The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Stars

Lin Ke was simply not human. She drove all the way just to hit her butt. Duan Jiayang didn’t know whether to call her shameless and indecent, or a crazy pervert.

Duan Jiayang didn’t dare to go home, afraid her family would notice something was off.

She crouched in a corner, rubbing her sticky hands.

She used to raise cats here, so she wasn’t scared of crouching alone.

Lan Yao sent a message: “Did you buy your stuff?”

Duan Jiayang: “Almost.”

Lan Yao: “I’ll come pick you up? Uncle said you didn’t drive.”

Duan Jiayang bit her lip and typed: “I’m with a friend.”

Lan Yao replied with an “okay.”

Not long after, she heard the sound of a car. Duan Jiayang put on her flip-flops and walked out step by step. As soon as she emerged, the car’s headlights shone on her.

It was Lan Yao’s car.

She hadn’t left. She was leaning against the car door, smiling. “I knew you’d be here.”

Duan Jiayang clenched her fingers, her body slightly turned. Her legs were a little numb, and her body swayed slightly. The situation was quite awkward. “H-How did you know?”

So she saw her getting her butt hit…

“I figured you didn’t dare to go home for a long time, so you probably just didn’t want to go back.” Lan Yao said.

Duan Jiayang nodded in a strange way. “I didn’t dare… I’m uncomfortable when my dad is at home.”

Lan Yao chuckled and asked, “Did you buy your stuff?”

Duan Jiayang’s hands were empty. “Before you came… I had a fight with my dad, so, I’ve just been squatting here alone.”

She didn’t know if Lan Yao could tell. Duan Jiayang’s voice was off when she was feeling guilty. Lan Yao said, “Our house is so close. If you’re unhappy, you can come find me, like when we were kids.” She stood for a moment and looked at her hands. Duan Jiayang’s palms were red. Lan Yao said, “Should I go then?”

Duan Jiayang nodded.

“The day after tomorrow, we’ll go to the beach? Just the two of us?”

Duan Jiayang, still a little slow, nodded.

After the car drove away, Duan Jiayang returned to her room. She went to wash her hands and looked in the mirror. Lin Ke, that b1tch dog, had messed her up. Her hair was a mess. There was green leaf juice on her forehead. Thankfully, she was wearing a tight black tank top. Otherwise, would Lin Ke have ripped it off…

She wondered if Lan Yao had noticed anything.

Duan Jiayang unbuckled her pants and turned around to look at her butt in the mirror. Her butt cheeks were red. Lin Ke had really been merciless when she hit her.

She could still hear the words she said.

Lighter, or harder.

Duan Jiayang put her finger on her chest. Her head felt dizzy. She wasn’t into weird kinks, but Lin Ke hitting her like that made her tremble and…

Duan Jiayang took off her clothes, went to get her pajamas, and took a shower. Even though Lin Ke said she wouldn’t interfere with her anymore, she was 60% sure that Lin Ke would.

Because Duan Jiayang was convinced that Lin Ke loved her.

The feeling on her butt was still there. She put her hand on her lower abdomen and slowly caressed it. The touch of her skin wasn’t as good as the feeling the fountain pen brought… hard and cold, poking her sensitive spots.

Even though she said no kissing, no touching, no messing around, the moment Lin Ke touched her, the feeling was very clear. She wanted Lin Ke to touch her. She wanted to make love with Lin Ke. She closed her eyes, and scenes of their past intimacy flashed in her mind.

People can’t experience that taste. Otherwise, they’ll become addicted.

Duan Jiayang’s finger moved down an inch from her lower abdomen, then back up. She turned her body… Duan Jiayang, Duan Jiayang, you’re really… shameless.

The sound of wind seemed to rush into her ears. Duan Jiayang moved her hand back and pinched her butt, punishing herself. It hurt, and a soft sound escaped her lips.

Her body was already getting hot before she had even done anything.

Duan Jiayang quickly turned on the water, letting it wash over her body, and closed her eyes to shower.

As the water fell, her back was pressed against the wall, which was cold. But her memories slowly started to burn. They had done it here too. Back then, Lin Ke’s hand was on her back. She leaned against Lin Ke’s palm. Lin Ke’s body was cold, and her hands were always chilly. Duan Jiayang always had to warm them up with her body for a long, long time.

Doing it… had one benefit: mutual warmth.

She didn’t sleep well that night. Her body was heavy and sore. She tossed and turned, and finally, at two in the morning, she managed to fall asleep.

Duan Jiayang went to the company. She needed to take a day off for the beach trip, so she had to tell the new director. The new director wasn’t in when she arrived.

