Zhang Xinyuan regrets three things most in his life, and the first thing is using his parents' money to start a business.
After graduating from university, 23-year-old Zhang Xinyuan, like many ambitious individuals, entered the entrepreneurial world with great enthusiasm. Despite not coming from a wealthy family, he had numerous innovative ideas and, with his parents' entire savings of 400,000 yuan, he partnered with a few classmates to start a company.
Two years later, his 400,000 yuan investment turned into a loss, and his partners left one by one. The company went bankrupt. Since then, Zhang Xinyuan realized that not everyone is suitable for entrepreneurship. While his partners were not exactly second-generation rich, they had financial backing and could afford to fail, possibly making a comeback in the future. However, as a poor student, his shining moment in life had passed once he failed.
After another year of drifting aimlessly, he reluctantly joined the ranks of office workers, earning a fixed monthly salary of 3,000 yuan. Just when he thought his life had stabilized, his father fell seriously ill, plunging Zhang Xinyuan's family into despair. His mother tried every means to gather the necessary medical fees from relatives, exhausting all personal connections, but still fell short.
After spending all the money, his father was discharged from the hospital and his condition worsened. Several months later, he passed away. The last sum of money that Zhang Xinyuan's family received was the funeral expenses for his father's death, which was not enough to clear their debts.
Under this devastating blow, his mother's health deteriorated, and she became physically frail and mentally unfocused. One day on her way to work, she accidentally broke her leg and subsequently lost her job.
The heavy burden of life fell solely on Zhang Xinyuan's shoulders. In addition to his regular job, he took on additional work. He worked as an online store customer service representative after work and worked as a delivery driver for takeout during weekends. On holidays, he stayed in the company to work overtime for extra pay.
In this way, sacrificing the experiences of entertainment, fitness, socializing, and romance that young people should have, Zhang Xinyuan transformed himself into a money-making machine. He was determined to save up enough money to start a business again, taking advantage of his youth.
With his previous failed entrepreneurial experience, he would not allow himself to fail again.
In his quest for money, Zhang Xinyuan overextended his health, and soon he felt his body growing weaker. At the age of 30, he began experiencing intermittent chest pain, coughing, and regular difficulty in breathing.
Afraid to go to the hospital, he feared that even if it was just a minor illness, it would cost thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan for treatment. In the end, he took his friends' advice and quit smoking.
At the age of 32, Zhang Xinyuan finally managed to save up 400,000 yuan, which he intended to use as capital for his entrepreneurial venture. However, another tragedy struck him.
Fate had other plans and things turned against his wishes. His mother developed severe chronic kidney failure, accompanied by a series of other issues affecting her cardiovascular system, blood, and nerves.
Monthly dialysis cost over 8,000 yuan, and when accounting for hospitalization, food, and nursing fees, he could not afford the 20,000 yuan expenses. The doctor recommended that Zhang Xinyuan's mother stay in the hospital for observation, but if her condition continued to worsen, she would need a kidney transplant operation. The estimated cost for the transplant was around 400,000 yuan.
If Zhang Xinyuan used his money for medical treatment, his dream of starting a business would be shattered. But if he pursued his entrepreneurial dreams, he would have no money for his mother's treatment.
He had to make a choice.
The second thing that Zhang Xinyuan regrets most in his life is using the 400,000 yuan for gambling.
Through a friend's introduction, Zhang Xinyuan became acquainted with a large overseas online casino. The payout rate was high, and the more one gambled, the more they could earn. Many lucky individuals became immensely wealthy through this casino and reached the pinnacle of their lives.
At first, Zhang Xinyuan didn't believe it, but to save face in front of his friend, he only used 1,000 yuan to gamble. Regardless of winning or losing, he wouldn't touch the principal.
On the first day of gambling, he won 10,000 yuan. His initial 1,000 yuan multiplied by ten and entered Zhang Xinyuan's account. While feeling happy, he also regretted not using 40,000 yuan to gamble, which would have covered his mother's medical expenses.
