Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C120 Part 3

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Chapter 120: What a Novel Idea Part 3

"Yes, you are the most outstanding. Members in the are all excellent, but compared to you, the gap is significant," Zhou Lin insisted. "Don't think I don't know—you have articles serialized in magazines."

"You're not a good friend, hiding these things from old classmates. I heard it from Mr. Hu in the school library," Zhou Lin suddenly exclaimed loudly.

Mr. Hu again—last time, Lü Ping ran back to the classroom with two magazines and announced his identity because Mr. Hu mentioned it. Was it that Mr. Hu always lounged around in the school library doing nothing?

"It's mainly because I graduated from junior high before my serialization began," Gu Lu explained. "During the summer vacation, everyone in the group shared where they went to play, so I didn't want to spoil the mood. Now that school has started, no one talks in the group anymore."

"At this year's junior high reunion, you will definitely be the brightest star," Zhou Lin changed the subject. "You’re not going to skip the junior high reunion, are you? We’ve even invited Mr. Li."

Class Monitor Chen Na had called to notify everyone a few days ago. At that time, Gu Lu was fully focused on practicing calligraphy for the club’s inscription, so he didn’t mention it.

"I’ll definitely come," Gu Lu said, as it was the first junior high reunion.

"Is joining the Model UN enough? Do I really not need to approach Principal Liu?" Gu Lu returned to the original topic.

"If our Model UN can leverage the name of [Gu Lu], it will be a tremendous help," Zhou Lin said.

"Besides, if we don’t put in any effort, then joining the Model UN won’t provide any exercise," Zhou Lin continued, then took out the Model UN club application form. "Just follow the procedure; sorry for the trouble."

Gu Lu now understood why his desk mate could score so highly. This person’s execution ability to achieve goals was quite formidable.

"I’ll give it to you tomorrow," Gu Lu said.

After discussing the serious matters, they both ate peacefully. Today’s canteen offered fried noodles, stir-fried rice noodles, sour and spicy vermicelli, and small noodles.

During the meal, Gu Lu inquired about the teaching progress and discovered that the Qingbei class’s teaching speed had completely left them behind.

"Why are you eating so little?" Gu Lu noticed Zhou Lin preparing to wash her tray.

Zhou Lin replied, "I’ve gained some weight recently, so I need to control my diet."

"!!" A gluttonous young girl controlling her diet? Gu Lu felt like his youth had ended.

With adequate nutrition and regular exercise, Gu Lu was genuinely growing taller, and his skin had become much fairer, no longer sallow as before.

Both lunch and dinner were solved at the school canteen.

Back home, Gu Lu dialed Deputy Chief Editor Qu’s phone.

"Hello, may I ask if this is Chief Editor Qu from ''?" Gu Lu asked.

"Mr. Gu, hello. I’ve been waiting all day for this call," Deputy Chief Editor Qu said.

Malnutrition could delay the voice-changing period. While other students experienced it from seventh to ninth grade, Gu Lu only started in high school, so his voice sounded coarse now.

"Mainly due to the heavy academic workload, so I didn’t have time to answer calls during the day," Gu Lu explained.

"Heavy academic workload? Are you a teacher, Mr. Gu?" Deputy Chief Editor Qu asked.

"...I am a student being taught," Gu Lu sighed inwardly, recognizing the familiar routine that was about to begin. "I’m currently in tenth grade."

Silence.

The other end remained silent for three or four seconds. Gu Lu didn’t speak either, knowing the other party was contemplating.

"Mr.... Gu, you’re not joking, right?" Deputy Chief Editor Qu said. "'' and '' are so smooth. They can’t possibly be first-time articles; you must have rich creative experience."

"Yes, Chief Editor Qu, you’re absolutely right. My creative experience is quite extensive: ',' ',' ',' and recently, I’ve also collaborated with ," Gu Lu said.

Toilet literature, children’s literature, detective stories, and supernatural tales—that was indeed diverse, yet Deputy Chief Editor Qu found it slightly hard to accept.

"Chief Editor Qu, if you search 'detective + my pen name' online now, you should find information," Gu Lu added.

"How could I doubt it? Of course, I believe you. Heroes emerge young, though. I need some time to process this," Deputy Chief Editor Qu said verbally, but he had already walked to his study, turned on his standby computer, and searched [Gu Lu + detective] and [Gu Lu + Story Digest]. He indeed found plenty of information.

'Story Digest' invested early in the internet, so part of its content could be searched online.

A true genius, Deputy Chief Editor Qu truly marveled in his heart.

"The reason I called to discuss is that students should prioritize academics, so regarding the submission requirements, could we..." Gu Lu said.

Contracted writers had minimum submission requirements, but considering Gu Lu was a student, both 'Young Literature' and 'Chronicles of Mystery' made concessions. The former had no restrictions, while the latter only required one article per year—a very lenient arrangement.

