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He shouldn't have gotten involved. What did it matter when Bai Yongyan and Jiang Shiyu started their relationship? It had nothing to do with him.
If he had spent the past year accompanying Jin Shiya, teaching her more, broadening her horizons, and then introducing her to someone better, wouldn't that have been a better outcome?
By then, Jin Shiya wouldn’t even remember Bai Yongyan, and he wouldn’t have rushed things, dropping a bombshell on her right now.
Noland took another sip of wine, growing frustrated with himself.
He leaned back in his chair, his long hand resting on the armrest. With his movement, the towel on his head slipped to the floor, landing on the soft carpet without making a sound.
It had been years since he had been this upset with himself, let alone this much today—it was all his own doing.
Noland, feeling disheartened, drained two glasses of red wine. Despite the alcohol, which usually wouldn’t make him drunk, he found himself feeling a bit lightheaded.
While he wallowed in self-pity, a knock came at his bedroom door.
Three evenly spaced knocks echoed crisply: “Sir, are you asleep?” It was Olivia’s voice from outside.
“Come in.”
Upon hearing his voice, Olivia opened the door and stepped inside, spotting Noland in the corner. Her face was neutral, but she was surprised. It had been a long time since she had seen Noland look like this—uncertain, regretful, and even a little lost.
How long had it been?
Since she had come to care for the boy who was five years older than her at the age of ten, she hadn’t seen Noland show any signs of confusion or uncertainty. Not since he was twenty. And now, regret mixed into his expression.
Olivia walked toward him, her gaze shifting to the bottle of red wine. Half of it was gone, but it wasn’t enough to get him drunk. The alcohol hadn’t clouded his mind—he was lost in his own emotions.
She reached out and corked the bottle, then began speaking to him. “Sir, why are you still awake so late? The security guard told me that they saw the lights on in your room, which is why I came to check on you.”
When he had returned earlier, it was already past ten, and now it was almost one in the morning. The lights in his room were still on—this was surprising to the security staff, considering it was well-known that Noland Harris was extremely disciplined. No matter what was happening, he would always be in bed by eleven unless there was a special reason. After all, nothing was more important than his health.
The guards had even wondered if he had simply forgotten to turn off the lights, which was why they contacted Olivia.
Noland waved his hand dismissively. “I just can’t sleep.”
He stared at Olivia, who quietly stood by the door, before suddenly asking, “Olivia, what do you think love is?”
Olivia froze for a moment, thinking for a bit before replying hesitantly. “To me, love is wanting to be with someone, being able to see them every day and talk to them.”
“Do you have someone you love?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Poor Sherman.”
“?”
Noland, a bit tipsy, spoke without restraint. If Sherman had been there, he would have likely covered Noland’s mouth to stop him from speaking so freely.
Noland got up from his chair. “You can go now. I’m going to sleep.”
Olivia bowed and exited after seeing Noland settle into bed and pull up the covers. She tidied up the wine glasses and the towel that had fallen on the carpet, then left his room.
“Sweet dreams, sir.”
