My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 120: A Turning Point in Desperate Situation
"Isn't it you?" the thug holding the big black star asked sternly. "I saw it clearly, it was you who brought the cops here. If it weren't for you, how could the cops have arrived so quickly?"

"No, no, really! Boss, please let me explain..." Zhou Jiye said with a mournful face, "I just arrived in Hong Kong and don't have an ID card. When they checked my ID, I panicked and ran away. Who knew they would chase after me like that! Boss! I'm really not with the cops. I'm just passing by. Please, just ignore me and let me go, okay?"

"Let you go? Dream on!" The ruthless bandit laughed angrily. "You almost ruined our plans, and you think you can get away so easily? Dream on!"

"Brother Peng, stop talking nonsense, just give him a peanut." Another thug suddenly said this, and Zhou Jiye trembled all over. What? Just give him a peanut? This...this is too ruthless! Is he going to die today?
"Boss! Boss, spare my life! I really didn't mean it!" Zhou Jiye pleaded desperately, hoping the other party would show mercy.

The thugs were seething with anger. Their perfectly good plan had been ruined by Zhou Jiye. If Zhou Jiye hadn't suddenly arrived with the police to disrupt things, their trip wouldn't have turned out this way. They would have already safely retreated, instead of engaging in a direct gunfight with the police in the street.
Now things have escalated to the point where weapons have been used, and the two sides are fighting like this in a busy downtown area. This is no small matter. Although these guys are all desperate criminals, the cops are not pushovers either. This incident has blown up so much that the cops will definitely not let it go easily. If things get out of hand in the underworld, it will be a big problem for them.

The ruthless bandit holding the large black star grinned maliciously and opened fire with the weapon pointed at Zhou Jiye's forehead. Zhou Jiye was already pale with fright, and it seemed he was about to become a victim of gunfire, when suddenly a voice rang out.

"Ah Peng, don't shoot."

"Why? Just beat this bastard to death!" Brother Peng couldn't help but say.

"I said! Don't shoot! Spare his life first!" The ruthless bandit's tone was cold, but unquestionable.

Peng hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at the burly bandit who had spoken, but since everyone's heads were covered with stockings, his expressions were obscured. After tilting his head and thinking for a moment, Peng put down the large black star weapon in his hand, snorted coldly through his nostrils, and put it away without saying anything more.

Zhou Jiye finally breathed a sigh of relief; his life was temporarily spared. But he didn't know what would happen next. Could it be that the ruthless bandits thought that because he had fired a shot in the car and splattered blood everywhere, they planned to kill him when they arrived at their destination? Thinking of this, Zhou Jiye was still terrified, and his body trembled slightly uncontrollably.

The van sped away like lightning, quickly leaving the commercial street where the firefight had taken place and heading in a direction unknown to Zhou Jiye. After driving for about ten minutes, the van drove directly into a shopping mall parking lot. There, the thug who had been driving parked next to another car, then opened the door and took Zhou Jiye to another vehicle.

At this moment, Zhou Jiye realized that the driver was actually a woman. Although she was disguised and dressed in men's clothing, he could still tell that she was a woman.

After changing cars, they left the parking lot directly and drove out of the mall through another exit. They then drove around the city, eventually arriving at an unfamiliar place. A group of people carrying the stolen goods escorted Zhou Jiye into the place. Once there, they locked Zhou Jiye in a small room, locked the door, and left him there.

This is a tiny room, less than three square meters, not much bigger than a typical storage room, and feels very cramped. There is nothing in the room except for a small window opposite the door.

Looking around the room, Zhou Jiye gradually calmed down, knowing that the danger was not over and he could die at any moment. Although the other party had not made a move yet, who could guarantee that they wouldn't do something to him later? Thinking of this, Zhou Jiye felt that he could not sit and wait for death. He first pressed his ear to the door and listened carefully to the sounds outside. After listening for a while without any sound, Zhou Jiye felt relieved and turned his head to stare at the only window.

The window was quite high; an average person couldn't reach it even by standing on tiptoe and stretching their arms. But Zhou Jiye's tall stature gave him an advantage. He looked around, braced his legs against the walls on both sides, and climbed up with great effort. In just a few moments, he reached the window. He originally planned to use the window to escape, but when he climbed up and saw what was happening, he immediately felt a pang of despair.

The window was very narrow; given Zhou Jiye's size, he wouldn't be able to squeeze through, and even if he lost weight, it would be difficult. Moreover, several iron bars were welded to the outside of the window. He reached out, grabbed them, and shook them forcefully, finding the bars to be very sturdy; without tools, brute force alone wouldn't be able to break them.

After trying, Zhou Jiye had no choice but to give up; there was simply no chance of escaping through the window. Looking back at the tightly closed door, Zhou Jiye didn't dare to break it down. What if there were ruthless bandits guarding outside, and he couldn't see what was happening outside? If he did that and angered the bandits, even if he was big, he couldn't withstand being hit with a peanut.

"How to do how to do?"

Zhou Jiye paced anxiously around the room, but couldn't think of a way to escape. He was like a bird trapped in a cage, only able to wait for the final outcome. His only hope was that these ruthless bandits still had some humanity and would spare his life; otherwise, this would probably be where he died.

Thinking of this, Zhou Jiye was overcome with grief and burst into tears.

As a time traveler with information about the next few decades, he could have easily become a tycoon by simply lying down, yet he ended up in such a state.

