The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Moonlight

After Lin Ke got the pen, she was once again covered in a magnificent aura. At school, she was the goddess, the object of admiration for boys. Occasionally, a few would pop up and stand up for her, saying, “Lin Ke stole something? Are you kidding me? If I hear that again, I’ll tear the mouth of the person spreading the rumor.”

Every person who spoke up for Lin Ke seemed incredibly brave. The two girls who had caused trouble for her before now walked around her. But what they had done was brought up and pointed out every now and then, and they became a symbol of malice.

Lin Ke often saw Duan Jiayang pass by her window. She was always holding a stack of notebooks to take to the office.

Duan Jiayang rarely came out to play after class. She would always prop her chin up and flatten the corners of the homework notebooks her classmates handed in.

The 21st class was a long break for running. Lin Ke didn’t have to participate. She went to the 10th-grade hallway, pretending to pass by. Duan Jiayang was standing on the podium, holding a piece of chalk and writing on the edge of the blackboard: [Afternoon self-study, collect chemistry homework 9]

Her pink fingers lightly held the chalk, and white chalk dust fell.

Duan Jiayang took out her phone and took a few pictures of the blackboard. She turned her head and saw her, her movements a little flustered, almost falling. She put her hand behind her back and jumped off the podium. Lin Ke’s position was close to her seat.

Duan Jiayang went to He Xiao’s seat and used a book to block herself, not wanting to have any interaction or entanglement with Lin Ke.

Because of the cheating incident, several schools organized a joint exam again. Based on the previous grades, Duan Jiayang sat in front of Lin Ke.

Duan Jiayang sat in the first seat at the entrance of the first exam hall. In the past, this was a symbol of honor, but now she felt doubly embarrassed. She was always the last one to enter, arriving just in time. Lin Ke sat behind her, holding that fountain pen, taking the exam. She could look up and see Duan Jiayang. Duan Jiayang never paid attention to her. He Xiao was also in this exam hall. During the break, she always went to find He Xiao, and the two of them would huddle in a corner, talking and laughing.

When the grades came out, Duan Jiayang went home early on Saturday for dinner. She fumbled around in her pocket and placed the neatly folded test paper on the table. The red score was at the top. She held her bowl and chopsticks and looked at her dad. “I got an 82 on my chemistry exam.”

Duan Litian didn’t say anything. He picked up some food and put it in his bowl.

Duan Jiayang continued, “The homeroom teacher made me the chemistry class representative.”

Duan Litian looked up at her, puzzled. “What? You can be the chemistry class representative with an 82?”

Duan Jiayang’s expression froze. She grabbed the test paper and stuffed it into her pocket, lowering her head and eating quietly.

Lin Ke said softly, “This chemistry exam was very difficult.”

Duan Jiayang’s grades were never in the top few. She was at the bottom all year round. Duan Litian didn’t have any hope. After hearing what Lin Ke said, he was happy.

“That’s not bad. What do you want? I’ll have the housekeeper buy it for you tomorrow.”

Duan Jiayang lowered her head and ate. “I don’t want anything.”

Duan Litian still got up to get his briefcase. He fumbled around inside and took out a box for her. Inside was a pair of diamond earrings. Lin Wan’s eyes widened. This pair of earrings cost over a million yuan. She had been wanting them for a long time.

Duan Jiayang stuffed the earrings into her pocket without even looking at them.

After eating, Lin Wan glanced at Lin Ke, hinting for Lin Ke to come to her room. She asked her discontentedly, “Why did you speak up for Duan Jiayang today?”

Lin Ke was silent and didn’t say anything.

Lin Wan said again, “I’ve been cultivating you like this, and you’re… not living up to my expectations. Duan Jiayang is already a class representative…” The topic circled back to the beginning. “Bring your test paper back tomorrow. Bring a perfect score… Do you have any positions?”

“Mom, my legs hurt.”

