The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Stars
Lin Ke’s words meant one thing: Lan Yao had poisoned Duan Jiayang. To be fair, this had nothing to do with Lan Yao.
Duan Jiayang really wanted to say, “Then go and report it to the police.”
She turned her head and looked. What Lin Ke said was so serious, and suddenly, she saw something cute about Lin Ke. It was a strange feeling. She looked again, and it was still so strange yet so cute.
Finally, she lowered her head and looked at the hand on her stomach. “Take your hand away. You’re rubbing me as if I’m pregnant.”
“Does it still hurt?” Lin Ke’s eyes moved to her and asked.
“No, it doesn’t.”
The nurse came again, carrying the IV bag and leading them to the inpatient ward. Duan Jiayang didn’t really want to stay in the hospital. Two people couldn’t squeeze into one bed, and she wouldn’t sleep well. She said, “No, let’s just leave after the IV. It’s not serious enough for me to be hospitalized.”
“Okay.” Lin Ke took out her phone and searched on an app. “Then let’s book a hotel. We’ll stay there for one night after the IV. It’s late. Rest is more important.”
A hotel.
Duan Jiayang pursed her lips. “Forget it. Let’s just stay at the hospital.”
It was a six-person ward. Lin Ke lifted the blanket and told her to lie down. Duan Jiayang hadn’t fully recovered her strength yet. Her chest was still very stuffy, and her breathing was not smooth.
Lin Ke took a chair and sat down, pouring her some water. Duan Jiayang took two sips, her fingers rubbing her chest. Lin Ke got up and sat on the bed. Her hand landed on her chest to help her gently rub it. Duan Jiayang said muffled, “Don’t touch me randomly.”
Lin Ke hummed. She said, “Undo your bra clasp.”
Duan Jiayang frowned. There were other people on the bed next to her. Lin Ke lowered her voice. “It’s for easy breathing. Your bra clasp is too tight.”
Duan Jiayang’s face was still pale. She bit her lip, then frowned. She met Lin Ke’s gaze. Lin Ke’s finger slid across her collarbone. “If it’s inconvenient, I can help you.”
Duan Jiayang’s hand was hooked up to an IV, but one hand was free. “Take your hand away.”
“Okay.”
“Close your eyes.”
Lin Ke closed her eyes. Duan Jiayang reached her hand around to her back to undo the clasp. It wasn’t easy. She turned sideways slightly, and worried about pressing on her IV-attached wrist, she fumbled with it for a long time.
She groaned in frustration. She couldn’t get it undone. Lin Ke reached her hand around, told her not to move, went in from the bottom of her shirt, and her fingers gently unhooked the clasp. It came loose.
Duan Jiayang felt relieved. She had her back to Lin Ke and didn’t turn around. Lin Ke said, “Don’t press on your arm.”
Duan Jiayang turned over. Their eyes met. She couldn’t describe whether it was awkward or something else. There were sounds of people coughing and turning over outside the curtain. Lin Ke sat back down on the chair. Duan Jiayang closed her eyes. It was also her fault for asking an extra question. After two bottles of IV, her stomach started to feel uncomfortable. She frowned hard. Lin Ke understood what she meant and got up to help her to the restroom.
“My clasp,” Duan Jiayang said. It was inconvenient to go out like this.
Lin Ke put her hand on her back. “I’ll cover you. It’s fine.”
Duan Jiayang’s stomach was empty and very upset. She had to go to the restroom repeatedly, which was very tiring. It was a good thing she had gotten a bed, or she would have died in the car from the bumpy ride back.
The nurse came to pull out the needle. Duan Jiayang was exhausted. Lin Ke stroked her chest and considerately flattened the pillow for her to lie down. Duan Jiayang tilted her head, blinked, and asked her what she was going to do about sleeping later. She gave her a look, telling her to just go to sleep first.
Without a word, they had reached a certain understanding. They both knew what the other meant.
Duan Jiayang closed her eyes and fell asleep. After two hours of rest, she woke up once. Lin Ke was sleeping, leaning on the side of the bed, her face resting on her arm. From the moment they arrived at the hospital until now, she had been ignoring everything she had done, trying her best not to observe the details. But it was just as Shakespeare’s play wrote.
Some things, like charcoal, when they catch fire, you have to find a way to cool them down. If you let them be, they will burn a heart to a crisp.
