The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 27.2

Chapter 27.2: Stars

She walked, kicking her feet randomly. Her big toe hit a stone, and she winced in pain, clutching her leg. She hopped on one foot twice. Just as she took off her flip-flop, she looked up and saw Lin Ke.

She hadn’t gone to Ta Shan after all… Duan Jiayang should have expected it. She felt like running away now, afraid of being caught by Lin Ke. But Lin Ke seemed very calm.

Lin Ke appeared in front of her in all white. How to describe it? Artists love to compare white to a “white moonlight” or a “white rose,” and red to a “cinnabar mark” or a “red rose.”

But. There’s a type of person who, when they wear white, is elegant and generous like moonlight, yet their heart is crazy and wild. Their bl00d pulses, and they meticulously hunt their prey. The things they do are more painful than killing a red rose.

Duan Jiayang had thought of many things.

She thought about how Lin Ke would lose her composure and her sense of proportion.

Running over to kiss her forcefully, biting her, or even worse, forcing her.

Because she had a prepared sentence: “After all these years, you’re still you. You haven’t changed at all. You’re harassing me, and I’m annoyed with you. Don’t follow me.”

There are two ways to push someone away: either you’ve changed, or you haven’t changed at all.

Duan Jiayang chose the latter. Lin Ke hadn’t changed, so she was rotten to the core. She would go crazy.

Duan Jiayang hoped she would go crazy so she could be heartless.

But Duan Jiayang hadn’t expected her to be so condescending, so calmly contemptuous, mature and steady. She was nothing like the obsessive person she used to be.

Every move she made seemed to say.

Xiao Yang, I’ve grown up. I’m back.

Lin Ke stood in front of her. Dusk had just fallen, and the surroundings were a dark blue. Lin Ke opened her arms to her, for a hug, and also a cage.

Duan Jiayang put on her sunglasses and started to walk away. The moment she passed her, she realized she couldn’t see anything. She frowned. The pain in her toe was unbearable. She pulled off her sunglasses again and looked down. Her big toe was bleeding.

Lin Ke followed her at a relaxed pace. They walked into the darkness. In a deserted area, dense tree shadows blocked the light. Duan Jiayang held her arms, twirling her sunglasses. She tried to stand up straight. “What did you do now? My dad is making me go back…”

“If you don’t want to go back, you don’t have to.” Lin Ke’s tone was calm. In the past few days, she seemed to have put out all her anger, which was quite unexpected. She said softly, “I didn’t do anything. I just told your dad that I was going to listen to you and go back to the United States.”

Duan Jiayang’s heart sank. She couldn’t tell if it was true or not, but it was enough to make her uncomfortable. She tried to put her hand in her pocket but couldn’t.

Lin Ke said, “That day, you told your friend many times that I should go. I’m going to fulfill your wish.”

She had just confirmed this with her friend, so it was true.

Lin Ke said, “Duan Jiayang, what would happen if I didn’t interfere with you?”

Duan Jiayang said bluntly, “I’d be ecstatic.”

“Good,” she nodded.

“Then do you have a desire for her?” Lin Ke asked.

The topic crossed a line again. She also took a step forward, getting very close to Duan Jiayang, but she didn’t touch her. She just looked her up and down.

“These past two days, I’ve had several video conferences and read all the documents from Ta Shan. The project isn’t suitable for you. Are you going to do it?” Lin Ke asked.

While Duan Jiayang was staying at home eating and drinking, Lin Ke was busy with video calls and work.

The word “do” was stuck in her throat.

Duan Jiayang dodged the word. “I will study it carefully and accept my job.” She pursed her lips and continued, “I’ll ask people if I don’t know something and try my best. How do you know it’s not suitable?”

Lin Ke said, “If you fail, the loss will be huge. Have you thought it through?”

“I…” Duan Jiayang hadn’t even touched the Ta Shan documents. She had no idea what it entailed. She didn’t have much confidence, but she held on. “…I won’t make a mistake.”

“Then I won’t give you the answer,” Lin Ke said.

Duan Jiayang looked at her, not knowing what she meant.

But she remembered something. Duan Jiayang’s high school grades were terrible, but she surprised many people with her college entrance exam results. She got into a top university. Duan Litian almost had a golden statue made for her homeroom teacher. Her homeroom teacher was also surprised.

But no one knew that Lin Ke was the one who helped her with her grades.

Lin Ke would do practice questions herself and have her do them too. At night, they would share a bed and study together. If she improved, she would get a reward. If she made a mistake, she would be punished.

She took out a fountain pen. Duan Jiayang didn’t recognize it. Lin Ke said, “This is the gift you gave me, Xiao Yang.”

Duan Jiayang glanced at it and remembered. It wasn’t really a gift. She just didn’t want things to escalate. She felt sorry for her and had a moment of compassion. Now, looking back, she regretted it a little. If she hadn’t given her this pen, would many things have gone differently… and would none of this have happened?

Of course, Duan Jiayang never thought that one day, Lin Ke would use this sinful fountain pen to touch her. She placed the fountain pen on her chest, poking her heart lightly through her clothes. Then, the cold fountain pen drew a curve, slipping into the gap.

Lin Ke held the fountain pen, tapping her again and again. “I can say we’re even too, right?”

Duan Jiayang didn’t answer. She said, “Your heart is beating faster. If you say we’re even, does your heart also hurt a little?”

Duan Jiayang didn’t ask if the “even” was real or fake. Even if she asked, and Lin Ke said it was fake, there was nothing she could do.

Lin Ke held the fountain pen and slid it down her midline, stopping on Duan Jiayang’s abs. She tapped the crescent-shaped tip, then slid it into the moon-shaped groove, tracing inside the metal pant button, like she was tattooing her and tickling her.

