Chapter 70
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, unobstructed by curtains, casting its rays freely across the hall. Qi Sisi reclined on the sofa, basking in the sun, nibbling on a bowl of fragrant grapes on the table while happily scrolling through her phone.
Sitting across from her was Zhou Xiao, leisurely enjoying his braised noodles. Last night, the two of them had gone out to Shanghai's newly popular night market, not only visiting the more famous stalls but also sampling every possible dish.
Of course, this was only possible with the company of Qi Sisi, a curious and voracious eater. Otherwise, Zhou Xiao felt he might have been exhausted after ordering just three or four dishes. By the time they finished, it was already early in the morning, when the night market was bustling.
After eating and drinking, Zhou Xiao and Qi Sisi took a taxi back to the hotel. After a quick wash, they slept until almost noon.
Qi Sisi, curled up on the sofa, staring at her phone, suddenly saw a message. She jumped up from the sofa without even putting on her slippers. She crossed over to Zhou Xiao, who was eating lunch alone. Having eaten so much the night before, Qi Sisi had no appetite for lunch. Of course, fruit didn't count as a meal for her, so she could still eat it.
Qi Sisi placed one hand on the dining table and held up her phone screen with the other, handing it to Zhou Xiao. "Xiaoxiao! Let's go pick her up at the airport!"
Airport pickup? Zhou Xiao put down his chopsticks and looked at the excited Qi Sisi. He glanced at the phone screen she held up for him to see. On the screen, he saw that many people in Qi Sisi's group chat were scrolling through information related to the airport pickup.
Zhou Xiao carefully read the content and finished his lunch. Then he opened his phone to check if there were any more messages in the fan group he had joined.
Opening the group chat, not only the fangirl group, but even the fangirl group she had previously joined and had been lurking in was bustling with activity today. Zhou Xiao glanced at the over a thousand messages in the large group and, as a second choice, opted for the smaller group, which had "only" a few hundred messages.
【Get rich and take good photos [Screenshots prohibited]】
Four Seasons: The fans I know in Jiangsu Province all posted on their Moments saying they were going to level up or follow the machine... Although, I guess they can take a lot of good pictures_(:зゝ∠)_
A Wenger: Baby, let's not do this kind of thing. If the airport is strict about customs clearance, you might be blacklisted by the civil aviation industry.
Title Page: It's hard to disagree. As for the "following" thing, I've been in the fan circle for so many years and I've never done that. While the gallery bridge is a fantastic picture, this kind of privacy-invading masterpiece is better left alone. And in my experience, if someone compliments you on the gallery bridge picture now, they'll use it as evidence of your being a "stalker" when they have a disagreement later...
Siji: Of course I understand. I am wondering whether we should go to the normal exit or the VIP channel of the airport.
Unique: This is hard to tell, it depends on the offline situation, and Star 101 may not be willing to pay VIP fees for the trainees
A Wenger: Who are you meeting at the airport? Let's meet up offline.
Unique: I have something to do today and can’t go. Come on, you guys!
…
After reading the chat log in the group, Zhou Xiao had just finished replying when she saw Qi Sisi, who was still holding her phone and looking at her eagerly. "Xiaoxiao, you know, I've never answered the phone before!"
——Forum——[July 13]
【Subject】I can only express my feelings at this moment with shock...
[Main Post] I knew Star 101 was popular, but I didn't expect it to be this popular! I'm in Jiangsu Province and just happened to see the trainees boarding their flight on the homepage. Since it's not far from where I live, I took a taxi on a whim to go see them off at the airport. [Crying]
As a result, I'm now deeply regretful... Let me show you the huge crowds around me... I really regret it. I was just having fun, just casually checking out the trainees offline! [Image]
The only funny thing was that there were red banners hanging on many of the railings at the airport. If you didn't know better, you might have thought they were celebrating the new Jiangsu Airport, haha. Actually, the yellow words on the banners were all cheering for the trainees! (But it was really impressive when I first saw it) [Picture]
1L
Oh my god, is this person real? There are too many of them! The author of this post must pay attention to safety offline!
3L OP
Reply to 1L: I've already run away. This is on the edge, there are more people inside...
9L
I understand. My friend is a ground staff member at this airport [smoking], and he's going crazy now... I heard that the higher-ups are frantically deploying staff to maintain order on the scene.
17L OP
And now the signal inside has become very bad. The message I sent took at least several minutes to be sent out. Please don’t think that I don’t reply to you. It’s really because I have no power orz
81L OP
What a joke! The airport loudspeaker kept announcing the trainees' names and urging them to get on the plane. I even heard the names of the Star 101 staff... but they are still stuck in the crowd...
