Former Chinese billionaire Zhao Changpeng was born in China, with more than half of his wealth coming from there.
However, after achieving success, he repeatedly distanced himself from his Chinese origins in public.
Deeply believing that 'the moon overseas is rounder', Zhao Changpeng, with the wealth he earned in China, preferred to stick his warm face to a cold bottom and immigrate abroad.
In the free America, every day is joyful. Having been influenced by foreign ideas since childhood, Zhao Changpeng both feared and yearned for that land.
But the America he longed for slapped him hard in the face.
Faced with the $4.5 billion fine proposed by the United States, to live better, Zhao Changpeng readily agreed, but the nightmare was just beginning.
Zhao Changpeng was born into a relatively well-off family; he couldn't be called a millionaire, but he was much better off than ordinary people.
At the age of 12, his parents resolutely abandoned their nationality and took him to immigrate to Canada.
Zhao Changpeng's family was well-off in the country, but once abroad, the previous affluence became negligible, and they even fell into a somewhat tight situation.
To subsidize his family, Zhao Changpeng began working part-time at various convenience stores, earning $24 an hour, just enough for his daily expenses.
Perhaps this work experience made Zhao Changpeng deeply realize the importance of wealth.
So he worked hard in school, got into the best university in Canada, and studied the then-popular computer science major.
With a high degree, Zhao Changpeng didn't have to worry about finding a job after graduation, successfully joining the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
But it can only be said that he was unlucky; he encountered Japan's economic downturn, making it hard to showcase his skills on the exchange.
To realize his ambitions, Zhao Changpeng came to Bloomberg Trading Company in New York.
After working for a while, Zhao Changpeng deeply felt that working for others was never as free as becoming his own boss and starting his own business.
After making up his mind, Zhao Changpeng rushed to Shanghai and resolutely embarked on his entrepreneurial journey.
In 2013, Zhao Changpeng, who had successfully founded his own company, encountered Li Qiyuan at a card table.
Speaking of Li Qiyuan, the founder of Bitcoin, he used a short two years to develop the company from nothing to the forefront of the world.
You could say that everyone who came to this card table today wanted to get close to Li Qiyuan and share a piece of the pie.
At that time, Zhao Changpeng was just an entrepreneurial newcomer, hardly making a mark at the card table.
While he was still thinking about how to strike up a conversation, Li Qiyuan took the initiative to approach him.
Zhao Changpeng had no complete understanding of Bitcoin; at first, he merely echoed Li Qiyuan, lacking independent insights and profound comprehension.
But when he heard that 'Bitcoin is the future', he put away his indifference.
He showed great interest in this virtual currency that punches inflation and kicks economic crises.
Perhaps Li Qiyuan was just bored and looking for someone to talk to, and would forget about it in a few days.
However, Zhao Changpeng dreamed of how to get Bitcoin up and even closed the company he was starting.
He completely immersed himself in the wave of Bitcoin, returning to being an employee and joining Blockchain.
At this company, he met a benefactor in the industry—He Yi, who was then the vice president of OKcoin, and now, He Yi has become his wife.
With the introduction of He Yi, Zhao Changpeng joined OKcoin as a partner investor, officially touching the threshold of Bitcoin.
With a firm belief in Bitcoin, Zhao Changpeng resolutely sold his property in Shanghai, investing all his wealth into it.
Those who can enter the crypto world are tough, but someone like Zhao Changpeng, who leaves no way out for himself, must become a werewolf, with a bit more than just toughness.
Fate seemed to play tricks on him; a year later, the price of Bitcoin plummeted while Shanghai's real estate prices soared.
Many in the industry mocked Zhao Changpeng for his choice, but Zhao Changpeng, who had been immersed in the industry for many years, was not worried at all—let the bullets fly for a while.
Before he could make a comeback, Zhao Changpeng first clashed with the company CEO.
Due to differences in ideology, Zhao Changpeng resolutely decided to start anew and go solo.
In 2017, as Bitcoin entered its golden year, Zhao Changpeng took the opportunity to establish his own company—Binance.
In a short span of three months, Binance successfully attracted over six million users, with profits exceeding $7.5 million.
In less than half a year, Binance's profits reached $200 million, becoming the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.
However, the good times didn't last long, as the country soon issued a ban, forcing Zhao Changpeng to wander with all his belongings.
Perhaps out of resentment towards the country, the expelled Zhao Changpeng repeatedly challenged openly in public and claimed that he was not Chinese.
This was not a wise move for Zhao Changpeng at that time.
Having fallen out with his birthplace, Zhao Changpeng, holding a large sum of money, quickly attracted the beautiful country's covetous eyes.
However, most of his wealth was tied up in cryptocurrency platforms, making it difficult for the beautiful country to seize it.
Moreover, Zhao Changpeng and his team became 'global wanderers', moving around without a fixed residence; the beautiful country wanted to catch him but couldn't.
Zhao Changpeng understood that holding the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, it was only a matter of time before the beautiful country would set its sights on him.
So he settled with his family in the UAE, a country that has no extradition treaty with the beautiful country.
Just when Zhao Changpeng thought he could safeguard his wealth and rest easy, the beautiful country directly launched a big wave.
Zhao Changpeng became a terrorist; the beautiful country presented a report claiming that he had transactions with major terrorist organizations.
Everyone knows that 'to crack down on organized crime, a charge is needed; to combat terrorism, only coordinates are required.'
No matter where Zhao Changpeng hides, the beautiful country has the ability to expose him in seconds.
At this point, Zhao Changpeng panicked; losing his life meant that keeping so many assets was of no use.
To save his own life, Zhao Changpeng took the initiative to contact the beautiful country, stating that as long as they needed, he could offer $4.5 billion to ask for leniency.
Even more ridiculous is that Zhao Changpeng completely provided client information to the beautiful country.
However, this $4.5 billion and the personal privacy of clients not only did not ensure safety, but instead fed the appetite of the robbers.
Seeing Zhao Changpeng handle the fine so decisively, the beautiful country immediately had a plan: to lure this money bag to their territory, and it would be easy to cut him up.
So they sent a signal to Zhao Changpeng that as long as he came, everything was negotiable.
Hearing the words of the beautiful country, Zhao Changpeng was only thinking of clearing his own suspicions, with no other choice but to believe, and bought a plane ticket to the beautiful country overnight.
The moment he landed, his fate was no longer in his hands.
In November 2023, Zhao Changpeng believed the beautiful country; as long as he signed his name on the confession, paid the fine, the matter would be settled.
So Zhao Changpeng took out the previously agreed $4 billion for the company's fine, and he himself needed to pay a $500 million bail because he pleaded guilty.
However, the beautiful country's shamelessness knows no bounds; once the money is in hand, they immediately turn hostile, as Zhao Changpeng is still in their territory, and they still call the shots.
Restricted in freedom, Zhao Changpeng soon received a fine notification of $2.85 billion again.
In total, he had already paid over $7 billion in fines, yet the matter was far from over.
The beautiful country will not rest until the last drop of profit is squeezed out.
In April 2024, the beautiful country painstakingly came up with a new charge; if confirmed, Zhao Changpeng would face up to 36 months of imprisonment.
However, thanks to his reliable legal team and support from all walks of life.
In the end, Zhao Changpeng was sentenced to 4 months in prison and returned to society on September 29.
Once glorious, Zhao Changpeng completely fell in the United States, dropping from a high pedestal to become a prisoner.
In the end, the facts tell us that no matter how glorious a billionaire is, he cannot compete with another level of big bosses.
If Zhao Changpeng had not gone against the country at that time, perhaps the situation would have been different? What do you think?
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