Chapter 695


    Zendaya mimicked him and whispered, “Uncle Charles, let’s keep Bennypany together. It won’t do


    if you keep running away, Uncle Charles. If we should apologize, then let’s apologize. One day, Benny


    will be touched by your apologies and forgive you!”


    Charles’ face paled, but he patted her head and said, “This isn’t something that can be solved with an


    apology. Let me think of another way around this.”


    Zendaya pouted and pointed out, “Uncle Charles, are you trying to avoid this?”


    Charles fell silent.


    He simply could not think of a way to face Benedict at the moment.


    Whenever he saw the way Benedict weaklyy on the bed, the feelings of guilt and helplessness would


    threaten to drown him.


    It crushed him.


    “Uncle Charles,” Zendaya cried out, swinging Charles’ arm and pestering him. “Come in with me.


    Sometimes Mommy ignores Daddy because of his mistakes too. When that happens, Daddy will just


    keep pestering her. He’ll do anything to get back into her good books. I’m sure he wants to stomp his


    foot and start bawling sometimes as well.”


    Then, Zendaya covered her mouth and giggled. “Uncle Charles, have you heard of a fruit called


    durian? Why don’t you get some of them? If Benny doesn’t want to forgive you, then you can just kneel


    on that fruit’s thorny shell. I’m sure Benny will be moved by that.”


    Charles turned speechless.


    No godfather ever went on his knees for his godson.


    Even if they were not godfather and godson, he, as someone older than Benedict, would technically


    never kneel before a child.


    Still, he was more curious as to why Zendaya would think of durians. “Zendy, why would you ask me to


    get durians and kneel on them? Did your daddy… do this before?”


    Zendaya earnestly shook her head. “I don’t know. Mommy keeps the door shut whenever she scolds


    Daddy, so I wouldn’t know. The walls in our house are thick too, so even when I tried to eavesdrop, I


    couldn’t hear anything.”


    At that, Charles’ expression darkened.


    Closed door and a scolding…


    When those two phrases were ced together in a situation involving a couple, he could not help but


    think about certain unpleasant thoughts.


    Tucking those thoughts away, he asked, “Then why would you think of durians?”


    Zendaya beamed, a crafty little look showing on her face. “That’s because durians taste great! I’m


    craving a little for some, and Benny likes it too. If you’re going to kneel on its shell, then we can eat the


    flesh of the fruit. We won’t waste a single bit of it!”


    After a bout of giggling, she gave Charles another suggestion, “If you don’t like durians, we can make


    do with pineapples. Pineapples are yummy too!”


    The corners of Charles’ lips twitched. “Zendy, you’re… so kind to me.”


    While the two were chatting, they woke Benedict.


    In an icy voice, Benedict asked, “Who’s outside?”


    Zendaya froze with widened eyes. Then, she smacked her hand over her mouth and muttered, “Oh no!


    Was I too loud? Did Benny hear me?”


    Charles thought, So what if he heard us? It’s not as if we were nning something nefarious.


    Ruffling Zendaya’s hair, he sighed and said, “Zendy, go in and keep your brotherpany. I’ll go and


    get some durians and pineapples.”


    “Yay!” Zendaya cheered.


    After entering the ward, Zendaya merrilyunched herself toward Benedict.


    “Are you hungry, Benny? We’ll be having fruits in the afternoon—durians and pineapples!”


    Benedict’s expression remained neutral as he nced at her. He then pushed away her approaching


    head with a finger.


    “Charles sent you here, right? I don’t need you to keep mepany. Mommy’sing back after her


    half-an-hour meeting. A quarter of an hour has already gone by, so she’sing back soon. Go back


    to Charles.”


    Zendaya pouted and whined, “No, I don’t want to! I want to eat durians and pineapples with you! By the


    way, Uncle Charles is here to apologize to you. He’s going to be kneeling on durian shellster!”


    Zendaya had blurted out to Benedict a n that Charles had not even agreed to.


    Benedict stiffened. “He’s… going to kneel before me? Did he say so himself?”


    “Uh-huh,” Zendaya affirmed.


    Benedict was doubtful, but he could not help wondering if it was true. Still, it did not dismiss the hatred


    he had for Charles.


    “Daddy said that karma will get to me and cut my lifespan shorter if someone older kneels before me. Is


    he trying to admit his mistake, or is he trying to hurt me even more?”


    “I…” Zendaya’s smile froze. She never thought that there was something like that.


    After a quiet hum, she said, “To be honest, Uncle Charles has only said that he’s going to buy durians


    and pineapples. He never said anything about kneeling, but that doesn’t matter. You’re sick because of


    Uncle Charles, and you’re hurting once in a while because of him too. Why don’t you punish him


    severely today in revenge? Make him suffer a little!”


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    Benedict’s lips twitched. “You’re truly one of a kind, Zendaya. Are you a double agent?”


    Zendaya tilted her head and shed him a sweet smile.


    “I’m not. I just want you both to be happy. If I have to eat a few more pieces of durian flesh… I mean…


    If I have to pay the price to get you both to make up with each other, then so be it.”


    Benedict huffed in disdain. “Then you have to mentally prepare yourself for it. I’m going to make him


    hurt badly as his punishment.”


    Yes, I’m going to punish him until he bleeds! I’m definitely doing this because I want to take revenge on


    that bad man Charles and not because I want to eat durians and pineapples.


    Dozens of minutester, Charles came back with a huge durian and arge pineapple.


    He had no idea what was going to happen to him soon—that Zendaya had betrayed him.


    The sly siblings were nning to give him a great “surprise.”


    Charles halted outside of Benedict’s ward and mentally steeled himself before pushing open the door.


    In the ward, Benedict had already changed his IV bag. The professor was not going to being back


    for a while.


    Zendaya was sitting beside her brother again, massaging his arm. “Benny, are you feeling better? Your


    left hand is a little swollen from the IV therapy. Does it still hurt?”


    Benedict shook his head beforending his gaze on Charles, who was by the doorway.


    Charles smiled and walked over to them, putting the bag of fruits on the table.


    In a soft voice, he asked, “Benny, do you want the pineapple first, or the durian first? I’ll prepare them


    for you.”


    Benedict was quiet, but Zendaya said, “Uncle Charles, I was pleading with Benny for a long time


    earlier, and Benny said that he’ll forgive you!”


    A tinge of emotion finally appeared in Charles’ eyes. “Is that true?”


    “Yes,” Benedict uttered, raising his head a little. The pride on his face seemed to not fit a boy his age.


    “But I have three requests. If you fulfill them, I’ll forgive you.”


    Charles let out a sigh of relief. Without hesitation, he replied, “Sure. I’ll agree to anything besides flying


    into space and getting a star for you. As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll do it.”


    “Okay. My first request is for you to cut open this durian.”


    Charles smiled and quickly grabbed the knife. “Sure. That’s simple.”


    When Benedict heard his response, he added, “What I meant was, without any tools—just with your


    bare hands.”