I Don’t Have That Confidence

In the female restroom…

An elderly woman came out from the toilet cubicle and paused when she saw someone a young woman stood in front of the handwashing area. She had noticed the girl before she went into the cubicle, and now that she came out, the girl was still there, washing her hands.

The older woman washed her hands and dried them. Out of concern, she walked over the girl and stopped. "Young lady?"

"Huh?"

"Are you alright?" the elderly woman asked. "You have been standing there for a long time, washing your hands."

Li Qin Yao snapped out of her thought. She tilted her head down and stared at her hands under the water. Swiftly, she turned off the water and turned to the elderly woman. "I'm fine. Thank you," she forced a smile. "Sorry. I was a bit distracted."

The elderly woman stared at her with concern before she nodded and walked out of the restroom.

Once the door closed, Li Qin Yao took a deep breath. Then, she raised her hands and frowned as she looked at how her fingers had started to prune. She had been washing her hands for the last ten minutes as her mind was preoccupied with her conversation with Chen Hao's mother.

She did not know what she should do. She loved Chen Hao and was confident that he loved her too. However, looking at Mother Chen's treatment to her, Li Qin Yao did not know if she could spend her life with Chen Hao.

Some people would argue that; as long as you and your partner love each other and continue to be loyal, things will always be alright. However, Li Qin Yao thought that the saying was rubbish.

Li Qin Yao was someone who believed that a relationship was not a matter of two-person. There are plenty of reasons that contributed to a couple's good relationship. One of them would be a blessing from the parents.

Love alone will not be sufficient.

How many years can she be tolerate having a mother-in-law who does not like her?

Li Qin Yao thought that she could change Mother Chen's opinion towards her. But changing a person's view towards oneself was not easy. Furthermore, Mother Chen made it clear that she did not like someone who came from a broken family.

Although her father had passed away, Li Qin Yao could not deny that she did come from a broken family. Li Qin Yao knew that Mother Chen was looking down on her mother. As her mother's daughter, no matter how much she loved Chen Hao, she definitely could not tolerate someone who looked down on her parents.

Li Qin Yao took a deep breath to calm down. She grabbed her bag and made her way to return to the private room.

Earlier, seeing that Father Chen had returned from the restroom, and she might not be able to control her anger after hearing Mother Chen's subtle mockery towards her mother, Li Qin Yao made an excuse to go to the restroom.

Without noticing, she had spent a long time thinking about what she could to do to soften Mother Chen's heart towards her. In the end, she could not make her decision. Li Qin Yao came out of the restroom with nothing but pruning fingers.

Once she arrived at the door, Li Qin Yao pushed the door gently. Immediately, the sound of laughter could be heard coming from the inside. Li Qin Yao paused at her track as she watched the four people inside.

Her heart turned sour.

The four of them looked like a happy family. Even Father Chen, who had not shown many expressions earlier, had a smile on his face. Miss Tang had sat next to Chen Hao, giving a picture as if she was Chen Hao's partner.

With an indescribable feeling in her heart, Li Qin Yao retracted her steps. After a couple of deep breaths, Li Qin Yao went towards the counter, paid the bills for the room, and made her exit.

She knew that she should not run away. She knew that she should go to Chen Hao and talk. However, right now, Li Qin Yao was both sad and frustrated. In the end, she decided to follow her emotion.

Li Qin Yao did not go too far when she heard someone called out her name. A second later, that someone grabbed her wrist, and immediately, her body was forced to turn around. Li Qin Yao tilted her head down, refusing to look at her boyfriend.

"What's wrong?" Chen Hao asked. He was panting because he had been running. "Why did you leave without saying anything?" He bent down to search for her eyes. When Chen Hao noticed her red eyes, he began to panic. "Are you unwell?"

"I'm fine," Li Qin Yao took another deep breath. Although her emotion was chaotic, and her eyes were stinging, she refused to let her tears out. Li Qin Yao forced a smile and said, "How come you're here?"

"My mom said you went to the restroom. But when you did not return, I went to look for you, but you weren't there," Chen Hao said. "The waiter said you left after paying the bills. Yao Yao, what's wrong? Why did you leave?"

Li Qin Yao pressed her lips into a thin line before she spoke, "Your mother said, you and Miss Tang had known each other for a long time. Once Miss Tang finished her study, the two of you will get married."

"You…" Chen Hao looked at his girlfriend with his eyes wide. He left his mother and his girlfriend for a short time, and he did not think that his mother will say those things to his girlfriend.

"Chen Hao, why did you never mention anything about Miss Tang?"

Chen Hao grabbed her shoulders as he tried to explain, "There was nothing to talk about. The agreement was between the elders, and it had nothing to do with me. I wanted to resolve that matter. That was why I did not say a word to you."

"If your mother persisted you to marry Miss Tang, will you listen and marry her?" Li Qin Yao asked. She tilted her head to look at him in the eyes.

Once she saw the hesitant in his eyes, Li Qin Yao felt her heart hardened. Although Chen Hao did not say anything, Li Qin Yao knew that he was in a dilemma. On one side, there's her, and on another side, there's his mother.

"Chen Hao, let's break up."

"Yao Yao, what are you saying? Why do you want to break up with me?" his voice trembled, and the grip on her shoulder tightened.

It was painful, but Li Qin Yao thought that the pain was nothing as compared to her feeling.

"I cannot let you choose between your mother and me," she said. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. "Therefore, before I like you, even more, let's put a stop to this."

"Yao Yao, this is not fair to me!"

"Then what do you suppose I should do? Your mother did not like me. Even if I stay with you, do you have confidence that I can make your mother change her view on me?" She sneered as Chen Hao's grip on her shoulder started to loosen. "Because I don't have that confidence."

"Yao Yao, I-" he paused when he could not find the right words to say.

Although he really liked Li Qin Yao, Chen Hao knew that he did not have the confidence to go against his mother's wish or to make his mother changed his mind. Since he cannot do that, it would be unfair if he begged Li Qin Yao to stay.

Li Qin Yao let out a small laugh as she looked at his expression. She turned around and paused when her eyes met a familiar gaze.

It was then that she realized that she had stood in front of a restaurant. And because Zhang Yu Han sat next to the window glasses, he had seen her breakup scene with Chen Hao.

Li Qin Yao immediately avoided the man's worried gaze before she turned around and walked away.