ATIS Chapter 21 pt 1

After the car door opened, the bodyguard brother that the fans had become familiar with came down first.

This bodyguard had been with 4SEVEN since their debut, and in the hearts of many longtime fans, he wasn't just a staff member; he was considered a very familiar "family member." He had accompanied the members through their early days when they were inexperienced at the time of their debut and unknown.

Some fans closer to the front playfully teased, "Chen-ge (1), you've gained weight again."

The girls around them began to laugh. This was an inside joke known only to seasoned fans, related to the affectionate interactions between the members and the bodyguard from a long time ago.

However, the bodyguard remained unfazed, pretended not to hear with a serious face.

When the iconic black Martin boots stepped out of the car, the fans immediately refocused their attention.

In the group, only Fang Zekun wore Martin boots. He liked this kind of slightly punk-inspired attire, especially the rivets. So, new fans who browsed through old fan galleries would quickly discover that he had a penchant for rivet leather jackets, rivet boots, and rivets paired with everything.

But this kind of non-mainstream aesthetic on Fang Zekun not only didn’t dissuade fans, but instead they felt that he was super cute and had personality.

In the eyes of the fans, only young brats would think about being cool all day. Fang Zekun, who aimed to be a true man with an aura of 2.8 meters, could be considered the reigning king of mom fans within 4SEVEN.

"Kunzi (2), aren't you hot wearing so much in the middle of summer?"

"Ah, Kun's mom loves you!!"

One sister had an incredible voice with strong penetrating power. "Fang Zekun, don't secretly be angry!"

Fang Zekun looked towards that direction with a speechless face. "You know too much."

The fans burst into laughter.

Soon, all the members got off the car, and the long lenses of the station sisters produced a rapid series of "click click click" sounds, sounding like a machine gun.

The five of them stood in front of the car, waiting for the security personnel. Everyone seemed to be in very good condition today.

Lu Xi, leaning against the door, was chatting with Xu Zheran. His outfit today was very simple - a white T-shirt paired with light blue ripped jeans and unique limited-edition collaborative sneakers—but he was still handsome and outstanding. Even the casual expressions and movements made by Lu Xi had a special flavour.

Xu Zheran, standing next to him, had carefully crafted his style, perfectly flawless from hair to outfit. Xu Zheran liked wearing silver-rimmed glasses, giving him a scholarly appearance.

Listening to music alone with headphones, An Ming seemed a bit tired. He had his eyes slightly lowered, and his fair skin was almost reflective in the sunlight. Perhaps the sun at one or two in the afternoon was too bright, so he raised a hand to pull up the hood of his hoodie, eliciting some small screams from the fans.

The oldest and most composed member, Captain (3) Qi Yuxuan, thoughtfully took two bottles of water from the car and asked if the other members wanted some. Only Lu Xi accepted.

The atmosphere among the fans at the scene changed slightly.

Only 40% of 4SEVEN's fanbase consisted of group fans, with the rest being predominantly solo fans of one member, and a small number of them were self-initiated CP fans (4) who enjoyed shipping members together.

Among them, the youngest, Lu Xi, had the largest solo fanbase. His popularity had been unparalleled since debut, surpassing the other members by a significant margin. However, it was because Lu Xi had the most fans that he received the worst treatment from the group fans.

Specifically, Lu Xi’s individual resources were better than those of the group (due to his popularity). Thus, group fans would become upset and call for i-fans (5) not to support individual activities. There was friction between Lu Xi’s solo fans and fans of other members-- group fans would go to persuade Lu Xi’s fans not to rely on numbers to suppress others, and it was basically a mentality of “Lu Xi and his solo fans are very strong and don’t need help”.

Qin Yihan was one of the rarest fans among group fans. When most group fans only helped one side, she rolled up her sleeves and rushed to speak for Lu Xi. However, this usually didn't earn her much gratitude, and she often found herself in the middle, not pleasing either side.

In general, the relationships among the members were quite good, but the relationships between their fans were quite tense. If there was disagreement, they would tear apart the sky on platforms like Weibo. Group fans accused solo fans for being toxic, while solo fans criticized group fans for being unfair in their fan support and being dishonest.

