48 Hours a Day

Chapter 689: Bayberry and Ashtray

When subjected to tremendous pressure, one human would react differently from the other.

Some would wail, kneel, or beg for mercy, some put up the final fight to save themselves, whereas some would remain calm, looking for the opportune moment to escape their captor. Bai Qing felt like helpless prey caught in a spiderweb. She realized that she needed to escape immediately from this fake Zhang Heng. Once the victim ensnared by the web struggled, however, its body would inevitably touch the silk strings, the slightest of which would alarm the hunter at the other end.

And the most critical problem was that she did not know who else she could trust.

The waiter at the ramen restaurant? Or the driver in the cab?

Whose side were they on? Were they capable of saving her?

Bai Qing glanced at Zhang Heng.

The latter replied with a smile. After exiting the ramen restaurant, the two continued sticking to each other like young lovers that had just fallen in love. This time around, Zhang Heng did not let Bai Qing leave his sight.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get to our safe spot soon.”

“Okay.”

Bai Qing responded reluctantly. She could feel that the hunter was on the move and was slowly making its approach. It made her feel even more uneasy. She had no idea how long her disguise could last.

The taxi driver complained about the heavy traffic and the rising property prices. Even though they were in the same car, Bai Qing didn’t hear a single word he said. Her mind was somewhere else, knowing that she should be more intimate with Zhang Heng to lower his guard. But she could no longer force herself to do such a thing again. She was on the verge of breaking down. Just a brief look of him would invoke great terror.

So, Bai Qing tilted her head slightly and looked out the car window.

Watching the endless traffic and pedestrians flashing by calmed her down a little.

Since there were a couple of traffic lights along the way, the cab arrived at the destination later than expected.

The driver pulled up by the roadside, and Bai Qing noticed that Zhang Heng did not pay the cab driver with his e-wallet. Instead, he handed over a twenty-yuan note. “Keep the change.”

He then opened the door and was first to get off.

Bai Qing got out after him, and the first thing she saw was the internet cafe Zhang Heng had mentioned earlier.

It was an old building, with a damaged signboard hanging outside saying Ronghua Internet Café. On the concrete steps at the entrance sat a group of suspicious-looking teenagers. They should be about Bai Qing’s age, but they weren’t in school at this hour. The boys in the group were smoking away, and their eyes lit up the moment they spotted Bai Qing.

One of them raised his head. “Are you looking to have some fun? Let me be your guide.”

But as soon as he said that, a figure blocked his view and warned him.

“She’s my girlfriend.”

Zhang Heng held Bai Qing’s hand. When the boy saw Zhang Heng stepping in, he threw the cigarette in his hand. He was about to mount a confrontation when a voice called out from the cafe.

“Don’t cause trouble, Xiao Fei! Otherwise, you and your friend can’t play for free in my café.”

Upon the owner’s warning against starting a fight, the young man named Xiao Fei backed down.

Zhang Heng then brought Bai Qing in. Having only thirty computers, the space on the ground floor wasn’t that large. Since it was still morning, only seven or eight patrons occupied the computers.

The owner of the place, Zhang Heng’s friend, was an oversized man weighing more than two hundred pounds. He was sat in front of the cash register at most times, working part-time as a cashier. When he saw Zhang Heng and Bai Qing walking in, he nodded at them. “The private room is ready for the two of you, VIP 3.”

“Thank you.” Zhang Heng nodded and was about to go upstairs when Bai Qing suddenly said, “When I came in just now, I saw someone selling bayberry at the roadside. Can I buy some?”

Zhang Heng and the owner looked at each other, to which the latter suggested, “I have watermelons and bananas here.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just buy it,” Zhang Heng said. Since they had now arrived at the internet café, Zhang Heng figured that Bai Qing could no longer escape him. He started to lower his guard as a result. “You go to the room first. I will come in a while.”

“Hmm,” answered Bai Qing.

“Just treat this place like your own home. You can relax here,” the obese owner added.

Zhang Heng behaved like a total gentleman, making sure Bai Qing had safely ascended to the second floor before leaving.

As she stood in the corridor on the second floor and saw that there was no one around, Bai Qing quickly checked out her surroundings. And yet again, she found no way of escape. After noticing the security camera on the other side of the corridor, she wanted to linger there no further. With her head lowered, she walked into the room reserved for VIP 3.

As compared to the dirty corridor, the private room was fully furnished. There were two computers and a small bed for the overnighters, though some questionable stains could be seen on the bedsheet.

Bai Qing then looked around, pick up the glass ashtray on the computer desk, and held it firmly in her hand. After that, she stood by the door and leaned on the wall, waiting for Zhang Heng to come into the room.

Every second felt painfully long.

On top of that, Bai Qing did not know how to escape the internet cafe even if she managed to stun Zhang Heng. The fat owner must have been replaced by the aliens as well. Perhaps, asking the gang of teenagers outside for help was a good idea. She simply didn’t do what she could do to convince them.

Time dragged by, showing none the slightest mercy for frayed nerves.

Finally, she heard footsteps outside the room. With every closing footstep, Bai Qing’s heart thumped harder.

This would all be over soon. She closed her eyes, raised the ashtray in her hand, and prepared to strike.

The person outside the door knocked twice.

Hearing no response coming from the room after a while, the person stretched out a hand and opened the door.

At the same time, Bai Qing, waiting at the side, gritted her teeth before swinging the ashtray with all her might. The person, however, managed to stop her strike.

After that, the man walked into the room and closed the door smoothly.

The difference in strength between the two was simply too great. No matter how much Bai Qing struggled, she could not free herself from Zhang Heng. She wanted to open her mouth and yell, only to be covered shut by Zhang Heng’s hand.

“It’s me.”

Bai Qing opened her eyes and looked at the face that made terrified her, and her body started to tremble even more.

“Ask me that question.”

When he saw Bai Qing nodding at him, Zhang Heng started to loosen his grip little by little.

“Do you... do you like me?” Bai Qing asked while trembling like a leaf.

“Sorry, I come from another world,” Zhang Heng replied, letting go of the terrified girl.

However, Bai Qing was probably still scared to death. Although she didn’t try to strike him with the ashtray again, she still had a hard time believing him.

Zhang Heng then pointed at the unused pocket on Bai Qing’s shirt, and the latter reached in and took out a miniature tracker the size of a coin.