Sun Xue, has become popular.

At the beginning of 2026, an old book from nearly a decade ago suddenly surged into the WeChat reading hot list—"This World is Both Cruel and Gentle," authored by Sun Yuchen.

Almost simultaneously, various social platforms both domestically and internationally began to intensively discuss "Sun Xue." It echoes the saying online: in the past, people scoffed at him; now, they are trying to learn from him frame by frame.

When did Brother Sun's reputation turn around? Was it over ten years ago when he first invested in BTC and Tesla? Was it two years ago when he publicly showcased the Xiaomi robotic dog on social media, heavily betting on Xiaomi? Or was it last year when he came back from space, driving up TRON and $HTX…

Yes, and no. This collective reversal feels more like a return of an era's sentiment: as certainty recedes and the path to ascension becomes unclear, people begin to look back at those who survived and even thrived amidst chaos.

The rise of Sun Xue itself is a signal.

"This World is Both Cruel and Gentle" ranks second on the WeChat reading soaring list.

The Essence of Sun Xue is Winning

Some joke that Sun Yuchen is the "Phoenix of the crypto world," while others break down his experiences into an "extreme money-making methodology." Some even try to find a reusable survival logic from his controversies and comebacks.

Through rounds of discussion, dissection, and reinterpretation, Sun Xue gradually takes shape.

Even Sun Yuchen himself has stepped into the fray. He wrote on social media: "The essence of Sun Xue is winning. You will become a winner, no matter where you are on Earth, no matter what era you are in, no matter what kind of family you come from."

Sun Yuchen shares his views on "Sun Xue" on social media.

If we only look at the results, it’s easy to overlook a fact: Sun Yuchen did not enter the crypto world from a safe starting point.

Coming from an ordinary background, he entered Peking University through an essay competition, and every key choice thereafter was a high-risk bet. Studying in the U.S., returning to start a business, going all in on the crypto industry—none of these were "safe solutions."

Especially after entering the crypto space, he faced not a favorable situation.

Sudden regulatory changes, severe industry cycles, project skepticism, long-term public opinion siege… At many junctures, most people might have chosen to exit quietly to preserve their existing achievements.

But Sun Yuchen never left the table.

Even in the most unfavorable phases, he continued to push things forward—continuing projects, maintaining ecological layouts, and keeping a presence. Among these actions, the most controversial and symbolic step was his decision to enter Huobi HTX.

This brings us to Sun Yuchen's investment philosophy.

Do What is Right from the Future's Perspective

In traditional business textbooks, investment emphasizes asset allocation, risk hedging, and value preservation. But in the Sun Xue system, the essence of investment is to understand the future, grasp the future, and focus on the future.

In 2013, he leveraged and went all in on Bitcoin; when Tesla's market value was less than $4 billion, he bet on Tesla stock, and his personal assets surpassed ten million.

In 2014, he advocated not buying a house, car, or getting married before the age of 30, investing most of his time, money, and energy into self-improvement, personal growth, and soul freedom. This philosophy remains sharp even across eras.

In 2016, he became the "first knowledge influencer of the post-90s generation."

Young Sun Yuchen in "This World is Both Cruel and Gentle."

After entering the crypto world, he was always seizing narrative opportunities: founding the TRON public chain (2017), acquiring the phenomenal decentralized social platform Steemit (2020); purchasing Picasso's famous painting "Nude Woman with Necklace" and turning it into an NFT (2021); entering Huobi (2022), building the Dominica Metaverse (2023); promoting the establishment of HTX DAO and proposing the concept of a People's Exchange (2024); deeply collaborating with the Trump family, laying out stablecoins like USD1, and launching the Chinese decentralized contract trading platform Sun Wukong (2025)… From DeFi, NFT, and the Metaverse to RWA and stablecoins, his technology may not be the strongest, but he ensures the market knows he is always doing the most cutting-edge and impressive things.

Sun Yuchen said, "Do not be bound by the current stock, keep your eyes on the increment, and do what is right from the future's perspective." He has truly done just that.

From Sun Yuchen's perspective, Huobi is not just a simple exchange, but a strategic chessboard that can carry innovation and ecological experiments—here, he continues to practice "doing what is right from the future's perspective," allowing the market and users to see that sustained layout and long-term commitment can win more than short-term conservatism.

Thus, it is not difficult to understand Huobi's achievements today: the total number of registered users worldwide has exceeded 55 million, with 6 million new registered users in 2025, and an annual trading volume reaching approximately $3.3 trillion… New and old users, including institutional users, are returning in full force.

In the new year, Sun Yuchen has released new "winner" signals: keep moving, focus on AI, focus on space exploration, and do what interests you.

The Dimensional Attack of Aliens

At this year's Davos World Economic Forum, Elon Musk was asked, "Do aliens exist on Earth?" He responded with a smile, "If anyone knows about aliens, it might be me." He then added, "I might be that alien."

This is, of course, a joke, but the joke holds because it is not entirely fictional.

In the highly advanced fields of space, energy, and artificial intelligence, Musk's position has already exceeded the understanding coordinates of most people. His way of viewing the world is not entirely consistent with that of "Earthlings."

