Although Jiang Cheng hadn't seen this troupe in person, he had scrolled through some clips online.
Those girls were not only vibrant and youthful when they danced, but also incredibly supple.
One could only say their professionalism carried a hint of an atmosphere that would make an emperor skip morning Court, reminiscent of King Zhou's Wine Pool and Meat Forest.
Nowadays, those girl groups who copy South Korean styles only know how to wiggle around; compared to this song and dance troupe, their class is instantly lowered.
Jiang Cheng looked at Fang Yuan: "It really is a money burner. As for Boss Xu, if nothing else, he has good taste. When he picks people, he doesn't just look at their faces and figures; the most important thing is—they must have a good foundation."
"With a good foundation, they can make it with just a bit of practice. If the foundation is bad, no matter how much you teach, it's useless—the movements are stiff, they can't let loose, and no one watches them on stage."
"Moreover, for these girls to enter this troupe, they were all chosen from thousands. They have to be able to withstand the grind. The rehearsal intensity is high, over ten hours a day; those without a foundation simply can't handle it."
Fang Yuan listened intently and nodded.
Then she casually mentioned Zhou Ying: "You're right about that. Ying'er is just like that; where others need ten hours of practice, she only needs five to get it down..."
Previously, when Zhou Ying was mentioned, Fang Yuan's expression was mostly unnatural.
Although Jiang Cheng could handle Fang Yuan suddenly mentioning Zhou Ying because they were talking about the dance troupe.
Fang Yuan probably misunderstood something and wanted to boost her presence in front of Jiang Cheng.
But now Jiang Cheng found that the hint of unnaturalness when she mentioned Zhou Ying seemed to have lessened.
Jiang Cheng nodded: "Ying'er's future is much better than theirs. With her talent, she'll definitely stand on the highest stage in the future..."
Wang Congcong chimed in: "But then again, a troupe like this looks glamorous, but it's actually quite a pity."
"What's a pity?" Qin Fen spoke up.
"It's a pity that ordinary people can't see them. Forget ordinary people, even I haven't seen them up close; I've only seen them on TV during the Spring Festival Gala."
Seeing a flicker of interest in Jiang Cheng's eyes, Wang Congcong's eyes darted around as he leaned toward Jiang Cheng.
"Brother Cheng, what do you think of this troupe?"
Seeing his wretched smile, Jiang Cheng gave a dry cough.
Leaning back on the sofa, Jiang Cheng swirled his wine glass and asked calmly, "What are you trying to say?"
Wang Congcong rubbed his hands and chuckled: "I just feel that such good resources would be a waste if they disbanded. How about... a few of us chip in to take it over? In the future, for our company's annual meetings, receiving clients, or holding events, pulling them out would be so prestigious!"
Jiang Cheng laughed and scolded upon hearing this: "I think your idea is very dangerous... You want to become the second Boss Xu, don't you?"
Once Jiang Cheng said this, Wang Congcong immediately reined in his inflated ego.
He gave a dry cough: "Besides, I strongly opposed it when he recruited that Miss Bai back then, but Boss Xu just wouldn't listen. He was just stubborn. Since ancient times, the Bai Family and the Xu Family were never meant to be entangled."
Seeing everyone looking at him in confusion, Wang Congcong smiled and continued his glib talk: "Look, in ancient times there was Fahai, and today there's the Court to pass judgment! Isn't this destiny? I like plucking wool from Boss Xu, but I have no interest in taking over his legacy..."
Jiang Cheng complained helplessly: "You're absolutely toxic."
Qin Fen and Wang Zheng followed suit: "Disgusting!"
After putting away his joking expression, Jiang Cheng said: "These girls are all professional dancers. Even if they don't perform, switching to live streaming or e-commerce hosting would make them quite capable!"
Wang Zheng got excited upon hearing this: "The e-commerce live streaming bases here in the Yangtze River Delta are just lacking this kind of high-quality talent. I know a few MCN bosses; if they knew about this troupe, they'd definitely be fighting over them!"
Wang Congcong glanced at him: "Are you stupid? Isn't Brother Cheng the one who owns a media company? Shouldn't such a good thing be reserved for him?"
Jiang Cheng shook his head: "My company has no intention of taking over."
Wang Congcong was stunned: "Why? Xingchen's sales data is so good right now. If these girls are signed over and packaged a bit, wouldn't the traffic explode?"
Jiang Cheng pondered for a moment, then nodded: "You're right. In that case, let your Fierce Cat sign them."
As soon as he said this, Wang Congcong was momentarily stunned.
Both were media companies, yet instead of Xingchen taking over, he was letting Fierce Cat do it.
Speaking of which, Xingchen Media had already produced several major internet celebrities.
Just the financial reports from the TikTok equivalent and Taobao equivalent sales had already surpassed Fierce Cat.
Xingchen Media belonged solely to Jiang Cheng, so if he wanted to make money, wouldn't it be better to just sign these girls directly under Xingchen Media?
Although Jiang Cheng was also the largest shareholder of Fierce Cat, wouldn't he have to share the profits with others there?
However, within a few seconds, Wang Congcong realized.
This operation... did it feel a bit like some kind of white glove?
This song and dance troupe's reputation was too loud.
A quick search online would yield results like "Boss Xu's Harem."
Terms like "Dancers with Million-Yuan Salaries" and "Mysterious Song and Dance Troupe."
No matter what the truth was, the labels were already stuck.
Xingchen Media was currently doing serious content; its artists had millions of followers, and brands were lining up for collaborations.
If they suddenly signed this troupe...
"Boss Xu's song and dance troupe was taken over by Xingchen."
If that got out, they would never be able to wash it clean.
But what if Fierce Cat signed them?
Fierce Cat started in live streaming and had a wilder, more unconventional style.
Moreover, his own reputation was also quite...
It wouldn't be strange no matter what kind of artists he signed.
When money was made, Jiang Cheng, as the major shareholder, would still get his dividends; if people really started cursing, they'd be cursing Fierce Cat's management, which had nothing to do with Xingchen.
Risk isolation, reputation preservation, and still making money.
After Wang Congcong figured it out: "Holy crap, Brother Cheng, you're... using me as a white glove!"
But complaints aside, he immediately agreed: "Fine! I'll go inquire about it. If we can really get those girls to do live streaming, Fierce Cat Live will definitely explode."
Indeed, just as Wang Congcong thought.
Jiang Cheng could sign these girls.
But doing so would be bad for Xingchen's reputation.
He was no longer that impulsive young man who only looked at money.
Now, he could look further ahead in everything.
Although this dance troupe's strength was indeed very impressive compared to the girl groups and influencers in his own company.
Even if celebrity girl groups danced poorly, their audience was the general public and young people.
As everyone knows, the public's tolerance is very high.
No matter how bad an idol's dancing is, fans will praise them to the skies.
But the implications behind this Conglomerate Name song and dance troupe were too many; one mistake and Xingchen would be stuck with unnecessary labels.
Seeing Wang Congcong and Jiang Cheng settle the matter in a few sentences, Qin Fen and Wang Zheng looked at each other with subtle expressions.
It wasn't jealousy, but rather that complex "Tsk, why didn't this good thing fall into my lap" feeling.
Wang Zheng was the first to speak, his tone sour: "Brother Wang, you're about to take off. Hundreds of professional dancers—packaged slightly, wouldn't the traffic explode?"
Wang Congcong chuckled and was humble: "Hehe, it's all thanks to Brother Cheng giving me the opportunity."