Chapter 115: How Helpless Are the Wish Makers?

Chapter 115: Just How Pathetic Was the Person Who Made That Wish?

"Is this about me?" Upstairs, Liu Caiyi gazed in disbelief at the letter in her hand.

She had originally planned to wait for her family to return before opening it, wanting to savor the special moment—ushering in a new chapter of her life with her loved ones by her side.

But now, she couldn’t hold back.

Since she had applied to a local university, the acceptance letter came fast. The notice had been brought up when she returned earlier. On the envelope, the words "Yunteng University" were written in sweeping, artistic calligraphy.

Even if it hadn’t been labeled, she already knew which university it was from—there was no chance of the envelope and its contents being mismatched. Yet, she still opened the letter ahead of time.

Only when she held the letter in her own hands and saw the professors’ brush-written notes in small, meticulous characters did it truly sink in: "Liu Caiyi, you have been admitted to Yunteng University..."

Clear as day in black and white—there was no mistaking it. Below, the official seal of Yunteng University was stamped, along with the president’s signature.

Accompanying the letter was a souvenir—an exquisitely made small seal engraved with the characters "Liu Caiyi." Everything matched what she had previously learned about Yunteng University's acceptance materials.

Past admission letters from Yunteng University had been the same.

She’d looked into this ahead of time when applying.

Moreover, Liu Caiyi took out her phone, logged onto the university’s website, and checked—and there it was, her name listed among the newly admitted students.

It was her dream university, her dream major.

And it was close to home, meaning she could come home whenever after starting school. For someone as much of a homebody as Liu Caiyi, this was incredibly appealing. She had been preparing for this since her second year of high school.

After so much effort, she had finally been accepted into the school she had longed for. Logically, she should have been overjoyed.

But Liu Caiyi couldn’t muster a smile.

She wanted to convince herself that the "Liu Caiyi" in the book wasn’t her, but it was impossible.

"Liu Caiyi isn’t a common name."

The odds of someone with the exact same name also being admitted to Yunteng University as a freshman in the same year—how likely was that?

The staff had checked—in this year’s Yunteng University admissions, there was only one Liu Caiyi. Not even a homophone could be found.

"I wanted to get into a good school so that after learning and achieving something, I could support myself and contribute to my family and country," Liu Caiyi murmured, staring at the admission letter in her hand. But now, she felt like a bad luck charm.

No chance to contribute—just bringing disaster instead.

Yunteng University had been bombed, and so had its sister school. So many people had died or been injured.

And all of it, just because she had been admitted to Yunteng University.

"So, just how pathetic was the person who made that wish? That they’d resort to something this extreme?"

"Compared to bombing schools, was it actually harder for whoever granted the wish to just help them get good grades?"

Sheng Qingquan’s remark jolted Liu Caiyi back to reality.

Right, why was she blaming herself? She hadn’t wanted the schools to be bombed. The blame lay with the ones pulling the strings.

Whether it was the wisher or the wish-granter—both of them were in the wrong.

"But I’m not at fault. I played by the rules on the college exams, without cheating. Every single point was earned honestly, the result of years of sweat and effort. Where did I mess up? Why take the fall for somebody else’s screw-up?"

Instead of blaming herself, Liu Caiyi began to ponder who would make such a wish.

It must be someone around her—even if not close, at least acquainted. Otherwise, the two wouldn’t have become a foil.

Liu Caiyi recalled her classmates who struggled academically.

Yikes. From elementary to middle to high school, the number of struggling classmates was quite large. Add to that the kids around the same age among relatives and neighbors in the community.

That made the number even bigger. And this was after excluding those who had already given up on the gaokao (the college entrance exam). Otherwise, the count would be even more overwhelming.

For the time being, there was really no way to pinpoint who it might be.

"Wait a minute!"

Liu Caiyi started scrolling through her friends' posts. Another condition had to be added: someone who visited temples around the time of the gaokao.

The prerequisite for a wish to be granted was that it had to be made in the first place.

These days, young people might whip out their phones to snap a picture of a random dog on the street and post it online. Visiting a temple or shrine? The likelihood of them sharing it was pretty much guaranteed.

Liu Caiyi began a focused search.

By then, her parents and elderly family members had also received the news and rushed home. The whole family buried themselves in their phones, though Grandma Liu, not very familiar with smartphones, struggled with the touchscreen while scrolling through posts.

After learning the situation, the old lady was livid. As she clumsily browsed through social media, she couldn’t help but grumble.

She used to have the habit of lighting incense for prayers on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. But ever since the *prophecy book* appeared, she had forcibly broken the habit.

Even for something as important as Liu Caiyi’s gaokao, she had resisted the urge to pray.

"I was afraid praying might invite trouble. And what do you know? I didn’t pray, but someone else did!"

"It’s just impossible to guard against everything!"

How could anyone not be angry or worried when their child was caught up in something like this?

"That person definitely didn’t pray to a proper deity. A proper god wouldn’t do something so heinous. It must’ve been some rogue deity or crooked god," Grandma Liu muttered.

