Chapter 136


    Chapter 136: The Golden Canary in the Cage


    When they returned from the hospital, Martina couldn’t hide her worry on her face.


    Even though Benjamin was the one who got injured, he seemedpletely unaffected,


    appearing as if nothing had happened at all. Right now, his main concern was Martina’s attitude


    towards him, and nothing else mattered.


    In this strange twist of fate, it seemed like Martina had finally shown some glimpses of her past feelings


    for him, even if it was just a tiny bit.


    The two of them returned to their hotel room. Martina had brought back some


    medication from the hospital, including bandages for dressing wounds and oral medication mainly for


    anti–inmmatory and antibacterial purposes.


    Martina immediately boiled some hot water for Benjamin and kept on fussing over him.


    “Why are you so impulsive? Back then, even without you, I would’ve just had a minor arm scrape, but


    you got injured in the back,” she scolded, worry evident in her voice.


    The doctor said at the time that if Benjamin hadn’t been lucky, he might have punctured his lung, and


    that would have been much harder to treat. If the lungs get infected, it could


    lead to a dangerous condition.


    Just the thought of that possibility made Martina’s heart broken, and she couldn’t calm


    down for a long time.


    “Please don’t do such impulsive things again. Regardless of the situation, people need to be a bit


    selfish and consider themselves more. You’ve done well before, right?” she continued. “I don’t want to


    see anything like this happen again. Please promise me that you


    won’t do it anymore.”


    “For the next few days, maybe you should take a break from work and focus on healing!” she


    suggested.


    Listening to Martina’s words, Benjamin’s smile on his face became even more


    pronounced. He couldn’t hide the evident sense of care and concern he felt from her words.


    “Martina, are you caring about me?” Benjamin asked, already knowing the answer but perhaps seeking


    some reassurance for his own peace of mind, which was why he intentionally posed the question this


    way. Because he wasn’t entirely certain about Martina’s true intentions. At least that was how he


    currently felt.


    Martina paused, and in that moment, she unwittingly realized that she had exposed her caring


    demeanor quite clearly. However, she stubbornly refused to admit it.


    Even though they had already decided to part ways, they were just forced to be together for now. If


    they continued like this, when would it end?


    “I’m not caring about you. I’m just worried that if something happened to me, your family wouldn’t


    forgive me,” Martina replied.


    Benjamin was speechless. A hint of destion appeared on his face, indicating that


    Martina’s words had hurt him.


    But quickly, heposed himself again and said in a soft tone, “Actions speak louder


    than words.”


    Although Martina tried to avoid making eye contact with Benjamin, she found it hard to


    control her gaze, still involuntarily falling on him. She felt uneasy especially when she


    thought about the wounds on Benjamin’s back.


    “I don’t,” Martina said, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Benjamin.


    However, her actions didn’t stop at all. She directly picked up the not–so–hot water and


    handed it to Benjamin, saying in a slightly firm tone, “Take your medicine quickly, don’t think


    about anything else.”


    Benjamin could only sigh and lower his gaze again, realizing that no matter how he


    asked now, it wouldn’t make a difference, so he gradually gave up.


    Whether it was an illusion or something else, Martina could always clearly feel that


    Benjamin’s aura was dim, as if he was genuinely upset.


    In the past, he was always inscrutable in his emotions, and even Martina had to ponder deeply to


    perceive his feelings. Now, he was unexpectedly exposing his emotions so easily,


    which was truly astonishing.


    Perhaps Benjamin’s current state was truly heartbreaking, and in the end, Martina


    couldn’t bring herself to say the tough words.


    “Benjamin, remember what I’m telling you, don’t be this foolish again,” Martina carefully chose her


    words. “If you act like this, I won’t be able to repay you any favors.”


    Initially, Benjamin was just feeling a little upset, but after hearing Martina’s words, he couldn’t hold back


    anymore.


    He thought Martina cared about him now because she still had some feelings for him, even if it was just


    a tiny bit. But now, with those words, it was clear she wanted to intentionally distance herself from him.


    “You don’t want to be close to me that badly? I don’t need you to repay any favors not in the past, not


    at present, and not in the future,” Benjamin said, his gaze firmly staring


    at Martina.


    Benjamin fully understood his own thoughts every day, every second.


    Martina didn’t know what to say, so she could only express her current feelings with


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    silence.


    Benjamin’s graceful fingers softly intertwined with one of Martina’s, creating a su connection between


    them. In this tender moment, he appeared to have descended fro


    once unattainable god–like pedestal, now embracing the simplicity of being a mere mortal, grounded in


    the dust of reality.


    He then softly said, “You said you wouldn’t leave me.”


    Martina didn’t know exactly when Benjamin was referring to, but if it was in the past, she had indeed


    said that, not just once. However, people inevitably change; it’s impossible to hold on to those past


    thoughts forever, right?


    What Martina didn’t realize was that in her confused state, she had already told.


    Benjamin that she wouldn’t leave him. Unfortunately, at that time, her consciousness was


    muddled, so how could she remember those things?


    Martina remained silent, feeling Benjamin’s breath bing heavier. Finally, she gently


    patted his hand back.


    “Martina” Benjamin hesitated with his words.


    “It’s gettingte, you should rest properly.” After uttering these words, Martina walked into the


    bathroom, nning to calm herself beforeing out again.


    She sshed cold water on her face, looking at her reflection in the mirror, feeling like she was


    bing more and more unfamiliar to herself.


    She found herself starting to fear Benjamin’s closeness, even though she knew he seemed to have


    genuine feelings for her. However, she couldn’t go back to how things were before.


    What Benjamin had done for her this time was something she couldn’t forget. If it wasn’t for him, she


    would have been in danger, and she didn’t even want to imagine the consequences if he hadn’t arrived


    in time.


    Owing someone a favor was hard to repay.


    Martina sshed her face with cold water several times to calm her restless heart.


    “Martina, you can do this,” she muttered to herself. “You and Benjamin are originally from different


    worlds. Maybe he has feelings for you now, but it’s only temporary, don’t take it seriously.”