After Cat A Saved the Wrong Female Lead - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: A Reward from Big Sister

That night, even though she was clearly tired, Tang Li tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Her mind kept replaying that moment over and over again.

The Omega had rested her chin on one hand, her posture lazy and relaxed — but there was a trace of seriousness in her demeanor as she said:

“Let’s get married. What do you think?”

Tang Li’s brain short-circuited instantly. She stared at the woman in disbelief, thinking it must be a joke. But Qin Shiyang had no intention of joking — she looked completely serious.

Wearing a simple and elegant white dress, she looked like a celestial being under the moonlight. Qin Shiyang was naturally beautiful, and when she spoke those words, no Alpha could possibly feel offended — on the contrary, most would probably feel a sense of desire.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Tang Li’s mind was already thunderstruck — a storm of lightning exploding in her head.

What do I do, what do I do — is this really how the marriage between me and the female lead happens so easily? Could it be that the female lead was attracted to her seemingly pure appearance and thought she’d be an easy Alpha to control?

There were many reasons an Omega might want to marry an Alpha. Though society was relatively equal now, at least half of all Omegas still chose to marry at an appropriate age. Qin Shiyang should be around twenty-four or twenty-five — very young, but already past the legal age for marriage.

If she was simply looking for a stable partner, then marriage definitely offered more security than dating.

But shouldn’t there be a dating phase before marriage? Or did she consider this — what they had now — to already be dating? For a moment, Tang Li felt a sudden wave of pressure.

“Of course, I’m not trying to bind you for life,” Qin Shiyang continued, seeing Tang Li’s shocked reaction. “It’s just that my family is pressuring me — they’re quite traditional. I felt a strong connection with Miss Tang at first sight, so I’m boldly suggesting this. It would just be for three years. During that time, I’ll provide for your living expenses, along with a fixed monthly payment.”

Then she added, “You can think about it. If you’re interested, I’ll draft a contract.”

Tang Li didn’t believe that Alphas had to be the ones to initiate things, and she didn’t subscribe to outdated ideas like chastity or lifelong commitment. Whether to marry or not, whether marriage would last forever — these weren’t things she clung to or cared much about.

Once Qin Shiyang mentioned the three-year time limit, Tang Li felt relieved.

She was only 22 — even after three years, she’d still be at the peak of her life. It wasn’t a big deal. Plus, her job didn’t make marriage inconvenient like it might for a celebrity. In fact, Tang Li didn’t really have any objections. Marriage was, after all, just signing a piece of paper.

However, the woman suddenly changed the tone — her cold fingers tapped lightly on Tang Li’s face, the soft touch there and gone in an instant:

“But during those three years, you’ll also need to properly fulfill the duties of a wife. Think carefully about that, okay, little Tang Li?”

The Omega’s melodic voice deliberately emphasized the words “duties of a wife,” and with the two of them so close, her warm breath contrasted sharply with the cool touch of her fingertips, making Tang Li’s ears burn. Qin Shiyang seemed to notice how sensitive her earlobes were and had been looking there deliberately as she spoke.

At that moment, two slender fingers casually reached over and began rubbing her earlobe — like teasing a kitten — again and again, until finally satisfied.

Tang Li, on the other hand, was left breathless by the final words — “little Tang Li” — her chest thudding wildly. She wasn’t even sure how she’d made it out of the room and back into her bed.

When she finally fell asleep, even her dreams were filled with the Omega’s breath on her skin and teasing fingers on her cheeks.

….

“Huff!”

Tang Li was startled awake by her weekday alarm. She sat up in a jolt. It was barely dawn — the city still wrapped in early summer haze, everything muted in the dim light. She rubbed her eyes and suddenly realized she’d received a message from Xiao Yu after she’d fallen asleep the night before:

Xiao Yu: [The other party has transferred 5200 to you]
Xiao Yu: Just a little reward~

Transfers like 520 (I love you) and 1314 (forever) had symbolic meanings, and in case of any financial disputes later, they couldn’t be reclaimed — so using these numbers conveyed a certain sincerity.

