In late night Shanghai, neon lights outline the city. I stood in front of the French window in the office, looking at the lights of the Bund, my thoughts rising and falling with the flashing trading screen. As an analyst of a cryptocurrency investment fund, this should have been an ordinary overtime night until my phone suddenly vibrated.
“Hey, do you remember today a year ago?”
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this message. How could I forget? That was my encounter with Xiaobei, a story that started with Bitcoin but went far beyond Bitcoin.
At that time, I had just experienced a major retracement and my mood fell to the bottom. I met Xiaobei at a community AMA meeting. Unlike other investors who were eager to show their gains or predict the market, he patiently shared his understanding of blockchain technology. “Bitcoin is not just a price,” he said, “it is the first successful attempt of mankind to value the Internet.”
The online meeting lasted three hours and ended in the early morning. I sent him a private message for some unknown reason: “Will the value Internet you mentioned really come true?”
Unexpectedly, he replied in seconds: “I want to know more, why are you interested in this? Do you want to chat offline?”
The first meeting was in a cafe that supports encrypted payments. He wore a simple white shirt and black-framed glasses, and looked like an ordinary programmer. But when he talked about technology, the enthusiasm in his eyes made him glow.
“Do you know? Every time Bitcoin plummets, it is a test of faith and an opportunity for rebirth.” When he said this, I was frustratedly telling about my loss experience. “But more importantly, in this process, we met people who understand us.”
In the days that followed, we often studied the market and discussed projects together, and sometimes we would argue because of different opinions. But after each quarrel, he would say: “Look, this is the charm of decentralization, and different voices can make the system healthier.”
I remember one time we stayed up late to watch the price of the currency plummet, and he suddenly said: “In fact, Bitcoin taught me the most important lesson.”
“What lesson?” I asked curiously.
“Patience. Just like the halving mechanism of Bitcoin, good things need time to prove. The same is true for feelings. Instead of rushing for success, it is better to manage slowly.”
On the coldest day of last winter, he gave me a special gift – an exquisite cold wallet. But what touched me was not the wallet itself, but an encrypted letter he deposited in it:
“In this digital age, I want to store our memories in the safest way. These bitcoins, like our feelings, will increase in value over time and never disappear.”
Looking back now, perhaps it is because of Bitcoin that we understand what true value is. It is not about ups and downs, but about two people being able to support each other in a turbulent market and stick to their promises between ups and downs.
The office is still brightly lit late at night, and the numbers on the trading screen are still jumping. I picked up my phone and replied:
“Of course I remember. You can’t use the candle chart as an excuse to be late for the candlelight dinner tonight.”
“Don’t worry, I have turned off all the price alerts. Tonight is just for your birthday.”
The neon lights outside the window are still bright, but in my heart, the most shining one is always the figure with black-framed glasses and everything he taught me about Bitcoin, love, patience and trust.
In this era where numbers and reality are intertwined, we found each other in the ocean of Bitcoin and found the truest form of love.