Duan Litian was impatiently calling for Lin Wan downstairs. Lin Wan was silent for a few seconds, pinching her arm and looking at her legs. “I’ll take you to the doctor in a few days. I’ll go downstairs first.”

“Okay.”

Lin Ke went to the balcony and looked at the room on the left next to her. She didn’t see anyone, only a bicycle leaving the yard downstairs. She was pedaling fast. Her white chiffon shirt was puffed up by the wind. She quickly disappeared among the trees.

The youthful girl looked so carefree.

At noon, the outside was scorching hot. The edges of the leaves were scorched yellow.

Not long after, Lin Ke also sneaked out. She thought Duan Jiayang had gone to find He Xiao and didn’t have much hope. As she turned, she heard a soft crying sound.

In the woods behind the villa, a bicycle was lying on the ground. Duan Jiayang was sitting on the ground, hugging her knees. Her voice was very, very low, like the whimpering of a kitten.

Lin Ke softened her steps, but there were fallen leaves on the ground, and her feet inevitably made a sound. Duan Jiayang heard it. She pursed her lips tightly, and tears were pattering down.

She didn’t start crying out loud until Lin Ke’s footsteps faded away. She sniffled, her breath rapid and short, crying very suppressedly.

Duan Jiayang cried for half an hour. She wiped away her tears and stood up to go home. Her feet suddenly backed up. Lin Ke hadn’t left. She was leaning against a tree, but because she was so thin, she was blocked by the tree. It was possible that she had deliberately let the tree hide her. Duan Jiayang’s eyes were still red. She ran far away from her. Lin Ke picked up her bicycle. The backpack in the basket was tilted, and she reached out to straighten it. A lip balm fell out of the bag. It was milk strawberry flavored.

Lin Ke picked them up one by one and put them in her backpack. She saw a dark red box where Duan Jiayang had been sitting.

“Duan Jiayang, your earrings.”

“I don’t want them.”

“This is your reward.”

“I said, I don’t want them. If you like picking up trash so much, you can have them.” Duan Jiayang turned her head, her eyes red, and said viciously, not even looking at the jewelry box.

Lin Ke pushed the bicycle back. She held the box and went upstairs. She opened the box, and inside was a pair of very sparkly diamonds, shaped like sunflowers.

She saw a string of English words in the box, Christie’s. There was no L and no K.

Lin Wan came up and knocked on the door, calling her to eat some fruit. She stuffed the box under the bedsheet. A few wrinkles appeared on the smooth bedsheet. She went to get the fruit. Lin Wan walked to where she had been sitting, reached her hand in, and pulled out the jewelry box. She opened it and her fingers trembled. “Where did this come from? Did you steal it? What if your uncle finds out… you, how could you…”

“I picked it up.”

Lin Wan’s hands trembled even more, and her voice was sharp. “Duan Jiayang threw it away, and you picked it up?”

Lin Ke hummed.

Lin Wan gritted her teeth, held the box, and walked to the balcony. Just as she was about to throw it, she called Lin Ke over and put it in her hand. “Throw it away! I’m telling you to throw it away!”

Lin Ke held it tightly. Her hand loosened, and the box fell. There was no sound.

“You’re not allowed to pick things up again!”

Lin Wan was very angry. She didn’t call Lin Ke for dinner that night. Lin Ke obediently accepted the punishment. After everyone had gone to sleep, Lin Ke got out of bed. She took her small flashlight and secretly went to the back of the villa. She rummaged through the rose bushes. The thorns from the roses left a few cuts on the back of her hands.

She found the box, but the earrings were gone.

As she was looking, a light shone down. Duan Jiayang was also holding a flashlight, shining it on Lin Ke’s face like she was a suspect. She asked, “What are you doing?”

Lin Ke anxiously held the box tightly. She put her hand behind her back. The waist-high roses blocked her movements. She said, “There’s a cat here. It’s been meowing.”

“How boring.”

