ATIS Chapter 19

The program's production platform was renowned for its marketing prowess, and it had been promoting "Infinite Youth" for several months before its official release. The four invited mentors were also A-listers with high popularity and recognition, which led to a substantial level of attention when the theme song video was released.

Many melon eating fan circles (1) were already familiar with the show's name, and out of curiosity, quite a few of them might click to take a look. The video was just three and a half minutes long, and even casual viewers didn’t mind watching it and commenting on it. The program team immediately bought high-ranking hot searches (2), while major KOLs (3) “tacitly” (4) directed traffic to the video, causing the view count to skyrocket.

An hour later, there were already thousands of likes on the comments.

[Adverts selling Fake Weight Loss Candy and Horoscope Tests Get Out of My Comments V: Can I watch this for free? The one who appeared at 32 seconds, when did domestic entertainment reach such a high standard!!]

Her comment section was also very lively.

The first building (5) in the list of likes was a simple [image comment], and when clicked, it revealed a line of familiar characters: "Your horoscope report."

The second most-liked comment was frantic reply of the thread's OP after being madly @’d: [[Laughing] Anyone who laughed, go vote for laoniang (6) 'one pick'! You can vote three times a day as a member. I already know his name; engrave the three characters 'Liao Junchen' on your foreheads and vote for me! Finally, the spring of the inner entertainment dance fandom has come, wuwuwu(7).]

The other top comments were also very exciting.

[Buddhist Cub Raising V: God… the one with black hair on the center stage, he's from our school! His name is still hanging on the bulletin board by the school gate. He just got the national second prize in the National Physics Competition last month (:з」∠) The light of Jinghe No. 6 High School, the god of learning Qin Lu, has actually appeared on the talent show that I've been wanting to watch... This world is too magical. My white moonlight (8), the love letter I haven't handed over yet, I'm completely out of the game [crying][crying]]

Because of the vast amount of information in it, this comment had spawned nearly a thousand comments of its own—

[I Also Like Lu Xixi Today: I can't believe it, I can't believe it, I'm good again. I clicked on the video, and at first glance, he got me, wuwu. I didn't expect his image to be this compelling (Sorry, Lu Xixi, I'll just climb the wall (9) for a while QAQ)]

[No Passing Level Six No Changing Name V: Sister, I don't know whether to envy you or sympathize with you [Can’t laugh or cry] Why do I feel like the whole world is alumni or even classmates with future stars, only my campus life is so plain and boring Orz I just imagined if Qin Lu was my classmate... I think I could even get into Tsinghua!! What kind of fantasy pot is this [covering face]]

[If There is Another Talent Show I’ll Eat the iPad: I fell into the pit again. It definitely isn't my fault though, someone who smiles so beautifully, who could bear not voting for him (:з」∠)]

[Only Into Handsome Guys V: Friends, I've found the name of the handsome face at 2 minutes and 51 seconds. Starting from today, I'm going to produce content for Han Suyan. Handsome guys are the world's treasure 555]

In the video footage, even a brief shot lasting less than a second could quickly capture the attention of eagle-eyed fans.

The voting interface was ever-changing, and had begun to change quietly at a rapid speed.

And the trainees in their closed training environment remained unaware of the changes happening online.

Even though they were already very familiar with the singing and dancing of the theme song, the level of synchronization among the trainees was uneven and needed to be adjusted as soon as possible. With less than two days left before their first flash performance on stage, the trainees from Class A to Class C gathered together for intensive training early in the morning.

Mentor Yao Chen was very responsible. He stayed with them from early morning until 9 in the evening, helping the trainees with lower rankings learn their movements little by little and patiently sharing his experience.

It wasn't just about ability; most of these young juniors had no previous stage experience. When they really went on stage and faced hundreds or even thousands of unfamiliar audience members for the first time, nervousness could easily lead to performance mistakes.

Therefore, in order to provide some emotional relief, Mentor Yao Chen offered as much advice as possible.