On the second day, Zhang Xinyuan continued gambling with the 10,000 yuan he won. As a result, he earned 50,000 yuan.
From then on, Zhang Xinyuan completely fell into the abyss. He gambled continuously for a week and earned a total of 200,000 yuan.
He accumulated this amount over nearly three years at the expense of his health.
On the eighth day, Zhang Xinyuan threw all the 200,000 yuan he earned into the casino. He wanted to make 400,000 yuan so that he could immediately quit. But... He lost the 200,000 yuan, as if it had disappeared into thin air.
Friends advised Zhang Xinyuan to quit and not touch the capital anymore, but he was already blinded by gambling and couldn't listen to anyone's advice.
In the following week, he lost his entire 400,000 yuan.
...
After that, Zhang Xinyuan spent a whole day on a high-rise, overlooking the earth. In the end, he couldn't muster the courage to jump.
"I still have to take care of my critically ill mother." He convinced himself with this reason and returned to his mother's side.
He lied to his mother, saying that he was starting a business. After half a month, his mother was discharged from the hospital and stayed home to recuperate, no, wait for death.
Zhang Xinyuan had no money left in his hands. The house had been mortgaged, and he had gambled away all the money he had saved during his youth. He had nothing left but a terrible body and a critically ill loved one.
Before her death, his mother said to Zhang Xinyuan, "Child, your father and I have let you down and held you back. Keep the money you earned for yourself, don't waste it on treating me. There's no hope for my life. All I ask is that after you succeed in your business, find a beautiful wife and bring her to visit me and your father's gravesite. That will be enough for me."
After his mother passed away, Zhang Xinyuan lost his purpose completely and became a walking corpse. He quit his job and spent his days sleeping at home, but soon he was kicked out by the landlord. No relatives were willing to take him in, and his former friends started to distance themselves from him.
Zhang Xinyuan didn't have the courage to commit suicide. He gave up his dreams and found a job as a janitor. He endured the harsh living conditions while fantasizing about sitting in an office after succeeding in his business. In this way, he sadly spent a year, his health deteriorating rapidly. Soon, he could no longer engage in physical labor.
If he were to suffer another major illness, Zhang Xinyuan could start preparing for his own funeral, and yet he hadn't even reached the age of forty.
Zhang Xinyuan was an ordinary person, with an ordinary birth, an ordinary business venture, and an ordinary failure. In the end... an ordinary death was expected. However, one thing changed his fate.
One evening, after a tiring day of work, he returned to his rented room alone. Rubbing his sore shoulders, he took out his phone and wanted to order the cheapest takeout.
But a strange webpage suddenly appeared on his phone screen.
[Welcome to the Horror Novel Web!]
[Hello! When you see this webpage, it means that you have been chosen. As long as you become the author of this website, you will have the chance to fulfill all your wishes...]
[...]
[...]
[Do you want to start writing?]
[Yes No
Note: Choosing "Yes" means you will officially become an author of Horror Novel Web. Choosing "No" will make this website disappear and never appear in front of you.]
Zhang Xinyuan stared at the Horror Novel Web for a long time, and tears that had been silent for many years suddenly welled up. Perhaps even heaven couldn't bear to see his fate and decided to compensate him with a cheat.
The third biggest regret of Zhang Xinyuan's life was writing himself into the Horror Novel Web.
He started to write frantically. He wanted to put all his experiences, grievances, frustrations, and despair of recent years into the Horror Novel Web.
Just when he was about to publish it, he received an invitation on his QQ (a popular Chinese instant messaging platform).
"Mr. Zhang Xinyuan, I am also an author of that website. Please join our QQ group. There is an important matter to inform you about. It is related to your life. Please take it seriously! Remember, becoming an 'author' does not mean you have a cheat. It might lead you into another abyss!"
Zhang Xinyuan was suspicious, but he quickly joined the QQ group.
Group owner: "Welcome, newcomer! Welcome to our 'Hope Association.' After coming here, you are one of us. I want to make it clear beforehand that everyone in this QQ group, including myself, is an author of that website."
Is this QQ group all authors?!
