The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Stars
The night was very quiet, and the rain outside the window had lightened. In a trance, she was back in a summer long past, with a flashlight’s beam shining wantonly on the balcony.
It swayed, making it impossible for the other girl to ignore.
In her youth, Duan Jiayang was restless. She knew Lin Ke wasn’t someone to be trifled with, but she could never resist getting closer. Now that Duan Jiayang had grown up, she still couldn’t control herself.
Duan Jiayang propped herself up and looked outside. The balcony curtain wasn’t fully closed. She went over and pulled a corner open, but the rain curtain was too thick, and she couldn’t see anyone.
Her finger traced her lips, brushing them lightly.
For years, she had been numbed by the tediousness of daily life, her clumsy nerves falling into a deep slumber. She wouldn’t get excited by any rustle or stir and had almost forgotten this person.
But now, as night fell, her restlessness and inability to sleep because of Lin Ke’s appearance had turned into a fervent curiosity and wild imagination.
Her finger unconsciously touched her lips. In the rainy night, she lay on her bed, touching and touching again, her lips giving rise to a frantic heartbeat. Her mind was filled with images of Lin Ke kissing her.
“I am your dog.”
“Do you want to play with me?”
Duan Jiayang’s heart pounded madly.
It was too much, too deadly.
She had jumbled dreams that night, remembering bits and pieces when she woke up, only to forget them completely after brushing her teeth. She rubbed her neck and looked at her lips in the mirror. A scab had formed on her lip. She tried to pick it off, wincing in pain.
After a week, her gastroenteritis was completely gone.
Duan Jiayang stepped on a chair to get a book from the top shelf. She tucked a sticky note inside, then pushed it firmly into the furthest corner. As she got down, she paused for a few minutes, tiptoed, and took out another book. Flipping through a few pages, she found a yellowed boat ticket.
She had once sworn she would never take it out a second time.
After she was done, she quickly turned around and pulled the curtains shut.
When she went downstairs, she wore a mask, feeling a bit of regret. If she had applied the ointment yesterday, it might have healed faster. Duan Jiayang had planned to wait until her lip was better to go to the company, but Yang Ruiqi kept messaging her, saying the director was rushing her to submit the design.
Yang Ruiqi sighed: “My dear, come soon, or we’ll all get a scolding.”
The reason for their scolding was simple. The director said that since it was a team project, everyone had to submit their work, even Duan Jiayang. There would be no special treatment. If Duan Jiayang didn’t know how, they would teach her and have her follow along. Everyone was used to Duan Jiayang being a “useless” slacker, and when they heard this request, they were all lost in thought, unable to figure out if Lin Ke wanted to teach Duan Jiayang or torment them.
With no choice, Duan Jiayang drove to the company.
“Assistant Liu was just here and said to go upstairs,” Yang Ruiqi relayed the message.
Duan Jiayang hadn’t even sat down. She had only just turned on her computer, and the rendering part of the car wheel wasn’t finished. Yu Xiao’s team had just submitted their design, and she came out of the office to pass on a message: “The director wants you to go to her office first.”
Yang Ruiqi stayed silent, wanting to know where she would go. After the scene with the three of them at the company entrance that day, she was lucky enough to be one of the onlookers. Now she suspected the director was also a lesbian, and they were even in a love triangle.
This was simply too messy, a dramatic plotline.
Duan Jiayang couldn’t sit still. She directly sent the design over.
Lin Ke replied instantly: “I’ve fixed it for you. Come in.”
That fast?
It had taken her a full two days to make it.
Duan Jiayang looked up and asked Yang Ruiqi, “Did the director say anything?”
Yang Ruiqi remembered something.
“The director’s lip was broken this morning.”
“She wasn’t wearing a mask?” Duan Jiayang was shocked, and so was Yang Ruiqi.
“I mean, she only gave us the work on Friday. Who can finish it? It’s not like I have to work at home, either. Why are you so competitive?”
Hearing this, Yang Ruiqi wanted to laugh, thinking Duan Jiayang was a little cute. “Isn’t this your family’s company? Besides, you only did a car wheel. When Xiao Li first came, it took him at most two hours to do one.”
