As expected, just a few seconds later, Wang Congcong and his entourage appeared at the door of the practice room.
The instant Wang Congcong stepped inside, the atmosphere in the whole room shifted.
His sharp eyes swept the room in a single, quick arc.
When he saw the roomful of long-legged beauties, his already-flamboyant face broke into an exaggerated grin.
Mouth wide open, he cracked without the slightest filter:
"Yo, your Company's putting together a Girl group now?"
As usual, he had a few Girls in tow.
Jiang Cheng glanced over; their looks and figures were about on par with the dozens of Girls already here.
All of them fit that pale-skin, baby-face, slim-waisted Internet Celebrity mold.
The Girls stayed glued to Wang Congcong's side, gliding in with light steps.
Smiling sweetly, their darting eyes carried a hint of flattery.
The moment they crossed the threshold they dipped their heads politely toward Jiang Cheng and chimed in soft unison, "Good afternoon, Young Master Jiang!"
At that, the already-buzzing practice room exploded.
Dozens of Girls shot curious, envious looks their way and began whispering.
"Wow, isn't that the famous Principal Wang? I'm seeing a living legend!" a cute twin-tailed Girl squealed.
The short-haired Girl beside her tugged her sleeve and hissed, "Don't let him hear that—he'll hit on you, I swear."
But the warned Girl only pouted, unfazed.
"So what? Not like I'd mind. Rumor says he just split with Douder—looks like it's true…"
"Hmm, who are those Internet Celebrities?"
"No idea, but look—our boss is even hotter by comparison. I just want to sit on his lap. How can anyone be this gorgeous…"
…Wang Congcong wore a cocky, flirtatious smile, eyes fixed on the Girls hungry for their big break.
Jiang Cheng waved him toward a seat.
"Don't stand there gawking—sit and enjoy the view."
Once seated, Wang Congcong's gaze locked onto Yu Xiaoxiao.
Jiang Cheng flicked a warning hand: "That's Yu Xiaoxiao, general manager of Xingchen Entertainment—my most valued right arm."
Catching the heavy emphasis, Wang Congcong understood instantly.
Though the room was packed with younger Girls, his eyes kept drifting back to the poised, slightly-mature Yu Xiaoxiao.
Realizing he was staring, he snapped his gaze back and blurted reflexively, "Sis—"
Yu Xiaoxiao cut him off at once.
Face faintly flushed, she answered with poised grace, "Mr. Wang, a pleasure to meet you."
"Manager Yu," he replied.
The moment the words left his mouth he looked at Jiang Cheng, brows raised, and gave a playful wink and a half-smirk that said: You sly dog.
Jiang Cheng shook his head helplessly. "Aren't you the 'Internet Celebrity harvester'? Perfect timing—our latest trainees are about to dance; let's see how they do."
The remark jolted Wang Congcong from lazy boredom; his eyes lit up.
"Whoa, I've stumbled right into the fun—let's watch."
With that, Yu Xiaoxiao turned to Zhao Ling: "Supervisor Zhao, Chairman Jiang rarely visits. Get ready—let him and Mr. Wang see what we've achieved lately."
Zhao Ling grasped the weight of the moment and quietly signaled the sound tech and dance coach.
Receiving the cue, the pair began final checks at once.
When everything was set, Zhao Ling faced the Girls and called out:
"A-Class, step forward for a full run-through. Other classes, watch from the side. This is a rare chance—show Chairman Jiang and Manager Yu what you've earned."
The moment she finished, the dozen A-Class Girls tensed visibly.
Yet excitement sparkled in their eyes alongside the nerves.
Meanwhile Yang Chaoyue and Chen Xin—freshly dropped to B-Class—were deflating.
The two started whimpering softly, in stark contrast to the envious faces around them.
Over the past week most classes had stayed the same.
B remained B; C and D saw shuffles, but none were near promotion to A.
Hence the open envy on those Girls' faces.
Only Yang Chaoyue and Chen Xin had slipped from the top this week.
Losing the hard-won spots stung.
Worse, the inspection came right when their wounds were raw.
Nothing could deepen their heartbreak more.
Who wouldn't cry in their shoes?
Yet no one in the vast room cared about their sorrow.
Every eye was fixed on Jiang Cheng and Wang Congcong.
The A-Class Girls quickly found their marks, lining up neat and ready.
The others feigned calm, putting on supportive, tense expressions.
Secretly, though, each nursed a private wish: that someone—anyone—in A would stumble.
After a few synchronized steps, the A-Class Girls fluttered like bright butterflies.
Smiles radiant, bodies swaying, they danced happily to the beat.
