Chatper 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 oveid 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 ce, 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 ufortable, just consider it as giving me a chance to act like a gentleman.”


    Joseph had addressed everything, and any attempts to refuse thereafter werepletely 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?”


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


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


    warm their hearts.


    Joseph ced 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 erged a photo before


    cing 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 be 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 avable at


    any time.”


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


    and said concisely, “I n to pursue you. Do you understand now?”


    There was a loud crash.


    The knife and fork in Christina’s hand immediately fell onto her te 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 ismitted to a life without marriage?”


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


    Christina recalled what Joseph saidst 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, andposed 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


    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 ites 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 ofplex 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 ce 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


    urrences 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 nkly at the ceiling. She thought to herself, “Was this all done by


    Joseph? If so, thening to Sapphire City hasnded 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 be 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


    disyed 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 hourster, 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 wasying 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 rtionship before. Nheless, she had heard of other people’s romantic


    experiences. There were plenty of people around her who were in on-and-off rtionships that were


    filled with drama. There were also people who willingly got deceived into starting a rtionship.


    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 n 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 rtionship, 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 minutester. Joseph was already waiting at the


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


    Seeing Christinae 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 inte-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 ying 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 umbre.


    Joseph, with his tall figure, half-embraced Christina and held up the transparent umbre. There was a


    kind of hazy beauty


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


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


    Joseph’s protection. The umbre was not huge. Ayer of snowkes had already umted on


    Joseph’s shoulder on one side.


    They arrived at the tranquil spot from the previous night. The ck umbre had turned into a white


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


    Joseph stopped her. He picked up her freezing hands, ced the umbre into her hands, and said,


    “Hold this for now.”


    Christina held the umbre 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. Afterbining 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 rtionship would bring a different feeling,


    and it’s not as troublesome as I thought.” A pleasant and maic 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 contemted, “Would


    Joseph be a good choice? Would he always be like this? Would our interaction turn into arguments that


    are rted to the mundane aspects of life that oftene 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.