Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C101

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Chapter 101: The Instinct for News

Becoming a literary giant through short stories is no easy feat! Aside from the three giants immortalized in textbooks—, , and —and , who gained fame through adaptations, the field of short fiction has seen few standout figures.

Gu Lu was also somewhat concerned. Could , published in the 21st century, recreate its past miracle?

For now, he suppressed his ambitions for fame and focused on organizing his thoughts after dining with .

Trigger Individuals: Teachers and Students

Teachers foster mentor-student relationships, while students like Fan Xiaotian, Zhang Yudong, and Zhou Lin from middle school, as well as Li Guyuan from high school, were closer acquaintances.

"If there were an attribute panel, then triggers would likely be tied to a 'favorability' system," Gu Lu realized. No wonder his high school life hadn’t triggered much yet—it had only been a month since school started.

Building good relationships with classmates took time.

"I get along well with , , and Lü Ping. Hopefully, my classmates will step up," Gu Lu thought.

Fear Guest hadn’t replied, but Gu Lu wasn’t too concerned—numerous editors from other magazines were reaching out to him.

Upon seeing ’s message, Gu Lu immediately called back. The editor picked up and launched into a tirade filled with personal grievances, ranting about how shameless the editor-in-chief of was, along with some industry gossip.

After fifteen minutes, Gu Lu finally interjected, "Let me summarize what you’re saying, Editor Han: My got dragged into this?"

"..." Han Cang suddenly felt all his words had been wasted. He opened his mouth to add, "That guy pulls this kind of stunt all the time."

"I haven’t subscribed to The World of Detective Fiction. Were there any standout works in their ?" Gu Lu asked.

"I wouldn’t subscribe to a rival magazine either," Han Cang said loudly at first, then quieter, "But I heard from a friend that there weren’t!"

"After all, might be old, but its logic and case complexity are top-notch," Han Cang continued. "Now I see why you chose a different path. Once you discard the jade, most of what remains are bricks—but Mr. Gu built another layer atop it."

"No need to worry about it. Such comparisons actually drive traffic our way. Ultimately, it’s the work that speaks for itself," Gu Lu said. "Though your suggestion to create a Weibo account is excellent."

"Alright, feel free to call if anything comes up. I won’t disturb your rest further, Mr. Gu."

After hanging up, Gu Lu began setting up his account, naming it [] and proceeding with verification.

He listed three recommenders: , , and , sending messages to each.

Not stopping at Weibo, Gu Lu also registered a account. At this point, the platform had very few uploaders. No one could have imagined it would grow into a community dominated by students.

"I’ll film the literary club’s stage play during the school anniversary and upload it here," Gu Lu planned. By registering now, he’d be considered a founding member of the site.

Why was Yu Hua, the scrappy little dog of Earth, so popular among young people? Beyond the exceptional writing skills, Bilibili’s creative video adaptations played a significant role.

In a few years, when Bilibili became mainstream, perhaps external forces could help boost book sales to new heights.

Daily reading check-in: .

Having a computer was incredibly convenient. After tiring of reading, Gu Lu finished writing the remaining content of .

Translated literally, it could mean "Flower Lunchbox"—a cute title.

It must be said, Gu Lu had four QQ accounts running simultaneously. Two belonged to his younger sister, Gu Jiayu—one main account and one secondary. Every time her main account posted something on , Gu Jiayu would like and comment using her secondary account.

"Cough cough—" A QQ message popped up with a coughing sound effect.

"Sis, someone’s messaging you on QQ!" Zhang Liwan called out.

No response—her sister was probably showering.

Zhang Liwan wasn’t interested in checking the QQ messages. Instead, she was curious about the manuscript her sister had been holding since coming home.

Zhang Liru, Zhang Liwan’s twin sister and deputy president of , was no slouch herself. As an ace reporter for , she was equally talented.

With her good looks and outgoing personality, Zhang Liru excelled both in school and at work.

After finishing her shower, Zhang Liru noticed her sister in her room. "Zhang Liwan, I’ve told you not to enter my room without permission. You…"

Before she could finish, Zhang Liwan interrupted, waving the script loudly, "Sister, is this an original play written by your club? Who’s the author?"

"Uh… It’s not written by our club. We hired an outside writer," Zhang Liru explained. "A freshman who’s really impressive—a contracted writer for two or three magazines."

How highly did Gu Lu rank in Zhang Liru’s mind? She even slipped into dialect, calling him "superb" in local slang.

Her journalistic instincts told her this was big news. Zhang Liwan grabbed her sister’s arms. "Tell me who the author is!"

"Stop shaking me! Stop…"

Another school day arrived.

Seated at his desk, Gu Lu overheard sharing intel. Li Guyuan had approached indirectly, revealing that "Li Guyuan can be impulsive, acting rashly out of emotion and regretting it later."

Wan Bai, with his high emotional intelligence, recognized Li Guyuan’s talent and invited him to rejoin The Tree People Literary Club.

Hearing this, Gu Lu felt relieved.

Being overly talented could discourage many, but Gu Lu didn’t take pride in it. He found it regrettable when naturally gifted students were discouraged.

Which was why he’d taken the steps he did a few days ago.

"Can you stop picking at that? It hurts just watching you!" Qi Caiwei scolded before heading back to her seat, only to catch an unsettling sight.

She was addressing Tian Xiao, who had a habit of tearing off scabs before wounds healed completely.

"What do you know? It feels great," Tian Xiao retorted, spinning his pen nonchalantly. Unlike Li Guyuan, he didn’t care about Qi Caiwei’s opinion, grimacing in pain as he tore off the scab.

Some pains are so visceral they make others cringe. Even Gu Lu couldn’t help but say, "The wound hasn’t fully healed. Tearing off the scab exposes raw flesh—it’s easy to get infected."

Hearing this, Tian Xiao stopped. After Qi Caiwei left, another classmate approached—

"Come on, let’s hit the restroom." Dou Ke called out to Tian Xiao after class. Regardless of whether his bladder was full, Tian Xiao stood up.

"Hey, bro Gu Lu, wanna come?" Tian Xiao asked.

Gu Lu rose as well, agreeing to join them.

He subtly sensed a shift in his relationship with Tian Xiao. His desk mate seemed more "enthusiastic" in conversation—not genuinely enthusiastic, but rather trying to ingratiate himself. It was clear Tian Xiao spoke less casually than before.

Tian Xiao wasn’t doing it intentionally. Originally, the trio—Dou Ke, Tian Xiao, and Gu Lu—had bonded as equals. But now, Gu Lu’s achievements made Tian Xiao unconsciously lower himself.

: Dou Ke, Tian Xiao, and Gu Lu—broken before it even formed.

Friends like Fan Xiaotian were rare gems, perhaps one or two in a lifetime. Upon hearing of your success, they didn’t feel distant; instead, they boasted, "Do you know how amazing my buddy is?"

Gu Lu silently revised his earlier assessment of his relationship with Tian Xiao.

Suddenly, a classmate shouted—

"Bro Gu Lu, there are two beautiful girls looking for you at the door!"

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