Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 208, Section 206: Past, Present, and Future

On an autumn night in Jiangcheng, the city lights begin to twinkle.

In a local Shanghainese restaurant in Hankou, the private room by the window was warm and cozy, keeping out the biting river wind.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the riverfront is a dazzling night view, with the international architectural complex outlined in gold against the night sky. Standing close, you can even see the cruise ships moving on the river, their lights reflecting off the shore.

This is Gu Caiwei's first birthday since her coming-of-age ceremony.

The private room is decorated in a typical Shanghai style, with velvet seats and crystal chandeliers reflecting a warm light, and even the air feels exceptionally fresh.

Tonight's leading lady leans casually against a velvet chair by the window, her posture relaxed, her eyes carrying a touch of languid elegance.

"Want to look at the menu? Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Li Zhi sat next to her best friend, with a menu spread out in front of her, and asked Zhou Mingyuan, who was sitting opposite her.

"No, I'm following the organization's arrangements."

Zhou Mingyuan was wearing a dark sweatshirt and jeans. His freshly washed hair was fluffy and clean, and his smile was incredibly sunny.

"Today, the birthday girl is in charge. Just order whatever Weiwei likes."

"Hmph, sycophant."

The short-haired girl looked up and gave him a disgruntled look.

Even so, she deftly pressed the button, took the tablet handed to her by the waiter, and quickly tapped a few times with her fingers.

"Crab meat tofu, braised pork belly with clover and pork intestines, braised pork with a good mix of lean and fatty meat, stir-fried river shrimp, and a dish of pickled bamboo shoots and pork belly. Hmm, the soup should be chicken and dried tofu soup, she prefers that."

Li Zhi ordered food with ease and without any need for thought or hesitation.

"My baby understands me best!"

Gu Caiwei smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling.

"Okay, that's all, thank you."

Li Zhi handed the tablet back, her gaze naturally falling on the small bag beside Zhou Mingyuan.

"Hey, what's in your bag?"

"A birthday present for Vivi?"

"correct."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled and nodded in agreement.

The two sisters turned their gazes at the small bag Zhou Mingyuan had placed on the table.

As best friends who always put a lot of importance on rituals, Li Zhi delivered the gift to Gu Caiwei well in advance.

Only Zhou Mingyuan remained shrouded in mystery, personally delivering his gift to the event on the day itself.

The man smiled and put down his water glass, then reached into the middle of a small black bag and groped for something.

A simple white box, about the size of a palm.

It features a huge logo with smooth lines, giving it a high-tech feel.

"Here, a birthday present."

Zhou Mingyuan pushed the white box in front of Gu Caiwei.

"This is for the top photographer who helps you solve your problems. Although your phone camera produces great photos, an instant camera is more convenient and you can get the photos immediately!"

I feel like you'll like it.

"Wow, Lycra SOFORT!"

Gu Caiwei raised an eyebrow, picked up the box, and slightly widened her eyes.

Although she is not a professional photographer and enjoys taking pictures simply out of a love for a refined lifestyle, she has also heard of this top-of-the-line instant camera.

It's priced in the middle range, and it's both practical and beautiful.

nice one!
She happily opened the box, and inside was indeed a stylish instant camera, all white and of excellent quality.

The thoughtful Zhou Mingyuan had even prepared the photographic paper. She held it in her hand and played with it for a while, her dimples never disappearing.

"Thank you~"

"You have good taste!"

"I love so much!"

Gu Caiwei smiled and casually placed the camera on the table.

Hmm. As expected.

Li Zhi, who was next to her, took a sip of tea and remained quiet.

Her gaze swept between Gu Caiwei's wrist and Zhou Mingyuan, containing a hint of barely perceptible amusement.

How would you rate Zhou Mingyuan's gift?
As expected, this reflects the typical straight male aesthetic; it's quite conventional.

Surprisingly, Zhou Mingyuan's birthday gifts didn't seem to be over yet.

"Besides the camera, I also have a small gift."

His next move was still to reach into that small black bag.

What they pulled out stunned both Gu Caiwei and Li Zhi.

It was an extremely simple, even somewhat crumpled, kraft paper envelope.

The envelope was plain and undecorated; it looked like the most ordinary office supplies.

Zhou Mingyuan placed the envelope next to the Polaroid camera and pushed it over.

His movements were casual, but his eyes were unusually serious as he looked at Gu Caiwei.

"Here, here you go."

The private room fell silent instantly.

The river view outside the window remains dazzling, but the air inside is strangely tense.

