After Cat A Saved the Wrong Female Lead - Chapter 39
Chapter 39: A Tenuous Thread
It rained the next morning.
Thin and steady, like a thread unraveling from the clouds.
Tang Li sat on the windowsill with her legs pulled up, chin resting on her knees, watching drops slide down the glass.
The city outside was gray and half-awake.
Inside, it was quiet.
Qin Shiyang had already left for work, her usual note left on the table.
But this one was different.
Two words, small and almost unsure:
“Come out?”
No punctuation. No pressure.
Just an invitation.
….
Tang Li stared at the note long after finishing breakfast.
She didn’t know what “out” meant.
Out into the world?
Out of this apartment?
Out of whatever soft, blurry space they’d built between them?
….
She showed up at Qin Shiyang’s office just after lunch.
No warning.
She wore a hoodie and jeans, hair tied up carelessly, hands tucked into her sleeves.
When the receptionist blinked in surprise, Tang Li only said, “I’ll wait inside.”
She sat quietly on the sofa in Qin Shiyang’s office.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t move much.
Just… stayed.
Qin Shiyang looked up from her desk and watched her for a long while before saying anything.
“Bad dreams again?”
Tang Li shook her head.
“No dreams. Just didn’t want to be alone.”
Qin Shiyang nodded.
And went back to her work.
But a few minutes later, she stood and brought a blanket from the lounge.
She didn’t say anything—just draped it gently over Tang Li’s shoulders.
Tang Li blinked.
And smiled.
….
Later, as the office emptied, Qin Shiyang turned off her monitor and said, “Walk you home?”
Tang Li looked up. “Not driving?”
“I feel like walking.”
So they did.
No umbrella.
Just the two of them, side by side under a city full of mist and wet light.
….
They paused at a crosswalk.
Tang Li asked softly, “What did your note mean this morning?”
Qin Shiyang glanced at her. “What do you think?”
“I think you meant something more than just going out.”
Qin Shiyang didn’t deny it.
“I just wanted you near me today,” she said.
Tang Li’s heart ached.
Not from pain.
But from how much she wanted the same.
She reached out, slowly, and hooked her pinky around Qin Shiyang’s.
No full hand-hold.
Just a touch.
A tether.
Qin Shiyang let it happen.
And didn’t let go.
….
The walk was quiet after that.
But every now and then, their shoulders brushed.
Like punctuation.
Like breath.
Like something unspoken but deeply understood.