Research on the Acquisition of Dance Troupes

The next morning.

Winter in Jiangcheng always carried a damp, piercing cold, but this was completely nonexistent inside the luxurious, climate-controlled penthouse duplex at Ascott.

It was the first official day of winter break.

Logically speaking, after a full day of exams yesterday, coupled with the deep "black silk expansion" exchange last night, any ordinary college student would be lounging in bed scrolling through their phone, if not sleeping in until noon.

But Su Bai opened his eyes right on time at half-past six in the morning.

There was no alarm clock and no forcing himself; it was purely a natural awakening of his body.

Ever since he underwent the intermediate physique improvement, not only had his strength and endurance become astonishing, but his sleep quality had also taken a qualitative leap.

"This Superman-like feeling of not needing sleep is actually quite boring..."

"Sometimes I really miss the feeling of sleeping in."

If he obtained the advanced physique modification liquid later on, wouldn't he be good to go with less than an hour of sleep a day?

Well, that was fine too. It gave Su Bai more time to enjoy various forms of entertainment, and... well, more S-class goddesses.

Su Bai stretched and looked at Li Xingya, who was still fast asleep beside him, and Zhou Jialu, who had sneaked back to the guest room at some unknown point last night.

Whether to avoid suspicion or to let Su Bai share his attention equally, these female confidantes actually had a pretty good tacit understanding.

He got out of bed quietly.

After washing up and changing into a tight-fitting Under Armour sports outfit, Su Bai went down to the gym downstairs.

As a top-tier serviced apartment, Ascott's gym facilities were highly professional. At this hour, apart from a few extremely disciplined foreign executives, there was practically no one around.

Just as he pushed the door open, Su Bai saw a familiar, graceful figure.

Xia Lin.

This female counselor had a routine as strict as an elderly person's.

To think she would come all the way to Ascott at this hour. She did seem to like working out here; perhaps it could also be seen as a show of dominance to the other female confidantes?

Xia also loved to show off her older sister energy in front of Su Bai.

At this moment, she was wearing a tight yoga suit, jogging slowly on a treadmill.

Her high ponytail swung rhythmically with her steps, and sweat slid down her slender neck. Her peach-like buttocks and long, straight legs, tightly wrapped in yoga pants, outlined a blood-pumping curve in the morning light.

"Morning, Xia."

Su Bai walked over with a smile and started running on the treadmill next to hers.

"You're up this early too?"

Xia Lin turned her head in surprise, took off her earphones, and looked Su Bai up and down. "I thought you guys would sleep the day away today after finishing your exams yesterday."

There was a trace of imperceptible admiration in her eyes.

As a disciplined person herself, she naturally appreciated disciplined men the most.

Su Bai usually gave off the image of a cynical, ultra-rich playboy, but his perseverance to wake up early and work out on the first day of the holidays truly made her see him in a new light.

Although Su Bai's perseverance was often used in blush-inducing ways... well, those who know, know.

"I'm used to it. I have too much energy and can't sleep."

Su Bai adjusted the pace, directly bumping it up to 12, his footsteps as light as if he were taking a stroll. "But what about you, Xia? Aren't you going to sleep in a bit more now that it's the holidays? Do you still have to go to the university?"

"Yeah, there's still some wrap-up work to do, filing the records for this semester."

Xia Lin wiped her sweat and said casually, "Oh right, when I went to check your dorm yesterday, it seemed like that kid Xue Tao was showing off again? I heard he even went to a bar?"

"He did, but he learned his lesson this time and didn't pull any weird stunts." Su Bai laughed.

The two chatted while running, talking about everything from dorm gossip to winter break plans.

This kind of morning exercise, full of healthy hormones, had a different flavor compared to the romantic intimacy of the night.

...

After working out, taking a shower, and eating breakfast.

Xia Lin packed her things and went to the university to work overtime, looking every bit the capable urban beauty.

Meanwhile, Su Bai returned to the master bedroom on the second floor.

It wasn't until nearly eleven o'clock in the morning that Chen Yusheng, with messy long hair and hugging a cartoon plushie, groggily wandered out of the room.

"You're awake?"

Su Bai was sitting on the living room sofa reading the news on his iPad. Seeing her, he put down the tablet, walked over, and picked her up, placing her on the sofa like a child.

"Mmm... so sleepy..."

Chen Yusheng buried her face in Su Bai's chest and rubbed against it, her voice as soft and sweet as a sleepy kitten. "What time is it?"

"It's almost eleven. The sun is already high in the sky."

Su Bai affectionately helped tidy her hair. "Are you hungry? I'll have the restaurant downstairs send up some food."

"Hungry... I want meat."

"Alright, whatever you want."

Su Bai picked up the intercom and skillfully dialed the Chinese restaurant at Ascott.