Offline events maintained a semblance of peace, as, after all, it was not possible to act as freely as online.

However, solo fans typically had a stronger presence when it came to data collection and financial support. They were known to spend generously. For example, ticket allocation for fan sign events was determined by the number of mini-PD purchases and the number of lucky draws were determined by the number of mini-PDs purchased. Solo fans were often willing to spend significant amounts to get more chances to see their idols, while group fans tended to be less extravagant.

As a result, the fans present at the event were mostly from different fanbases (within 4SEVEN).

 This inevitably led to fans interpreting member interactions differently, and after the event, there would certainly be fans doing live reviews of the situation, inviting others to fight on Weibo.

There was a total of five members in the group, and there was often fighting in the fandom's supertopic.

However, despite the online chaos, the fans present at the event appeared to be in harmony.

The fan sign event venue was ready, and after the security personnel arrived in a hurry, the members entered the venue under the excited gazes of their fans.

-        - -

At the training base.

Qin Lu could probably guess who Liao Junchen would choose.

Sure enough, Liao Junchen didn't hesitate for a moment and said succinctly, "Nan Xiao."

Nan Xiao, whose name was called, looked a bit surprised. He had been sitting casually, chatting with others with his arms crossed and legs crossed. But when he heard his name, he was momentarily stunned before standing up with a paralyzed face.

His face still wasn't fully recovered, and he couldn't make expressions that were too big, but his eyes were very bright, indicating that he was probably quite happy. Nan Xiao's strength was evident to everyone, so while the other trainees might have felt a bit envious, they weren't particularly surprised.

Nan Xiao quickly walked up to Liao Junchen and enthusiastically extended his fist for a fist bump.

Liao Junchen looked at him expressionlessly for a moment, and only raised his hand to respond when Nan Xiao started feeling a bit awkward and considered retracting his hand. After the fist bump, Liao Junchen continued his deliberations for the next teammate without much expression.

Qin Lu lowered his head and smiled silently. Even though Nan Xiao was a bit unsure if the captain genuinely welcomed him, he had a positive attitude, thinking that he would find out as they got more familiar. He approached Qin Lu and started a warm conversation.

Nan Xiao had a favorable impression of Qin Lu. Although they had only briefly interacted on the first morning of training camp before getting immersed in their respective training sessions, Nan Xiao had lstil eft a good impression on Qin Lu.

Subsequently, strong performers like Fan Xi and Kim Yooeun who had been training together recently, as well as Su Qinglan, who had been casting a very hard-to-ignore gaze on Liao Junchen, joined the team.

When their names were called, the cheerful little curly-haired boy rushed like a 100-meter sprint into the team.

Dream team, thank the heavens! (6)

A team needed a total of eight members, and they were now missing two. But in fact, they already had good rappers, dancers, and singers.

Lu Zhi had strength similar to Nan Xiao, but his role in the group seemed a bit redundant. Everyone was a bit puzzled about who Liao Junchen would choose for the remaining two spots.

He paused briefly from the moment of selection and then decisively said, "Toeisup." (7)

The trainees waiting below were momentarily astonished.

"Why him? He can't even speak Mandarin properly..."

"Ah... I thought Liao Junchen's team was already at the level of the Avengers, and that he would find two more talented individuals to form a perfect team. I really can't understand, what is he thinking?”

"Why? If I lost to someone with stronger skills, I could accept it, but Toeisup? Is this poverty alleviation?"

"If Toeisup can make it into Liao Junchen's team, then I think I can too..."

In the midst of a highly controversial discussion, the trainee whose name had been called looked bewildered. He stood up, nervously tugging at his gray class F training uniform.

The director quickly arranged the camera to focus on this unexpected candidate.

In the frame, the very young trainee was somewhat happy but unsure if he could join such a formidable team. His hair seemed naturally light ash brown, and his skin was very fair. His distinct features were clearly of mixed-race heritage. This trainee, who was a year younger than Qin Lu, had just started high school in his hometown. Due to a growth spurt he grew taller but didn’t gain weight, his thin arms and legs appearing almost frightening, with a bit of baby fat remaining on his face.

