Chapter 208: Danger Strikes
"Just... just the meaning behind Charlie's words," Anna squeezed out her voice awkwardly.
Giorgio remained impassive, his voice deep and detached: "Which meaning?"
Anna said: "..."
Looking at his coldly handsome face and eyes, she suddenly felt out of place and extremely embarrassed.
It seemed he had indeed simply answered that the snowmen were nice, with no other implications.
This made her seem overly thoughtful and self-absorbed.
She said, "Nothing, I'm going to join Charlie."
Giorgio watched her petite figure grow smaller in his view, his expression cooling, like the mist that shrouded the peak of the mountain, obscuring his true emotions.
For the rest of the afternoon, Charlie skied, rode the cable car, had snowball fights... he played with almost every entertainment facility available to him.
Anna, who was cold and clumsy, could only watch them play, serving as a photographer and assistant.
Despite this, she still felt cold, her hands and feet freezing.
At seven in the evening, after Charlie experienced the aerial ropes course on the mountain and his excitement finally waned, he noticed Anna wasn't quite right and asked with concern:
"Anna, are you feeling unwell? You haven't played much today."
Giorgio's gaze fell on Anna. Her face was ice-white, her nose slightly red, her hands clasped together, clearly indicating she was cold.
"Are you cold? I'll take off my clothes for you to wear."
He reached for unbutton his coat.
Anna waved her hands, her breath forming clouds of steam: "No need, no need, I'm just a bit hungry. Something hot to eat will warm me up."
In truth, ever since she had given birth, her strength and constitution had declined significantly. She couldn't withstand hunger or cold, much like an old lady in her seventies or eighties.
But she didn't want to accept his coat, nor did she want him to know.
Between them, they should distance from each other, not getting involved in any unnecessary personal entanglements.
Giorgio still took off his coat and draped it over her without giving her a chance to refuse, then said to Charlie: "Having played so long, you must be satisfied, right? Shall we go back to eat now?"
"Yeah, okay." Charlie nodded sensibly, walked over to take Anna's hand, and said: "Anna, let's go back and have hot pot. Keep the coat on, it's a man's job to take care of a girl."
Anna, looking at them, couldn't refuse any longer without seeming pretentious.
She hummed and led her son towards the tourist car pick-up point.
The path was about five hundred meters long, flanked by tall trees, with thick snow on the ground. Under the hazy sky, the scenery was majestic and the temperature extremely cold.
Describing it as a world of ice and snow wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Anna, worried about the child catching a cold, said, "Charlie, are your shoes wet? If they are, you must tell Anna, Anna... ah!"
Before she could finish speaking, she stepped into a void, and both she and the child fell through the air.
Giorgio, caught off guard, lunged forward to grab them, but he too found nothing beneath his feet and fell!
The world spun, and there was a cacophony of noise.
After nearly five seconds.
"Thud!" The three of them fell to the ground, covered in snow.
Giorgio reacted quickly, getting up first to check on Anna and Charlie.
Once again, the slender woman had firmly protected the child in her arms. She was pressed underneath, her hair, calves, and neck buried in the snow.
His eyes tightened, and he approached, "Charlie, Anna, are you alright?"
As he spoke, he picked up Charlie, "Daddy, I'm fine." Charlie responded, worriedly calling out to Anna, "Anna, how are you?"
Anna didn't speak because—
She lay on the ground, looking up.
Above was a huge circle, gray and hazy, with a high and deep pit, at least five meters!
In other words, they had fallen into a hole!
"I... I'm fine, but I think we're in trouble," she said in a small, stunned voice.
Charlie and Giorgio followed her gaze upward and were also taken aback.
"Wow, such a high hole, why is there a hole here."
"Call for help."
Anna quickly sat up, shaking off the snow from her body, searching for her phone, only to find it in the snow, turned off!
"It's over, my phone is off."
Giorgio reached for his own.
Anna said in despair, "You forgot, you promised Charlie you wouldn't bring a phone, not answer calls, just to keep him company."
"..."
So, now they were cut off from the world.
Charlie's face blank, the next second he looked up, "Hey, is there anyone there? Save us, we're in a hole."
Anna also shouted, "Help, help!"
Giorgio looked at the father and son, rubbing his forehead helplessly, "Don't waste your energy, wait until there's a noise outside before shouting, conserve your strength."
"Oh." Charlie immediately quieted down.
Anna also stopped, standing to one side with Charlie.
Giorgio's gaze fell on the wall, beginning to roughly estimate the height.
Combined, our heights add up to about four meters and two, while the hole seems to be around five meters and six deep
But with Anna's petite body and Charlie's small stature, it was impossible for them to stand below and support him. Charlie had to be on top for the highest practicality, but unfortunately, his arm length plus jumping force wouldn't make it.
Therefore, this plan was not feasible.
He began to look for other methods, staying calm and composed from start to finish.
Anna, watching his noble and steady demeanor, felt an inexplicable sense of security.
The sky gradually darkened, the hole dimmed, and darkness fell, with only the white snow reflecting and casting a faint glow, allowing a vague view of human figures.
The temperature dropped noticeably.
"What do we do? It's been so long without anyone; they must have closed the mountain. We won't be staying here all night, will we?" Anna worriedly hugged Charlie tighter.
In such cold weather, spending a night in the snow would be unbearable for a child.
Giorgio hadn't expected no one to pass by, and he hadn't come up with a plan yet. Looking at the lone woman and the small child, he said calmly: "First, take out everything useless on us and burn it for warmth. Maybe the fire will attract the attention of the patrol staff."
"Right, that's a good idea!" Anna quickly let go of Charlie and helped Giorgio take out everything they had.
However, there were only a few items: tissues, phone cases, backpacks, towels... and so on.
The burning time, at best, was an hour.
But with fire, there was hope.
"Charlie, don't lose heart. We'll have a fire to warm us up soon. Have some biscuits and drink some hot water first," Anna comforted Charlie, handing him the only hot water and biscuits they had.
Charlie reached out to take them, opened a biscuit, and shared it with Anna and Giorgio:
"Let's eat together."
Giorgio lit the fire, and said in a steady and decisive voice, "When daddy was trained in wilderness survival, I went without food or drink for four days. This one night won't defeat daddy. You and Anna eat."
Anna remembered what Giuseppe said, 'Giorgio looks glamorous and noble, but he has endured more hardships than anyone else.'
Her heart felt a pang, and she told Charlie:
"I’m not hungry either. As long as you're okay, Anna and your daddy won't worry. Be good, take care of yourself."
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