96L
It's normal... I've followed top stars before, and not only fans, but also many passers-by like to join in the fun and watch the stars, which leads to a lot of people.
147L OP
This is the first time I've seen so many security guards at an airport. They got the trainees in! It was really impressive and so fast! [Thumbs up]
153L
Ah Xing is really popular. She is so popular even though she is a trainee and hasn't even debuted yet!
…
The few people who had already gathered offline felt the same way after reading the information on the forum. It took over an hour to fly from Jiangsu Province to Shanghai, so they had arrived at the airport early to stake out the situation. The airport lobby in Shanghai was already quite crowded, and the number was still increasing.
Everyone watched as the number of fans inside the airport continued to grow, especially at the exit, which was completely blocked. To avoid unnecessary sacrifices (such as being squeezed), a few people quickly escaped and went to a slightly quieter coffee shop.
Wenger, who was sitting across from Zhou Xiao, took a deep sip of coffee from the table, wiping away the remaining coffee liquid at the corner of her mouth. She placed the coffee cup on the table and looked at the others. "No, we have to try our luck at the VIP exit!"
With the ever-increasing number of people, accurately photographing the trainees amidst the crowds is incredibly difficult. Furthermore, given the current situation, the trainees are likely to be asked to use the VIP channel by the airport. However, there are several VIP areas at Shanghai Airport, and without information, everyone is left guessing.
Zhou Xiao watched as the people in front of her muttered and even considered seeking a tarot card master to calculate which exit had the highest probability. She silently summoned the system in her mind and used a prop card she had never used before—[Artist Schedule Card: As the name suggests]
Zhou Xiao, who had received the detailed information in his mind, looked at the people in front of him who were still trying to do the luck test and said, "Why don't we go to VIP Area 2?"
After hearing someone clearly propose a number, those who were still struggling paused. They looked at Zhou Xiao, who had made the suggestion, and nodded in agreement. For those struggling with indecision, someone needed to step up and directly confirm an answer. Whether it was correct or not was purely a matter of luck, wasn't it?
After deciding to go to VIP Area 2, several people walked towards Area 2 under the guidance of Wenger. For Wenger, a professional fan, leading the way was a piece of cake. You know, she has a good understanding of airports where celebrities often appear. After all, she makes a living by posting pictures!
After following Wenger to Area 2, a fan who had joined temporarily hesitated when she saw the empty VIP exit with no one waiting there.
This fangirl was Yu Du's friend, Wu Yanyan's family fangirl. Standing in front of the exit, she pulled out her phone and seemed to be confirming something with the person on the other end of the screen. Only then did she make up her mind to say goodbye to Yu Du and prepare to wait at another VIP exit.
"Si Ji, do you want to come with me to Area 4?" Wu Yanyan's sister whispered to Yu Du, "There are more people waiting there, so the chances seem better!"
Yu Du shook his head after hearing this, indicating that he was not going to leave and would just wait here. The fangirl who knew Yu Du's thoughts nodded and planned to leave Area 2.
Zhou Xiao, who had heard the whole thing next to the two of them, looked at her as she was about to leave and couldn't help but ask her to stay, "Maybe you'll come out from here?"
The fangirl seemed a little surprised that someone she'd never met before would try to get her to stay, and she looked a little conflicted. She smiled at Zhou Xiao and whispered a thank you. Then she returned to the crowd and took out her phone to type something.
After a while, a tall fangirl with a camera came jogging from a distance, found the fangirl who was about to leave, stood beside her, and the two of them started talking in private.
Qi Sisi watched the interaction between the two and couldn't help but laugh and teased Zhou Xiao, "I was just about to leave, but now you've tricked me into coming back again!"
Zhou Xiao looked at Qi Sisi with a mysterious expression as he pulled her to the edge, "Maybe I am the lucky one!" You know, she was given a cheat by the system!
"Shouldn't it be time to get off the plane?" Yu Du, who had been squatting in the square checking the latest news, looked at Zhou Xiao in front of him and said. Zhou Xiao nodded. The trainees' check-in information had already been disseminated on various platforms. Some idle netizens in the square started the countdown and speculated whether they would go through the VIP or regular channels.
Zhou Xiao even started to wonder if someone had deliberately leaked this information. Of course, she also knew that in the entertainment industry, the ID cards of anyone with some fame were generally public information; it all depended on the owner whether or not to make it public.
