Chapter 529 The Forgotten Past
This whole thing didn't break any rules, so he went along with it.
Agreeing was one thing, but after strapping the watch back on, Benjamin gave her a knowing look and said, "Because of this watch, I'll make sure someone looks after you during training."
"That's not what I meant," Daphne quickly clarified. She was just trying to thank him, not asking for any special favors.
Benjamin's dark eyes flicked over to her, staying silent.
Seeing his reaction, Daphne felt the need to explain again. Little did she know, Benjamin's "looking after" came with a twist.
His version of "looking after" meant pushing her to her limits, which basically meant she'd be in for a rough time.
"Are you even listening?" Daphne asked after a bit of silence from him.
"Yeah, I heard you," Benjamin lied smoothly, noticing her getting a bit worked up. "Don't worry about special treatment; the trainers aren't my people. How they handle you is out of my hands. I'm just in charge of this assessment."
If Benjamin had known his words would lead Daphne to mistake him for someone else later, he might've regretted it.
But hey, no one has a crystal ball.
Daphne felt a mix of relief and disappointment.
She actually wanted Benjamin to be the one training them.
That way, she could see how she measured up against him and figure out when she could beat him.
As the story flashed back to this moment, Daphne paused in the present.
She looked up at Benjamin, who was still chatting with Louis about the story, and asked, "Wait, you mean the assessment leader who intercepted me in the jungle and later took me to the convenience store was you?"
"Who else?" Benjamin raised an eyebrow.
Could she admit she didn't know?
Seeing her expression, Benjamin asked casually, "You didn't know it was me?"
"Not just me, Emma and the others probably didn't know either," Daphne replied, feeling a bit guilty. "You had a thick layer of camouflage paint on your face and fought like a beast. I never got a good look at you."
Whether it was during the fight or when Benjamin took her to the convenience store later, she never really saw his face.
After the assessment, it was Efren who announced the results and explained the rules. They were all too focused to notice who was standing next to them.
"Besides," Daphne added, "You said yourself that the trainers wouldn't be from your team."
When Benjamin showed up to officially train them, Daphne thought his voice sounded familiar.
But they were so exhausted every day, they didn't have time to think about it, assuming it was just a voice they'd heard somewhere before.
"Are you blaming me?" Benjamin asked.
Daphne looked at him and said confidently, "Yeah."
She finally got why Benjamin always said the watch had something to do with her. From their first meeting to later on, she never thought it was about the watch, realizing she had missed a part earlier.
"If that counts as the first meeting, then was the training the second time?" Daphne thought about his previous mention of three meetings.
They crossed paths a bunch during training, and all those meetings were part of it.
Falling in love during training? That's kinda weird.
"The first time was testing your skills in the jungle," Benjamin corrected her. "The second time was taking you to the convenience store."
Daphne looked puzzled. "That counts as two times?"
There was only like a ten-minute gap between them.
Benjamin nodded.
"Then does coming out of the convenience store count as the third time?" Daphne guessed.
"Same place, same situation, so it only counts as once," Benjamin explained.
Daphne was curious. "So, did you fall for me during training?"
Benjamin replied, "No."
Daphne asked, "Then when?"
Benjamin didn't answer directly. "Think carefully."
If Daphne could figure it out, she wouldn't have been guessing all this time.
Louis, thinking back, asked softly, "Before you officially trained Mom and the others, did you show up with camouflage paint on your face?"
"No," Daphne said confidently.
She was sure about this one hundred percent.
Because of what happened on the first day, she had always planned to ask his name the next time they met and challenge him when she felt ready.
But until the second assessment ended, she never saw him again, like he vanished into thin air.
"The third time wasn't with camouflage paint," Benjamin hinted. "That time, I was in disguise."
He was in disguise?
Daphne thought back but still couldn't find any clues.
She asked, "When and where? What was the situation?"
"Before I officially trained you, the most memorable time," Benjamin reminded her again.
To be trained by him, they needed to pass two assessments.
One was the initial assessment, and the second was the assessment after being trained by others.
Could she say that many things from before were particularly memorable?
She was about to keep asking but stopped when she looked up at him.
Benjamin remembered every little detail from their first meeting, while Daphne needed hints to recall.
If their roles were reversed, she might feel a bit sad.
"Give me one night," Daphne requested. "I'll definitely remember."
Benjamin rubbed her head and spoke softly, "Okay."
Back in her room, Daphne racked her brain.
She began to piece together the events, starting from the first assessment until Benjamin took over their training, meticulously recalling each significant moment.
But she couldn't think of anything. Daphne decided to ask the group for help.
Daphne sent a message: [From the squad assessment to the end of the second assessment, what was the most memorable thing for you?]
Kevin: [Why are you suddenly asking this?]
Emma: [Every part of the training was memorable for me.]
Zoey: [Same here.]
Evan: [Did Benjamin ask you to ask this?]
Daphne: [No, do you remember the first time you saw him?]
Emma: [On the training day. I was thinking, such a handsome guy, even if he trained me to death, I'd be willing. But I underestimated Benjamin's methods.]
But one training session was all it took to blow away the rose-colored glasses
Emma's mind was left with only the image of a devil.
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