This was the first time Lin Ke had rebelled against her mother. In the dark night, the moon was also covered by dark clouds. She thought that as long as she didn’t say anything, the sky wouldn’t know. She could hide it quietly. But another participant appeared. Duan Jiayang was the first witness. She was watching the whole time. Lin Ke didn’t find the earrings or the cat.

For the next few days, whenever it got dark, Duan Jiayang would go to the back of the villa. She would softly imitate, “Meow~”

“Meow meow~”

So stupid.

Lin Ke stood on the balcony and watched her.

Duan Jiayang squatted under the tree, opened her backpack, and took out many small cans, putting them in boxes here and there. She held a cat toy in her hand. “Come out, meow meow~”

Suddenly, a cat poked its head out.

There were two of them, one orange and one black. The cats were dirty and timid, and they hid under the leaves. Duan Jiayang took two steps back, and the cats slowly approached to eat the canned food. She picked up a sycamore leaf and raised her eyebrows proudly.

See?

Lin Ke ran down from the balcony.

She was wearing a very long short-sleeved shirt, or maybe it was her pajamas. It was wrapped from her neck to her ankles. Duan Jiayang looked up and thought of No-Face from the anime “Spirited Away.”

“There’s really a cat?” Lin Ke was shocked.

Duan Jiayang thought she was being ridiculous and ignored her.

“Do you like small animals?”

“Then do you like cats or dogs?”

Lin Ke was very talkative. “Duan Jiayang, you’re so amazing…”

Duan Jiayang opened a can of tuna and knocked on the lid. She didn’t want to pay attention to Lin Ke and ignored her. Lin Ke squatted down, mimicking her movements. The little cat that was eating looked up and met her eyes. After a few seconds, the little cat’s fur stood up, and it ran away.

“Do you like stray cats?”

Duan Jiayang glared at her and stood up. “No, I like dogs.”

“Why don’t you take them home and raise them?”

Duan Jiayang could sense that Lin Ke didn’t like animals. She had a cold demeanor, like the legendary cold-blooded animals.

To Duan Jiayang, Lin Ke was an animal that had intruded into her home.

Duan Jiayang said, “I only like to raise ones that can’t be tamed and won’t rely on me and never leave my house.”

Duan Jiayang patted the dust off and picked up her backpack to leave. Lin Ke seemed to say something like “You can raise them…” behind her. She turned her head to look at Lin Ke. Lin Ke pursed her lips.

Maybe it was just the sound of feet on the leaves. A misconception.

Duan Jiayang lowered her head and saw that the little black and little orange cats had secretly come back. They were licking each other’s fur and rubbing their faces, affectionately sharing the cat food that was left on the ground.

Soon, the atmosphere at home changed. Duan Litian was smiling every day, and Lin Wan would occasionally touch her stomach. At dinner, and at night when she went to bed upstairs, the more she touched her stomach, the more pocket money Lin Ke received. Once, Lin Wan gave her a bracelet. The box was the same as the one Duan Jiayang had thrown away, and it also didn’t have an “L” or a “K.”

It was a pity that Duan Jiayang really didn’t understand what it meant. She thought Lin Wan was just bloated from eating too much from men and was holding her stomach all day.

After a while, she got annoyed. She said to Lin Ke, “Can you tell your mom to have some shame? She’s bloated all day and farting, and she’s even showing off with her hands on her hips. What’s there to be proud of? Does she think that if she makes the house smell, I’ll give my mom’s room to her?”

“Dream on!”

Instead, it made Lin Wan look like a fool, utterly stupid and a complete idiot.

The high temperature didn’t go away. The school had a five-day break. Every morning and night, Duan Jiayang would bring canned cat food to the rose bushes. One day, she put a large wooden house under the tree. The two little cats immediately went inside, their tails curling around the bell at the entrance and playing.

The little cats were afraid of Lin Ke, so Lin Ke could only watch from a distance.

