Character Relationship Map: A World Without Thieves

Characters

• Wang Bo (played by Andy Lau) — protagonist

  Wang Bo is a highly skilled professional thief and Wang Li's lover. He initially plans to steal Sha Gen's savings as a final job before ending his criminal career, but later chooses to help Wang Li pr...

• Wang Li (played by René Liu) — protagonist

  Wang Li is a professional thief, Wang Bo's lover, and the mother of their unborn child. Moved by Sha Gen's innocence, she decides to protect him rather than exploit him. She ultimately persuades Wang...

• Sha Gen (played by Wang Baoqiang) — supporting

  Sha Gen is a naïve village construction worker returning from Tibet to get married. He carries five years of savings, loudly reveals his money in public, and refuses to believe that thieves exist. His...

• Xiao Ye (played by Li Bingbing) — supporting

  Xiao Ye is one of the followers in Uncle Bill's small gang of thieves aboard the train. She is part of the criminal group that creates danger for Sha Gen and becomes involved in the escalating conflic...

• Four-Eyes (played by Gordon Lam Ka-Tung) — minor

  Four-Eyes is one of the thieves traveling with Uncle Bill's gang on the train. He belongs to the group ordered not to carry out a robbery, although the temptation of Sha Gen's large cash savings cause...

• Han (played by Zhang Hanyu) — supporting

  Han is a plainclothes police detective who silently observes the thieves and waits for the right moment to act. As the police close in on the train, he helps bring the criminal operation under control...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Han → Wang Li (Power Compassionate Authority) — Han's authority ultimately allows Wang Li to avoid arrest.

  After the gang is apprehended, the police officer lets Wang Li go on compassionate grounds.

• Han → Sha Gen (Power Protective Authority) — Han's law-enforcement role places him on the side of Sha Gen's safety.

  The plainclothes detective observes the danger surrounding Sha Gen as the police force eventually closes in on the train.

• Han → Wang Bo (Power Police Observer) — Han represents concealed law-enforcement pressure on Wang Bo.

  A plainclothes police detective silently watches the conflict and waits for an opportunity while Wang Bo is involved in the theft dispute.

• Wang Bo → Wang Li (Romantic Lovers) — Their romantic partnership is central to the moral conflict over Sha Gen.

  The plot explicitly describes Wang Bo and Wang Li as lovers working together as professional thieves.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Wang Bo → Four-Eyes (Conflict Criminal Rivals) — Their opposing theft operations create a direct criminal rivalry.

  Four-Eyes is part of the gang whose train operation is challenged after Wang Bo takes the money from the gang members who strike.

• Wang Bo → Xiao Ye (Conflict Criminal Rivals) — Wang Bo's intervention places him in opposition to Xiao Ye's gang.

  Xiao Ye belongs to the gang whose attempted theft is disrupted when Wang Bo robs the gang members moments later.

• Xiao Ye → Four-Eyes (Alliance Gang Teammates) — They belong to the same organized theft group.

  Xiao Ye and Four-Eyes are both identified as members of the small gang of thieves boarding the train.

• Wang Bo → Sha Gen (Narrative Target Turned Protector) — Sha Gen changes from Wang Bo's intended victim into someone he protects.

  Wang Bo initially wants to steal Sha Gen's savings, but later fights to retrieve the money and return it to him.

• Wang Li → Sha Gen (Alliance Protective Ally) — She becomes the first member of the thieves' group to defend Sha Gen.

  Wang Li, pregnant with Wang Bo's child, is moved by Sha Gen's innocence and decides to protect him.

Story Analysis

A professional thief's moral transformation unfolds when an innocent traveler and his savings become the center of a criminal struggle.

Plot Progression

1. A Fortune on the Rails — Sha Gen carries five years of savings home from Tibet and openly announces his money in a crowded street. Wang Bo and Wang Li notice him, but they disagree about whether to exploit his innocence.
2. Rivals Board the Train — A separate gang of thieves boards the inland-bound train and is told not to steal there. Temptation overcomes discipline, and Wang Bo's intervention exposes his superior skills.
3. The Innocent Target — Wang Bo refuses recruitment, intensifying the rivalry between the two theft operations. Wang Li continues trying to protect Sha Gen, who remains unaware of the danger surrounding him.
4. A Thief Takes a Stand — Han silently watches as police pressure closes in. When Sha Gen's money is targeted again, Wang Bo honors his promise to Wang Li and confronts the attackers.
5. The Cost of Redemption — Wang Bo recovers and returns Sha Gen's money but dies from his injuries. The gang is apprehended, Wang Li is released on compassionate grounds, and she later returns to Tibet to pray in penance.