After Cat A Saved the Wrong Female Lead - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The Space Between

Tang Li didn’t go back to school that week.

It wasn’t anything dramatic.

No fight, no illness, no sudden decision.

She just… didn’t feel like going.

And Qin Shiyang didn’t ask.

She simply left a note on the dining table before heading to work:
“There’s congee in the pot. Warm it up when you’re hungry.”
Underneath, in smaller handwriting:
“Don’t forget your vitamins.”

….

By mid-afternoon, the apartment was quiet.

Tang Li sat on the living room floor, textbooks spread out around her, but her pen hadn’t moved in half an hour.

The light through the windows was soft. It felt like the kind of day meant for napping, or thinking too much.

Her phone buzzed.

Qin Shiyang: Done with your homework?

Tang Li stared at the screen.

Then typed:

Tang Li: Half done.

Qin Shiyang: Good. Take a break. Go for a walk.

Qin Shiyang: I’ll reward you if you do.

Tang Li: Tempting. What kind of reward?

No reply for a minute.

Then:

Qin Shiyang: Whatever you want.

Tang Li set the phone down and smiled to herself.

She didn’t know what she wanted.

Not really.

….

That evening, she lit a candle on the kitchen table.

Not for any reason.

She just felt like it.

When Qin Shiyang came home, the room smelled faintly of jasmine.

Tang Li was sitting at the table, barefoot, hair messy, eyes calm.

“You’re home,” she said softly.

Qin Shiyang blinked at the candle. “What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion,” Tang Li said. “I just missed you.”

Qin Shiyang’s expression softened.

She walked over and gently tugged Tang Li up into a hug.

Tang Li wrapped her arms around her waist.

They stood like that for a long moment—breathing in sync.

Qin Shiyang didn’t ask about school.

Tang Li didn’t offer an explanation.

They didn’t need to.

The space between them, once stiff and silent, had become something else—soft, breathable, even fragile.

….

Later that night, curled up together on the couch, Tang Li whispered, “Do you think this is real?”

Qin Shiyang looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“This,” Tang Li said. “Us. It feels… unreal sometimes. Like I’ll wake up and you’ll be gone.”

Qin Shiyang was quiet.

Then said, “I used to feel the same.”

Tang Li looked up.

“But I’m still here,” Qin Shiyang added. “Aren’t I?”

Tang Li’s eyes burned.

She didn’t cry.

But she leaned in a little closer.

And Qin Shiyang let her.

….

Some things didn’t need promises.

Some things just needed time.

And space.

And a little bit of faith.