"Uh, are you sure you want me as your teammate?" His Chinese was a bit stuttered, and his tone was a bit strange, but it was understandable.

Liao Junchen didn't mind his question and nodded calmly, "Yes."

The other trainees immediately looked at each other, not sure what was going on.

Toeisup looked like he was about to jump for joy. After confirming, he walked over to the team. Liao Junchen's teammates, though a bit surprised, all respected his choice and did not raise any objections.

Su Qinglan, who liked to make friends the most, warmly welcomed Toeisup and then couldn't help but ask curiously, "Toei, why are you here to participate in this show? If it were me, I definitely wouldn't dare to run to Thailand alone for a talent show!"

Toeisup scratched his head and laughed somewhat foolishly, "I didn't... understand."

Su Qinglan: "..."

Fan Xi chuckled, and the smiling Kim Yooeun poked him with his elbow with disgust. "Don't laugh, the child’s nervous."

Qin Lu patted the little curly-haired boy’s shoulder and asked a simpler question, speaking slowly, "Is your full name really Toeisup?"

This question was frequently asked, and toeisup understood it.

He answered fluently, "No, it's not my full name; it's quite long, simplified."

Welcoming the curious gazes of the others, Toeisup added, "Uh, my full name is Supnakamong Prinst Usonnamewaja."

Su Qinglan looked baffled and a little dumbfounded.

Fan Xi asked with great interest, "As locals, can you remember each other's full names?"

Before Toeisup could respond, Su Qinglan firmly said, "That's impossible, they definitely can’t remember it themselves.” The little curly-haired boy confidently touched Qin Lu with his elbow and gleefully said, eyes sparkling, "Right, Qin Lu?"

The black-haired trainee, who had been named, playfully winked, "I can."

The little curly-haired boy looked at him skeptically, "I don't believe it. Say it once."

The camera quickly focused on Qin Lu. In the next moment, the black-haired trainee casually said, "Supnakamong Prinst Usonnamewaja."

Back when he had to rush to events, Qin Lu only had 30 minutes on the car ride to memorize his lines in scripts that were about ten pages long. He had experienced many of these "speed of life-or-death" situations. Over time, his short-term memory had been significantly strengthened.

Liao Junchen tilted his head, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.

Su Qinglan was dumbfounded again. He wasn't sure if what Qin Lu said was correct, but it sounded familiar and seemed right.

Just then, Toeisup, slow to react, finally squeezed out an answer to the earlier question, "Local people, no good."

The trainees couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The final member, Liao Junchen, once again surprised everyone by choosing Han Suyan, who had just been promoted from Class F to Class C.

Although the trainees didn't want Liao Junchen's team to be so strong that it couldn't be defeated, there was still some curiosity about the reason.

In response, Liao Junchen's answer was very simple, "They are the only trainees, apart from A class, who practice until the latest every day."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood his meaning. He already had teammates with strong abilities. Now, facing the first elimination, Liao Junchen hoped that those who worked hard enough could take a shorter path.

Sometimes it's difficult to progress further on your own; they need experienced teammates' help.

These three thousand votes may not be enough to affect the advancement for Liao Junchen and other strong teammates. But for toeisup and Han Suyan, it might save them from elimination.

----

Translation notes:

(1)   I’ve decided to use ge and brother interchangeably depending on the context—ge is used for more casual situations. I also might go back and fix the previous instances if I have time.

(2)   Nickname for zekun

(3)   Leader of the group

(4)   CP stands for couple— these fans are shippers basically

(5)   ‘I-tuan’ I couldn’t figure out what this means, but I’m assuming it refers to international fans or i-fans

(6)   It’s a praise used to applaud the person making the dream team, allowing them to achieve a goal

(7)   Not sure if this is the right spelling, but it was in English in the raws.

Translator’s corner

I AM SO SORRY. Uni kicked my ass and strung me up like a pinata, then proceeded to beat the shit out of me for 2 months straight like a kid on a sugar high

It’s not much, but here’s an extra chapter. I’ll try to translate as much as I can during the break.

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