Most of their eyes rested on Jiang Cheng, but Wang Congcong showed no jealousy.
Instead he leaned close, lowered his voice so only Jiang Cheng could hear.
"Damn, this really gives off a Daheng Song-and-Dance Troupe vibe—your sis-in-law's pretty generous..."
The track these dozens of Girls in front of him were dancing to was a Korean dance hit.
Driven by the pounding, dynamic beat, the Girls threw themselves into their moves, every gesture dripping with endless allure and temptation.
Seen from a pro angle their technique might be merely average, yet the sheer eagerness to please was a pleasure to watch.
Watching the scene, Jiang Cheng could suddenly understand the fun Xu Jiayin got out of it.
So this is how sweet it feels to play the capricious emperor.
A dozen-odd nymphs now swayed their waists in front of the crowd, secretly throwing Jiang Cheng flirtatious glances.
It looked as if, with a single encouraging twitch from him, they would drop into full splits, snap a standing split, or even auto-lift their hips for his benefit.
At that, Jiang Cheng shot Wang Congcong a silent warning glance: "Haven't kept tabs on Daheng lately—how are things?"
The news widened Wang Congcong's already upturned mouth into an unabashed grin of schadenfreude.
He cocked a brow and spoke in a tone laced with mockery.
"Weren't they fined 2.3 billion for cooked books? My dad says Daheng's been acting weird—Xu Jiayin's wife just went overseas."
Wang Congcong's eyes seemed fixed on the curvaceous, pretty Girls in front of him.
But in reality his peripheral vision was locked on Jiang Cheng, carefully gauging every flicker of reaction.
They had no choice; though they now called each other brothers on the surface.
Jiang Cheng's formidable family backing and startling methods made them deeply wary of offending him.
Jiang Cheng said flat-out, "Abroad? Don't tell me she's moving assets."
Wang Congcong nodded hurriedly in agreement.
"Exactly! That's what my dad thinks too. If you ask me, Xu Jiayin will use the usual offshore trick—set up a shell to quietly control domestic assets, then string together a maze of cross-border bank loans and bit by bit shift Daheng Group's colossal holdings overseas. Sly bastard!"
Jiang Cheng already knew, of course; Great-Grandfather and Second Grandfather had said long ago.
Until the power behind Daheng was rooted out, there was no need to touch Xu Jiayin.
Seeing Jiang Cheng fall silent, Wang Congcong tactfully dropped the subject and turned back to the performance.
Time flew; the track soon ended.
The dozen radiant Girls were now panting, cheeks flushed, all staring at Jiang Cheng.
Anticipation filled their eyes as they waited for his verdict on their dance.
They weren't the only anxious ones—Yu Xiaoxiao, standing nearby, was also on tenterhooks, eyes fixed on Jiang Cheng.
"So, how were they?"
When Jiang Cheng looked over, Wang Congcong shrugged: "Nice figures, great legs—just a bit tacky."
Jiang Cheng simply reached out and high-fived him. "Same page."
The words yanked the dozen Girls down from their high; their rosy faces drained white.
Meanwhile the other Girls watching from the side barely hid their glee.
Yu Xiaoxiao looked awkward at the remark.
She spoke up: "Sorry, Chairman Jiang—I'll call a meeting tonight to fix this."
Wang Congcong added, "By domestic standards they could debut tomorrow. You haven't seen the garbage our local Girl-groups pass off as dancing."
Jiang Cheng followed up: "Any Girl-group talent shows running in China right now?"
Wang Congcong frowned in thought, then slowly shook his head. "Can't think of one. Our Girl-groups are total flops—these kids might actually blow up."
After a moment Yu Xiaoxiao offered, "Two years ago there was a show that produced a team called Honey-Powder Girls. Haven't heard of any since."
Honey-Powder Girls??
A name that forgettable was doomed to obscurity.
Even later groups burned bright for a cash-grab phase; once follow-up promo dried up.
Most still tanked.
Jiang Cheng considered, then declared, "Then we'll bankroll one ourselves."
His firm words silenced the noisy conference room.
Even Yu Xiaoxiao froze, stunned.
A second later she recovered, puzzled: "You mean an in-house show or a broadcast talent show? We already run monthly cuts of low-potential trainees."
Her words plunged the room into silence.
Dozens of Girls exchanged glances, anxiety plain in their eyes.
They all knew Xingchen Company wasn't like ordinary idol boot-camps.
Here, anyone who passes the strict arts assessment can become an official trainee.
There's no fee; instead the Company pays a monthly stipend.
Other agencies out there operate on the opposite model.
They pay no wages and invent endless high charges.
It's outright fraud.
By the time you regret it, you've signed.
Often for a full decade.