Yang Ruiqi noticed something remarkable and stared at Duan Jiayang’s mask.
Duan Jiayang said, “I’m still going to find my dad.”
Yang Ruiqi panicked a little, “Don’t tattle on us.”
Duan Jiayang walked fast and didn’t hear this.
Xiao Li in front poked his head out and said, “She won’t tattle. Duan Jiayang is a good person. Maybe her major doesn’t match, and she’s not good at these technical things. After all, she graduated from the language department…”
“Xiao Li, you came late, so you might not understand the intentions of the higher-ups. Before we were assigned here, Old Zhang, the previous director, hinted many times. Don’t even think about getting any ideas about Duan Jiayang. If you do, you’ll be packed up and out the door immediately, and there are rewards for reporting.”
“Huh?” Xiao Li was surprised. He had heard rumors that Duan Jiayang and the chairman had a bad relationship. “Isn’t that restricting her freedom?”
“Restricting? Look at Duan Jiayang’s spending. Her bag is Chanel, her clothes are custom-made by a private designer. The ring on her finger alone is half a million, and her earrings and bracelets add up to at least five million. Is that restriction? Just work hard. Her dad is actually good to her.”
Duan Jiayang was pretty. Although she had a strong rich-girl aura and would show off unintentionally, to be honest, her temper wasn’t too bad. The luxury goods she mentioned were her everyday items; her lifestyle was naturally that way.
Li Yuanchen had indeed had a little crush on her. He had a good impression of her, but after hearing what Yang Ruiqi said, he understood that they were worlds apart.
He thought of a gossip headline.
Duan Litian’s background seemed to be similar to his own.
“Then, according to that, who is worthy of her? She must be in an arranged marriage.”
Yang Ruiqi wasn’t worried about that. It was not her place to worry about a capitalist’s daughter. She was already flustered about her own marriage. But she did remember one thing. When Old Zhang had said that, both men and women were present. Then… my god, it was true.
…
Duan Jiayang didn’t go directly upstairs after leaving the office. While the hallway was empty, she went to a corner to get some air. With her mouth like this, it wasn’t good to run around… Lin Ke wasn’t even wearing a mask in her office, which made it conspicuous whether Duan Jiayang wore one or not.
After a long deliberation, Duan Jiayang found it strangely more terrifying to face Lin Ke than to face her dad.
Duan Jiayang went upstairs. The secretary brought her tea, water, and snacks. Duan Litian was in a meeting with the chief secretary. Duan Jiayang waited until it was almost noon before her dad returned.
Duan Litian was exhausted. He said a bunch of things, but Duan Jiayang only caught one key point. Duan Litian said, “I can’t touch Lin Ke for now. I’ll change your position. You can be a translator and help translate product information. I’ll find two assistants for you.”
Finding her assistants meant the assistants would work, and she would play. Duan Jiayang said, “Dad, I might not be able to leave right now.”
Duan Litian frowned. “What? Do you still want to stay there? Didn’t you say you never thought about being with her?”
“I never did,” Duan Jiayang said, her head aching from his words. She really wanted to rush up and shake her dad’s big, chubby head. “Dad, how could you? Your daughter’s mouth was just numb from her kiss yesterday, and today you dare to move my position. Do you want me to die?”
Although Duan Jiayang thought she was stupid and couldn’t handle these complicated matters, she understood one principle: don’t provoke a lunatic, or there won’t be enough grass on the prairie to eat.
“Then you shouldn’t have put me in the same office as Lin Ke in the first place. I don’t know what you were thinking.”
That was simple. He initially wanted to retain talent and use the fact that Lin Ke liked Duan Jiayang to get her to sign a contract to work for the company. Now… Duan Litian was very shrewd. He said, “You don’t understand. You’re moving out this week.”
“Can’t you give me a little more time?” Duan Jiayang asked.
A week was too fast. It would be either her or me who dies.
