ATIS Chapter 26

On the day of the signing event, the girl with a bun who accidentally bumped into the black-haired trainee glanced at the clock, which already pointed to eight o'clock.

For some reason, since that day, Gu Qingqing kept thinking about the way the boy turned his head and smiled at her. His pleasant voice came from nearby, saying softly, "It's okay."

His slightly lowered eyes were a beautiful amber color.

Gu Qingqing glanced at the 4SEVEN poster on the wall, struggling internally.

On one hand, she felt she shouldn't be looking at other idols; on the other hand, she couldn't help but want to see what that boy would say and do on the show.

What would he look like dancing? Would his singing sound good? Would he get a lot of screen time? If she didn't vote for him… what if those few votes made the difference in him debuting?

Torn between her thoughts, Gu Qingqing secretly followed the official Weibo of Infinite Youth with a secondary account. She browsed the homepage every day for updates. She even bought a membership to vote for Qin Lu three times. Every time she saw the mini standee of An Ming that came with her merchandise, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

She never thought she would climb the wall (1). In the past, when friends in the fan circle got captivated by other idols, although Gu Qingqing wouldn't criticize them, she still felt she was more loyal and sincere, willing to stay with her idols longer.

But now, looking at the clock on the wall, Gu Qingqing buried her head in the soft, one-meter-tall stuffed bear for two minutes and decided to follow her heart and watch Infinite Youth…Just one glance!

Her eyes sparkled as she opened the online streaming platform. The main page featured the four mentors of the show. She clicked in and saw the title of the first episode.

Feeling inexplicably nervous, Gu Qingqing held her breath as she clicked play and immediately checked the progress bar, which showed 135 minutes.

Wow, the first episode is two hours long!

Excited, Gu Qingqing skipped the introductions, and the first person to appear on screen was producer Cui Zhihao. She wasn't very familiar with the actor circle but had seen a few of his popular dramas. The show's post-production created a great atmosphere. Cui Zhihao's strong acting skills and narration about the trainees' journey to debut made Gu Qingqing feel a surge of enthusiasm.

Watching the trainees pick their seats was interesting, but she was preoccupied with waiting for Qin Lu to appear.

Unfortunately, she waited a long time only to find that Qin Lu's seat-picking part was cut out.

Gu Qingqing mentally cursed the editor in her heart for a long tine until she saw the familiar black-haired trainee walk onto the evaluation stage, which made her so excited she forgot her frustration and continued watching the show intently.

In the later stages, the editors had some conscience, giving Qin Lu a part that was not short. Gu Qingqing watched the entire segment without fast-forwarding and couldn't help but drag the progress bar back to watch it again.

Qin Lu looked as good on screen as he did in person, with delicate and well-defined features, a soft jawline, and fine, soft black hair.

He sang a song a cappella, a melody Gu Qingqing had never heard before.

The slender yet upright boy stood at the center of the glass stage, bathed in bright light. When he sang softly with his eyes closed, it felt like all his worries melted away.

His voice was clean and clear, without any embellishments, but it was free and light, evoking images of misty mountains gradually fading into the tranquil night, with twinkling lights and drifting smoke in the distance. The more she listened, the more at ease and reassured she felt.

So wonderful, Gu Qingqing thought as she listened, feeling a sense of peace in her heart as she watched the boy finish singing and purse his lips, revealing a smile with a hint of nostalgia. She felt there must be a story behind the song.

However, everyone hears the same melody but envisions their own stories. No two people share the exact same experience or narrative.

Hugging her stuffed bear, Gu Qingqing replayed the segment several times with a mesmerizing drag of the progress bar. Every expression on Qin Lu's face made her heart beat faster.

She couldn't help but think, no one could watch this performance and not be moved by Qin Lu, no one.

To avoid distractions, Gu Qingqing had turned off the bullet comments and carefully watched, but now she couldn't resist checking if others were as captivated as she was.

If others shared her sentiment and vision, she would be ecstatic! If not, she would... create N (2) more accounts as needed to vote Qin Lu to the top!

The video lagged briefly before a flood of bullet comments covered the screen.

[Wow, this trainee is so good-looking! Is this what an idol should look like?]

[How can he look so good just walking up? Those legs are so long and straight! I'm crying tears of joy ha ha ha]

[What song is this? I've never heard it, but it sounds amazing. Does anyone know?]