"Don't be nervous." Yao Chen, who was actually not much older than them, made a slightly cute cheering gesture. "You've all practiced really well. As long as you don't get stage fright you will have no problem performing normally. If you're a bit scared facing the audience, just imagine that they could all be your potential fans. The only thing you need to do is perform well. If you can win over one, consider it one!” (10)

Fan Xi couldn't help but laugh when he heard those words. Good Fellow; being able to deceive one fan is a profit, you won’t lose with two, and three... would definitely not be in vain.

The trainees, who were initially a bit tense, relaxed quite a bit after hearing Yao Chen's advice. They scratched their heads in embarrassment and laughed

At the same time...

Having pulled her luggage out of the airport, Qin Yihan glanced at the time, clicked on WeChat and sent a message ,then went to wait at a fast-food restaurant near the airport to wait.

She had made an appointment in advance on Weibo with a fellow fan, who had also won a ticket. Having some company was one thing, and they could also potentially share a hotel room.

Qin Yihan, who was a little bored by herself, ordered a cup of coffee and sipped it. In her heart, she was actually slightly excited.

This was her first time participating in an offline fan event and her first time meeting an online friend face-to-face. She couldn't help but look around, imagining what kind of person the other party would be.

The wind chime at the entrance tinkled, and a girl wearing a yellow hoodie with delicate makeup entered. She looked around the room before finally fixing her gaze on Qin Yihan, who was also wearing Lu Xi's fan colors.

She walked over with her luggage, smiling, and said, "Bun Yaoyao (11) is Lu Xi's official girlfriend?"

Qin Yihan: "..."

In an instant, Qin Yihan keenly felt the strange eyes from the people around her, and even a boy sitting by the window couldn't help but lower his head and laugh.

... When she chose her username, she never imagined how shameful it would be to hear that name spoken out loud by someone other than herself. It was almost like a death scene.

Qin Yihan's face turned red all the way to her neck in an instant. She gave a vague "En" and awkwardly nodded, "Um, Lu Xi’s Internet Mom, let's go."

The girl who was quite pretty didn't seem embarrassed at all. She casually displayed her customized phone case with a Q (12) version of Lu Xi on it and shook it, "I've already ordered a ride, and it's just one minute away from the entrance."

Qin Yihan's eyes brightened when she saw the phone case. Oh, oh, it's the merchandise from the Mrs. Artist (13) she liked very much.

During the thirty-minute ride to the hotel, the two of them quickly became familiar.

The uncle (14), the ride-share driver, listened to the two girls affectionately calling each other "daughter-in-law" and “mother Lu" then, unable to restrain it, laugh foolishly. Unable to help it, he looked in the rearview mirror with a face full of question marks several times.

Lu Xi's Internet Mom's real name was Mu Jiehan, a college student. She had participated in offline fan events several times before and shared with Qin Yihan a lot of key knowledge she needed to know.

After dropping off their luggage, they went out for a meal and then visited the Leyuan Shopping Center to do some window shopping then returned to the hotel to rest contentedly.

While Qin Yihan went to wash up, Mu Jiehan was checking Weibo.

After all, 'Infinite Youth' was a talent show that had been heavily promoted even before its airing, and most star-chasing fans, especially those in the idol fan circles, would take a curious look.

Mu Jiehan was no exception.

As a result, Qin Yihan after coming out of the shower saw Mu Jiehan clutching her phone with excitement. "Quickly come and see. I just watched the theme song video of 'Infinite Youth.' What should I do? It seems like I'm getting a little interested in someone other than Lu Xixi."

While Qin Yihan rubbed her hair in shock and exclaimed, "How can an Internet Mom abandon her son?" she was looking over and saw the screen of the phone Mu Jiehan held up to her:

On the paused video screen, a handsome but familiar face appeared unexpectedly in front of her.

Qin Yihan silently stared at the face in the video that seemed even more handsome than usual: "..."

Just three weeks ago, this darn guy worth death by a thousand knives (15) went to Mother Qin and told on her (Yihan), snatching away her allowance for two months.

- - -

Time passed quickly. On the day of the performance, the students from D and F classes watched with envy as the students from A to C classes boarded the bus.

