48 Hours a Day

“Mister, is your mom, my master?”

Chen Huadong had been getting more and more bored recently. Ever since he broke up with Xu Jing, he had returned to the embrace of the virtual world. He called this a healing process, where he buried his head in FGO, Warship Girls, and Azur Lane nonstop for days and nights. Everyone was impressed by how strong his liver was. As if that wasn’t enough, he also binged watch four harems and two yuri series. Even though his day was full of activities, he didn’t forget to wander around the dormitory. Whenever he saw someone, he would ask if the person was his master. The obsessive behavior caused even Ma Wei not to dare to show up outside of his dormitory anymore.

This afternoon, Chen Huadong started his daily patrol again. As he walked, he stopped suddenly and stared at Wei Jiangyang, who was browsing for sneakers in front of his computer. He then fell into deep thought.

“What’s wrong… are you so obsessed with my beauty you failed to look away?” Wei Jiangyang panicked when he realized that Chen Huadong was staring at him.

However, Chen Huadong let out a long sigh when he heard what Wei Jiangyang said. “Old Wei, why do you think this world is so unfair? You are not more handsome than me, and you’re not richer than Zhang Heng. Other than the two of them, Ma Wei is also far more mature than you. Why is it that you are the only one with a girlfriend in our dormitory?”

“…because I’m not playing three mobile games at the same time?” Wei Jiangyang raised his eyebrows. “Zhang Heng doesn’t play mobile games that much as well. Besides, his rotten luck is making him say goodbye to all the gacha games,” replied Chen Huadong with a shake of his head.

“You have to know that Zhang Heng wasn’t actively searching for a girlfriend, and I’m pretty sure he will find one if he puts some effort into it. As for you, you can’t even find one even if you work hard for her. Now that’s is the fundamental difference between you and him.” Wei Jiangyang kindly reminded, “A couple of days ago, a girl from the next class asked for Zhang Heng’s WeChat. And he declined her request without any hesitation.”

“…Old Wei, do you really need to shoot me in the head again after my heart is broken?” Chen Huadong complained. “Actually, you are not that bad…” Wei Jiangyang realized that Chen Huadong had recently gone through a heartbreak, so he stopped teasing him and started comforting him instead.

“Tell me five best things about me now. Quick! One minute. Go!” Chen Huadong was not going to let Wei Jiangyang off the hook that easily. Now, he was dead serious.

“If you fail to say it, it means you don’t love

me.”

IIII

Wei Jiangyang was speechless.

“Why do you ask such stupid questions like my girlfriend?”

nuld

Zhang Heng put down the “Finnish Grammar” in his hand. “You are not too bad yourself. Although you are not that handsome, I can say you look above average. You are pretty meticulous, you don’t have any bad habits, and you are funny too. Often, when you play League of Legends, you carry your teammates to victory.”

“See that. That’s the answer that I’m looking for!” Chen Huadong’s sorrow turned into joy when he heard what Zhang Heng said to him. Immediately, he put on an ear-to-ear smile.

“But… you are always playing games in the dorm. No one could discover you even if you had all those good qualities. I remember you set up a club when you started your freshman year. And you joined the movie club as well. Why haven’t you gone there recently?” “Tiger Shark is an online club. We do everything via the internet, like sharing games and anime clips. Besides, there are no girls in the club too. Counting on Tiger Shark to find a girlfriend for me is the same as counting on the Mongolian Navy to regain Hawaii. As for the movie club…” Chen Huadong sighed, “It’s even more meaningless. All the seniors there are arrogant and disrespectful. They are there to get a girlfriend as well, and I’m afraid if I stay there, I will become one of them too.”

“You post on the internet every day to look for uncensored anime. I didn’t know you possessed such a high-level thinking process.”

“Those two things are unrelated!” Chen Huadong said in a huff. “Relying on their advantage as senior to bully others is wrong! When they find out that a girl has a boyfriend, they will figure out a way to split them up. I’m not like them.”

“Oh? Who are those bastards who would do something so unethical?”

“Forget it; let’s not talk about them,” replied Chen Huadong with an eager wave of the hand.

“Come on. Then, no one can save you anymore. You refuse to socialize even after our lengthy advice. You will keep feeling sorry for yourself in the dorm alone,” harrumphed Wei Jiangyang.

Chen Huadong himself felt how hard the loneliness had hit him. He put his hands behind his back. Standing under the clothes hangers on the balcony, he let out a long sigh.

Zhang Heng thought for a while and said, “Two days ago, Asuka Hayase told me that she has a female junior of hers who likes anime had just arrived in China and wants to find like-minded Chinese friends to practice her Chinese. Would you like to give it a try?”

“What the hell?! Why are you so cruel to me?! I just want to find a girlfriend. I don’t want to develop an unforgettable long-distance relationship and contribute to the friendship between China and Japan!” “Then let me ask Xiao Wu, who stays at the opposite dormitory. He seems to be an ACG fan, too. He is also the vice president of Tiger Shark. I think he can go well with Asuka Hayase’s female junior.”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t!” Chen Huadong became anxious when he heard Zhang Heng’s suggestion, “…Xiao Wu, he… he, he has someone he likes. I’ll do it. I will consider it as making a new friend. Anyway, I have always wanted to be friends with a real Japanese girl.”

“Hasn’t Xiao Wu been single for some time? When did he get a crush… and why do you sound so awkward,” Wei Jiangyang raised his head and asked curiously.

“I will inform Asuka Hayase about it,” Zhang Heng said, “Don’t forget your promise.”

“I will not let that happen. From now on, I am willing to become a bridge to build a better friendship between the two countries,” Chen Huadong proclaimed confidently.

After hearing the good news, he finally regained his vigor. He was so happy that he decided to stop playing his mobile games. Instead, he went to the library to learn Japanese, and Zhang Heng even recommended him two introductory textbooks.

“This guy finally decided to do something right. Although he didn’t talk about it, I can see that he took a big blow from that breakup with Xu Jing. It would be a great opportunity to come out of it, and he could even learn Japanese.” Wei Jiangyang looked at Chen Huadong’s back as he walked out of the door. He said, “We are not like you. Our language talent is not as good as you. Not only have you achieve the sixth grade faster and 700 points, but you have also learned Japanese quietly. And now you are starting to learn Finnish. Give us a break, man.”

Zhang Heng hummed casually and sent a message to Asuka Hayase to tell her about it. He then swiped through his contact list and saw Fan Meinan, whom he had no spoken to for some time. He hesitated but still decided not to send her any messages since she told him that she was fine. That was why he did not want to ask the same question again.

Then, Zhang Heng put his cell phone away and picked up the “Finnish Grammar” again.