or real estate in first-tier cities. As for Bitcoin? To put it bluntly, it was like a digital game on the Internet, or simply a string of codes that no one could clearly explain.
In the cryptocurrency circle, there is a widely mentioned name—'Brother 480,000.' He once used 480,000 yuan to purchase 100 Bitcoins and opened a thread in the Baidu Bitcoin forum to live stream, but cut losses before the dawn of wealth, missing out on millions or even billions of fortunes. His story is both a tragedy and an inspirational tale, as well as an educational drama.
Brother 480,000's starting point
Brother 480,000's real name is unknown, but based on his statements in the forum, some background information can be inferred. He is an ordinary office worker, with a loving wife and a lovely daughter. He and his wife saved money for seven or eight years to prepare to buy a house. He is interested in Bitcoin but has limited knowledge and experience. He is an impulsive and persistent person, with a gambler's mentality and courage.
Brother 480,000 bought Bitcoin on January 28, 2014. At that time, the price of Bitcoin was around 4,800 yuan. He used the 480,000 yuan he and his wife had saved for seven or eight years for a house to buy 100 Bitcoins, and started a thread in the Baidu Bitcoin forum titled 'I bought 100 Bitcoins with 480,000.' In the post, he said, 'I don't know if this is the right decision, but I believe Bitcoin has great development potential. I want to turn the down payment into full payment, and even earn some money for a car. I will live stream my trading process here, and everyone is welcome to follow and guide me.'
This post quickly attracted the attention and discussion of other users in the forum. Some supported him, some opposed him, some encouraged him, and some mocked him. Some said he was a warrior, some called him a fool, some said he was a retail investor, and some referred to him as a whale. In short, Brother 480,000 became one of the hottest topics in the forum.
Brother 480,000's journey
After Brother 480,000 started a live thread, he embarked on his long and tortuous journey of trading cryptocurrencies. During this process, he experienced the ups and downs of the Bitcoin market, as well as changes and challenges in his own mindset. He had moments of joy, as well as sadness; he had moments of persistence, as well as doubt; he had moments of profit, as well as losses.
Here are some of his representative statements made in the forum:
* February 7, 2014: 'Today Bitcoin dropped sharply, from over 5,600 to over 4,800. I still don't plan to sell, I believe it will bounce back.' (The highest price that day was 5,636 yuan, and the lowest was 4,800 yuan)
* February 12, 2014: 'Today Bitcoin rose a little, from over 4,500 to over 4,700. I still don't plan to sell, I believe it will rise even more.' (The highest price that day was 4,720 yuan, and the lowest was 4,500 yuan)
* February 15, 2014: 'Today Bitcoin dropped a little again, from over 4,700 to over 4,600. I still don't plan to sell, I believe it will rebound.' (The highest price that day was 4,719 yuan, and the lowest was 4,600 yuan)
* February 22, 2014: 'Today Bitcoin rose a lot, from over 4,600 to over 5,000. I still don't plan to sell, I believe it will rise even higher.' (The highest price that day was 5,028 yuan, and the lowest was 4,601 yuan)
* February 25, 2014: 'Today Bitcoin dropped significantly, from over 5,000 to over 4,000. I still don't plan to sell, I believe it will stop falling.' (The highest price that day was 5,019 yuan, and the lowest was 4,000 yuan)
* March 3, 2014: 'Today Bitcoin rose a lot, from over 4,000 to over 4,400. I still don't plan to sell, I believe it will break through 5,000.' (The highest price that day was 4,439 yuan, and the lowest was 4,001 yuan)
* March 4, 2014: 'Today Bitcoin rose even more, from over 4,400 to over 4,900. I still don't plan to sell, I believe it will break through 6,000.' (The highest price that day was 4,919 yuan, and the lowest was 4,438 yuan)
* April 4, 2014: 'Today Bitcoin dropped a little, from over 4,900 to over 4,800. I still don't plan to sell, I believe it will break through 7,000.' (The highest price that day was 4,918 yuan, and the lowest was 4,801 yuan)
* April 26, 2014: 'Today Bitcoin dropped a lot, from over 4,800 to over 4,200. I have lost confidence; I feel I have failed.' (The highest price that day was 4,801 yuan, and the lowest was 4,201 yuan)
From these statements, it can be seen that Brother 480,000 maintained an optimistic attitude and a firm belief throughout the process of trading cryptocurrencies. He believed that the price of Bitcoin was only a temporary fluctuation, not a long-term trend. He believed that the price of Bitcoin would continue to rise, rather than continuously decline. He believed that his investments would yield returns, rather than end up fruitless. He never gave up on his goals and dreams.
However, during this process, he also encountered many difficulties and challenges. He not only had to face market changes and risks, but also had to deal with family pressure and doubts. He not only had to endure the shrinkage and loss of his assets but also had to endure psychological torment and torture. He not only had to put up with external ridicule and sarcasm but also had to endure internal contradictions and struggles.
Brother 480,000 also revealed some of his personal circumstances in the forum. He said he didn't tell his wife that he bought Bitcoin, instead lying that he had saved the money. He said every time he saw the price of Bitcoin drop, he felt he was about to collapse. He said every time he heard his wife say she wanted to buy a house, he felt like he was going to die. He said every time he saw his daughter's lovely smile, he felt like he was going to cry.
Brother 480,000 did not receive support and understanding from his family during the process of trading cryptocurrencies, but instead brought a lot of pain and trouble to his family. His wife has always been unaware.
