"Regardless, these people must be acknowledged and even won over. After all, their views of you will directly impact whether you can secure management rights of the group. Come on, let me introduce you to them," Hua Lunxi was about to bring Ye Lu in front of those people for introductions.

But they saw that Yiren had already enthusiastically approached Ivanov, preempting them, blocking their path.

Ye Lu and Hua Lunxi were left behind, unable to move forward.

Ye Lu’s face turned somewhat cold, while Yiren’s eyes swept over her with arrogance, flaunting her familiarity with the shareholders right in front of Ye Lu, and how much they valued her communication skills and acquaintance.

What was even more embarrassing was that, disregarding Ye Lu, she half-dragged and half-pushed the shareholders away with a laugh, preventing Ye Lu from getting acquainted with them.

Ye Lu was left standing rigidly there, in an extremely awkward situation.

The reporters were all excited, indeed it was a covert struggle. The contest had already started discreetly at the door.

They hurried to raise their cameras and snap pictures of Ye Lu’s embarrassing moment, with the headline: "Battle between the two heiresses of the Hua Group, round one, Yiren wins!"

Hua Lunxi was very dissatisfied with Yiren’s deliberate snubbing of Ye Lu, but considering the reputation of the Hua Clan, he could not lash out:

"She returned to the Hua Family earlier. Ivanov is a smart businessman. He had made arrangements for her early on, using the power of the Ivan Family, bringing Yiren to meet those shareholders and winning them over, so they are inevitably biased towards her."

"That being said, my situation at the shareholders’ meeting is not looking optimistic." Ye Lu’s eyes drooped, and her brows were tightly furrowed. If Yiren had secured the support of many shareholders, then she herself would be at a disadvantage.

After all, the shareholders’ opinion is very important in the final decision to inherit the group.

"Yes, but while the opinion of the shareholders is important, what’s most crucial is the view of CEO Mr. Hoffman, as he is the current person in power. His influence is significant over the entire group, even the shareholders’ meeting. If you can gain his favor, many shareholders will give you face,"

Ye Lu’s pupils narrowed; it appeared that Hoffman was the key figure.

"Let’s go!" Despite being surrounded by reporters taking pictures, Ye Lu didn’t show any signs of awkwardness or annoyance. Instead, she allowed them to take photos with a composed smile.

Even though she was suppressed by Yiren at the entrance, she was still not disheartened.

Huffman sat in his office. His secretary came in to tell him that the two heiresses had arrived and asked him to preside over the shareholders’ meeting to introduce them.

Huffman nodded his head. He was a man in his sixties, tall and thin, dressed in a simple suit, with a wise and serene face wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, not displaying the imposing aura typical of major entrepreneurs.

He was looking down at the computer screen, which showed the surveillance video from the group’s entrance, the very scene where Ye Lu and Yiren had their encounter downstairs.

He watched coldly as Ye Lu was left behind by Yiren’s scheming, yet smiling candidly at the reporters, showing no signs of regret on her face.

He did not show any sign of admiration or disdain, simply turned off the screen and walked out of the office.

...

The shareholders’ meeting lasted for a long time, not until the afternoon did Ye Lu return to the villa by car.

"Mr. Huffman went too far, he shouldn’t do this, it’s very unfair to you! Claiming to let you compete with Yiren on equal footing, but the very proposition of this competition was unfair from the start."