Chapter 8 - A looming threat amidst a budding love.

As Li Enlai was immersed in his trail of thoughts, of that beautiful evening, held six months ago, he was suddenly interrupted by Li Diu's words who asked, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes," Enlai replied, picking the cup from her hand, and joined the rest of the family as they were enjoying the wedding album over breakfast, basking in the golden rays of the morning sun.

He thought to himself, "How I wish time could stand still at this moment and seal it forever."

As he was sipping the cup of tea, a call from the security cell that flashed on the screen of Enlai's mobile caught Diu's attention.

On seeing the contact of the incoming call, that was displayed on the mobile, Li Enlai kept the cup aside and went away to answer the call.

"Okay, I'll be there in half an hour." He said as he walked back while disconnecting the call.

He came back, picked up the cup of tea, finished it quickly, and said, "I have some urgent business to be attended to. I will join you all for dinner. I won't be able to join you all for lunch though, as I may get caught up in some matters."

The sudden change of demeanor in Li Enlai caught the attention of Li Diu who was always attentive to the details of each household member. There was not a single soul in the family, whom she could not see through with her affectionate observation.

As Li Enlai came down quickly, dressed to leave, she asked, "Is it a serious concern?"

He looked down, browsed through his mobile, and answered, "Nothing much." trying to avoid eye contact, with her eyes prying for answers.

A call from Liqin diverted her attention at the right time. As she answered the call, Jia spoke from the other end, "Good morning ma."

The salutation of ma made her joyful, beyond measure as she had always seen a daughter in her, and she responded, "It's lovely to hear your voice."

"How is everyone doing there?"

"We are all fine. We just received your wedding album, and are having a gala time enjoying each beautiful memory of that day."

Jia handed over the phone to Liqin who asked, "Did the pictures come out nice?"

"Yes,"

Jia exulted and said, "Wow! We will come back in three days, and then have another family union, like the one you are having now."

Liqin interrupted, and said, "Aunt, we have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

He pondered for a moment, then broke the silence and said, "What if, you are blessed with a second daughter-in-law a week down the lane?"

"How?"

She pondered for a while, held her hand over the mobile, and whispered, "Wait a minute—Don't tell me, that Li Bao is coming back with a bride-to-be?"

"Bingo!"

She walked away from where the family was seated together, not wanting to be heard by all, and whispered, "How can he, find a bride in his two weeks of vacation? Are you guys keeping secrets from me now?"

"Aunt we are not sure of his success yet, however, if he succeeds to persuade the girl, you might need to prepare for a wedding soon."

"Are you telling me, that he is going to return home with some girl, whom he met on the Zermatt mountains, to be the daughter of this household? That will surely not work out, with any of the elderly family members."

"Aunt, calm down, he is Li Bao! Do you think any Tom, Dick, or Harry in the world would impress him, to be his better half? He must have chosen a polished diamond, from all the uncut jewels in the mine down there."

"Who is she?"

"All that I know now, is that her name is Xiao Ann, and he is planning to confess."

"Let us make a deal. I will update you immediately, as soon as he updates me."

"Is it a promise?"

"I swear an oath, by my honor to that. Now, can we speak to the rest of the family?"

"Are you both enjoying yourself?"

"We just came back and called you guys. Now, let us speak to the rest of the members."

"Yes,"

Diu walked back to where the rest of the family was enjoying the pictures, and handed over the phone to the rest of the family, as each member took turns, to talk to the newly wedded couple, and they, in turn, updated them, on their new beginning.

As they say their bid adieus to everyone, Liqin looked at Jia, and stated, "It's a joy to be a part of this family. I have never felt orphaned, to date."

Jia held his hand to comfort him, as tears welled up in his eyes, at the thought of his parents.

She held his face with her palms, as her fingers slowly wiped the tears away, and said, "We will build up the broken pieces of your past, to build a loving family, that you missed so much."

He pulled her into his embrace and held her tightly, not wanting her to move away from his grip, and said, "I hope to stay like this forever."

She looked up at his face with a twinkle in her eyes and said, "Oh No!"

He looked down to her with his brows raised and asked, "What?"

She shook her head and said, "That can't be happening, because it's already six o'clock in the evening, and you need to get into that shower to freshen up now. Come on, get going now."

He tightened the embrace, bursting into laughter, and stated, "This is the best part of being with you. You have the ability to lighten up, the darkest moments of my life with your comforting smile and sense of humor."

He looked into her eyes, holding her in his embrace by the waist, and said, "However, we are going to take a trip down memory lane."

She looked deep into those mischievous eyes, and questioned, "What kind of memory lane?"

He raised her by the waist, picked her up, and said, "Patience my love."

Startled her arms curled around his shoulders, as he walked to the washroom, and said, "This is where we started a beautiful journey called love."

Tightening his hold on her, with her back to the wall, he opened the shower, and said, "Someone had promised to take the responsibility of bathing me daily, a few months ago."

As the water, drenched them, he slowly loosened the hold, as he looked into her eyes with deep desire.

She looked into his deep dark eyes, and coiled her hands around his neck lovingly, and said with a twinkle in her eyes, "That's not what was promised. The promise was to be responsible, to dry your hair thoroughly after a bath daily."

He pulled her into his embrace and whispered into her ears, "Well, that was before the marriage. Before I got the license to claim, that you are mine. Now the stakes are higher, and hence the bar for that responsibility needs to be revised as well. Am I right?"

Trying to free herself she said, "I need to weigh the pros and cons before committing."

He tightened the embrace as his soft wet lips caressed her neck passionately, and whispered, "Commitments have already been made for life, and they encompass, all aspects of our life."

Her attempts to free herself were subdued by his passionate advances, as her senses drowned in his desire for her.

