The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Stars

Lin Ke had never called Duan Jiayang at night. She was either receiving texts from her or not. Duan Jiayang wondered if she was overthinking, or if the strong belief she once had in Lin Ke had a crack, leaving her restless.

Six years.

Could she still firmly believe that Lin Ke was hers and that she still loved her?

Six years… no, almost seven.

Duan Jiayang remembered that in this world, love was the most fickle thing.

Like her dad.

At dawn, the air was damp. Several dew drops rested on the leaves. She wasn’t tired at all. She walked to a tree and kicked it twice, only to remember that it wasn’t the tree outside Lin Ke’s house.

Duan Jiayang drove her car to Lin Ke’s building and kicked a tree until a few wet leaves fell.

Unbelievably… she really didn’t come home. She was out all night.

Duan Jiayang took ten minutes to calm down. Maybe Lin Ke was watching her nearby. She purposely walked out, but Lin Ke still didn’t appear.

…

Duan Jiayang went home to wash up before going to the company.

She hadn’t slept all night, but her energy was ridiculously high. She held it in until she got to the company. She went to the design department first. The door was tightly shut. She returned to the translation department, scanned her fingerprint, and prepared to take a nap at her desk.

About an hour later, her phone rang.

Duan Jiayang picked it up, rubbing her eyes.

Lan Yao: “I’m downstairs at your place.”

Duan Jiayang’s mind went blank. She suddenly remembered she had a date. She wiped her face, took a picture, and lied: [I’m working overtime at the company. I just slept here for a bit. Sorry.]

Lan Yao sent a voice message and asked, “Did you stay up all night?”

Duan Jiayang replied, “Yeah, I didn’t sleep all night. My head feels a little dizzy… I didn’t finish the project. I… there was a problem. The person who was working on it before didn’t finish, so I had to work overtime.”

She propped her chin on her hand, silent for a few seconds. Her toes curled on the floor. A few words felt like they were killing her.

She was completely clueless…

“Should I come get you?”

This was a company project. Even if Lan Yao knew how to do it, there was no way Duan Jiayang would show it to her. She suddenly understood what her dad meant.

Duan Litian wanted Lin Ke to teach her, and then she would marry Lan Yao. He would squeeze every last drop out of both women.

Her dad had that ambition.

Unfortunately… she was too stupid. She wasn’t worthy.

Duan Jiayang’s face was flushed. Those few words were killing her.

She suddenly couldn’t accept her lie.

“…Are we not going?” Lan Yao asked softly.

If Lin Ke had helped her with the project, she would have gone. But now she had a pile of documents here. She really didn’t have time.

Duan Jiayang said, “Let me ask.” She pursed her lips, and the words got stuck in her throat. “Don’t believe what my dad says… I’m a slacker at the company. I… just don’t do much.”

“Huh?” Lan Yao clearly didn’t understand what she meant.

Her dad called her stupid in front of her, but he wouldn’t say it so bluntly in front of the Lan family. He was saving face for himself and giving the two families hope for a marriage. But… Lan Yao might only see her surface. She was a complete novice at work. If they were together, she wouldn’t be of any help to Lan Yao and would only cause trouble.

Duan Jiayang’s heart was complicated and anxious. Lan Yao said, “Many things start with ‘I don’t know how to.’ Are you having trouble at work? You can focus on your work first. If you don’t understand anything…”

They were in different companies. The Lan family didn’t just work with Xue Tang. When it came to work, Duan Jiayang couldn’t possibly show her their new R&D project. Even if Lan Yao knew how, she had to be cautious.

Lan Yao said, “Did you eat? I’ll bring some over for you.”

Duan Jiayang was about to get up. Her eyes fell on the coffee table, where there was a paper bag. She went over and looked inside. It was breakfast. She said, “A colleague brought me some. I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

There was a moment of silence. Lan Yao said, “I’m not distracted. Today is Friday, and I took the day off.”

