Group C had the most fans around them. Wherever they went, they were surrounded by a crowd of people. Security and staff members had to constantly monitor the movements of nearby fans to prevent anyone from rushing towards them.
There were also people walking backwards in front, holding cameras, stopping to take a few photos, then continuing to run forward. The staff had to remind them of the hazards behind them to prevent fans from falling.
"There are children behind, fans in front please be careful!"
"Don't get too close, please!"
"No touching, everyone please mind the distance!"
"Sorry, we can't accept gifts or letters, please understand!"
The staff shouted these reminders all the way, the result of last night's crash training.
The trainees of Group C were protected in the middle, curiously looking around. When they heard fans calling their names, they would look over. When they saw fans trying to hand them letters, they would apologetically explain that they couldn't accept them. Some fans even secretly encouraged them to take plush toys, but these boys were really obedient - if they were told not to accept anything, they truly wouldn't.
Although not a single item was given out, the fans loved them even more for it.
Those willing to come to the airport for offline fan meetings were mostly experienced fans, certainly with some star-chasing experience. But having that experience and having seen the outside world made them even more attracted to the pure atmosphere surrounding these trainees.
It was as if their hearts connected in that moment. All the fans wanted was for them to debut, to have a place in the entertainment industry's melting pot, and these trainees shared the same goal.
It was like finding kindred spirits. A sense of happiness and security spontaneously arose, with dopamine driving them to indulge in the moment.
The trainees felt the same as the fans. After entering the business class lounge, they couldn't contain their excitement. One by one, as they sat down, they immediately went online to search for their names, wanting to see what the fans were saying.
Pei Luming also quickly logged into Galaxy, wanting to interact with fans for a while.
"Pei Luming: So many fans came to the airport today, everyone please stay safe!"
"Pei Luming: Oh oh oh, so many foreign languages! Hi~"
"Pei Luming: It's almost mealtime, everyone remember to eat well!"
"Pei Luming: I'm going to eat now too, bye-bye!"
He was only online for a moment because, as much as he loved his fans, it couldn't resist the temptation of food. Pei Luming quickly put away his phone and followed in the footsteps of his older brothers.
They were already at an age where they could eat a lot, and on top of that, they had to do several hours of cardio every day, plus some strength training at the gym. The energy consumption was enormous, so their diet had never been deliberately controlled.
But no matter how uncontrolled, the food in the compound was always low in oil and salt, with basically no fried items. When this group arrived at the self-service area, they drooled at the sight of the glistening noodles with fried sauce.
Pei Luming couldn't help but swallow, then looked at Gao Xiayu, "... Can we eat this?"
Gao Xiayu didn't say anything, he just directly picked up a bowl and put it on his plate. Those behind him followed suit, with Pei Luming even taking two bowls.
These twenty-something young men nearly cleared out the self-service area, not even sparing the small cookies.
After sitting back down, Gao Xiayu coughed lightly a couple of times. Chen Wu, sitting opposite him, looked up, "Is your throat still not better?"
"It's much better," Gao Xiayu said, taking a sip of water first.
Gao Xiayu had lost his voice due to stress. To be precise, because of too much pressure, he had cried all night the day before, and when he woke up in the morning, he couldn't speak. This situation lasted for three or four days, during which Gao Xiayu's voice was constantly hoarse. Later, due to his poor mental state, his immune system weakened, and he got an upper respiratory tract infection. His throat swelled up, making it even harder to speak. After that, he simply stopped talking, carrying a cup around to drink water all day.
On the day of the rehearsal, he didn't speak much either. Even when singing, he only warmed up his voice for a few lines, then stopped vocalizing for the rest of the practice. It wasn't until the day of the third public performance that Gao Xiayu finally got his condition under control.
Although the stage performance was very well-received, if you listened carefully, you could still hear that Gao Xiayu's voice was a bit low and hoarse, with a grainy texture like brown sugar.
For the sake of his performance condition at the concert, Gao Xiayu had been speaking very little these past few days.
Chen Wu saw him take a photo of the food he was about to eat with his phone, and followed suit, posting it on Galaxy for the fans to see. Sang Mo also squeezed over with his plate, took off his hat and scarf, then removed his coat. While everyone else had started eating, he was still meticulously folding his scarf and clothes.
The news of Random Entertainment's trainees departing for overseas tours hit the trending topics. The hashtag was full of airport fan photos, and the hot topics included a high-angle shot showing the scene packed with people, enough to demonstrate how spectacular the scene was.
Some fans also wanted to go to the airport, but they really couldn't give up the chance to win spots at the pop-up store.
The victorious Circlecenter got their own pop-up store theme. The things sold there weren't really that innovative. Originally, everyone just planned to rush for the photo cards and be done with it, but unexpectedly, besides having its own theme and special merchandise, the Circlecenter pop-up store also had an activity that had never appeared before.
Random Entertainment doesn't allow their artists to accept gifts or letters. Fans could understand not accepting gifts, but they couldn't figure out why letters weren't allowed either.
