A long while after Ella had settled into bed and Aunt An had left with her daughter to go back to her house, Qian Qian placed a cup of coffee on the table for Matt and sat opposite him. She looked at the various bandages that were tied around the man's head, arms and foot, she felt pity for him. He would be cursing the time when he came here. First he was threatened with a rolling pin, then he was in an accident after which he had to take care of them and now this. He had been hurt when trying to protect them. She wondered how she should apologize but before she could utter anything, he questioned her," Where is Ella's father?"
Qian Qian stiffened as she heard the question. She could guess what he wanted to say next. She had heard many 'well-meaning' people say the same to her. 'A little girl needs a father to protect her.' And even though she was about to thank the man for coming to their aid, she was disgusted that he would think that a man would come forward to help her. And she had the perfect answer for people like him. Curtly, she said one word that was sure to shut him up, "Dead." Once she told everyone that Ella's father was dead, they would usually keep their advise to themselves and go away with an awkward face. And thus she was shocked to see that Matt Long had no such reaction. Instead he casually asked her, "And her mother?"
This question surprised her making her look up at him stunned. Stuttering a bit, she asked," What do you mean? I am her mother?"
This time, Matt looked up from his cup and his eyes were deadly cold. Placing his cup, carefully back on the table, he cocked his head and said, "Miss Xue. You can fool the others but not me. You and Ella do have a certain resemblance but not enough to be thought of mother daughter. And before you say anything else, l have seen the picture of the couple on Ella's bedside table and can tell for a fact that the girl resembles the woman in the picture. So let me ask you again, where is Ella's mother?"
This time Qian Qian clenched her hands and refused to answer the man. Holding the cup tightly in her hand, she took a moment to compose herself before she stood up and said curtly," Mr. Long, Ella and I appreciate your help but please don't think that we need you to interfere in our lives. You are injured and that is the only reason I have invited you to stay the night here. But please remember you are a guest. Don't poke your nose where it is not needed!"
With every word, Qian Qian's voice tightened until she finally gritted out the last words and got up to turn and leave. But instead of being insulted, Matt simply steepled his fingers under his chin before causally saying," Miss Xue. That is where you are wrong. I have no interest in your business. But that little girl in there is now my business. Let me tell you what I can understand until now, "A successful and top photographer suddenly disappears from the lime light for no reason what so ever. A few years later she is living in anonymity with a little girl who calls her mommy. She is fearful of any man coming close to her daughter. She has a hidden room inside her home with all sorts of provisions to hide for a long while. She had various tools ready to attack an intruder. But she is not her biological mother. Miss Xue, if you were a model or an actor, I would believe that you went into hiding because you were fearful of being scolded by your fans. But the child is not even yours. So that can mean only one of two things, either you have the girl by unlawful means and are hiding from her parents or you are in some sort of a danger! And if you are in some sort of a danger then so is Ella. So let me ask you one more time, What is going on?"
Qian Qian clenched her fingers as she tried to think of a way to divert this man's attention. She had always known that the Long's were notoriously protective. She had once craved such care and protection And that was what had made her fall into Shawn's trap. But this time she was not going to have a man interfere in her life. Even if the man was Matt Long himself. A man she had once admired and looked upto. She simply needed to remind Ella and herself that to Matt they were simply people he was acquainted with.