I'd always had a premonition I'd see Vanessa again. I just didn't expect we'd meet again so soon.
Five days later, she appeared at the library where I worked, wearing casual clothes, black sunglasses on, appearing by the bookshelf without any warning. I was holding a stack of books, preparing to return them to their places. I'd just turned around and she blocked my path. The books in my hands fell to the floor.
I looked at her in bewilderment, this uninvited visitor. She crouched down to help me pick up the books.
"Do you need my help? What are you doing here?"
Vanessa had come looking for me. I was very surprised. She said she had something she wanted to talk to me about. She helped me arrange the books back on the shelf. I didn't refuse.
The library closed at 8:30. It was already 8:00. Inside the library was very quiet. Only the sound of breathing could be heard. The smell of paper and ink in the air became particularly clear. And a faint fragrance from her.
Next to the library was a Chinese-style tea house selling traditional tea. We sat facing each other. I took a sip of tea, then spoke first. "What did you need to see me about?"
From earlier until now, Vanessa had been holding a craft paper bag. Now she placed it in a corner on the table, then gently pushed it toward me.
"Open it and look."
I took it uncertainly and opened it. An item both familiar and foreign, like a stone, stirred the sea of memories within me. A blue folding umbrella lay quietly inside. At the handle still hung the green cord I'd tied on. It was the umbrella I'd given her on college entrance exam day that year.
I'd never expected that after all these years she'd kept it until now, just waiting for the day to return it to me. I recalled making a heart-shaped gesture with her once. Back then, she'd responded, too. Owing no one any favor, even insignificant little things, sincere but ultimately futile.
"The umbrella I borrowed back then. I'm returning it to you now."
I'd never thought to ask for this umbrella back. But those words now were unnecessary, superfluous. So I just nodded and replied, "Okay. Are you married?"
I changed the subject, testing to see if any player had succeeded. She followed my gaze down to the silver ring on her index finger and calmly said, "No. This ring is the key to start New World."
I laughed lightly. Not only had I never played the immersive game she developed, I didn't even know the basic accessories.
The tea in the cup was nearly empty. I picked up the teapot and poured more, also refilling her cup, steam from the tea spreading through the air, mingling with the warm dim lantern light above, dispersing somewhat the cold, dark aura that had surrounded Vanessa all these years.
She moved the joints of her fingers holding the teacup. "Are you living well?"
I raised my eyebrows. This greeting sounded somewhat strange, or maybe hearing it from her mouth felt hollow.
"Pretty normal. Pretty good." I smiled.
She looked at me deeply, then raised her teacup and drained it. Perhaps it was an illusion, or perhaps from the tea's steam, but her eyes momentarily carried a hint of poetry.
We didn't have much to talk about. After returning the umbrella and drinking tea, she stood up to say goodbye.
This library area was very deserted at night, the darkness thick as ink. Opposite was a bustling commercial district, neon lights illuminating the entire night sky. Just one street apart, yet like two completely different worlds.
Outside the tea house, under the street light, Vanessa's silhouette became clearer. In that moment, I felt a tear in time and space, that figure overlapping with her image from my teenage memories. The image of her death in my dream suddenly flashed in my mind. A bitter, choking sorrow welled up from my heart.
I withdrew my gaze, discovering she'd left her sunglasses on the table.
"Vanessa!" I called out to her. She stopped and turned to look at me. I ran over and handed her the sunglasses, casually adding, "Forgot to congratulate you. I'll try out New World."
Three days later, I received a package. Inside was New World's headset and ring. The sender's address was Anonymous the company. Obviously, Vanessa had sent it to me. I was stunned. Apparently, my hesitation had been seen through by her. I intended to say thank you, but discovered I had no way to contact her.
I looked at the instruction manual and put on the New World headset. This was my first time entering the New World. It felt like stepping into a parallel dimension. Aside from electronic guidance sounds in my head and the transparent screen before my eyes, everything was incredibly realistic.
New World used real name login. I directly skipped the information registration step, because there was already an account prepared for me here.
Player number one.
So that's why Vanessa asked if I hadn't played New World yet. This account, until this very moment, had never had any usage traces.
In New World, I received two letters. Both were letters from Vanessa. The first was birthday wishes. This New World package was a gift she gave me. The second letter's content was very simple, about that umbrella. She was waiting for me to log into New World, waiting to return it to me. She had arranged everything, but never expected I had never once touched New World.
I exited the New World game, then went online to search for information about her. An extremely famous article about Vanessa appeared right before my eyes. A reporter asked why New World's symbol was a blue paper umbrella, along with dandelion seeds floating. Did it have any special meaning?
She only answered that it was her inspiration. Many netizens speculated whether it was related to someone she loved. In the interview description, Vanessa was silent for a long time, then slowly answered, "I often think of that person. When I remember, my mood gets better, too. I don't know if that feeling counts as liking or not."
I stared at those words, reading them over and over again. In my heart arose a powerful shock, a tremor I couldn't name.
Vanessa likes me? How could that be possible?
I shot to my feet, looking out the window where the sky shimmered with light. My mind in chaos, a meow startled me awake. I looked down at the lawn to see the familiar plump orange cat, Aju. It had been many years since I'd seen him, and now he was coming to find me again.
Not sure what he wanted, I was about to open the window to let him in. My hand had just touched the glass when suddenly a sensation of weightlessness engulfed my entire body. I collapsed to the floor, feeling something inside me rapidly disappearing. Instinctively, I felt the taste of death covering me.
In my blurred vision, I saw Aju jump in through the window. He rushed toward me right at the moment before I vanished. I heard Aju's voice full of fury.
"Damn it! One step too late."
My twenty-seventh birthday was the day I died.