Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C66

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Chapter 66: Fractures

Gu Lu's mother froze, unsure how to respond to her daughter’s question.

“Your brother belongs with his father, and I’ve started a new family,” she said finally, grasping for an excuse. “If we were too close, Uncle Xiao might feel hurt.”

“Adult matters are complicated, and you’re just a child—you wouldn’t understand. Now that summer vacation has started, don’t spend all your time playing. Finish your homework and start reviewing for the next term.” Gu Lu's mother hoped to steer the conversation away from sensitive topics by redirecting Jiayu’s focus to academics.

She added pointedly, “Do you want to end up like your brother? Neglecting your studies so much you can’t even get into high school?”

Why hadn’t Gu Lu's father informed Gu Lu's mother about their son being accepted into No. 8 High School on a scholarship? The answer was simple: Gu Lu's mother, fearing entanglement, had blocked all contact methods—only allowing herself to call him when necessary. Thus, Gu Lu's father had no way of reaching out proactively.

Not getting into high school?! Gu Jiayu wanted to shout. Her brother was far more accomplished than Xiao Yang; he’d already secured admission to Chongqing’s best high school through a prestigious scholarship.

But she swallowed her words at the last moment. A true hero keeps secrets.

Returning to her room, Gu Jiayu noticed that the toy bow and arrow set her brother had bought her was missing. A thought struck her, and she hurried to Xiao Yang’s bedroom.

Sure enough, Xiao Yang was playing with it.

“Why did you take my bow and arrows? Give them back!” Gu Jiayu demanded.

“I’m just borrowing them—I’ll give them back later,” Xiao Yang replied nonchalantly, continuing to fiddle with the plastic bow.

For a slightly immature boy, bows and arrows were irresistible toys.

“Give them back!” Gu Jiayu insisted, growing agitated. This was a gift from her brother—a cherished possession she hadn’t played with much herself. And he hadn’t even asked before taking it!

How infuriating!

She reached for the toy, but Xiao Yang, taller than her, held it high above his head. No matter how hard she stretched or jumped, she couldn’t reach it.

Her face flushed red with frustration, resembling an angry little pufferfish as she glared at Xiao Yang.

Perhaps sensing her irritation, Xiao Yang seemed to play with renewed vigor, pulling the string taut with excessive force.

Then—snap! The toy broke. It was, after all, a flimsy children’s toy, unable to withstand the strength of a nearly six-foot-tall teenager.

Holding the broken bow, Xiao Yang looked momentarily awkward. But humans have a natural instinct to shift blame. “This thing is such poor quality—it wasn’t even my fault. I barely pulled it!”

With that, he tossed the ruined toy aside. Gu Jiayu picked it up and stormed out of the room.

She ran to the kitchen to seek justice from her mother. “Mom, Xiao Yang broke my bow and arrows!”

“That cheap toy you brought back?” Gu Lu's mother said dismissively. “It’s broken now—no big deal. Why are you making such a fuss over it?”

“He didn’t even ask before taking it! He just grabbed it without permission and broke it. That’s wrong!” Gu Jiayu hoped her mother would reprimand him.

But instead, Gu Lu's mother sighed. “Jiajia, why are you being so unreasonable? We’re all one family now. Xiao Yang is your brother—he can play with your toys, can’t he? Besides, anyone could tell that toy wasn’t well-made…”

Gu Jiayu couldn’t hold back any longer. “That was a gift from my brother! It was perfectly fine until Xiao Yang broke it. It means something special to me!”

The mention of Gu Lu only fueled Gu Lu's mother’s irritation. Perhaps it stemmed from the fact that Gu Lu hadn’t expressed interest in attending her birthday this year—or maybe he didn’t plan to send a gift.

“That’s enough! I’ll buy you another one later. What’s so meaningful about a toy anyway? Go finish your homework and stop being difficult.” With those words, Gu Lu's mother effectively placed the blame on Gu Jiayu for being petty.

Though Gu Lu's mother loved her daughter, there was a condition: disputes involving Xiao Yang and his father always tipped the scales against Jiayu. Gu Lu's mother harbored an ingrained sense of inferiority toward Xiao Yang’s father, leading her to prioritize his needs—and Xiao Yang’s—over Jiayu’s, with her own coming last.

Naturally, whenever conflicts arose between Jiayu and Xiao Yang, Gu Lu's mother sided with Xiao Yang, regardless of who was right.

Gu Jiayu retreated to her room and closed the door behind her. She felt anger when Xiao Yang took her things, but seeing the broken toy stung deeply. Her mother’s words only made it worse. Tears welled up in her eyes—not for the first time.

Taking some transparent tape, she carefully wrapped the broken arrow. Her brother’s gift… she hadn’t even had a chance to play with it yet.

“I’m a heroine—I can’t cry. Heroines are strong; they don’t cry.”

Whenever she felt wronged or like an outsider in her own home, this mantra became her solace.

---

Time: 11:00 AM

Location: Cultural Village

Characters: Gu Lu and others

“No. 8 High School is really convenient. The delivery station is nearby too. If only Cainiao Post could speed things up a bit…” Gu Lu mailed off the contract for Chronicles of Mystery. Having a copy of his father’s ID proved useful once again.

“Now I’m officially a contracted writer for two magazines. My income should be enough to support myself.” Gu Lu reflected inwardly.

Han Cang had informed him that the 50,000-word manuscript for Mr. Holmes was currently being proofread. Once completed, payment would be issued at 180 yuan per thousand words.

Nearly ten thousand yuan in royalties! Gu Lu planned to use the money to buy a computer once it arrived. In an era before JD.com gained prominence, local electronics markets still ruled.

With stricter crackdowns on internet cafes looming next year, securing reliable tools for work felt urgent.

Today, Gu Lu had originally planned to meet Fan Xiaotian, but the latter had returned to Qianjiang for a visit. They agreed to reschedule for another time.

Such is life. Even the closest friendships during school days often fade after graduation due to various subjective and objective reasons.

No matter—Gu Lu had plenty to do today anyway. He needed to pack a change of clothes before heading home…

“Wait, isn’t this a bit extreme?” Gu Lu suddenly realized a glaring issue.

His wardrobe was severely limited. Aside from his uniform, he barely had one decent outfit. The rest were either too small or torn—some literally split at the seams.

And his underwear? Three years old. Let’s just say kids go through clothes quickly, and leave it at that.

“Could that be why I was always among the first to dash out of school when the bell rang? Was I avoiding embarrassment?” Gu Lu shook his head. Enough with these absurd thoughts. He needed to buy a couple of outfits immediately. Otherwise, attending events would feel downright pitiful.

Indeed, since AC Forum’s offline tenth-anniversary celebration covered flights and accommodations, Gu Lu had agreed to attend. As previously mentioned, Chronicles of Mystery’s headquarters were in Daqing, so the event would take place in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province—a logical choice.

With roughly thirty contracted authors, Han Cang was particularly excited about “Little Mr. Gu.” As an editor, he wanted the other writers to witness Gu Lu’s talent firsthand.

Wearing his loose-fitting school uniform, Gu Lu headed out. The design served two purposes: ease of movement and accommodating rapid growth spurts. Given his current income level, branded clothing was out of the question. Instead, he made a beeline for the underground market, where affordability reigned supreme.

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