The provocation and accurate guess seemed to have caught Draco off guard, but he quickly regained his composure, only the curve of his lips looked even more suspicious.
"It's no use trying to provoke me. This book really isn't for you. The content is rather... targeted." He still wouldn't budge.
As she spoke, she gently tugged at his sleeve again, her eyes sincere yet stubborn, and repeatedly assured him, "Just let me see it once, I promise I won't say anything and I won't get angry."
But the more Draco emphasized it, the more Hermione felt something was amiss, and she reached out again to take Draco's arm.
" Draco, just let me see it... I swear, I promise I won't say anything wrong and I definitely won't laugh at you—even if you're looking at ' The Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches '."
After saying that, she sat up straight, trying to increase the credibility of her promise, but she was completely unaware that she had already stepped into the edge of Draco's carefully laid trap.
"Alright," Draco sighed, feigning helplessness, "You insisted on watching this yourself, so don't blame me later."
"Mmm!" Hermione responded expectantly.
Draco stopped trying to hide it, and with a flick of his wrist, he revealed the book he had been concealing in his robes, cover up.
With a triumphant smugness, Hermione leaned closer to take a look, and there she saw—"How Muggle Girl Makes a Domineering, Cunning, But Gentle Young Master Fall in Love with Me."
Hermione's smugness was over now.
The moment I saw the title, my cheeks flushed red, as if a thermometer had been plunged into boiling water.
this...
I've been fooled again!
This was clearly a malicious joke meticulously prepared by that wicked guy, waiting for her to take the bait and make a fool of herself!
Muggle girl, a domineering yet gentle young master...
Isn't this a blatant reference to her and Draco?!
The book's characters include a clever Muggle-born girl and a domineering yet gentle noble young master...
It looks exactly like them!
What made her want to " Stupefy " at Draco even more was the book's title. It was clearly a guidebook that taught girls how to take the initiative and pursue their crushes!
This kind of fantasy and the blatantly obvious plot twists would normally make her completely ignore it.
But Draco deliberately pulled this book out of his "treasure bag," and even tried to pique her curiosity by hiding it away.
He didn't want to see it for himself at all; he deliberately took it out as a trap, waiting for her to come closer like a curious cat so he could enjoy her current state of utter shame and indignation!
In an instant, Hermione's shame erupted like a volcano!
That's outrageous... That bastard... Absolutely shameless! Shameless! Utterly despicable! He did it again...
"You did this on purpose! You planned this all along, didn't you!" Hermione glared at Draco, who was grinning mischievously.
After witnessing Hermione's entire change of expression, Draco could no longer suppress his smile, but he still shrugged and said innocently, "You can't say that..."
" Miss Granger, we need to be reasonable."
Then he began to list her grievances one by one, and with each sentence he spoke, Hermione's face turned even redder, and her head drooped even lower.
"You chose to read the book yourself, Miss Granger!"
"I kept trying to dissuade them."
These words left Hermione speechless, because what he said seemed to be, appeared to be, probably... all undeniable facts...
It was her boundless curiosity that made her insist on seeing.
She didn't believe any of his excuses and pressed him relentlessly.
She was the one who clung to the other person's arm and acted coquettishly!
Realizing this, Hermione felt like a complete fool... Then, overwhelmed by shame and absurdity, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"What, you see clearly now?" Draco couldn't help but laugh, then poked her puffed-up cheek with his finger.
It feels warm and soft to the touch, like a freshly baked apple pie.
"Want to keep reading? Or do you want me to read it to you? Chapter One, 'How to Create a Chance Encounter'? Or Chapter Two, 'Analysis of the Weaknesses of a Domineering Young Master'?"
Hermione: "..."
"I'm not watching anymore!"
"Keep it for yourself and study it slowly! A domineering, cunning, but gentle young master!" Hermione emphasized the last sentence.
"Alright, I'll figure it out myself." Draco turned to a page.
"However, the results of this research... might need to be personally verified by the Muggle girl later. After all, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth!"
Hermione: "..."
"I don't want to, you big jerk!"
"What, you guessed right?" Hermione turned her face away, denying it, but Draco certainly wouldn't let her off easily.
"That's true, otherwise why would Miss Granger always be by my side, checking my homework and controlling my schedule..."
"For example..." He deliberately imitated Hermione's tone,
" Draco, your paper contains an incorrect citation here!"
" Draco, you can't keep staying up so late!"
" Draco, there's a mistake in the Potions process..."
"So, it turns out our Miss Granger has been trying to win over the young master for a long time, using methods from Muggle books."
"This is... this is utterly upside down!" Hermione's chest heaved with anger, and her fingers clenched tightly around the book.
He's always the one who initiates contact and pressures me with all sorts of twisted logic and fallacies...
Now, thanks to his book and a single sentence, he's twisted the truth and made it seem like she was the one who plotted this all along.
"You shameless person!" Hermione said through gritted teeth.
"Then you don't like it?" Draco retorted.
Upon hearing this, Hermione froze instantly...
"Like what..." she asked softly after a long pause, then seemed to understand and added, "Who wants to like anything!"
But as soon as the words left his mouth, his momentum faltered.
"Do you really not like... me clinging to you?"
"Who would like you clinging to me..." Hermione retorted.
She was inwardly cursing him for being a scoundrel, but she had to admit that being pestered by him like this... wasn't so bad after all.
"Oh? You don't like it..." Draco stood up, as if to leave. "Alright then, it seems I've disturbed Miss Granger's studies. I'll go out and play then."
"Don't go!" Hermione shouted, and at the same time, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve the moment he stood up.
But her face remained stubbornly turned to the other side.
"... Who... who gave you permission to leave?"
Having achieved his goal, Draco stopped what he was doing, sat down again, and waited for Hermione to continue.
"Even if you... insist... it's not impossible..." Hermione said quickly, then immediately let go as if she'd been burned.
She buried her flushed face in the book " Dream of the Red Chamber," staring intently at the pages, pretending to read, afraid he would see her in this utterly pathetic state.
"Alright, then we won't leave!" Draco laughed.
As he spoke, he did something that made everyone blush and their hearts race!