The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Stars

From noon to six in the evening, from the scorching sun to the setting sun, Duan Jiayang waited for a full six hours at the airport. She wiped her face with a wet wipe, her brows furrowed in impatience. She didn’t even want to be there to begin with.

It was hot in the middle of summer, and the airport was bustling with people. All sorts of smells mixed together, making her feel nauseous after a while.

Holding the welcome sign made her feel like an absolute idiot. Every time someone passed by and glanced at her, she wanted to slap herself. She couldn’t figure out what had possessed her to rush to the airport just because her dad told her to pick someone up.

Duan Jiayang felt irritated. She raised her wrist and checked the time. If Lin Ke wasn’t out by 12:00, she was leaving immediately. She stomped her feet on the ground twice. Even if Lin Ke came out, they might not even recognize each other face-to-face.

They had only spent a year and a half together back then. Lin Ke left when she was in her first year of college, and six years had passed since. They hadn’t contacted each other once. A lot could change in six years—appearance, style, and probably Lin Ke’s strange and annoying personality.

The clock finally hit 12:00. Duan Jiayang felt a sense of relief and quickly turned to leave, walking faster and faster. Soon, she felt someone following her.

It was Lin Ke. The airport was still noisy, filled with various sounds, but Lin Ke’s footsteps were so clear. The fear of being relentlessly pursued grew clearer and clearer.

When they reached the outside of the airport, an assistant scurried over and called out to Duan Jiayang. Then she looked behind her and said, “Miss, was the trip smooth? You’ve worked so hard.”

Miss.

Lin Ke was wearing a white chiffon short-sleeved shirt and a pair of black trousers. She stood up straight. She was no longer the student who used to turn heads walking down campus paths in a white shirt. Her demeanor had matured long ago.

Duan Jiayang bit her lip and walked down the stairs faster.

“Miss Lin, Miss…” The assistant quickly corrected herself, not wanting to offend either of them. She rushed over to take the sign from Duan Jiayang, who ignored her and walked directly to a trash can to throw the sign away.

That’s right. Lin Ke was the eldest daughter in the family, and she was the second. But that was a long time ago. In other words, Lin Ke used to be her stepsister, to be more specific, the daughter of the woman her dad was living with—her cheap stepsister.

When Duan Jiayang was in her last year of high school, Lin Ke came to her home with her mom. “Her” mom and Duan Jiayang’s dad didn’t have a marital relationship but stubbornly stayed at her house, making her summer absolutely miserable.

That year, Duan Jiayang hated and despised her. She wished for both Lin Ke and her mom to drop dead on the spot. Luckily, Lin Ke’s mom and her dad had completely broken up early on.

Duan Jiayang got into the car without looking back.

Lin Ke followed unhurriedly, pulling her suitcase. She only let the assistant take the suitcase once she reached the car. Then she bent down and got in, gently closing the door.

Duan Jiayang sat in the back row by the left window. Lin Ke walked around to the front and sat in the row in front of her, by the right door. This meant they were sitting diagonally from each other. If Duan Jiayang lifted her head, she could see the back of Lin Ke’s head.

Duan Jiayang suddenly felt a surge of anger, like she had lost an argument and was now thinking about all the things she should have said. She felt frustrated and wronged. She shouldn’t have just walked away like that, and so quickly. She should have been cool and indifferent. Now it looked like she was the only one who hadn’t let go, the only one who still cared about her status.

As she thought about it, she felt uncomfortable, as if she were being watched. Duan Jiayang looked up. Her face was reflected in the rearview mirror. When she changed her angle, she saw Lin Ke in the mirror, chin slightly raised, staring intently at the mirror, and through the mirror, at her.

Duan Jiayang panicked and quickly turned her head to look out the window at the scenery flashing by. Trees, flowers, bright neon billboards on buildings, and on one corner of a wall, large letters read: “All-night stay 160.”

160 yuan. The price hadn’t gone up.

When they arrived home, Duan Jiayang got out of the car from the back. This time she walked with lighter steps. Lin Ke went into the living room and set down her suitcase.

