"So cold..." I couldn't even recognize myself after being beaten so badly. I was lying on the couch with a wet towel soaked in ice water covering my face. The feeling of the towel on my face was like my face was frozen solid, and the cold seeped into my bones and made me shiver involuntarily. However, this cold sensation numbed my nerves and made the pain more bearable.

I was in a really bad state. My whole face was swollen like it had edema.

"Yujie gege, you've come back home with a swollen face again," Feya, this little girl seemed to have doubts about it. Of course, Zhiye was no exception.

"Jerry, what happened today? Yesterday, it wasn't so serious. Did you fight with someone? How could you get beaten so badly?"

"Uh, this..." I was embarrassed and didn't know how to answer. Should I say I used violence to prevent someone from confessing? Or should I continue to use yesterday's excuse?

"Did you fight with someone again? Or were you beaten up by a girl?" Zhiye always tried to blame girls.

"I did fight with someone. But I didn't get beaten up by a girl," I spoke firmly, but Zhiye remained skeptical and continued to question me.

"What's the reason for the fight then?"

"I don't know..." I couldn't think of a suitable answer.

"You are definitely hiding something from me," Zhiye's suspicion grew heavier suddenly.

"N-no, it's just that... Yesterday, the scumbag I beat down came to me for revenge."

I was so nervous that I sweated. I then fabricated a lie, which was actually a follow-up from what happened yesterday.

"Revenge?"

"Yes, he called two of his friends to deal with me. But I wasn't afraid at all because he was not my match," I spoke in a disdainful tone.

"But why did Jerry get beaten up so badly? I could hardly recognize your face,"

"It's because it was three against one, and I fought with all my might to beat them. But when I finally reacted, I found out that I was also beaten up badly."

"If I were there, it might be worse," Zhiye muttered, blaming herself.

"Why do you say that?" Zhiye was not pleased with what I said.

"Because... what if you get hurt... or something else. Anyway, I think I would have many concerns," I said while blushing. Actually, I just wanted to make up a lie.

"Jerry, do you worry about me?" Zhiye's tone sounded a bit cheerful.

"More or less," I forced myself to speak honestly.

"I'm very happy that Jerry cares about me, but I'm also very worried about Jerry. When I see your face swollen like this, my heart hurts too. These despicable guys should be punished for bullying my husband," Zhiye sounded very angry. I felt happy that someone cared about me this much.

"Anyway, it's over now. Those guys have been scared by me. They should not come to trouble me again," I spoke, trying to ease Zhiye's worries.

"Jerry, you still have to be careful. Try not to have a direct conflict with them. Your face cannot withstand this kind of beating," Zhiye reminded me.

"Okay, I'll remember that," I said. If my face swelled up one more time, I would really not be able to go out anymore.

"I'll help you replace the towel," Zhiye took the towel off my face. I felt relieved to breathe normally again. After my sight adjusted to the light, I saw Zhiye's face. She was staring at me without blinking. I felt a little shy. I looked down and saw her full breasts, and my face flushed red. I quickly looked away.

"It looks like the edema is not subsiding yet. You have to apply the towel more often," Zhiye said with a worried expression. I understood that she was observing the edema on my face. Although there was a little disappointment that she didn't notice my previous demeanor, I still felt relieved that I was not caught.After talking with Zhiye, she got up and went to the washroom. Meanwhile, Feya was completely focused on the TV and the commercial break had just started. During the wait, Feya went back to her room and took out a notice.

"Here..." she handed it to me and I took a quick look. It was an invitation to a parent-teacher conference.

"We're having a parent-teacher conference?"

"Yeah, next Saturday," Feya nodded.

"But Mom and Dad are out of town," I suddenly remembered my parents were away on vacation.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad are not here, so we have to ask you to go,"

"Me? No way." I quickly refused.

"Ujie is Feya's guardian now, so who else can go if not him?" Feya grumbled.

"But it's a parent-teacher conference for adults. Would it be too noticeable if I went?" I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

"It's okay, no one knows each other so nobody will notice you."

"But it says there will be activities, and I'll have to play games with elementary school kids. That's too embarrassing."

"Ujie, you're really no good at this," Feya pouted and I could see the frustration on her face.

"Okay, let's forget about it then. Actually, it would be good for Feya to attend the conference alone. It could help her mature and gain some independence."

Feya said it was okay, but I could tell she was still a bit unhappy. I was also conflicted, but at that moment the commercial break ended, and Feya returned to watching TV. Zhiye took a wet towel and placed it on my face, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep, forgetting all about Feya's request for me to attend the parent-teacher conference.