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

"So, you want to know more about mythology now, huh?" Father Zhang was a little surprised, "I thought you lost interest in such things after you graduated from sixth grade?"

The four had finished their dinner, and after cleaning up the tableware, Mother Zhang and her father were going through some old photos in the study room. Outside, Zhang Heng and his dad were in the living room, eating fruit while watching TV.

"Okay, what do you want to know? I will try my best to tell you everything I know. Just go ahead and ask me questions," said Father Zhang after picking up an apple and taking a bite.

Zhang Heng silently pondered for a moment.

"Is there really a god in the world we live in?"

Father Zhang almost choked on the apple he just swallowed. He coughed twice and asked, "What's the matter, do we really have to pretend that you are still a sixth-grader?"

He took a sip of water to soothe his throat.

Eighteen Years of Waiting