Dugu Linglong silently set down her wineglass and did not touch it again.
Her fair, delicate face remained as cool and aloof as ever, though a faint blush had quietly appeared on her cheeks.
She did not join in the conversation at the table.
The thought of Chu Xuan still hiding somewhere in the Imperial Capital with the remains of the Liu Family's ancestors left her with little appetite for the food.
After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table gradually relaxed.
Liu Chongshan spoke of some old affairs from the Celestial Master Sect, while Shen Miaoyin attended to Dugu Linglong, inviting her to try the dishes prepared by the Liu Family.
Liu Ruyan sat diagonally across from Jiang Che.
She gently swirled the red wine in her glass, her cool, beautiful eyes occasionally falling on Jiang Che.
Remembering that she had intended to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with this man, Liu Ruyan no longer maintained that distant aloofness that kept others at arm's length.
"Young Master Jiang seems quite interested in artificial intelligence and new energy."
She took the initiative to start the conversation.
"Over the past six months, Star Dome Group has consecutively invested in six computing power companies, and not long ago, it acquired a solid-state battery enterprise."
"Are you planning to completely abandon traditional industries and financial businesses in favor of emerging sectors?"
Jiang Che set down his wineglass and glanced at her.
"Not abandoning them, merely reallocating risk."
"Over the past decade, many companies treated scale as strength and debt as the ability to expand. As long as asset prices kept rising, that logic could indeed work."
"But times have changed."
Jiang Che spoke calmly, as though he were simply chatting with an ordinary friend.
"What will truly be