The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Stars

Duan Jiayang saw that Gu Siyu hadn’t hung up the phone. She lunged to grab it, almost knocking He Xiao over, wrapping her arms around her waist. “Give me my phone back.”

Gu Siyu didn’t have a habit of answering calls for others. She ended the call and handed it back to her. “Okay, I’m calling a car to go back.”

Duan Jiayang held the phone, tapping randomly on it. Gu Siyu’s car arrived, and the driver saw how drunk she was and didn’t really want to take her. He asked, “You won’t throw up, will you?”

He Xiao whispered, “Siyu, Jiayang has a car. Let’s call a designated driver.”

Gu Siyu said, “She’s a puker, she’s a pea shooter.”

The driver stepped on the gas and left.

Gu Siyu called a designated driver again. The driver arrived, but Duan Jiayang still wouldn’t get in the car. She just clung to He Xiao’s arm, rubbing her shoulder. He Xiao patted her back to comfort her. “Then let’s wait a bit. She’s not in a good mood. It must be something with her family… We’ll sit outside for a while. The night is cool today.”

There was no chair nearby, and after worrying for a long time, they saw a bus stop shelter. He Xiao helped her over. She told Gu Siyu to watch her while she went to buy a bottle of water for Duan Jiayang to rinse her mouth.

“Be careful, and stay safe. There’s not a soul around here.”

He Xiao said “Mm-hmm,” and ran to the vending machine up the street. When she ran back, Duan Jiayang was holding a tree and throwing up. Gu Siyu stood by, grimacing. “I’m done with you, Miss… Who said you don’t get crazy when you’re drunk?”

He Xiao went over and patted Duan Jiayang’s back, feeling guilty. “I…”

“I… I feel like she’s not crazy like this. It’s just that… she’s in a bad mood.”

She unscrewed the cap and let Duan Jiayang rinse her mouth. Duan Jiayang groaned sullenly. He Xiao could pretty much understand why she was drinking. She was probably forced by her dad. She patted her back with sympathy.

Gu Siyu held her phone. The “Epilepsy” call was gone, and another one named “Sister Lan Yao” was calling. Gu Siyu didn’t answer. The call rang until the last second before hanging up. Gu Siyu said, “I have a feeling that if I answer, the two of them will be fighting over her. No, why do I feel this way?”

He Xiao was confident about this one. “Lan Yao is her neighbor. They don’t have that kind of relationship.”

“Duan Jiayang and Epilepsy have that kind of relationship?”

He Xiao didn’t dare to speak.

Twenty minutes later, a Maybach stopped beside them. A woman got out, dressed head to toe in designer brands. Gu Siyu glanced at her. He Xiao shielded Duan Jiayang behind her. The woman walked over step by step. Her appearance was cold, but her voice was gentle, yet it didn’t feel friendly.

Lin Ke said, “Give her to me.”

He Xiao shook her head.

“It’s so late. I’ll drive you back. It’s not good for Xiao Yang to stand for so long when she’s had too much to drink,” Lin Ke said.

He Xiao looked at Gu Siyu, who nodded. Lin Ke went over and helped Duan Jiayang, feeling around in her pants pocket for her car keys.

She opened the car door, getting into Duan Jiayang’s car.

It was strange. Duan Jiayang, who had been making a fuss, stopped moving as soon as Lin Ke beckoned her. Lin Ke hooked her finger at her, and she followed.

The three of them sat in the back. Lin Ke drove. Duan Jiayang only said two words: “Home… doggie… home… doggie…”

Gu Siyu’s head ached from her repetition. “I know you’re an English major, but stop saying ‘go’.”

She couldn’t tell if Duan Jiayang was summoning a spirit or just doing English-to-Chinese translation. It was the middle of the night, and it was a bit scary. She typed a message to He Xiao: [What’s the relationship between you three? It seems a bit weird to me. JPG]

He Xiao looked at her phone and wanted to cry. She looked at Lin Ke helplessly. She didn’t expect Lin Ke to be back and living with Duan Jiayang. Duan Jiayang hadn’t told her about this, so she definitely didn’t want others to know about that layer of relationship with Lin Ke. She thought for a while and said, “You don’t have to drive us. We’ll follow you to drop Jiayang off, and then we’ll take a cab back. Let’s drop Jiayang off first.” She looked at Gu Siyu. “Can we both go back together, even if it’s a bit late?”

Gu Siyu was playing on her phone and nodded.

The person driving in front didn’t pay much attention to them.

The car drove into a villa complex. This was Gu Siyu’s first time here. She looked up at the buildings outside the window. After driving for another twenty minutes inside the complex, she asked He Xiao, “Is this whole place Duan Jiayang’s home?”