Her office had been arranged before. Since Duan Litian said what he said, she was too lazy to tidy up. She was waiting for Lin Ke to come find her. Lin Ke was doing all this just to get her to go back. It would be a little embarrassing to go back on her own. She didn’t want to be humiliated by Lin Ke. Duan Jiayang waited patiently. She waited all day in the office but didn’t hear from the design department. She figured Lin Ke hadn’t noticed yet. She sent a message to Yang Ruiqi to show she was there.

After chatting for a bit, Yang Ruiqi replied: “Are you looking for Director Lin?”

Duan Jiayang: “Why would I look for her? I’m just bored.”

She knew Lin Ke would help her. She felt a little confident.

She asked the assistant to send over the documents.

Her dad had said this project was simple. Anyone could do it without making a mistake. But when she held the documents, she was at a loss. It was a little related to what she had studied, but only in the sense that she might need to use the software she learned. She didn’t understand any of the data and didn’t know where to start.

The new brake system that Ta Shan was developing was meant to improve a car’s safety and braking efficiency.

She opened the documents and was dumbfounded. What were brake pedals, master cylinders, brake fluid reservoirs, calipers, brake fluid… All she knew was that she had to step on the brake to stop the car. What were brake discs and brake calipers? She scratched her head… Oh my gosh, where’s my brain?

She took another look.

How was it related to power and vehicle weight?

This was like Ultraman going to the battlefield and using cannon fodder to make spaghetti.

Just as she was wondering whether she should take a class, her two assistants came back and looked at the information she had found in surprise. “Our job is mainly to review the tests and sign off on the plans. You don’t need to design anything.”

Duan Jiayang didn’t know whether to be relieved that she didn’t have to do all that complex design work or to curse her two assistants. She had been busy all day, and the assistants hadn’t told her anything.

“You can go now.”

This was a workplace. Everyone had their own work and their own time. She was a newbie who knew nothing. It was normal for people not to want to teach her. Even if she was a rich young miss, they weren’t ancient maids. A contract wasn’t a contract of sale where they had to be her slaves.

If she knew everything, she would be the heiress of Xue Tang. If she didn’t, she was a playboy just wasting time. People might be friendly on the surface, but who would care about her deep down?

The assistant went out and said, “I’m going to the design department to get some documents.”

Duan Jiayang lowered her head. Why hadn’t Lin Ke sent her a message telling her to come get them?

She couldn’t figure out what Lin Ke was doing.

Duan Jiayang got up, too, wanting to follow, but the assistant closed the door first, and she sat back down silently.

Her office wasn’t a one-way glass like Lin Ke’s. It was a small, single room, not too big or too small. She walked around inside. It took 15 steps from her desk to the door. Duan Jiayang walked back and forth more than ten times, opening the door and leaving a crack.

The two assistants came back with the documents long ago.

Duan Jiayang went over to ask, “How was it? Did she… finish it all?”

The assistant shook her head. “No. She just participated in the R&D design. We still have to do the testing ourselves.”

“She didn’t finish it for me?” Duan Jiayang asked.

The assistant looked at her with a bit of confusion. “Huh?”

“Let me see.” Duan Jiayang said.

The assistant handed them over. Duan Jiayang couldn’t understand the various design drawings and data. She flipped through them from beginning to end. They were clean, with no notes. Back in the design department, Lin Ke would have a lot of notes and explanations on them.

“Are you sure Lin Ke gave these to you?”

“Director Lin had her assistant give them to me. It should be fine,” the assistant said.

Duan Jiayang was confused. “She has an assistant now?”

“She usually does,” the assistant smiled, indicating that she was also an assistant.

Duan Jiayang returned the documents to her and took out her phone.

She hadn’t received any messages. She checked her computer again. She was still in the design department group chat.

No one was chatting. The last message was from the time she moved out, when they were discussing what to eat for dinner.

She recalled what Lin Ke had said that day.

“Then I won’t give you the answer…”

“Then I won’t interfere with you anymore.”

“We’re even.”

It shouldn’t be possible. This must be a trick from Lin Ke. If she went to find Lin Ke and asked, she would just be in Lin Ke’s hands and backed into a corner.

So, Duan Jiayang waited another day. The next day, she went to the office again but still didn’t get a job transfer notification. She sat in the office for two hours. All her bones were aching, and she felt restless. Her hand rested on her leg.

Duan Jiayang got up and went to the design department. She went to the pantry first to get a glass of water, hoping to run into someone, but she didn’t see anyone.

She took her glass and went over. The next second, her mood soured completely.

