"Yes, yes, yes," Hermione agreed, getting even more excited. Trillian analyzed, "He probably wouldn't dare to make a move on Evelyn, because they're best friends. If he gets caught, he won't even get Windsor. So he can only keep an eye on other girls."
"Who cares? If they dare to overstep their bounds and have any improper thoughts, just chop off their hands," Draco said casually.
Startled by his murderous words, Trillian exclaimed, "Young Master, are you going to be this ruthless?"
"Of course, young master is no pushover."
"Tsk," Trillian clicked her tongue, but quickly revealed a curious expression that seemed to thrive on chaos. "Then, young master, aren't you planning to... play the hero and save Windsor from its predicament?"
"How do we save this? Should we send you over to use your femininity to seduce him and make him change his mind?" Draco teased.
"Then forget it, forget I asked." Trillian quickly waved her hand, her face showing polite reluctance. "I'm used to seeing the young master's face, and I'm afraid I'll get indigestion if I eat food that doesn't suit my taste."
"Don't worry," Hermione said. "Since that man has already decided on this, he'll act on it sooner or later; it's just a matter of time. We just need to find a suitable opportunity to subtly remind Evelyn and Windsor, so they can prepare themselves. That's more effective than us intervening directly."
"That makes sense." Trillian nodded in agreement.
The three stopped dwelling on the matter, walked along the corridor to the cruise ship restaurant, had a hearty meal, and then returned to their room for a nap.
As for Bruce, the Sanda coach whose eyes seemed a bit off, the three of them had already forgotten about him and no one paid him any attention.
At one o'clock sharp, Trillian arrived at the presidential suite. Hermione was just about to read, gave up, because Trillian had brought a deck of cards. Draco thought it was perfect, as he could teach the two a new game. Under the curious gazes of Trillian and Hermione, Draco skillfully shuffled the cards, which flew between his fingers, drawing dazzling arcs.
"Come on, let me teach you a new game." Draco placed the shuffled cards on the coffee table. "The new game is called Dou Dizhu (Landlord)."
"Dou Dizhu?" Hermione and Trillian were hearing about it for the first time.
Draco's patient splitting rule,
Explain the roles of landlord and peasant, the suppression logic of card types, straights, and bombs, the order of play, and the determination of victory or defeat.
Hermione's mind worked incredibly fast; she quickly grasped the rules after going through them once, and even silently calculated the probabilities of the game in her mind.
Trillian didn't understand much, but she found the words "landlord robbery" and "bomb" very interesting.
The first game started quickly.
As a novice, Hermione played cautiously and methodically, rarely making mistakes despite her lack of experience; while Trillian relied entirely on instinct, sometimes making brilliant moves and sometimes making disastrous ones.
As he played his cards, Draco gave the two instructions based on the game. "Honey, should we break up the pair of Kings? We can keep them to beat other pairs."
" Trillian, are you planning to blow up 3 to ashes or blow yourself into the sky by throwing this bomb?"
After several rounds, Hermione and Trillian gradually figured out the tricks of the trade. Hermione's academic prowess began to show; she started calculating the cards on the table, deducing what cards Draco and Trillian might hold, and her play became increasingly methodical. Trillian's luck was sometimes good and sometimes bad, so she occasionally managed to pull off some brilliant plays.
Another round ended uneventfully. Draco tossed his last card onto the table, listlessly tapped the back of the cards with his finger, glanced at the two "apprentices" opposite him who were getting increasingly into the game, and a sly smile crept across his lips, "Playing like this is too boring, how about we add some stakes?"
What's the prize?
Hermione, who was arranging the cards, watched him warily.
"It's simple," Draco, pulling a stack of neatly cut white strips of paper from his pocket. "The loser gets one of these stuck on their face by the winner, and this continues until someone concedes."
This punishment was childish and ridiculous, but... it seemed harmless enough to make the game more fun. Hermione didn't object and confirmed, "Just on the face? How many strips make you lose?"
"Of course, just stick them on your face, they'll be more noticeable," Draco said matter-of-factly. "How about sticking them on until you admit defeat?"
"You think I'm afraid of you?" Hermione asked.
"Agreed, agreed!" Trillian immediately agreed. "Young Master, just wait until we team up and stick you up like a mummy!"
At this moment Trillian had already imagined Draco and Hermione being utterly annihilated by her, their handsome and beautiful faces covered in long white strips, swaying comically in the wind. Just thinking about it made Trillian burst out laughing.
"Quickly, quickly, I can't wait to unleash my 'Sealing Bar'!" Trillian declared confidently.
"The game officially begins!" Draco began dealing the cards.
Draco, that master, is too cunning.
After an afternoon of battles, Draco naturally won the most, Hermione had mixed results, while Trillian firmly held the title of loser, with over a dozen small slips of paper sticking to her face representing her losses.
"I'm not playing anymore!" Trillian suffered another crushing defeat, another piece of paper stuck to her face. She angrily threw down her cards, "Young Master, you must have cheated! Otherwise, how could you always win!"
"Look at you, so impatient. You were all bluffing at first, talking about your ambition to make me look like a mummy. Now you're saying you're done. What does that mean?" Draco teased.
Trillian was speechless for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed. "That was because I strategically underestimated the enemy, and tactically encountered uncontrollable circumstances! Anyway, I'm not playing anymore! I keep losing, it's boring!"
"Here's the plan: I'll be the landlord, and you two will play against each other. Although the landlord has the advantage of playing first and having more cards, you two working together still have a good chance of winning. What do you think?" Draco tapped the table with his finger, proposing a new plan.
"No," Hermione rejected the suggestion, explaining, "The landlords have a clear advantage; it's difficult for the peasants to cooperate."
The words sound Diadem, but what you're really thinking is: teaming up with a "pig teammate" like Trillian who plays cards arbitrarily? You might as well just admit defeat. In a game that requires precise calculation, Trillian's good luck is probably more of a disadvantage than an advantage.
"Since you think being the landlord has an advantage, why don't you become that advantageous landlord! With the young master and me teaming up, we're sure to take you down!" Trillian didn't catch Hermione's subtext.
She thought to herself with delight, "Young Master's skills are so amazing, with her added, it's like a powerful combination, like adding wings to a tiger!"
"I'm fine with anything!" Draco was indifferent. Looking at the notes scattered across the two girls' faces, a mischievous smile crept onto his lips again. He changed the subject. "Just sticking notes on them seems a bit boring. How about we try a different punishment?"
"What do you want to exchange? Let's make it clear first, don't go too far." Hermione looked at him warily; this guy had a lot of wicked ideas!