The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Stars

Lin Ke let out a soft laugh. Her tone was gentle as she said, “I won’t do anything to you. If you don’t want to, you can call the police.”

Duan Jiayang’s body was stiff in the car. She tentatively moved her foot forward but then subtly pulled it back. The clear spring in her eyes rippled with the light, filled with a mix of conflict and fear. Yet, she maintained a firm stance, a determined and resolute expression on her face.

“Are you afraid to go to my house and are just making an excuse, or are you worried about what I might do? If you’re worried, I can promise not to do anything to you and will respect your wishes.”

Duan Jiayang looked up at her, her lips pressed into a tight line.

Lin Ke squeezed the door handle tighter and tighter. Her breathing, which had been rapid, calmed down. She smiled with extreme restraint. “Little Lamb, don’t look at me like that.”

One more spark would cause a fire, one that would be out of control.

She couldn’t help but want to pull her out of the car and do something forceful.

After three minutes of internal conflict, Duan Jiayang got out of the car. She slammed the door shut. Lin Ke parked the car under a tree and then led her into the elevator.

They stood apart from each other inside. At her door, Lin Ke entered her fingerprint. There was a very large insulated box in front of her door. Lin Ke opened it and pushed the box inside.

The door closed. To see how a person lives, you first look at their shoes. There weren’t many shoes on the rack. They were mostly Lin Ke’s work shoes, heels, flats, and sneakers, all neatly arranged. On the bottom shelf were two pairs of slippers, one pink and one yellow. Lin Ke bent down, took out the slippers, and asked her, “Can you stand steadily?”

Duan Jiayang hadn’t said anything, but she was already having second thoughts, wanting to leave.

Lin Ke squatted down, and with a light flick of her finger, she unbuckled the strap of her heels and placed the slippers by her feet. “Put them on.”

Everything happened in an instant. Lin Ke’s actions were proper and natural. Duan Jiayang took her feet out of her heels, first stepping on the floor, which felt a bit cold, then into the slippers.

Lin Ke didn’t rush her. She squatted on the floor and opened the insulated box first. Inside were all kinds of vegetables. She took some out and put them in the kitchen and some in the fridge. Lin Ke took a blue apron and put it around her neck. She reached her hands behind her back to tie a bow at her waist. She tugged on the blue hem of the apron and turned around. There was a white sheep on the apron.

“Would you like to sit for a while?”

Duan Jiayang was still in a daze. She sat outside, her eyes wandering around uncomfortably. They always ended up in the kitchen. Lin Ke’s back was slightly bent. She was chopping something with a cleaver, completely unaware of her presence. The light from the vent window was lazily scattered on her shoulders.

Lin Ke had truly become an adult.

Duan Jiayang immediately turned around. She wasn’t looking anymore. She picked up the remote and turned on a random show.

Lin Ke came out to get something and poured her a glass of water. Duan Jiayang kept her eyes on the TV and asked, “Your mom doesn’t live here? What if I run into your mom? We’ll probably get into a fight.”

Lin Ke said, “She’s never been inside my house. Your dad was the one who found someone to tell her that I live here, which is why she was able to find me. Otherwise, you two wouldn’t have met that day.” As she recalled the scene from that day, a faint smile played on her lips.

Duan Jiayang only felt embarrassed. She averted her gaze. Duan Litian liked to be sneaky. But Lin Ke had actually not told her mom where she lived.

Lin Ke turned her back to her and continued to chop vegetables. She lowered her eyes. There were some things she didn’t say. She just wanted to live with Little Lamb.

Porridge, sweet potatoes, crucian carp soup, and greens.

They were simple and light home-cooked meals.

The crucian carp soup was cooked in a clay pot. Lin Ke wore gloves to bring it out. Duan Jiayang got up and helped her carry a plate of vegetables. The food smelled good and looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.

She really could cook.

Lin Ke served her a bowl of porridge and put a spoon in it. Duan Jiayang blew on it and then brought it to her mouth. Lin Ke looked at her with anticipation. “How is it?”

Duan Jiayang nodded. It tasted fresh and there was nothing she could complain about. She still couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked, “When did you learn to cook?”

Lin Ke said, “I used to cook when I lived at your house, but I wasn’t good at it then. I completely learned after a month of being abroad.”

“Did you specifically learn?” Duan Jiayang asked.

“No. I had nothing to do abroad, so I could only do this.”

