After Cat A Saved the Wrong Female Lead - Chapter 33
Chapter 33: Thin Ice
After returning from Shanghai, everything should have gone back to normal.
But Tang Li couldn’t stop thinking about that night.
Qin Shiyang had said she wanted to share her world.
But what did that even mean?
Tang Li didn’t ask.
She was afraid of the answer.
….
Back in school, the rhythm of life resumed.
Morning classes, afternoon homework, group projects.
But something in her had shifted.
She sat in class staring at the chalkboard, unable to concentrate. Her phone vibrated in her pocket—another message from Qin Shiyang:
Qin Shiyang: Remember to eat lunch.
Tang Li typed back half a response and deleted it.
Then typed again:
Tang L: You too.
She hesitated.
Then added:
Tang Li: …Miss you.
The reply came immediately:
Qin Shiyang: I’ll come pick you up after school.
….
Tang Li stood outside the gate at dusk, backpack slung over one shoulder. The sky was streaked with orange and pink. Other students walked past in groups, chatting and laughing.
Qin Shiyang’s car pulled up silently.
The window rolled down. “Get in.”
Tang Li climbed into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. The scent of leather and sandalwood filled the cabin.
“Long day?” Qin Shiyang asked.
Tang Li nodded.
“Want to go straight home, or get something to eat first?”
“Home.”
Qin Shiyang glanced at her. “You sure?”
Tang Li looked away. “I just want to lie down.”
“Alright.”
The car merged back into traffic. Neither of them spoke for a while.
….
Back at the apartment, Tang Li threw her bag on the couch and flopped down beside it.
Qin Shiyang walked to the kitchen. “I’ll make something light.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat.”
Tang Li didn’t answer.
Qin Shiyang sighed and came over, crouching in front of her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You’ve been off all day.”
“I’m just tired.”
Qin Shiyang reached out and took her hand. “Talk to me.”
Tang Li bit her lip.
Then said, very softly: “I don’t know where I stand with you.”
Qin Shiyang froze.
“I don’t know if this is… just temporary for you. Something convenient. Or if you actually—” She cut herself off.
Qin Shiyang stood slowly. “You think I’m using you?”
“No!” Tang Li sat up quickly. “That’s not what I— I just… I don’t know how to be with you.”
Silence.
Qin Shiyang crossed her arms. “You think I’m hard to be with?”
Tang Li looked up at her. “I think you make me feel like I’m always walking on thin ice.”
That made Qin Shiyang pause.
She sat down beside her.
“I’m sorry.”
Tang Li blinked. “What?”
“I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”
Tang Li stared.
Qin Shiyang exhaled. “I’m not good at this. At being soft. At… opening up.”
“I know.”
“But I want to try. With you.”
Tang Li’s throat tightened.
She wanted to believe her.
She really did.
“Then prove it.”
Qin Shiyang turned to her.
“Be honest with me,” Tang Li said. “Even if it’s hard. Even if you think I won’t like it. I don’t need you to be perfect. I just want the truth.”
Qin Shiyang nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.”
….
They didn’t kiss.
They didn’t touch.
They just sat there—side by side—holding hands in silence.
And for once, the silence didn’t feel like distance.
It felt like progress.