They weren’t allowed to have cats at home. Duan Litian had severe rhinitis and was allergic to animal fur, especially cat fur. Duan Jiayang was immediately chased out after she secretly brought a cat back to wash it. She didn’t give up on the little cats. She would always sit under the tree and lazily feed the cats. That became her secret base. The cats were never afraid of her and would sleep by her legs. The wind would blow gently, and she would be nestled in the flowers, and the flowers would sway.

She was another kind of creature that grew in the rose bushes.

She bloomed in the barren and withered world that Lin Ke was in. The small corner she created for herself was Lin Ke’s entire world.

After a while, Duan Jiayang also found that Lin Ke was always following her. It made sense to follow her when she was feeding the cats, but she was also like this at school, always staring at her.

Sometimes, she would go to the chemistry office to drop off homework. Other times, Lin Ke would pass by her window on her way to the restroom and stare at her. Sometimes, they would run into each other at the school store, and she would give her a sweet smile.

More often, they would run into each other at the school cafeteria. Lin Ke used to never come out during lunch break, but now wherever Duan Jiayang ate, she would eat there too. Whichever line Duan Jiayang was in, she would be in the one next to her. Every time their eyes met, Lin Ke would become even bolder, holding her tray and sitting on the other side of the table.

At a four-person table, she and Duan Jiayang shared a bench.

He Xiao, who was sitting across from Duan Jiayang, was surprised. He Xiao was stuffing thousand-layer tofu into her mouth, but because of her surprise, she couldn’t get it into her mouth. She looked like she had two fangs.

Duan Jiayang took her chopsticks and slammed them down. She didn’t want to eat anymore.

He Xiao was still quite hungry. Duan Jiayang pulled her out to eat. Duan Jiayang also had privileges at school. Her dad was the one who installed the air conditioners at the school. She wanted to go out and get a separate meal. Who would dare to stop her? At a young age, she had the extremely arrogant aura of a leader.

The dean was a little intimidated and said that she had a bright future and would definitely take over her dad’s position.

There were also times when she couldn’t be seen. One day, Lin Ke didn’t see her in the cafeteria. She got her food. She was holding her tray and walked past He Xiao. She didn’t sit down, but He Xiao was scared to death and moved her butt backward.

“Why didn’t I see Duan Jiayang? Did she eat yet?”

He Xiao was simple-minded. “She went out to eat with a classmate.”

“Where did she go? Who is it? Are they very close?” Lin Ke asked. She also smiled at He Xiao. He Xiao was inexplicably afraid of her. She shook her head and said she didn’t know. She lowered her head and ate. She didn’t look up until she felt Lin Ke had left. Lin Ke dumped all of her food without eating a single bite and left the cafeteria.

He Xiao thought it was strange. She couldn’t put a finger on why.

She thought about it and looked at the cafeteria’s motto: Waste is shameful.

Duan Jiayang didn’t return to school until it was almost time for self-study. A boy was with her, talking excitedly. Duan Jiayang occasionally nodded. The two of them entered the teaching building. Lin Ke was at the railing, watching them go upstairs.

The boy looked at Lin Ke, and his eyes lit up slightly.

“Hello.” Lin Ke greeted him.

The boy was dumbfounded. He had delivered so many things to Lin Ke, and now that he was about to give up, it was finally going to bear fruit. His eyeballs were about to fall at Lin Ke’s feet.

Duan Jiayang looked at Lin Ke with a complicated expression and quickened her pace.

Lin Ke leaned against the railing. The boy talked to her with his hands in his pockets. Did you eat? Why are you here? Do you have time tonight? Let’s take a walk together.

Lin Ke asked, “Why are you with Duan Jiayang?”

The boy smelled the jealousy. “She invited me to eat. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Why did she invite you to eat?” Lin Ke was serious.

He finally made some progress. The boy had already forgotten his promise to Duan Jiayang. “I used to deliver things to you, and she asked me to help her deliver them.”

“All of those were from her? She was too embarrassed, so she had you deliver them?”