She didn’t want to see or hear. She could cover her eyes and ears, but her burned heart could always feel the details of Lin Ke’s care.
Duan Jiayang moved her fingers. The hemostatic tape on the back of her hand pulled at her skin. She tore off the tape, turned sideways, placed it on the bedside table, and slept with her back to Lin Ke. Just as she closed her eyes, Lin Ke woke up. She stood up quietly and covered Duan Jiayang with the thin blanket. She turned on her phone’s light to look and made sure she was okay before sitting back down, resting her chin on her hand and dozing off for a while.
The next morning, Duan Jiayang woke up, and Lin Ke was not there. Duan Jiayang looked at the time on her phone. Lin Ke had sent her a message half an hour ago.
LK: “Don’t wander off. I’m going to buy some things and come back.”
Duan Jiayang slowly lay back down. Her head was still a little dizzy, but her stomach didn’t hurt anymore, just growled. After waiting for ten minutes, Lin Ke came back with things. She brought toiletries and a change of clothes. Duan Jiayang was greasy and really needed to wash up. She got out of bed and rummaged through the things. “Why is there no skincare? And you didn’t bring my lipstick…”
“I did. They’re all in my bag.”
“These clothes…”
“They’re a new style I bought and haven’t worn yet.”
Duan Jiayang was very confident in Lin Ke’s taste in clothes. She had bought from a light luxury brand, which looked better than the few high-end brands Duan Jiayang usually wore. Duan Jiayang took the shower gel and went in to wash. As the water poured down, she closed her eyes.
When she was done, Duan Jiayang put on the clothes. It was a simple black straight dress. The fabric was soft and loose. The bra was also one she had chosen. The material was thin and soft, without a constricting feeling. Underneath were black shorts for safety. When she came out, her face was flushed from the heat.
Duan Jiayang asked uncomfortably, “I’m not going to be hospitalized, am I?”
Lin Ke’s eyes were fixed on her. “No. We’ll get another checkup when the doctor comes to work.”
Duan Jiayang held out her hand for her makeup. Lin Ke gave her the bag. Duan Jiayang felt embarrassed to rummage through it. Lin Ke said, “Let’s do the checkup first, then you can put on makeup. If you cover up your complexion, the doctor won’t be able to tell.”
“It’s not like we’re seeing a traditional Chinese medicine doctor.”
“It’s the same for any doctor. You look good with or without makeup. You used to put on some simple makeup and travel, didn’t talent scouts give you their business cards?”
Duan Jiayang admitted that she was very happy to hear her say that, but she was also very uncomfortable. It was too harmonious. Her words were always gentle, coaxing her with every sentence. She sounded like a normal person, but it was not normal for her.
A feeling of inexplicable dissatisfaction rose in Duan Jiayang’s heart. She pushed the bag with her finger. The bag fell from the bed to the floor. Duan Jiayang said, “I’m hungry.”
Lin Ke bent down to pick up the bag. She didn’t say anything or curse. “I’ll go ask the doctor.”
The hospital’s workday started at 8 a.m. At 7:30 a.m., Lin Ke folded her clothes one by one and went to line up. All the running around was done by Lin Ke. Duan Jiayang sat on a chair outside.
The doctor said, “Let’s start the IV first. Don’t eat anything this morning. Drink some warm salt water.”
Hearing this, Duan Jiayang became even hungrier.
The situation still seemed a bit serious. Duan Jiayang got another IV in the morning. Lin Ke was rummaging through her bag and asked her, “Do you still want to put on makeup?”
She took out a lipstick. “Should I help you put some on?”
Lin Ke really wanted to help her. She squeezed out some lipstick, but Duan Jiayang was uncomfortable. She turned her head and said, “I’m not in the mood.”
Lin Ke put the things away regretfully.
Duan Jiayang played with her phone. She took a picture of the chair and posted it on her social media. She didn’t block anyone and was constantly checking for updates.
People she knew and didn’t know were all liking it. Several of them asked: “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“The weather has been hot recently. Be careful of heatstroke.”
“Sending hugs. My heart hurts for you.”
Duan Jiayang looked at and replied to the people she knew well first.
Gu Siyu: “What’s wrong? Which hospital are you at? I’ll come and see you.”