Duan Litian’s expression was complicated. Duan Jiayang didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Duan Litian gave in, saying, “Alright, at the end of the month. Move out at the end of the month. Don’t go back downstairs. You’ll leave with me later.”
“Seeing your friends again?”
Duan Litian leaned back, and the chair creaked twice. He said unhappily, “They’re not friends. They’re just a bunch of blind dogs.”
Calling them dogs was an insult to dogs. They were just a bunch of people worse than pigs and dogs. Duan Jiayang said, “I’m not going.”
Duan Litian looked at the mask on her face. Duan Jiayang showed a high level of intelligence, pulling the mask down and then quickly back up. “Don’t blame me. You took me there that day, and it was so dirty inside that my face got a rash and went bad. And then He Xiao came looking for me. It was so embarrassing.”
Duan Litian looked confused.
“I also got acne, and I covered it with makeup. I’ll go check it later. My lip still hurts a little.” She pulled out the ointment from yesterday and said, “I just bought this medicine.”
Duan Litian’s eyes gradually went from suspicious to a little believing. Duan Jiayang felt a small thrill inside. He had always been so shrewd, but was he being fooled by her for once?
Duan Litian asked again, “Your face is messed up, and you still went out?”
“I went to work on the design. I can make models now.” Duan Jiayang didn’t expect her dad to praise her and left directly.
His secretary, however, praised her, saying, “Jiayang is very eager to learn. She can be taught.”
Duan Litian frowned. “It’s all useless effort.”
The imagination was rich, but reality was sparse. No matter how beautiful Duan Jiayang’s thoughts were, she was timid and apprehensive when she returned to the office.
Especially when she had just sat down, the bottom right corner of her computer started vibrating, reminding her that a message had come in.
The office was lively at this moment, with several people talking.
Someone was gossiping that Lin Ke had just gotten into an argument with the adjacent department over a proposal. The two sides had different ideas, but they didn’t say what the ideas were.
Car hardware and design complemented each other, and the two departments usually had a good relationship.
It was strange that they were arguing today. Duan Jiayang listened to them talk, catching a phrase here and there. The “idea” was a facade; the real reason was contempt and dislike. Lin Ke was 25 this year, still considered a rookie in this industry. When she came to the company, she never held back, acting decisively. As the director of the design department, she was in charge of R&D projects, and many people in R&D were not happy about it. So they just found a reason to argue. The R&D director didn’t even try to stop it.
The things they said were about business, but the conflict was caused by personal matters.
“So what happened in the end?”
“Director Lin said one sentence that shut them up. Director Lin said she could quit, and as long as they paid her this month’s salary, she could directly contact a headhunter and leave.”
“…Wow, she’s really tough with her connections. Did R&D hit Lin Ke? I saw a scab on her lip; she looks pretty untamed.”
“What connections does she have? Isn’t it just that Lin Ke is smart? Aside from R&D, in this department, isn’t she much better than the previous Old Zhang?” Duan Jiayang originally didn’t want to get involved, but she couldn’t stand their baseless rumors.
To be fair, the previous director was an old-timer who just slacked off every day and exploited his employees. Lin Ke went back and forth between the two departments, and everyone got bonuses with her. Besides, she knew best whether Lin Ke had connections or not. Her dad just valued Lin Ke’s ability; otherwise… Lin Ke wouldn’t have been able to get into this company. “She has the skills, so it’s normal for her to get paid well.”
As she spoke, she felt no one was responding.
Duan Jiayang sat back down, feeling that something was wrong. Lin Ke happened to be returning from the next office. She was smiling at her, holding a file.
The mark on her lip was obvious, a scab.
It was from when she bit her yesterday. The wound was quite big, and she hadn’t put any medicine on it.
Duan Jiayang remained silent, and the other people in the company were also quiet.
“Get to work. I’ll order food for you later.”
It was “you,” not “you all.”
Duan Jiayang really wished she could slap herself.
At this moment, Duan Jiayang had two thoughts in her mind. One was to say directly that she was changing jobs. The second was… to go in, brace herself.
