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But Noland, far from having a peaceful night, woke up the next morning with messy hair and bloodshot eyes. He hadn’t slept well, tossing and turning, waking up several times during the night. On top of that, the headache from the hangover made him wish he could punch his drunken self from the previous night.

When Olivia entered and saw his state, she immediately understood how poorly he had slept. She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Sir, would you like some hangover medicine?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Even after taking the medicine, Noland still couldn’t muster the energy to get back to his usual self. All his appointments for the day were canceled, and he sat at the dining table in his bathrobe, his unkempt hair and disheveled face staring blankly as he began his breakfast.

Sherman’s eyes nearly popped out when he saw Noland. He had never seen him look like this before—Noland was always meticulous, even when working late for three days straight. This unkempt, unshaven appearance was unheard of.

Though Noland had canceled all his appointments, work still found a way to reach him. Sherman received a document—a matter Noland had specifically told him to handle personally—and under the watchful eyes of the maids, who looked at him as though he might commit a crime, Sherman handed the tablet to Noland, saying, “Sir.”

Noland rubbed his temples, forcing himself to focus. He took the tablet from Sherman, pushing his messy bangs out of the way to reveal his smooth forehead, then began reading the document.

He was so absorbed in his work that he didn’t notice the subtle exchange of looks between Sherman and Olivia. Both of them, eyes fixed on Noland’s forehead, saw a small, red pimple had appeared there.

Sherman and Olivia silently communicated with their eyes—"You tell him."

But neither of them said anything until Noland had finished reading the document.

Once he was done with his work, Noland hurriedly finished his breakfast and collapsed back onto his bed. He let his eyelids droop, feeling sleepy but unable to actually fall asleep, sinking into the blankets in a dazed state. However, the "ding" of his phone broke the quiet, waking him up a little.

He reached out to grab his phone from the nightstand, rolled over onto his back, and lit up the screen. A message from Jin Shiya popped up.

"Stupid and Clumsy": Thanks for yesterday.

"Stupid and Clumsy" was the nickname Noland had given Jin Shiya, thinking it suited her perfectly. Seeing her message, he felt again how silly and clumsy she was. It was his decision to put her in that awkward position, and now she was thanking him?

Noland: For what?

"Stupid and Clumsy": If it weren’t for you yesterday, I would’ve been so embarrassed. Pretending to be my boyfriend, you really went through a lot for me. But please don’t say that next time. It’s easy for people to figure out.

Noland really thought Jin Shiya was hopelessly clueless. As long as the two of them stuck to their story, who would dare question the authenticity of their relationship?

However, seeing the message from Jin Shiya, who seemed to be doing just fine and even dared to criticize him indirectly, suddenly lifted Noland's spirits.

Noland: Since you want to thank me, why not show some sincerity?

A few minutes passed before she replied.

"Stupid and Clumsy": Alright, how should I thank you?

Noland smiled, then typed a simple sentence: Take me out to eat.