48 Hours a Day

Zhang Heng opened his eyes and found that he was in a different place. This time, he was in a different era, but he was no longer in the previous city. To be more precise, he was not even in his own country anymore.

At the moment, Zhang Heng was surrounded by blond and blue-eyed foreigners, and the signs of the roadside shops were all written in English. He came up upon a for a magazine booth on the side of the road and learned from the owner that he was now in Durham, a small northeastern English town.

Something instantly struck Zhang Heng’s mind the moment he heard the name. Han Lu studied in England for some time, and she had studied at the world-famous Durham University, England’s third oldest and most prestigious university. It was also called Doxbridge, along with Cambridge and Oxford, where it constantly ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. It attracted many middle-class and wealthy applicants from China, not to mention international students. Han Lu’s business school was EQUIS, AMBA, and AACSB certified, making it one of the world’s top business schools.

Zhang Heng did not hesitate and took a taxi to Durham University.

The driver, an enthusiastic man about his country, thought that Zhang Heng was a tourist. Naturally, he started talking about famous sightseeing spots around the next city. However, when he arrived at the destination, Zhang Heng had to knock him out because he couldn’t pay. Stuffing the driver in the trunk, he scurried the taxi to an underground parking lot. After parking the car, he walked into Durham University.

Like most prestigious schools, Durham University was a massive establishment, where its land was dotted with ancient brick walls and medieval castles. Among the few universities in the city’s outskirts, Durham University was one of the few that still adopted the collegiate system. Somewhat similar to Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Wizard and Wizardry, students weren’t divided to their dormitories via majors, but rather according to their personalities, hobbies, and habits. It could all only mean one thing. Looking for Han Lu within these confines would be nothing short of a daunting and gargantuan task.

Zhang Heng thought about where he should go next when a short-haired girl came to him. She was not much older than him and looked like a student from this university. Clutching two books in her arms, she seemed to be in a hurry, but she suddenly stopped in her tracks as she passed Zhang Heng.

She turned over and asked in Chinese, “Need any help?”

Instead of answering her question, he simply stood there and stared at her.

The girl with short hair then touched her face, “Huh? Can’t he understand Chinese? Korean or Japanese student, perhaps?” “Sorry… I’m actually looking for someone,” replied Zhang Heng as he finally snapped out of his shocking discovery. He kept his eyes trained on her, not looking away though she seemed a little flabbergasted. He had only seen the young her from a photo.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you. Consider yourself unlucky for asking the wrong person. I’ve only been studying here for a year and a half. I can count the people I know with both my hands. Guess I won’t be of much help,” the short-haired girl shrugged.

“No, I’m pretty sure you know this person because she is your roommate,” replied Zhang Heng

Was it a coincidence? No. It should be said that the seemingly heartless woman before him had a keen intuition that didn’t match her cute demeanour. It was why she had stopped and turned around even after passing by Zhang Heng. Sensing the frustrations in his heart must have stopped her to give him a helping hand.

When it came to this, he could only consider this ability as some sort of superpower. It was almost impossible for someone to see through his mind after he’d experienced all kinds of stuff, which would make even the most gullible believers shy away. The girl in front of him was probably the only soul in the world that could achieve such a feat.

“Damn! Are you Han Lu’s foreign boyfriend? I have heard a lot about you,” the short-haired girl opened her eyes wide. “I heard her talk about you and saw your photos. You don’t look like the man in the photo,” she said, but quickly covered her mouth after that. “I’m done for. Did I say too much? But Han Lu shouldn’t be so promiscuous. All she does is complain about homework every day. O didn’t think she’d have the time to have an affair.”

“You’ve misunderstood. I’m just a friend,” Zhang Heng replied with a grin. “I need to talk to her about something. In a rush?” Zhang Heng pointed to the books she was holding

“Uhh.. not exactly in a big-big rush… I could go tonight if I didn’t make it now.” The short-haired girl then snapped her fingers enthusiastically. “Let me take you to Han Lu first!”

“Sorry for the trouble.” “Haha! Oh, stop being so obliging, will you? We are all descendants of Yanhuang, after all,” pipped the cheery and hospitable short-haired girl. “In return, you can tell me some gossip about her….”

“Okay, I know a lot of stuff from her childhood. Interested to know?”

“Of course!”

The short-haired girl seemed delighted, vigorously nodding at her newfound ‘friend.’

With someone as a guide, Zhang Heng could finally stop going for broke. The two walked and chatted and soon came up to a tennis court. The short-haired girl had just come out of her dormitory and said that Han Lu had been out since early that morning. She did not explain her whereabouts, but she loved tennis and often played at this spot at this hour.

Unfortunately, the tennis courts were void of Han Lu as well.

The short-haired girl comforted Zhang Heng, “It’s okay. We’ll just proceed to the next place. If it’s anyone else, I would have been so sure, but it’s Han Lu we’re talking about here. I can find her with my eyes closed.” Zhang Heng didn’t really know what else to do but to follow her. “Well, don’t look for the places she often goes to. Since you know her so well, any idea where she would hide if she were, uhh, frightened?” “What?!”

The short-haired girl was stunned when she heard what Zhang Heng said. “She is one of the bravest girls I’ve ever met. We watch those horror movies together and laugh as if it were a sitcom. Who can scare her? You?”

She stole a glance at Zhang Heng. Before he could even begin to disagree, she shook her head and interrupted.”..no, nope. I am very good at judging people. You are not a bad person.”

“Something very, very bad is about to happen to her, which is why I must look for her as soon as possible. Can you help me?” Zhang Heng asked with raised eyebrows.

“What’s with all the mystery? You plan to save the world, or what?” She had a sparkle in her eyes. “it sounds like fun! Let me in-I know somewhere she would go to when she’s in a bad mood. Let’s head there.”

“Where?”

“The Oriental Museum,” replied the short-haired girl. “Many Asian and Indian artifacts are displayed there. Han Lu always said the place was like her second home, and it calmed her down on her bad days.”

“Let’s not waste a single second and go over there now,” said Zhang Heng as he raised his head and looked toward the sky. The weird clouds were going to show up again. So far, he had experienced three instances of dreams. According to his calculations, the earlier clouds appeared, the faster the dream would end.

It was in no way a good sign; a grim reminder to Zhang Heng that time was running out.