48 Hours a Day

Zhang Heng wasn’t sure what the ramifications in the dream world would be if he disrupted these memories. In such unknown territory, it was best to remain cautious. So, resorting to the safest way, he returned to the front desk. “Are there any places that she usually goes to?”

When asked, the receptionist found herself in a tough spot. As a professional receptionist, she knew all too well that disclosing the boss’ whereabouts to a stranger was a definite no-no.

“About that...” she stuttered, not knowing if it was right to divulge any information.

What more, a large number of people loved to hate Han Lu. Not too long ago, a disgruntled entrepreneur who lost in an investment held a banner to protest at the entrance of the office. Rumor was that he even blocked Han Lu off at the parking lot, and after getting nabbed by the police, he unfortunately took his own life. The depressing incident had caused jitters among the company’s employees for some time.

Han Lu, on the other hand, was barely affected. The project proceeded in an orderly manner, and after the incident, she got all her employees to attend self-protection training courses, company-sponsored, of course. With that in mind, although the receptionist had a good impression of Zhang Heng, all she could do was show a helpless smile on her face.

Not wanting to cause unwanted changes to the dream world, Zhang Heng did not force the receptionist to divulge Han Lu’s whereabouts, simply thanking her and leaving the office complex after that.

Compared to the day’s good weather when he arrived at Han Lu’s company, the wind was now blowing a tad stronger. The parasols set up in front of Starbucks fluttered noisily with the drafting gusts, and women walking by the streets let out muffled screams as they held down to their miniskirts. Dark clouds had now completely blocked off the sun, and it now looked as if it was six or seven in the evening.

Although most people on the roadside felt that heavy rain was about to come, Zhang Heng sensed that it was a foretelling of something ominous. So far, the most bizarre thing in Han Lu’s dream was this formation of dark clouds.

Curious as it may seem, he didn’t think that the drastic change in weather had something to do with Han Lu. He soon came to realize, though, that time was running out. He felt lost, not knowing where he should go next or how he should proceed. After all, his understanding of Han Lu was limited. Other than her residence and company, he had no idea where else she would go to.

Zhang Heng stood there, pondering for half a minute. He stretched out his hand as a cab pulled by the sidewalk. The driver had a sharp, thin face, and his trousers were unzipped. He also noticed an adult magazine lying on the seat beside him, its front cover featuring a rather racy image of a seductive woman.

Zhang Heng opened the rear door and sat in the passenger seat.

Now that he was in Han Lu’s dream, he could feel everything she experienced and imagined. The taxi driver was no exception, where it was probably a fragment of her memory. This was especially true for minute details such as the driver’s appearance and the license plate. It was hard to make up something like that.

Everything Zhang Heng experienced right now was how Han Lu once felt, including her perceptions and opinions toward a certain subject. For example, the taxi driver may not be a pervert, but since Zhang Heng saw and felt him through her eyes, he automatically had a bad impression toward him.

Having these things in mind, he more or less figured how he should find Han Lu. So far, his entire experience since he opened his eyes were the compilation of memories hidden deep within Han Lu’s subconscious. There were clues strewn about everywhere. On one particular grey and stormy day, Han Lu did not drive her car for some reason. Instead, she got on a taxi after she left her office.

The driver looked at Zhang Heng as he got in the car, nodding in greeting. “Where to, brother?” he smirked.

“Hey bro, I need to ask you about someone,” Zhang Heng asked instead.

“You’re asking me about someone?” The driver paused, seemingly bewildered. “A man or a woman?”

“Woman.”

“I know many women,” the driver tapped his chest. “Want me to introduce you to some nice girls? Thai, Vietnamese... or Russian?”

“No, I’m just looking for a customer that entered your car.”

Zhang Heng went on, describing Han Lu’s appearance in detail to the driver.

The driver frowned and thought for a while, “I might or might not remember her. It’s just been so long and, I can’t possibly remember every lady I picked up. You know, I was given the nickname Seven Wonders when I was young. I could reach the top of the mountain seven times a night. Let me tell ‘ya, I have seen all kinds of women. It’s impossible you ask me to remember one.”

“Oh, I don’t think you have seen her type before. She is unique,” smiled Zhang Heng as he took out his wallet, withdrawing 500 yuan from it. “...tell me where she went, and this is all yours.”

The moment he saw the money in Zhang Heng’s hand, the driver became excited. He patted his head anhd chuckled delightfully. “Oh, hoho, I finally remember her now! Sure! I’ll take you to her.”

The driver clicked on the meter and stepped on the gas as Zhang Heng buckled his seat belt. Half an hour later, Zhang Heng frowned and asked, “Where are you bringing me?”

“We are going to the airport. Didn’t you ask me to take you to where she went?” the driver replied with a smile.

Zhang Heng was speechless. Since Han Lu was heading to the airport, there was a good chance she wouldn’t drive there, hence the cab. It also meant that whatever he was doing now was meaningless.

“Pull to the side.” Zhang Heng unfastened his seat belt. He planned to hop on to another taxi to try his luck. Suddenly, the car in front of them stopped abruptly, prompting the driver to slam his foot on the brake.

“No way! Isn’t it past the morning peak hours? What’s with the jam?!” he muttered under his breath. “God damn useless urban planners, eh? I don’t see the road conditions getting any better.” Zhang Heng did not respond to him. Instead, his attention was fixed on the people who came out of the car in front of him. They began climbing on their car’s roof.

“What the hell is wrong with these people? Aren’t they going to move their cars?” The taxi driver vented his dissatisfaction by blowing the horn, but the very next moment, he saw Zhang Heng opening the door and walking out. Suddenly, the road was swarming with people, and the situation ahead became unclear.

To get a better view, Zhang Heng stepped on the roof of the taxi, and that was when he saw the most magical scene in his life.

At the end of the road in the distance, what appeared to be a massive white wall was sweeping toward his direction, overturning and uprooting trees that were along its path. Everyone at the front begun to flee in panic while those at the back of the queue still wondered what was going on.

“Why did you climb on my car?!” the taxi driver got out of the car and screamed in a fury,

“Leave your car behind,” said Zhang Heng. “A tsunami is coming. Run for your life!”

“Are you trying to be funny? Our city doen’t face the sea... Hey, now you have to pay me for standing on my car!”

Zhang Heng ignored him. Although the tsunami seemed to be far away, the massive tidal wave could reach a blinding speed of 700-800 kilometers per hour, fast enough to catch up with a modern jetliner. Every single second from now was precious. It was impossible to leave by car since they were locked in a traffic jam that wasn’t going away. It was unrealistic to turn around, as well. Even if he started running as fast as possible, it was nearly impossible to outrun the speeding tsunami.

So, Zhang Heng quickly looked around to find a high place.