Lin Ye sat on the cold floor of the inpatient department corridor, his back pressed tightly against the white wall, the white light from the phone screen stinging his eyes. The price of DOGE2 continued to drop, sliding from $0.01 all the way down to $0.008, the asset number in his account constantly fluctuating, finally settling at 3686.91元—within a short morning, not only had he lost the 380元 he earned last night, but he also incurred a loss of 5530.38元, and the savings that could barely support a few days of food expenses instantly shrank to an insignificant number.
The number of people in the corridor gradually increased, doctors, nurses, and family members of patients came and went, the sounds of footsteps, conversations, and the beeping of machines intertwined, forming a noisy torrent, yet it seemed to be isolated from him. He buried his face in his knees, tightly hugging his legs, his shoulders uncontrollably trembling, the suppressed sobs were held tightly in his throat, only a few weak gasps could be squeezed out from his nasal cavity. In the pocket of his down jacket, the bill still pressed against his thigh, but at this moment, the number '198620元' was no longer a dull knife, but a sharp dagger, piercing through all of his hopes.
He remembered his mother forcing a smile when she woke up that morning, asking him, "How's it going with raising the money?" He had tried to remain calm, saying, "Almost there, Mom, don't worry." But now, he couldn't even convince himself. If his mother knew he had invested all his remaining savings in cryptocurrency and lost it all, wouldn't she be so worried that her condition would worsen? This thought pierced Lin Ye's heart like a thousand needles. He wanted to slap himself—why had he been so impulsive? Why had he believed in those unrealistic get-rich-quick myths? Why had he gambled away his mother's life-saving money?
The phone screen lit up again with a notification from the "Crypto Riches Exchange Group," but Lin Ye didn't even have the courage to open it. He could imagine the scene in the group: those who were cheering last night were probably wailing, blaming each other, or already looking for the next new coin to hype. In the crypto world, only a minority of people ever profit; most retail investors, like him, are just "leeks" being harvested by capital, frantically following the trend when prices rise, and despairing when prices fall, ultimately leaving only a mess.
After an unknown amount of time, familiar footsteps echoed down the corridor. Lin Ye quickly wiped away his tears, rubbed his red eyes with his sleeve, and forced himself to stand up, leaning against the wall to feign composure. He knew it was the attending physician in charge of his mother's ward. Sure enough, Dr. Wang, wearing a white coat, approached, holding a medical record in his hand, his face displaying professional seriousness.
“Mr. Lin, your mother’s condition had a slight relapse this morning; her blood sugar and blood pressure were a bit unstable. We adjusted her medication plan, but several more tests are needed to ensure her condition doesn’t worsen.” Dr. Wang’s voice was calm, yet it felt like a heavy stone hitting Lin Ye’s heart. “Also, the cashier just informed me that your outstanding payment hasn’t been made. The hospital’s financial system has regulations that if a portion of the outstanding payment isn’t made by 5 PM today, the tests and subsequent treatment will be affected.”
Lin Ye's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he found his throat too dry to make a sound. He opened his mouth several times before finally managing to squeeze out a hoarse sentence: "Dr. Wang, I... I will definitely raise the money as soon as possible. Please be lenient again. The examination and treatment cannot be stopped. My mother... she can't wait." His voice was filled with undisguised pleading, and his eyes were full of despair and helplessness.
Looking at his red eyes and haggard face, Dr. Wang felt a pang of sympathy and sighed, saying, "I understand your difficulties. We've been very concerned about your mother's condition and hope she can recover as soon as possible. But the hospital has its regulations. I've applied to the higher-ups for an extension of the payment, but they said there are too many patients hospitalized recently, and the financial pressure is too great, so they can't make any more exceptions. Try your best to find a way, even if it's just to pay 50,000 yuan to get through today's examinations and treatments."
