Chapter 8: Unexpected Changes

Su Nian cried out in her heart.

She could feel it — she was so close!

Suddenly, the image froze in her mind.

“… It’s… that line of crossed-out words. The words I crossed out myself…”

The girl whispered in a voice only she could hear.

She understood why her changes had been so drastic these past few days, and why she felt less and less like herself.

Finally —

“… It won’t happen.”

Su Nian’s voice was soft and faint, but this time, there was no hesitation.

She raised her head once more, her pupils locking onto mine from beneath her brows.

“That kind of thing won’t happen. The premise of that question is wrong for me!”

Right.

That was it.

Conviction wasn’t some grand, empty principle.

It was the ability to be knocked down and still stand back up with pride!

Su Nian’s tone was agitated.

She couldn’t help but take two steps forward, nearly pressing against me.

My piercingly cold gaze met her dark red eyes head-on, almost causing sparks to fly.

As I felt her aura re-solidifying, the corners of my mouth, which had been hidden behind my notebook, finally relaxed —

And curled into a slight smile.

‘Right, that’s it. It’s connected.’

It was the one thing you must never abandon, even if you had to question the examiner or the rules.

Conviction: No matter what, never lose the courage to start over.

Hold fast to your heart and the things you have chosen.

You can endure setbacks, change your methods, or even wear a disguise — but you must never let yourself be broken.

First, you must understand what you want — it isn’t blind confidence.

It is believing that you can always achieve it.

It is standing up again after failing, crawling up after falling, and hitting back after being struck down.

Even if you are beaten into a bloody mess, you must stand up and keep crawling.

— This is what separates a top-tier idol from a merely first-rate one.

‘Of course, other aspects are also important…’

I grumbled to myself.

I was finally starting to relax.

Looks were important, attention to detail was important, and a massive amount of practice and experience was indispensable…

But these were like the organs and limbs of a body; they didn’t function in isolation.

Having talent only meant you had an admission ticket.

As Su Nian’s words hung in the air, the entire office fell into an eerie silence.

I could almost hear the sound of two sets of breathing.

“… Hmm?”

Having just returned to reality from a Flow State, I suddenly noticed two sharp gazes staring intently at me.

‘Oh, right. They’re still waiting for my answer.’

I had accidentally lost myself in the moment because I was so happy.

I had just written in my notebook —

[Pass]

Just as I finished those two words.

Bang!

— Another turn of events.

The door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

“Ha — !”

“I didn’t expect the Eldest Miss Su to fall so low that she has to rely on questioning the examiner just to become a ‘rookie’ idol. Hehehe… Though, you might not even make the cut! Hahaha!”

Laughter echoed through the cramped office.

A man stood at the doorway.

He wore a crisp suit, his hair was combed meticulously, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine.

The expression on his face was one of smug triumph, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.

Two men followed behind him.

Dressed in black with sunglasses and their hands folded over their stomachs — the standard “henchman” configuration.

Su Nian’s expression froze.

She wanted to retort, but as the President, I hadn’t had the chance to give my answer yet.

“Charles…”

When that name left her mouth, it sounded like something was stuck in her throat.

“Oh, you still remember me.”

Charles walked in, his leather shoes clicking loudly on the floor.

He scanned the room, his gaze sweeping over the pile of unopened equipment boxes and the simple light stands by the wall before finally landing on me.

“A New Agency? A new President?”

He chuckled.

“No wonder. A washed-up rookie teaming up with an even more pathetic rookie. It’s quite fitting.”

Su Nian’s face twisted.

“Charles! You — “

“What? Am I wrong?”

He interrupted her.

“I heard everything clearly from outside. Questioning the examiner? What right does someone who hasn’t even become an idol yet have to question anyone?”

Su Nian’s words were blocked in her throat.

Her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms.

But she still spoke up.

“He isn’t — “

“Isn’t what?”

Charles turned to look at her.

“Not pathetic? Or not a rookie? Eldest Miss Su, why are you worried about someone else? Besides, your ability to defend people is just like your idol skills — pretty lacking.”

Su Nian’s face flushed red.

She wanted to say something, but Charles’s gaze had already shifted away from her —

And landed on the window.

Chu Xue sat there, the sunlight streaming in from behind her, making her snowy-white hair shimmer.

She hadn’t moved or spoken, just sitting there watching the drama unfold.