Duan Jiayang stood up, chose the latter, and pushed the door open.
Lin Ke had just entered her office, too. She saw Duan Jiayang with a smile in her eyes. She went to her desk and sat down, elegant and composed, the serious and meticulous director everyone talked about. But Duan Jiayang couldn’t face her, especially when she saw that face and the dark scab on her lip.
All she could think of was… Lin Ke forcing a kiss on her, her hot breath falling into her ear, whispering, “Do you want to play with me?”
She couldn’t let her mind wander in the office, or she would get dizzy.
Lin Ke didn’t hide it, showing off a certain untamed nature that people spoke of.
She wanted to be her dog; she held the chain that would keep her in a cage.
“Thank you for speaking up for me,” Lin Ke said.
“Don’t think too much of it. I was just telling the truth.”
Lin Ke opened her computer and said, “The design is done. Come and look at the details.” She tapped on the keyboard. “Once it’s finalized, you can work on the wheel part. Next month… mid-month, you’ll submit the design.”
She demonstrated it to Duan Jiayang. Duan Jiayang walked over and stood by the desk. She looked down attentively. Lin Ke’s hands were fast, and she finished in just a few minutes. Who knew, it took Duan Jiayang two or three days to do this.
“Got it?”
Duan Jiayang nodded. She thought it was useless even if she did. She would be moving to another office next month.
As she was thinking, her clothes were tugged twice. Duan Jiayang looked down and saw Lin Ke’s fingers. Lin Ke said, “Then the rest is my time…”
“Don’t be crazy.”
Duan Jiayang pulled her skirt back.
Lin Ke asked softly, “Do you think I’ve always been crazy?”
“Yes, what else can you do besides being crazy?” Duan Jiayang retorted. Lin Ke was silent.
She said, “Then forget it. I won’t hold back anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Duan Jiayang didn’t understand.
Lin Ke said, “If you don’t think I’m being crazy now, then I won’t restrain myself in the future.” As she spoke, her lips curled into a smile.
“I thought about it all night.”
Duan Jiayang couldn’t understand her logic. What was she talking about? If she wasn’t crazy now, then what was?
Lin Ke pulled Duan Jiayang onto her lap. Duan Jiayang didn’t sit, pushing her away. Lin Ke shamelessly said, “Since you always say I’m crazy, I might as well act a little crazy.”
She pulled Duan Jiayang over again. Duan Jiayang was so annoyed that she wanted to slap her face. Lin Ke pulled down Duan Jiayang’s mask and pressed her onto her lap.
Duan Jiayang didn’t want to give in. The two struggled back and forth. Duan Jiayang knelt on both sides of Lin Ke’s legs, her hands braced against her chair, refusing to sit down. She stared with her bright eyes, and the two were in a stalemate.
Lin Ke’s hands were on her slender waist. The satin dress felt great. Her long fingers slowly moved upward. Duan Jiayang slapped her hand away, wanting to hit her face. As she raised her hand, she calmed down. If she hit her, someone would find out.
Lin Ke was inherently despicable and didn’t know what was good for her. She would probably show off.
“Hit me. We can both be shameless.”
Lin Ke held her hand and put it on her own face, letting Duan Jiayang caress her cheek. She held Duan Jiayang’s fingers and said, “Xiao Yang, you can do whatever you want to me.”
For a moment, Duan Jiayang wanted to bite her hard, to tear at her, to bite her until her face was unrecognizable.
She suppressed the thought, biting her red lip. Her waist trembled lightly. She shook and dodged away. In the end, Lin Ke’s lips landed on the back of her hand. Her eyes stayed locked with Duan Jiayang’s, and her swaying pupils were filled with desire.
“We can do it here, too…”
Her voice was low, stirring the deepest desires in Duan Jiayang’s heart. Before Duan Jiayang could say, “How dare you,” Lin Ke said, “Xiao Yang, you can treat me as your possession. I won’t betray you. I’m your property; you can use me however you want.”
This wasn’t a promise; it was a fact.
She had said it six years ago, too.
