Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Chapter 516

Christina thought, “This scene?”

In just a few seconds, Christina seemed to have already understood what Joseph meant. She smiled inexplicably

and looked up at the man who was cutting the steak seriously.

Joseph gave off the vibe of being restrained. Furthermore, this vibe was overlaid with refinement, elegance, and

mystery…

As Christina looked at Joseph, she was lost in thought. The steak in front of her was taken away by a slender hand.

In its place, what was brought over was a steak that had already been cut into chunks of meat that were of the

same shape and size.

Joseph’s lips parted slightly. Before Christina could refuse, Joseph spoke first. He said spontaneously, “It’s only right

for a man to take care of a woman at the dining table. Don’t feel any psychological burden. If you really feel

uncomfortable, just consider it as giving me a chance to act like a gentleman.”

Joseph had addressed everything, and any attempts to refuse thereafter were completely blocked. Even if Christina

did not want to eat, she still had to eat. Christina did not refuse anymore. The corners of her lips curled into a

beautiful smile as she said, “Joseph, no one can refuse anything that you offer, right?”

There were always plenty of reasons that could make people accept this kindness willingly. It could still warm their

hearts.

Joseph placed Christina’s steak in front of himself and continued to use the knife and fork to cut. He said

unhurriedly, “Ms. Yamin, I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood. I’m not a central air conditioner. I don’t intend to warm

everyone.”

In saying so, it meant that Christina was an exception. Once again, she felt her heartstrings being subtly tugged at.

Right after that, Joseph took out his phone, tapped the screen to unlock it, and enlarged a photo before placing the

phone in front of Christina. This picture was one that Christina had photoshopped for them. It was also a scene of

eating in a restaurant, but the clothes they wore were different. After all, the season when the photo was edited

was different. It was winter now.

In the photo, Christina wore a red V-neck dress, while Joseph wore a white shirt. They were sitting face to face, with

Christina giving a charming and alluring smile, and Joseph helping her with her food.

Christina was at a loss for words. She thought to herself, “This scene is really the same as it is now.”

Joseph noticed a slight trace of awkwardness on Christina’s face. Feeling awkward, she instinctively wanted to touch

her hair, again. All her actions were observed by Joseph, who smiled faintly and said, “The photo has become a

reality. What are your thoughts about it, Ms. Yamin?”

Christina replied, “Um…” She thought to herself, “Isn’t this a photoshopped picture? What thoughts could I possibly

have?”

Joseph, who went straight to the point, said without any sense of hesitation, “Alright. I’ll share my thoughts. The

photoshopped picture you created is very captivating, and it changed my perspective. So, starting from this meal, I

intend to provide you with real material in the future. You won’t need to work hard on photoshopping or thinking

about scenes anymore. You can use what’s readily available at any time.”

Seeing Christina’s puzzled expression, as if she did not fully understand, Joseph reduced his words and said

concisely, “I plan to pursue you. Do you understand now?”

There was a loud crash.

The knife and fork in Christina’s hand immediately fell onto her plate with a thud. This action clearly showed her

surprise. She sought to be calm and maintain a smile, saying, “Mr. Turner, you must be kidding. Aren’t you

someone who is committed to a life without marriage?”

“Before you photoshopped the picture, I was committed to a life without marriage,” Joseph said.

Christina recalled what Joseph said last night. Joseph had said, “What if I say it’s because of you?”

So, he was not kidding. It was not a casual remark either.

She photoshopped a picture. This picture then made Joseph want to get married, and he even wanted to pursue

her. She -thought, “Did I edit the photo so skillfully that it’s mesmerizing? Didn’t my mom say my photography skills

are terrible and

that I made Joseph look unphotogenic?”

Christina stared fixedly at Joseph, trying to see if he was telling the truth. She licked her slightly dry lips, took a deep

breath, and composed herself. She asked, “Are you saying that my photoshopped picture made you want to fall in

love? Is that what you mean?”

When Christina asked this question, even she herself was in disbelief.

Joseph nodded honestly and smiled seductively, Christina noticed that this man’s smile was really comforting. She

looked away, pinched the space between her eyebrows, and put down her fork. She suspected that this man never

really intended to treat her to a meal. Not a single bite of the beef went down her throat, leaving her with a head

full of questions.