50,000. This number weighed heavily on Lin Ye, making it hard to breathe. He only had 3,686.91 yuan left; he couldn't even come up with 5,000, let alone 50,000. He wanted to borrow from relatives, but his father had passed away early, and most of his mother's relatives were of modest means. He had already borrowed money from several uncles and aunts when his mother was hospitalized, and he was too embarrassed to ask again. He wanted to borrow from friends, but he had only recently resigned, and his former colleagues were either not in much contact or had their own difficulties; they probably wouldn't lend him much money.
"I understand, Dr. Wang. I'll definitely find a way. I'll pay part of the money before 5 PM." Lin Ye nodded vigorously, his voice carrying a certainty that even he himself wasn't sure of. Dr. Wang patted his shoulder, said nothing more, and turned to walk into the ward. Watching Dr. Wang's retreating figure, Lin Ye's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground again. He leaned against the wall and slowly slid down onto the bench, his mind blank.
He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, from the first to the last, but couldn't decide who to call. He thought of his former boss. Although they hadn't had a good time, the boss was considered decent; perhaps he'd be willing to lend him some money? But then he remembered how he'd smashed his computer and quit, and he dismissed the idea—even if the boss were willing, he'd be too ashamed to ask for it back. He thought of Zhang Lei, but Zhang Lei had warned him about the risks of DOGE2 that morning, and he'd ignored the warning and was now losing money. How could he possibly ask Zhang Lei for money again?
Just as Lin Ye was in despair, a private message popped up on his phone. It wasn't from Zhang Lei, but from a stranger on WeChat with the nickname "A-K". Lin Ye was stunned for a moment before remembering that A-K was the person who had added him when he broke down and asked for help in the cryptocurrency exchange group on his first day. At the time, A-K had only said, "Newbies shouldn't blindly follow trends. You can ask me if you have any questions," and then he had never contacted him again. He had even forgotten that he had added this person.
A-K's message was simple: "I noticed you didn't say anything in the group this morning, did you lose money on DOGE2?"
Upon seeing this message, Lin Ye couldn't help but burst into tears again. In this unfamiliar cryptocurrency world, at his most desperate and helpless moment, a complete stranger had noticed his breakdown. He hesitated for a long time before finally replying, his voice filled with exhaustion and despair: "Yeah, I lost money. I bought heavily, and now I'm down to less than half. My mother is still in the hospital, waiting for money for surgery. The payment due this afternoon, I really have no other choice..."
After sending the message, Lin Ye felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He slumped onto the bench, his shoulders trembling. He didn't know if A-K would reply, or what A-K could do to help him. He just wanted someone to confide in, to pour out all the grievances and despair in his heart.
Not long after, A-K replied to the message. There was no sarcasm or accusation in his tone, only a hint of helplessness: "I knew it. Newcomers are most likely to fall into the trap of heavily investing and following the trend. I noticed DOGE2, a coin that is purely hyped up yesterday. There is no white paper, no development team, and even the official website is a temporary one. It is a typical Ponzi scheme. It rises quickly and falls even faster. It may even run away at any time."
Lin Ye looked at the message, his heart filled with remorse: "I know I was wrong, but it's too late now. I've invested all my remaining savings and lost it all. My mother is waiting for the money to treat her illness, I really don't know what to do..."
"Don't panic, panicking won't solve anything," A-K's message came quickly. "DOGE2 has plummeted, but it hasn't gone to zero yet. See if you can sell some to recover some funds for emergencies. Also, how much do you need for your mother's medical expenses? How much can you raise?"
Lin Ye sniffed and replied, "I still need nearly 200,000 yuan. I only have a little over 3,000 yuan left, and I can't borrow much from relatives and friends either. The doctor said that I have to pay 50,000 yuan this afternoon, otherwise the examination and treatment will be stopped."
After sending the message, Lin Ye waited a long time, but A-K didn't reply. He felt a little disappointed. Sure enough, even strangers would only offer a few words of comfort; they couldn't actually help him solve the problem. He put down his phone, leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and his mind was a mess. He even had an extreme thought—if he really couldn't raise the money, he would borrow from loan sharks, even if it meant incurring huge debts later, he had to save his mother's life first.