This time, the activity was to draw from those who spent over a certain amount at the pop-up store. The selected fans could write letters, and after collecting all the fans' letters, they would be made into a book to be handed over to the trainees.
When this activity was announced, it made the fans tilt their heads in curiosity, wondering how the planners at Random Entertainment's brains worked to come up with so many strange and wonderful activities.
"Title: Gossip discussion / Have you figured out that activity from Random Entertainment?"
"Actually, the model is similar to a signing event, but for signing events, everyone knows it's basically those who buy the most that get selected. This one gives you a chance to be selected as long as you spend over the threshold, which is seven hundred. If you buy over seven hundred worth of stuff, you can participate in the selection. They release spots every day, eight spots a day - seven for individual member fans and one for group fans."
"They announce the results after midnight, and if you didn't get selected, you can continue to participate the next day. This continues until a week before the final performance, with about twenty-two spots per store."
"Then the selected fans need to submit a handwritten letter, a photo of their favorite scenery, a food photo, and a photo with an item related to the trainee (all in electronic version)."
"Explanation over, good luck to all you unlucky ones."
Comments section:
"Other companies are scooping up rich ladies, Random Entertainment is scooping up the lucky ones. You can't win their activities without some luck."
"Take it back! You'd better take back that last sentence!"
"Boo boo boo! Quick, say boo boo boo!"
"Can't stand it, I've never even won a 'try again' in my whole life, what use is having so much money?"
"So the rich ladies who know themselves well all went to follow the tour, huh."
"Then what should someone like me who's both poor and unlucky do? Can life be restarted? If so, I'll jump down right now."
This activity stimulated a wave of sales for the pop-up store, and also gave the domestic fans something to do. Otherwise, fans who couldn't go abroad could only watch enviously.
On the international side, perhaps because the show had intentionally paved the way from the beginning, the attention was not low at all, especially in Southeast Asia where boy groups with handsome looks were already popular, not to mention those who were originally from Chinese-speaking regions.
The plane had already taken off there, and the waiting fans here quickly received the news, sitting in rows at the airport entrance waiting for them to get off the plane.
It was even more lively on the plane. The entire economy class was filled with fans, and whenever the curtain to the business class was opened, fans would crane their necks to look over.
As luck would have it, Liu Yue was sitting with Jiang Liuxing. Jiang Liuxing turned his head to look at those fans tilting their heads, then turned back to ask Liu Yue, "... Is your idol circle always this scary?"
Jiang Liuxing mostly followed actors, mostly buying photos from paparazzi, or directly taking some photos at the airport or going to event venues. He had no experience of following flights past security.
Liu Yue, on the other hand, was used to it. "You'll get used to it if you adapt more."
For fan site administrators to capture photos of celebrities boarding and disembarking planes, they must be on the same flight. However, being on the same flight doesn't necessarily make them sasaengs (obsessive fans). Most celebrities travel in first class or business class, so apart from the brief moment during check-in, they're rarely seen. Generally, people don't intentionally try to intrude on celebrities' privacy.
Nevertheless, there are always some disturbed individuals who try to get closer for a glimpse.
Random Entertainment was clever in their approach. When booking tickets, they reserved all the remaining business class seats, including spots for their staff. Now, aside from regular passengers, the business class cabin was filled with Random Entertainment personnel.
Liu Yue had initially wanted to book a first-class ticket, but this flight didn't offer that option. With Random Entertainment having bought out the business class seats, she had no choice but to take this flight if she wanted to capture photos of the group entering Thailand.
When Liu Yue first started following celebrities, she would try to avoid giving the impression of being a sasaeng. Later, she stopped worrying about it, reasoning that only those who actually disturb celebrities should be considered sasaengs. The extent of what constitutes a disturbance, in her view, was up to the celebrity to decide.
Liu Yue had even witnessed fans who, under the guise of sending letters, actually included their contact information. Some idols not only read these but even added the fans as contacts. In such cases, she couldn't label them as sasaengs – they might well be future in-laws.
The cramped economy class seats were uncomfortable. Liu Yue kept shifting her position, sighing repeatedly, while Jiang Liuxing silently edited footage on her laptop, planning to upload it after landing. The two barely exchanged words throughout the journey.
This time, Jiang Liuxing was on a work trip, tasked with following and reporting on the trainees' overseas tour performances. It seemed she would be flying with them for the foreseeable future.
As the plane touched down smoothly, the economy class cabin began to stir. Passengers bustled about, gathering their belongings in preparation to disembark. Up in business class, people were already standing, with staff escorting the trainees out in an orderly fashion.
Sang Mo, having taken longer to pack up, was the last to leave. However, Guan Xiaoxiao was right behind him. As Guan Xiaoxiao, wearing a backpack, was about to urge Sang Mo to hurry up, he suddenly turned and whispered to her:
"Sister, that girl in front has been following us."
Guan Xiaoxiao thought to herself: Please don't say such creepy things in broad daylight!
