Chapter 32 - Foreboding

Li Qin Yao was the first to arrive at the restaurant. Upon hearing that Chen Hao and his parents had not come, Li Qin Yao went to the reserved private room and waited for them. She then sent a message to Chen Hao to tell him that she was waiting for him.

A few seconds later, her phone rang. Li Qin Yao swiped her finger on the screen and smiled. "Hello, ma."

"You have arrived at the restaurant? Did Chen Hao and his parents arrived yet?"

Li Qin Yao nodded, although her mother could not see it. "Un. I've arrived. But Chen Hao and his parents might be delayed for a while. What's wrong?"

Xu Yilan sighed with relief, knowing that she was not interrupting her daughter's meeting with Chen Hao's parents. "I got the news that your Auntie Ning fell down the stairs and broke her leg. My friends and I are planning to visit her and stay there for a few days. Is it alright for you to stay home alone?"

Auntie Ning was one of her mother's best friend since high school. Li Qin Yao had seen her before, and their family was pretty close.

Li Qin Yao laughed at her mother's question. "Ma, you don't have to worry. How old am I? Of course, it's alright for me to stay home alone."

The mother and daughter exchanged a few words before they hung up. Li Qin Yao glanced at the time and frowned when her boyfriend and his parents had not arrived.

Just as Li Qin Yao was about to call her boyfriend's number, the door swung open, and a waiter ushered the guests into the room. Li Qin Yao stood up immediately and smiled when her gaze met with her boyfriend.

Chen Hao entered first, followed by his parents. Although she had met Chen Hao's mother before, this was the first time Li Qin Yao was meeting his father.

Smiling to her, Chen Hao pulled Li Qin Yao to his side. After a brief introduction, Li Qin Yao went forward and greeted Chen Hao's parents politely. As the waiter ushered everyone else in, Li Qin Yao noticed that another girl was standing beside Chen Hao's mother.

Li Qin Yao studied the girl in front of her with a smile on her face. As far as she knew, Chen Hao had one younger sister, and she had previously met his sister. Looking at the way the girl acted intimately with Chen Hao's mother, Li Qin Yao wondered what their relationship was. Suddenly, Li Qin Yao had a foreboding.

"Sorry," Chen Hao said. He had noticed the discomfort on his girlfriend's face and knew that he owed her an explanation. "Yao Yao, this is Tang Ai Ling. Her mother is my mom's best friend. Coincidentally, we met her at the entrance, and my mom invited her to join us for dinner."

"Yes," Mother Chen smiled at Li Qin Yao. "I thought that it would be too lonely for Ai Ling to eat alone. That's why I invited her along with us." she paused as if hesitating, "You don't mind, right?"

Li Qin Yao shook her head. "I don't mind." Then, she turned to the girl and smiled. "Miss Tang, hello."

Tang Ai Ling greeted her politely before the five of them went to the table. Once they placed an order, the waiter left the room, and they started chatting.

Because Li Qin Yao had just returned from the Capital City, Chen Hao asked a few things about her trip there. Once in awhile, Mother Chen would ask something about her family, while Father Chen choose to eat silently and only replied when someone asked him a question.

While waiting for dessert to be served, Father Chen excused himself to go to the toilet. A few minutes later, Tang Ai Ling whispered something to Mother Chen before she stood up and left the room.

"Chen Hao," Mother Chen called and smiled. "Ai Ling said she needs to visit the convenience store across the road to get something. I'm worried. It's dangerous for a girl to walk out there alone at this time. Could you go and accompany her?"

Li Qin Yao glanced at her wristwatch and felt the corner of her mouth twitched. It was not so late that Miss Tang would need someone to accompany her to visit a shop across the street. It was the weekend. The light was lightened up, and there are plenty of people on the road.

Chen Hao frowned. Clearly, he did not like his mother's suggestion. "Mom…"

"I know," Mother Chen interjected before her son could decline. "But I'm just worried." she glanced at Li Qin Yao and said, "Are you afraid that I'm going to bully your girlfriend?"

Feeling the mother and son's eyes at her, Li Qin Yao knew that the two of them were waiting for her to say something. Li Qin Yao turned to Chen Hao and smiled. "Just go," Li Qin Yao said as she nudged Chen Hao on his arms. "I'll be fine. Your mother is here, and I can accompany her for a while."

Chen Hao stared at her for a few seconds longer before he gave her a thankful smile. "Then, I'll be away for a few minutes." Chen Hao stood and left the room.

Soon, only Li Qin Yao and Chen Hao's mother left in the room. Suddenly, the room turned quieter.

Although Li Qin Yao had given Chen Hao the green light to go and accompany Miss Tang, there was a part of her that wished her boyfriend would choose to stay. But as she looked at Chen Hao's mother, Li Qin Yao could sense that the older woman had something that she would like to speak with her in private. That was the reason why Li Qin Yao had agreed for Chen Hao to leave.

Li Qin Yao took a sip from her cup as she peeked at Mother Chen's expression. After a few seconds of hesitating, Li Qin Yao put down the cup and looked at Mother Chen.

"Auntie Chen," Li Qin Yao started. "Why do I have the feeling that you did not like me very much?"