Once outside the fencing hall and out of Windsor and the others' sight, Hermione immediately jerked free from Draco's arms as if shaking off something clingy and embarrassing. "Alright, everyone's gone. What you were doing just now... what kind of behavior was that!"
The thought of him leaning on her shoulder and acting all cute made Hermione feel a chill run down her spine, and she got goosebumps.
Draco wasn't annoyed by being pushed aside. He followed Hermione, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "Wife, you don't understand, do you? I'm just following my 'life's purpose'."
Walking beside him, Trillian glanced over and asked softly, "What principles? Young Master, you even have principles in life?"
"Living off a woman, huh?" Draco said proudly.
"..." Trillian's lips twitched slightly. "I didn't expect... Young Master, your life philosophy is quite unique, huh."
She simply couldn't find the right words to describe it.
Everyone else is competitive, but his young master, despite his extraordinary abilities, only wants to be a laid-back, gigolo.
"You're still too young!" Draco shrugged, looking completely nonchalant. "Why stand when you can lie down? Why exert yourself when you can save time? With my wife around, I don't need to work hard. Besides, my wife's 'soft rice' is one of a kind in the world, it's incredibly delicious."
Hermione rolled her eyes at him, not responding to his comment, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
"I'm so envious, young master!" Trillian's eyes lit up. "Your way of being a kept man is truly refined! I also want to experience what it's like to be kept by you, young master."
Before Draco could speak, Hermione interjected, "You wish! Go find somewhere cool to stay!"
"Why?" Trillian looked like she was about to cry.
"Because Draco... the source of his 'golden rice' is me! You're being 'kept' by him, isn't that indirectly equivalent to...?"
"Oh, I see! I understand now! Dear young mistress, you're asking to be your sugar daddy? I'm better than the young master, all you need is a meal!"
"Save your breath..." Hermione, speechless.
Seeing that there was no immediate chance, Trillian didn't press the matter further, only pursing her lips, but the cunning glint in her eyes didn't fade at all.
Her mind raced: the revolution is not yet complete, comrades still need to work hard. It seems she has to take a roundabout route, perhaps by first becoming the young mistress's indispensable best friend?
"Did you hear that? My wife, of course she'll only support me. That's a one-of-a-kind privilege, never to be lent out." Draco put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and said smugly to Trillian.
Hermione gave her shoulders a slight shrug and retorted dismissively, "Stop flattering yourself, Malfoy. This is an investment, you know? If you ever become worthless, believe me, I'll immediately liquidate you from the 'investment portfolio' and kick you out!"
"Oh! Granger, you capitalist, how cruel you are!" Draco clutched his chest, feigning a heartbroken expression.
"Isn't my heart, which beats for you, my clever mind, and my handsome face 'valuable' enough? You're just going to use me and then abandon me!"
"Young Master, it seems we're on equal footing, both of us pitiful souls who could be kicked aside by the 'sugar mommy' at any moment," Trillian, who was watching with great interest, interjected at the opportune moment.
"Wrong." Draco shook his finger and began to analyze with great seriousness, "Our positions are fundamentally different."
"You're a temporary employee, while I..." Draco puffed out his chest, "I'm a core employee who has successfully joined the company, holds a long-term contract, and firmly occupies a key position thanks to my core competencies and ability to thrive despite being a kept man. My value has been proven over time and continues to increase, understand?"
"Got it!" Trillian rolled her eyes dramatically. "Core employee, sir. So what if you're licensed to work and legally sponge off your wife? What's there to brag about? Be careful, one day they might cut your pay and increase your workload, and you'll just quit."
"A pay cut? That's out of the question. As for increased workload..." Draco paused, glancing suggestively at Hermione before turning to Trillian, his tone carrying a hint of meaning.
"That depends on what kind of 'work' it is. If it's 'core business,' I'd be happy to... work overtime."
Hermione's face flushed red instantly. She glared at Draco and snapped, " Malfoy! What nonsense are you spouting!"
In terms of core business, Trillian was indeed no match for Draco. Looking at Hermione's embarrassed and annoyed expression and Draco's smug look, she knew she was currently no match for him in terms of shamelessness and brazenness, so she decided not to engage in the conversation.
"Fine, fine, you win, I concede. Mr. Core Employee, you and your 'boss' can continue, pretend I didn't say anything."
"Young Master, didn't you say you know a little bit about everything? Do you also know Sanda (Chinese kickboxing)?" Trillian changed the subject.
"I know a little," Draco replied casually.
"Does he really only know a little bit?" Trillian didn't believe he only knew a little bit. She always felt that the young master had no weaknesses, because she had seen the young master's swordsmanship completely defeat Windsor.
"I can do as much as you think I can. My limit depends on your imagination," Draco laughed.
The answer was vague, but the most lethal form of showing off is the subtle kind.
Trillian was taken aback by this domineering declaration. "Then why don't you just say you also know Sanda (Chinese kickboxing), and then slap him in the face! Let him see who the real man is!"
As she spoke, Trillian swung her fist. She was already imagining Draco using a little bit of Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) skill to beat that muscular man Bruce to the ground, and just thinking about it made her feel good.
"I'm getting tired of slapping people in the face too often," Draco said listlessly. Then he held out his hand, looked at it, and said:
"If I slap him in the face, my hand will hurt too, won't it? It's not worth it."
Trillian nodded, agreeing with what she said, but then she started plotting, saying, "Then young master can teach me, so I can slap him in the face. It would feel so cool to show off!"
"What are you thinking?" Draco looked at her like she was an idiot. "Can you learn Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) in a day or two?"
"We're about to disembark, why bother slapping him in the face? It's a complete waste of time. Besides, don't you think it's more fun to 'defeat' him in a way he despises?" Draco retorted.
He was referring to his ability to live off a woman, and a top-tier one at that, which must have infuriated Bruce.
"That's true," Trillian agreed, "The main problem is that the man's eyes were off. He already has a girlfriend as beautiful and capable as Windsor, yet the way he looks at other women is... shifty. That's why I wanted to slap him."
"I noticed it too. Those eyes were so sticky and disgusting." Hermione nodded in agreement.