Interestingly, a similar metaphor also appears in Sun Yuchen's narrative.

Ten years ago, Sun Yuchen said, "In today's continuously maturing technology, humans evolve into aliens, achieving their goals through dimensional attacks."

The concept of "dimensional attack" originates from Liu Cixin's science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem," referring to an attack method where aliens use "two-dimensional foil" to reduce the solar system from three-dimensional space to two-dimensional space. In the business realm, the core of dimensional attack lies in breaking through the original competitive dimensions of the industry and reconstructing rules to reshape market patterns.

The dimensional attack of aliens, in Sun Yuchen's case, relies on two "meals"—one is the $4.56 million lunch with Buffett, and the other is a banana he bought for $620,000.

In 2019, Sun Yuchen purchased the Buffett charity lunch at a record price, causing a global uproar. In the eyes of the mainstream financial world, Buffett embodies value, rationality, and long-termism; while in the crypto circle, Sun Yuchen represents radicalism, speed, and traffic. When he forcibly brought this marginal narrative of crypto to the central stage where Buffett resides, the conflict itself became content.

The same logic is even more intuitive in the "expensive banana" incident.

Maurizio Cattelan's work "Comedian," the banana taped to the wall, was an absurd deconstruction of "value" in the art world. When Sun Yuchen bought it for 45 million RMB and publicly ate it, he pushed this deconstruction to the extreme.

He understands the underlying logic of the crypto world too well: in cryptocurrency and meme culture, value does not depend on the object itself, but on the consensus and topics it carries. He clearly knows that he is not buying an artwork, but a ticket to global headlines.

The banana is gone, but the symbol "Sun Yuchen ate a $620,000 banana" remains. He transformed a highbrow circle that originally belonged only to art critics and collectors into a public entertainment topic that even a passerby could discuss.

This is Sun Yuchen's version of "dimensional attack."

When most people are still trapped by face, rules, and traditional value judgments, he, like an "alien," follows a simple algorithm: where there is attention, there is value. It has been proven that in the era of attention economy, this simple and crude approach is often the most effective.

Sun Yuchen bought "Comedian" for 45 million RMB and ate it publicly.

The Cost of Stability

In recent years, for many young people, the "stability" of "securing a government job" has been packaged as an almost morally correct choice: stable work, stable income, stable path. It signifies predictability and social recognition.

However, Sun Yuchen pointed out sharply ten years ago: so-called stability is not only a false proposition but often brings devastating blows to those who rely on it for growth. He said, "I would rather choose to die in the wilderness of free foraging than to live in the comfort of a birdcage." He then plunged into a path of "savage growth."

Thus, we see a decisive Sun Yuchen who went overseas in 2017, a Sun Yuchen who remained in the spotlight despite being mired in public opinion, a Sun Yuchen who publicly pursued debts from the Hong Kong trust institution FDT, the youngest Chinese astronaut Sun Yuchen, and a Sun Yuchen who toasted with the U.S. president…

The more savage, the larger the stage.

Sun Yuchen proves through personal experience that young people need to abandon the pursuit of "stability," ignore the misunderstandings and obstacles from those around them, and bravely embrace uncertainty. Because uncertainty is an important breeding ground for generating financial freedom. And financial freedom means not having to compromise one's values for money—whether it is selling time, attention, emotions, or dignity.

"Sun Xue" is not isolated.

It highly resonates with Fukuzawa Yukichi's idea that "civilization is the liberation of individuality": one must first be spiritually independent for social status and wealth to have meaning. It also aligns with the repeated emphasis in "Atlas Shrugged": only those who take responsibility are qualified to talk about freedom.

Sun Yuchen poses with a childhood photo after going to space.

Unyielding is the Final Moat

In all discussions about "Sun Xue," one point that is easily overlooked is: his methodology can be imitated, his narrative can be replicated, but that spirit structure which remains unbroken in dire straits is almost impossible to transplant.

After founding TRON, challenges followed one after another: sudden regulatory changes, cyclical industry crashes, project skepticism, and long-term public opinion siege. He did not fall silent or disappear; instead, he updated daily progress on social media, even if it was just a few words. And who remembers his nightly updates on his Huobi onboarding diary? He merely compressed all the pressure into his body, then transformed it into a driving force that made him sharper.

Even the rumored "girlfriend" Chen Ying, who claims to be the chief disciple of Sun Xue, commented on him: "During the time I was with him, I never saw him lose control of his emotions for even a second… What I liked about him then was that almost obsessive 'unyielding willpower' and the strong vitality that could still erupt in dire straits."

Sun Xue, in essence, is an extremely clear-eyed realism:

The world is cruel because it does not take responsibility for anyone's emotions;

The world is gentle because it still rewards those who understand the rules and are willing to bear the consequences.

I sincerely hope that those who have always joked about Sun Yuchen can one day seriously listen to him discuss a problem in full, to see how he dissects reality and makes long-term bets.

You don't have to like him, but it's hard to deny that he is a person who thinks seriously.

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