Another girl was sitting in her old spot. She looked young. Her back was to the door, so she could only see her back. She looked unfamiliar. She must be new… a new person.

So where was her spot?

Duan Jiayang looked around. Except for the main server’s location, there was no other empty spot. She looked at the director’s office again.

Was Lin Ke playing a big game, wanting her to go to her office?

Just as she was thinking, she heard a knock on her head, which startled her. It was none other than Lin Ke. Lin Ke looked down at her, her expression confused. “What are you doing?”

“I, I…” Duan Jiayang looked at her expression but didn’t see any sign of excitement or surprise. She frowned and moved aside. Lin Ke pushed the door open. The thin heels on her feet clicked on the floor. She walked directly into the office. Two women followed her. The women nodded slightly at Duan Jiayang.

They went into Lin Ke’s office and didn’t come out. What were they doing… Duan Jiayang hadn’t expected this scene.

Her former colleagues in the design department were all looking at her. It was work time now, so she couldn’t go in and chat with them.

Duan Jiayang turned around awkwardly and went back to her office. She sat on her chair, feeling depressed.

They had seen each other today… Lin Ke should contact her.

She waited for Lin Ke all day, but Lin Ke didn’t try to contact her.

The translation department got off work on time. Duan Jiayang went to the parking garage and saw Li Yuanchen. She honked her horn. Li Yuanchen, holding his car keys, smiled and walked over to her car window. “Duan Jiayang, how have you been lately?”

Duan Jiayang asked, “Did the design department get another designer?”

Li Yuanchen’s mind was quick. “You mean the person across from me, in your old spot? That’s not an intern. The director transferred her back from Ta Shan. I heard the director say that she was a treasure she found during a video conference.”

A treasure?

“Whose treasure?”

“Director Lin’s, of course. Wow, you wouldn’t believe it. She designs so fast. The director just gives her a little guidance, and she knows everything. She’s worth two people.”

Duan Jiayang was unhappy. “When did she come?”

Li Yuanchen said, “The afternoon before yesterday.”

The day before yesterday… Duan Jiayang held the steering wheel, her eyes staring at the aisle in front of her. There were many people and cars coming and going. She sat there without moving. After half an hour, Lin Ke appeared. Duan Jiayang pressed her hand on the steering wheel, intentionally hitting the car horn.

Lin Ke’s gaze looked over and stayed for a full two minutes, as deep and cold as a winter night.

Their eyes met in the night. Duan Jiayang counted in her heart. She looked at her, and she couldn’t help but feel a little smug. Lin Ke was doing all this just to make her jealous…

So clumsy.

Lin Ke’s eyes looked over. She blinked. “Is there something you need?”

Lin Ke was calm and composed. The white, thin suit looked very powerful. Her posture was straight, and her eyes never moved. It was obvious she couldn’t bear to part with her, but she was trying to pretend that she should hurry and say what she wanted.

Duan Jiayang honked the horn again. “Get out of the way.”

Lin Ke asked, “Are you cursing me?”

Duan Jiayang didn’t figure out what she meant until she drove away.

A good dog doesn’t block the way.

Duan Jiayang didn’t mean that. She was about to start the car when she realized she hadn’t put on her seatbelt. When she lowered her head, Lin Ke’s car slowly drove past. Lin Ke didn’t look sideways. All Duan Jiayang could see was her cold profile.

Her heart was up and down. Duan Jiayang swallowed slightly. The punch she threw all landed on her own chest.

Lin Ke said they were even.

It seemed different from her “even,” but she couldn’t explain how.

Duan Jiayang drove. The company wasn’t in a busy area. Her car was easy to recognize. In another minute, it would be dark. If she changed lanes, no one would be able to recognize whose car was whose.

Just then, Duan Litian called.

He asked, “How’s the project going? The documents should be in your hands now. Lin Ke is very steady with her work. Just sign the documents, and you’re good. You don’t have to worry about the rest. You’re going out to play with Lan Yao tomorrow. I’ll transfer you some money.”

Duan Jiayang said, “She doesn’t seem to have helped me with it.”

“Hmm. Huh?” Duan Litian didn’t react. “She didn’t help you with it? Are you sure? Did she not do any of the tests?”

After confirming that Duan Jiayang didn’t understand a thing, he said in disbelief, “What is she up to?”

“How would I know?” Duan Jiayang said.

Duan Litian replied, “Did you have a fight with her?”

The words made her extremely uncomfortable. She asked back, “What do you mean?”

“You… at least you should have waited for her to finish the Ta Shan project before fighting with her. She drove you back last time. Weren’t you still kissing her? No… weren’t you two-timing her?” Duan Litian sounded a little angry. “Can’t you use her yourself?”

