Just yesterday, a close friend of mine got divorced.
The cause was a devastating liquidation that wiped out every penny he and his wife had saved and built together over six years — losses that, all tallied up, came to roughly 350 million yuan. Gone, just like that.
Why do I say “again”? Because if you count carefully, this was already his third liquidation. The culprit this time was LUNA coin, the cryptocurrency that had been riding its most ferocious wave.
Just a week ago, he was buzzing with excitement when he called me: “Master Chi, brother’s going to take you along to make some fast money this round. Once we nail this, I guarantee you complete financial freedom.”
Long-time readers know that my own destiny chart (命盘) carries no great windfall fortune. So I politely declined his generous offer. But out of old friendship, I did pull up his destiny chart and take a look at his near-term wealth fortune (财运).
I gave him a specific warning: “The Greedy Wolf star is gaining prosperity, but punishment and the blade are lurking. Cash out while you’re ahead — or you’ll throw away everything you’ve gained.”
He did see the gains. He just didn’t cash out in time. One bullish candle wiped out every short position. Everything went to zero — including his marriage.
His wife and my own family have always been close. Ten years ago she was a celebrated 花旦 (a vivid, youthful stage actress) — now she’s gradually moving into 青衣 roles (the dignified, mature leading lady). If I mentioned her name, you’d know exactly who she is.
Over the phone, she wept to my wife:
“I’ve stayed by his side through three total wipeouts. Every single time, I scrambled to find him the capital to start over. Every single time, he swore he’d quit while he was ahead — that the moment life was comfortable again, he’d stop.
But every time he said it, every time he failed to mean it. When he won, he became reckless, doubling down, chasing bigger and bigger gains. When he lost, he threw everything at winning it back — until there was nothing left.
I’ve had enough of a life that’s more absurd than any TV drama.”
As someone watching from the outside, I honestly didn’t know what to say.
My friend was born a gambler to the bone. Every time he hit rock bottom, his first instinct was to borrow money and speculate again. He had ability, heart, courage, and intelligence — but his gambling addiction weighed too heavy, and he was far too impatient as a person.
No matter how brilliantly things started, it always ended in tragedy. It got to the point where even the children’s school fees and daily living expenses had to be covered by his wife.
Their real life was exactly as she described — every day felt like a rollercoaster, heart in their throats. In the good times, they never properly enjoyed it. In the bad times, she bore the full weight.
How do you even advise someone like that? Wouldn’t any push just send him further into the fire?
Sure enough, just one day later, he called me again. He’d already found a new angle for a comeback. All he needed was enough capital, he said, and he was certain he could rise again. The man is completely possessed.
The sad truth is, cases like my friend’s are only going to become more common.
As the broader environment grows increasingly difficult, more and more people will find themselves unable to resist the pressure and the temptation — turning toward opportunities that look beautiful on the surface but lead straight off a cliff.
“When things are bad, seek change” — that instinct isn’t wrong in itself.
But chasing money, especially fast money, has always been the surest way to drag yourself into an even deeper crisis.
I, Master Chi, have fallen into my own valleys more than once, and I’ve witnessed countless people around me fall into theirs.
Some of them I helped find their way out through destiny reading (命理) analysis. Others I helped with straightforward, worldly advice.
So today, I want to share some hard-won, practical guidance with you — drawn from all of these experiences.
I hope you never need these words in your lifetime. But if you ever find yourself in your own darkest valley, I hope you’ll still remember this advice from the heart:
1 — Life has its cycles. Resting now is what destiny intends.
No one in this world glides through life on an unbroken upswing. Everyone has their own fortune cycles (运势).
As a general rule, good and bad alternate. So if you’re going through a stretch where bad luck seems to follow you everywhere and everything goes wrong — do not fight the current.
Stay low. Stop making unnecessary moves. Return to a simpler, quieter life. Let that period pass, let yourself slowly recover, and then regroup and come out swinging.
Remember: when your fortune cycle is unfavorable, any extra move you make is a wrong move. The only right path is to rest, recover, and quietly improve yourself.