"Hello, Mr. Su." The manager's respectful voice came from the other end of the line.

"The usual, please send lunch up. I'll have a portion of black truffle braised pork, steamed coral trout, crab roe tofu, and baby cabbage in superior broth. Oh, and for the soup, I want the fish maw and chicken soup—simmer it a bit longer."

The Chinese restaurant at the Ascott specialized in Huaiyang and Cantonese cuisines. The light and exquisite flavors perfectly suited Su Bai's palate and were also ideal for nourishing Shengsheng's body.

She loved spicy food, but for the first meal after waking up at noon, it was best to eat something a bit healthier.

Hanging up the phone, Su Bai patted Chen Yusheng's bottom.

"Go wash up. After we eat, you're carrying me in ranked."

Hearing the word "ranked," Chen Yusheng's previously groggy eyes instantly lit up.

Lately, there hadn't been much time for her to fully immerse herself in carrying Su Bai up the ranks.

...

Lunch was a lavish spread.

The group sat around the dining table by the floor-to-ceiling windows, enjoying the warm winter sun and the exquisite food. Li Xingya and Zhou Jialu had also woken up. Although everyone had already seen each other in their most vulnerable states last night, sitting together for a meal in broad daylight still made Li Xingya a little shy, and she kept her head down, focusing only on her food.

Zhou Jialu and Chen Yusheng, on the other hand, chatted and complained about the bizarre happenings at their university while they ate. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

After eating their fill, Li Xingya was dragged out shopping by Zhou Jialu, while Xia Lin went back to the university to work overtime.

In the massive apartment, only Su Bai and Chen Yusheng remained.

The two of them cozied up in the gaming room and started their sweet duo-queue mode.

"Ah! Hook him! Hook him!"

"Don't panic, let me finish farming this minion wave."

"Big White Goose, you sold me out! You actually left me to die!"

"This is called avoiding a team wipe..."

After a few games, they had some wins and some losses, which practically amounted to zero net gain.

But Chen Yusheng was still very happy.

During the queue time for their next ranked match.

Su Bai alt-tabbed out of the game and opened his browser.

"What are you looking at?"

Chen Yusheng leaned over, resting her chin on Su Bai's shoulder as she looked at the screen with curiosity.

The screen didn't show any gaming guides, but rather search pages for "acquisition of commercial performance groups," "registration process for entertainment agencies," and "restructuring of provincial song and dance theaters."

"Didn't I tell you last time? I built a private club by the East Lake."

Su Bai explained while browsing the web, "The hardware facilities are all done, but now I'm missing the 'soft furnishings'—namely, a performance team. It just so happens that Reporter Xu introduced a commercial dance troupe that's on the verge of bankruptcy. I'm thinking about acquiring them."

"Oh, that Reporter Xu who always wants to have your babies..."

"The main point is acquiring the dance troupe."

Su Bai felt a bit helpless; Shengsheng's focus was always so unpretentiously direct.

Chen Yusheng blinked, a hint of surprise flashing through her cold, clear eyes. "Are you planning to enter the entertainment industry?"

"Not really, I just want to keep a private girl group for fun."

Having nothing to do but listen to music and watch performances in his free time could be considered dabbling in the arts.

Su Bai scrolled his mouse and stopped on a professional corporate consulting website.

[Due Diligence and Cost Estimation for the Acquisition of Small and Medium-sized Entertainment Groups]

Based on the information online and the materials previously provided by Xu Xinran, Su Bai had a rough idea of what to expect.

For a commercial dance troupe with around twenty members, the core of the acquisition wasn't the "shell" of the company, but the people and the qualifications.

First were the qualifications. They needed a Commercial Performance License. Although this license wasn't difficult to obtain, the approval process for a new company was tedious and time-consuming. Directly acquiring an empty shell or a team that already had the license would save a lot of trouble.

Second was the cost.

"Look here."

Su Bai pointed to a line of data analysis on the screen for Chen Yusheng to see. "Usually, the acquisition price for a troupe on the brink of bankruptcy isn't actually high. The main cost lies in taking on their debts. Xu Xinran said the boss of that troupe went to prison, and they owe a lot of money on the outside. If they are insolvent, there's a high probability that we can acquire the equity at an extremely low price through a legal auction or debt restructuring."

"About how much?" Chen Yusheng actually knew nothing about business; she was purely curious.

"If we only count the explicit debt, it might just be two or three million."

Su Bai estimated, "But the hidden costs are relatively high. For example, venue rent, equipment depreciation, and most importantly—the severance pay or new contract signing bonuses for those twenty-something dancers."

"To retain this group of people, their salaries will definitely have to increase. According to the current market rates in Jiangcheng, a mature dancer's base salary plus performance fees would be at least fifteen to twenty thousand a month. For twenty people, the monthly labor cost alone is three to four hundred thousand. Add in costumes, makeup, rehearsals..."

