Wish Lighthouse

Old Wang has been feeling anxious lately, not because of his mortgage or KPIs, but because his daughter has become obsessed with a strange thing—a wish lighthouse.

This lighthouse isn't an antique or a tourist attraction; it's a luminous structure, a full nine meters tall, standing on the top floor of a newly built high-end office building in the city center. It’s said that if you make a wish facing it, your wish is more likely to come true.

Old Wang scoffed at this idea. He’s an honest programmer, and his daily code is his most faithful companion. But his daughter, Xiaofang, doesn’t see it that way. She livestreams in front of the lighthouse on her phone every day, muttering incantations. Old Wang has seen her more than once squeezing into a crowd of young people, fighting fiercely to secure the “best spot” for her livestream.

"Dad, this is a high-end thing!" Xiaofang declared, her tone filled with yearning for the "high-end scene." "Look, Mr. Li made a wish in front of the lighthouse, and his project was approved! And Ms. Wang, she got a promotion and a raise in one go."

Old Wang sighed. He doesn't understand how these young people could believe this. He thinks it's no different from ancient superstitions, only wrapped in a high-tech package. He asked Xiaofang, "What did you wish for?"

Xiaofang smiled mysteriously, "I can't tell you, or it won't come true."

Old Wang shook his head helplessly, but he still felt uneasy. This wish lighthouse seems to have become a new social currency. Whoever can get into the "high-end scene" holds a certain privilege.

One day, Old Wang was assigned to work overtime late into the night. Looking out the window, the city lights were like countless stars, and the brightest one was the lighthouse on the top floor. A sudden urge surged in his heart—he wanted to see what magic this lighthouse held.

He made an excuse and sneaked up to the top floor. It was deserted, with only the lighthouse standing there quietly, radiating a soft glow. Old Wang went closer and discovered that the surface of the lighthouse was not made of any high-tech material, but a layer of smooth glass. Behind the glass was a huge projector, constantly looping videos of "successful people" making wishes in front of the lighthouse.

Old Wang finally understood. This wasn’t a lighthouse at all; it was just a huge billboard! An unnamed fire ignited in his heart—these people were being completely fooled by this low-level scam.

He decided to expose everything. The next day, Old Wang analyzed the structure and working principle of the lighthouse using technical terms on the company's tech forum and attached the photos he had secretly taken. He wrote indignantly: "This is not a wish lighthouse at all; it's a carefully planned consumer scam! We are all blinded by the illusion of the 'high-end scene'!"

As soon as the post came out, it caused an uproar. Some people supported Old Wang, while others accused him of ruining everyone's "good wishes." Xiaofang also saw the post and stormed up to Old Wang, "Dad, why did you do this? You ruined my hope!"

Old Wang looked at his daughter's disappointed eyes, and his heart ached. He wanted to explain, but he found he couldn't. He realized that he seemed to have fallen into another predicament. He tried to fight absurdity with reason and logic, but found that the power of absurdity was so strong. It wasn't just in a lighthouse; it permeated the entire society.

A few days later, Old Wang worked overtime again late into the night. As usual, he looked out of the window. The lighthouse still shone, and the surrounding office buildings were still brightly lit. He suddenly noticed that a camera had been added to the top of the lighthouse at some point, facing the city and filming tirelessly.

He opened his phone and found that the livestream of the wish lighthouse was showing the real-time footage of his office building, accompanied by a caption: "Today's Best Wish Spot: Top floor of XXX Building."

Old Wang looked at his phone screen, a chill rising from the soles of his feet. He suddenly realized that this wasn't just a consumer scam; it was a carefully designed social experiment, and all of them were being monitored and manipulated by this lighthouse. The so-called "high-end scene" was not about "wishing" but about the people who were "wishing."

Old Wang gave a helpless wry smile. He thought that maybe tomorrow he would also make a wish to the lighthouse, a wish that he would never be able to realize.