As time passed, the sky outside began to darken, and the airport lit up with warm yellow lights. "Get off the plane now!" Yu Du, who had been keeping an eye on the time, couldn't help but speak. Everyone present, except Zhou Xiao, couldn't help but shuffle their feet on the ground to relieve their anxiety.
Time passed minute by minute, and just as the new station girl stood up from the ground and prepared to leave, the sound of uneven footsteps came from VIP Area 2.
The expressions of the people outside suddenly became serious, and they stared carefully inside. At this moment, Zhou Xiao raised her camera and pointed it at the person who was about to come out. However, when she was about to press the shutter, she hesitated.
"Ji Shao!" Qi Sisi, standing next to Zhou Xiao, shouted Ji Shao's name upon seeing the person inside. However, the trainees inside seemed startled and hesitated before taking a step forward. Ji Shao finally pushed past the people in front of him, walked to the front, and looked in the direction of his station sister.
Zhou Xiao saw through the camera that Ji Shao looked slightly relieved when he saw that they were the only ones at the door, but then a bit of surprise appeared in his eyes, as if he was surprised to meet them here.
"Xiaoshu, you worked hard on the filming!" "Ji Shao, look at my camera!" "Chu Cheng, look here." "..." The girls standing nearby started shouting at the trainees inside, trying to attract their attention.
Some of the trainees behind Ji Shao even stood on tiptoe to look out the door. After seeing the number of people outside, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Ji Shao raised an eyebrow at Zhou Xiao, who was holding a camera but hadn't pressed the shutter button yet. The woman holding the camera in front of him asked, "Can I take a picture?"
Ji Shao's expression flashed with surprise, and then Zhou Xiao saw the smile on his lips, the brightest she had ever seen. It was like the warm sun melting ice and snow, close and trusting. He glanced at the trainees being photographed by other fans, smiled and nodded, then shook his head, saying in a rather cheerful tone, "Just this once."
Zhou Xiao unexpectedly understood what Ji Shao meant, but she did not press the shutter button. Instead, she put down the camera and smiled at Ji Shao.
Amid the clamor, no one noticed the interaction between the two. Zhou Xiao and Ji Shao smiled at each other, vaguely feeling as if a barrier had been broken. Like true friends, they respected and cared for each other.
Zhou Xiao, who had recovered his composure, noticed that there seemed to be a few buttons missing from Ji Shao's shirt... Combined with the lively scenes of the airport farewell scene that he had seen on forums and blogs today, it suddenly felt a bit funny and sad.
The bus to pick up the trainees hadn't arrived yet, so Ji Shao simply walked towards Zhou Xiao and the others. Seeing that they were the only trainees there, Zhou Xiao couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why are there only a few of you?"
She remembered that there were several staff members who had left with them. Were they just accompanying the trainees? But this shouldn't be the case!
As soon as this question came out, the corners of the trainees' mouths couldn't help but curl up. Ji Shao clenched his right fist to cover his mouth, but the dimples on the corners of his mouth couldn't help but flash. He coughed lightly, "Several staff members missed the flight..."
After hearing what Ji Shao said, for some reason, a picture suddenly appeared in Zhou Xiao's mind:
To maintain order, airport security in Jiangsu Province quickly identified ten attractive young men and quickly shoved them into the departure lounge. The Star Path 101 staff, who were clearly not trainees, could only shout out their own Star Path 101 staff members. However, their voices were not taken seriously by the security guards, delaying their flight.
Sadly and humorously, the reality of the incident was just as Zhou Xiao had suspected. The Star 101 staff in Jiangsu Province were still waiting for the next flight, and the trainees were able to use the VIP channel upon their return because they were not accompanied by any staff. The production team, not wanting to be overly cautious, carefully arranged the staff and airport response to prevent the trainees from venturing out on their own.
As for the emergence of this situation, the Star Path 101 production team can be said to be both happy and sad. They are happy that this offline popularity shows that they underestimated the popularity of the program and the value of the trainees. They are also a little sad that this airport farce will probably be used as a small tail to accuse them of not taking proper precautions.
Of course, looking at the trainees' enthusiasm and the voting progress after communicating with the video platform, both Zong Zhengqian and the staff of Star 101 are full of enthusiasm. If they do a good job on this program, they will have endless wealth and glory in the future.
It seems like the voting has only just started, but it has already brought a lot of benefits to the program team and the platform. As for who still remembers that the reason for this result was a malicious report? At least in everyone's opinion, this change in voting method is really good!
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