The boy nodded. He saw that Lin Ke’s eyes were sparkling, and he felt that something was not right. He was about to say that it was mostly me who delivered them, and Duan Jiayang only delivered medicine twice.

But Lin Ke smiled and said, “I know. Thank you.” She even smiled at him. When she smiled, he felt dizzy. Lin Ke said in a possessive tone that was hard to understand, “Then don’t eat with Duan Jiayang from now on.”

The boy’s heart softened. He couldn’t help but flirt playfully, “Tsk, okay, but then, shouldn’t you make it up to me…”

That night, he bought a bottle of sparkling water and went to the 8th-grade classroom to ask Lin Ke for a walk. He knocked on the window. In the past, Lin Ke would just give him a cold glance. This time, she opened the window for him. The boy gave her the water.

Lin Ke took it and said thank you.

Immediately, a group of people started to cheer, whistling and patting his shoulder. “Nice, you got her. It’s on you for dinner.”

Lin Ke said, “Can you give this to Duan Jiayang for me?”

“What…” The boy was confused. He lowered his head and saw that Lin Ke was holding a bag of soda crackers. Lin Ke said, “Thank her for sending me things. The water today is also my favorite flavor, jasmine grape.”

“Wait…” The boy said. “I bought this.”

Lin Ke gave the sparkling water back to him. “Then I don’t want it…”

The boy understood a little. He tentatively said, “Duan Jiayang only gave you medicine twice. The rest were from me, not her…”

Lin Ke said, “Then come back when you’re delivering medicine next time.”

The boy was dumbfounded. He was a little reluctant to give up and asked, “Do you know my name?”

A few seconds later, the boy said angrily, “My name is Zhou Maosheng!”

Oh.

But what does that have to do with me?

Zhou Maosheng came back with a bag of crackers. Everyone knew that Lin Ke had made progress and came over to gossip. They were even more excited when they saw the crackers in his hand. Zhou Maosheng’s face was completely black. He threw the crackers directly at Duan Jiayang.

Duan Jiayang knew that he had sold her out. She looked at him with disgust. “Get lost. Only a dog would pay attention to you.”

After that, she never said a word to Zhou Maosheng again. When others asked what happened, she would just say that Zhou Maosheng had a bad character and was an idiot.

Lin Ke became more and more proactive with her. Her window was always open. When she saw Duan Jiayang coming, she would softly call out from outside, “Duan Jiayang.”

It was a cloudy day, and she still had her window open. As Duan Jiayang passed by, she said, “Duan Jiayang, it’s going to rain.”

“What’s wrong with you? Are you a weather forecaster?”

Duan Jiayang ignored her once or twice. After the third or fourth time, others started asking Duan Jiayang what her relationship with Lin Ke was, if they knew each other, and would also subtly inquire about Lin Ke’s family matters.

Duan Jiayang was so annoyed. She gave Lin Ke a disgusted look, but Lin Ke wouldn’t get angry. She would still greet her.

It was very strange.

How strange? It was another surprise exam.

Duan Jiayang placed her pencil case on the desk and unwrapped a pack of gum. She put it in her mouth and propped her chin up, looking out the window. She was back in that first classroom, but this time she was sitting in the middle from the edge.

The next second, Lin Ke sat in front of her.

Duan Jiayang was stunned. She immediately sat up straight. Could they change seats for the exam?

The exam seats were all arranged according to their grades. There was no way Lin Ke could be in their classroom.

It was as if she had seen a ghost. She ran into the previous proctor. The teacher was also confused when she saw them. When she handed out the test papers, she specifically walked over to them and looked at them again and again. She even picked up Lin Ke’s test paper to look at it.

Not to mention the proctor’s surprise, Duan Jiayang was also dumbfounded.

Fortunately, she had no distractions during the exam, and nothing went wrong. But her presence in this exam hall was absurd. Duan Jiayang suddenly remembered seeing her frequently in the office those days. Could her grades have dropped?

The first in the city dropping to 1000th in the grade? That was a bit outrageous, wasn’t it?