Duan Jiayang had no business sense. She used to look down on Lin Ke. She thought Lin Ke was barren land that she could ravage, so she over-harvested. Who knew that Lin Ke had been plotting for a long time? Everything she took, Lin Ke would take back a hundredfold.
Duan Jiayang’s defenses were on the verge of collapse. She pursed her lips tightly. She wasn’t a good kid, but she was definitely obedient. After cutting ties with Lin Ke, she hadn’t done anything bad.
Lin Ke said seriously, “If you have to be with Lan Yao, then… let’s have an affair.”
Duan Jiayang looked at her in disbelief, feeling embarrassed. Her cheeks started to burn. She couldn’t hold on and sat on her lap.
Lin Ke said, “Xiao Yang is so obedient. You really don’t want to be with her.”
“What are you talking about? Are you…” The words “crazy” got stuck in her throat. Every time Duan Jiayang cursed someone, she would repeat this sentence. Lin Ke didn’t get tired of hearing it, but Duan Jiayang was tired of saying it herself… She thought of the insults she had heard from Gu Siyu. “Lin Ke… you’re so vile.”
She lowered her head and repeatedly said, “Lin Ke, you’re a scoundrel, despicable, shameless. You’re inherently base, your genes are bad, you’re human trash…”
Lin Ke grinned. “Hmm, I can be even viler.”
“Do you know why I chose to work here?” Lin Ke said. “Because it’s one-way glass. I can see outside, but people outside can’t see us.”
Her lips came closer again, with a cold scent. For some reason, it smelled of mint. She pushed Lin Ke away, and Lin Ke touched the scab on her lip. Duan Jiayang’s weakness was exposed, and she trembled from the pain.
This time, Lin Ke was no longer rough. She just pinched Duan Jiayang’s jaw. “Why didn’t you put medicine on it?”
She planted her feet on the ground, and the chair slid smoothly forward. Duan Jiayang, kneeling on her lap, was pushed forward, desperately clinging to Lin Ke’s shoulders. Lin Ke took out an ointment from the drawer. She put the pink paste on her fingertip and applied it to her lip. It was a milk and strawberry flavor, sweet and fragrant.
At first, Duan Jiayang felt a little pity for her. Lin Ke had taught her so hard, but she was already going to move to another office.
Soon, Duan Jiayang felt sorrier for herself.
She wanted to turn her head away. Through the one-way glass, she could see her colleagues working. Two of them were whispering and looking at the office. It wasn’t hard to figure out from their movements what they were discussing: Why wasn’t Duan Jiayang coming out? What was she doing?
Lin Ke straightened her face and continued to apply the lip balm.
She couldn’t breathe.
People were working outside, and people inside were intimately touching. Just as she had said, they should get used to it. Lin Ke held her waist and pushed her forward. Duan Jiayang’s lower back hit the chair.
Lin Ke’s fingers slowly wiped under her lips.
A knock sounded on the door. Yang Ruiqi said, “Director Lin, the R&D department wants you to go to a meeting. It seems to be about what happened earlier.”
“Okay.”
Lin Ke was looking at the computer, and Duan Jiayang stood frozen beside her. Yang Ruiqi looked inside in confusion, wanting to say that something was off but couldn’t put her finger on it. On closer inspection, it seemed that Director Lin was holding Duan Jiayang’s mask.
If she took one step forward, she would see that under the desk, Lin Ke’s fingers were scratching the palm of Duan Jiayang’s hand, one by one.
“?”
Duan Jiayang stood with her back to her, panting.
Lin Ke stood up straight, took the file, and went to the conference room, looking serious and professional. Both departments would attend. Duan Jiayang tried to act as if nothing had happened.
Duan Jiayang followed them to the conference room with her laptop, sitting in the back. The conference room was large, and all the team leaders sat in the front. Colleagues gossiped that the two departments were arguing, but in the meeting, they got along quite harmoniously. No one was seen getting angry at anyone. Lin Ke was polite and elegant, speaking logically.
Duan Jiayang’s position was at the back, and she had no say. The bigwigs discussed and studied. Others listened with their heads up, but she pulled at her mask, not daring to lift her head.
