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Chapter 36: Chicken Soup for the Soul
No wonder so many people look back on their youth with nostalgia.
"Let me tell you, that moment when we locked eyes... it was just—" Fan Xiaotian struggled to find the right words but came up short.
"Four eyes meeting, and time stands still, right?" Gu Lu offered helpfully, filling in the gap.
"Yeah, exactly! As expected of someone winning essay contests and writing stories for Story Digest. That description was spot-on!" Fan Xiaotian praised him enthusiastically.
Beep—
Just as Gu Lu let his guard down, his golden cue triggered again.
Three tags flashed into his mind: [Edogawa Ranpo Award], [Detective Dies], [Shūkan Bunshun's Best Detective Fiction of the Year].
"Oh my god, who can even tell the difference between you and Einstein?" Gu Lu couldn’t resist complimenting Fan Xiaotian.
"?!" Fan Xiaotian looked utterly baffled. Was this supposed to be a compliment?
"Well, I’m still not quite at Einstein’s level," Fan Xiaotian said modestly.
But Gu Lu had already slipped into deep thought. His golden cue operated on two sequences—item-based or quote-based—but what exactly had Fan Xiaotian said earlier?
Winning the Ranpo Award and topping the yearly ranking meant both critical acclaim and commercial success.
"A detective dies… Hmm, suspect X… no, wait, that’s Detective Galileo, and Yukawa doesn’t die." Gu Lu sifted through possibilities in his head.
The only works he could think of where a detective died were Curtain by Agatha Christie and The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle. But those authors existed in this world too, and besides, the tags clearly pointed toward Japanese Detective fiction.
"I vaguely remember a book called The Detective Dies Right Away, but it was terrible and definitely didn’t win any awards."
Though Detective novels were typically serialized in magazines like Chronicles of Mystery or published directly as books, without fame, sales would tank regardless.
Failing to come up with anything concrete, Gu Lu decided to focus instead on The Little Prince. Spending lunchtime in the grove hadn’t cost much time anyway, so he headed over to Fat Boss’s place to finish the last thousand words of his submission to Story Digest.
Fan Xiaotian waited nearby, flipping through an issue of Story Digest. He’d been reading it for ages now.
Gu Lu sent the file directly to Mu Zi Zi since he enjoyed special treatment that bypassed the initial review stage.
During afternoon PE class, while the entire class went outside, Gu Lu stayed behind. The interview location? Their classroom.
"Gu Lu, this is Reporter Wang from Young Pioneer Newspaper," Mr. Li introduced them.
Reporter Wang was in his prime, wearing a black-striped short-sleeved shirt under a dark windbreaker, with a camera slung around his neck. His skin was slightly tanned, likely from frequent outdoor reporting.
"Hello, Gu Lu. I’ve read The Resounding Shadow. Excellent work," Reporter Wang greeted him warmly, sizing up the young student.
Smaller and thinner than expected, yet noticeably calmer than most kids interviewed for The Vanguard. Typically, students—even those from wealthy families—tended to get flustered during interviews.
Gu Lu appeared a bit tense but maintained composure overall.
"You referenced quite a few ancient texts in your piece. Do you read a lot of extracurricular books?" Reporter Wang’s tone was gentle, almost contradicting his rugged appearance, as he steered the conversation based on Gu Lu’s work.
"I do enjoy reading," Gu Lu admitted, visibly reassured by the reporter’s affable demeanor.
"Could you recommend a couple of books to us?"
"Sure. First, there’s Miscellaneous Essays from Qie Jie Pavilion by Lu Xun, and Random Thoughts by Ba Jin is also great." These weren’t necessarily his absolute favorites, but they were the first titles that popped into his head.
"Do you read foreign works as well?"
"For foreign literature, I love the Holmes Investigation Series. Oh, and Mr. Li often lends me books—he’s lent me Gibran’s Poems, which left a deep impression." Gu Lu made sure to give credit to his supportive teacher while subtly laying groundwork for his upcoming detective novel.
Gu Lu always knew how to set things up for himself.
"Does Mr. Li actively encourage students’ reading habits?" Reporter Wang asked.
Having a student featured in Young Pioneer Newspaper brought honor to the school, while featuring a teacher boosted career prospects too!
"Gu Lu has consistently excelled in writing. He even won an award in our district’s essay competition," Mr. Li said, trying hard to suppress his pride. "To write well, one needs a strong foundation. So, I encourage students to read widely in their spare time."
"A good teacher truly guides their students," Reporter Wang nodded approvingly.
"I recall philosopher Karl Jaspers saying: ‘Education is a tree shaking another tree, a cloud moving another cloud, a soul awakening another soul.’ In my opinion, Mr. Li embodies such a remarkable educator." Gu Lu laid on the compliments thick.
Mr. Li blushed, feeling undeserving of such high praise…
The interview lasted about half an hour. Outside the window, curious classmates peeked in furtively.
The final ten minutes of PE class were free activity time.
"Juanzi, look—the guy in black must be the reporter," Chen Na whispered.
"That’s probably him," Zhao Juan confirmed.
It wasn’t strange to see Chen Na and Zhao Juan practically glued together—they were inseparable, as close friends often were in middle and high school, even going to the restroom together.
"Should we sneak closer?" Chen Na’s curiosity got the better of her, especially since some mischievous boys from the class had already gathered near the door.
After hesitating briefly, Zhao Juan joined her.
Inside, the interview was nearing its conclusion. Reporter Wang posed his final question: "If you had to summarize the greatest strength behind your success, what would it be, Gu Lu?"
I have a cheat!
But honesty wouldn’t cut it here. If unsure, serve up some motivational chicken soup.
"I’d say it’s a sense of purpose," Gu Lu declared confidently.
"When you’re wholeheartedly committed to a goal, the entire world will make way for you. I believe every day we don’t dance is a day wasted in life!"
Reporter Wang sensed the youthful vigor—and motivation—in Gu Lu’s words. "So, what’s your goal then?"
"To become a writer," Gu Lu replied firmly.
Why not mention his story in Story Digest? Because he wasn’t successful enough yet. He wanted to aim bigger!
"Well then, future author," Reporter Wang handed him a business card, "when your book comes out, call me. I’ll come back to interview you again."
"Deal."
Gu Lu accepted the card. The Little Prince was a children’s book, and Young Pioneer Newspaper catered precisely to primary and secondary school students. If they promoted it, it’d be a huge boon.
Reporter Wang chuckled. Back in his school days, he’d dreamed of becoming a big official too. Pity that never panned out.
Still, he didn’t think Gu Lu was being overly ambitious. Students should have boundless courage. Besides, he could tell this kid had read extensively. Hadn’t Nietzsche said something similar to that line earlier?
With that, the interview concluded. As a parting gesture, Reporter Wang snapped a photo of Gu Lu.
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