While the Liu family investigated, the authorities weren’t idle either. Their thoughts aligned with Grandma Liu’s, so they specifically searched for any unregistered shrines. Beyond that, some checked strange online wish forums, while others traced the source of the bomb materials.

They looked into whether any of the Liu family’s acquaintances had children around the same age who might also have access to explosives.

What if a parent, in a warped mindset, learned of their child’s wish and, seeing them fail the gaokao, feared their child would feel worse watching Liu Caiyi go to college—prompting them to take such extreme measures? It wasn’t impossible.

No one wanted to admit their child came up short, especially if they often compared their own kid to Liu Caiyi, showing how much they cared about it.

Coming in second normally was one thing, but failing in something as crucial as the gaokao? Resentment might push them over the edge.

They might even show up later to "comfort" Liu Caiyi for her misfortune, dripping with sarcasm.

In short, no matter how absurd the motive, the authorities had seen it all before. There were even cases where someone killed another just because a restaurant served their food too slowly.

Though Tianlanxing (fictional planet) strictly controlled explosives, obtaining them wasn’t entirely impossible—just not something anyone could easily manage. Even makeshift bombs required raw materials. So investigating this angle was entirely feasible. In fact, it made the method of wish fulfillment seem somewhat plausible.

After all, compared to altering gaokao scores, getting explosives to blow up a school was, admittedly, the easier option.

The whole team was scrambling, and Sheng Qingquan was no exception. He kept reading ahead.

Hold on, the person who made the wish didn’t actually take it seriously. They were just in the heat of the moment and casually made a wish. Afterward, they brushed it off and happily went on with their trip.

It’s not so much about worshiping a deity as it is about using the opportunity to unwind.

When Yunteng University was bombed, she didn’t think much of it. Even when the sister school was also bombed, she still didn’t realize it had anything to do with her.

Yeah, no sane person would think a school bombing was because someone didn’t want a particular person to succeed in college.

Plus, most young people today don’t actually buy into gods.

They’d sooner believe in aliens than in gods. Of course, it’s now been proven that aliens do exist.

Anyway, people might go through the motions, but it’s mostly for psychological comfort. Who actually thinks a god’s gonna grant their wish?

Given the choice, she’d probably rather get rich!

Too real! Who doesn’t wanna get rich?!

The wisher was just stressed and venting. Once it was out of their system, they moved on. It’s not like they had genuine malice.

The staff looked at each other. Liu Caiyi mulled it over and had to agree—it tracked.

If they’d really meant harm, they could’ve just torn up her exam admission ticket. Even with a reissue, it’d have messed with her.

Losing the ticket pre-exam would’ve freaked her out. Even if she got it reissued in time and took the exam, her mindset would’ve been affected. Performing poorly would naturally lower her chances of getting into a good school.

Or they could’ve paid someone to run her over. A hurt hand? Even with all the answers, she’d be screwed. A bad enough injury, and she’d be in the ER, not the exam hall.

Nowadays, with med-tech, not just parents but even teachers and traffic police on duty carry them during exams to handle emergencies. So that wouldn’t work.

But in the original version, no med-tech meant doing this would’ve achieved the goal.

No need to hire help or tip anyone off. If they knew each other, slipping something into her food to upset her stomach wouldn’t be hard.

A heavy dose, and she’d be glued to the toilet—how could she take the exam then?

If someone really wanted to harm her, there were plenty of ways. This was nothing.

Then the other side showed up, saying they’d fulfilled her wish and now demanded payment.

What payment?

Would it cost her life?

A cop-turned-staffer first wondered if this counted as coercion or fraud.

Liu Caiyi stiffened, dreading another casualty.

It demanded that Cai Zhixuan devoutly worship and serve it.

Cai Zhixuan agreed on the surface and immediately took out her phone to open an online store.

She picked the top-rated carving shop, known for its handmade craftsmanship.

She asked what material it preferred for its idol—shoushan stone or boxwood? She wanted to customize one for it.

["‘Machine-carved? Fast but soulless... Handmade carries more sincerity. Only by chiseling bit by bit, carving with care, pouring the artisan’s heart into it, can an idol truly match your status.’"]

"As she spoke, Cai Zhixuan asked what style of shrine it preferred—something intricate and ornate, or simple and elegant, whether it wanted gold detailing or inlaid gems. She inquired about its preferences for incense burners, whether it liked sandalwood or floral-fruity scents for worship, and whether it preferred three or four sticks of incense at a time."

"For offerings, did it like hearty meats and fish, or lighter sweets and fruits? Or perhaps a bit of everything. Any favorite flavors—sweet, salty, or spicy?"

"Did it want flowers as offerings? If so, were there any specific flower varieties it favored? Since lotus flowers were almost in season, should she buy some?"

"She even let it choose the vases for the flowers and the dishes for the offerings."

"She was so meticulous that she even asked about its preferences for the patterns on them."

"This rapid-fire questioning completely caught the other party off guard."

["'Is this how gods get treated?' it thought to itself, regretting not having discovered such a treasure trove sooner."]

"Wish we’d met sooner. But better late than never."

"Then, Cai Zhixuan turned around and headed straight to the nearest major police station to turn the god in as a suspect for the two bombings."