“Oh,” Duan Jiayang said. “I’m free on Saturday and Sunday. I… I couldn’t get the day off today.”

“It’s okay,” Lan Yao chuckled. “I’ll wait for you.”

Duan Jiayang looked outside. The two assistants were working on documents. An assistant knocked on the door and said, “Miss Duan, Ta Shan will be sending over the hardware tomorrow, and then we can start testing.”

“Also, there’s a meeting at ten. Do you want to go?”

“Who’s going to be there?” Duan Jiayang asked.

“R&D and design.”

Lan Yao said, “Should I hang up then?”

“Mm.” Duan Jiayang went back to the office, washed her hands, put on gloves, and ate the food on the table. She sighed softly, her head lowered as she sent a message: “I’m so sorry, Sister Lan Yao. I suddenly have work to do. I’m really sorry.”

Lan Yao: “It’s okay. I’ll pick you up tonight.”

Duan Jiayang definitely wasn’t going to work overtime on Saturday or Sunday. Capitalists couldn’t have her weekend for a penny.

There was a meeting in the morning, and Duan Jiayang went on time.

Duan Litian really wanted her to do this project. The reason was simple, and he explained it to her clearly this time. She had messed up the last project she did, and everyone in the company made fun of her. This time, he wanted her to start small and climb her way up to a director position. Then she would be on equal footing with Lan Yao, and when they got married and went to events, it would be something to be proud of.

Duan Jiayang understood. Her dad was thinking about her. Once she and Lan Yao were together, their status would be equal, and they would be respectable at any event they attended.

So… it was normal for Lin Ke not to teach her.

If Lin Ke taught her, she would be handing her over to someone else.

My dad is so calculating.

After the meeting, Duan Jiayang followed her dad out. Her dad had set up a team for her. He said in a low voice, “Even though it’s the end of the project, you still need to ask for help if you have problems. Lin Ke is right there. She can’t not teach you. Did you talk to her yesterday?”

She didn’t go home yesterday, so her dad must have thought she was messing around with Lin Ke.

Lin Ke wasn’t wearing the same white outfit as yesterday. She was wearing a white suit with a white shirt that had gold threads. The elegant and aloof crane raised its head, revealing… a necklace on its neck.

A black chain, and it looked like there was a tag in the middle.

Could a crane also become a domestic bird?

She was talking to a few people. The white stood out among a bunch of black suits. Her gaze occasionally swept over to Duan Jiayang. She nodded slightly. “Jiayang.”

She didn’t want Lin Ke to know what happened last night. Lin Ke greeting her first made her freeze for a long time like a machine. She still hadn’t figured out how they should interact.

Her gaze swept over her neck.

“Mm.”

Duan Jiayang walked away. Lin Ke looked back again. Duan Jiayang also looked back. Their gazes met in a strange way and ended with Duan Jiayang looking away.

“What’s wrong?” the manager next to her asked.

“Who took over the Ta Shan project?” Lin Ke asked.

“It seems it was still given to Duan Jiayang. After all, she’s the chairman’s daughter.”

Duan Jiayang walked a few steps and twitched her nose. She seemed to smell a faint scent of alcohol, but it wasn’t strong.

She stopped and touched her nose.

Where did Lin Ke go yesterday? Was she out fooling around?

Two women were following Lin Ke. They wore black professional skirts and spoke in a sharp, efficient manner, helping Lin Ke carry documents. Their heels clicked on the floor as the three of them discussed the meeting they just had and analyzed what to do next.

One of them had a slightly sweet voice. Her “Director” was so sweet and charming that it went right to the bone. Lin Ke would hum in response and smile back at her.

Lin Ke had just nodded when the sweet voice came into her ears.

Duan Jiayang leaned against the wall, her back to them. “Your darling has arrived.”

Lin Ke frowned slightly.

She then said, “Ugh-”

Duan Jiayang took a step back and held up her phone. She couldn’t see behind her, so she looked at her own face. “Your darling has left. Smooch smooch~”

Lin Ke stopped in her tracks.

