Chapter Fifteen: Where Are My Wings?

To this moment, even Chen Hao himself couldn’t quite figure out why he had to come here, nor did he know what he hoped to uncover by approaching the abandoned building. The scene was obvious: the place had been deserted for a long time. There wasn’t a soul to be seen, let alone a bustling restaurant. Other than a few leftover pieces of office furniture proving that people had once worked there, nothing else remained.

Yet Chen Hao was not willing to give up. He stubbornly believed that everything he’d experienced—the five so-called programmers, and the NPC Vivian who had developed self-awareness—had truly happened. He refused to accept that it was all just a dream he’d had while unconscious.

The catalyst for all of this was the restaurant that was supposed to stand here, once lively and filled with guests.

Clinging to a final thread of hope, he decided to go in and explore the abandoned building, thinking he might find some small clue to prove that his memories were real and not a dream.

Even Chen Hao himself found his actions inexplicable. If he were in Gu Mengyan’s shoes, he too would have thought something was wrong with him, that perhaps he’d lost his mind.

But to Chen Hao’s surprise, aside from her initial confusion, Gu Mengyan had been entirely cooperative, asking almost no questions and making no complaints. She seemed to sense his own uncertainty and bewilderment, so she patiently stayed by his side, indulging his odd behavior.

Hand in hand, just as they had as children, the two of them walked into the abandoned building. In truth, even without stepping inside, Gu Mengyan could already imagine what awaited them: peeling, faded walls, cobwebs in the corners and at the bends of the stairs, heaps of junk and pools of stagnant water hidden in dark places, and a thick layer of dust on the remnants of office equipment. If a film crew or a production company ever scouted this place, it would be a perfect set for a horror movie—especially at night, with the right lighting and sound effects.

And truth be told, paired with Chen Hao’s talk of adventure, the setting suited him quite well. Had they still been children, such a place would have entertained them for days.

Now, though Chen Hao called it an “adventure,” Gu Mengyan could clearly see his mind was elsewhere. Rather than an explorer, he seemed more like a detective, scrutinizing every detail of the building as if searching for evidence of a crime.

Gu Mengyan had no idea what Chen Hao was looking for. She simply let him lead her, quietly following as he wandered and paused, never uttering a word, watching him intently the whole time.

The situation brought her back to their childhood, when she too had followed him closely, clutching his hand and hiding behind him. Whenever they ventured into unfamiliar places, it was always Chen Hao who bravely took the lead. Yet she could tell from his sweaty, trembling hand that he was just as scared as she was. And now, she could distinctly feel his hand sweating again—what was making him so nervous?

They wandered the first floor in silence, nearly covering every inch, but Chen Hao said nothing, his face still tight with tension.

Finally, unable to bear the oppressive silence, Gu Mengyan broke it. “Hey! Chen Hao… We’ve walked the whole first floor. Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Huh?” Chen Hao was startled by her words. “How did you know…”

“Come on!” Gu Mengyan straightened up, looking at him with exasperation. “Don’t I know you inside out? I can tell what you’re about to do just by your body language! You dragged me to this dump right after you woke up, and even though there’s obviously nothing here, you insisted on coming in. Isn’t it clear you’re hoping to find something? I don’t know what it is, but from your expression, it must be something very important to you.”

Chen Hao was left speechless. He hadn’t realized Gu Mengyan understood him so well.

Before he could explain, Gu Mengyan’s imagination ran ahead. She propped her chin in her hand and mused, “Let’s see… From what I know about you, there’s not much you really care about. It’s not money—you’re not short of that, so you’re not looking for a lost wallet. And judging by your surprise at this place, it’s likely your first time here, so you didn’t leave anything behind. If it isn’t something of yours, maybe it’s something that doesn’t belong to you, but that you care about deeply… To be honest, I can only think of two possibilities.”

“Which two?” Chen Hao was actually intrigued—so far, her reasoning was flawless.

“It’s simple! Anyone who knows you knows you only have two real interests. The first is the game Virtual World… No, to be precise, it’s the technology behind the game Virtual World.” She spoke, and Chen Hao nodded—she was right.

“And the second?” he prompted.

“The second is a bit more… peculiar. As far as I know, despite all the beautiful girls who’ve chased after you, you’re only interested in the perfect heroines of the anime world—especially those sweet, innocent types.” She grinned mischievously. “But honestly, I can’t see how either advanced gaming technology or your favorite anime girls could possibly be found in a dump like this. So, what are you really looking for?”

Chen Hao sighed helplessly. “You’re something else… I have almost no secrets from you.”

“Of course!” Gu Mengyan beamed. “There’s not a part of you I haven’t figured out!”

Her words carried a hint of ambiguity, leaving Chen Hao momentarily at a loss for words.

He coughed awkwardly. “I warn you—don’t you dare take off my pants again without permission!”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Fine, fine. Next time I’ll make sure you don’t notice…”

Chen Hao was exasperated. “Damn it…”

“All right, enough joking. Tell me the truth—what are you looking for? Does it have something to do with your recent coma?” Gu Mengyan guessed boldly.

“You’re right,” Chen Hao finally admitted, deciding to tell her everything that had happened to him in the past two days. He trusted that, given their relationship, she wouldn’t think he was crazy and have him locked up.

So, Chen Hao began his story, recounting in detail every event and memory from the past two days, starting from their overtime work the previous week…

…

After hearing his story, Gu Mengyan was stunned. She stared at Chen Hao, speechless, like a statue.

“Hey!” Chen Hao nudged her. “Say something! What’s with that look?”

Her neck stiffly turned toward him, her eyes fixed on his face. The intensity of her gaze sent a chill down his spine. He nudged her again. “Hey! Snap out of it!”

There was only silence. Then, after a long pause, Gu Mengyan suddenly broke into a bright, innocent smile and began to skip in circles around him. “Oh! Chen Hao! I’m so happy to see you again! You scared me just now. You went all blank and stopped responding, like you’d gone stupid. No matter how I called you, you just stood there.”

Chen Hao stared, dumbfounded, at this familiar person wearing an unfamiliar expression. “You… Who are you?!”

Still with that innocent smile, she replied, “Huh? You’re acting strange! How can you forget me so quickly? It’s me! Vivian!”

“What the hell!” Chen Hao cried out. “You’re Vivian? Stop joking!”

“Are you all right?” The girl who called herself Vivian looked at him with concern, reaching out to feel his forehead. “No fever… Why don’t you remember me?”

At that moment, she noticed the car Chen Hao had driven. Her curiosity was instantly piqued. “Wow! What’s this thing? How strange! Where are we? Weren’t we at my house? How did we end up somewhere so weird? And… Hey! Where are my wings?”