48 Hours a Day

While Zhang Heng talked to the Tang-suited old man, Chen Huadong was walking towards him with a poetry book. He was shocked to see the old man. The latter, on the other hand, greeted him in kind. “You must be Chen Huadong. Pleasure meeting you here.”

“Oh, glad to meet you too,” Chen Huadong replied, dazed. He was a little confused about the current situation. If memory served him right, he knew he had never met an old man in a Tang suit before. Now when a person was called by name, they would naturally return the greeting. The old man seemed to have talked with Zhang Heng for a while just now, meaning he should be an elder or teacher.

Chen Huadong responded and cast his gaze on Zhang Heng, but the latter had no intention to explain the whole thing. Instead, he turned to Chen Huadong. “We have found all the books. I don’t think you need me to be here anymore. I’ll be making a move then.”

“Of course. I’m sure you have other matters that need your attention.” In the end, Chen Huadong couldn’t figure out who the old man was to Zhang Heng. However, he could see that the two needed to talk in private, so he nodded and watched them leave.

The old man first headed to the counter to pay for the book he was holding. He also bought a self-driving tour brochure and a book about cat behavior. It confused people about what he wanted to do next. Did he plan to go on a road trip or stay at home to raise a cat?

Zhang Heng then headed downstairs and walked out of the bookstore.

Half a minute later, the Tang-suited old man also headed downstairs with his book. “I remember a shop around here that sells delicious yogurt ice cream. Do you want one?”

The old man came to the bookstore because he wanted to invite Zhang Heng to eat ice cream. The two hadn’t met very often, only four times until now. Although their paths would cross sometimes, it turned out that the old man would have an agenda each time.

During their first meeting, he wanted to hire Zhang Heng as his agent. The second time they met, he wanted to work with Zhang Heng in dealing with Moresby. And the third time was to prevent the brewing conflict between Zhang Heng and the Goddess of Justice. This time was no exception. But Zhang Heng was not in a hurry. He was waiting for the old man to speak first.

The two then headed to the famous yogurt ice cream shop together. The old man bought two large servings of yogurt ice cream and asked for all the toppings available in the shop. As he handed one to Zhang Heng, he said, “I know there has been some misunderstanding between us, and you don’t trust me a hundred percent. That’s totally understandable. Even the ancient kings could not trust their blood-related relatives, let alone modern society. Everyone has their little secrets.”

“You should know that I saw the book’s title, right? Even if you take it away, I can still buy it from the bookstore,” Zhang Heng took the ice cream and said.

“Of course. They have printed countless copies. They come in different languages printed by different publishers, so millions of copies flood the market. I can’t buy them all. And you can find them on the internet as well.” The old man nodded. “Actually, all I can do is advise you from the perspective of a partner and an old friend—try to stay away from these books.”

“Interesting, I thought you would make me investigate this matter.”

“Why say that?”

“The little gift you gave me—on the surface, it is a cheat that helps me extend time in the game, but it’s actually related to my body, right? You know that over time, my body would experience changes.”

The old man sighed. “You know, sometimes, right or wrong don’t apply to certain things. The factor of time can alter the outcome of an event. All in all, everything on this earth is closely tied to time. For example, if you like a girl, falling in love with her too early may not guarantee you will marry her. If you fall in love with her too late, she might have married someone else. Thus, the importance of timing.”

“Are you worried that I will cooperate with others after I know everything about my life?”

“No, no, I’m not worried about that. I mean… Actually, I am not the only one paying attention to you. And not everyone likes you. To protect you, I have to work with people I’m not fond of, including letting you join the game. Through that, you’d be protected by the rules, except for the fight between you and Justitia. Supposedly, no one is allowed to attack you right now except for their agents. This is why I’ve always reminded you to be careful of other agents… As you can see, the people who work with you and I don’t wish to see you get hurt. That’s our common goal. However, we do have some disagreements over certain matters, trial ones, really. For example, we still haven’t agreed on the right time to let you know the truth behind everything.”

“You just mentioned the people that you work with. Who are those? Are you referring to the bartender at the game’s checkpoint?” Zhang Heng asked.

“Sorry, I can’t give you the name list because I’m a reputable and reliable partner. I vowed never to expose their names even if I discovered that my other partners double-crossed me.” The old man in the Tang suit spread out his hands, looked helpless, and admitted, “I know you have always suspected that I was the one who’s been messing with you behind your back. You will be surprised when the truth is revealed, and you will find out that I am the only one who stands by your side. As I’ve said, I am like your little guardian angel.”

“Is this charity to you?”

“Of course not. Everyone in this world wants something, and I am no exception.” The old man scooped a spoonful of yogurt into his mouth. “The thing I want, however, will not harm your interests. I help you, you help me, and this is a win-win situation—the perfect cooperation. I said the same thing when we officially became partners—and that has not changed.”

“So you are telling me not to investigate further?”

“You are an adult, and you have the right to choose the right path for yourself. I’m just telling you that whatever you’re looking for might not be as good as you expected. And no matter what decision you make, I will always support you; even if you want me to give you the book now, I will do it right away.” The old man hungrily scooped an even bigger scoop of yogurt ice cream, and some of it fell onto his beard. It made him look really funny, “Oh, yes, I haven’t congratulated you on winning first place in the proxy war’s first round.”

“What’s the point? Anyway, you don’t care about the outcome of this sort of thing, right?”

“Who said that? Of course, I care. You represent my interests. I would read the news every day about proxy war.” The Tang suit old man grinned. “I am happy for you from the bottom of my heart. The final prize is good enough to tempt a god.”

As he spoke, he patted Zhang Heng on the shoulder, “Good luck, buddy.”