Duan Jiayang turned her head to look at them. She said awkwardly, “Sorry, I lost my composure… I ate a little too much just now and felt nauseous. I was just chatting with a friend. You saw me at my worst.”

After she was done, Duan Jiayang walked back with her mirror, her steps graceful. She propped the mirror on her desk and looked at her face. The lipstick she had applied was a uniform crimson, but adding more made it look even more vivid.

She pursed her lips. She felt she was being unkind, like an idiot.

That whole sequence of actions was like… like fresh red meat slowly rotting.

It smelled sour.

She raised her hand and smelled her arm. “…No smell.”

…

The assistant brought over the documents and said there was a problem they didn’t know how to solve. But asking Duan Jiayang was pointless. The assistant said, “We can go ask R&D… I mean, Director Lin from design. She knows.”

Duan Jiayang didn’t say anything. The two assistants were about to go, but Duan Jiayang pressed down on the documents. “I’ll go. You two keep working.”

This time, she had a legitimate reason to go to the design department.

Duan Jiayang walked in with the documents. She didn’t greet anyone. She knocked on the door and then pushed it open. Only Lin Ke and she were in the office. Duan Jiayang didn’t stare openly. She sat down and asked, “Isn’t anyone going to pour me some tea?”

“The assistant is busy. Please wait a moment.” Lin Ke picked up the desk phone to make a call.

“No need,” Duan Jiayang said impatiently, intentionally looking for a fight. “Your assistants are so useless… they can’t even pour tea. They’re like garbage.”

Lin Ke looked up at her. Duan Jiayang’s tone was very demanding. She said, “In a way, I’m your superior. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Mm, I’ll criticize them when they get back.” Lin Ke’s tone was gentle, as if she was calming her down.

Duan Jiayang was still unhappy. Her gaze swept over to Lin Ke’s desk. There was another desk there, as if it was specially for someone to work at.

Duan Jiayang’s gaze swept to Lin Ke’s neck again.

The golden tag was very bright in the light, impossible to ignore. From her angle, it reminded her of what she saw on the poodle at the pet hospital: a dog tag.

It had her mark on it.

She had done something like this before. The day she agreed to play with Lin Ke, she bought a necklace and threw it at Lin Ke. Lin Ke asked her hopefully, “Xiao Yang, can you put it on me?”

But later, Lin Wan threw the necklace away. She didn’t know where Lin Ke got it back from. Did someone else give it to her?

Did she buy it herself?

“Miss Duan?” Lin Ke called out to her.

“Huh? What?” Duan Jiayang frowned.

“Aren’t you my superior?” Lin Ke asked.

Duan Jiayang wanted to get angry, but something felt off. After thinking about it, it seemed to be the title. Everyone called Lin Ke “Director,” but she… Duan Jiayang didn’t really have a big title.

She said, “Call me Director Lin.”

Lin Ke suddenly smiled. Duan Jiayang: “What’s so funny?”

Lin Ke pursed her lips. “Your last name is Duan.”

Duan Jiayang was silent. She had a reason to be in her office this time, so she put the documents on the desk and said, “Are you sure there are no problems with these?”

Lin Ke held the documents but didn’t give her a direct answer. “Let me check again.”

Duan Jiayang crossed her long legs. She looked at Lin Ke. Lin Ke’s clothes were always tailored and sharp. Even though she was a hypocrite, she had a very professional demeanor. Others could only see her surface.

Lin Ke said, “It will take… forty minutes. If you don’t mind, you can sit and rest for a while.”

Duan Jiayang got up from the sofa. Lin Ke got up first. “You can sit here. I’ll go out and calculate.”

“I’ll be as quick as I can,” Lin Ke added.

Duan Jiayang sat back down. She watched Lin Ke stand next to the new designer. They were talking about something. Lin Ke’s back was to her, but she could see the designer smiling.