"Indeed, indeed. Does Mr. Gu attend a key high school?" Deputy Chief Editor Qu asked. "My child attends a key high school and basically has no free time."

"Because I was exempted from exams due to winning the national first prize in essay writing, the school provides certain accommodations," Gu Lu directly sensed that this Chief Editor Qu was the most tactful he had ever encountered.

Alright, a genuine talented writer. Deputy Chief Editor Qu stopped probing. "If that’s the case, we definitely need to modify the contract."

"Our 'Youth Digest' aims to provide a platform for outstanding youths. Mr. Gu, being so excellent, we must make concessions," Deputy Chief Editor Qu added.

As the deputy chief editor of 'Youth Digest,' Old Qu did have the authority to make decisions, but he still chose to consult with his superior before finalizing anything.

The reason was simple: casual jokes aside, work-related matters required leadership approval and shouldn’t be decided unilaterally.

After hanging up, Deputy Chief Editor Qu promised to provide a reliable plan tomorrow, and Gu Lu didn’t rush him.

"Can't handle it anymore, really can't handle it..." The mobile ringtone chimed.

The hit internet song of the year, Gu Lu had listened to many TikTok hits in his previous life, but now he realized that the hits from the 2010s still had something special.

The caller was Xiao Xue, the corresponding editor of 'Fear Guest.'

Upon answering, before Gu Lu could speak, Xiao Xue immediately began, "Mr. Gu, our newly revamped '' is ready to launch. Our magazine wants to conduct a telephone interview this Saturday."

"Saturday? No problem for me," Gu Lu said. "But removing 'Fear Guest' and changing it to 'New Reading' makes it less obvious that it’s a supernatural horror magazine."

"Therefore, we need to emphasize the cover. Mr. Gu, rest assured—we’ve prepared a promotional plan," Xiao Xue briefly outlined the magazine’s promotion strategy—the benchmark plan.

In the magazine’s four sections [Heavy Fog], [Strange Forces], [Midnight Terrors], and [], one benchmark piece would be selected from each.

The benchmark was like the champion in a literary arena—if a new article could surpass the benchmark, it would win a substantial cash prize.

'Iron Pillar' and 'Listening to Moon Songs in a White Room' were benchmarks for Heavy Fog and Strange Forces, respectively. This move aimed to attract more quality articles.

On one hand, it used money; on the other, it used reputation.

Regarding money, defeating a benchmark earned a 5,000 yuan reward, which wasn’t insignificant. Additionally, each subsequent win earned 1,000 yuan, providing long-term income.

Regarding reputation, in literature, there’s no definitive first place, and claiming oneself as the benchmark doesn’t suffice. Good writers would surely want to dethrone the existing benchmarks.

What a novel idea. Gu Lu couldn’t judge whether it would succeed, but it certainly attracted authors. If a work became a benchmark, a monthly income of 1,000 yuan wasn’t bad at all.

"Just, will this be too rushed?" Gu Lu questioned the plan over the phone.

"Not at all. Hesitation leads to chaos. Although the deputy editor and chief editor were somewhat puzzled, I convinced them," Xiao Xue from the 'Fear Guest' editorial department responded.

Did a corresponding editor really convince the deputy editor and chief editor? That seemed exaggerated, but Gu Lu didn’t comment.

Two pieces becoming "benchmarks," earning 2,000 yuan monthly—too good to pass up.

Sure, Gu Lu agreed, of course.

Gu Lu was thriving both in and out of school. For the essay contest, he wrote ',' an essay rumored to have received a perfect score on the national college entrance exam in his previous world.

In reality, it had nothing to do with the exam, but any viral article on the internet tended to be labeled as a full-score essay.

He wrote swiftly. Gu Lu’s appreciation for modern poetry was limited, but this modern poem felt quite powerful.

[It intoxicated , drove poets mad, and showcased 's boldness.

It documented the , moistened the rainy apricot blossoms of Qingming, and made Hai Tang's appear frail.

On Jingyang Ridge, it aided in slaying the tiger with three punches.

At Xunyang Tower, it prompted to inscribe rebellious poetry.

Oh, you, fulfilling countless heroes...]

"The full text doesn't mention the word 'wine,' yet it writes about many wine-related things. This essay should secure a prize, right?" Gu Lu thought.

What did Li Guyuan write?

The twin stars’ duel—Li Guyuan took it very seriously, so for the next two days, he kept it strictly confidential from Gu Lu.

Just these two days passed, and unknowingly, it was late October. ’s anniversary celebration unfolded with great fanfare.

Principal Liu was influential. Not only did he invite reporters from the '' and ',' but he also brought in . The reporter from the news program '' came from the TV station.

'Daily 630' was arguably the highest-rated livelihood news program in Chongqing, bar none. Without exaggeration, in Chongqing, it could rival the popularity of the evening news broadcast.

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