Narrowing her beautiful eyes, she asked, “Mr. Turner, you’re not trying to prevent me from eating, are you?”

“I’m sorry,” Joseph said. “I should have waited for you to finish eating before saying this. My bad. But what I said is

true. I’m not joking with you. I never joke when it comes to matters of the heart. I want to turn this into a reality.

What do you think,

Ms. Yamin?”

Christina took a deep breath and said indifferently, “Let’s eat.”

“Sure,” Joseph said. He was not in a hurry. He actually smiled when he heard her say those two words.

Christina had a diverse range of complex emotions as she ate. She lowered her head and quickly finished her meal,

using the excuse of needing a short nap. Joseph knew that she wanted to process what he had said, so he did not

object. After sending Christina back to her room, he carefully told her that the dining place had already been

reserved and that he would pick her up when she woke up.

When meeting Joseph’s gaze, Christina always felt that he had a kind of charisma that made it difficult to resist.

Back in her room, Christina began to make all kinds of guesses. When she considered the strange occurrences of

the past few days, such as the suitcase, the driver, and even the security guard, it seemed like they were all things

that raised suspicions.

She flopped onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. She thought to herself, “Was this all done by Joseph? If

so, then coming to Sapphire City has landed me in a trap, and he’s watching me walk right into it.

“I initially thought that I was the one setting up a trap, but it turns out that there’s a trap within a trap. I’ve become

the prey,

huh?

“Looking at it from the other perspective, do I not have feelings for Joseph? I’m an adult. I don’t want to lie. I do

have feelings

for him.”

She had initially thought that he was really a university professor. When she saw the fountain pen, she wanted to

buy it for Joseph. This was the best move. However, she was not sure if she could actually give it to him.

Joseph’s sudden and straightforward confession of love had left Christina’s heart in turmoil. Her once firm

convictions were now changing, and she felt a desire to give it a try. Joseph’s handsome face was displayed on the

ceiling. It was still that charming smile.

Dazed, Christina shook her head and decided to get some rest before making any decisions. Her mind was in too

much turmoil at the moment, and she could not figure out where the thread of her thoughts was leading.

Three and a half hours later, Christina woke up slowly and yawned. At the same time, she received a text message.

It was from Joseph. [Are you awake?]

She thought, “Even through the screen, I can sense this man’s tenderness. Why didn’t he show it in the past?” He

hid it well. In the

past, he would at most reply in just two words, namely “Got it”.

Had there been any signs of this kind of behavior previously, she would have noticed it long ago. As she looked at

this message, her mind became clear, and she was very certain that she had been given a confession of love. It

was given by someone she hired, no less.

It was because of the photoshopped picture that Joseph fell for her.

After waking up from her nap, she was quite certain that she had feelings for Joseph, at least in terms of his looks.

Christina was not bothered by the fact that the person who had confessed to her was Joseph, who was someone

that she hired. Neither was she bothered by the fact that Joseph was laying a trap carefully due to his liking for her.

She only cared about her most genuine feelings, whether she liked him or not, and whether it was a good fit or not.

She had never been in a relationship before. Nonetheless, she had heard of other people’s romantic experiences.

There were plenty of people around her who were in on-and-off relationships that were filled with drama. There

were also people who willingly got deceived into starting a relationship.

The general idea was clear in her mind. Joseph was indeed pursuing her now. She picked up her phone and replied,

[Mr. Turner, where do you plan to take me to spend?]

Joseph texted, [Let’s talk about it after you freshen up.]

Christina-readily agreed. She texted, [30 minutes. Can you wait?]

Joseph texted, [Sure. There’s no hurry.]

Looking back at their chat history, Christina could tell that this man was quite patient.

For Christina, who had never been in a romantic relationship, there was still a tiny bit of fear, internal conflict, and

hesitation in the depths of her heart.

Extremely punctual, Christina opened the door thirty minutes later. Joseph was already waiting at the doorway

leisurely. with a cigarette that was still lit but had not been fully burned yet.