Lin Ke was working, but Duan Jiayang felt she was seeking a thrill, making her feel ashamed.
One second, Lin Ke was saying in the office that she wanted to have an affair with her. The next second, Lin Ke was standing tall in a white, thin suit. The lines of her long legs were visible through the white pants. She was holding a laser pointer and talking about data and design drawings. Her demeanor was elegant and professional. She was meticulous at work, rejecting the designs and suggestions of several employees. She didn’t exchange glances with Duan Jiayang. When Lin Ke got to a key point, she touched her lips, brushing them lightly with her finger.
The movement was subtle, but everyone noticed it and privately said it was very sexy.
Duan Jiayang’s cheeks were hot.
She was uncomfortable, pursing her lips in frustration, then pursing them again in pain.
Duan Jiayang held her folder vertically, her fingers touching her lips. Every touch made her tremble. Others sat up straight and talked eloquently, while she was a nervous wreck trembling secretly.
In the following days, there were frequent large and small meetings. Lin Ke and R&D were in a tense relationship. They talked happily in the meetings, but they disliked each other. In the end, Lin Ke’s plan was the one that was approved. Duan Jiayang couldn’t figure out what was going on. She began to worry and wanted to sound out her dad, but then she heard her colleagues say it was normal; there were always disputes when working on a project.
Was it normal?
Duan Jiayang was still dazed.
After the meeting, everyone stretched, twisted their necks, and went back to work. Duan Jiayang was cornered in a corner of the floor. She had come to get some air. Lin Ke was obviously there to catch her. She stared at Lin Ke, the office behind her.
“Have you gotten used to it?” Lin Ke asked.
The words were unclear, and Duan Jiayang didn’t understand.
Lin Ke said it in a simple way: “Is it fun?”
“This is the company… Can’t you have some ambition?”
Lin Ke said, “I was so diligent before. I didn’t look for you for six years… I did it for now. Why can’t I indulge a little?”
Duan Jiayang had her back to her. Lin Ke raised her leg and walked to face her.
Duan Jiayang kept finding excuses. In reality, she could see that Lin Ke’s work ability was strong, and she had never made a mistake. In fact, the more she indulged like this, the faster and more perfect her work was. Everyone in the company had a good impression of her; it was just that she was overly competitive and demanding. People who couldn’t keep up with her pace privately complained.
But… but she wasn’t working…
She was clearly exploiting Duan Jiayang.
Lin Ke came closer, raising her hand. Duan Jiayang immediately covered her mouth, not wanting to be kissed. After a moment, she looked up. Lin Ke had only raised a file. Lin Ke smiled and deliberately tapped her shoulder with the file.
Duan Jiayang’s face was flushed, and she was getting hot all over.
Someone walked by, and she deliberately held the file vertically. “Xiao Yang, if you blush any more, people will think we’re kissing.”
Her breath landed on Duan Jiayang’s cheek, spreading the red in circles. Duan Jiayang clenched her fists, her toes curling in shame.
“Take the file.”
Duan Jiayang gritted her teeth for three seconds and reached out to take the file she was holding. Lin Ke praised her, “Xiao Yang is so obedient. You’ve been studying hard recently. Do you want a reward?”
“Yes,” Duan Jiayang said, not being polite with her. “I want you to get lost right now.”
Duan Jiayang snatched the file. Lin Ke turned around and went back to her office. From an outsider’s perspective, there was no transgression between them. Not even a single strand of hair was connected, but something felt strange…
Duan Jiayang took a step back. A colleague came over and asked, “What did the director say? Is she making you work overtime?”
Her colleague muttered complaints and fears. The director was even exploiting the chairman’s daughter, pushing her so hard. They would definitely have to work more overtime later.
Duan Jiayang didn’t hear a word, her lips moving slightly.
She held the file tightly, her face getting warmer, her body trembling for some unspoken reason. In her mind, she cursed repeatedly, “Lin Ke is a cultured brute, a real piece of work. Inherently base!”