Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C127

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Chapter 127: Dual Champion !

"Thank you, thank you," mouthed silently without making a sound.

There were many kind-hearted people in , and today it was Gu Lu's turn. He gave a slight shake of his head, indicating it was nothing.

However, Qi Caiwei remained drowsy throughout the morning.

"Did you stay up reading last night instead of sleeping?" Gu Lu asked after class.

She shook her head, and Gu Lu breathed a sigh of relief. If it wasn’t his fault, then all was well.

He got up to head to the school store. Occasionally, Gu Lu would indulge in snacks—he now had enough to spare.

"Bring me a cold bottle of mineral water," Qi Caiwei handed over the money first.

The school convenience store was quite far from Class 10, so when students went, they usually carried two or three "errands."

Just as Gu Lu reached the flower bed, he ran into a familiar face.

Even in her school uniform, Zhang Liwan radiated youthful charm.

"Going to the store? Me too. We're heading the same way—let's go together," Zhang Liwan said, tagging along.

The "same way" was a lie; her real intention was to fish for information.

As a rising star, Gu Lu enjoyed a few days of being the talk of the school wherever he went at No. 8 High School—but only for a couple of days after the anniversary celebration.

Students' memories were undoubtedly devoted to memorizing textbooks and vocabulary—they forgot quickly. Now, walking across the playground, there was no whispering, and even the love letters had stopped coming. A small part of him felt a twinge of disappointment.

"Let me think... I remember when I was in vocational school, there was a senior studying cosmetology who won a major hairstyling award and even gave a speech at the flag-raising platform. I didn't pay much attention because I had my own things to focus on," Gu Lu reflected, realizing that students had their own academic priorities and wouldn't fixate on one person for long.

"Did you win an award, Gu Lu?" Zhang Liwan finally asked as they approached the store. She had already prepared her follow-up line: "You promised to give an interview if you won."

To her surprise, Gu Lu replied with a low tone, "No, I didn't win."

"So..." Zhang Liwan stumbled, staring at him in astonishment.

From her perspective, Gu Lu was practically otherworldly. Even her mother, after watching , remarked, "That kid is from your school, right? I wonder how his parents raised him—he's incredible. If I get the chance, I’d really like to learn from them."

"You didn’t win that children’s literature award, did you? Maybe it’s because you’re too old—you’re not exactly a child anymore," Zhang Liwan said.

Zhang Liwan, sharp-tongued and lively, contrasted sharply with her decisive older sister, Zhang Liru. Gu Lu could tell she was trying to console him.

"It’s the , established by the . It’s a pretty authoritative prize in the country," Gu Lu explained.

Yesterday, Director Jian called to inform him of his elimination and consoled him, "It’s rare for a nominated writer to win on their first try, so this is completely normal. Don’t let it affect your mindset."

"That makes sense," Zhang Liwan said. "You probably haven’t joined the Writers Association yet, right?"

"Almost," Gu Lu replied.

"There you go. How could they possibly award an outsider with a prize meant for association members?" Zhang Liwan pointed out.

Her words struck a chord. Upon reflection, Gu Lu realized she might have a point.

In his mind, Gu Lu thought, Just wait until my hits the shelves!

At the store, they made their purchases...

In reality, campus life was relatively calm, but the internet was abuzz with activity.

"Announcement: Rebranding

Starting , Fear Guest· will be renamed New Reading. The publication frequency will shift from three issues per month to biweekly.

The magazine will continue focusing on 'the most thrilling genres for teenagers: horror, mystery, suspense, and hardcore terror.'

A grand martial arts tournament is announced, recruiting heroes to establish four challenger platforms.

The magazine’s four sections—

[] Guardian article: , Author: Gu Lu

[] Guardian article: , Author: Coffee Cup Tea

[] Guardian article: (1), Author: Overtime Lover

Any submission that defeats the guardian article will receive a substantial cash prize.

Submission guidelines: Comprehensive youth-oriented campus magazine seeking horror, mystery, and folklore stories.

Submission email:

..."

What followed was a detailed breakdown of the generous cash prizes, monthly rewards for the guardians, average standards, and fair voting mechanisms based on reader surveys rather than internal editorial decisions.

Additionally, more specific rules were outlined, such as requiring original, unpublished works.

The Fear Guest editorial team invested heavily in advertising, and the announcement was prominently featured on popular platforms like , , and .

Especially Tieba, which was the true epicenter of internet trends back then—many internet slang terms originated there.

Examples included "That Man" from the , "There are always troublemakers trying to harm me" and "Loser" from the , and "Jia Junpeng, your mom wants you to come home for dinner" from the . The meaning of the word "翔" evolving to mean "大便" (shit) stemmed from the Three Giants Bar. These were memories buried deep in time.

The hefty ad investment paid off handsomely, sparking widespread discussions among both writers and readers.

Readers were mostly excited, as a revamped publication promised more captivating stories.

The writing community, however, was anything but peaceful.

In a reader group of about twenty people—

: "I know Overtime Lover—they’re a big name in the supernatural genre and have even published books. But who’s Gu Lu? One person holding two guardian spots?"

: "Maybe he’s a heavyweight writer invited from publications like or . Before the rebranding, they’d want works that can hold their ground. Otherwise, losing in the first round would be embarrassing for the guardian."

: "Even though Fear Guest changed its name, it’s still sneakily devious. There’s a trap in these rules. Guardians earn 1,000 yuan per month, but since it’s biweekly, if the champion changes every issue, no one gets the full reward."

: "Actually, I don’t think it’s a trap. Successfully challenging earns 5,000 yuan outright. If the champion changes every issue, the magazine would have to shell out 10,000 yuan per month…"

As the saying goes, don’t hit someone in the face, and don’t expose their weaknesses. Feeling embarrassed, 12twelve12 quietly retreated into lurking mode.

"I’m going to give it a shot."

"Same here!"

"Let’s wait for the first issue of New Reading tomorrow to see the quality."

"Wow, Twelve, Graffiti, and Silent are all submitting? This’ll be fun to watch. With so many big names, the guardian articles might just be one-hit wonders."

It wasn’t mutual flattery—the group members truly had talent.

The group’s origin was interesting. Back when New Star Publishing launched its "Midnight Library★Horror Series," they invited several notable writers in the horror and supernatural genres. Those who clicked formed a QQ group.

Everyone knew the Midnight Library series—it was an outstanding collection of mystery novels, and the invited writers were all skilled.

New Reading achieved its goal, attracting many writers. After all, beyond money, literary pride was at stake—who had the right to be a guardian?

Amidst the heated online discussions, the first issue of New Reading was released—

Regular readers purchased their copies, and many authors were eager to assess the quality of the guardian articles.

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