But the thought had barely crossed his mind when he dismissed it. He knew how terrible loan sharking was; once you got involved, you could never escape. Not only would he be plunged into an abyss of despair, but his mother would also suffer with him. He couldn't do that, absolutely not.
Just as Lin Ye was caught in a dilemma, his phone suddenly vibrated. It was a call from Ah K. Lin Ye was startled for a moment, then quickly answered the phone, his voice hoarse as he said, "Hello?"
A deep male voice came from the other end of the phone, his tone steady: "Is this Lin Ye? This is A-K. I just checked the DOGE2 market, and the price has dropped to $0.007. If you hold on to it any longer, it may go to zero. You should sell some now and recover as much as you can."
"Sell?" Lin Ye hesitated. "But if I sell now, I'll definitely lose money. I want to wait for a rebound..."
"A rebound? Don't be naive." A-K's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "These Ponzi schemes, once they start to fall, won't easily rebound; they'll just keep falling until they're worthless. I've suffered even worse losses before. I heavily invested in a new coin, and it ran away that very afternoon. Tens of thousands of yuan went up to zero in an instant, without even a chance to sell. You still have a chance to sell now, so sell quickly and don't hold onto any wishful thinking."
Lin Ye fell silent. Ah K's words were like a bucket of cold water, waking him up. He knew Ah K was right; there were no lucky breaks in the cryptocurrency world, and most of those seemingly promising rebounds were traps. But he was still unwilling to accept it—unwilling to let his savings go down the drain, unwilling to let his mother's life-saving money disappear like this.
"I...I'll think about it some more." Lin Ye's voice was choked with sobs.
“Don’t think about it anymore, there’s no time.” A-K’s voice was a little urgent. “Your mother’s medical expenses are still needed. If you sell some now, at least you can raise some money for the emergency. It’s better than waiting to go to zero. In addition, I have some spare money here, about 20,000. If you don’t mind, I can lend it to you first and help you raise the 50,000 you need to pay this afternoon.”
"What?" Lin Ye suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with surprise. "You...you're willing to lend me money? We don't even know each other..."
“I know we don’t know each other, but I understand your difficulties.” A-K’s voice softened considerably. “I was just like you back then, frantic with worry for my family’s medical treatment, and I did a lot of impulsive things, losing a lot of money. Later I realized that the crypto world is not a savior, and you can’t get rich by trading crypto; you can only rely on rationality and patience. I’m lending you money not to make you grateful, but because I don’t want to see you fall into an even deeper predicament because of impulsiveness, like I did.”
Lin Ye couldn't hold back his tears again, this time tears of gratitude. In his most desperate and helpless moment, a complete stranger was willing to lend him money to save his mother's life. He opened his mouth, wanting to say thank you, but found his throat choked, unable to utter a single word. He could only nod repeatedly into the phone, letting out weak gasps.
"Don't get agitated, calm down first." A-K's voice carried a hint of comfort. "Right now, open the exchange app and sell half of your DOGE2 to recover some funds. Then I'll transfer 20,000 to you. You can then figure out how to raise the rest and pay off the debt from this afternoon. Don't delay your mother's treatment."
"Okay, okay, I'll sell right away." Lin Ye quickly wiped away his tears, his hands trembling as he opened the exchange's app and tapped the DOGE2 trading interface. On the screen, the price had already dropped to $0.0065, leaving him with only 3001.62 yuan in his account. He gritted his teeth and, following A-K's advice, sold half of his DOGE2, which was 230,432 coins, at a price of $0.0065. After deducting transaction fees, he received $1497.81, equivalent to approximately 10484.67 yuan.
After successfully selling the item, Lin Ye breathed a sigh of relief. At least now he had 10,484.67 yuan in his hands. Adding the 20,000 yuan that A-K lent him, he had 30,484.67 yuan. Although it wasn't 50,000 yuan yet, he could at least ask the hospital for a leniency and pay part of it to get through today's examination and treatment.