[Never heard it either. Tried using song recognition but couldn't find it. Must be an original]

[listen carefully. So soothing and healing. Can someone cut this audio? I want to play it on loop~]

[The prophet has arrived, I think this little gege will definitely make it to the debut lineup. Just wait and see!]

[Ahhh, I'm picking him from today onwards! Gonna check if he has a Weibo account later]

The more Gu Qingqing looked at it, the more happier she became. She refused to let go of any comment reading every one praising Qin Lu from start to finish, feeling both excited and inexplicably happy.

So wonderful, Gu Qingqing wished the whole world could see his talent and fall in love with him.

She opened Weibo and searched for Qin Lu again, she found that someone had already started applying to create a super topic for him. (3)

Though the number of applicants was still far from enough, Gu Qingqing immediately switched accounts to help. Weibo automatically prompted: [You are the 4th user to apply to open the 'Qin Lu Super Topic']—

She looked at this line of words, her heart racing. They're going to have a home!

Once the first episode had aired for a while, many people would fall for Qin Lu and vote for him. Then they could discuss his screen time, post tags to promote him, and eventually have artists, photo editors, fan support groups, and fan site masters... So wonderful.

Originally, Gu Qingqing thought she would only take a peek at the show, but now she realized she couldn't convince herself otherwise.

She wanted to vote for Qin Lu, help him debut, and watch him perform on more stages and reach greater heights.

Perhaps her love for Qin Lu wouldn't last forever. Maybe one day she would fall for someone else. But at this moment, she was willing to give Qin Lu all her heart.

Searching for "Qin Lu" on Weibo, Gu Qingqing saw many people saying they had fallen into his trap.

[Severe Milk Tea Addict V: Hahaha, watched Infinite Youth and picked Qin Lu! Friends on my homepage, if you haven't seen it yet, hurry up and go watch it. If you do, you’ll fall int the trap and invest without loss! [Doraemon Happy]]

[Holding My Frying Pan to eat chicken V: I totally gave in hahaha. I used to complain to my friends about how I would never watch this show, but out of curiosity, I checked it out and found so many treasures! Here are my picks from the first episode: Qin Lu, Liao Junchen, and from the preview, a super handsome Han Suyan. That's it for now [Angry Birds Shrug]]

[Not Doing Talent Shows Anymore V: I've fallen into the trap again… Amazing (:з」∠) Last time I voted hard, my two favorites ended up never speaking to each other after debuting, leaving me heartbroken. I thought I had talent show PTSD… But I secretly watched the show and couldn't help falling in again QAQ. This damn chemistry, I'm obsessed. Begging god, I hope my favorite ships don't fall apart again; I'm too into Qin Lu and Liao Junchen [Crying]]

[Vote, Vote, Vote Little Qin: After watching the show, I immediately bought several accounts to show my support haha. From today, Qin Lu is my boy! Lu Lu, charge forward, and this peerless good mother will vote for you every day. You must debut!]

[Can I Go One Hour Without Checking My Phone Today V: As a seasoned talent show fan, I have to shout out: it's been years since we've had a talent show of this quality!! I love Qin Lu so much. For the first time, I don't want to climb the wall [Crying] From today, Qin Lu is my white moonlight (4).]

[If I Don't Edit Videos I'll Eat My Keyboard V: Pure passerby here, I followed the trend and watched a talent show for the first time cough cough cough cough cough cough. Some parts were boring, so I fast-forwarded, but there were some pretty good people~ After watching Qin Lu, I felt guilty for watching handsome guys of this level for free without voting, so I registered an account to vote haha. Wish him a smooth debut! I'll keep an eye on him and maybe edit some videos for him [Heart]]

Upon seeing this, Gu Qingqing realized that it was a red V, posted ten minutes ago, and had already received hundreds of comments. She couldn't help but click on the person's ID and glanced at it, only to find that the verified Weibo account was a well-known video editor with over 500000 Weibo followers.

Wow, this recommendation should be very effective!

Meanwhile, under her classmates' relentless urging, Qin Yihan watched the show. After seeing Qin Lu's performance, she had some doubts about life.

Was this glowing person really Qin Lu? The same Qin Lu who tattled to her mom, had a heart as small as a needle, always pretending to be nice but full of schemes?

Could he really sing like that?

