Seeing that she didn't speak, but only blushed and pursed her lips, Draco's mischievous thoughts flared up again like a small flame.
He quickly kissed her on the cheek, the sudden attack startling Hermione. She lowered her voice and said:
What are you doing now?!
"I'll apologize," Draco said innocently, even clicking his tongue as if savoring the memory. "Didn't I get your clothes dirty? Draco's exclusive compensation—exchanges and refunds are available."
"How can you settle a debt like that!" Hermione was both embarrassed and angry. She raised her hand to wipe her cheek, but then felt that the gesture was too deliberate, so she could only leave it hanging in mid-air. Finally, she angrily lowered her hand.
"Then what?" Draco asked, then deliberately moved his face closer to hers suggestively, "How about you kiss me back? I don't mind. Or..." His gaze swept over Hermione's rosy lips, "... if you want to go somewhere else... I have no objection either."
"You..." Hermione was exasperated by his shameless words, "Your skin is thicker than the walls of Hogwarts!"
"Thank you for the compliment!" Draco was very pleased with her evaluation.
He then pinched her puffed-up cheek and said lightly, "You need to be thick-skinned to handle Miss Granger."
Hermione: "..." She was completely speechless.
He simply turned his head away, ignoring the scoundrel, and focused his attention back on " Dream of the Red Chamber," pretending he didn't exist.
But my heart was pounding like a deer's, and the warmth on my cheek from where I'd been kissed lingered for a long time.
"Aren't you tired? Sitting like this for so long must make your shoulders sore," Draco asked with concern, his playful grin fading.
"It's alright..." Hermione seemed to still be recovering from the sudden kiss, her heart still pounding a little.
"I think I'll go for a walk for a bit," Draco said, standing up and stretching. "Otherwise, if I keep resting my head on you like this, your shoulder will start to hurt."
"... I'm not that tired." Hermione blurted out when she heard him say he was going out, then, realizing she'd been too hasty, added in an even quieter voice, "You don't need to go out on purpose."
"Still being stubborn? You were complaining about me clinging to you just now? Now you can't bear to part with me?" Draco stopped in his tracks, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Who wouldn't want to part with you!" Hermione retorted softly, her face flushing slightly. "I'm just worried you'll cause trouble outside..."
"Oh?" Draco drawled, chuckling mockingly. "So you were worried about me, not that you didn't want me to leave?"
"No way!" Hermione stubbornly turned her head away.
In truth, she knew that Draco wasn't the type to sit quietly and read for an entire afternoon. At Hogwarts, it was rare for him to sit still for even one class period.
I spent so much time with her and remained well-behaved for a while, which is unprecedented. I guess I can't sit still anymore now.
"If you can't sit still, go for a walk." Then, as if remembering something, Hermione added a warning, "Go ahead, but don't stay in those messy places too long, and don't come back smelling like perfume."
"Yes, my dear wife." Draco's smile spread across his face, and then, taking her by surprise, he quickly pecked her on the forehead. Before she could react, he slipped out of the library like a gentle breeze, leaving only his back view behind.
Hermione was left sitting there alone, touching her forehead and shaking her head helplessly, but a smile appeared on her lips.
After Draco left, the once bustling library fell silent instantly, with only the soft sound of the sea breeze.
The romance novel lay casually on the table, its flashy cover and title standing out starkly at that moment.
Hermione's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it.
Reason tells her it's best not to watch it!
That's an "improper" book; reading it would be like falling for a scam. Besides, Draco just left; what if he suddenly comes back...?
But her curiosity kept nagging at her.
Although Draco's words had filled her with shame and indignation, they had also... piqued her curiosity.
Will this Muggle romance novel really teach you how to win over Draco? It's definitely made up, but...
Thinking of this, she looked around, listened carefully to the sounds outside the door, and confirmed that the footsteps had faded away...
Then my heart started racing...
Like a thief, Hermione quickly reached out and snatched the book "The Culprit," clutching it tightly to her chest.
Perhaps afraid of being discovered, she nervously dragged " Dream of the Red Chamber " closer to her, trying to cover it with the cover.
He muttered to himself softly, as if trying to convince himself:
"Just read a few pages,"
"It's no big deal to see what nonsense the Muggle are writing; we can treat it as academic research... I can switch back to ' Dream of the Red Chamber ' before he gets back."
After saying that, she seemed to have given herself a pep talk, cleared her throat, and tried to put on a scholarly expression as she carefully opened the cover of the " Muggle Strategy Guide".
Following the title page is the table of contents.
The titles alone made Hermione's cheeks burn, and she thought to herself, "This is utterly absurd!": "First Encounter: How to Create a Fateful Encounter," "Advanced: Understanding the Tenderness Beneath His Cold Exterior," "Winning Hearts: The Allure of Being Close Yet Away."
She'd only read two pages when the image of Draco reciting those lines to tease her flashed through her mind.
He even deliberately used that tone at the time...
I almost spat it out...
As she watched, Hermione couldn't help but mentally rant: These Muggle authors are just too good at making things up!
It's written so bluntly! Things like "his kiss ignited her like a flame," and "his hands made her weak all over."
This is absolutely shameless!
There's no way someone like that could exist in real life! Draco, that awkward guy, all he does is say infuriating things and acts like everything he does is perfectly normal. He would never be like that... like that...
Despite her complaints, her gaze was glued to the book, reading line after line. She even found herself unconsciously comparing the actions of the "domineering young masters" in the book to a certain blond, gray-eyed jerk...
This thought made her cheeks burn even hotter!
As Hermione read, her cheeks flushed and her heart pounding, simultaneously scoffing at the book's clichéd plot while irresistibly flipping through the pages, eager to see what other outrageous strategies awaited—
The sound of footsteps approached her from afar.
The sound terrified Hermione, causing her to spring up abruptly from the sofa, her heart leaping into her throat.
In a panic, she shoved the "hot potato" into the gap between the sofa and the backrest behind her, then grabbed the copy of " Dream of the Red Chamber " from the table, held it upright in her hands, and held it in front of her chest.