A portly middle-aged man was sitting on the sofa with a pair of glasses on his nose. This was Duan Jiayang’s dad, Duan Litian. He put down his newspaper and looked up at Lin Ke, his voice polite and smiling. “Xiao Ke, you’re back?”

Lin Ke nodded. Duan Litian nodded back.

Duan Jiayang stood in the doorway. She noticed her dad’s eyes were cold when he first saw Lin Ke. He was only being polite on the surface. Duan Litian put down the newspaper and called out to the kitchen, “Uncle Zhang, what are you still busy with back there? Come out and help with the luggage.”

Lin Ke didn’t have much—just one suitcase. She could have carried it herself. The butler, Uncle Zhang, came over to help her. She nodded and said thank you.

“The eldest miss has started smiling,” the butler said.

Lin Ke smiled back. “I was too introverted before.” She added, “Uncle, I brought you some gifts. Should I get them for you later?”

Duan Litian smiled, the flesh on his round face jiggling. “You’ve had a long journey. Let’s eat first. You can rest properly later.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Duan Jiayang’s mouth twitched at the words.

The food was served. Duan Litian sat at the head of the table. Duan Jiayang washed her hands and, after observing the situation, sat next to him. Lin Ke chose to sit across from her, facing her directly. Lin Ke looked different. Her features were more mature and a little sharper. Her thin lips were pressed together. She looked like a cool moon with no warmth, but her eyes held a spring-like smile.

Duan Litian occasionally asked her about things in other countries. Lin Ke answered every question. Over the years, news of Lin Ke had often come back. She had excellent grades abroad and a colorful life. Duan Litian kept saying how good she was, then looked at Duan Jiayang with a look of disdain, as if Duan Jiayang had never gone to college, which made Duan Jiayang very upset.

Lin Ke was clever. She went abroad early to study at a top-ranked university. Later, she did research there and published various papers. Her mom said that the school wanted her to stay, and many companies had offered her high-paying jobs. The reason she had rushed back now was clear without having to be said.

Lin Ke’s mom and Duan Litian’s relationship had completely collapsed. They had divorced, and Lin Ke’s mom got nothing. Lin Ke’s mom was no longer as beautiful as she once was. Duan Litian looked down on her and didn’t want to give her anything, saying he had no further ties to her. This was what he said publicly, but everyone knew that the two had never been married and didn’t even have a marriage certificate. Now, they were just parting ways. Lin Ke was here to get a piece of the pie.

“Jiayang, don’t forget about the Lan family’s matter.”

Duan Jiayang poked a potato in her bowl and glanced at her dad. “I know.” The atmosphere became awkward because Duan Litian glanced at Lin Ke as he said this, specifically wanting Lin Ke to continue his sentence. Duan Jiayang’s fingers tightened on her chopsticks. She was also waiting for Lin Ke to speak.

The Lan family was nothing special. It was just that Duan Litian had been getting close to the old man of the Lan family and was subtly trying to set Duan Jiayang up with his son or daughter. Duan Litian’s words were not only a reminder to Duan Jiayang but also a message to Lin Ke.

After a few seconds, Lin Ke thought for a moment and said, “The Lan family in the east? Lan Yao, who used to hitch rides to school with us?”

“That’s right,” Duan Litian said. “Jiayang has been getting close to her in recent years. The Lan family is also subtly trying to form a marriage alliance.”

Duan Litian finally said what he wanted to say, letting out a heavy sigh. Lin Ke didn’t say much and continued eating. Duan Jiayang bit her lip, feeling disgusted.

A strange tension lingered over the table. After that, they all ate in silence. When Duan Jiayang finished and wiped her mouth, ready to leave, Duan Litian called out, “Nanny Wang, take the young lady to her room.”

Duan Jiayang looked up and saw that Lin Ke’s room was on the left side of Duan Litian’s. Duan Jiayang instantly understood why her dad had suddenly moved her room to the right side recently. He wanted to put himself between them.

