Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C133

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[Mr. Gu, I told Chief Editor Gao about what you mentioned yesterday. He said it’s no problem and has already been submitted, but we’ll have to wait for the translator's schedule.]

A piece of good news arrived just before the showdown. According to , the corresponding editor, both magazines’ had significant autonomy. Whether or not a work got translated depended more on luck than quality.

Luck came before merit—a familiar feeling that reminded Gu Lu of from his past life. Fill out forms, toss in your manuscript, and hope for the best because the copyright department held all the cards.

"," Gu Lu thought to himself, using the phrase as a form of self-consolation to temper his expectations. He thanked the corresponding editor sincerely.

---

The next day, the students' battle began. was unusually quiet—

Beneath the surface, emotions churned like hidden currents. Teachers grading papers were seeing double from exhaustion.

After much anticipation, the midterm results were finally released, and the "" emerged!

Gu Lu had improved by about seven points in geography, politics, and history. While some credit went to his “private tutor,” his natural talent for humanities couldn’t be ignored.

As Gu Lu basked in his small victory, an "ungrateful" voice chimed in with harsh words.

"Why hasn’t your math improved? In fact, it’s gotten worse—what’s going on?"

"For chemistry, you just need to memorize these formulas. Why didn’t you pass?"

"And physics? Just answer all the easy questions correctly—it’s so simple to pass!"

The speaker was none other than , Gu Lu’s desk mate, who looked at him with pitying eyes as if he were weak and hopeless.

"What nonsense!"

"Isn’t going from thirty points to forty still progress? Does improvement only count if it’s dramatic?" Gu Lu argued back.

"Scoring ten points or fifty-nine makes no difference—they’re both failing," Qi Caiwei declared brutally.

"Fifty points is close enough to passing that it motivates people to try harder. Thirty points feels unreachable. Shouldn’t effort like that be encouraged? Society only cares about results and disregards process entirely," Gu Lu countered.

"Don’t waste my time. I don’t care about your process. Just tell me—are you failing?" Qi Caiwei remained unfazed.

High schoolers weren’t as easily swayed as middle schoolers. Sensing defeat, Gu Lu changed the subject. "What about you? Did your essay improve?"

"Speaking of essays, I really owe you thanks. The writing techniques you taught me helped boost my score this time. But…" Qi Caiwei hesitated.

"But what?" Gu Lu pressed.

"This book—" Qi Caiwei pulled out . "You wrote something here, but it’s too vague." She pointed to Gu Lu’s cryptic note on the inside cover: [Using myths as metaphors for society at the time].

Gu Lu had hoped to gradually encourage Qi Caiwei to develop her own interpretations while reading.

"That vagueness is intentional. Think about it carefully," Gu Lu said.

"What’s there to think about? Why not just explain it yourself?" Qi Caiwei was used to being spoon-fed and felt uneasy without guidance.

"Reading is crucial for expanding one’s worldview. If you leave every step up to others, how will you handle the pressure when no one’s around to help later?" Gu Lu’s tone grew heavier. Though subtle, his words hinted at Qi Caiwei’s parents—strong-willed individuals who micromanaged their child’s life until adulthood, only to declare, “From now on, you’re on your own.”

But Qi Caiwei couldn’t grasp such depth yet. She assumed her desk mate simply found her annoying. Reflecting on it, she realized she might indeed be troublesome. Hesitating, she opened her mouth but didn’t know whether to apologize or say something else.

"We barely know each other—why am I lecturing you like this? Forget it." Gu Lu caught himself, realizing his words had been too harsh. He wanted to take them back.

In truth, guiding someone as charming as Qi Caiwei secretly pleased his vanity. But Gu Lu genuinely wished for his classmates to grow and thrive.

Neither spoke again until dismissal. Qi Caiwei wasn’t sure whether to apologize, and Gu Lu didn’t know how to retract his words…

Before the last class, Gu Lu was summoned to the office and caught sight of the grade rankings.

No. 8 High School had a peculiar practice. Despite its competitive atmosphere—"grades are everything"—it refrained from publicly posting year-level rankings, leaving it up to homeroom teachers to decide whether or not to share them.

Actually, Gu Lu was simply uninformed. Last year, issued regulations to reduce student competition, mandating this “face-saving” measure.

Back to the matter at hand, Gu Lu spotted , ranked second in the grade.

"So when you said your grades dropped, did you mean falling from first to second place?" Gu Lu teased, rolling his eyes at the overachievers.

---

Saturday.

Sleeping in was practically mandatory on weekends. But today, Gu Lu’s younger sister, , was visiting, so he sacrificed his lie-in and bought groceries early.

Knock-knock. The door opened to reveal a familiar high-pitched voice.

"Look at me—I’m the !"

Gu Jiayu raised her hands, the tips of her fingers stained blackish-purple, resembling poison symptoms.

"You used those berries from that tree, right? The ones that turn purple when crushed," Gu Lu recalled, remembering how even as an adult, he couldn’t resist picking them.

"My Dark Heaven Magic has reached its peak. This is the Nine Heavens Poison—I’m dying!" Gu Jiayu dramatically clutched her chest, pretending to be on her last breath.

"..." Gu Lu smirked, recalling his childhood habit of wrapping himself in bed sheets and pretending to fight with a TV remote as a sword.

"Hurry and use the Divine Water to detoxify—the yellow bottle near the sink. It’s ’s ‘Divine Water.’ Go ahead; we’re about to eat."

Hearing this, Gu Jiayu dragged her “wounded” body toward the kitchen.

"Wait, maybe I got the name wrong. Isn’t divine water supposed to cure poison?" Gu Lu muttered, heading to his room to fetch a newly arrived package.

When Gu Jiayu emerged from the kitchen, Gu Lu spoke.

"Don’t say I never look out for you. Here, you’re the first to see this." He unwrapped the parcel, revealing a book, which he handed to her.

"? I’m not a kid anymore—why would I read fairy tales… Gu Lu? Big brother! You published a book?!" At first glance, Gu Jiayu dismissed the subtitle [], but upon spotting the author’s name, she let out an excited shriek.

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