2 — Treat yourself as an asset.
Be honest with yourself. If your career has hit a wall right now, there are almost certainly significant gaps in you that you haven’t clearly seen yet.
Many white-collar workers who thought their positions were rock solid only discovered — after getting laid off — that outside their single area of technical expertise, they were essentially beginners when it came to building relationships, developing social resources, and managing assets. Suddenly jobless, they had no idea which direction to face.
So treat yourself as an asset. Set aside your pride and assumptions, and assess yourself from the perspective of a rational third party:
Outside my one technical skill, do I have any secondary income streams I could develop?
Do I have reliable senior contacts who can guide my career and offer strategic advice?
Beyond my main job, do I have any real capacity to earn consistently through investments or side ventures?
These small questions are actually the big things you need to think about.
3 — Don’t panic. Set clear, small goals — and complete them one by one.
Never make the mistake my friend made: letting momentary anxiety drive you to bet all your resources and capital on a single play, praying it’ll rescue you from your situation once and for all.
Over the years, I’ve lost count of how many friends I’ve watched crash and burn this way — digging themselves deeper and deeper. I know it in my bones: this path is not a way out. It’s a dead end.
Because if you win, you’ll want to keep winning. And if you lose, you’ll want to win it back. Either way, you go deeper and deeper, until there’s nothing left.
The lower the valley, the more you cannot afford to panic.
Give yourself small, manageable goals. Simple exercise. Daily reading. A light work schedule. A learning target. Something like: every six months, go through your entire network and reconnect with everyone in it.
The key is that goals must be concrete and executable — things you can handle in an hour or two, things you can act on right now. Not some grand, sweeping ambition with no clear first step.
Do this consistently, one step at a time, and almost without noticing, you’ll find yourself growing stronger. You’ll rebuild the foundation you need to chase the next chapter.
After all, even the greatest pyramid was built one brick at a time. Stack enough bricks, and no matter what the outcome, it will be something worth being proud of.
4 — Helping others is how you accumulate karmic merit (福报).
Have you ever noticed a certain type of person who, every time they fall, bounces back remarkably fast — always finding noble benefactors (贵人, Gui Ren) who seem to appear out of nowhere?
It’s because they’re the kind of person who freely helps others. When someone else is struggling, they offer ideas, give advice, make introductions, and lend a hand.
The deepest secret in both politics and in life is the same: maximize your friends, minimize your enemies.
Don’t be the person who only shows up when others are winning — the kind who vanishes the moment someone hits a rough patch. Help when you can. Offer what you’re able to. Over time, your reputation builds within your circles, and resources and trust flow naturally toward you.
Then, when the day comes that you need someone to guide or help you, people will reach out and do what they can.
And finally, one last personal thought from me, Master Chi:
Dear brothers and sisters — life is not a competition to see who flies highest or who “makes it” best. It’s an experience. The real question is: who lives most happily, most fully?
Yes, having a solid financial foundation matters. But that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your happiness, your joy, your family bonds, your friendships — or even your health — in exchange for money during your lowest moments.
Life has always had its peaks and valleys. Who among us hasn’t been through both?
Speaking of anxiety and uncertainty — look at Teacher Ma from Hangzhou not long ago. He may be vastly wealthier than any of us, but the pressure and risks he faced were things most of us couldn’t even imagine. And yet he came through steadily, didn’t he?
When you’re holding a hand full of bad cards, don’t fear, don’t panic, don’t rush. Slowly work through those unfavorable factors with time. Live your life steadily and well. Never let desperation drive you blindly into dangerous territory — no matter how tempting the bait. Safety and peace of mind are the most priceless treasures of all.
I, Master Chi, have witnessed far too many human destinies rise and fall.
When facing those tides, the wisest response is always the same: when the wind is at your back, charge forward boldly without hesitation. When the wind turns against you, lower your sails and stop forcing the outcome.
Destiny has its own plans and its own timing for you.