Duan Jiayang pretended to be nonchalant, playing with her phone. Suddenly, Lin Ke paused. It looked like she was looking at Duan Jiayang. Duan Jiayang lowered her head, and her breath caught. She accidentally typed a bunch of gibberish. Her heart pounded wildly.

Lin Ke’s gaze was on her for a long time before she looked past her at her dad and said, “Uncle, can I work at the company?”

Duan Litian said, “The position is already arranged. You can rest for a day and report tomorrow. It’s good that you’re back to help me.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Lin Ke said with a light laugh, then turned and continued upstairs to her room.

“Jiayang,” Duan Litian called out, his voice a little drawn-out.

Duan Jiayang raised her voice, deliberately showing her displeasure. “Why does she get to go to the company as soon as she comes back, but I can’t…”

Duan Litian said, “You were at the company for half a year and didn’t know a thing. How many projects did you mess up? Do you even know? Do you want to go in and ruin the family business? She’s only going to be staying for a day or two and will move out. It’s just for show. Why are you so stupid that you can’t figure this out?”

Duan Jiayang bit her tongue and didn’t say anything else. She was a little angry, a little frustrated, and a little resentful.

This wasn’t his family. Why was he acting like he owned it? To be blunt, the family business belonged to Duan Jiayang’s maternal grandfather. He was old money, a very successful businessman. He only had one daughter, Duan Jiayang’s mom. Later, her grandfather and her mom got into a car accident while on vacation. Duan Jiayang’s mom was also seriously injured.

Duan Litian wasn’t a good person. At that time, he was a poor intern working for Duan Jiayang’s grandfather. He took meticulous care of Duan Jiayang’s mom when she was sad and distraught, and successfully latched onto this rich woman. But her mom’s legs were injured, and she had to have them amputated in the accident. She was in a wheelchair after that. After they got married, Duan Litian showed his true colors. He constantly looked down on her mom, gave her the silent treatment, and cheated on her with many women, which led to her mom’s depression and an early death.

Every time Duan Jiayang went to visit her grave, she would bring a photo of her dad to show her mom. She didn’t want a loving relationship with him; she just wanted her mom to see what the man she had loved with all her heart had become—a disgusting, bloated man. Duan Jiayang would have rather her mom hadn’t given birth to her than have met a scumbag like Duan Litian.

She swore every day that she would take back what belonged to her family and make Lin Ke and her mom get lost. No, she had to include her dad, too. After she inherited the family business, she would find someone to break that old man’s legs so he could no longer look down on her mom. If modern medicine allowed it, Duan Jiayang would have gotten surgery to remove the genes she inherited from that old man.

One day, she would make that gold digger get out of the house. She hoped her mom’s spirit would bless Duan Litian with a miserable old age, with nothing to eat or drink.

Duan Jiayang silently chanted in her heart: No pain, no gain. I will get back everything that belongs to me sooner or later.

Just endure it for now.

After Lin Ke went upstairs, Duan Jiayang sat downstairs with her dad in an awkward silence. After thinking it over, Duan Jiayang quickly texted her friend, He Xiao, to call her and make up an excuse to get her out of the house. Unfortunately, the message was like a stone sinking into the sea. He Xiao was probably busy with animal surgeries.

Duan Jiayang played a few games downstairs, and she lost every single one. Duan Litian glanced at her a few times, then silently looked away. His eyes were like he was looking at a useless person. Fortunately, he just saw her as a waste and didn’t have any hopes for her to achieve anything, so Duan Jiayang continued to play her games without a care.

Because Duan Jiayang was distracted, she played terribly, and her teammates cursed her out. Duan Jiayang was upset and cursed them back, letting out all the frustration she had built up today.

When Duan Jiayang looked up again, her dad had finally gone upstairs. Duan Jiayang let out a sigh of relief and replied to her teammates: [Bye-bye, your mommy is going to sleep. I wish you don’t survive tonight.]

Duan Jiayang put her phone in her pocket and went upstairs. The rooms were arranged in this order: Lin Ke, Duan Litian, and her. Duan Litian was clearly keeping an eye on Duan Jiayang. She had to pass his room every time she went in and out.

