On the day of the banquet, Ning Nanxue changed into an elegant cheongsam and walked into the Jiang family's gate with Jiang Tingchen's arm in hand. As soon as she stepped into the living room, she felt several scrutinizing gazes.

"Is this Tingchen's girlfriend? She looks quite ordinary."

"I heard he's the CEO of a small company. I don't know if he's worthy of our Tingchen."

Whispers came from all directions. Ning Nanxue looked calm, with a proper smile on her face.

"Tingchen!" A clear female voice suddenly rang out. Su Yao walked over quickly and took Jiang Tingchen's other arm affectionately. "Remember when we were little and we played hide-and-seek together, you always hid behind that old locust tree?"

Jiang Tingchen pulled his arm out without a trace: "Su Yao, long time no see."

"This is Miss Ning, right?" Su Yao turned to Ning Nanxue, a trace of contempt in her eyes, "Tingchen has never liked attending such occasions since he was a child. I always have to coax him to come. Miss Ning, how do you usually coax him?"

Ning Nanxue smiled slightly: "Tingchen is very sensible now and doesn't need to be coaxed."

"Really?" Su Yao chuckled. "Tingchen was very naughty when he was a child. Once he broke his grandfather's favorite antique vase. I helped him hide it. Miss Ning, do you know what Tingchen likes to eat the most?"

"Tingchen likes light dishes, especially steamed fish." Ning Nanxue answered calmly.

"Then do you know what Tingchen hates the most?" Su Yao pressed on.

"Tingchen hates others interfering in his decisions the most." Ning Nanxue looked directly into Su Yao's eyes, "Just like now."

Su Yao's face changed slightly. When she was about to speak, Jiang Tingchen had already held Ning Nanxue's hand: "Xue'er, let's go see grandpa."

"Tingchen!" Su Yao shouted unwillingly, "Have you forgotten the affection we had when we grew up together?"

Jiang Tingchen stopped and looked back at Su Yao: "Su Yao, let the past be the past. Now, my future is Xue'er."

Ning Nanxue felt the warmth of Jiang Tingchen's palm, and a warm current surged in her heart. She knew that no matter what she faced, he would stand by her side.

"Tingchen, you've changed." Su Yao's voice was choked with sobs, "You weren't like this before."

"People always have to grow up." Jiang Tingchen said calmly, "Su Yao, it's time for you to learn to let go."

Su Yao looked at the backs of the two people walking away together, with a hint of viciousness in her eyes. She would not give up just like that. Jiang Tingchen was hers, and no one could take him away.

"Tingchen, thank you." Ning Nanxue said softly.

"Why thank you?" Jiang Tingchen squeezed her hand. "With me here, no one can bully you."

Ning Nanxue looked up, met his gentle gaze, and felt peace in her heart.

"Tingchen, did you bring your girlfriend here?" Old Master Jiang's voice came from the study.

"Yes, Grandpa." Jiang Tingchen took Ning Nanxue's hand and walked into the study. "This is Xue'er."

Old Master Jiang looked at Ning Nanxue, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes: "Not bad, more calm than I thought."

"Thank you, Grandpa Jiang." Ning Nanxue bowed slightly.

"Tingchen, please go out first. I want to talk to Miss Ning alone." said Mr. Jiang.

Jiang Tingchen shook Ning Nanxue's hand, gave her an encouraging look, and then left the study.

"Ms. Ning, please sit down." Old Master Jiang pointed to the chair opposite.

Ning Nanxue sat down with her back straight and her eyes calm.

"I heard that you have been running the Fu Group very well recently." Mr. Jiang went straight to the point.

"I just did what I should do." Ning Nanxue replied.

"Tingchen gave up Huayun for you. Do you think it's worth it?" Mr. Jiang suddenly asked.

Ning Nanxue was silent for a moment: "Grandpa Jiang, I respect Tingchen's choice. But I will use my actions to prove that his choice is not wrong."

A smile flashed in Mr. Jiang's eyes: "Good, very good. Tingchen's vision is really good."

Mr. Jiang put down the teacup in his hand and looked at Ning Nanxue gently: "Ms. Ning, the market has been very volatile recently. I wonder what you think of the new energy industry?"

Ning Nanxue sat up straighter, her eyes calm. "Grandpa Jiang, new energy is indeed a key area of future development. However, current investment is overheated, and many companies are blindly expanding while neglecting the research and development of core technologies."

"Oh?" A hint of interest flashed in Mr. Jiang's eyes. "Then, in your opinion, what should we do?"

"I think we should start from three aspects," Ning Nanxue said calmly, "technology, industrial chain, and international policy news."

Jiang Tingchen's uncle, Jiang Mingyuan, suddenly interrupted, "Ms. Ning makes it sound easy, but it's not that simple to actually implement. Take the solar energy project our Jiang Corporation recently invested in, for example. The initial investment alone exceeded one billion."

"Uncle Jiang is right," Ning Nanxue said calmly. "But investment isn't about the size of the numbers, it's about the payback period and risk control. Fu Group also invested in a solar energy project last year. We adopted a phased investment approach, with clear assessment indicators set for each stage."

Jiang Mingyuan frowned: "Invest in stages? Wouldn't that slow down the progress?"

"Quite the opposite." Ning Nanxue smiled slightly. "Investing in phases can actually speed up the project. Because each phase has a clear goal, the team is more motivated. And if any problems are discovered, they can stop the losses in time."

Mr. Jiang nodded. "That makes sense. Then, Miss Ning, which sector do you think is most worth investing in right now?"

"Aside from new energy, there's artificial intelligence," Ning Nanxue answered without hesitation. "But I'm not talking about AI in general. I'm talking about deep applications in vertical fields. For example, the intelligent transformation of healthcare, finance, and manufacturing."

Jiang Tingchen's uncle, Jiang Mingde, sneered, "Young people just love chasing hot topics. The AI bubble is so big right now, the investment risk is too high."

"Uncle Jiang is right. There's definitely a bubble in AI," Ning Nanxue said calmly. "But there's also real gold beneath the bubble. The key is to find truly practical application scenarios. For example, the intelligent supply chain system Fu's company is currently developing has already helped us reduce operating costs by 30%."

A glint of admiration flashed in Mr. Jiang's eyes: "Miss Ning is young, but she sees things very clearly."

"Grandpa Jiang, you're too kind," Ning Nanxue said modestly. "These are all experiences gained through practical experience. The market is changing rapidly, so we must continue to learn."

Jiang Mingyuan suddenly asked, "Ms. Ning, if I asked you to take over a loss-making company now, what would you do?"

"First, we need to analyze the reasons for the losses," Ning Nanxue replied calmly. Although Mr. Jiang didn't say it explicitly, it was obvious that he was referring to her taking over the Fu Group. "Is it a strategic problem or an execution problem? Is it a market problem or a management problem? Once we find the root cause, we can develop targeted solutions."

"That sounds good," Jiang Mingde snorted coldly, "but it's not that easy to actually do it."