After taking a deep breath, she stared at the pages of the book, pretending to be completely absorbed, as if she had become one with the world within it.
The footsteps grew closer, Draco's figure reached the sofa. Hermione stood ramrod straight, her hands gripping the copy of " Dream of the Red Chamber " tightly, her eyes fixed on the pages.
Then Draco looked at her with a smile in his eyes.
Feeling his gaze on her, Hermione prayed silently, her palms sweating with nervousness. She desperately tried to maintain her focused reading posture, not daring to move her eyes.
Seeing Hermione's tense profile, Draco finally chuckled. He walked over and sat down on the armrest of the sofa next to her, his gaze falling on the copy of " Dream of the Red Chamber " in her hands. He looked at it for a few seconds...
" Hermione," Draco called her, then successfully saw her shoulder twitch almost imperceptibly.
"You're holding your book upside down," Draco said jokingly.
"What?!" Hermione was stunned.
I subconsciously looked down--
The thick copy of " Dream of the Red Chamber " was upside down in her hands! She must have been too flustered to notice!
With a bang, Hermione's face instantly turned bright red.
It's ten times redder than when I was looking at the "strategy guide"!
In her panic, she threw the book away and caught it again, then clumsily turned it right side up and hugged it tightly to her chest.
I wish I could bury my face in it.
That's so stupid! How could you make such a basic mistake!
Draco leaned closer, bracing his arm on the back of the sofa behind her, and pulled her into his embrace, feigning ignorance as he asked, "What are you doing, our clever, know-it-all?"
"N-nothing, just... just reading." Hermione's heart was racing, and she stammered.
"Reading? What are you reading that you're so engrossed in that you're holding it upside down?" Draco's gaze swept over the gap in the sofa behind her, where a small corner of a romance novel was still peeking out.
Following his gaze, Hermione also saw a sliver of the romance novel peeking out, and her vision went black instantly.
"N-nothing..." she tried to remain calm, clutching the copy of "Dream of the Dream of the Red Chamber " even tighter, but her body unconsciously shrank back, trying to shield herself from the "evidence."
"Reading?" Draco's gaze darted back and forth between her and the exposed corner of the book, the corners of his mouth widening in a smile.
"You were so engrossed in reading ' Dream of the Red Chamber ' that your face turned red, your breathing became rapid, and you even held the book upside down?" he asked, shaking his head.
I don't believe it anyway.
Hermione tried to clear her voice and change the subject. "What are you doing back here? Weren't you just going for a stroll?"
"Oh," Draco said with a smile, pointing to a light jacket draped over the back of the chair next to him, as if he had just remembered. "I forgot my jacket; it's a bit windy on deck."
Sure enough, he'd come back to get something. Hermione retorted sharply, trying to sound impatient and get him to leave quickly, "Then hurry up and grab it, don't disturb my reading."
"What's the rush? I'm not going to fight you for the book."
"What's the rush? I'm not going to take the book from you, why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?" Draco deliberately emphasized the word "book," his gaze glancing back at the crack.
"Who's in a hurry..." Hermione said urgently, her whole body stiffening at his gaze, afraid that he would reach out and snatch the book at any moment.
You take your coat, I'll read my book!
"Take your time looking around." Draco emphasized the word "looking around" deliberately, his eyes full of mischievousness. "I'm going to continue my stroll."
After saying that, he straightened up, picked up the coat and draped it over his arm, then gave her a knowing smile.
Then, he happily slipped out of the library.
Yu Hermione sat frozen on the sofa, her cheeks burning and her heart pounding wildly. After a long while, she finally collapsed onto the sofa, burying her burning face deep into the cool pages of " Dream of the Red Chamber."
"Waaah..." Hermione let out a sob of frustration and shame.
I've been tricked by that bastard again!
He must have seen it!
They definitely know everything!
The cruise ship fell silent in the dead of night. The deck, which had been bustling during the day, was now empty and desolate, with only the biting sea wind howling past, carrying salty dampness and slapping against the hull with a dull thud.
A woman stood there abruptly by the railing.
He pressed his entire body against the metal railing, leaning forward, gripping the railing tightly with both hands, and standing on tiptoe.
His center of gravity shifted dangerously forward a few points.
Her long hair was whipped about by the violent sea wind.
From a distance, the figure looked as if it would be swept away by the wind and waves at any moment and plunged into the abyss below that swallowed all light.
Draco, having just left the library, was wandering aimlessly when, as he reached this secluded deck, he unexpectedly stumbled upon this breathtaking scene around a corner.
The sight made his heart clench... There was no time for thought; his body's instincts acted before his conscious mind could react.
His pupils contracted sharply, and he pushed off with his feet, charging forward.
At the moment when the woman leans forward at its maximum, he suddenly reaches out and hugs her tightly around the waist!
"Ah--!" The woman was still immersed in some self-torturing thoughts when she was suddenly hugged from behind. Startled, she lost her balance and her already unsteady stumble intensified. She almost fell off the railing along with the railing!
"Damn it!" Draco unleashed even greater strength, his arm muscles tensing, pulling her back with all his might!
The force was too sudden and too strong, and with the help of the sea breeze, the two of them lost their balance and fell heavily onto the hard deck.
With a heavy thud, Draco instinctively pulled the person into his arms, cushioning their fall. His back slammed against the cool, hard deck, sending a dull pain through him, but he didn't even bother to frown, continuing to hold the person tightly in his arms.
The woman, still shaken, fell onto his chest.
By the light, Draco could see the person in his arms clearly.
It's Diana!
He breathed a sigh of relief, but still frowned and asked, puzzled, "What's bothering you that you're acting like this?"
This sudden turn of events startled Diana. When she came to her senses and found herself in the arms of a strange man, a blush crept across her face. She quickly braced herself against his chest, struggling to get up. "Let me go first, get up first," she said.
The more she struggled, the tighter Draco's arms tightened around her waist. He said firmly, "No, if I let go you'll climb over the railing again. What if you really jump?"
"Do you know how dangerous that was? No matter how serious the situation, you can't joke around with your life!" Draco continued to scold, still shaken by the memory.
"I really didn't mean to do anything rash, and I didn't intend to jump!" Diana stopped struggling and explained urgently.
"You're practically glued to the railing, your toes are practically up, you've shifted all your weight out of bounds, and you still say you haven't?"