"Didn't I say before? Tuition fees... well, you could pay with your body."
"Look, you've mastered an ancient and beautiful language in an instant. Isn't that teaching quality and learning efficiency worth it? Shouldn't you... pay the remaining balance now?"
Hermione's face kept alternating between flushing and receding.
It's all because of this relentless scoundrel! Not only did he ruin the romantic atmosphere, but now he wants to collect his debts?!
" Draco Malfoy! Go to hell!" Hermione was utterly enraged. She broke free from his embrace slightly, stretched out her hands, and with all her might, pinched his waist hard.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Let go! Let go!" Draco gasped, caught off guard by her pinching him.
His smug expression turned into a grimace; he could only tense his abdominal muscles to avoid serious injury before begging for mercy.
"I was wrong, I was wrong! My little darling! Let go! I'll never tease you again! Tuition is waived! Free forever!"
Hermione then angrily released her grip, and with a hint of irritation, found a more comfortable position to lie down next to him, and commanded:
"From now on, no talking!"
The little girl in his arms was limp, while his own back was throbbing with pain. Draco dared not provoke her any further and quickly and obediently replied, "Okay, okay, quiet, absolutely quiet!"
He didn't say anything more, just quietly held Hermione.
However, this tranquility lasted...
It took less than thirty seconds.
Draco felt Hermione in his arms gradually relax and her breathing become steady. He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help himself and tentatively asked, "Could you say one last thing?"
"Hmm?" Hermione warned in a stern voice, the meaning clear: you'd better have something important to say, otherwise...
"I promise, I will absolutely, absolutely never mention those two things again," Draco immediately said, sensing the situation.
"Spit it out," Hermione said impatiently.
"Okay!" Draco immediately replied happily.
Then, my gaze inadvertently swept across the archway leading to the luxurious bathroom in the suite, and the image of that spacious, luxurious bathtub that could fit two people lying down instantly flashed into my mind.
Then, his eyes turned cunning.
"I think... look at that bathtub in our suite, it's so big and beautiful, and it even faces the sea view. It's such a waste of resources to leave it empty, and it's so environmentally unfriendly!"
"How about... we two, in the spirit of thrift, go in together... for a bath? I promise, it'll just be a bath, absolutely proper, I'll scrub your back, no touching... um, maybe just a tiny bit at most?"
"I think it's a waste to leave this bathtub so big unused. The night is long, why don't we both take a bath together? It'll save water and be more environmentally friendly."
Startled, Hermione couldn't keep up with his leap of thought.
But the next second, she understood the words "couples bath".
That pervert with a head full of lewd thoughts is here again!
"Go to hell!" Hermione's cheeks flushed red again.
Without a word, he reached out his devilish claws again and precisely pinched the soft flesh on his side that had been pinched earlier.
This time, he used even more force than when he retaliated earlier, twisting it clockwise half a turn!
It was as if they wanted to stub out all his yellow waste.
"Ouch! Hermione, are you trying to murder your husband?! Why are you pinching the same spot again?!" Draco quickly grabbed her wrist, rubbing his own aggravated side with a pained expression.
"Who told you to always be so indecent!" Hermione laughed angrily, slapping his hand away from her wrist and demanding:
"How is this any different from the previous two incidents?! Aren't they all just you finding ways to... sabotage things!"
She was too embarrassed to use a more direct word.
"Of course there's a difference!" Draco explained earnestly while rubbing his lower back. "The first two things involved close contact, which is... a more serious matter."
Seeing Hermione's face growing increasingly red and her eyes becoming more and more dangerous, he quickly sped up his speech. "But taking a bath is different!"
"Taking a bath, at most it's zero-distance contact, maybe a little rubbing, but it doesn't even touch the negative edge! It's not the same thing."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Hermione's perpetually sharp mind instantly grasped the hidden meaning behind the crude remark.
Negative distance... zero distance...
Rub against it...
Hermione felt a sense of helplessness about how she could have fallen for this jerk. How could he... explain these things so... so bluntly using such strange academic terminology!
" Draco Malfoy! You shut up now, right now, immediately! One more word and you'll be sleeping in the bathtub tonight!" Hermione stood up and said through gritted teeth.
She felt her face burning hot, like it was about to explode, and was now struggling to maintain the last shred of her sanity.
Draco felt that if he continued talking, he might really end up sleeping in a cold bathtub, so he just nodded vigorously to show that he would absolutely obey orders and would not say another word.
Although Draco's explanation was very reasonable, Hermione ultimately did not agree to the so-called proposal for a bath together.
A bath for two? Don't even think about it!
People usually wear very little or nothing when taking a bath, and the two of them were squeezed into that suggestive bathtub.
A hot bath, steamy inhalation, and a lecherous wolf lurking nearby, ready to pounce at any moment...
The consequences would be unimaginable!
She didn't want anything more embarrassing to happen.
Safety first, safety first!
So Hermione fled into the bathroom.
And he was strictly forbidden from entering!
After a while, Draco heard the sound of water coming from the master bathroom, so he got up and went to the guest bathroom. He took a quick and efficient shower and changed into comfortable silk pajamas.
When he returned to the master bedroom, still damp with his platinum blonde hair, he found the door already open.
The young wife had already finished washing up and was wearing a conservative set of pajamas; it seemed that what she had said earlier had some effect.
Her hair was wrapped in a towel as she sat in front of the dressing table, listlessly drying it in front of the mirror.
Her face still had a rosy glow from her bath, but she had calmed down considerably. However, when she saw him come in, she pretended not to see him.
Draco wisely refrained from bringing up any more dangerous topics.
I walked over, naturally took the towel from her hand, stood behind her, and gently dried her hair.
Once she was almost dry, Draco put down the towel, picked up a comb, and carefully smoothed her hair.
After doing all this, she walked to the bedside, lifted a corner of the blanket, lay down first, then turned to her side and stretched out her arm. Hermione sat in front of the dressing table for a few more seconds.
Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, walked to the bedside, and without looking at him, obediently slipped under the covers.
Then, little by little, she moved into the warm embrace that Draco had already opened for her, pressing her face against his chest.
Goodnight, my Hermione.
Draco immediately tightened his arms around her, encircling her.
"Goodnight," Hermione mumbled, snuggling closer to him before closing her eyes.