Just as he was about to send a message to A-K, his phone received a transfer notification. It was 20,000 yuan transferred by A-K, with a note that read: "Take this for emergencies. Don't rush to pay it back. We'll talk about it slowly after your mother recovers."
Looking at the transfer notification, Lin Ye's eyes welled up with tears again. He sent a message to A-K: "Brother A-K, thank you so much, thank you so much. I will never forget this kindness. Once my mother recovers, I will definitely pay you back as soon as possible."
"No need to thank me, hurry up and raise the money to pay off the debt, don't delay your mother's treatment," A-K replied. "Also, don't hold onto any hope for the remaining DOGE2, sell it all when you have the chance, don't think about a rebound. In the future, when trading cryptocurrencies, you must be rational, don't over-invest, don't follow the crowd, don't be greedy, remember, being alive is more important than anything, and family is more important than anything."
“I understand, Brother K. I will never act impulsively again,” Lin Ye replied earnestly.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Ye felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. Holding his phone, he hurried to the cashier. Although he didn't have 50,000 yuan yet, at least he had hope, at least he could ask the hospital for leniency. He approached the cashier window and said to the staff, "Hello, I'm Lin Ye, son of Lin Xiulan in ward 302. I can pay 30,000 yuan now. I'll raise the rest as soon as possible. Please be lenient and don't stop my mother's examinations and treatment."
The cashier looked at him, checked his account information, and said, "I'll apply to the higher-ups for you. Please wait a moment." After a short while, the cashier nodded and said, "Okay, you can pay 30,000 first. The remaining balance must be paid by next Monday at the latest, otherwise it will still affect your subsequent treatment."
"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you so much." Lin Ye nodded hurriedly, took out his phone, and transferred all 30,484.67 yuan—the 10,484.67 yuan he had just received from selling his DOGE2 and the 20,000 yuan that A-K had lent him—to the hospital. Seeing the "Payment Successful" message on the screen, Lin Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief. His back was soaked with cold sweat, but he felt incredibly relieved.
After paying the fees, Lin Ye hurried towards the ward. He wanted to tell his mother immediately that he had raised some of the money and that she shouldn't worry. He gently pushed open the ward door. His mother was leaning against the headboard, holding an apple in her hand. Seeing him come in, she quickly smiled and said, "Xiao Ye, you're back. How's it going with raising the money?"
Lin Ye walked to the bedside, forced a calm smile, and held his mother's hand, saying, "Mom, don't worry, we've already raised some of the money. I just paid 30,000 yuan, and the doctor said that today's examinations and treatments can proceed normally. I'll raise the rest of the money as soon as possible. Just focus on getting better and don't think too much."
His mother looked at him with eyes full of relief, nodded and said, "That's good, that's good. Don't work too hard, don't worry too much about money, your health is the most important thing."
"I know, Mom, I'm fine." Lin Ye smiled and tucked the blanket around his mother, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He knew that the 30,000 yuan was only temporary; the remaining 160,000 yuan in debt still awaited him. He would have to repay the 20,000 yuan that A-K lent him sooner or later, and the remaining DOGE2 would most likely also be worthless. He had almost no savings left. What should he do next?
He sat with his mother for a while, watching her finish the apple and then lie down to rest, before quietly leaving the ward. He walked to a bench in the corridor, took out his phone, opened the exchange app, and saw the remaining 230,432 DOGE2 coins. The price had already dropped to $0.005, leaving him with only $1,152.16 in his account, equivalent to about 8,065.12 yuan. Remembering what Ah K had said, he gritted his teeth and finally decided to sell them all as soon as the price rebounded slightly, never touching such a worthless altcoin again.
He opened WeChat and sent a message to Ah K: "Brother Ah K, I've paid off the 30,000 yuan debt, and the hospital has agreed to extend it to next Monday. Thank you so much. I'll sell all the remaining DOGE2 when I have the chance, and I'll never impulsively invest heavily again."
