"How much U do I need to save up before I dare to ask that question 'Long time no see'?"

I am 38 years old, in Shanghai, with 6 properties, 3 cars, and eight-figure assets. This story begins 8 years ago.

When I first entered the crypto world, I was a complete newbie. I invested 50,000 U and it was gone in just a few days. Liquidation, zeroing out, exchange跑路—I've stepped on almost every pit. During the hardest times, even my girlfriend left me. I relied on drowning my sorrows in alcohol to get through. I almost gave up.

But on March 12, 2018, that "Black Swan" day, many went bankrupt, but I survived. The market was absurd, like gambling. Some turned 2000 yuan into millions, and I relied on review and patience, taking it step by step.

I used to think it was all luck. Only later did I realize that surviving until today is entirely due to a set of seemingly simple but effective rules:

**Fast Rise, Slow Fall = Market Makers are Eating Up**. Rapid price increases and decreases followed by slow corrections indicate that the big players are collecting chips. True tops often occur with a sudden crash after a violent surge.

**Fast Fall, Slow Rise = Market Makers are Offloading**. After a flash crash, if the rebound is slow, don’t rush to buy the bottom. This is usually the final trap.

**Volume at the Top Doesn’t Always Mean End**. If there’s volume still pushing, it might continue to rise; lack of volume is the real warning sign before a crash.

**Volume at the Bottom Doesn’t Mean Immediate Reversal**. One spike in volume might be a bait, but continuous volume is the real breakthrough signal.

All these lessons weren’t learned from books; they came from blood and tears through liquidation and review.

The essence of the crypto world is control. While others chase after rising prices and sell on dips, you need to maintain your rhythm and not be swept away by market noise. Making money doesn’t rely on luck; it depends on mastering the correct sense of rhythm. Many people, like I was back then, rush to recoup losses, but the more anxious you are, the more you lose. I finally realized—markets will always come back, but whether you can be there when they do depends on whether you can survive until that day.