Gu Caiwei blinked her bright eyes, looking at the kraft paper envelope with a puzzled expression.

Li Zhi leaned forward slightly, her face full of gossip.

"what is this?"

The girl's voice carried a hint of uncertainty. She gathered her cascading brown hair and hesitated, her fingertips touching the rough edge of the envelope.

"open to take a look."

Zhou Mingyuan spoke succinctly and with a carefree attitude.

Why are you keeping us in suspense?

The two sisters exchanged a glance, both seeing curiosity in each other's eyes.

Gu Caiwei took a deep breath and carefully opened the simple envelope.

There was no letter paper inside, only an ordinary white cardboard with a USB flash drive embedded in the middle.

"A birthday card?"

Li Zhi leaned closer, her shoulder touching Gu Caiwei's, watching her best friend pull out a card, muttering to herself.

The front of the card was written with several lines of text in black marker, each stroke meticulously written.

Happy birthday, Vivi! Here's 10 BTC for you, hoping it will be the key to your future.

[Private key: A long, complex, and dazzling string of letters and numbers]

(Note: This private key represents ownership; it is recommended to import it into a cold wallet and keep it safe.)
The air was completely still, with only the faint sound of riverboat whistles coming from outside the window.

Li Zhi stared at the words on the card, her beautiful eyes sparkling, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

She rubbed her eyes, seemingly not understanding, or perhaps unable to believe it.

What is BTC?
What is a private key for?
ownership?

Cold wallet?
The combination of these terms was like a bombshell to her, a girl whose understanding was stuck in the era of physical luxury goods.

She looked up at Zhou Mingyuan blankly, then looked down at the birthday card, then at Gu Caiwei's expression. Her red lips parted slightly, but she couldn't make a sound.

What's the use of this gift?

She subconsciously reached out and touched the cold USB drive with her fingers, looking completely bewildered.

However, Gu Caiwei, who was standing next to the short-haired girl, reacted very differently.

The moment she saw the contents of the card, her eyes widened in surprise.

"."

I go!

Bitcoin?
Compared to her best friend who was more interested in the USB drive, Gu Caiwei repeatedly examined the card in front of her, almost holding it up to her face to scan every word.

And that long string of private keys.

Born into a family with a long history in finance, she has an extremely keen sense for emerging fields.

The term Bitcoin was not only familiar to her, but in fact, she had discussed the prospects of digital currency with Zhou Mingyuan on the very day they met.

The only difference is their perspective. 2014 was a year of explosive growth followed by a relentless decline for cryptocurrencies.

At the beginning of the year, Mt. Gox, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, was hacked, losing 85 BTC and officially declaring bankruptcy.

On the day the crisis broke out, the price of Bitcoin plummeted by 25%, and major institutions such as BTCChina, Coinbase, and Bitstamp issued an emergency joint statement to distance themselves from the crisis.

Good times are not long.

In mid-March, Huobi.com, China's largest cryptocurrency exchange, experienced a shocking "price drop of 1 yuan".

The price of cryptocurrencies plummeted again, causing huge losses for countless investors and casting a shadow over market confidence.

Until now in November, the price of BTC has not broken through $400, and has been trading sideways around $370 for a long time.

Even so, 10 BTC
Including transaction fees, the total value, converted to RMB, is at least 3.5 yuan, which is quite expensive.

Not to mention its potential value, which may far exceed the gifts given by friends, and even far exceed many so-called luxury goods.

"no."

"seriously?"

Gu Caiwei put down the greeting card in her hand, raised her eyes, and spoke in a soft, sweet voice full of emotion.

An unbelievable shock, an almost imperceptible eagerness, and a touch of indescribable joy.

"Are there 10 bitcoins in here?"

"Give it to me?"

"Isn't this a bit too expensive?"

She didn't even bother with etiquette, waving the USB drive in her hand and directly asking questions.

"of course it's true."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded, spread his hands, and spoke in a calm and collected tone.

"These things are so cheap right now, it's practically free."

"I guessed it was the lowest point when I bought it, and I put 10 of them in there and haven't touched them."

The man pointed to the string of characters on the card.

"You only have this one private key, so please remember to keep it safe."

"besides."

Zhou Mingyuan paused, looking at Gu Caiwei's flawless face, and added.

Whether it's expensive or not is another matter, but that's my opinion.

Then, he picked up the white Polaroid camera on the table and shook his wrist with a smile.

"A camera can help you preserve what you look like now."