Charles’s expression shifted.

“And this is…”

His tone softened slightly, and the smirk vanished.

“Miss Chu Xue?”

Chu Xue didn’t speak.

She simply nodded and offered a smile — but it was a cold smile, as frigid as a winter gale.

Charles looked back and forth between me and Chu Xue.

He knew of Chu Xue.

She was a rookie idol with immense momentum recently, belonging to the same generation as the Gemstone Princess, Alice.

Although she had been overshadowed by the latter, the family had specifically mentioned her — even while the Supernova was shining, she had managed to earn a title for herself —

“Snow Girl.”

She was a true powerhouse.

He was likely thinking: Why would an idol of this caliber be sitting in a small, newly opened agency?

“Hah.”

He gave a dry laugh.

“I didn’t expect President Lin’s social circle to be so broad.”

I didn’t say anything.

I just watched him as if I were looking at a monkey.

Beyond helplessness, I felt mostly disgust and annoyance.

He stood there, seemingly reorganizing his thoughts.

Then, he looked at Su Nian again.

“Alright, enough nonsense.”

His tone became formal.

“Su Nian, you’ve been running wild outside for long enough. The family needs to take control now. Since I happened to run into you today, we’re settling this.”

Su Nian’s face turned a shade paler.

“You’re taking her away?”

I finally spoke.

Charles turned to me as if just noticing I was there.

“What? Does President Lin have an objection?”

“Didn’t she fail to meet the standards of even a ‘rookie president’ like you?”

Charles emphasized the word ‘rookie’ with extra weight.

“Since she failed the test, it’s only logical that I take her back so she stops embarrassing herself, right?”

As he finished, Charles stole a glance at Chu Xue by the window —

The white light hit her snowy-white hair, creating a warm glow that contrasted with her pale face, giving her a somewhat sickly charm.

The man seemed to be lost in the sight.

I didn’t care about any of that and said —

“Of course I have an objection.”

I continued.

“Who said she didn’t pass?”

I turned my notebook toward him, showing the word written clearly for everyone to see —

[Pass]

Looking at those characters, Su Nian looked the happiest she had been all day.

Chu Xue’s expression softened as well.

Only one person had a different reaction.

“Pass…?”

Charles seemed amused.

“President Lin, do you even know her background?”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t know, yet you dare to keep her?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked.”

He was stunned for a moment.

Then he laughed, the kind of laugh that said ‘you’re an interesting one.’

“Fine,” he said.

“Let me explain it to you.”

The office went silent for a second.

“She ran away on her own and has been wild for so long. The family won’t tolerate this. Someone has to settle the tab. You’re her President, so you can settle it. I can help you deal with the family, but it certainly won’t be for free — “

He paused, stealing another glance at Chu Xue.

He seemed to be adjusting his wording as a look of desire began to seep into his eyes.

— He didn’t realize that Chu Xue’s smile was becoming increasingly terrifying.

I could feel it; she seemed to be thoroughly enraged.

‘Sigh…’

I sighed inwardly.

“How about this, out of respect for Miss Chu Xue — 10,000,000 RMB. That’s reasonable, right? Don’t say I — “

“That’s enough.”

— I didn’t let him finish.

Because I didn’t want to hear it.

He stood there, cut off mid-sentence.

He probably didn’t know that he had already provoked the white-haired girl and would likely be taught a lesson.

But I was truly angry as well.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and looked at the 20,000,000 RMB I had earned from Alice —

Balance: 19,875,824 RMB.

I quietly said two words.

“Account number.”

Charles froze.

“… What?”

“Account number,” I said.

“Where do I send the money?”

After I spoke, Chu Xue was stunned too.

Su Nian stood to the side, seemingly forgetting to breathe.

The office went completely silent.

Charles stared at me, the expression on his face shifting.

From smugness to confusion, to — something he didn’t want others to see.

“… You have 10,000,000 RMB?”

I didn’t say a word.

I simply turned my phone screen toward him.

He understood the page he was looking at.

His eyes blinked once.

Then twice.

“… Who are you?”

“The President,” I said.

“Account number.”

He went silent.

For a long time.

Then, he pulled a business card from his pocket and tossed it onto the desk.

I picked up the card and entered an amount to be sent to his account.

His fingers tapped on his screen a few times.

His expression was already quite ugly.

I pressed confirm.

Ding —