Chen Ran gave his answer with his life.
At 33, just when he thought he had kicked gambling, he fell back into it. His beloved Lin Wei married someone else, and his only good friend lost everything because Chen Ran had egged him on.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the late autumn of 2012.
Bitcoin was worth just $10, the iPhone 5 had just launched, and plane tree leaves were turning yellow across campus.
And he was still a naive young man who had just started college and knew nothing about the future.
Reignite 2012: A gambler’s letter of remorse and challenge to the world, written across two lifetimes.
“I once fell into the abyss. Now, with every inch I climb toward the light, I carve in my vow never to turn back.”
“I’m not a gambler. I just… lost my way once.”
Chen Ran’s confession to Lin Wei
“You look kind of handsome when you’re serious.”
What Lin Wei said to him at a renovation site
“Where’s the ring? Let me try it on and see if it fits.”
Her answer to his proposal
“She’s the one for me, for life.”
Chen Ran’s promise to his mother
“It’ll go up again. Trust me.”
What he told his team when Bitcoin plunged