So this was the treasure she found?

She’s just average, hmph.

She put her palm on her chest and rubbed it, closing her eyes to ignore it. The sour, meaty smell seeped out again, coming from her bones. She felt a tightness in her chest and couldn’t breathe.

Just a small interaction, and she couldn’t breathe.

It had never been like this before. Duan Jiayang turned around. She lay on the arm of the sofa, looking. She picked up the white sheep plushie and rested her chin on it. Lin Ke talked for a while and then changed her position.

She was now facing the office, flipping through the papers in her hand. Duan Jiayang could see her face now. It was so clear from inside. Because of the soundproofing, no matter what she did, it was quiet. She leaned back, her fingers flipping the pages. She was as still as a painting.

Duan Jiayang had been in that spot before and knew that Lin Ke couldn’t see her from inside, so she stared without restraint. For a moment, she knew why she wanted to take on the project. She also wanted to change, just like when Lin Ke left. She swore to herself that she would be stronger and better than Lin Ke.

No matter the reason two people separate, if the breakup was too ugly, they secretly hope to be better than the other person. Being better than the other person makes them feel like they were right all along.

Undeniably, before Lin Ke, she had been living aimlessly. When she heard Lin Ke was coming back, she desperately wanted the family assets. She wanted to become someone Lin Ke would look up to.

Lin Ke pushed the door open. Duan Jiayang had fallen asleep. She closed the door and tiptoed in, sitting next to Duan Jiayang. She carefully laid Duan Jiayang down, letting her sleep on the sofa. Duan Jiayang leaned a little, hugged a small sheep plushie, and her breath fluttered on her hair. Lin Ke tucked her hair behind her ear, curled her finger, felt her breath, and poked her on the tip of her nose.

Lin Ke went back to her desk. She held her fountain pen, put it down, and picked it up again, doing this repeatedly. Lin Ke got up and went back to Duan Jiayang’s side. She leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

“Payment,” Lin Ke said.

She said she wouldn’t interfere, but she couldn’t control her hands. She couldn’t bear to see her little sheep tired, but she was afraid that if she helped too much, her little sheep would run off into someone else’s arms.

Her finger landed on Duan Jiayang’s lips. Her thumb stroked the lines on them. “When will you kiss me on your own accord?”

Duan Jiayang slept until three in the afternoon. She was well-rested and felt much better. She lay on the sofa, recuperating for a long time. When she got up, there was a blanket on her waist. She took off the blanket and, in a familiar motion, went to wash her face. She forgot to bring her bag and didn’t have any lipstick. She sat on the coffee table for a long time.

Lin Ke opened a drawer. She walked over and took out a lipstick. “I borrowed it. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done. Are the data checked?”

“Mm, but don’t bring your test data over next time.” Lin Ke looked up at her. “Otherwise…”

“What?”

“Otherwise, we’ll have a misunderstanding between us.”

Duan Jiayang had indeed played a little trick, bringing over data she couldn’t understand. She bit her lip. “What do you mean?”

“My colleagues all know I have a girlfriend, and I’ve told them that I only help my girlfriend with projects.”

Duan Jiayang frowned. “When did you get a girlfriend?”

Lin Ke said, “I can’t help but always want to help you, but…” She said softly, “I told myself that I only teach my girlfriend. Thinking that, I was able to hold back.”

Duan Jiayang bit her lip and said “okay.”

She said, “If you don’t teach me… there are plenty of people who will.”

Lin Ke said, “Come here.”

Duan Jiayang didn’t move. Lin Ke said, “I go along with you, you don’t listen. I don’t go along with you, you also don’t listen.”

“Be my girlfriend, and I’ll teach you everything,” she said. “I can be yours alone, as long as you want me to be.”

Duan Jiayang admitted that she ignored her and was cold to her.

But she wanted Lin Ke to be around her.

Like before, she wouldn’t leave no matter how much she was yelled at or insulted.

