The title of "Cathan’s Foremost Rocket Expert" was already dazzling enough, so the announcement of a rideshare satellite launch immediately garnered immense attention.

The topic was trending all over the internet.

All sorts of influencers and bloggers jumped on the bandwagon, with most of the discussion filled with praise for Joanna Sherman.

"Not everyone has the courage for this. Daring to challenge such a difficult endeavor is worthy of our utmost respect."

"She’s truly my goddess."

"I thought only Lead Aerospace in Cathan could pull off a rideshare satellite launch, but I never expected Zenith to be on the verge of doing it too."

"Lead Aerospace spent years experimenting overseas before they succeeded. Zenith just launched its first rocket less than six months ago, and now they’re already taking on rideshare missions. That’s incredible!"

"I heard Joanna Sherman has been working day and night to accomplish this, consulting with many international experts."

"Hard-working people always get ahead faster. Way to go, Joanna Sherman!"

"The pride of Cathan!"

A reporter tracked down Joanna Sherman and cornered her for an interview outside a cemetery.

"Miss Sherman, how confident are you about the rideshare satellite launch?"

"A hundred percent."

"You’re very confident, Miss Sherman."

"I spent seven years of my life mastering rocket manufacturing and launch technology, treating it as my life’s most important work. I studied under the greatest mentor, and the company I founded, Zenith, is a top-tier firm."

"Our company is home to world-class experts and engineers who have worked tirelessly with me, day and night, taking everything one careful step at a time."

"The effort we’ve put in is in no way comparable to some riff-raff who call themselves experts but just use cheap tricks to drive online traffic and boost their fame."

"There’s no reason not to be confident."

Jacobs was so angry he felt like his lungs would explode. "What is she talking about! ’Cheap tricks to drive traffic’? She’s clearly taking a shot at you!"

"That Joanna Sherman! It’s one thing for her to brag shamelessly, but to put you down at the same time!"

So infuriating!

Sophia Shaw’s expression remained calm.

"As for whether she took ’one careful step at a time,’ the facts will speak for themselves."

"Right, the facts will speak for themselves!"

Launching a satellite isn’t as simple as planting a watermelon. Every single step requires meticulous, repeated calculations. There is no room for error.

Lead Aerospace’s team is already at a world-class level, yet they still need nearly three months to prepare.

Where did Joanna Sherman get the confidence to launch a satellite in under two months?

’She wants to create a legend, but will a legend simply create itself for her?’

Before Sophia Shaw even made it back to the office, Representative Jacobs called. "Miss Shaw, could you come over for a moment? We need to hold a meeting."

"Alright."

Sophia Shaw walked into the government complex, where Representative Jacobs was waiting for her at the main entrance.

When he saw her, he walked over to greet her. "Mr. Shaw, there’s something I need to give you a heads-up about. Today’s meeting agenda might not be favorable for you."

"You’ve probably already heard, but the military family has given Miss Sherman two satellites to support her rideshare business. That, combined with her solid technology, means we have no choice but to reassign some of the business we previously gave you to them."

Although Sophia Shaw had already guessed the purpose of Representative Jacobs’s meeting, she was still taken aback.

The so-called military family was, of course, Old Master Grant’s side.

’Why would he suddenly be willing to help Joanna Sherman?’

Sophia Shaw didn’t believe it.

A heavy cloud of suspicion weighed on her mind.

Seeing her silence, Representative Jacobs assumed she was unhappy and quickly added, "Of course, this isn’t our decision to make. It mainly depends on the attitude of the various company presidents."

"I’m just here as a witness today."

Sophia Shaw looked at Representative Jacobs earnestly. "Dale Jacobs, a satellite launch is no small matter, especially a rideshare mission. A single rocket has to carry several satellites at once. I don’t need to tell you how high the costs are, and as for the risk... for a company with no experience, the success rate is practically zero. Do you really want everyone to take that risk?"

Representative Jacobs scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh. "We, of course, have more faith in Lead Aerospace. But the presidents demanding to switch to Zenith are being too insistent. We can only mediate; we can’t force them."

