The Lost Lamb's Trap - Chapter 32.2

Chapter 32.2: The Moon

It was a miracle.

The night was pitch black. She had forgotten her flashlight. The yard gate was still open, and Lin Ke ran out, searching down one street after another, but still, there was no sign of Duan Jiayang. She stopped and found her in the furthest corner of the community, by the garbage cans. Duan Jiayang was rummaging through a trash can, half her body inside it. Lin Ke had never imagined a scene like this.

“Meow?”

“Meow meow~”

Sensing someone behind her, Duan Jiayang turned around. Her eyes, dark and lightless, met Lin Ke’s. Caught, she was flustered, embarrassed, and terrified, her eyes bloodshot. She was trembling. The two of them stared at each other in the darkness.

Duan Jiayang’s dirty hands hung at her sides, a soda can rolling at her feet. She, who had always been so clean and immaculate, who had always tried to be the ethereal fairy her mother was, now hid her grimy hands behind her back. She lifted her chin and said, “You must be so happy. Your mom and my dad threw out my cats. Soon, they’ll throw me out too. You all won. Are you happy?”

She stared at Lin Ke, her teeth gritted. Lin Ke stepped over the flowerbed. “I was afraid I wouldn’t find you,” she said.

The next second, a fist slammed into her face. Lin Ke’s cheek ached. She slowly swayed to the side. Duan Jiayang was rigid, her emotions overflowing. She kicked Lin Ke again. “The cats! I told you I’d keep them at Lan Yao-jie’s house, but you made me keep them here. It’s all your fault, all your fault!”

She lunged forward and started hitting Lin Ke. Lin Ke didn’t fight back, letting Duan Jiayang hit her. Lin Ke just whispered, “I’m sorry…”

This time, Duan Jiayang wasn’t afraid. She pinned Lin Ke to the ground and kept hitting her. Lin Ke’s cheek was bruised. Lin Ke instinctively put a hand up to shield her face, and tears began to fall, one by one, on her palm.

Duan Jiayang stopped. She sat on Lin Ke’s waist and wiped her own tears over and over. Lin Ke froze. “Don’t cry,” she said.

Duan Jiayang slapped her again, her lips pressed together, her eyes blazing with fury. Lin Ke tried to sit up and reach for Duan Jiayang, but each time, her hand was pushed away. Again and again. Duan Jiayang hugged her own knees, tears falling. Lin Ke knelt on the ground and used her sleeve to wipe Duan Jiayang’s face.

“Don’t cry, little lamb, don’t cry.” She held her tight.

They were both dirty. Lin Ke hugged her fiercely, her bruised hands feeling warm. She used her own clothes to wipe the dirt off Duan Jiayang, making herself just as grimy. Duan Jiayang tried to pull away, not letting Lin Ke touch her. She recoiled at the foul smell, and as she pushed her away, her hand brushed against Lin Ke’s wrist.

Lin Ke was flustered, still wiping her face. The night was dark. She knelt there, her knees scraping the ground. Her nightgown had ridden up, revealing her scarred legs, but she didn’t bother to cover them, just kept wiping Jiayang’s face.

Duan Jiayang punched her shoulder again. Suddenly, a switch flipped in her mind. Completely covered in dirt, she yelled at Lin Ke, “You’re so dirty! You’re disgusting! You’re disgusting!” She covered her own face and pushed Lin Ke away hard when she got too close. “It’s all your fault… it’s your mom. My cats are gone…”

Lin Ke held her and patted her shoulder, and Duan Jiayang collapsed into her arms. “My clothes are all dirty… the little cats are gone. My dad doesn’t want me anymore.”

“I’ll help you find them, don’t cry,” Lin Ke soothed her. “I’ll help you find them… It’s not dirty. Duan Jiayang is so good, the kittens must miss you. We’ll definitely find them. My mom doesn’t want me anymore either…”

I want you. Please, want me too, okay?