Duan Jiayang went upstairs carefully, her eyes couldn’t help but look at Lin Ke’s room. Although she looked calm, she felt anxious, and her eyes kept glancing over.

Duan Jiayang thought back to Lin Ke’s indifferent attitude earlier and quickly suppressed her breathing, along with all the messy emotions. It had been so long. Who would even remember whom? Anyway, Lin Ke was back to steal the family fortune, and the two of them would be enemies forever.

Duan Jiayang pulled her gaze back and walked toward her room. Just then, the door suddenly opened, and Lin Ke came out, staring at her. In that moment, Duan Jiayang, like a startled bird, almost missed the last step.

The two came face to face. Lin Ke’s gaze passed over her lightly. She was wearing a black camisole nightgown. Her hair was in a bun and looked wet. Her neck was long, and her collarbone was well-defined, looking quite sexy in the dim light of the night.

Duan Jiayang didn’t want her to know she was scared, so she pretended to be calm and lowered her head, walking toward her room. But just as she passed by Lin Ke’s room, Lin Ke spoke. “I came out after your dad left on purpose.”

“What?” Duan Jiayang didn’t hear clearly.

The next second, Lin Ke grabbed her arm, squeezing it so hard that Duan Jiayang frowned. Lin Ke’s grip was too tight. Duan Jiayang instinctively struggled. Lin Ke tightened her grip, pulling her arm and dragging her directly into the room.

“What are you doing?” Duan Jiayang struggled and tried to shake her hand off. Lin Ke closed the door and then pinned her against it. The commotion was quite loud. Lin Ke covered her mouth with her hand to prevent anyone from hearing. Both of them were breathing heavily, their chests heaving.

The faint scent she had smelled earlier became strong and rushed into Duan Jiayang’s nose. Lin Ke used a pomegranate-scented body wash, and the smell made Duan Jiayang’s nose itch.

“Don’t move. Your dad isn’t asleep yet.” Lin Ke pressed her hand against Duan Jiayang’s shoulder. Her strength was greater than Duan Jiayang’s. Duan Jiayang’s back was against the wall, like a fish on a cutting board, at risk of being gutted at any moment.

Lin Ke was very close. Duan Jiayang could see the fine hairs on her skin. She gritted her teeth and turned her head away, refusing to meet her gaze. The bedside lamp was on, casting a dim light over the room. Duan Jiayang’s neck started to feel cold.

Lin Ke was staring at her.

Duan Jiayang opened her mouth to curse, but Lin Ke’s hand pressed hard against it. Duan Jiayang let out a muffled sound and bit her hand, biting her palm hard. Lin Ke winced in pain, and her cool eyes turned cold, revealing her true nature. Lin Ke raised her hand. Her palm was wet.

Duan Jiayang looked furious, her breathing ragged. Duan Litian had been watching her all night, afraid she would cause trouble with Lin Ke, and even put himself between them. But she never expected Lin Ke to succeed. It was ridiculous. Lin Ke was so good at pretending.

Lin Ke’s hand came over again, wiping her face with her wet palm.

“Are you crazy?” Duan Jiayang felt humiliated. She forcefully slapped her hand away and said, panting, “You’re a psychopath.” This is right under Duan Litian’s nose. What does she want?

“Don’t move,” Lin Ke said, her eyes lowered slightly.

“Why should I listen to you? I’ll move however I want,” Duan Jiayang challenged her, finding it ridiculous. She used both hands to continue struggling.

Lin Ke squeezed Duan Jiayang’s white long-sleeved shirt until it was wrinkled. She grabbed Duan Jiayang’s hands and raised them above her head. The force was too much, and their hands slammed heavily against the door.

Duan Jiayang let out a muffled grunt. She wanted to curse again but met her eyes. Lin Ke looked up, her gaze deep and heavy. “Because we used to fight in this room and on this bed.”

Duan Jiayang froze. Lin Ke added, “I came back for you. I missed you.”