After Cat A Saved the Wrong Female Lead - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Storm Before the Break

Grandmother had passed away.

Though the family had known she wouldn’t last much longer, her death still sent ripples through the household.

The Bai family went into full mourning. Bai Xuan held back tears, refusing to cry at the hospital, but the moment she arrived home and saw her mother’s photo framed in black ribbon, she collapsed in sobs.

The mourning hall buzzed with the drama of inheritance. Every sibling had something to say. Some called for fairness, others tried to sound modest, but no one was truly calm. Tang Li didn’t want to get involved. She just stood at the edge of the crowd, watching with indifference.

In fact, this scene played out exactly as she’d expected.

According to the original plotline, after Grandma’s death, Bai Xuan would fall ill soon after. That would become the start of Tang Li’s transformation—from rebellious delinquent to emotionally scarred heiress, forced into the spotlight. The original Tang Li, hardened by grief and resentment, would spiral into instability.

But now, things had changed.

Tang Li had readjusted her path. Her mothers were still alive, her relationship with Qin Shiyang had shifted into something real, and she no longer wanted to escape everything.

Still, Bai Xuan’s grief weighed heavily. After the funeral rites were completed, Bai Xuan stayed in bed for several days, refusing to eat or speak. Even Yu Zhou struggled to coax her out.

Tang Li came home with a bag of desserts and stood by the door, unsure if she should knock.

Her mother used to be so beautiful and proud, always perfectly put together. But now she lay curled in bed, her cheeks sunken, looking years older. Tang Li’s heart clenched.

“…Mom.”

The voice was soft.

Bai Xuan didn’t move.

Tang Li sighed and set the desserts on the nightstand.

“Sweet things help when you’re feeling down,” she said awkwardly. “That’s what Qin Shiyang says.”

Still no response.

Tang Li scratched her head. She wasn’t good at comforting people. That had always been someone else’s job—Qin Shiyang, maybe, or even Yu Zhou when she felt like it.

“Mom, do you remember that photo of Grandma with the huge birthday cake?” Tang Li tried to lighten the mood. “She had that ridiculous party hat on and made me sit next to her for the picture… I looked so annoyed.”

“She kept asking me if I’d found a boyfriend yet. If she knew I married a woman, she’d probably come back from the dead just to yell at me.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Bai Xuan’s lips.

“I brought that photo back,” Tang Li added. “I put it on my desk.”

She paused, then sat down beside the bed.

“I know you and Grandma weren’t always close. You fought a lot. But you still loved her.”

“…It’s okay to be sad. Just don’t stay stuck there.”

Silence.

Just as Tang Li was about to give up and leave, Bai Xuan reached out and took her hand.

Her fingers were cold.

“I… I dreamed of her last night,” Bai Xuan murmured. “She was still scolding me. Still calling me useless.”

Her voice cracked.

Tang Li squeezed her hand tightly.

“She loved you, Mom. She just didn’t know how to show it.”

“Maybe.”

They sat like that for a while, hands clasped, the air heavy but calm. Then Bai Xuan whispered:

“You’ve grown up.”

Tang Li blinked, startled.

“I was so scared you’d end up like me,” Bai Xuan said. “Angry all the time, afraid of everything, unable to protect anything I loved…”

“But you’re stronger than I ever was.”

Tang Li didn’t know what to say.

She wanted to deny it. Wanted to remind her mother of all the times she’d messed up, all the days she’d wasted.

But maybe… maybe she was finally becoming the person she was meant to be.

Later, Qin Shiyang arrived with a change of clothes and medicine. She waited quietly at the door while Tang Li helped her mother freshen up.

Yu Zhou passed by with a tray of food and nodded approvingly. “Good timing,” she said to Qin Shiyang. “Tang Li listens to you more than either of us.”

Qin Shiyang smiled.

“She’s easy to love.”

Yu Zhou arched an eyebrow, but said nothing more.

By evening, the tension in the Bai household had eased slightly. The worst had passed. But Tang Li knew a new storm was brewing—the fight over the inheritance was about to begin.

And for the first time, she wasn’t going to run away.