My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 127 Shanghai—Hong Kong

"Sister Lin, isn't this unnecessary?"

Old Wen said somewhat agitatedly, "You're not blaming us because of Jiye's matter, are you? We didn't want this either. These are two different things. Are you just going to give up a profitable business so easily? Please don't act impulsively!"

“That’s right!” Xu Guoqing hurriedly added, “We understand you don’t have time, but there’s no need to give up this business. We agreed to do it together, and even if Jiye isn’t here, you’re still here, aren’t you? Besides, Jiye might come back in a few days. If you make this decision, how are we supposed to explain it to Jiye? Furthermore, if word gets out, outsiders might think that Lao Wen and I are kicking someone when they’re down. Are we that kind of people?”

"Yes, yes, yes!" Old Wen nodded repeatedly. He was a man of honor, and he would never do such a despicable thing.

Moreover, people in Shanghai have always valued integrity in doing business. They mean what they say, so how can they go back on their word like this?
"Brother Wen, Brother Qing, please don't misunderstand, I really didn't mean anything by it." Lin Ying was very touched to see them so anxious, but she still decided to withdraw from the business.

She patiently explained, "Given the current situation, I really don't have the energy to take care of the West Palace. Jiye is not here either. If we rely on the two of you to sell the goods, it would be considered as half of our investment, which is really unfair to you."

"You're the ones who put in the effort and sell the goods. How can I take half the profits when I haven't done anything? That's outrageous! I think we should leave it at that for now. I'll withdraw from that business for now and we'll talk about the rest when Jiye comes back. If he returns and continues to do this business with you, I naturally won't object. I hope you two brothers won't blame me for making this decision on my own."

“But we never thought you were the one taking advantage of us, how can you say that?” Old Wen said anxiously.

“But I don’t want to do that,” Lin Ying said firmly, her expression leaving no room for argument. Seeing her like this, Xu Guoqing wanted to persuade her again, telling her not to be so stubborn, but Lin Ying’s next sentence left them speechless. Lin Ying told them that she was pregnant with her and Zhou Jiye’s child, and under these circumstances, she didn’t want to let trivial matters affect her mood. Parting ways amicably was perhaps the best choice for her now.

Lao Wen and Xu Guoqing exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

“Alright, since you insist,” Xu Guoqing sighed and shook his head. After thinking for a moment, he added, “If you really want to withdraw, that’s fine too, but this time the goods will still be counted as yours as a couple. Wen Ge and I will handle the sales. I’ll bring you the invoices after the goods are sold, and we’ll settle the money with you then. What do you think?”

"Wouldn't this be taking advantage of you?"

"What kind of bargain is this?" Xu Guoqing said anxiously, "I'm telling you, Lin sister, if you keep saying that, you're not treating me and Wen-ge as your brothers anymore. If that's not acceptable, then even if you didn't say what you just said, no matter what happens in the future, we will still keep this for you and Jiye!"

Lin Ying felt a pang of sadness, and tears almost welled up in her eyes. She lowered her head slightly, trying her best not to cry. These two brothers truly cared for her and her husband, and it was truly touching that they could do this for them.

In the end, Lin Ying agreed to their bottom line: she would officially withdraw after the shipment was processed and the settlement was completed. Seeing that Lin Ying had finally conceded, Xu Guoqing and Lao Wen breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Lin Ying's somewhat haggard face, and thinking of Zhou Jiye, whose whereabouts were currently unknown, they also felt very uneasy.

While Lin Ying and Xu Guoqing were discussing this matter, Zhou Jiye, far away in Hong Kong, was not having a good time. In fact, he was living on thin ice, trembling with fear, afraid of inadvertently offending Cheng Jiandong and his gang.

Under Cheng Jiandong's coercion, Zhou Jiye had no choice but to join the group, thus temporarily ensuring his safety.

Although they joined the group, Cheng Jiandong and his three subordinates, namely Tan Peng (nicknamed Brother Peng), He Jiajun (nicknamed Handsome), and Li Meifen (also known as Afen), the young woman who was disguised as a man and drove a van to pick them up, were actually always on guard against Zhou Jiye.

During the time he spent with them, Zhou Jiye gradually learned about their background.

Cheng Jiandong is from Guangzhou and served in the army in his early years. Later, because he offended too many people with his recklessness, he secretly fled to Hong Kong a few years ago and thus became a Hong Kong resident.

In Hong Kong, Cheng Jiandong joined a local triad and became a member of the underworld by being daring and hardworking.

However, the gang he belonged to was not a large local gang in Hong Kong, but just one of the smaller local gangs. The gang had a small number of members and a small territory, with only a little over a hundred people, occupying just one and a half streets.

Hong Kong is teeming with triads and gangs. At its peak, large triads like the 14K boasted hundreds of thousands of members and over thirty branches and sub-branches. While the Sun Yee On and Wo Shing Wo were slightly smaller, they were still far more powerful than the triads to which Cheng Jiandong belonged. Compared to these large triads, Cheng Jiandong's gang was like an ant next to an elephant, making a living by collecting protection money from merchants and lending money. Cheng Jiandong's main job in the gang was collecting debts.

Despite his triad background, collecting debts wasn't easy. Cheng Jiandong, with his daring and fearlessness, helped the triad resolve several difficult debts, earning the admiration of the higher-ups and leading to his promotion to a key position within the triad.

