Chapter 323 - Deep Sleep Aboard the Train (1/2)

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?”

“Hmm?”

“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.

Zhang Heng smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I like Finland very much, and I hope to go there someday.”

“May your dreams be granted soon.”

After that, the TOEFL girl quickly buried her head in the red book again. The train continued to move forward, and the carriage was alight with sounds. Some chatted and ate sunflower seeds. Children were crying and playing music, and the middle-aged man beside Zhang Heng was still talking on the phone. Suddenly, Zhang Heng missed the moon’s eternal silence.

The man had got up from his seat, and when he came back, he finally put away his phone as he muttered a few words. Then, he leaned his head on the curtains and fell asleep after that. Zhang Heng continued to flip through the ‘Finnish Grammar’ in his hand until an attendant who was pushing a cart reminded the passengers to keep their legs off the aisle.

The TOEFL girl took out an apple from her bag. After a few moments, she took out another one, and in a soft voice, she asked Zhang Heng, “Hey there, do you want an apple? It’s washed.”

“Thank you.”

Zhang Heng did not refuse her kindness to avoid embarrassing her. The TOEFL girl breathed a sigh of relief. The gesture had eased the previous awkward introduction, and she seemed to have forgotten about it. She appeared less bashful and started to talk while taking a bite off the apple.

After chatting for a while, the TOEFL girl winked at Zhang Heng, whispering, “Look at the uncle next to you. He’s drooling.”

Zhang Heng looked at him and frowned. Many people drooled while sleeping, but it was rare seeing a middle-aged man drooling so much that the curtain was wet. In fact, he seemed completely unable to control his salivary glands. Immediately, Zhang Heng tried to pat the middle-aged man on the shoulder, but there wasn’t any response. So, he tried harder, nudging the man this time. Still, the middle-aged man did not wake up.

The TOEFL girl, too, noticed that something wasn’t right.

“What’s wrong with him, is he sick?”

“I don’t know. Let’s call the attendants first,” Zhang Heng replied in a low voice.

After that, he placed his fingers under the middle-aged man’s nostrils. Seeing that the man was still breathing, he proceeded to open his eyelids and saw that his pupils were not dilated, and they responded instantly when exposed to light. Apart from the abnormal amount of saliva, his current state wasn’t medically abnormal. He was in a deep sleep, but it was strange that he couldn’t be awakened by any means.