"Over a year, the operating costs alone would be five or six million."

Chen Yusheng clicked her tongue in astonishment.

"Five or six million... just to watch them dance?"

She looked at Su Bai as if she were looking at a prodigal son. "Your club hasn't even opened yet, and you're already taking on such a huge expense? Is it worth it?"

"That's what you don't understand."

Su Bai smiled and casually clicked on a forum post containing past performance videos of the dance troupe. "This is called a strategic reserve. Besides, who said they would only perform at the club? They can take regular commercial gigs, or do live streams. As long as it is operated well, these girls are a cash cow."

"Furthermore..."

Su Bai lowered his voice with a wicked grin. "Do you not think having an exclusive girl group at your beck and call is incredibly satisfying? If I want to watch Swan Lake, I watch Swan Lake. If I want to see a hot idol dance, I get a hot idol dance..."

"Heh, typical man."

Chen Yusheng rolled her eyes at him in disdain, but her body did not move away; instead, she pressed even closer.

Just then, she suddenly pointed to a related recommended post at the bottom of the screen.

"Hey, click on this one and take a look."

The title of the post was highly sensational: [Deep Dive into the Provincial Song and Dance Theater's Commercial Troupe that Got into Trouble! Not only did the boss run away, but rumor has it the star dancers are secretly taking private gigs? Pics included for truth!]

Su Bai raised an eyebrow and clicked into the post.

The content was roughly a leak from a self-proclaimed industry insider.

It claimed that because the troupe could not pay salaries, many dancers were forced to take part-time jobs at nightclubs, and some, in order to survive, even had to accept private invitations from wealthy bosses.

The post also included a few blurry photos.

Although you could not see their faces clearly, the figures in those photos... tsk tsk, were truly top-tier.

Girls who practiced dance year-round had a fluidity in their muscle lines, a waist-to-hip ratio, and a flexibility that was on a completely different level from your average gym socialite.

Especially in one photo, a girl in a leotard was doing the splits. The length of her legs was simply logic-defying.

"Tsk tsk, looks like this troupe really is a mess," Su Bai commented. "But chaos has its advantages, it makes it easier to buy them out at rock bottom. Once I take over, it will be the perfect time to lay down the law for them."

As soon as he finished speaking.

He suddenly felt a foot quietly slide over.

It was a small foot wrapped in ultra-thin black pantyhose, the toes round and cute, revealing a faint flesh tone, slowly sliding up the inside of his thigh.

Su Bai's entire body stiffened, and he turned his head.

He saw Chen Yusheng resting her chin on one hand, tilting her head to look at him.

Those originally aloof eyes now seemed to hold a pool of spring water, radiating an indescribable charm from the corners of her eyes and brows.

"What is wrong?"

She parted her red lips, her voice carrying a misty quality. "So mesmerized by the photos? Do you think those splits are that impressive?"

The tip of her foot gently tapped a certain spot on Su Bai, carrying a hint of provocation.

"Could it be... that I am not fun enough?"

Su Bai took a deep breath.

This was going to be the death of him!

She was clearly an academic researcher, but when it came to moments like this, the temptation brought on by the contrast was absolutely nuclear.

Especially that restless, pantyhose-clad foot; the touch was delicate and silky, carrying a slightly cool temperature, yet it ignited the deepest fire in his heart.

When it came to being secretly sultry, Yusheng was a professional.

And she was prone to jealousy; as long as Su Bai teased her a little, the black pantyhose would start working their magic.

"Whether it is fun or not, I will have to try it to find out."

Su Bai grabbed her ankle in one swift motion; it was slender enough to grip with one hand.

He pulled hard, drawing the wheeled ergonomic chair right in front of him.

Chen Yusheng let out a gasp as her whole body fell into his arms.

"The ranked match... the match is starting..."

On the computer screen, a prompt box indicating Match Found had just popped up.

"It is fine, I am dodging this one."

Su Bai turned off the monitor without hesitation. He grabbed her impossibly slender waist with both hands, lifted her straight up, and placed her on the spacious gaming desk.

"The primary task right now is to first resolve the issue of..."

"Mmm... do not... the desk is too hard..."

Chen Yusheng struggled symbolically for a couple of seconds, but her arms wrapped tightly around Su Bai's neck, her eyes hazy as she welcomed his kisses.

The afternoon sunlight spilled through the gaps in the blinds, casting mottled shadows in the dim gaming room.

The keyboard was pushed aside, making a clattering sound.

That afternoon.

The feasibility study on acquiring the dance troupe was forced to a halt.

Replacing it was an in-depth practical study on human flexibility and black pantyhose aesthetics.

Facts proved it.

An S-tier goddess's flexibility was not one bit inferior to that of a star dancer.

After all, Yusheng really had been working out diligently lately.