Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C88

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Chapter 88: Gu Lu, My Best Buddy!

“Special thanks to Zhang Yudong for gifting me The Sign of the Four, which reminded me once again of Sherlock Holmes’ brilliance.”

Same name, same surname—wait a minute... Sherlock Holmes? The Sign of the Four?

Zhang Yudong froze mid-thought, his eyes darting toward the author's name on the magazine—"Gu Lu." The name hit him like a punch to the gut.

What’s the definition of a surprise? Let me translate that for you: THIS. IS. A. SURPRISE!

"Let me see that!" Zhang Yudong snatched the magazine out of someone’s hands.

"Hey, calm down, Donggua. It’s just a coincidence. Why are you getting so worked up over a shared name?" Zhuo Feng asked, confused.

Why didn’t Zhuo Feng assume this “Zhang Yudong” was the Zhang Yudong?

Because the piece had been published in [Classic Reads], a section typically reserved for renowned foreign authors. Plus, let’s be real—even without that bias, who’d believe a high school freshman could have their name featured as part of an acknowledgment in a mystery magazine?

Two hours and twenty thousand words later, Zhang Yudong finally finished reading. Thankfully, it was already after-school hours.

"Gu Lu is absolutely crushing it! He’s a legend, man! Haha, my boy Gu Lu is straight-up incredible!" Zhang Yudong exclaimed, practically shouting with pride.

"Uh… what?" Zhuo Feng looked utterly baffled.

"This ‘Zhang Yudong’ mentioned here? That’s ME!" Zhang Yudong explained excitedly. "And this ‘Gu Lu’? He’s my classmate. Dude’s insanely talented at writing—he won first place in a writing competition, got featured in the newspaper, and if you Google him, you’ll find all kinds of stuff about him."

In Chongqing dialect, adding “ji gong” (rooster) after something basically means squaring its intensity. So when Zhang Yudong said Gu Lu was “ji gong amazing,” he meant business.

"When we graduated middle school, I gave him a copy of The Sign of the Four. And guess what? My man Gu Lu returned the favor by giving me a signed copy of The Tragedy of Z," Zhang Yudong rambled on.

Zhuo Feng listened intently but still struggled to process it all. Extracting the key points from Zhang Yudong’s monologue, he hesitated before asking, "So… you’re telling me this ‘Zhang Yudong’ is actually YOU?"

"And you’re saying the person who wrote this mystery story is your classmate—a freshman in high school?" Zhuo Feng fired off two rapid-fire questions.

"Gu Lu’s not some random high schooler! Think about it: my classmate’s name is Gu Lu, and the author’s name is Gu Lu. I gave my buddy The Sign of the Four, and the author thanks ‘Zhang Yudong’ for gifting them the book. What are the odds of that being a coincidence? Slim to none!" Zhang Yudong argued passionately.

He had a point. If this wasn’t fate, then call it whatever you want—it was too perfect to ignore.

The next moment, Zhang Yudong’s ears were ringing from Zhuo Feng’s piercing voice.

"Holy crap! Zhang Yudong’s former middle school classmate is a freaking writer, and his name made it into the magazine!"

Though slightly quieter than Ren Jie’s usual volume, Zhuo Feng’s announcement still echoed through the entire classroom.

Which high school student could resist spreading such juicy gossip? Asking Zhuo Feng to keep quiet would’ve been like trying to hold back a tidal wave—it was impossible.

Within minutes, Zhuo Feng recounted the whole story to everyone present. Like moths drawn to a flame, the remaining students surrounded Zhang Yudong, bombarding him with questions.

It was déjà vu—all eyes were on him again. For a while, Zhang Yudong basked in the spotlight, his earlier slump completely forgotten.

"My Gu Lu is number one in the world," Zhang Yudong thought smugly, while outwardly boasting, "Gu Lu’s super humble. Back in middle school, people used to bully him all the time. But whenever that happened, I always stepped in to defend him..."

And thus began his tall tales.

Meanwhile, Gu Lu—the subject of all the chatter—was blissfully unaware of the hype surrounding him. After using the restroom, he strolled back toward the classroom, only to run into a group of boys approaching him with swagger worthy of a movie montage.