“Digital currency is a form of value investment.”

He bent his middle finger and flicked the birthday card in Gu Caiwei's palm.

"It represents a certain possibility for the future."

"Whether it's valuable or how much it's worth, I can't say for sure right now, but I think it's quite interesting. Consider it a future Easter egg I'm saving for you."

"."

Gu Caiwei remained silent for a long time. She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and her mind was filled with only four words.

He's so romantic.

How romantic!
If Zhou Mingyuan's "Relief Coffee" is a place where the handicrafts his staff meticulously prepared represent the past.

So, the instant camera in his hand is what records the present moment.

The 10 digital currencies hidden on her fingertips represent the future.

The birthday gift Zhou Mingyuan gave himself actually encompassed the past, present, and future.

Oh my God!
Gu Caiwei was overwhelmed with emotions, her eyes glazed over, and she tried hard to control her facial expressions.

Having celebrated so many birthdays since childhood, this was the first time she had been overwhelmed by such a thoughtful gift.

That's so thoughtful.

"Thank you. I love it so much!"

After a long silence, Gu Caiwei finally reacted, cleared her throat, and said softly.

"Thank you for your past, present, and future."

The girl's voice was soft, yet incredibly earnest.

Repeating Zhou Mingyuan's description, his gaze shifted back and forth between the cards and the camera.

A strange feeling, unlike anything I'd ever experienced before, quietly welled up inside me.

At that moment, it was as if the card with the word "future" written on it and the camera that could freeze the "present" resonated with the deeper emotions in her heart.

Zhou Mingyuan's birthday gift was truly thoughtful.

The surprises offered by the triple waves are wondrous gifts of possibility and fleeting moments.

Anyone who receives it will be pleasantly surprised.

"no."

"Can any of you explain to me what all of this is?"

For the first time, Li Zhi felt like an outsider.

The short-haired girl looked up at Zhou Mingyuan, her expression extremely complicated.

There was shock, bewilderment, and disbelief, but in the end, it all turned into a thousand questions.

"I've heard of Bitcoin, but what are cold wallets for? What are private keys? How are they the future?"

Li Zhi watched Gu Caiwei's careful movements, watching her put the card back into the kraft paper envelope, and then carefully put it, along with the Polaroid camera, into her Birkin bag.

The movements were as gentle as if they were handling a fragile treasure.

what!

Do you really like the gift he gave you that much?

What is this?

Li Zhi was completely jolted awake by Gu Caiwei's seriousness.

Although she still didn't quite understand the specific value of Bitcoin, she keenly sensed the significance of this simple card from her best friend's reaction.

Those cold characters seemed to possess some unknown magic at that moment.

"Well... how do I explain this to you?"

Gu Caiwei giggled and put her arm around her best friend's shoulder, feeling inexplicably happy.

"I'll tell you slowly when we get back!"

"OK?"

She glanced at the exquisite and beautiful instant camera next to her and immediately changed the subject.

"Thanks to my dining companion for giving me this. It's the most unexpected gift I've ever received."

Gu Caiwei paused, a playful smile curving her lips, and picked up the Polaroid camera.

"Let me try out the camera!"

Just then, the waiter knocked on the door, and one by one, exquisite local dishes were served, each one a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, and the presentation was like that of a work of art.

Before the two could react, Gu Caiwei had already deftly torn open the photo paper packaging, put it into the camera, then stood up, walked to the window, and pointed the lens at the dazzling river view and Li Zhi and Zhou Mingyuan sitting side by side by the window.

"Smile, smile!"

Gu Caiwei's voice was extremely pleasant, and she smiled as she directed Li Zhi's expressions.

"Crack!"

A soft sound was heard, followed by a flash of white light.

A small photographic sheet was slowly ejected.

Outside the window, a flowing golden galaxy stretched out. Gu Caiwei picked up the photographic paper, gently shook it, and watched the image slowly emerge under the warm yellow light.

Inside the window, Li Zhi and Zhou Mingyuan sat side by side, their figures, one tall and one short, reflected in the photograph.

"No, no, how did it become a photo of the two of you together!"

It wasn't until the colors gradually emerged from the thick photographic paper and the photo became fully visible that Gu Caiwei seemed to remember something and quickly called the waiter into the room.

"Excuse me, could you please take a group photo for us?"

"Yes, ma'am, no problem."

The waiter at the upscale restaurant responded very quickly and immediately took the Polaroid camera from Gu Caiwei's hand.

(End of this chapter)