Everyone had woken up at five o'clock in the morning today and gathered for makeup, doing their hair one by one. The dressing room was chaotic yet orderly as they prepared in the two-hour window.

The performance attire was the school uniform-style suits they had worn during the recording of the theme song video two days ago. After the addition of stage makeup, the effect even more eye-catching.

Around ten o'clock on the weekend morning, the mall was not overly crowded but still had a fair number of people. When the large bus slowly pulled up to the entrance, many people curiously shifted their gazes in that direction.

Since this time was a "flash mob" theme this time, it hadn't been preannounced. It was temporary surprise attack.

When the first tall boy in a white suit got off the bus, he wasn’t very eye-catching.

But soon after, the second, the third...

As dozens of young and handsome young men in white school uniform-style suits appeared at the entrance of the mall, they would naturally catch the attention of passersby.

The number of onlookers immediately increased rapidly.

Most of the people in the mall were young men and women. There were university students who had come out shopping with their classmates and fans who had come early to camp for the 4SEVEN signing event.

"Limitless Youth" had just went on the hot search on social media a couple of days ago, so its popularity was not insignificant. There happened to be girls who had seen the theme song video and recognized them.

 At the beginning, some people started excitedly taking photos and videos with their phones, and the number of people surrounding them gradually began to increase.

There was a not little number of people whose first reaction when they happened upon a chance encounter was to post on their Moments (on Wechat) or their Weibo:

[Wanzi Who Loves Milk Tea Yoyo V: Hahahahaha, sisters, my makeup today was totally worth it! Coming here was so worth it! Qin Lu just passed by less than two meters of me!! There’s also Liao Junchen, Su Qinglan... OMG, Han Su Yan is even more handsome in person, like seriously!!! They seem to have an event here, sisters in the same city, hurry over! A paradise of handsome guys!! [Location: Huayan City Leyuan Shopping Center]]

The program underestimated the speed of information spreading on the internet, and the visual impact brought by dozens of handsome guys. Paparazzi photos quickly began to circulate online.

There were already a good number of 4SEVEN fans gathered at the scene, as the group's group signing event was scheduled for 2 pm in the afternoon.

The program's team had deliberately chosen the same location to build anticipation and buzz for the flying guest announcement. They had already communicated with 4SEVEN's management about this, but they intentionally didn't inform the trainees in advance; otherwise, there would be no suspense in the program.

As for the fact that 4SEVEN would soon arrive at the mall and that they would collaborate with the trainees on a future stage, the trainees were completely unaware at this point.

---

Translator’s notes:

(1)   For those unfamiliar with the term, melon eating refers to sitting back and watching the drama/show—same connotation as eating popcorn on the side. Fan circles are self-explanatory—think of them as fandom

(2)   On Weibo and other platforms, you can buy trending hashtags and searches. #money ig

(3)   Key opinion leader (KOL in the raws) refer to influential figures in the field, so like senior and well known fan accounts

(4)   Tacitly in this case bc the KOLs are working with the program

(5)   In Chinese internet threads, comment threads are called buildings, and the first commenter would be the first floor, second comment second floor, etc.

(6)   Laoniang is the female version of Laozi, which is a willful and pretentious way of referring to oneself

(7)   Crying noises

(8)   Refers to a someone you love who is unattainable, like moonlight

(9)   Climbing the wall: switching fandoms

(10) He’s saying that every converted fan is an achievement

(11) The yao refers to demon, but cutely here. I didn’t think demon sounded cute enough, so I kept the pinyin. If it’s confusing, Lu Dan is calling Qin Yihan by her internet handle.

(12) Think Chibi. On it’s own, Q also means cute

(13) Not sure, but I think it’s a way to refer to famous artists online

(14) Honorific; not related. Way of referring to men older than oneself

(15) ‘杀千刀的家伙’Despicable guy—please send help im not very sure

Translator’s corner:

I hate internet slang

So sorry for the late chapter! Uni restarted and I'm dying already haha

Also, next chapter will be incredibly long. Would you all like me to split it into parts, or wait an extra week for the whole thing?

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