The morning had two exams with a break in between. Lin Ke turned her head, with a smile on her lips. “Duan Jiayang, do you want to go back and see the cats tonight? The little black cat seems to be in heat.”

Duan Jiayang just wanted to draw a line. She said, “Mind your own business.”

Lin Ke didn’t retort like she used to. She said something Duan Jiayang didn’t understand. “This is still not very convenient.”

At that time, it was already summer vacation, and they started tutoring for their third year of high school.

The school had frequent exams. Duan Jiayang’s grades improved. In the next exam, she sat in the first seat of the first row. Lin Ke was surprisingly in the row behind her, in the diagonal seat, and she had scored even worse than Duan Jiayang.

Duan Jiayang’s scalp was numb. After the exam, she complained to He Xiao, “Lin Ke was in the exam behind me. Did her grades drop so fast?” She said with some resentment, “Why isn’t she called in by her parents?”

He Xiao wasn’t surprised at all to see Lin Ke. “She’s controlling her scores… she’s very wild.”

“Controlling her scores?”

“In both exams, she only did the big questions in the science section properly, and she got them all right.”

He Xiao asked Duan Jiayang, “Do you know her?”

Her head hurt. She hadn’t even told He Xiao about her relationship with Lin Ke.

Just then, Lin Ke came out. Their eyes met. Lin Ke’s lips moved slightly. Before she could say anything, the three words “Duan Jiayang” automatically rang in Duan Jiayang’s ears, soft and gentle.

Duan Jiayang couldn’t stand it anymore. In the last exam, she wrote a note and put it on Lin Ke’s desk. The noisy classroom became quiet.

It turned out that it wasn’t just the proctor who was paying attention to them.

During evening self-study, everyone moved their desks back to their original positions. In the second evening self-study session, it was completely dark. Duan Jiayang slipped out and ran downstairs, heading straight for the small woods behind the basketball court on the playground.

As soon as she went in, she was startled by a few exclamations. School couples were secretly kissing here. The couples saw how fierce she looked and thought she was the dean, so they scattered in all directions. Duan Jiayang wasn’t doing much better. She covered her face and ran to a corner.

Someone was already waiting for her in the corner.

“Duan Jiayang.”

It was quiet. Duan Jiayang couldn’t describe the sound. It was like a feather stroking her ears.

Instantly, a fire burned up inside her. She gritted her teeth. “Can you not greet me anymore? Can you not call my name?”

Lin Ke blinked. “If I don’t call you Duan Jiayang, what should I call you?”

Duan Jiayang felt that she didn’t understand human language. She meant not to greet her.

“Call you Jiayang?”

“Don’t you dare!”

Lin Ke thought for a moment. “Little sister.”

Duan Jiayang’s goosebumps rose. She wanted to strangle her. She kicked a tree. “Lin Ke, are you doing this on purpose?”

“No…”

“You’re still calling me that! Do you believe that I’ll tear your mouth off?” Duan Jiayang glared at her viciously. But there were no lights here. It was pitch black, so her fierce expression was for nothing.

As she said that, a flashlight beam shone over. The dean was checking on them. Duan Jiayang was so scared she didn’t know what to do. Her eyes were wide.

Lin Ke reached out and pulled her over, then slightly turned her body to block her. She said, “It’s me.”

“Who?” The dean didn’t expect a student to dare to answer.

“Lin Ke,” she said. “I’m not in a good mood. I’m just here to be quiet.”

“Go to the classroom soon… as for your test paper, come to my office tomorrow.”

Lin Ke hummed.

Duan Jiayang was dumbfounded. This operation was amazing.

The dean left with her light. It was just the two of them standing there. It was getting late. Duan Jiayang planned to give her one more warning and then leave.

Lin Ke turned around and stood very close to her. Her shoulder was against the wall. She was blocking the light and looking at her intently. She asked her, “Can I call you Little Lamb?”

“What?”

“Little Lamb, baa baa.”