Qin Yihan had never heard this song before, and she never knew Qin Lu could sing so well.

Moreover…

The bullet comments were full of lemon emojis, as if they were slicing fruit. Qin Yihan couldn't help but think that Qin Lu must be up to something. He must be trying to trick her.

Her first reaction was disbelief.

But almost simultaneously, she recalled Qin Lu's reaction the last time she saw him.

Qin Yihan's intuition was usually spot-on. But no matter how she recalled, she felt that when Qin Lu saw her, he genuinely seemed happy.

How could that be?

Before she could dwell on it, her phone buzzed continuously, pulling her attention back.

Probably more friends screaming excitedly.

Not knowing how to respond to their enthusiasm, Qin Yihan didn't immediately check her messages but continued watching the show. So, she missed a very important message.

In the following hours, the situation began to escalate quickly.

An hour after the show aired, the voting numbers for the trainees on the online platform refreshed dramatically, especially Qin Lu's votes, which surged like a rocket, almost catching up to the long-standing first place, Liao Junchen.

The viewership for Infinite Youth was astonishingly high, and most viewers were interested enough to vote, meaning many of them would convert into fans of specific trainees.

Liao Junchen, being the center in the theme song's final cut, had a substantial fan base even before the show aired. However, the audience always outnumbered the fans, and early-stage public votes could directly affect ranking changes. While Liao Junchen's rank was solidly in first place, seeing Qin Lu close in, many of his fans started to worry.

Some rational fans simply tightened their voting efforts, but there were always those inclined towards conspiracy theories wondering if the program team was manipulating the data.

[Today I Want to Eat Hotpot V: Ha, this scene looks familiar. The production team has a history of this for a female group. This show's just started, and Qin Lu's votes skyrocketed. Are they planning to sacrifice the initial center for drama? Royal family narrative so early on?]

Some Qin Lu fans, seeing this on a real-time search, couldn't help but get angry and comment, that you have no proof, can't just make wild accusations. Can't there be many people liking Qin Lu?"

Qin Lu doesn't even have a company, where would he get a powerful backer? Moreover, the show just started, no one would have such a royal status.

Some Liao Junchen fans advised deleting the post, saying the show had just begun, and Liao Junchen even approached Qin Lu first, indicating good relations.

There's no need to make enemies now; a shaky foundation could deter new fans.

The fan circle had not been officially established yet, so it was still beneficial for both parties to be friendly with each other for future developments.

But friction between fan circles often starts from a small point and once it begins, it can spiral out of control.

A Liao Junchen fan posted a video, and things took a turn for the worse.

[Vanilla Ice Cream Sweet V: Check out this video, Royal family beware, be careful not to collapse before ascending the throne hehe. [Video link]]

The shaky mobile footage was obviously shot on a whim. In the video, a black-haired trainee in a school uniform-style suit was standing beside two girls and could be heard clearly asking, "Why are you here?"

The video ended with Qin Lu smiling and asking the girl, "Do you want to come to my performance?" followed by gasps of excitement from the onlookers.

The video was short, less than a minute, and many hadn't seen it before. Once it was posted, it quickly went viral.

Although some Qin Lu fans claimed the girl might be his sister, a portion of Liao Junchen fans, uninterested in the truth, seized the chance to suggest Qin Lu might have a girlfriend.

At present, Qin Lu's core fans were not as numerous as Liao Junchen’s, who was the initial center. The comments couldn’t be suppressed, and the comments that were close to the truth are pinned at the bottom. The front row was all about the collapse of Qin Lu’s fans.

As the show had just aired, it generated immense buzz. Most fan circle participants would browse Weibo, leading to the video's likes quickly surpassing a thousand, with comments from bewildered viewers:

What the hell is going on?

At this moment, Qin Yihan, who hadn't looked at her phone, knew nothing about what was happening online.

Translator’s notes

(1)   Climb the wall: refers to jumping to new fandoms

(2)   N more: same concept as x more, random number more

(3)   Weibo exclusive term, I explained it earlier but its like a hashtag that has its own homepage that gathers every post with that hashtag. Ppl can follow a supertopic and the super topic is moderated like a subreddit, where posts can be pinned and curated (very convenient for fan organizing)

(4)   White moonlight or baiyueguang: an unreachable, unrequited love that one holds in their heart—called this because moonlight is beautiful but untouchable

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