Duan Jiayang reached out to cover it. “Don’t go too far.”

Lin Ke stopped moving. Duan Jiayang tried to grab the fountain pen but couldn’t push her away. Lin Ke held her by the back of her neck. Duan Jiayang threw out the words she had prepared. “You only know how to force me… and kiss me.”

…She was both vulgar and elegant. The fountain pen was such a refined thing, but she used it to flirt. She said, “I actually know how to do a lot of things. I’m just afraid you’ll reject me and have a panic attack, so I’m taking it one step at a time.”

That night, when she went back in a rage, there was one thing she couldn’t figure out. She had also been taking it one step at a time and gradually. Why did Lan Yao get such a high evaluation?

She gently caressed the back of Duan Jiayang’s neck. “The more I thought about it when I got back that day, the angrier and more upset I got. It’s hard not to go crazy…” The touch made Duan Jiayang’s body shudder and her nerves twitch.

Duan Jiayang bit her lip in shame and anger. Lin Ke said, “I’m not going to kiss you today.”

She pulled the fountain pen back. Duan Jiayang instinctively went to press it down. Lin Ke pinched her waist, successfully taking the fountain pen, and held it between her fingers.

“You…”

At this moment, Duan Jiayang realized that everything she said was true.

Lin Ke… had been restraining herself.

Lin Ke held the fountain pen and used a handkerchief to wipe the tip. The fountain pen, having touched moisture, shone under the moonlight. She called her Xiao Yang softly, “Now, should I lose control?”

She really didn’t kiss her. When Duan Jiayang tried to grab the fountain pen, Lin Ke took a step forward, flipped her around. Duan Jiayang’s hands were on the railing. The rose vines were thick and thorny, pricking her skin.

Duan Jiayang’s arms were pressed against the leaves, and she couldn’t get away. Her fair arms quickly turned red.

Her hands were clenched into fists, her knuckles tense. The leopard’s eyes on her index finger glowed green in the night, like it was hunting and staring at the person below.

Lin Ke asked, “Can I suggest we’re even once?”

Duan Jiayang knew what she was thinking. “You can… but, kissing, having s3x, don’t even think about it.”

“Not even taking off my clothes!”

Slap!

A slap.

Duan Jiayang didn’t expect her to hit her on the butt.

And in a place like this.

After two slaps, Duan Jiayang turned her head and cursed, “Lin Ke, you’re a… a b1tch dog!”

Duan Jiayang cursed her to humiliate her, thinking the word was perfect for her and said it again. But she just got more excited and slapped her again.

Lin Ke’s hand was on her leg, her palm slightly hot. “I can be more gentle than her.”

“But Xiao Yang, do you want me to be gentle… or harder?”

Duan Jiayang wanted to turn and push her away. A car drove by. The long beam of light swept into this corner. She closed her eyes, not daring to make a sound.

Lin Ke said, “You said it twice that day. You chose her.”

“She’s here. Why don’t you go find her?”

Duan Jiayang bit her lip. “Lin Ke… may you die a horrible death. Have some shame.” It was clear this wasn’t about being even. It was more like she was holding onto the word “even” on purpose… to punish her.

“Mm.”

She leaned against the flower wall. When she clenched her palm, she accidentally pulled off a rose. The thorns pricked her fingers. Her body trembled slightly. She squeezed her hand tightly, crushing the flower.

The red juice stained the cracks between her fingers.

“Lighter, or harder?”

Lin Ke asked shamelessly, her voice cold.

Duan Jiayang bit her arm. “Ah…”

It hurt.

Slap, slap, slap. A few hits made Duan Jiayang’s legs tremble. She didn’t dare to make a sound. She hit her. Duan Jiayang resisted with her mouth, but her trembling body secretly felt comfortable.

Hopelessness, unable to struggle.

Duan Jiayang thought she was also a pervert.

So tragic.

The person who drove over didn’t leave. Duan Litian really thought she was buying things for the beach and enthusiastically invited the person in to wait.

Duan Jiayang didn’t think about what was going on over there. She didn’t dare to think deeply, because she was fascinated by this “even” thing. It was a huge temptation, like that day when she thought it was a one-night stand. She was stripped naked in front of her mirror. She touched her, and she didn’t refuse. It was a clear-headed descent, a fall. Duan Jiayang was enjoying the thrilling feeling of weightlessness, like a rollercoaster taking her to the top and plunging down. She was powerless, closing her eyes and enjoying the joy of going to hell together instead of climbing back up.

It was a very shameful punishment.

Lin Ke stopped. She took the fountain pen from her tightly clenched hand. She clipped the pen to her chest. Duan Jiayang’s hand loosened. Her mouth was slightly open, panting. Lin Ke put a handkerchief on the back of her hand. She didn’t wipe it for her. She just held her hand and squeezed it hard. The rose that her palm had been clutching was crushed, and the juice splattered. “I’m not going to interfere with you anymore.”

Duan Jiayang’s eyes fluttered open. She looked at Lin Ke’s feet as she lifted them and her shadow stretched, getting farther and farther away. The crushed flower in her palm fell to the ground. Duan Jiayang panted weakly. She leaned against the flower vine. Duan Jiayang tried to stand up straight and clench her butt. The muscles in her butt were tense, sore, and numb. In the end, she realized that Lin Ke had made a complete mess of her and hadn’t even helped clean up.

Lin Ke walked under a street light. Insects flew around the light. She looked back at Duan Jiayang from afar.

Is this what Duan Litian meant by “going with the flow”?

…More like “going with the butt-slapping.” She specifically came at night just to hit her.

Duan Jiayang leaned her head against the flower vine and thought.

Lin Ke, you b1tch dog.