Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

After New Year. The snow in Athana had been slowly melting, leaving sparse traces of white clinging to the tree branches. In the warm sunlight, one could still see faint glimmers of light reflecting off the white snow. The ground in the residential area was now completely free of snow, presumably cleared by the property management.

Aman in a black down jacket and a gray turtleneck, lacking enthusiasm, jogged around the neighborhood. Occasionally, he turned his head to look behind, glancing every few steps. After completing two rounds, and not seeing the person he had hoped for, his mood plummeted. He stopped his steps and walked towards the villa with a sense of disappointment. The next day... The third day...

Not knowing how many days had passed, Leia still had not replied to Chris's messages. The longer the wait, the more thoughts flooded in, and the frequency of missing increased. At this moment, Chris was sitting on the sofa in the living room, playing with his phone, which was rare for him. He did not go to the hospital. Yesterday, during the surgery, he was on the verge of losing focus. Adhering to his commitment to patient care, he chose to take a day off.

When Angie woke up and came downstairs, she saw her son sitting on the sofa, looking at his phone. She didn't know what he was looking at, unlocking and locking the screen repeatedly. Standing at the staircase for a long time, Angie spoke up in a sense of sympathy, "It's rare to see you at this time. No morning run today?" "I did." Chris's mood was not high. He glanced at his own mother who had come downstairs, and responded nonchalantly, as not answering might upset his mother. As Stella mentioned, her brother had to constantly consider the emotions of those around him, making life more challenging. Just being able to catch his breath was already quite an accomplishment.

"Hey, Chris, you didn't go to work? What's going on? Are you sick?" Stella, who followed closely, found it strange to see her brother sitting on the sofa playing with his phone. As long as her brother wasn't sick, he worked 365 days a year without a break.

Therefore, seeing him sit on the sofa playing with his phone today, it wasn't surprising that Stella was amazed.

Upon seeing Stella, Chris seemed to think of something. He stood up, tidied his clothes, stuffed his phone into his pocket, and then put his arm around his sister's shoulder, walking out. "I will take you to work." These words scared Stella as she felt like her brother had some ill intentions. She shook off her brother's hand. "Wait a minute. Are you up to something bad?" Chris had never taken her to work before. Sometimes, when she didn't want to drive and asked her brother for a ride, he always said it was out of the way, wasting gas. ‘The was too unusual,’ thought Stella as she raised her hand and used the back of her hand to test her brother's forehead, then tried her own temperature. With a confirmed look, she said to him, "Chris, you're not running a fever either.” Before Stella could react, Chris pulled her wrist and walked out without caring about the expressions of his sister and mother behind him. "Hurry up, you'll be late." Angie, standing in the living room, was still puzzled, unable to understand what her son was up to, thinking, ‘What's going on with him?" Stella, pulled into the front passenger seat by her brother, wanted to ask what was going on. Before she had a chance to speak, Chris reminded her, "Buckle up." The car was already running, and Stella was busy fastening her seatbelt. After securing it, she looked puzzled and asked, "Chris. Even if you're taking me to my death, you should at least give me a reason, right?" Meanwhile, she thought, 'I'd like to know what I'm dying for." Chris was earnestly staring ahead while driving, calm and unhurried now, without the previous urgency. He replied, "Just taking you to the company, checking out your work environment. Besides, I'm not working today." "Are you serious? To my company?" Stella yelled. Everything seemed normal before her brother spoke. However, with his revelation, Stella's voice rose several decibels. Her voice was so loud that Chris subconsciously scratched his ears. Sitting on the side, Stella stared blankly at him as if he might be under some kind of spell. Meanwhile, casting a sidelong glance at his bewildered sister, Chris asked, "I'm just driving you to the company. What's the problem? Don't make a fuss. What do you want for breakfast?" Stella was pulled out of home unexpectedly and forgot to have breakfast. She leaned back in her chair, and glanced at her brother repeatedly. Finally, with a curious look, she said, "A smoothie, a sandwich, and some hash browns would be fine." Chris, still focused on a point ahead, casually remarked, "From a doctor's point of view, you've eaten quite a bit. 70% full is optimal.” "Stop using the doctor's perspective. Do you have something to talk to me about? Let's stick to our usual way of interaction. | feel uneasy with your abnormity," said Stella.

"Do you have paranoid delusions? Taking you to the company and buying you breakfast makes you think I'm having any bad intentions toward you. Do you have a problem?" said Chris.

our usual way of interaction. It's normal.” Stella's tense mood

while, Chris asked, "Is the company busy lately?" "Yeah, very busy. How can it not be busy right after the holiday? Haven't you noticed I'm working overtime every day? I'm exhausted. Our manager, Ms. March, goes home only after midnight. Have you bumped into her during your morning jog these days?" Before Chris could answer, Stella continued to answer herself, "Probably not. No time for morning jogs when sleep is insufficient..." Midway through her words, Stella finally grasped the unusual actions of her brother this morning. With a curious and excited expression, she grabbed Chris's wrist, saying, "You're not trying to inquire about Ms. March from me, are you? You're not..." After several days of contemplation, coupled with the recent uncontrollable emotional upheaval, so intense that he spaced out even during surgeries, he had finally identified the source of his ailment, it was Leia March. He needed to find the right remedy to begin the treatment. Chris openly admitted, "Any

out she had feelings for you?" She thought it would take

his feelings with his sister. "Be quiet for a moment." "| can't be quiet. Chris, have you confessed?" asked

"Yeah," replied Chris.

searched for a suitable word before replying, "It's not really a rejection.” "Not really a rejection? So, she neither accepted nor refused. That's good. It means you still have a chance. If you take the initiative a bit more and adopt a persistent pursuit approach should still be quite hopeful.” At a traffic light, Chris stopped and glanced at his sister. "Aggressive pursuit. Is Ms. March into that?" Meanwhile, he pondered, ‘Wouldn't she find it abrupt and annoying?" "| really don't know about that. People always say to wait till the clouds roll

an unfamiliar face, they couldn't help but take a second glance at him. A colleague tugged at Stella's clothes and whispered in her ear, "Stella, is this your boyfriend?" "Huh? Are you blind?" Stella placed one hand under her chin, and stood still, letting others compare her with Chris. She continued, "Don't

especially the nose part. It turns out he's your brother.” Handsome and wealthy, the siblings did resemble each

alongside Stella, she placed her bag at her work desk, tiptoed, lowered her voice, and used one hand to cover one side of her face, saying, "Ms. March's office is straight to the end, and it's the second one inside. The

luck, I'm counting on you to get me a sister-in-law!" When Chris arrived at the company, he was indeed a bit nervous. He tightened his grip on the folder, more

mug from the office desk. Holding it in his hands, it felt as if he could sense her warmth,