Recently, while reviewing the history of the crypto world, I suddenly remembered the story of Shen Yu. His experience, to be honest, is more worth pondering than most crypto legends.

Shen Yu's real name is Mao Shixing, from Henan. His entry into the scene was somewhat casual—at 21, he was studying Communications Engineering at Beijing University of Chemical Technology. He happened to see a report on Bitcoin in the library and was instantly drawn in. But once he got in, he was completely immersed. He spent every day on foreign forums discussing with others, fascinated by Satoshi Nakamoto and the early community interactions, gradually realizing that this thing might really change something.

By the age of 23, Shen Yu's assets had already exceeded 100 million yuan. You read that right, it happened so fast. He chose to drop out of school and devote himself fully to mining and trading. For a young person just entering society, this was undoubtedly a huge victory. But the crypto world is like that—two years later, due to market volatility and some poor decisions, his wealth was almost wiped out.

The blow must have been heavy, but Shen Yu didn't choose to give up. He started over, founding China’s first Bitcoin mining pool—F2Pool, also known as the Fish Pool. This time, his decision was right again, and the pool quickly became one of the largest in the world. From the depths to the peak, Shen Yu demonstrated what resilience truly means through his actions.

But what really left a deep impression on me was Shen Yu’s view of human nature during this process. He witnessed firsthand how greed and fear can destroy a person. Friends who once fought alongside him, inflated by sudden wealth, collapsed because of the merciless market. Some even chose extreme ways. These experiences made Shen Yu reflect on what true wealth and true success really are.

Later, Shen Yu returned to Beijing to continue operating the mining pool and began paying attention to other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum. He reached the peak again, but this time, he was clearly different. He started sharing his experiences, helping more people understand the opportunities and risks in the crypto world. It’s obvious that he has realized a fundamental truth: true wealth is experience and wisdom, not just numbers.

Shen Yu’s story is essentially a microcosm of the crypto scene. Success is never achieved in one step; it requires decision-making, risk-taking, and the ability to get back up after failures. In this unpredictable field, only those who dare to take risks, keep learning, and adapt to change can ultimately survive—and survive meaningfully.