Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C96

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Chapter 96: Bro Gu Lu

"Do you all know why the school library purchased these magazines?" Lü Ping approached Gu Lu, his voice brimming with pride. "Because my bro Gu Lu is a regular writer for and ! The school specifically subscribed to support him!"

Lü Ping practically glowed with vicarious glory, considering Gu Lu part of his inner circle. His enthusiasm was uncontainable, akin to an angler returning from a bountiful fishing trip.

"Take this story, . It's written by my bro Gu Lu!" Lü Ping flipped open the magazine to the serialized story section.

Still worried some classmates might doubt him, he squinted dramatically, almost disappearing his eyeballs entirely. "Don't question the authenticity of this information! I happened to run into Mr. Hu, who oversees admissions. He said, 'We absolutely support student writers from No. 8 High School.' Those were his exact words." As if to drive the point home, Lü Ping mimicked Mr. Hu’s authoritative stance.

Um, Mr. Hu’s eyes may be small, but they’re not that exaggerated, Gu Lu thought wryly. This was borderline slander!

Lü Ping clapped Gu Lu hard on the shoulder, his enthusiasm manifesting in an iron grip.

As soon as Lü Ping finished speaking, the usually chaotic Class 10 fell silent—quieter even than when their notoriously stern teacher, Mr. Lu, lost his temper.

Whoosh!

Forty pairs of eyes swiveled toward Gu Lu, regarding him as though he were some mythical creature. At that moment, if someone claimed Gu Lu was an alien from another planet, half the class would have believed it.

Huang Lu, Ma Xuanyou, Zeng Jie (Zeng Ha'er), Dou Ke, Lu Yi (the class monitor), and others stared in utter disbelief.

The surreal absurdity of discovering a hidden genius among their peers washed over them like a tidal wave.

Oh no! Wei Jiao and Qi Caiwei exchanged panicked glances.

Worse than keeping a juicy secret to yourself was having someone else spill the beans first. That kind of frustration left your chest tight and your throat dry.

"Zhou Lin, who gave the speech at the opening ceremony, wasn’t the real standout there—I was the true star of No. 37 Middle School… Holy crap, this guy was telling the truth?!" Realization dawned belatedly, and Tian Xiao felt his memories shimmering with newfound brilliance. So he had been showing off all along?

"I’d rather believe Gu Lu is the principal’s illegitimate son!" muttered Tian Xiao under his breath.

It took a while before Lü Ping finally broke the silence. "Impressive, right? This is… our basketball club’s ace!"

Doesn’t your logic feel off? Wei Jiao thought sarcastically. By that reasoning, wouldn’t the literary club’s ace also be the best basketball player?

The two magazines Lü Ping brought back were quickly snatched up by eager classmates, each wanting a closer look.

"Mr. Holmes? Writing about Sherlock Holmes?" "I always knew there was something special about Gu Lu since the start of term." "You’re just blowing smoke now—you were saying last week in the dorms how easy he seemed to bully." "That’s nonsense! Pure nonsense!" "Let’s go outside—I heard we’ve got a famous author in our class…"

High school students often harbored a strong sense of collective pride.

"Why can’t I find Gu Lu’s name in Young Literature? Did he use a pen name?" one student asked.

"The installment my bro Gu Lu wrote isn’t in this issue," Lü Ping replied confidently.

He’d gone from calling him “Gu Lu” to “Bro Gu Lu.” Why not simply “Gu Lu”? Because the playful nickname highlighted their supposedly close bond.

"It’s a wonderful neighborhood…" The bell rang, signaling the start of class. For some reason, the school’s choice of an English song as the bell tone always struck Gu Lu as odd.

Students hurried back to their seats, and once Lü Ping left, Gu Lu finally relaxed his shoulders.

Gu Lu reflected that most of his junior high classmates likely had no idea he was publishing stories in magazines.

He wondered whether Zhang Yudong, his former benefactor, had noticed the acknowledgments at the beginning of the stories.

Something amusing crossed Gu Lu’s mind: The Tree People Literary Club was rehearsing a stage play based on Park of Yesterday. He couldn’t wait to see Zhou Lin’s reaction when she spotted references like “badminton,” “Zhou Ning,” “Father Zhou Lu,” and “Tian Chen Park.”

Tian Chen Park—the fictional park with supernatural properties—was actually the same location where Gu Lu and Zhou Lin played badminton every Sunday: Tian Chen Road, currently under repair.

After class, a crowd gathered around Gu Lu. Overnight, he’d ascended from the bottom rung of the social ladder straight to the top.

Questions poured in relentlessly.

"How do you submit your work?" "Where do you get your inspiration?" "Do contracted writers have to write a story every month?" And so on.

To Gu Lu’s surprise, no one asked about his earnings—a topic he’d anticipated.

Building good relationships within the school came naturally to him, and his connections outside weren’t bad either. Several editors had already reached out regarding recent drafts he hadn’t yet completed.

One such editor hailed from , the distant city where Gu Lu had once attended a mystery convention. While Chronicles of Mystery wasn’t headquartered there, the editorial office of was firmly rooted in Jingyang Street, Daowai District.

Xue, an editor at Fear Guest, felt his fortunes shifting thanks to Old Li, a secondary review editor at , who had introduced him to a promising young talent.

From an author’s perspective, Old Li was a mentor, helping writers transition from niche publications like Story Digest—often dismissed as “bathroom reading”—to more mainstream platforms.

But from the editorial board’s standpoint… perhaps this explained why Old Li remained stuck as a secondary review editor without further advancement.

Especially concerning masterpieces like A Brute’s Love and The Dwarf, Xue believed such exceptional horror stories belonged in Fear Guest.

"Mr, Gu, please add me as a friend!"

"Why hasn’t he added me yet? It’s been an hour!"

"Is he rejecting strangers outright?"

…

Xue grew increasingly anxious.

Meanwhile, Gu Lu cast a wary glance toward the air conditioner—

Though repaired, it still didn’t seem to cool effectively. Students seated near it had to wear their autumn uniforms, while those farther away complained vaguely about the heat, though sweatless. Still, the lingering warmth irritated everyone.

"Can you stop hogging the AC? Leave some cool air for the classmates who sit further away?"

Fresh off gym class, tensions flared as several boys practically glued themselves to the unit. Everyone knew blasting cold air directly onto your face could cause facial paralysis, but youth often ignored such warnings, opting instead to bask in the chill.

"Ma Xuanyou, Zeng Jie—you big guys are being selfish! And everyone else, sit back in your seats!"

"We’re all hot! Let the cool air circulate!"

“Xuanrou” was Ma Xuanyou’s nickname, implying chubbiness, though in reality, he was muscular from shot put training, not fat.

More and more students joined in criticizing the boys.

Even Ma Xuanyou, the PE rep, couldn’t take it anymore. Reluctantly, the boys returned to their seats.

"Our AC doesn’t seem to be working at all," Huang Lu sighed.

"It might need . Tomorrow I’ll ask my dad to check it out," Dou Ke offered immediately.

Huang Lu’s flushed cheeks broke into a grateful smile. "That would be great!"

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