Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C158

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Chapter 158: You Can Always Show Gratitude!

"That makes sense!" Gu Lu suddenly realized. On , he had tens of thousands of followers, but on , he was practically invisible. No one would even click on his videos, let alone watch them.

Since no one was watching, he might as well go for it. That’s what Gu Lu thought to himself.

interrupted his train of thought. "Gu Lu, you could say I’ve helped you out here, right?"

"What’s the catch?" Gu Lu asked bluntly. "Just tell me what you need. If it's something I can do, I’ll do my best."

"We’re such good friends, so you definitely can help," Zhang Liwan said, her words a bit jumbled as she lowered her voice and glanced around conspiratorially. "Gu Lu, you’re pretty close with from the admissions office, right?"

"I suppose we’re fairly familiar. He came to my middle school during my third year of junior high to talk to me," Gu Lu replied.

"Well then, can you help me find out who’s in the newly established ?" Zhang Liwan asked, still scanning the area nervously. The poised beauty had transformed into someone acting suspiciously secretive.

"Are you really that curious?" Gu Lu asked.

"This is one of the four great mysteries of our school—I have to solve it!" Zhang Liwan declared. "And it’s not just curiosity. As the chief reporter for , I need to stay sharp and chase leads."

Gu Lu was reminded of . The first case in the anime revolved around seven mysteries at a school.

"And besides, you don’t know how hard it is to get a club approved by the school. Clubs like the Mystery Club, LEGO Club, and Robotics Club were all rejected. So the fact that the Publication Club got approved means they’re definitely not ordinary people!" Zhang Liwan added. "You’re a big writer now, but you haven’t given us any exclusive scoops. Zhou Lin, your classmate, is much more reliable."

Oh? Hearing about his desk mate piqued Gu Lu’s curiosity. "What big news has she made?"

"You don’t know? Aren’t you supposed to be the chief cultural advisor for the club? Next month, they’re representing in a regional competition across three southwestern provinces," Zhang Liwan said. "Don’t you feel guilty as their cultural advisor?"

To be honest, he didn’t. Gu Lu was the foundation. Without him, No. 8 High School’s MUN team wouldn’t even qualify for city-level competitions.

Could it be that the strong-armed girl might actually become the Secretary-General of the national MUN conference—and the first Chinese person to hold that position? Gu Lu rubbed his eyes. Was it true that geniuses could achieve whatever they set their minds to?

"I’ll make sure to bring you some big news next time," Gu Lu promised.

"Deal! And don’t forget to ask about the Publication Club too!" Zhang Liwan said.

The bell rang, signaling the start of class. Their conversation ended there, but having secured a promise from a famous writer, Zhang Liwan left in high spirits, hands clasped behind her back and a light spring in her step. But as she reached the corridor corner, she suddenly sped up—realizing she’d be late if she didn’t hurry.

"I wonder if she’ll ever become a journalist…" Gu Lu mused. When he graduated from college, maybe he could work part-time as an up-and-coming content creator, visiting old high school classmates to see if they were still chasing their dreams.

After all, at his current rate of literary output, financial freedom within four or five years shouldn’t be a problem, right? With no pressure from living expenses, taking on a side hustle would be completely manageable.

Gu Lu snapped out of his thoughts and started running back to class. He’d just recalled something important while chatting with Zhang Liwan—something related to triggering a title sequence in a book—but the thought slipped away, distracted by the strong-armed girl’s ambitions. Curiosity truly was a dangerous thing.

Back at his seat, Gu Lu caught his breath, burying himself behind a stack of books to recover.

Looking around the classroom, the desks were cluttered with piles of books and stationery. If Zhang Yudong’s “foreign mercenaries” were to show up, they could wage countless battles on these desks.

Gu Lu originally preferred keeping his desk clear and flat—he liked simplicity. But he’d adapted to local customs; everyone else did it this way.

"Master math, physics, and chemistry, and you’ll fear nothing under the heavens. That’s how my teacher tricked me," Mr. Lu said, rubbing his bald head. "Turns out, traveling the world doesn’t require those subjects, but excelling in them does mean you’ll have solid logical thinking skills."

"Take Gu Lu in your class, for example. His essays are excellent, and he’s more composed than the average student. That’s the weight that comes from writing," Mr. Lu continued.

Gu Lu was used to it. Whenever teachers of various subjects started chatting casually, the chances of them mentioning him were extremely high.

He had few friends in Class 10, and he suspected it had something to do with the teachers’ frequent praise… Even though Gu Lu wanted to bond with his classmates, the constant compliments from teachers, combined with his identity as a writer, inevitably created a sense of distance.

"When I read Harry Potter, there was a review saying Ron was Harry’s best friend because he treated Harry normally despite his fame," Gu Lu thought. At the time, he hadn’t agreed with the review—he found Ron annoying.

Now, he had a new perspective. Gu Lu decided to buy the complete collection. After all, after coming to this world for so long, he’d already scoured the bestsellers of this world.

Among the top fantasy works were The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, and Harry Potter. In this world, The Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time didn’t exist, which indirectly proved that his classmates calling him Gu Lu was purely coincidental and not a jab at his short stature.

"I wonder if I’ll ever trigger the synthesis sequence for The Lord of the Rings. It could sustain me for life, along with ’s works," Gu Lu thought.

Stephen King, the American bestselling author, was also a copyright giant who wrote many short stories. Since the synthesis list favored short stories, why not explore this master of the short form?

Lost in thought, half the class passed. Gu Lu spent the remaining time refining his draft. He still hadn’t written the preface for .

It seemed like just a few hundred words, but after several drafts, Gu Lu still wasn’t satisfied.

"Is it the new work you’re struggling with?" asked during break. "I saw you writing and crossing things out during class."

"It’s not exactly a new work—it’s just that writing a preface feels daunting. I don’t know where to start," Gu Lu admitted. He’d considered including the clues he prepared for his literary copying project, but that felt too forced. These things were better left for readers to discover on their own.

"Like last time when Reporter Wang figured it out," he thought.

"It’s normal. A lot of times, authors write instinctively without overthinking," Qi Caiwei said sympathetically. "Actually, you could always include acknowledgments. Thank the people who helped you along the way."

Hmm!

Young lady, that’s a very constructive idea.

As Gu Lu’s first short story collection since his arrival in this world, Park of Yesterday had been years in the making. There were indeed many people to thank.

Taking Qi Caiwei’s advice to heart, Gu Lu began writing with renewed inspiration in the next class. He wanted to thank Mr. Li and Fat Boss—one for providing academic support, the other for supplying his writing computer.

[Ten minutes versus three years of effort…] Gu Lu was careful. He wasn’t sure if Fat Boss’s arcade was legal, so he omitted it from the preface.

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