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From Debt to $5 Million: My Journey
墨書 Inktalez
Jiangcheng is the capital of Jiangbei Province. Many years ago, I was a leader in the infant swimming industry in Jiangcheng. Mainstream media such as Jiangbei Television Station, Jiangcheng TV Station, and Jiangcheng Evening News have extensively reported on it. The largest private television station in Asia even came to interview me.
I must admit that at that time, I bought a high-end BMW for my "girlfriend" without my wife knowing.
But the epidemic has lasted for three years, first it dried up my company, then it shattered my family, and ultimately it ruined me as a person.
In 2020, half of the dozens of chain stores under the company's umbrella closed down, and the remaining 50% collapsed in the last three months of 2022. Refunding prepaid fees to customers, along with employee salaries, utilities, and rent... After selling all my properties, I still have nearly a million yuan of debt that I can't fill.
A friend who works at a newspaper earns a basic salary of 3800 yuan. In the past, I didn't say it out loud, but in my heart I thought: this income can't even cover the cost of treating a client to drinks.
Now, a monthly income of 3000 yuan has become a luxury for me. My wife advises me, "Please stop struggling. You should drive for a ride-hailing service. No matter how much you earn, at least you won't end up losing money." At the age of just over 40, and having once achieved some success in my career, how can I be willing to accept this? Especially when there are debts to be repaid.
Isn't there a saying, "Where there's a will, there's a way"?
But without money, nothing can be done.
Later, the car was gone, and my wife said, "You should work as a security guard in the community."
But I still can't give up.
In the end, her heart died first, and she left me with the child.
When a person is poor, they are worse off than a dog.
When I couldn't hold on any longer, I was afraid of being laughed at by my friends, so I would rather use peer-to-peer lending than ask them for money. How high is the interest for peer-to-peer lending? It's so high that you wouldn't dare to imagine! But at that time, I thought I would soon turn things around, so I didn't take those financing costs seriously at all. When I was really in a tight spot, I borrowed from another platform to make ends meet.
But in the end, all the walls collapsed.
There used to be a big Benz and an Audi 6 at home, both bought during the "awesome" years, and the reason for not selling them is to avoid leaving the label of "fallen" among friends.
First mortgage, nearly a million yuan for the Land Rover, with a mileage of less than 100,000 kilometers, can only be mortgaged for 160,000 yuan, with a monthly "handling fee" of 25%! This means that only 120,000 yuan actually reaches my hands out of the 160,000 yuan mortgaged.
I give up.
At first, I redeemed it when it expired, but then it gradually became unsustainable. I couldn't repay the "loan" of 28,000 yuan, and the second-hand car company that provided the loan sold my car, reportedly for 220,000 yuan.
As for the Audi A6, after several attempts to use it as collateral, it eventually "lost contact" with me at a price of 8,000 yuan. Then came the domino effect, and I couldn't repay the money to the peer-to-peer lending company.
How ruthless and extreme can debt collectors be? During the Chinese New Year, they sent harassing messages to the contacts in my address book: "Hu Ruoyun, I wish you an early death in the new year!" They also photoshopped my picture onto a coffin and sent it to everyone, including my relatives, friends, classmates, colleagues, and clients. Overnight, everyone in my circle knew that "Hu Ruoyun is finished" and "Hu Ruoyun is in big trouble."
I didn't want to ask relatives and friends for money before, but now no one dares to lend me money. Even if I ask, they can't bring themselves to do it, and can only brush me off with a small amount. Even those who I helped, supported, or owed me money in the past are now avoiding me, afraid that my "poverty" will rub off on them. These people include my former drinking buddies, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, classmates, and relatives. Although I am down and out, I still understand most people: they rely on their salaries to support their families, and it's not possible for them to unconditionally help me. However, some people have gone too far. Not only do they not help me, but they also eagerly spread and exaggerate my negative news as a topic of conversation.
Xiao Hei Pangzi said in the crosstalk: "The poor stand at the crossroads playing with ten steel hooks, unable to hook their loved ones; the rich play with knives, guns, sticks, and clubs in the deep mountains and old forests, unable to scatter their unrighteous guests and friends."
I understand this sentence the most!
When my younger brother-in-law bought a house back then, I gave him over ten thousand yuan in total. Now, when I asked to borrow 800 yuan from him, he refused: "Sister-in-law, I'm just a working person, I don't have any money at home!"
My younger cousin got pregnant while working in the south and came to Jiangcheng to seek refuge with me. I gave her over 20,000 yuan, arranged for her to contact a hospital, and helped her find a job. Reluctantly, she gave me 2,000 yuan, saying, "Cousin, this is all I have. And I need to pay school fees for the child in a few months, so you'll have to pay me back."
My classmates who used to invite me to play mahjong and drink together no longer call me. I used to be the host, but now I can only wait on the sidelines!
"My poor wife and I are both in distress, when disaster strikes, we each fly our separate ways!" My wife of nearly ten years, seeing me as a helpless figure, has proposed a divorce. In truth, whether we divorce or not, we haven't been living together for a long time.
On Chinese New Year's Eve, heavy snow was falling, and the peer-to-peer lending company's debt collectors had me trapped in the office. They were calm and composed: "Old Hu, this isn't our first time dealing with each other. You have to understand, we have a mission. You have two options: either repay the 8000 yuan, and we'll leave peacefully, or we take one of your 'parts' with us to settle the 8000 yuan debt."
I really didn't have any money. I played tough: "I'll just sit here. If you lay a finger on me, I won't fight back or call the police!"
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