It was so strange. She clearly wanted to cut off all contact and didn’t want Lin Ke to pester her.

But, she also had the despicable thought that Lin Ke had to love her and only her.

Lin Ke didn’t give her a clear answer. She just held the hem of her clothes, rubbing it repeatedly. “Does your butt still hurt?”

Duan Jiayang didn’t say anything.

Lin Ke said softly, “You can do the project if you want to. If you make a mistake, I’ll help you correct it, just like when we were together. If you make a mistake… we’ll kiss. But, I don’t want to finish it for you, and then you go on a date with someone else and be with someone else.”

Duan Jiayang swallowed and slapped her hand away. Knowing that Lin Ke still loved her, she was content, but… something still felt off.

Lin Ke looked at her, her long, beautiful eyes slightly slanted upwards. “I want to be with you. Otherwise, when I see you with someone else, I can’t eat or sleep. I feel terrible. I’m so jealous… I hope you can think of me that way. I want to be in a relationship with you. I’m only committed to you… You probably can’t understand this feeling, can you?”

Her confession made Duan Jiayang feel like she had a serious illness. It was hitting a symptom. She thought she must hate Lin Ke’s condescending, aloof, and controlling demeanor. She clenched her fingers and then let go.

She didn’t finish listening to her. She pursed her lips, turned, and ran away.

Lin Ke watched her back, her fingers pressed against her neck, gently caressing the necklace.

…

In the evening, Lan Yao wasn’t stupid. She had been intercepted once yesterday, so this time, she specifically came to pick up Duan Jiayang. She went upstairs and knocked on Duan Jiayang’s office door. In front of everyone, she took Duan Jiayang away.

Lan Yao gently opened the car door for her. Duan Jiayang bent down, got in the car, and buckled her seatbelt.

Not long after, Lin Ke also came out of the company.

The assistant got in the car and asked her, “Where are we going?”

Lin Ke turned her head and asked, “Do you want to go to the beach on the weekend?”

The assistant didn’t answer. She said again, “Do you have a cat?”

Yu Anqing nodded. Lin Ke said, “I got a card from a pet hospital before. I don’t have pets. Do you want it? There’s still some money left in it. I had an appointment with a very good doctor before. You can go straight to her.”

“Thank you, Director,” Yu Anqing said. She was from the Jiangnan area, and her voice was soft and gentle.

“It’s okay,” Lin Ke said as she drove.

Their car stopped first. Lin Ke got out and opened the car door for Yu Anqing. Yu Anqing bent down and got out. Lin Ke invited her to dinner, politely saying, “I’ve been troubling you lately. Many things piled up, and I’ve been making you run back and forth.”

Yu Anqing said it was fine, that it was part of her job and she should do it. The two of them went inside, one in front of the other.

In a high-end restaurant, at a two-person table, Lin Ke’s smile was intellectual and elegant. Yu Anqing’s cheeks were a little red. Her voice was sweet and sugary, and her “Director” was so endearing that it went straight to the bone. She was very grateful for the pet card.

Lin Ke’s reply was light, saying it was nothing.

By chance, Duan Jiayang was eating at the table next to her. She couldn’t hear their voices, but just by looking, she knew Lin Ke was with someone else. It wasn’t exactly flirtatious, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. She felt so uncomfortable she wanted to hit Lin Ke. She wanted to provoke her back, but Lin Ke wouldn’t even look her way. It was like drinking a sour soda.

Their gazes met for a moment. Before, Duan Jiayang wouldn’t have cared, but this time, the moment lasted for half a minute. Lin Ke’s hand on her lap clenched tightly.

Lan Yao added food to Duan Jiayang’s plate. She accepted it and ate it, saying thank you softly. But she was worried that Lin Ke was doing the same for someone else. Sure enough, Lin Ke poured a glass of water for the woman across from her and told her to drink more.

Duan Jiayang couldn’t swallow her food.

She felt like she was going to die of anger.

Lin Ke was clearly hers…