"Hey, Car Tire, come join us." Lü Ping called out, pulling along his basketball club lackeys. Whether or not they truly shared blessings remained debatable, but putting on a united front? Absolutely.

"Where are we going?" Gu Lu asked as he joined the pack. Someone draped an arm around his shoulders, and suddenly, walking down the second-floor hallway felt more like strutting through enemy territory.

"I don’t know!" Lü Ping declared confidently.

"..." Gu Lu blinked twice, momentarily stunned. Then he turned to Zeng Jie, nicknamed Zeng Ha'er—a somewhat derogatory title that stuck because everyone kept using it.

"What’s going on? Do you know where we’re headed?" Gu Lu asked.

"Not a clue. I’m just following Baldy," Zeng Jie replied nonchalantly.

Ah yes, "Baldy" was Lü Ping’s nickname. With that explanation, the circle closed neatly.

Their procession halted outside Class 8-2’s door, where Gu Lu finally realized who the ringleader was: Ma Xuanyou, the PE Rep. Apparently, Ma had a crush on a girl from the Model United Nations club, and during break time, he’d sneak peeks at her through the backdoor.

“Hey, look outside!”

“Oh, no wonder you’re so serious about MUN.”

“When did you two meet?”

Class Eight erupted into chaos.

Speaking of MUN, Gu Lu had learned that Zhou Lin had also joined that club from the conversation he had with her on QQ chat yesterday. Alongside MUN, Time Radio Station and the Flag Guard Team were among the most prestigious student organizations in the school.

Time Radio Station functioned like a mini newsroom, complete with editorial, planning, reporting, and photography departments. They even recorded broadcasts every Friday afternoon, airing interviews conducted by students. Meanwhile, the Flag Guard Team added prestige during inspections by higher-ups, participating in nearly every major school event. As for MUN, though newly introduced this year from Bashu High School, it quickly became the hottest club around.

As for QQ chats, since the start of the semester, Gu Lu’s communication with Zhao Juan had dwindled significantly. Even worse, the once lively group chat with his old middle school classmates had grown eerily silent. At first, everyone eagerly shared stories about their new schools, but gradually, fewer voices chimed in. New friends, new groups—it seemed inevitable.

"People really do move forward," Gu Lu mused absentmindedly.

Before he could fully process his thoughts, Lü Ping dragged him off somewhere.

Ma Xuanyou’s behavior reminded Gu Lu of Fan Xiaotian’s antics back in junior high. After all, transitioning from ninth grade to tenth didn’t magically make anyone mature overnight.

"Ma Xuanyou and Li Guyuan betrayed me! Sneaking around behind my back and leaving the ranks of singlehood," Lü Ping complained bitterly.

Despite calling himself the “class heartthrob,” no one else seemed to agree.

"What’s the deal with Li Guyuan?" Gu Lu asked—not out of nosiness, but genuine curiosity.

"Well, didn’t he publish something in Sprout? He’s pretty popular in the literary club, so naturally, someone there developed a crush on him. Yesterday, a girl pretended to go to the teacher’s office but actually took a detour just to catch a glimpse of Tang Yuan.”

Lü Ping continued, “By the way, I think Tang Yuan likes Qi Caiwei, but he hasn’t rejected the girl from the literary club either.”

Good grief! Hadn’t they only been in high school for two weeks? How were their lives already so dramatic? Gu Lu couldn’t help feeling like he was stuck in an outdated version of reality.

As they chatted, the pair made their way back to the classroom.

Inside Room 10, Class Monitor Lu Yi stood on the podium, preparing to deliver some news. Teacher Gao, wanting to give the class officers more responsibility, had delegated the task to her.

Once everyone settled in, Lu Yi began speaking. Her thick bangs obscured her eyes, making it hard to read her expression from below.

“There are two announcements,” she said softly. “First, we’ll have our first monthly exam on September 29th. Students who perform poorly will need to bring their parents in for a meeting. According to Mr. Gao, these results will influence class placements, so please take this seriously.”

Of course, this pressure mainly applied to experimental classes. For innovation-focused students like them, competing in contests mattered far more than exams.

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