Going abroad, returning home. The dusty memories were torn open. Duan Jiayang spooned the porridge into her mouth and didn’t ask any more questions. “It’s good.”

Lin Ke’s eyes were full of anticipation. “Try the fish again.”

Lin Ke’s cooking used to be terrible. It was as if she had no sense of taste, but she would eat it with great relish with her own spoon. One time, Duan Jiayang couldn’t help but secretly try a bite. She thought she had poisoned her and stuck her finger down her throat in the bathroom.

The porridge was a little hot. Duan Jiayang wiped her lips with a tissue.

Duan Jiayang was still curious about the talent scout, but she kept the question in her heart, unable to ask.

If she asked now, she would definitely cross a line. She casually brought it up. “About the talent scout…”

“Because I missed you so much, I came back to see you.”

See? What did she say?

Duan Jiayang held her bowl and drank the soup. She stopped there. Lin Ke’s eyes were very bright and invasive. No matter how she controlled them, she couldn’t suppress them. She really wanted to tell Duan Jiayang what her life was like abroad, but Duan Jiayang didn’t want to talk about it. She was like a dry wooden stake in the desert, having lost the ability to grow, and had long since rotted away from years of stagnation.

Duan Jiayang cowered and didn’t want to listen.

She was lost in thought: Sure enough, Lin Ke is making progress, but I’m still stuck in place.

Isn’t that a little sad?

After the meal, Duan Jiayang helped clear the dishes. She also glanced at the kitchen. The pots, bowls, and plates were all there, along with all kinds of seasonings, unlike before when it was empty. She stood inside for a long time, her eyes falling on the rocking chair on the balcony.

The strong midday sun cast shadows on the chair.

She understood now. It was cozy and felt like home.

“Mm.” Lin Ke walked over and handed her the medicine.

Duan Jiayang took the cup. Lin Ke poured the pills into her palm. She swallowed the pills and said, “After you take the medicine, do you want to take a nap?”

Duan Jiayang swallowed five pills with one gulp of water.

Neither of them had slept well at the hospital the day before. She held the cup and nodded. Lin Ke went to get the bag she had brought back and took it to the washing machine. Inside were her bras. Duan Jiayang quickly said, “I’ll wash them myself.”

“I smell like food from cooking. I want to take a shower first. Can you wait a moment?”

Lin Ke took her clothes and went into the bathroom to shower. Duan Jiayang secretly went to the sheep-shaped sofa on the balcony and lay down. It was very hot at the moment. She looked outside, and the strong sunlight made it hard for her to open her eyes. She broke out in a sweat.

It was nice.

Duan Jiayang couldn’t explain why she was doing this. The moment she closed her eyes, she felt that this place was different from her room. The sunlight fell on her, making one side of her face hot. She felt a surge of emotion, wanting to cry.

The sound of water from the bathroom was loud. She caught glimpses of the white figure behind the glass door several times. They used to shower together, playing with white foam side by side, and making a mess with water from the bathtub filled with rose petals.

This…

Now, it was sunny and calm, and it seemed like there was nothing wrong. But the sunlight, the tempting sound of water, were all crossing a line.

It was a chaotic feeling, and she couldn’t pinpoint which line had been crossed.

Lin Ke called her from inside. Her voice was muffled by the glass door. Duan Jiayang didn’t hear clearly. She got up and crouched down, lying on the living room sofa.

Lin Ke walked forward. The outline of a white figure flashed in front of the door. “Did you leave?”

“No.”

“Go to sleep. I’ll wake you up later.”

Duan Jiayang hummed in response. She lay on the sofa for a while, watched TV for two minutes, and then gave in to her sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep. In a haze, it felt like sleep paralysis. She wanted to wake up but couldn’t. Her brain kept dreaming, and finally, she was resting her head on someone’s lap.

Whose?

It could only be Lin Ke’s.

It was the same as the embrace they shared here before, a suffocating feeling of drowning.

“Can I kiss you?” she asked.

Duan Jiayang didn’t move.

Lin Ke leaned in slightly. She had a moist jasmine scent, a mix of shower gel and body odor. It was overpowering. Duan Jiayang’s head was spinning. She forced her eyes open. Lin Ke was sitting next to her, wearing a slip dress that only covered her thighs. Lin Ke held her hand and placed it on her leg. The desire in her eyes was heavy. Her red lips parted slightly.

