CHAPTER 214: CHAPTER 214: DO YOU LIKE MY MOM?

This was Vincent Rhodes’ first face-to-face interaction with his son, and the boy’s personality made him somewhat appreciative.

After Leo stepped back, Vincent finally pushed open the car door and got out. The boy remained on guard, standing next to a tree by the side of the road, ready to grab hold at any moment.

He seemed worried that Vincent might be a human trafficker trying to pull him into the car and was on guard against him.

Leo looked up at Vincent, who was nearly six-foot-three, and with the air of a seven-footer, he said, "I’ve been watching you for a long time! Have you been following my mom and me?!"

Vincent raised his eyebrows in surprise; he didn’t expect his careful tracking to be noticed by this kid.

Impressive.

Seeing that Vincent did not deny it, Leo sized him up, recognizing that he looked similar to the men who pursued his mom. After a quick assessment, he straightforwardly asked Vincent, "Do you like my mom?"

Vincent smiled with interest, leaning lazily against the car, and replied, "You figured that out, did you?"

Confirming that this was one of his mom’s suitors, Leo relaxed and took a step toward Vincent, saying proudly, "Mister, the line of people wanting to date my mom stretches overseas, but if you’ve got the money, I might help you cut in line?"

Looks like he has a knack for business.

Vincent crouched down, his face showing genuine interest, and asked Leo, "How do you plan to help me cut in line?"

Leo glanced at the school gate and said, "I’m going to be late. Tonight, I’ll be at the lakeside park with my grandma. Meet me there, and we’ll talk more."

Vincent nodded, "Alright, off you go."

Leo ran off, but Vincent called after him, "What’s your name?"

Leo stopped and looked at him with dissatisfaction, "You don’t even know my mom’s son’s name, and you want to pursue my mom?"

He only knew the nickname Leo because Shannon Quinn had mentioned it on social media.

"I’m Finn Quinn," Leo shouted as he ran toward school.

The name immediately pulled Vincent back into memories; he remembered naming him and thought Shannon Quinn would never use it.

The school bell ringing brought back his thoughts, and recalling Leo’s words, he suddenly realized something.

The kid seemed so proficient, obviously not a newcomer to such schemes. This little rascal.

Who did he learn this cunning from?

After dinner, Leo was ready to go play in the park.

Shannon Quinn said, "It’s so cold today, let’s not go out."

"I’m wearing so many clothes, I won’t be cold. Grandma, hurry up."

"Coming, coming." Catherine Yardley walked out, holding Leo’s hat, and while putting it on him, she said, "I’ll take Leo for a short walk and be back."

Knowing she couldn’t confine the boy, Shannon Quinn reluctantly agreed. Before they went out, she reminded them again, and Leo impatiently pulled his grandma along in a hurry.

With the cold, there were fewer people out for a walk than usual. Leo strolled with his grandma, all the while searching for Vincent Rhodes.

Vincent had anticipated when Shannon Quinn’s family would leave and was waiting near the park entrance.

He waved to Leo, who noticed him sitting on a bench, and after connecting eyes, Leo said to Catherine, "Grandma, I’m going to play with Kyle."

Catherine glanced over, seeing it was one of Leo’s usual playmates, "Don’t go too far."

"Got it."

A few parents chatted together while the children played within their sight.

As they played, Leo sneaked over to Vincent and climbed onto the bench next to him, "What’s your relationship with my mom?"

Vincent thought for a moment before saying, "Your mom’s client."

"Do you have a car? A house?"

Vincent chuckled, "Yes, anything else?"

This doesn’t seem like a four-year-old’s conversation; Shannon Quinn isn’t materialistic either. Where did this rascal learn this from?

"Yes. You must treat my mom and me well, earn money to spend on my mom, and not bully her."

Vincent nodded. Seeing his agreeable demeanor, Leo started his pitch.

"Of course, that’s if you can win my mom over; not just anyone is good enough for her."

"How do you plan to help me?"

"We’ll need to discuss that in detail. Adding my mom on WeChat costs two hundred bucks; finding out one of her likes is fifty bucks; taking her out for dinner and a movie is five hundred bucks, with half refunded if unsuccessful."

Vincent smiled indulgently; this kid’s little scheme is sharp.

"Oh, and there’s a one-hundred-buck queue-jumping charge."

"Tell me, how do you plan to spend all that money?"

"That’s not your concern."

Vincent laughed and took five hundred yuan from his wallet, "One hundred for queue-jumping, and two hundred to add your mom on WeChat."

"What about the rest?"

"Tell me a few of your mom’s favorite things."

Without hesitation, Leo began counting on his fingers, "My mom loves gardening, watching TV dramas, painting, eating mangoes and strawberries. Oh, and she likes to sleep in!"

Vincent suddenly felt he didn’t know Shannon Quinn as well as this kid did, realizing he needed to use his son’s ’intelligence’ to pursue her.

After collecting the money, Leo pulled a printed QR code paper from his bag and handed it to Vincent, "This is my mom’s WeChat. Just scan it when you get home."

Vincent was thoroughly stunned by the kid’s operation; it was a developed industry chain with prepared QR code cards.

"How many of these cards have you sold?"

"None of your business."

Vincent wanted to know how many people had their eyes on Shannon Quinn.

Interestingly, this seemed to be good news indirectly.

So many were pursuing her, yet she hadn’t remarried. Could it mean she was really waiting for him to return?

"Don’t you want to ask my mom out for dinner?"

Vincent raised his eyebrows, thinking the kid just wanted to scam more money.

"Let’s add your mom on WeChat first, see if she even likes me. You’ll need to put in good words for me so I can continue to support the business, right?"

"Deal." Leo folded the money neatly and stuffed it into his pocket, then got up and ran off. He stopped a few steps away, glancing back at Vincent with a doubtful expression before running off again.

In the living room, Shannon Quinn sat alone on the sofa in a daze.

The TV was playing a tear-jerking drama, and her mind was filled with news of Vincent Rhodes’ supposed death, setting the scene for her to feel even more melancholic.

She took out her phone, attempting to search for any news about Vincent Rhodes. Given the influence of the Rhodes Family, if he had passed, there would be some news, even if minor. But whether due to excellent information blockades, she found nothing, not even a hint of gossip.