After Cat A Saved the Wrong Female Lead - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: A Breath Apart

It was a quiet weekend.

No dramatic weather. No unexpected calls. No urgent tasks.

Tang Li helped clean the apartment. Folded laundry. Washed a few mugs.

She didn’t ask for praise.

And Qin Shiyang didn’t offer any.

But when Tang Li passed her a warm towel without being asked, Qin Shiyang said quietly,
“You’ve been good lately.”

It wasn’t affectionate.

Just a passing comment.

But Tang Li held on to it for the rest of the day.

….

That evening, they cooked together.

Not intentionally.

Tang Li just wandered into the kitchen while Qin Shiyang was slicing vegetables and started rinsing rice.

They didn’t talk much.

But they moved around each other easily—passing spoons, opening drawers, adjusting heat.

At one point, Qin Shiyang brushed past her to reach for a spice jar.

Her hand grazed Tang Li’s back.

A small touch.

But Tang Li froze.

Not out of fear.

But awareness.

Qin Shiyang noticed.

She didn’t apologize.

Just quietly said,
“Sorry.”

Tang Li turned to look at her.

“It’s okay,” she said.

And for a moment, they stood like that.

A breath apart.

….

Later, at the table, they ate in silence.

Halfway through her bowl, Tang Li asked,
“Do you ever think about what we are?”

Qin Shiyang didn’t look up. “Sometimes.”

Tang Li waited.

But that was all she said.

So Tang Li pressed:
“And?”

Qin Shiyang set her chopsticks down.
“I think if we name it too soon, it’ll break.”

Tang Li nodded slowly.

Not because she agreed.

But because she understood.

Some things were too fragile for words.

….

After dinner, they sat on the couch.

A movie played softly in the background. Neither of them really watched it.

Tang Li leaned slightly against Qin Shiyang’s shoulder.

Not enough to demand attention.

Just enough to feel the presence.

Qin Shiyang didn’t move.

Didn’t lean away.

Didn’t lean closer.

And that was enough.

….

Sometimes, love begins like this:

Not with fireworks.

Not with grand confessions.

But with a slow, careful stillness—

The kind that makes you listen more closely.

The kind that teaches you how to stay.