Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C52

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Chapter 52: The Battle for Talent Scholarships

[Dear Student Gu Lu, Your work, Why Do We Have National Confidence?, has won the 1st Prize in the 10th Ye Shengtao Cup National Middle School Writing Competition (Junior High Division). This certificate is hereby awarded.]

Below it was a provincial-level award certificate, identical in format, bearing the official seals of the organizing committee chairman and the committee itself.

Gu Lu studied the two certificates for a moment. After two days of deliberation, he decided against displaying them just yet.

"I'll wait until after I move," he thought. "Once I’m settled, I'll find a good spot to hang them." As for showing off to his parents? Gu Lu had no intention of doing so.

He even asked Gu Jiayu not to mention it to their mother, though she was itching to brag about her older brother's achievement. Still, she agreed, calling it "guarding the secret" in her delightfully dramatic QQ chat with him.

"Guarding the secret"—a phrase that was equal parts earnest and hilariously over-the-top, much like Gu Jiayu herself. Every conversation with his younger sister brought a smile to Gu Lu's face.

"Director Jian," Gu Lu said into the phone, "I've been working on a novella-length fairy tale. If all goes well, I should finish it by summer break."

"I'm looking forward to it!" Director Jian replied enthusiastically. "Send it to me as soon as you're done—I can't wait to read your masterpiece." He was pleased with Gu Lu’s steady approach: progressing from short stories to novellas instead of jumping straight into full-length novels showed maturity.

"Will do," Gu Lu promised.

After hanging up, he hummed an indistinct tune. The weekend was just around the corner, and Gu Lu had decided to visit the computer market. To continue his literary endeavors efficiently, he needed his own computer.

"The Ye Shengtao Cup really does carry weight," Gu Lu mused, thinking about another life-changing decision ahead.

The "Seven Dragon Balls" of Chongqing—its seven most prestigious high schools—all set sky-high admission standards. Even the lowest-ranked among them required a minimum score of 680 out of 750.

Take Yang, the Xiao Yang his mother wanted Gu Jiayu to befriend. His target was Bashu High School, which had an entry cutoff of 693.

Three schools had already extended invitations to Gu Lu: Bashu High School, Southwest University Affiliated High School, and No. 8 High School. Outside Chongqing, there were also offers from Rongcheng No. 7 High School in Sichuan Province and Zhucheng No. 1 High School in Guizhou Province.

At first, Gu Lu thought he might receive offers from Beijing or Shanghai, but reality proved otherwise.

"Of course," he reasoned. "Beijing is the political center, and Shanghai is the financial hub—they don’t lack students." Besides, he wasn’t particularly keen on moving to either city due to their exorbitant living costs.

The Little Prince, a legendary work in the realm of fairy tales, was second only to the Bible in global sales. But would it achieve the same success in China? Could it quickly gain traction here? Gu Lu wasn’t sure, so he planned cautiously.

"Rongcheng No. 7 offers tuition waivers, but its conditions aren’t the best. Bashu High School, on the other hand, provides full three-year tuition coverage along with talent scholarships."

After much consideration, Gu Lu leaned toward Bashu High School. However, Mr. Li mentioned that representatives from No. 8 High School would soon visit the school.

No. 8 High School topped the list of Chongqing’s Seven Dragon Balls, boasting a staggering cutoff score of 697 last year—an almost absurd figure.

With no homework to complete and plenty of free time, Gu Lu decided to tidy up the balcony in preparation for the upcoming move. He preferred to get things done early rather than scrambling at the last minute.

"What treasures lie within this box?"

On the balcony, Gu Lu unearthed an old tin cookie container. Back in the day, kids often used such boxes as treasure chests; he’d had one himself.

"Marbles—Maybe touching these marbles will activate my first book, The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God, too?"

"Plastic swords—Rainbow Sword, Ice Soul Sword, Purple Cloud Sword…" Gu Lu recognized the colorful plastic toys instantly, though their names felt oddly nostalgic yet elusive.

Among the other items were Digimon cards, a battery-less infrared flashlight, and a folded paper fortune-teller marked with directions: East, West, South, North.

"The fortune-teller isn’t exactly a toy," Gu Lu recalled. "You fold a piece of paper into four sections, write directions on the outside, and fill the inside with fortunes for classmates to draw."

"By the logic of dramatic tension, shouldn’t cleaning this stuff trigger some kind of plot twist?" Gu Lu lamented. Life rarely followed the script.

For now, he set aside further musings. Tomorrow would bring new challenges.

Tomorrow came quickly enough. Had Gu Lu not still been undecided about high school, he could have skipped school entirely—he attended classes casually these days.

He found himself once again in the principal’s office.

Even though No. 37 Middle School was the top junior high in Dockside District, having students admitted to Chongqing’s elite high schools was a matter of prestige for Principal Chang.

"Gu Lu," Principal Chang introduced, "this is Mr. Hu from No. 8 High School’s admissions office. Mr. Hu, this is Gu Lu."

Mr. Hu was tall and thin, with strikingly small eyes that seemed even smaller set against his long face. Appearances aside, his voice was warm and amiable.

"Gu Lu," he began, "you seem like someone with exceptional talent in writing."

Gu Lu smiled politely but didn’t take the compliment to heart.

"Mr. Li informed us that Gu Lu’s parents are very busy, so we’ll prioritize his preferences," Mr. Hu continued. "Do you have any impressions of our school, Chongqing No. 8 High School?"

"Some," Gu Lu replied succinctly.

Mr. Hu waited expectantly for more but heard only, "It’s a good school."

That’s it? So he really knows little, Mr. Hu thought, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Our school is a nationally recognized model campus, an advanced collective in the education system, and one of the top ten innovative science education schools in the country. We’re also among the first batch of schools designated to cultivate athletic talent nationwide…"

His rapid-fire delivery sounded like a stand-up comedy routine.

In essence, Mr. Hu was saying: Chongqing No. 8 High School is one of the best in the nation and utterly unmatched in the region.

After finishing his spiel, Mr. Hu added, "We’re also a leading institution in arts education, placing great emphasis on music, literature, and dance. Given that Gu Lu is the first student from Chongqing to win the national Ye Shengtao Cup, our school is willing to offer full tuition waivers and free accommodation."

Bashu High School offered tuition waivers plus scholarships.

No. 8 High School offered tuition waivers plus housing subsidies.

This further underscored the immense value of the Ye Shengtao Cup.

"If I enroll in your school, I’d prefer commuting," Gu Lu said. Living on campus would hinder his ability to work on his projects, especially since most dorms prohibited laptops.

"If you choose not to live on campus," Mr. Hu responded immediately, "we provide monthly meal subsidies. We care deeply about our students’ living arrangements."

"What about scholarships?" Mr. Li interjected, speaking for the first time.

"Bashu High School is offering Gu Lu a scholarship," Mr. Li explained pointedly.

"Scholarships…" Mr. Hu hesitated before launching into an explanation. "High school scholarships generally fall into three categories: talent-based, academic, and alumni-funded social scholarships."

"The latter two likely don’t apply here," he admitted. "For talent-based scholarships, our policy requires students to demonstrate specific achievements during their time at the school."

"For example, in music, participating in competitions while enrolled. Or publishing original works. Last semester, one of our outstanding students composed a children’s song that was selected and officially released."

Clearly, securing a talent scholarship wouldn’t be straightforward. Gu Lu listened intently, weighing his options.

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