But Tang Li didn’t accept it right away. She had OCD — she needed to read all the messages first. So she scrolled down her notifications and saw that she’d missed a lot of messages in the group chat from the night before, having passed out from exhaustion.

Several files had been shared — along with last-minute client feedback that essentially overturned the nearly finalized version they had all worked on. That version had been created following the client’s own demands, with many rounds of communication. But now, thanks to some sudden flash of “inspiration” from the client in the middle of the night, everything was back to square one — more all-nighters ahead.

Tang Li stared into space on her bed for a while, then flopped back down in a big “X” shape, utterly drained, her cat-like head metaphorically weeping.

Maybe… just maybe… I should go find some rich mama and inherit her business instead?

Stupid clients. She didn’t want to try anymore!

Clenching her fist, Tang Li punched her pillow in frustration. The group chat was full of people complaining about the same client. She closed her eyes in despair — but had no choice but to drag her exhausted body out of bed.

Her internship didn’t come with benefits or insurance, and her take-home pay was just over 5,000 yuan a month — not much in a city as expensive as Huadu. After going full-time, her salary would depend on commissions. While Tang Li didn’t really mind how much she made, she couldn’t help but recall that the female lead didn’t seem especially rich — probably just a young white-collar worker earning a few tens of thousands per month at most.

Having personally experienced how hard it was to earn money, Tang Li became acutely aware that Xiao Yu — who had transferred such a large sum without even officially confirming their relationship, and with no fear of losing it — was showing her real affection.

A little bubble of joy welled up in her heart.

Grinning, Tang Li finally tapped “Accept.” When she saw the annoying client’s face again later, she didn’t even feel quite as irritated and forced herself to stay cheerful. One of her coworkers, seizing a moment when the others weren’t paying attention, poked her on the shoulder and asked curiously:

“Where’d you disappear to last night? You totally ghosted the group chat.”

If she said she’d been with an Omega, she’d definitely get teased to death. Tang Li didn’t want to share her private business with Qin Shiyang, so she just said she’d been too tired and passed out as soon as she got home. Whether the colleague believed her or not, they just gave a knowing smile and dropped it.

….

Qin Shiyang’s company had business in City A, but the only reason for her to personally visit was for an impromptu inspection. After wrapping things up, she had no reason to stay. On the third morning, once the work inspection was done, she was ready to head back.

Before leaving, she arranged to meet with Tang Li for lunch. She’d heard the girl had finished up her own tasks as well.

Qin Shiyang had just come out of her heat period. Omega heat cycles typically occurred every two months with regular intervals, so she wasn’t in any rush to push that earlier question. She very thoughtfully left Tang Li plenty of time to think it over. During lunch, they both tacitly avoided bringing it up and enjoyed a light Western meal.

Qin Shiyang paid for lunch, but the restaurant was one Tang Li picked. She seemed to be in a hurry — although she was polite and didn’t check her phone during the meal, there was an obvious air of anxious distraction about her.

Qin Shiyang wasn’t the type to bottle things up, so when she saw Tang Li distractedly reach for her phone, she waved a pale, slender hand in front of her.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I’m still in my senior year,” Tang Li sighed. “And now my advisor suddenly has a new issue…”

At the mention of that, Tang Li’s mood immediately soured. Ever since she failed to accompany Nan Jiuying as promised last time, Professor Li had turned cold toward her — now going out of their way to make things difficult. Tang Li was in her fourth year, and her thesis was a critical hurdle. Thankfully, she didn’t plan on applying for grad school — otherwise the professor might’ve used that as another excuse to torment her.

Thinking about all that, Tang Li unconsciously let a hint of grievance show on her face — and in Qin Shiyang’s eyes, she looked just like a little scolded kitten, drooping and dejected.