“Didn’t you keep rushing me to end it?” Duan Jiayang was confused. Two-timing would only lead to a horrible death. “I’m not a scumbag! Do you think I’m capable of that?”

Duan Litian said, “…When did I say anything like that? Can’t you use her first and then end it? Why would I go to so much trouble to make her go to Ta Shan? You’re the one who kept saying to end it, but you’re still stringing her along.”

“…” Duan Jiayang was numb.

“This time, it’s really over! Can you say it more clearly! Didn’t you tell me to consider Lan Yao? I made it clear. We’re even now. She’s her, and I’m me! Don’t you understand? You always say things ambiguously. Why can’t you just say your schemes clearly instead of hinting and hinting? Who knows what’s on your mind!”

She was also fuming.

Duan Litian said, “You can swear later… Let me catch my breath. My bl00d pressure is rising.”

Two minutes later, her dad said, “Duan Jiayang, you’re really something. Lan Yao can’t help you with the project. You can’t step on Lin Ke, learn from her first, and then get with Lan Yao, and finally use Lan Yao’s financial power and influence… Forget it, forget it!” Duan Litian said indignantly, “What can I expect from you? It’s a miracle!”

He was still a little unconvinced and lowered his voice. “Wasn’t I clear last time? I said she should go to Ta Shan, and once she confirmed it was suitable, you would do it. You… were my words for nothing?”

Duan Jiayang didn’t reply and hung up the phone. She cursed her dad a hundred times in her heart, but thinking about it, her dad hadn’t actually rushed her to cut ties with Lin Ke. He had also told her to let Lin Ke do the project.

She drove out of the parking lot, so angry. She wanted to drive recklessly and crash into something, not people, but a tree. She would rather die than be called stupid.

Her phone kept getting messages.

Old man: [Go ask her. She should tell you how to do it. If she doesn’t teach you, don’t do this project for now. Just stay in the translation department and get by.]

Duan Jiayang felt that her dad had set up a big game with many schemes. But when he was ready to make his move, he realized she was an idiot.

Duan Jiayang drove out and saw Lin Ke’s car stopped in front of her. She was about to get out when a short girl appeared and opened the back car door for Lin Ke. Duan Jiayang smirked, thinking she had guessed correctly. Lin Ke was intentionally trying to provoke her, just like she used Lan Yao to provoke her. She clearly cared, but she was purposely tormenting her. What a clumsy method.

Thinking this, two women came over to Lin Ke’s car a moment later. One opened the back door, and the other said a few words to Lin Ke from the passenger side.

The woman in the passenger seat went to the back.

Then, Lin Ke’s car drove away.

Duan Jiayang was completely baffled. Her brow furrowed slightly.

She opened her phone and clicked on the group chat. Only one message popped up: You have been removed from the group chat.

“???”

Duan Jiayang’s brain stopped working.

She sat in her car in a daze for a long time.

She drove around the city aimlessly. He Xiao was working overtime, so she went to her place and stayed for a long time. A woman came over with a poodle. The poodle went right up to her legs, its eyes leering, and rubbed against her leg. She was looking at her phone and didn’t realize what was happening until the dog’s owner came to apologize. She wiped her leg with a tissue. She glanced at the woman again. The woman had a full figure, a plump chest, and was wearing a gentle, off-white dress. She smiled slightly, full of charm and allure…

A scene came to her mind for no reason… Lin Ke being held in someone else’s arms, drunk and in a different warm embrace. This woman in front of her was so enchanting, instantly evoking bad thoughts.

“I’m so sorry… Xiao Yu, he really likes beautiful women…” the woman said.

“It’s… it’s fine.” Duan Jiayang got up and walked away, saying. Her mind was a mess, thinking about things she had never considered. A person like Lin Ke, with a mom like hers, with a lowly nature, would she fool around? Would she be a degenerate? Would she go fall in love with someone else and learn from her to go on blind dates, purposely angering her by saying, “Duan Jiayang, I’m not going to choose one. I want them all…”

She must be doing this on purpose to anger her. It must be.

The night grew deep. She couldn’t control her hands and feet. She stealthily went to Lin Ke’s place. Her last shred of reason kept her from going over. She drove her car and parked it near the building across the street. Lin Ke lived on a high floor. She got out of her car and looked up, counting the lights in the windows. After confirming Lin Ke’s window, she waited.

At 10 p.m., the light wasn’t on. Lin Ke wasn’t home.

At 12 a.m., 2 a.m., she still wasn’t home.

Lin Ke didn’t come home that night.