Duan Jiayang’s head hurt. She couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.

Her voice was hoarse. “No.”

“Not wanton, just one kiss,” she said, leaning in slowly. Her eyes were full of longing. Duan Jiayang’s fingers were trembling slightly. Lin Ke leaned in, and her lips gently kissed her ring.

She enticed her, bit her fingertip, and begged her with every word, “Little Lamb, when you’re asleep, don’t be so defensive of me, okay?”

She tugged at Duan Jiayang’s finger, but Duan Jiayang guarded it tightly, pressing her teeth hard against her own lip.

Lin Ke tugged hard, but she still didn’t let her kiss her.

“Don’t go too far.” Duan Jiayang’s eyes opened slightly, and sweat beaded on her forehead. She was slowly pulling away from her drowsiness and was about to fully wake up.

Lin Ke hummed and let go of her hand.

Duan Jiayang’s eyes closed and opened again. When she opened them, she looked at Lin Ke. Lin Ke was sitting properly next to her. It was like a dream, but not. Duan Jiayang herself couldn’t tell what was going on. When she woke up, she was covered in sweat. The temperature was high today. It was very hot.

Lin Ke brushed the hair from her forehead, placed Duan Jiayang’s head on her lap, and stroked her cheek. “We can get along well, too. We haven’t fought at all, right? Little Lamb, don’t be afraid. I’m not the same as I used to be.”

It was strange. Duan Jiayang didn’t want to fight with her, but she felt helpless when they got along even a little bit. She firmly believed that they should be twisted and entangled.

Duan Jiayang didn’t rest her head on her lap. She propped herself up with her arms, rubbed her face, and her neck was a little sore. She clenched her fists and massaged her shoulders. “I’m going back now.”

In the evening, Lin Ke drove her back. Duan Jiayang leaned against the back window, feeling the breeze. They stopped at her house. Lin Ke opened the car door for her and handed her a handwritten note. “When you’re at home, have the chef cook according to this. Also, take your medicine on time and don’t eat irregularly or eat random things recently.”

Duan Jiayang hummed and casually stuffed the note into her pocket. She felt around her body a few times and realized there were no pockets. She squeezed the note in her hand. She ran into the living room and opened her hand. The note was wrinkled and wet.

“If you don’t feel well, call me,” Lin Ke said to her retreating back.

Duan Jiayang didn’t make a big fuss when she got home. She put tape over her mouth and didn’t say anything. She went upstairs to her room and lay down. She felt very different from before, and the discomfort was obvious.

She was sick, and no one in the house cared. No one offered to bring her tea or water. It was inevitable that she felt heartbroken. She sighed.

When it was late and quiet, Duan Jiayang habitually reflected on herself. She suddenly remembered Lin Ke’s kindness and her meticulous care.

Duan Jiayang was surprised by how much Lin Ke had changed. She could cook and live on her own. She wasn’t upset about spending a day at her house and allowing their boundaries to waver. Instead, she was upset that after all these years, Lin Ke had changed, while she was still the same person, old-fashioned and conservative, constantly drawing lines for herself and putting up various warning signs.

She was stupid and foolish, and she hadn’t made any progress.

As she was thinking, her phone received a message. Duan Jiayang turned sideways and looked at it from her bed.

LK: “Your clothes are still here. I’ll bring them to you tomorrow.”

Duan Jiayang just remembered that she had forgotten her clothes. She typed out a reply, but then immediately deleted it before sending it. Once bitten, twice shy. She replied: “I’ll come get them then.”

After the last time, how could she dare to let her deliver them? It would be fine if she took them to Lan Yao to show off, but what if she went crazy and wore them?

Duan Jiayang added another message: “Just throw the bra away.”

She replied: “Oh, you didn’t say so earlier. I already washed it for you.”

[Picture]

A slender hand was holding the wet fabric.

LK: “Do you want me to throw it away? Or should I wait for it to dry?”

Duan Jiayang put her hand on her forehead and whispered.

Don’t cross the line anymore.

Lin Ke looked at the lit-up building and read the messages on her phone.

Duan Mei Mei: “Wait for dry”

She withdrew it. Duan Mei Mei: “Wait for it to dry.”

She withdrew it again, deleting it repeatedly.

Duan Mei Mei: “Wait for dry”

Lin Ke asked herself: Is it too fast?

But she’s so cute. I really want to kiss her.