1 Chapter 1: A Wish

Of all the things Zhou Mingyu wanted to do on his break, trying to defend a batch of cookies from a hungry gremlin of a child was the last thing on that list. Especially when he felt like he was about to fail. Zhou Mingyu quickly raised the tray high above grubby little hands and gave the boy a stern look.

"No," He said which made the little boy huff and pout. "You get one at storytime like the rest of the children."

"Mother said that I can have as many as I want!"

Zhou Mingyu couldn't help but roll his eyes at the boy's attempt to strongarm him by mentioning his boss. "We both know that's not true."

The boy decided to switch tactics and instead looked up him with wide eyes and a wobbling lip. "Please Mingyu-gege?" he said as if this was his secret weapon and he expected Zhou Mingyu to crack any second. Admittedly Zhou Mingyu's heart warmed up at such a cute sight but dammit, he wasn't so weak willed to give in to the demands of a little kid so easily!

"For the last time, no. Now go find your mother and help her with the rest of the decorations."

The boy frowned and stuck his tongue out before running off to some unknown part of the library. Zhou Mingyu let out a heavy sigh and placed the tray back on his desk. 'For such a cute kid,' he thought to himself as he pushed up his glasses, 'the boss's kid is such a brat!'

With a quick glance at his phone, he slumped back into his chair and stared out the windows. There are twice as many people passing through the town of Hezhong today, most of them were exhausted parents being pulled along by their overexcited children. Zhou Mingyu isn't surprised by the crowd though. The town's population usually doubles during this time of the year thanks to the dozens of tourists driving in for the town-wide festival that takes place tonight. While the festival is mainly a tourist trap now, there are still some townspeople who still took the celebration of the legendary hero, Wu Junjie, seriously. And could they not? without Wu Junjie this town would become just another forgotten dot on the map!

The townspeople of Hezhong didn't have much to brag about except living in the same town that Wu Junjie was said to be born in. While some scholars still argue about the origins of his stories it's hard to argue with the oldest written record anyone can find. Which was a book with torn pages and looked like it would crumble into dust if you looked at it for too long. Though considering how old the book is, it's a miracle that it even survived this long. Zhou Mingyu read one of its copies when he was younger and to be honest he wasn't very impressed. The whole thing felt like some ancient, over the top cultivation novel and there were parts of the original book that were lost to time so it was hard to follow the timeline of the stories. Of course, the gaps in the books are a golden gift to thousands of creators who were more interested in the fame tied to Wu Junjie's name than making a faithful adaption. Hence the millions of movies, tv shows, and novels that were inspired by his epic adventures.

It was at that moment that a couple passed by the library as they enjoyed the numerous decorations hanged all over the town and Zhou Mingyu couldn't help but sigh at the sight. 'I might be the only one who hates today.' he thought gloomily. How could he not? Festivals like the one tonight were meant to be enjoyed with friends and family and Zhou Mingyu had neither. He really didn't need a whole day dedicated to reminding him of that.

A sharp bell chime cut through the air as a group of children rushed into the library and Zhou Mingyu immediately stood at attention with a large grin on his face. "Hey, kids! Are you excited for today's story?"

One of the boys had a toy sword in his hand which he proudly waved in the air and screamed out, "Wu Junjie!"

Zhou Mingyu smiled despite himself. 'Of course.' he thought.

**** Time Skip ****

It was already late by the time Zhou Mingyu got home. Without an ounce of grace, he threw himself face first onto his bed and groaned. The festival was in full swing and he could hear the loud music playing right below his apartment. 'God I'm pathetic.' He thought as he rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling. 'There's a town-wide party downstairs and here I am, huddled in my room like some cave goblin.' He could hear the crowd downstairs getting more and more excited and forced himself off the bed and towards his bedroom window. The fireworks should be starting soon and Zhou Mingyu always loved watching them, even if it was by himself.

He opened the window and breathed in the cool night air. It was a beautiful night; the sky looked like it was filled with twice as many stars than usual. He rested his head on the palm of his hand and stared down at the crowd below him, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose as he did. The festival always looks beautiful and this year was no exception. 'All this to celebrate some fictional hero.' He thought though there was a twinge of fondness in his heart. He loved Hezhong too much to ever think badly of it. Which is probably why he never left despite not having any ties here.

Something flashed in the corner of his eye and as he looked up Zhou Mingyu instantly perked up. 'Ah! A shooting star!'

He might not look like it but Zhou Mingyu was a romantic at heart and a small part of him still clung to childish things like wishes and shooting stars. He glanced back down at the crowd, at the groups of friends laughing together and at the smiles of children and parents and a wave of melancholy hit him.

"I wish," He said softly to himself. "That I could be apart of something. Something amazing and exciting."

The falling star twinkled and... started getting closer? 'Oh god, it really is coming this way! Oh god, it's getting really close!' The star flashed again, this time it was a blinding white light that had Zhou Mingyu staggering back into his bedroom. 'What the hell!?'

"Aw, don't be so sad!" A girlish voice cried out but Zhou Mingyu couldn't see her through all the white spots in his vision. "I'm here to grant your wish! That would make you happy right?"