Seeing Christina come out of the room, he took a few steps back and discarded the cigarette into the designated

cigarette-butt receptacle near the elevator. “Sorry,” he said. “I thought you still needed more time. Do you mind if I

smoke?”

“I don’t mind,” Christina said. “I’m used to it. You may smoke if you want. There’s no need to avoid it.” She thought,

“People who run their own business have no reason to mind other people smoking. I’ve gotten used to it a long time

ago.”

Joseph

Out a piece of chewing gum from his pocket and chewed on it. He handed a piece to Christina spontaneously,

saying, “Do you want it?”

Seeing Christina shake her head, Joseph gave her an assurance without being prompted, saying, “Don’t worry. I

won’t smoke in front of you again.”

In the evening, Joseph brought Christina to a well-known internet-famous restaurant. Throughout the meal, Joseph

took care of her, paying attention to every detail, and Christina could also feel his thoughtfulness.

Joseph drove a moderately priced car. He had no intention of telling Christina that he was the richest person in

Sapphire City just yet. He was afraid of scaring her away before he even began pursuing her.

His approach was to open a door and then gradually progress step by step.

Joseph, with a blue-dial wristwatch on his wrist, gently parted his lips and said in a soft tone, “Where do you want to

go?”

The snow outside was drifting onto the window. It was mercilessly battered by the windshield wipers. “It’s snowing,”

Christina said. “Let’s head back to the hotel. Drive slowly.”

“Okay,” Joseph replied.

Back at the hotel, Joseph parked his car in the designated spot and took Christina to the first floor using a private

elevator. The snow-viewing deck was already crowded with many people. It could be said that there were this many

people every evening.

Christina’s gaze was fixed on the snow-viewing deck, and she did not blink. She felt like playing in the snow. “I’d like

to go over there for a while,” she said.

“Let’s go together,” Joseph said. “Wait a moment.” A bodyguard behind them handed over a transparent umbrella.

Joseph, with his tall figure, half-embraced Christina and held up the transparent umbrella. There was a kind of hazy

beauty

as they stayed dry while still being able to see the snowfall on the top of the umbrella.

In the snow, Joseph was holding an umbrella, and Christina was half-embraced, seeking shelter under Joseph’s

protection. The umbrella was not huge. A layer of snowflakes had already accumulated on Joseph’s shoulder on one

side.

They arrived at the tranquil spot from the previous night. The black umbrella had turned into a white transparent

umbrella. Christina adjusted her coat, getting ready to sit down on a chair!

Joseph stopped her. He picked up her freezing hands, placed the umbrella into her hands, and said, “Hold this for

now.”

Christina held the umbrella without understanding why.

Then, Joseph took out a tissue from his pocket and wiped the snow off the stool very carefully. Christina stood still at

the side, watching as this distinguished man bent down to wipe the stool for her.

Indeed, there had been people who pursued her in the past, but no one had treated her like this. Most of them

would use money to woo her, such as gifting her roses, limited-edition handbags, cars, houses, and so on.

However, Christina also had those things. Plus, these were not things that mattered to her. There were actually

many reasons she did not want to get married. For example, the men in the television dramas analyzed by her

mother were very unreliable. After getting married, it was all about the mundane aspects of managing household

affairs and responsibilities. Another example was immature men. She did not want to get married and ended up

looking after a husband who would require the same care and attention as a child. After combining many factors,

Christina ultimately decided that she might as well work. Being single gave her freedom.

Christina thought, “Now it seems that being in a romantic relationship would bring a different feeling, and it’s not as

troublesome as I thought.” A pleasant and magnetic voice brought her mind back to the present. “It’s done,”

Joseph said. “Have a seat. Don’t you feel cold? We can also watch the snow from the rooftop.”

Christina forced a smile, but her earlier thoughts still lingered in her mind. She contemplated, “Would Joseph be a

good choice? Would he always be like this? Would our interaction turn into arguments that are related to the

mundane aspects of life that often come after marriage?” While pondering these questions, she said, “Thank you.”

She was afraid of marriage, fearing that after getting married, the initial happiness would turn into a nightmare.

There were too many such examples.

Before marriage, partners would stick to each other like glue, but after getting married, they would have intense

arguments.