Xiao Daidzhao

Growing up with eccentric materialistic parents who left him in the care of his grandfather for a job overseas, Zhang Heng had learned to adapt and be unfettered by the oddities and challenges in life. But he would soon learn the baffling truth about the world he thought he knew when one day at midnight time froze and he found himself in a world so quiet and still it was deafening. That night, he discovered that he had 24 hours more than everybody else and thus, marked the beginning of his adventures. The mysteries surrounding his newfound ability only deepened when a strange old man claimed to have given Zhang Heng that ‘gift of time’ and recruited the young man to participate in a cryptic ‘life-changing’ game on his behalf. Little did Zhang Heng know that accepting those terms meant embroiling himself in many versions of reality and exposing himself to the hidden secrets of the world—a decision he could never undo.

48 Hours a Day

After dealing with the prankster's harassment, Zhang Heng took out a 'Finnish Grammar' book from his bag and continued from where he stopped. Surprise flashed in the eyes of the TOEFL girl sitting opposite of Zhang Heng.

Finnish was a very niche language, where only one university in China, namely the Beijing Foreign Studies University, offered any related major. The enrollment each year was tiny as well. In fact, less than 100 people managed to master Finnish in the whole country. Besides, Zhang Heng's poise was very much that of a student's.

The TOEFL girl hesitated and whispered, "Classmate?"

"Aren't you from Beijing Foreign Studies University?"

"Oh, I am not," said Zhang Heng.

Realizing what had caused the misunderstanding, he waved the book and explained, "Just for my own pleasure."

The TOEFL girl's face turned red. "I'm sorry..." she muttered.

Deep Sleep Aboard the Train