"What a joke! Envious? What would I envy?" Ron immediately retorted loudly.
"They just envy me for not being alone, not being a single dog," Draco said calmly.
After hearing this Ron was speechless and managed to squeeze out a weak explanation. "I... I'm still young! I'm not in a hurry to find a partner."
"Do you think you'll definitely find someone you're satisfied with when you grow up? What do girls see in you?" Draco continued, adding insult to injury.
Ron's face fell instantly, his brows furrowed, and he pondered for a long time.
He thought about his appearance, personality, and abilities over and over again, and finally, with slumped shoulders and a mournful face, he said:
You've really hurt me! I was just joking with you.
Seeing his dejected appearance, Draco suppressed his mocking expression and said gently:
"Jokes are fine, I love teasing you, but there's one thing you need to remember."
"Don't drag Hermione into these jokes, and don't tease her. She's sensitive and easily embarrassed."
"Okay, okay, I get it. You're such a fiercely protective husband, Hermione is all you think about." Ron conceded.
Draco smiled and sincerely comforted him, "Actually, I was just joking with you."
"Actually, you have a cheerful personality, are loyal to others, and have a good sense of humor. You can get along with people wherever you go, and you're also kind-hearted and willing to help your friends."
"With such a good personality, how could she not find someone she likes?"
"It's just not the right time yet; the girl who understands you hasn't come to your side yet."
Ron's eyes lit up instantly, like sparks ignited, and his previous frustration vanished.
He sat bolt upright, staring intently at Draco, and asked uncertainly, "Really? Are you telling the truth? Or are you just trying to make me happy?"
"Of course it's the truth. You know I'm usually quite credible." Draco nodded as he spoke.
Ron nodded heavily, let out a long sigh of relief, and felt all the pent-up frustration in his chest dissipate.
A hearty smile returned to his face, "That's good, that's good! I thought I was worthless and no one would want me, but now that you say that, I'm relieved!"
Having said that, he straightened his back, his eyes gleaming with a competitive light:
"Come on! Let's play a proper game! Today I'm going to show you my true skills and beat you no matter what. I'll show you just how good Ron Weasley's Wizard's Chess really is!"
The two were setting up the chess pieces when Draco had a sudden thought: he wanted to exchange chess skills.
He didn't need top-notch skills, just enough to keep up with Ron and avoid a one-sided, boring match.
The system's voice echoed in Draco's mind, saying that he only needed ten exchange points to acquire the Beginner Wizard's Chess Mastery.
Without the slightest hesitation, Draco immediately agreed to exchange the currency.
In an instant, a solid understanding of Wizard's Chess surged into his mind.
It didn't feel like it was forcibly instilled; rather, it felt like a feeling that had been there since childhood, gradually unfolding in my mind.
Draco paused slightly, and couldn't help but mutter to himself to the system, "This kind of thorough understanding, how could it be considered the lowest level of chess skill?"
If this is considered a beginner level, then if one were to exchange for advanced chess skills, wouldn't they be able to dominate the entire Hogwarts circuit and be invincible?
Suppressing the surprise in his heart, Draco remained outwardly calm, feigning a normal look of bewilderment.
The two put the pieces back in their places on the board, and Ron began to explain the rules of Wizard's Chess in a very detailed manner.
He explained in great detail and with great patience, as if afraid that Draco wouldn't understand.
Draco listened quietly, occasionally nodding in agreement. Once he finished speaking, the game officially began.
In the first few moves, Draco relied on the knowledge he had just acquired to place his pieces gently and seemingly casually, yet each move was perfectly placed.
Ron initially laughed heartily, making decisive moves and occasionally glancing up to exchange a few jokes with Draco.
He said if I didn't understand, I should just say so, and he could teach me again.
But within ten minutes, the smile on Ron's face gradually faded.
The speed at which he placed the pieces slowed down, his eyes were fixed on the chessboard, and his fingers unconsciously traced the edges of the pieces.
His originally neat and orderly formation was completely dismantled by Draco's seemingly casual moves.
One after another, the pawns in the front row were captured, and the Queen and Knight's escape route was quietly blocked.
The situation on the chessboard clearly showed that he was in a state of complete defeat and had no chance to fight back.
Ron stared at the sparse chess pieces in front of him, his face slightly flushed.
Finally, he put the chess piece on the table, and said with a mix of frustration and disbelief, "I concede."
He looked at Draco, his eyes full of doubt. "Your chess skills are clearly so good, but you pretended not to know anything just now. Were you deliberately teasing me?"
Draco smiled and shook his head, calmly saying, "Nothing of the sort, I just got lucky."
"Really?" Ron frowned, clearly unwilling to believe it.
His gaze swept over Draco's face, trying to find any trace of a lie.
Draco still smiled and said, "Of course it's true."
Ron scratched his head, looking confused, and muttered to himself.
It must be because I wasn't focused enough and carelessly lost the game; it wasn't that the opponent had any extraordinary abilities.
He refused to admit defeat, immediately returned the pieces to their original positions, and looked at Draco stubbornly, saying:
"No, I wasn't serious just now. Let's play again! This time I'm going to beat you!"
Seeing Ron's defiant attitude, Draco found it amusing but couldn't bear to dampen his spirits, so he nodded gently. "Alright, let's play another round."
At the start of this game, Draco deliberately held back a bit, intentionally leaving some openings in his moves, engaging in a back-and-forth, entangled battle with Draco.
The situation on the chessboard was tense and relaxed at times; sometimes he had the upper hand, and sometimes Draco would win back a point.
Ron was completely focused, fine beads of sweat gradually appearing on his forehead. His eyes were fixed on the chessboard, and he considered each move for a long time, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
The match was deadlocked for a long time, but Ron finally won a game by a narrow margin.
He let out a long sigh of relief, raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, and a smug smile appeared on his face.
He leaned back in his chair and said, "Finally, we won!"
" Draco, you can't escape this time. I can see right through you; you're definitely a hidden master of Wizard's Chess. Don't try to fool me anymore!"
Draco, still smiling faintly, calmly explained:
"I'm really not a master. I only learned a few moves when I was young. I haven't played Wizard's Chess's Chess for a long time, so I'm quite rusty. I was just barely managing to keep up."
Upon hearing this, Ron froze instantly, his smugness vanishing and replaced by deeper surprise and speechlessness.
He stared at the chessboard, then at Draco, his mind reeling with turmoil.
Even with such a rusty skill level, they were able to fight him to a standstill, almost causing him to lose.
If he were in perfect condition, wouldn't he be incredibly powerful?