Duan Jiayang was typing with one hand. Just as she was about to reply, Gu Siyu sent another message: “Are you alone, or is someone with you?”
Duan Jiayang looked up, paused her typing, and replied: “Someone’s with me. You don’t need to come. It’s too much trouble. It’s just gastroenteritis. I can go home at noon.”
After sending the message, Duan Jiayang saw her dad’s subordinate had commented on her post.
Duan Jiayang immediately replied: “I went to the emergency room last night and stayed in the hospital for one night. Thank you for your concern, Uncle.”
As long as it was someone her dad knew, Duan Jiayang would reply immediately, just to show her dad what right he had to curse her. She was in the hospital, and he didn’t even know. He always said he was doing it for her own good, but where was the good?
At noon, Duan Jiayang was feeling much better. She took her medicine and could go home. She sat in the back seat. After the car had been driving for a while, Duan Jiayang suddenly remembered and asked her, “Are you taking me back?”
Lin Ke said, “If you go back now and your dad sees that you’re fine, he might think you’re making a big fuss and will blame you for talking nonsense in front of his subordinate.”
This made some sense. Duan Litian was very confident. He always felt that whatever he did was right.
Lin Ke taught her, “You should go back later. Try not to talk to him or pay attention to him. He’s in the wrong here, and he’ll definitely feel uncomfortable…”
Before she could finish, Duan Jiayang’s phone rang. It was He Xiao. She pressed answer, her voice filled with a smile. “Hello?”
Lin Ke glanced at the rearview mirror. Her eyes instantly darkened.
“How are you? I just got off work. Which hospital are you at? I’ll come and see you,” He Xiao asked anxiously.
Duan Jiayang’s heart felt warm. “It’s nothing serious…”
“How is it not a big deal when you’re in the hospital? Where are you? Send me the address. I’ll come and see you. Is there anything you want to eat?”
“It’s not about wanting to eat anything. I have acute gastroenteritis…” Duan Jiayang looked at the person in front of her and lowered her voice. She wanted to make the illness sound more serious. “The doctor said I have some kind of acidosis and told me not to eat randomly. I just finished my IV, and I might need to rest for a few days…”
“And you’re saying that’s not serious? So, are you going home, or what are you doing? I’m going home tonight. Is there anyone at home to take care of you? Does your dad know?”
“My dad… doesn’t know.”
He Xiao said, “Come to my house. I’ll cook for you. I’ll change my shift this afternoon.”
Duan Jiayang’s mood visibly improved. She was beaming. She loved this feeling of a small matter being treated as a big deal and being cared for. “Let me think about it…”
After she spoke, a sharp horn honked.
He Xiao heard the sound and asked in confusion, “Who are you with? Are they a close friend?”
The topic went back and forth and finally came back to the core issue. Duan Jiayang didn’t want to say it was Lin Ke, and she didn’t want to say it was her dad either.
Duan Jiayang wasn’t good at lying. She gave a few perfunctory replies and hung up the phone. She held her phone and sighed heavily. She looked up at Lin Ke, who was driving properly.
Duan Jiayang frowned slightly, thinking of another matter. She was scouted to be an actress when she was a junior in college. At that time, she and He Xiao had just traveled to Japan and met a scout at the airport. The scout gave her a business card. She was in a hurry at the time, and she had to either sign a contract or get on the plane.
Duan Jiayang went to Japan first and lost the business card while she was there.
“How did you know I was scouted?”
Lin Ke was driving very steadily. Duan Jiayang could only see her arm. The lights had been green all the way, and there was no traffic. The road was clear. Suddenly, there was a red light ahead.
She stopped the car, the wheels stopping just before the line.
She seemed to be following the rules, yet also testing the forbidden zone.
One second, zero seconds.
She legally crossed the forbidden zone without any panic on her face. When the car stopped, she said, “We’re at my place. Let’s talk inside. I can cook now, and my cooking is not bad.”
The car had been driving very fast just now. Duan Jiayang wasn’t stupid. She frowned and said, “Don’t talk about that. When did you learn to cook? If I eat what you make, I’ll have to go to the hospital again.”
Lin Ke didn’t respond.
Duan Jiayang didn’t get out of the car. She held the grab handle. “I have gastroenteritis, and you still want to be wanton… Don’t you have any shame?”