Lin Ke in front spoke first. “It’s Jiayang’s grandfather’s.”

“Xiao Yang, why did you call me ‘epilepsy’?” Lin Ke asked the silent Duan Jiayang in a gentle voice.

Duan Jiayang, feeling dizzy, frowned. “You have no boundaries… you’re always kissing me…”

Lin Ke asked a question, and Duan Jiayang answered.

He Xiao couldn’t take it anymore. She reached out and covered Duan Jiayang’s mouth, whispering, “Don’t say anymore…”

Duan Jiayang blinked, not understanding why.

He Xiao pursed her lips, not daring to look forward. She kept covering Duan Jiayang’s mouth until she got sleepy and leaned on He Xiao’s shoulder. “Xiaoxiao, you’re the best. Let’s be together forever.”

He Xiao watched the road ahead carefully. Lin Ke’s driving was quite steady. She patted Duan Jiayang’s shoulder lightly. “Mm-hmm, okay. You’re not feeling bad anymore.”

Gu Siyu tilted her head and observed the front. When they arrived, Lin Ke entered the gate code. The housekeeper came to open the door. Lin Ke called out, “Uncle, they’ve been drinking. It’s late, so it’s not convenient for them to go back. Can you drive them?”

He Xiao waved her hand and said it wasn’t necessary.

It was already 1 a.m. They were all good friends of Duan Jiayang’s. How could the housekeeper not worry? He said, “I’ll drive you. Wait a moment, I’ll get the car.”

The housekeeper drove out, and she instantly sent all of Duan Jiayang’s family away.

Gu Siyu sent an emoji to He Xiao.

He Xiao: “We went to the same school. Friends.”

Followed by a crying face.

Gu Siyu: “Isn’t she her sister?”

“How could she be? They have different last names”

“A stepsister then. Is she a stepsister?”

He Xiao: “…”

The car entered the garage. Lin Ke went to the back seat to call Duan Jiayang out. Being drunk and cooped up in the car was uncomfortable. Duan Jiayang sat crookedly, twisting and refusing to get out of the back seat. Her eyes were squinting, and she waved her hands around. This twisted feeling made her feel happy. It was a refreshing kind of discomfort.

Lin Ke pushed the car door open, letting the wind in.

“Why won’t you go in?” Lin Ke asked softly.

“Annoying.”

“Lin Ke, Lin Ke.”

“I’m here.” Lin Ke hugged her. “What’s wrong?”

“Go away.”

“Hmm?”

“My dad says I’m stupid.”

Duan Jiayang said sullenly, her voice low and fearful.

Lin Ke said, “You’re very smart. You’re not. I’ll teach you slowly…”

“No, that’s not it, that’s not it…” Duan Jiayang shook her head. There was a wetness mixed in. Her lips and eyes were a seductive pink. “You don’t understand how stupid I am. My dad scolds me because I deserve it. I am very stupid.”

She cried. Lin Ke reached out to touch her eyes. Duan Jiayang pushed her hand away. Lin Ke said, “That was before. Everyone makes mistakes. You’ve grown up now, and you won’t be like that anymore.”

Lin Ke wiped away her tears, still asking that same question. “Xiao Yang, why did you give me that name? Hmm, there’s no one here, just the two of us. Tell me properly, Xiao Yang.”

Duan Jiayang looked at her, her bright eyes shimmering like a lake. “Xiao Yang sounds good.”

“Epilepsy doesn’t sound good,” Lin Ke said. “But… I love the name Xiao Yang gave me. It has ‘Yang’ in it. I love everything Xiao Yang gives me. I want to become Xiao Yang’s.”

She held Duan Jiayang’s hand and placed it on her own lips. A shimmering look was all it took to make Duan Jiayang waver. Alcohol can numb a person, making them forget their troubles, but it can also amplify their true nature and many desires.

“Lin Ke… is mine.”

For a few short seconds, Lin Ke’s whole body tensed up. Her eyes fell on Duan Jiayang, intensely invasive. She leaned forward, her breath falling on Duan Jiayang’s nostrils. “Xiao Yang, can you say it again? I want to hear it.”

Drunk people forget things.

What she said one moment, she would forget the next. Duan Jiayang just groaned sullenly. She only said what she wanted to say. She said, “Lin Ke loves me the most… She bullies me, but she’s the best person in the world.”

Lin Ke trembled with excitement.

She knew… she knew everything.