Although Brother 480,000 remained confident in his choices, the continuously declining numbers threw his life into chaos.
One late night, he watched Bitcoin's price drop from 4,500 yuan to 4,300 yuan, and drank half a bottle of beer in one go. His hands trembled slightly, and he was so nervous that he was sweating on his forehead. He wanted to post for comfort but found that the sentiment in the forum had already shifted: 'If you can't hold on, run quickly!' 'The big players have already sold; small investors continue to accompany the fall.'
The comments made him even more uneasy. His mind struggled continuously: 'Sell or not sell? If I sell, I will really have lost; but if it drops further, how much longer can I hold on?'
The next morning, his wife asked him, 'When are we going to look at houses? I saw that there are several new housing sources released in that community.'
He lowered his head, fiddling with the rice in his bowl, and mumbled, 'The market has been a bit volatile lately; housing prices may drop, let's wait and see.'
This was already the third time he used the same excuse to procrastinate. He knew his wife was becoming increasingly dissatisfied, but he dared not tell her the truth—that the money for the house had long been 'buried' in Bitcoin.
Loss of control
The price of Bitcoin continued to fluctuate, rebounding from 4,200 yuan to 4,700 yuan, then quickly dropping back below 4,000 yuan. Brother 480,000's emotions were like a roller coaster. He often spent entire nights staring at the screen, refreshing the price chart, hoping to see a miracle rebound.
One deep night, he finally lost control and posted an update in the forum: 'I really can't hold on anymore, I've lost 100,000 on the house payment, what should I do?'
The comment section exploded; some comforted him: 'Don't cut losses, if you do, you'll just be a retail investor!' Others advised him: 'If you don't run now, you'll really never come back.'
A reply from a netizen hit his sore spot: 'You are not suited for trading cryptocurrencies at all; this money was meant for buying a house. How do you plan to explain this to your wife if you lose it?'
He stared at this comment, his finger sliding back and forth on the screen, his heart racing. He suddenly remembered what his wife often said: 'If we buy a house earlier, we won't have to worry about our daughter starting school.'
The moment of cutting losses
On the morning when Bitcoin fell below 3,900 yuan, Brother 480,000's psychological defense line completely collapsed. He trembled as he opened his account, hesitating for a few minutes before finally pressing the 'sell' button.
The numbers on the screen changed from '100' to '0', with the remaining balance showing 390,000 yuan. He seemed to hear some kind of tearing sound.
He sat there blankly in front of the computer. Minutes later, he posted a final message: 'I'm sorry, everyone, I cut my losses.'
That day, his post quickly sank deep into the forum. Those who had once encouraged him, mocked him, and criticized him no longer appeared. He felt abandoned by the whole world.
The exposed lies
In the days following his losses, Brother 480,000 felt like a deflated balloon, lacking energy at work. His wife noticed his abnormal behavior and couldn't help but ask, 'What's wrong lately? You always seem absent-minded.'
He hesitated for a while and finally mustered the courage to confess: 'Actually, the house money... I invested it.'
'What?' His wife's expression changed, she put down her bowl, and stared at him, 'What do you mean? What about the house money?'
He swallowed hard and recounted his experience of buying Bitcoin and making losses in detail. He lowered his head, afraid to look at his wife's expression, his fingers tightly gripping his pants seam.
His wife remained silent for a long time, her eyes reddening, and finally coldly said, 'You took our savings of seven or eight years to gamble on something with an uncertain outcome? Do you think I can still trust you?'
That night, the two had a cold war that lasted all night, the rift in their hearts had become irreparable.
Unfinished regret
Months later, Brother 480,000 struggled to get his life back on track. He worked hard to make up for the losses bit by bit. He deleted his forum account and vowed never to touch Bitcoin again.
However, fate loves to play tricks on people. Just as he was gradually calming down, the price of Bitcoin experienced an explosive rise. From a few thousand yuan each, it broke through the 20,000 yuan mark, followed by 30,000 yuan, 40,000 yuan...
The social media feed was full of stories of sudden wealth. Some showed screenshots: '100 Bitcoins, now worth tens of millions; I'm done!'
Every piece of such news pierced like a thorn into Brother 480,000's heart. He secretly opened the forum where he posted back then, watching those who once urged him to persist, celebrating their victories one by one. He did not have the courage to speak up and could only silently shut down the computer.
He often thought, 'If I hadn't sold back then, what would I be like now? Would I have already achieved financial freedom?'
But the reality is, he has long lost the opportunity to start over.
Epilogue: A regret about missed opportunities
Brother 480,000's story became a legend in the cryptocurrency circle. Some say he is a fool, some sympathize with his plight, and some take his failure as a warning for themselves.
And he himself gradually learned to let go. Later, he joked with his friends: 'Investing is not a game for ordinary people. I am a living example of what not to do; you all shouldn't learn from me.'
Although the past regrets could not be compensated, he worked hard to cherish the remaining life, trying to give his wife and daughter a stable future.
As for Bitcoin? He had long stopped touching it, and even became too lazy to read the news.
'In life, there are always some missed opportunities that cannot be reclaimed,' he said, 'but at least, I no longer gamble on the future.'
The story originates from real life, creation is not easy, every bit of attention counts. With the top team at Aiers, you too can become the next legendary figure in the cryptocurrency circle; the cryptocurrency circle is not big, create myths!
