Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C31

Please support the translation by reading the translation and commenting on otakutl official site.

Thank you.

Everyone from Otaku Translation

"I thought you were just going to skip class," Ms. Yan said, her tone sharp but not unkind. "I was about to tell Mr. Li to call your parents in." She turned her gaze toward Gu Lu. "Even though you're preparing for the final round of the writing competition, that doesn't mean you can show up late. Do you hear me? And Wang Hongming, the same goes for you. Practice your dance moves properly—doesn’t Mr. Li give you two enough special treatment already?"

Her voice softened ever so slightly when addressing Gu Lu.

"We were late because we stopped to help someone," Wang Hongming interjected quickly. "An elderly man fell off his bike, and oranges went flying everywhere."

"Then we helped him pick them up," Zhang Yudong chimed in, nodding earnestly. He pointed at the orange in Chen Xue's hand as proof. "That old man gave it to us as thanks!"

"Enough!" Ms. Yan snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Zhang Yudong, last time you were late for morning reading, you told me your mom was hospitalized. Mr. Li even called to check on her, worried sick—and do I need to remind you how that turned out?"

Holy crap! Talk about wishing illness upon his own mother. Gu Lu shot Zhang Yudong a sidelong glance.

"It’s true—we really—" Chen Xue tried to explain, but Ms. Yan wasn’t having any of it.

"Out! All of you! Stand in the hallway. If you’re this late, it’s clear you don’t care about class. Don’t bother coming back for the next two periods."

"And where did we leave off?" Ms. Yan spun around, resuming her lecture without another glance at the quintet.

Chen Xue opened her mouth to protest further, but Zhang Yudong tugged lightly at her hair, silently urging her to drop it. The guy had a habit of pulling girls’ hair, which usually earned him a good beating—but right now, no one cared.

Zhang Yudong knew their credibility with teachers was practically nonexistent. Arguing wouldn’t help, and besides, standing outside wasn’t exactly unfamiliar territory for him. His personal record? Four consecutive classes.

Of the five, Gu Lu and Fan Xiaotian remained silent. The latter stayed quiet out of fear, while the former seemed unfazed—he’d seen this coming.

And so, the most striking sight in the corridor became Wang Hongming leaning casually against the wall. With his clean-cut looks and dancer’s posture, he exuded an effortless charm. Rumor had it that some girls from other classes referred to him as the “class heartthrob” of Class Five. But Gu Lu would like to make one thing crystal clear: such a title was categorically rejected by all male members of Class Five, including himself.

"What a damn fool move," Chen Xue muttered under her breath. "Helping strangers gets us nothing but two hours of standing here. That witch is out of her mind."

Zhang Yudong and Wang Hongming nodded fervently in agreement. Two whole periods of standing? Brutal.

"One person standing alone is punishment," Gu Lu mused aloud. "But once there’s more than one, the meaning changes."

"How does it change?" Fan Xiaotian asked curiously.

"With two people, it’s like Cao Cao meeting Liu Bei—heroes recognizing each other amidst chaos. Three people? It’s the Peach Garden Oath, sworn brothers till death. Four people? We’re the Four Heavenly Kings of our class!"

"And five?" Zhang Yudong’s eyes lit up.

"Five means every hero under heaven has gathered here!" Gu Lu declared dramatically. "You’re all ambitious souls, but alas, unrecognized talents with no outlet for greatness."

Perfect! Zhang Yudong loved this sort of over-the-top nonsense. He started muttering something about heroes under his breath.

Gu Lu glanced at Zhang Yudong’s earnest expression. Good grief, he didn’t actually believe it, did he?

Still, the absurdity of it lightened the mood, and the gloom that had settled over Chen Xue and the others lifted somewhat.

As silence fell over the group, Gu Lu’s thoughts drifted back to his work-in-progress. He finally understood why Decisive Moments in History had triggered—it was the fruit. In the chapter about the Golden Country, Stefan Zweig described John Sutter cultivating orchards before discovering gold in California, sparking the Gold Rush. The place? Modern-day San Francisco.

"Sutter grew fruits… That confirms it," Gu Lu murmured to himself. He’d uncovered yet another rule governing his mysterious ability.

