Even Secretary Song was startled when Shen Zhong got into their car.

“You should go back,” Xie Youyou said to Shen Zhong. “You’re his son; he won’t do anything to you.”

“I’m not going back. If I go back, won’t I be walking into a trap?” With that, the young master stretched out his long legs and clasped his hands behind his head, staring at Xie Youyou and Secretary Song.

…She had been targeted by Shen Feibai’s son.

From this angle, Shen Zhong looked very much like Shen Feibai, but with a more youthful face, unlike his father’s mature and reserved demeanor.

Xie Youyou didn’t dare to let the Shen family’s precious heir stay with her. If anything happened, Shen Feibai would surely blame her.

Seeing that Shen Zhong refused to leave, Xie Youyou didn’t say anything more. She took out her phone from her bag, intending to call Shen Feibai. Then she remembered that she didn’t have his number; it wasn’t saved in her contacts.

Since her benefactor hadn’t given her his number, she naturally wouldn’t ask for it.

After a moment of thought, Xie Youyou said to Secretary Song, “Secretary Song, why don’t you call Mayor Shen and tell him that the young master has gotten into our car.”

After informing him, what to do next would be up to Shen Feibai. It would no longer be her problem.

“Okay,” Secretary Song agreed.

He thought the same way. The mayor would surely be worried if he knew his son was missing. Besides, the young master hadn’t run anywhere else but had gotten into Miss Xie’s car. The mayor might suspect Miss Xie and cause some unpleasant misunderstandings. As the secretary, he should serve the mayor’s best interests.

Shen Zhong glanced at Xie Youyou and muttered, “Are you that afraid of my dad?”

Seeing his rebellious expression, Xie Youyou calmly replied, “You’re not afraid, so why did you run?”

Shen Zhong was clearly at a loss for words.

This kid was probably still in his rebellious phase, arguing with his dad and then running to her car in a fit of pique and fear. He even said he wanted to go home with her, not realizing the trouble he was causing.

She wouldn’t presume to meddle in their father-son relationship. If she did, they might not appreciate it, and it could backfire, causing more suspicion given her current status.

Shen Zhong, having been pampered since birth, was taken aback by Xie Youyou’s blunt response. He could only stare at her with his youthful eyes.

Xie Youyou ignored him, letting him stare. She was indeed quite afraid of Shen Feibai, the older man with his deep and reserved thoughts, seeming to see through everything. But Shen Zhong was just a 15-year-old kid; she couldn’t be bothered to guess what he was thinking.

Meanwhile, Secretary Song had already called Shen Feibai.

Shen Feibai’s car was stopped on the road. He sat in the driver’s seat, holding a half-smoked cigarette in the hand that gripped the steering wheel.

The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms and watch. He opened the window and exhaled a puff of smoke outside.

Secretary Song called just then. “Mayor, the young master is in Miss Xie’s car.”

Shen Feibai was taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise, his brows furrowing in thought.

He hadn’t expected Shen Zhong to run to Xie Youyou’s car.

Secretary Song explained the situation and then asked, “Mayor, should I send Miss Xie home safely first, then bring the young master back?”

To Secretary Song’s surprise, Shen Feibai said, “No need.”

He then calmly added, “If he wants to stay there, let him stay. He doesn’t need to come back tonight.”

After hanging up, Secretary Song was still puzzled. He relayed Shen Feibai’s words to Xie Youyou.

Even Secretary Song, who had been with Shen Feibai for so long, couldn’t figure out his intentions, so Xie Youyou was even more confused. He was entrusting his son to her?

She sighed and asked Secretary Song to drive back to the villa.

This father and son pair were truly difficult to deal with, each in their own way.

As they entered the villa, Shen Zhong strutted in and curiously looked around her house.

Xie Youyou put her bag away and saw the various shopping bags from their earlier spree scattered on the floor. After putting everything away in the closet, she remembered she had a young master to take care of.

Shen Zhong was squatting on the carpet, enthusiastically playing with her plush cat. Seeing her come downstairs, he tossed the cat aside, clearly not a cat person, and asked, “Which room am I sleeping in?”

Xie Youyou placed new toiletries on the coffee table for him. “You can sleep in whichever room you like,” she said.

She had prepared all the necessary living items for him. Living here for over two years, she hadn’t hired a live-in maid. At most, she would call a temporary maid to clean up when the house got messy. Otherwise, she could have passed the task of taking care of Shen Zhong to the maid, avoiding any direct involvement. Suddenly, she felt like she was getting a preview of motherhood, although the person in question was the young master of the Shen family, a role many would eagerly take on.

Shen Zhong also noticed that Xie Youyou didn’t seem very welcoming. At the very least, she didn’t seem interested in impressing him.

He clicked his tongue but didn’t say anything.

Strange, shouldn’t she be trying to ingratiate herself with him, like others would? After all, she was his father’s mistress; shouldn’t she be even more eager to please him?