Moreover, his life has only just begun, everything is still proceeding in an orderly manner, and he hasn't even started to truly enjoy life yet. Wouldn't it be a huge loss to lose his life like this?
"Let me out! Let me out! Please, spare me! If you spare my life, I promise you'll repay you handsomely! You want money, right? I can give you money! I can help you make money! Please believe me! Let me out! Waaah..."

He pounded on the door and cried out a few times, but there was no response from outside. Zhou Jiye cried and screamed inside for a while, until he was completely desperate.

He didn't know how these ruthless bandits would ultimately deal with him, nor did he know what he would face next. The more he thought about it, the more frightened and regretful he became. If he hadn't run to the boat to help last night, perhaps none of this would have happened. But now it was too late to say anything. Why was he so unlucky?
He didn't know how much time had passed, but Zhou Jiye, exhausted, collapsed on the ground. He was both shocked and frightened, and because he hadn't slept a wink all night after what happened the night before, he unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, Zhou Jiye dreamt that he hadn't boarded the ship but had escaped with his seventh uncle and the others. They then took a train back to Shanghai. Although they encountered some trouble, they brought back a considerable amount of goods from their trip south, quickly making up for their losses and even earning a profit. In the following years, they continued trading, expanding their business significantly. Later, they started a company and truly became big bosses. More than a decade later, Zhou Jiye and his team's business had grown immensely. The company became a conglomerate, and then a giant corporation. Relying on their own and Lin Ying's foresight and understanding of the future, their business spanned the entire country and even the world, ultimately making them incredibly wealthy.

He was riding in luxury cars, surrounded by a retinue, enjoying all the delicacies at his disposal. Money and beautiful women were within his grasp. He was happily lost in his dream when suddenly there was a loud bang, followed by a few hard shoves and two light slaps to the face, pulling him back to reality.

"Hey! Wake up! Wake up!"

The sound seemed both distant and close at hand. Zhou Jiye groggily woke up and, when he opened his eyes, saw a figure squatting in front of him, looking him over.

Slightly regaining his senses, Zhou Jiye stared intently at the other person. The first thing he noticed was the other person's clothing, and then he remembered that the other person was one of the ruthless bandits. Then, his gaze moved upward and he saw the other person's face.

"I didn't see anything... I didn't see anything, boss!"

Upon seeing the other person's face, Zhou Jiye was first taken aback, then quickly turned his head and spoke hurriedly, even closing his eyes.

The ruthless bandit had removed the stockings covering his head, revealing his entire face. Zhou Jiye glanced over, momentarily stunned, then realized what was happening and was too frightened to look any longer. Although this was his first time experiencing something like this, he had seen far too many movies and TV dramas. What did it mean to have his face exposed? If he remembered the bandit's face, would he even have a chance of survival?

Upon seeing Zhou Jiye's actions, the visitor was also taken aback, and then burst into laughter.

"Alright, open your eyes and take a good look at me!"

"Boss, please spare me! I know the rules! I didn't see your face, really! I really didn't see it!" Zhou Jiye was almost in tears. He wasn't going to look, yet they were forcing him to? Wasn't this trying to kill him? He really didn't see it clearly! If he were lying, he'd be a coward!
Enraged, the bandit laughed, cursed, and pulled out his weapon from his waist, smacking Zhou Jiye on the head: "Damn it! I told you to open your eyes, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

"me……."

Zhou Jiye was truly at his wit's end. The other party was forcing him to look with a weapon, which was tantamount to taking his life. But he couldn't refuse to look either; what if the other party shot him if he didn't open his eyes? Even if he was given a peanut after looking, it would be better than eating peanuts right away, right? Living a few more minutes would be good!

With a pained expression, Zhou Jiye had no choice but to open his eyes and slowly look up at the other person. Seeing that Zhou Jiye had finally opened his eyes and was looking at him, the thug laughed again: "That's right, open your eyes wide and look at me carefully!"

"Don't mess with me, boss! You need to look carefully? This... this is just making me die too slowly!" Zhou Jiye couldn't even cry anymore. His life hung by a thread, and it seemed his time to return to the underworld was not far off. He didn't know if he would have a chance to start over this time. Maybe he could ask the King of Hell in the underworld if he could have another chance or something. Otherwise, it would be a huge loss.

Zhou Jiye, utterly despondent, stared blankly at the other person's face, his mind filled with thoughts of whether he had any chance of being reborn.

Seeing Zhou Jiye's blank and vacant gaze, the thug frowned slightly: "Hey! Didn't I tell you to look carefully? What are you thinking? Look carefully! Take a good look, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

"So be it, let the dead die and be left to die. Just beg them to be quick and don't let me suffer."

Zhou Jiye steeled his heart, prepared for the worst, and decided to go all out. What was death anyway? He suddenly widened his eyes and stared intently at the other person's face. But as he looked, Zhou Jiye's gaze suddenly became puzzled. He hadn't thought much of it before, but now, the more he looked at the face, the more familiar it seemed.

"What? You recognized me?"

"You...you...Cheng...Cheng...Cheng Jian..."

"Hahaha!"

Cheng Jiandong laughed heartily, his face showing no murderous intent whatsoever. He nodded with a smile, "You finally recognized me, kid! Cheng Jiandong! Your name is Zhou Jiye, isn't it? Luckily, I have a good memory and recognized you first, otherwise you would have been killed by A Peng on the way to the car."

(End of this chapter)