[Ownership of items mentioned in the work] mattered—not mere contact. After all, he and Fan Xiaotian had touched plenty of things while moving boxes earlier, and nothing had happened. Same with the oranges they’d picked up earlier.

"Well, who knows when the next trigger will come," Gu Lu thought wryly. "It’s too random. But this time was quite the surprise…"

Decisive Moments in History was nearly a masterpiece—a peak-tier work teetering on the edge of greatness. In internet fantasy terms, it was a semi-masterpiece just shy of perfection.

"This content can’t be released recklessly," Gu Lu pondered. First, he needed to buy related foreign history books and prepare thoroughly. Even if he played the genius card, geniuses weren’t born omniscient.

Besides, submitting to Story Digest wouldn’t cut it. Zweig’s caliber deserved literary magazines like Harvest or October.

"Not yet," Gu Lu decided. He knew timing mattered; rushing wouldn’t do. For now, he still had Edogawa Ranpo short stories lined up for submission.

"Magazines publishing my short stories will sustain my basic needs. Winning the Ye Shengtao Cup or the Bingxin Cup could get me into university. Everything’s planned out perfectly."

"The next step is building my reputation. Story Digest isn’t sustainable long-term."

It wasn’t that Gu Lu looked down on it—it had its merits. Among publishers notorious for taking months to review submissions, Story Digest stood out for its speedy turnaround. But its fatal flaw lay in its inability to build an author’s name. No famous writer had ever emerged from its pages, and Gu Lu wasn’t desperate for cash anymore.

Future submissions should target places like Chronicles of Mystery. High serialization feedback meant editorial boards might approach authors about book deals, boosting both fame and income.

"I need to seize the years between 2012 and 2017—the black iron age for writers. Once the era of short videos arrives, it’ll be near impossible to gain recognition through physical books unless you’re some viral sensation."

Earth’s post-millennium decade saw writers like Guo Jingming and Han Han rise to prominence—the silver age. As for why it wasn’t golden? Impossible. Nothing could rival the literary heights of the '80s and '90s.

"Take it slow. I’m not even in high school yet—I’ve got time."

He recalled attempting to exploit loopholes once, dictating lines for his desk mate to read aloud. Useless.

In his meticulously crafted future plans, the first math period ended. Yet when the bell rang, no students left the classroom—the teacher had overrun.

About five minutes later, the floodgates opened, and students spilled out. Zhang Yudong’s buddies greeted him with playful jibes.

"Take it easy, yeah? Even after leaving the hospital, you’ve gotta take care of yourself."

Xu Meili, freshly discharged, leaned on her friend for support. Her companion’s incessant nagging, however, grated on her nerves.

Standing for two periods was bearable if you zoned out. Endure, and it passed.

That evening, Gu Lu scoured his house again, touching everything in sight… To no avail.

The next day, dawn broke faintly.

During literature morning study, classmates recited mandatory ancient poems and classical texts:

"When I was young, I loved learning. My family was poor, unable to afford books, so I borrowed from those who owned libraries, copying them by hand and returning them promptly. During harsh winters, ink froze solid, and my fingers stiffened, yet I never slackened. Upon finishing, I returned the books immediately…"

The chorus of voices filled the air.

"Anyone late today?" Mr. Li asked Chen Na, the class monitor.

"...Gu Lu hasn’t arrived yet," she replied honestly.

Mr. Li frowned. Yesterday, Ms. Yan had mentioned Gu Lu, Zhang Yudong, and the others being late. Why was he tardy again today?

Could it be arrogance from winning the writing competition? Mr. Li resolved to have a serious talk with him. Overconfidence could ruin his performance in the finals—pride always came before a fall.

"Gu Lu’s really pushing it, showing up late again," Zhang Yudong muttered.

Ten minutes into the session, Gu Lu finally appeared—but he wasn’t alone. Behind him trailed someone familiar…

Someone Zhang Yudong, Chen Xue, Fan Xiaotian, and Wang Hongming recognized instantly.

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/literary-genius-this-kid-was-born-smart/

If you like this project, please vote for this novel through the above link, thank you.

Join our discord you will receive update notification

If you would like to support this translation, you may choose any one of the options below.

All the tiers provide an off-line reading experience

Tier 1: 3 Advance chapters

Access fee $3.00 Monthly