Sophia Shaw understood his predicament and said no more. The two of them walked into the conference room together.

Unsurprisingly, Joanna Sherman was also present.

She was already arrogant, and now, having secured two contracts from the military family, she was so smug she was practically floating.

She didn’t even look up when Sophia Shaw entered.

A blatant disregard.

"Miss Shaw."

A few of the presidents greeted her awkwardly, addressing her only as "Miss Shaw."

William Forrest was still in his original seat, fiddling with his phone.

Seeing Sophia Shaw, he called out, "Mr. Shaw."

He proactively pulled out a chair for her.

Sophia Shaw thanked him and sat down next to William Forrest.

Sophia Shaw glanced around but didn’t see Vincent Grant.

’But that wasn’t important.’

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Representative Jacobs said, "Let’s begin the meeting."

Representative Jacobs briefly explained the purpose of the meeting.

It was simply that after Joanna Sherman secured two orders from the military family, Mr. Owen and a few others had their confidence in her greatly boosted and now wanted to switch to Zenith for their satellite launch.

The contracts were already signed, and reneging wouldn’t be easy, which was why they had come to Representative Jacobs.

Representative Jacobs had requested instructions from his superiors, and naturally, the higher-ups hoped to see a hundred flowers bloom—the more companies that could handle this project, the better.

"Miss Shaw, this is what the presidents want, and it’s also the wish of the higher-ups, so I hope you can understand."

Sophia Shaw sat quietly.

Even in the face of this immense challenge, her face showed no trace of anxiety.

Only when Representative Jacobs called on her did she stand up and say sincerely, "If all you presidents have truly decided to switch to Zenith, I will not stand in your way. But I still hope you will all consider this carefully. A company with no experience poses a huge risk."

"What kind of risk could there be? Could it possibly be riskier than having a chief director with no professional expertise?" Mr. Owen retorted rudely.

President Morgan nodded in agreement. "Mr. Owen is right. Miss Shaw, I’d advise you to voluntarily step back behind the scenes. Do something that won’t create risks for your clients. Maybe recruit some new employees, manage the company’s public image, that sort of thing."

"What’s that saying? Your abilities don’t match your position! If this continues, you’ll drag Lead Aerospace down with you!"

The presidents chimed in one after another, tearing Sophia Shaw down until she seemed utterly worthless.

William Forrest watched Sophia Shaw impassively.

Seeing her being berated by so many people without the slightest change in her expression, he couldn’t help but curl his lips into a knowing smile.

’As expected of the woman his cousin has his eye on. She really is something.’

’But what are these idiots going to do when they’re kicking themselves over this fuss later?’

"Everyone is acquainted with the two chief directors. Now let’s take a look at their respective teams."

Representative Jacobs said, opening the slideshow.

The first slide was for Sophia Shaw. Below her were Lead Aerospace’s engineers.

Every single one of them was a renowned figure in the field.

On the other side was Joanna Sherman.

Her photo hung on the slide, all by itself.

"What... is the meaning of this?"

The crowd was confused. Don’t tell me it was just Joanna Sherman from start to finish?

That would be a joke.

Joanna Sherman stood up with a smile. "Everyone, don’t be hasty. Of course a project this big won’t be handled by me alone."

"To give everyone some peace of mind, we’ve brought on a dream team of consultants."

With a flick of her long finger, she advanced the slideshow.

Immediately, a row of faces appeared.

"Hey, isn’t that Miss Sherman’s mentor, Elder Hawthorne?"

"And that’s... the chief rocket designer for the Hesperian military! Rumor has it he’s overseen over a hundred launches with a zero-failure rate!"

"And him, that’s Lead Aerospace’s overseas partner for their rideshare business."

"..."

The entire room was about to erupt.

Joanna Sherman’s connections were no joke. To think she could invite so many world-class, top-tier figures!

Sophia Shaw wasn’t surprised that Joanna Sherman had invited so many consultants. But when she saw the last person, her gentle, quiet face suddenly tensed, turning deathly pale.