The problem is that Cheng Jiandong isn't content to just coast along like this in Hong Kong. Even though he's officially become a henchman (49) from Blue Lantern, he's still just a low-level member. What's the point of climbing up? For small thugs like them, even if they climb to the top, they're still no match for a high-ranking member or a branch of a major triad. To truly stand out and be influential in this place, how easy is it for Cheng Jiandong with his current background?

So Cheng Jiandong thought it over and over and realized that it was too difficult to get ahead by joining a gang. Besides, while gangs might seem prestigious on the outside, the members were all penniless. Their income was unstable, they were often broke, and even a late-night snack had to be carefully budgeted. Life was truly unpleasant. Cheng Jiandong was determined to change this situation, so he set his sights on "Big Tea Party."

"Big business deal" is a local slang term meaning to do big business. Cheng Jiandong wasn't a business genius; all he knew was fighting and killing. Since he wanted to do big business, he could only rely on force. So Cheng Jiandong secretly began preparations, found an opportunity to sneak back to the mainland, found his old friend Tan Peng who had fought alongside him, and brought his woman Li Meifen and her cousin He Jiajun to Hong Kong, thus forming his real team.

After a period of preparation, a small group of four began to take shape. Cheng Jiandong and Tan Peng, as the core combatants, were the team's trump card. He Jiajun was mainly responsible for gathering information and scouting, as well as providing support during operations. As for Li Meifen, although she was a woman, she was also willing to go all out, and since she could drive, she was equally daring, so she was responsible for providing backup and handling the retreat.

After the small group was formed, Cheng Jiandong began to look for targets to make big money, and at the same time began to prepare the necessary tools for the work - firearms.

Although Hong Kong has many triads, most of their fights rely on melee weapons, and the direct use of firearms is very rare. Moreover, for the Hong Kong police, ordinary knife attacks are commonplace, and while many knife users are crippled, few actually die; many only suffer minor injuries, which are not difficult to handle.

But using firearms is a completely different story. These weapons are used on an equal footing, and if they are fired, the police will be on high alert. Under such circumstances, gangs will generally avoid using firearms to avoid crossing the line with the police.

But Cheng Jiandong didn't care about any of that. Since he had decided to get into this big business, possessing powerful firearms that could even intimidate the police was essential. So he had already thought it through before even starting the business. As for where to get the firearms, it wasn't a problem for Cheng Jiandong. The mainland didn't ban these things anymore, and there were plenty of them among the civilians.

And so, Cheng Jiandong secretly returned to the mainland, intending to bring these things back to Hong Kong.

Unexpectedly, shortly after returning to the mainland, Cheng Jiandong encountered trouble in Fengdong over a minor incident. He was chased and attacked by a group of locals. It was during this incident that Zhou Jiye not only saved Cheng Jiandong but also gave him some money before leaving. This money solved Cheng Jiandong's embarrassing situation of being penniless due to his hasty escape. This is also why, later when they used Zhou Jiye as a shield, Cheng Jiandong recognized him but not only did not kill him, he also gave him a chance to join the gang and spared his life.

Having obtained what he needed on the mainland, Cheng Jiandong secretly returned to Hong Kong once again and began preparing to engage in a major business deal with his men.

After observing for a long time, Cheng Jiandong finally set his sights on a gold shop in the downtown area. In his opinion, now that they had a powerful figure, as long as they figured out the police patrol times every day, made a well-thought-out plan, launched a surprise attack, took control of the shop assistants, broke open the counter, and robbed the gold and silver jewelry inside, they would succeed and reap a great reward.

As Cheng Jiandong had predicted, after figuring out everything and planning the retreat route, Cheng Jiandong and his men began their operation. Shortly after the patrolling police left, their car arrived at the target's door.

Opening the car door, with stockings over their heads, carrying empty bags, and holding a "peace-making device," Cheng Jiandong and Tan Peng led the way and barged in, with Liangzai Jun bringing up the rear. They easily subdued the shop assistants inside, then pulled out a hammer and smashed open the glass counter, grabbing the gold and silver jewelry inside and stuffing it into their bags.

In just a few minutes, Cheng Jiandong ordered a retreat without even taking what he hadn't had time to collect.

The three men took turns leaving, and the robbery went extremely smoothly according to plan. Even after the shop assistant called the police and they arrived, they would have already driven far away. But unexpectedly, just as Handsome Jun stepped out, he bumped into Zhou Jiye, who was being chased by the police, which led to what happened later.

Fighting with the police in the street is no small matter. After their escape, they hid here for several days. During these days, apart from Li Meifen, who was a woman and would not attract attention, and was responsible for going out to buy things and gather information, the rest of them, including Zhou Jiye, who had just joined, did not leave the house, for fear of attracting the attention of the police.

A few days later, the rumors outside gradually subsided, and Cheng Jiandong finally felt a little relieved.

He personally went out for a walk to make sure there was no risk outside, and then returned to tell everyone to leave. The group then moved to a pre-prepared place to stay. During this time, Cheng Jiandong required that no one act alone, that they report before going out, and that they supervise each other in pairs. As for the stolen gold, silver, and jewelry, Cheng Jiandong decided to wait a few days before selling them to avoid the risks of selling them immediately.

(End of this chapter)