The room did not empty immediately after the final decision.
No one moved.
Not Lin Su. Not Chen Ruo. Not even Zhao Yiming.
It was as if everyone needed a second to accept what had just happened.
Then the tension broke.
Zhao Yiming exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Well… that worked out," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Chen Ruo smiled faintly, her shoulders relaxing. "Congratulations," she said softly, glancing at Lin Su.
Lin Su nodded once. "You too."
Across the table, An Jiahui didn't say anything.
She picked up her file, closed it slowly, then stood.
For a moment, it looked like she wanted to speak again. Like there were still words sitting at the back of her throat, waiting to come out.
But she didn't.
She just walked out.
The door closed behind her harder than it needed to.
"Alright," Wang Meilin said, clapping her hands once to reset the room. "Let's move forward."
Staff members entered, placing three separate documents in front of Lin Su, Chen Ruo, and Zhao Yiming.
Contracts.
Lin Su looked down at hers.
The pages were thick. Structured. Clean.
Everything about it felt official.
Permanent.
"This is a preliminary contract," Wang Meilin explained. "It's not long-term yet. It gives the agency the right to train, evaluate, and manage you during your probation period."
Chen Ruo leaned forward slightly. "And after that?"
"If you pass," Wang Meilin replied, "you'll be signed fully. If not…" She shrugged lightly. "You're released."
Zhao Yiming flipped through his pages quickly. "What's the duration?"
"Three months."
He nodded. "That's fair."
Lin Su didn't say anything.
She kept reading.
Then she stopped.
One line.
Buried in the middle.
"Mandatory schedule compliance… no refusal of assigned activities… management retains decision authority over public image…"
She looked up.
"What if I refuse something?"
The room went quiet again, but this time it wasn't heavy.
It was curious.
Wang Meilin met her gaze. "Then you'll be considered uncooperative."
"And?"
"You'll be replaced."
Simple.
Clear.
Lin Su looked back down at the contract.
There it was.
The real condition.
Not talent.
Not effort.
Control.
Chen Ruo hesitated. "Is there… any flexibility? Like if something doesn't suit us?"
Wang Meilin smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You're not at the stage where things are made to suit you."
Zhao Yiming chuckled under his breath. "Welcome to the industry."
Lin Su closed the file slowly.
Not rejecting it.
Just… thinking.
At the far end of the room, Shen Wei was still there.
Leaning slightly against the wall, arms crossed, watching without interfering.
He hadn't spoken since the selection.
But he hadn't left either.
Lin Su noticed.
Of course she did.
"You don't have to sign immediately," Wang Meilin said. "But your slot won't be held for long."
Another way of saying: decide now.
Zhao Yiming picked up the pen first.
"Three months isn't a big deal," he said, already signing. "If you can't survive that, you don't belong here anyway."
He slid the contract forward.
Done.
Chen Ruo hesitated longer.
She read the same line twice.
Then three times.
Finally, she exhaled and signed.
Her hand shook just slightly.
Now it was Lin Su.
Everyone looked at her.
Even if they pretended not to.
She picked up the pen.
Held it.
Then paused.
"What do I get?" she asked.
Wang Meilin blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"If I follow everything," Lin Su said, her voice steady, "if I do what the agency wants… what do I get?"
Zhao Yiming let out a small laugh. "You get a career. Isn't that obvious?"
Lin Su didn't look at him.
Her eyes stayed on Wang Meilin.
"You get opportunity," Wang Meilin answered. "Exposure. Training. A chance to be seen."
A chance.
Not a guarantee.
Lin Su nodded once.
That was enough.
She signed.
The pen moved smoothly across the paper.
No hesitation this time.
When she finished, she placed it back on the table.
Quietly.
Like it was just another step.
Not a turning point.
But it was.
Wang Meilin collected the contracts, scanning them quickly before nodding. "Good. You'll be contacted with your schedules."
She paused, then added, "Training starts immediately. Don't expect time to adjust."
"Of course," Zhao Yiming said confidently.
Chen Ruo nodded.
Lin Su didn't respond.
She didn't need to.
As they stood to leave, a voice stopped her.
"Lin Su."
She turned.
Shen Wei was looking at her.
Not casually.
Not vaguely.
Directly.
"Don't get comfortable," he said.
There was no hostility in his tone.
No encouragement either.
Just… certainty.
Lin Su held his gaze.
"I'm not."
A brief pause passed between them.
Not long.
But enough.
Then Shen Wei nodded once, like he had expected that answer.
"Good."
That was all.
Lin Su turned and walked out of the room.
Contract signed.
No support.
No guarantees.
Just a place in a system that could build her—
or bury her.