A-K quickly replied: "That's good, as long as it doesn't delay your mother's treatment. Don't rush to sell the remaining DOGE2; wait until the price rebounds a little before selling, and you can recover as much as you can. Also, if you can't raise the remaining debt by next Monday, just let me know. I have some spare cash here, not much, but it might be able to help you in an emergency."
Lin Ye felt a warmth in his heart as he read the message. He knew that although A-K was a veteran in the cryptocurrency world, having witnessed countless ups and downs and the wickedness of human nature, he still retained a kind heart. In this cryptocurrency world filled with greed and restlessness, this kindness was more precious than gold.
He put away his phone, leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and wearily rubbed his temples. He hadn't slept a wink all night, and the morning's ordeal had left him utterly exhausted. But he knew he couldn't rest, couldn't give up. His mother was waiting for him to raise money for her medical treatment, and he still needed to find a way to repay the remaining 160,000 yuan debt. He remembered what Ah K had said: "The crypto world isn't a savior; you can't get rich quick by trading cryptocurrencies." A sense of confusion washed over him—if he couldn't make money through cryptocurrencies, how could he possibly raise 160,000 yuan in just a few days?
Just then, his phone vibrated; it was a notification from the "Crypto Riches Exchange Group." Lin Ye hesitated for a moment, then opened the group chat. A pinned message caught his eye; it was from the group owner, accompanied by a screenshot of an upcoming new coin called "PUPPIES." The coin's icon was a cute cartoon puppy, and the caption read: "Breaking News! Musk's latest tweet hints at the 'puppy concept.' PUPPIES tokens will launch in 3 days, backed by a major overseas institution, with an initial price of $0.001 and a target price of $0.10. Tenfold potential! Don't miss out!"
Lin Ye's gaze froze. Musk, the Puppies concept, tenfold potential, initial price of $0.001. These words drew him in like a magnet. He remembered his devastating losses, his mother's need for medical treatment, and the remaining debt of over 160,000 yuan. A thought popped into his head again—if he could seize the opportunity with Puppies, he might become rich overnight, not only paying off his debts but also helping his mother recover sooner.
He knew this idea was dangerous. He had just lost a fortune due to impulsive heavy-position trading, and A-K had repeatedly reminded him to be rational, not to follow the crowd, and not to be greedy. But when he thought of his mother's medical expenses, the 20,000 yuan A-K had lent him, and his current desperate situation, he couldn't control his impulse. As he looked at the messages in the group chat about people already reserving to buy PUPPIES, his inner struggle grew more and more intense.
He remembered Ah K's words, "Living is more important than anything else, family is more important than anything else." But if he couldn't raise enough money for his mother's medical expenses, her life would be threatened. How easy would it be to stay alive? He looked in the direction of the ward, and his mother's weak face appeared in his mind. In the end, he couldn't resist and clicked on the PUPPIES appointment link shared in the group.
He knew he had fallen into a gamble once again, taking another step into an unknown abyss. He didn't know if Puppies would be a trap like Doge2, or if he would lose everything again. But he had no way out. For his mother, for her speedy recovery, he had to gamble again.
Sunlight streamed through the corridor windows, falling on Lin Ye, but it couldn't warm the chill in his heart. He sat on the bench, his phone screen displaying the PUPPIES booking interface, his finger hovering above the screen, hesitant to press the "book" button. In his mind, there was a conflict between Ah K's warnings and a rational voice, and on the other, the cost of his mother's medical bills and the allure of sudden wealth. These two voices intertwined, plunging him into deep turmoil and anguish.
Little did he know that the soon-to-be-launched PUPPIES token would completely alter the course of his life. Would it be his salvation, allowing him to raise enough money for his mother's medical expenses and pull him out of his desperate situation? Or would it be another trap, leaving him penniless and plunging him and his mother into even deeper despair? No one knew the answer; only time would tell. And Lin Ye could only cling to his last glimmer of hope, struggling forward in this high-stakes gamble in the name of maternal love.