After Evelyn got the drinks, Windsor took the man's arm and introduced him to Draco and the other two, "This is my boyfriend, Bruce Hardy, a professional Sanda coach."
Then, introducing Bruce, "These three are Draco and his wife Hermione, and Miss Trillian."
"Hello." Bruce nodded to the three of them, then asked, "Would you like a glass? It's chilled fruit wine, very low in alcohol, and has a refreshing, sweet taste—perfect for cooling off in the heat."
"No, thank you. I don't really like drinking."
Hermione shook her head in polite refusal, and Draco pointed to the half-eaten watermelon beside them, also politely declining, saying, "Thank you, but we haven't finished this watermelon yet, it wouldn't be good to waste it." As he spoke, he picked up a spoon, scooped out a spoonful of watermelon, and brought it to Hermione's lips.
Hermione blushed, but still opened her mouth and ate it.
Bruce's gaze finally landed on Trillian, Trillian looked at the still-left watermelon and shook her head regretfully, "Sorry, I also have quite a lot of watermelon left... Maybe next time!"
"It's alright!" Bruce laughed heartily, not minding at all. "The drinks are on this table; you can grab one whenever you want."
After saying that, Bruce placed the tray on the nearby rest table, then walked over to Windsor and put his arm around her waist.
Windsor leaned against him, a look of happiness on her face.
After everyone rested and chatted for a while, Bruce suddenly suggested, "We've had our fill of fencing, how about trying Sanda (Chinese kickboxing)? This sport not only improves physical fitness but also teaches us some practical self-defense skills that might come in handy in a pinch."
"Have you finished dealing with things at your boxing gym? Don't you need to go back and keep an eye on your students?" Windsor asked considerately.
"It's alright, I've already given instructions to the trainees. The rest is up to them to figure it out on their own, form teams, and practice. I can show you guys around when I have some free time." Bruce smiled faintly.
After learning about the situation, Windsor seized the opportunity to flatter her boyfriend, boasting about his skills to everyone with exceptional pride. " Bruce is really good at Sanda (Chinese kickboxing); he won the Southeast region amateur heavyweight championship! Let him teach you a few moves—it'll be top-notch stuff!"
Despite being praised by Windsor in public, Bruce humbly waved his hand and said, "We're all friends. I'm just sharing something today because I have some free time. I won't charge any tuition; I'll only teach the essentials. I wonder if any of you would be interested in giving it a try?"
As he spoke, Bruce glanced at everyone, pausing politely on Hermione and Draco before landing on Evelyn, and finally lingering on Trillian for a few more seconds.
Evelyn said with some surprise, "Wow, before, when I wanted to learn a few moves, I always had to pay tuition. Today is truly unprecedented."
Teaching at the boxing gym is my job, and charging fees is the rule. Today, however, it's a casual chat between friends, so it's naturally different.
"I just happened to be free today," Bruce chuckled, offering his reason. "Outside the library, it's just a friendly chat between friends; inside, teaching is work, and charging is the rule, so it's naturally different."
"Learning a few practical self-defense moves won't hurt, especially for you girls," Bruce added at the end.
"That's definitely a good idea!" Evelyn agreed. "Learning a few simple self-defense moves would be a good idea; you never know when you might need them in daily life."
" Hermione, what do you think?" Trillian asked.
Looking at Bruce's burly physique and bulging muscles, and imagining herself practicing that kind of physically demanding sport, Hermione shook her head and declined, "Thank you for your kind offer, but we have other plans this afternoon."
She had little interest in close-quarters combat; she preferred to solve problems with her brain, and besides, things could be solved with magic, so there was no need to resort to fists.
"I'm not very interested in this, and I have to accompany Hermione to run some errands this afternoon," Trillian agreed with Hermione.
After both men refused, Bruce had no choice but to pin his hopes on Draco, saying in a slightly encouraging tone:
" Draco, what about you? Want to learn a few moves? You could use them to protect your partner in a pinch, wouldn't that be cool!"
"Look at my skinny arms and legs, I can't beat those strong guys even if I try to learn this," Draco said, fiddling with his arms.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Draco suddenly put his arm around Hermione's waist, rested his head on Hermione's shoulder, and adopted a submissive posture.
"Besides, I don't need to protect my wife. She's amazing; she'll protect me, right, honey?"
Hermione: "!!!"
This left Hermione utterly embarrassed. Her body stiffened instantly, and her cheeks flushed crimson. She nudged herself back with her elbow, trying to remove the large accessory from her body, and whispered:
" Draco! You... you speak properly! Get up!"
Everyone else was utterly shocked by this scene!
Windsor's lips twitched violently, and she silently turned her face away to suppress a laugh. She couldn't bear to look at her; inwardly, she thought it was an eyesore.
Evelyn, however, once again redefined our understanding of what a master is.
The contrast is just too much!
"Pfft!" Trillian couldn't help but laugh out loud, but quickly covered her mouth afterward, her shoulders shaking...
This was the first time she had ever seen the young master like this.
Bruce was completely baffled by Draco's actions.
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
Bruce had intended to persuade the other person to work on their physique, but to his surprise, the other person simply gave up and asked for protection. Bruce secretly scoffed at this: What kind of skill is it for a grown man to rely on a woman for protection?
After a brief silence, Bruce composed himself and tried to persuade Draco: "Actually, muscles are the easiest to build. As long as you put in the effort and stick with it for a while, you'll definitely see results."
"Thanks, but I'm really not interested. I'm lazy and can't handle that kind of hardship." Draco continued to choose to slack off.
Hermione, fearing he might say something else in public that would make people want to dig their toes in disgust, quickly said goodbye to Windsor and Evelyn:
"Um... if there's nothing else, we'll go back for lunch and then take a nap. You guys can have fun."
Windsor and Evelyn were eager to end this somewhat awkward situation, and quickly nodded, "Okay, bye-bye."
"It's alright." Bruce was a little disappointed, but he still left the option open. He pointed to the side. "The boxing gym is right next door. If you're interested this afternoon, feel free to come and try it out."
Draco nodded, then put his arm around Hermione and walked toward the door.
Trillian followed at the back, giving Bruce and the other two a polite smile before quickly catching up with Draco and Hermione.
Is Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) no longer popular? Bruce wondered.
After Draco and his two companions disappeared through the doorway, Evelyn urged Bruce, "Quick, Bruce, while we still have time, teach us a few practical self-defense techniques!"
Hearing the urging, Bruce withdrew his gaze, suppressed the inexplicable emotions in his heart, and smiled again, "Alright! Let's start with the most basic stance and straight punch!"
Inside the sword-fighting hall, the sounds of new instruction filled the air once again.