Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C108

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Chapter 108: The Surprise Arrives

was "persuaded" by to allow him to represent his own parents at the parent-teacher meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

"A drunkard’s words are only worth so much."

Gu Lu had once again overestimated the moral bottom line of the original body's father. He had hoped that the shock of nearly starving his child to the point of gastric erosion might have prompted some small change in behavior. However, given Ms. Gao's inability to reach him by phone, it seemed the man remained as unreliable as ever—lost in a haze of alcohol and neglect.

Thankfully, his consistent unreliability worked in Gu Lu's favor. He couldn’t imagine such a person showing up at school to represent him—it would be nothing short of embarrassing.

"Not that it’s shameful, but it’s definitely awkward," Gu Lu thought. "On the bright side, living alone has its perks. Even if I fail a math test, there’s no one at home to beat me up."

Gu Lu always found a silver lining in any situation. For instance, when Lü Ping announced that would face off against in a basketball match the following Saturday, he noted that the upcoming club day would involve intensified training to determine spots on the school team.

No. 8 High School and Third Middle School weren’t exactly mortal enemies, but they were long-standing rivals. In sports competitions, the final showdown almost always came down to these two schools.

"The spots on the school team are practically reserved for athletes like Lü Ping, who’ve been training since childhood. Their physical conditioning is leagues ahead of what I could achieve overnight," Gu Lu mused. "I’m better off cheering from the sidelines."

While many students dreamed of basking in the admiration of their peers as they dominated the court, most ended up playing the role of enthusiastic spectators instead.

"Tiring as it may be, at least my fitness is improving. As long as I stretch properly, I shouldn’t feel sore the next day..."

---

During Literature class—

"Remember to inform your parents about the parent-teacher meeting on Thursday afternoon," Ms. Gao announced after personally calling each household. She waited until after all notifications were made before informing the students.

Never judge a book by its cover—Ms. Gao had a slightly mischievous streak.

Her teaching style was traditional and comprehensive, much like her personality. She wasn’t particularly humorous or engaging, which directly contributed to the lack of enthusiasm among students during class discussions. From her elevated position at the podium, she would call on distracted students to answer questions.

"Did Ms. Gao, Mr. Lu, and Teacher Xiao coordinate this? There’s way too much homework—we’ll never finish it all!" Qi Caiwei, Gu Lu’s desk mate, sighed dramatically.

While his classmates struggled with their assignments, why was Gu Lu so cheerful?

"Thank goodness I’m so clever—I chose not to skip morning readings but instead opted out of doing homework. I’m basically a genius!"

But Gu Lu’s smugness didn’t last long...

The homeroom teacher summoned him again.

"Gu Lu, are you available this Saturday? I’d like to pay a home visit." After evening study hall, Ms. Gao posed the question casually.

Understanding and gathering information about her students was very much in line with Ms. Gao’s meticulous nature.

However, Gu Lu hesitated. A home visit? But there’s no adult at home!

Then again, did Ms. Gao doubt his earlier explanation? It seemed unavoidable now. Gu Lu replied, "This Saturday, there’s a basketball game against Third Middle School, so I won’t have much time."

"I forgot you’re part of the basketball club," Ms. Gao said. "How about Sunday morning, then?"

"No problem," Gu Lu agreed.

Ms. Gao didn’t disbelieve her student’s words; rather, as a teacher, she felt it was her duty to understand her students’ living conditions, especially when anomalies arose.

A missing father, a self-representing parent-teacher meeting attendee, and a lone student at home—all signs pointed to something unusual. Seeing that Gu Lu agreed, Ms. Gao dropped the subject.

---

When Gu Lu returned home and opened his computer, he first checked his email. Still no response from . What was going on?

—two excellent stories.

[, please let me know if there are any issues with my submission so I can revise it promptly. Thank you.] Gu Lu sent another follow-up email.

Editor Qi Bian(Pen name)’s email address, provided by , remained silent.

"My Weibo followers are still too few," Gu Lu muttered, glancing at his account, , which had just over eight thousand followers.

Having been reborn through transmigration, Gu Lu cherished the chance to start anew and aimed to fulfill some of his inner aspirations.

Attending high school was one goal.

Becoming a micro-blogger with tens of thousands of followers was another.

And, of course, getting into was the ultimate dream.

But... how exactly did one grow a Weibo account?

Gu Lu had no experience. He knew his current followers were largely thanks to Director Jian and Chief Editor Gao promoting him.

What Gu Lu didn’t realize was that among those few thousand followers, over a hundred were fellow writers.

"I suggest waiting a while and giving some time—it will bring you a pleasant surprise," Director Jian advised during a phone call, cryptically leaving half the message unsaid.

"Is there some insider news?" Gu Lu asked, aware that royalties hadn’t been finalized and publication plans were still pending.

"I can’t say much, but rest assured, it will turn out to be a blessing in disguise," Director Jian replied enigmatically.

Annoyed by the riddle-like answer, Gu Lu decided further questioning would be futile. He resigned himself to waiting for the promised surprise.

Two days later, on Wednesday morning, the surprise finally arrived!

: [Congratulations to Mr. Holmes for being included in the "" by the ! This marks the first time an Asian work has received official recognition as a derivative creation.] [Image]

The Conan Doyle Estate, established by descendants of , managed all copyrights related to .

For European works based on Holmes, inclusion in the "Outstanding Works Catalog" was often a matter of paying a fee. The catalog contained over ninety books, including scripts, loosely related works, and fanfiction.

Though the certificate itself held little value beyond bragging rights, the real benefit lay in avoiding future legal entanglements with the estate once the work gained popularity.

For Asian works, however, money alone wasn’t enough—the quality had to meet stringent standards.

This double standard stemmed from the estate’s belief that Holmes originated in Britain, making it easier for Europeans within the same cultural sphere to write convincingly about him.

Thus, prior to this, no Asian work had ever passed the Conan Doyle Estate’s rigorous review process.

While the editor-in-chief of outwardly criticized Gu Lu’s work, behind the scenes, he helped submit it for consideration.

Upon hearing the news, Chief Editor Gao of Chronicles of Mystery also submitted entries from his previous writing contest...

The results spoke for themselves: all three winners of The World of Detective Fiction’s contest failed to make the cut.

Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes at 93—elegant yet fragile. Oh, my God, London’s old Union Jack flag loved this kind of thing.

The attached image showed the evaluation from (a Londoner’s Chinese name), head of the Conan Doyle Estate’s China branch:

[Imagine the world’s greatest detective in his twilight years, retired to a picturesque countryside along the British coast, surrounded only by bees and fading memories. A miraculous work, so wondrous that I find it hard to believe it was written by a Chinese author.]

The evaluation was originally in English, but a translation was provided for clarity.

Mr. Holmes became the first Asian work to enter the "Outstanding Works Catalog," shaking the foundations of the mystery fiction community!

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