Draco, already dressed in the same pajamas, stood outside the door. He glanced up and down at Hermione, who had just come out of the bath, his gaze sweeping over her shapely figure encased in the light blue pajamas.
Hermione felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and instinctively crossed her arms in front of her, her face flushing slightly.
"Seriously, Miss Granger? You're all dressed up, why are you so covered up? Are you trying to protect yourself from thieves?"
"You, you're talking nonsense!" Hermione's face turned even redder, and she lowered her hand in embarrassment and annoyance, but still turned her body slightly to the side.
Because he didn't want to confront Draco directly, he thought, "Who, who's guarding against thieves! This is... this is a normal reaction!"
"The normal reaction is to clutch your chest when you see your man?" Draco chuckled as he stepped forward, casually picking up another large, dry towel and draping it over her still-dripping curly hair.
Then I gently began to wipe it.
"You need to dry your hair, otherwise you'll get a headache."
His movements were gentle; he lightly massaged her hair roots through the towel, providing a comfortable sensation. Hermione's initial embarrassment gradually dissipated under his natural care.
She lowered her head, letting him wipe her, and muttered softly, "Okay... I'll use magic to dry it next time."
"Did you fall asleep comfortably in there? I almost thought you were going to spend the night in the bath," Draco said casually with a smile as he carefully dried himself.
"I... I didn't fall asleep!" Hermione immediately denied, but her voice sounded a little guilty; she really had almost fallen asleep. "It's just... the water was so comfortable, I soaked a little longer..."
"See?" Draco sighed, his hands still wiping. "I told you, I had to go in and keep an eye on you. What if you really fell asleep and slipped down?"
"I woke up as soon as I slid down," Hermione said casually.
I dried her hair with a towel until it was about 70-80% dry, no longer dripping, then removed the towel and gently ruffled her soft, fluffy hair. "Okay, stop fooling around, come and eat."
Hermione then noticed that dinner had been laid out on the table sometime earlier, and the food was emitting an enticing aroma.
Her eyes lit up. After tossing and turning for most of the night, filled with fear and exhaustion, she hadn't felt it before, but now that she relaxed, a wave of hunger surged up.
I'm really hungry!
Hermione touched her belly and quickly walked to the table and sat down.
The food on the table intrigued her.
Two bowls of white rice,
Next to it were three exquisite porcelain plates: one plate contained meat that was reddish-brown and glossy, looking like pork, covered in a thick sauce and garnished with bright green scallions.
The other dish featured Dittany fish fillets, soaking in a clear broth and topped with finely shredded ginger and scallions, along with a few bright red goji berries.
There was also a plate of bright green, crisp vegetables.
There were also two coconuts with straws inserted next to them.
"What is this?" Hermione looked at it curiously. Although she had never eaten it before, it looked delicious and looked very appetizing.
Moreover, Draco's cooking is never bad.
"Hmm, give it a try, it should suit your taste." Draco sat down opposite her, picked up his chopsticks, and gestured for her to start eating.
Hermione excitedly picked up a coconut. "It's a coconut!"
She tried taking a sip through the straw; the sweet, cool coconut juice flowed down her throat, moisturizing her dry throat.
Even my fatigue has subsided considerably.
"Mmm! Delicious! Very refreshing and sweet, not cloying at all!" Hermione's eyes curved into crescents, clearly she liked it very much.
"I'm glad you like it." Draco sat down opposite her, looking at her satisfied expression, and said casually with a smile.
Hermione took another big gulp, and seeing that Draco was only looking at her and there was nothing in front of him, she asked:
Why is there only one?
"Because," Draco said naturally, taking the coconut from her hand, taking a sip through the straw she had just used, and smacking his lips, "I was waiting for you to finish."
Hermione's face turned bright red!
"You—you're doing this again!" Hermione pointed at him, her cheeks burning with embarrassment and anger. "That's my straw!"
"What's wrong?" Draco looked at her with some surprise. "Did Miss Granger forget to brush her teeth while taking a bath? You seem like a very clean person, this shouldn't be happening!"
This statement makes it sound like sharing a straw is perfectly normal, and the focus isn't on the ambiguity of indirect kissing, but on the practical issue of cleanliness.
"This... this has nothing to do with brushing your teeth!" Hermione was both embarrassed and flustered by his peculiar line of thought. "This... this is a matter of hygiene! And... and..."
She was too embarrassed to say it aloud.
"And what?" Draco deliberately pushed the coconut closer to her, the straw pointing directly at her. "You don't like me? Then I'll go get another straw?"
"No, no need." Hermione looked at the straw his lips had touched, her face turning even redder. She reached for another one, as if to make it seem like she cared a lot.
And... actually, it seems like she's not really opposed to it? She's just too shy.
After hesitating for a moment, Hermione blushed and lowered her head, taking another small sip of coconut juice through the straw.
The sweet taste remains.
But there seemed to be an indescribable or ambiguous undertone.
Draco chuckled and started serving her food.
"Alright, let's eat, the food's getting cold."
Hermione gave a soft "hmm," not daring to look at him again, and turned her attention to the delicious-looking dishes in front of her.
At Draco's suggestion, she picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in her mouth. The pork was stewed until tender and melted in her mouth.
The sauce coated the marbled meat, giving it a rich and savory flavor, completely unlike any meat dish she had ever eaten.
Then I tried the steamed fish. The fish was extremely tender, with only a light salty and savory flavor and the aroma of ginger and scallions, preserving the original taste of the fish to the greatest extent. Finally, the garlic water spinach was just right to cut through the richness.
"This meat... it's so delicious!" Hermione exclaimed in delight. "The fish is so fresh too! Rice goes so well with these dishes!"
Although it was her first time eating Chinese food properly, she immediately fell in love with the combination and taste.
Especially when you scoop some of the braised pork broth into the rice, it's twice as delicious!
Hermione ate with great satisfaction, finishing a bowl of rice before she even realized it, and still seemed to want more.
Seeing this, Draco served her another bowl.
Then I put a few pieces of meat and fish in her bowl.
Hermione started eating even faster again.
"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Draco looked at her chubby cheeks and found it incredibly cute.
Then he couldn't help but tease,
"It seems our Miss Granger is not only intelligent, but also has a big appetite. Raising you might be a bit of a waste of food in the future."
Immersed in the delicious food, Hermione could only mumble a reply, "Enough to feed myself... Mmm, this is really delicious..."
As he spoke, he shoveled another large mouthful of rice into his mouth.
Perhaps because the food was so delicious, she quickly finished most of her second bowl of rice and drank a lot of coconut juice.