After Cat A Saved the Wrong Female Lead - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: A Little Closer

The apartment was quiet again.

After Qin Shiyang’s mother left, neither of them brought it up.

The visit sat between them—not heavy, not sharp, just… there.

Tang Li didn’t ask who knew what.

And Qin Shiyang didn’t explain.

They returned to their rhythm.

Evening routines. Light meals. Quiet silences.

It was almost like nothing had changed.

But something had.

….

Later that week, Tang Li fell asleep on the couch.

She’d meant to finish the book in her hands—but somewhere between one chapter and the next, her breathing had softened, and her body had gone still.

Qin Shiyang found her there when she got home.

She didn’t wake her.

Just knelt quietly beside the couch, brushing a loose strand of hair from Tang Li’s face.

Tang Li stirred.

Eyes fluttered open.

“…You’re back.”

Qin Shiyang nodded.
“You should sleep in your room.”

Tang Li didn’t move.

Instead, she reached for Qin Shiyang’s wrist—lightly, not quite gripping.

“Can I stay here a little longer?”

Qin Shiyang didn’t pull away.

She sat down on the floor beside her instead, resting her head back against the edge of the couch.

They didn’t speak.

Just breathed.

One awake, one halfway there.

One still figuring out how to stay.

….

After a long pause, Tang Li whispered,
“When you were a kid, did you ever want to run away?”

Qin Shiyang turned slightly.
“Once. Just to see if anyone would notice.”

Tang Li smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I used to pack a bag and sit by the door. Never actually left.”

“Why not?”

“Because I knew no one would follow.”

Qin Shiyang said nothing for a while.

Then softly:
“If you ever ran now, I’d notice.”

Tang Li closed her eyes.

“Would you follow?”

A long silence.

Then:

“I think I’d wait. But I’d leave the door open.”

….

There was a kind of honesty in that answer that made Tang Li ache.

Not romantic.

Not poetic.

Just real.

And right now, that was enough.

….

They didn’t touch again that night.

But they didn’t drift apart, either.

And in this strange little apartment, where shadows moved quietly across walls—

They sat a little closer.

Not holding.

Just… near.

And for now, that was more than either of them had expected to find.