At this moment, she wanted to eat Xiao Yang, to hold her lips with her own, bite by bite. “Xiao Yang, do you want me to kiss you? Do you want it every time I kiss you?”

“I do,” Duan Jiayang said.

“Xiao Yang, do you like me?” Lin Ke asked, gently coaxing the words out of her.

They say drunk people speak the truth and have no defenses. But Duan Jiayang became defensive at this moment. She backed away, no longer getting close to her. “Let’s not do this anymore.” She said each word seriously, pushing her away again. “Let’s not get tangled up anymore.”

“Why?” Lin Ke moved closer to her, holding her hand and saying devoutly, “But I really like you, Xiao Yang.”

Her expression didn’t change. She gently stroked Duan Jiayang’s cheek. “We can’t be apart, Xiao Yang. I love you very much, and I don’t want to be separated.”

Duan Jiayang looked at her face and dodged her fingers. “I really… really, really hate you.”

“It’s okay. It’s enough that I like you. You can hate me however you want.” She gently wiped away Duan Jiayang’s tears, her fingers resting in the hollow of her eyes. “But, Duan Jiayang, you can’t say that Duan Meimei is stupid anymore. Duan Meimei isn’t stupid at all.”

Duan Jiayang’s nose stung. “I am stupid. You don’t know it. I’m very stupid.”

Lin Ke said patiently, “Look, I taught you how to make the car model, and you did it in a few days. You’re amazing. And… I taught you before, and you learned right away.”

“But… others learned in two hours,” Duan Jiayang said, still holding a grudge.

“You’re a language major. They’re professionals.”

“It doesn’t matter how long it takes. It’s great that you learned it.”

“Is Duan Jiayang stupid? They all say Duan Jiayang is a pretty idiot who has nothing but her looks.”

Duan Jiayang let out a hiccup, her hand still covering her face. Lin Ke took her hand away and tidied her hair. “Duan Jiayang is prettier than any of them. They’re not as pretty as you. They’re just jealous, so they’re talking nonsense.”

Duan Jiayang, who was otherwise useless except for her looks, was happy. She shared a secret with her. “I was waiting for you to pick me up. I wouldn’t leave with anyone else.”

Lin Ke’s heart tingled all over. She coaxed her out of the car. Duan Jiayang leaned crookedly against Lin Ke. “Lin Ke, you’re the best person in the world at coaxing me. They coax me once and then stop…”

Lin Ke held her waist, about to ask her why she was pushing her away again, but the smell of alcohol on Duan Jiayang was not unpleasant; it had a fruity scent. Before Lin Ke could speak, Duan Jiayang tugged on her sleeve. She couldn’t stand straight and fell completely into Lin Ke’s arms. “But when you make me sad, no one can comfort me. It’s a special kind of sadness, a sadness of not belonging to this world.”

The layout of the Duan family home hadn’t changed. The garage elevator went directly to the second floor. She took her to the bedroom and put her on the bed. Duan Jiayang slid off the bed. Lin Ke went to get her some water. When she came back, Duan Jiayang was sitting on the floor, shaking her head and putting a finger to her lips. “Don’t be loud. My dad’s here. He’ll kick you out.”

Lin Ke walked over and crouched down, not moving.

Duan Litian knocked on the door outside, talking as he knocked. Duan Jiayang nervously bit her finger. “We’re going to get caught.”

“It’s okay. Just tell him you’re asleep.”

Duan Jiayang pulled off her shoe and threw it at the door. “I’m asleep! Get lost, you old fart!”

After throwing it, her eyes curved up. She licked her lips playfully and stuck her face to Lin Ke’s. “You have to reward me. I’m very smart.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Lin Ke crouched, stroking her flushed and hot cheek, wanting to ask that question again, “Do you like me? Do you like Lin Ke?” But Duan Jiayang never answered, only talking to her in code.

She imitated a sheep’s bleat: “Baa.”

Duan Jiayang fell asleep sitting up. Lin Ke went to the bathroom, got a towel, and came back to wipe her face and body. After a few trips, she looked around the bedroom. The room had been redecorated in a simple style. Her old room used to be pink, but now it had photos and simple light fixtures. A bookshelf reached the ceiling in the corner, filled with books.

Adolescence and adulthood.

Six years passed in an instant.

The balcony used to have only a few pots of roses and moonflowers. Now, flowers and leaves wrapped around the railing. The old wicker cradle chair had been moved to the corner, replaced by a simple sofa and a coffee table. In the vase on the coffee table, freshly cut roses were blooming in the moonlight, their petals still budding.

No wonder Xiao Yang didn’t stay at her place.

When she grew up, her preferences and style changed.

The next day.