The warmth of the dripping water, and the foam of the body wash, added fuel to the fire, that engulfed the bath, taking into count two beautiful human beings.

The burning desire to drink deeply from each other impassioned their steps back to the comfort of their cocooned bed intertwined as ever.

As a lotus opening its petals to accept the glistening morning dew in all its glory, she sparkled to accept his love coursing through her inmost being creating wave after wave of euphoria.

The peach and blue flowery comforter oscillated, like a rogue wave suddenly surging, and suddenly lowering its grasp displaying, the intensity of their fondness, like a powerful ocean current, that swept them off their senses.

It is said, that love conquers the strongest of towers and heals the deepest of wounds with a brush from its palette of new hues.

Time stood still in awe of their passionate oscillation exploring new turfs in their conquest of new peaks, of their burning fondness for each other.

One had gotten healed, of years of solitude, while the other bloomed in full glory, in the newfound status of companionship. Such is the power of true love, devoid of any other ulterior motive.

An hour of passionate fondness was interrupted, by an incoming call that displayed the name of Li Bao on its screen.

As Liqin sat up with Jia resting her head in his embrace and answered the call, Bao asked, "Did I interrupt you both?"

Flustered, at the thought, Liqin quickly responded with a question, "How is your progress in getting me a sister-in-law?"

"I am on my way to set up the villa, to confess my feelings, and to ask her to be mine forever. Remember the villa, that we own in Cervinia. Well, I called the keeper to get it ready and had it decorated yesterday. It seems, that there's going to be a blizzard up there by evening, hence I need to confess in the morning, and leave by afternoon. I have already hurt her by being secretive about my details."

"But it's only half-past five in the morning there. You could be kidding."

"I have already arranged everything. Do not worry, I hired a helicopter to get me there. There's a guide whom I have arranged to get her to Cervinia."

"There's one more thing I need to discuss which is more serious."

"What?"

"Did dad discuss, sending security officers to follow me secretly?"

"What makes you think that?"

"For the last few days, I have a gut feeling, that people are trailing me wherever I go. Kindly check that out for me. I had even messaged Mr. Chen regarding the same earlier."

"Initially I thought, that they were paparazzi following around, seeking some juicy stuff to earn a few bucks, however, my intuition says, it's not."

"Moreover, I have rarely seen them holding cameras, as they should be doing if they are what we think."

"You need to be careful. If you have the slightest doubts take the next flight, and come back."

"Since the last three days, I have tried all tricks, to lead them off track while trailing me. I have also raised an alert to the hotel, regarding the security threat, requesting them of complete secrecy on my stay. I even changed my suite in complete secrecy."

"Hope you are safe, and there is no real threat as you perceive. Let me speak to the security cell, and I will get back to you by evening when you get back, Hope we have something to rejoice by then."

"Sure, let us hope for the best. Goodbye."

Bao pondered, as he prepared to leave, in a navy-blue pullover with a hood and a mask, "I had been for weeks avoiding my privacy, being evaded by these men trailing me and had ensured, that every step, that I take did not get me into the hands of those prying paparazzi, as I think them to be."

He looked at himself in the mirror with his eyes wide open, creased brows, raised his arms with his palms forward, and said, "Look at me. Today I even ended up disguising myself with this blonde hair wig and blue eye lenses, leaving early morning to make sure, that no one is trailing me."

As he walked out, he turned back several times to ensure that no one was trailing him. He soon reached the helipad, looked around as the pilot verified his identity documents, submitted earlier, and said, "Today is not the right day for travel. Kindly make sure to make the return journey by half-past one in the afternoon, to avoid the blizzard."

Bao smiled with shrug and said, "I will be back before that. You need to pick up a friend by eight in the morning. Well, I have booked the helicopter for the whole day today."

The pilot shook his head and responded, "We don't mind the booking, however, there are strict regulations, for not putting the copter, and the pilots to risk in a blizzard. Hence, we would not be able to fly, once wind acquires speed."

Hopping onto the copter, Bao nodded his head in agreement, and said, "You are perfectly right in your statement. I would personally not want to put my loved ones, and all of you to risk, under any dangerous situations."

As the rotor blades spun, and the copter took off, he breathed a sigh of relief, and thought, "Finally, they are off-track, and I can be rest assured."

Back in the security cell, the leadership seemed tensed, as they deployed officers on an emergency duty for an important task at hand, waiting for Li Enlai to join them for the final decision.

As soon as he walked in, he questioned, "Is the information genuine? We can't trouble embassies over a false alert."

The officer, Mr. Chen affirms, "It is absolutely correct, and we need to act fast. We are just waiting for your confirmation."

"Mr. Chen, do not wait for my confirmation to save a life. I cannot afford to lose another child. Call up the premier's office, and request for the embassy's interference in this matter." Li Enlai responded, checking on the details.

As Enlai was giving instructions to the officers, he received a call from Liqin. As he answered the call, Liqin blurts, "Uncle have you sent people to trail Bao in Zermatt?"

Li Enlai paused, and questioned, "What makes you ask this question?"

"He just told me, that he had people trailing him everywhere."

That was the last straw, that Enlai could have taken. He responded, "Hold on, I need to give some directions."

He kept the phone on hold, and said, "Guys we are heading to Zermatt. There is a major security alert. We need to go."

He got back to Liqin, and said, "Liqin since you have a Schengen Visa, kindly get ready to leave for Zermatt immediately, Bao could be facing a major threat. I will arrange for the tickets immediately.

I had already arranged for four security officers, to accompany him before he refused. They already have their visas in place, and will leave immediately. I will get in touch with the embassy to ensure, that my Visas are procured immediately.

Once you reach there, coordinate with the Chinese embassy for help. In the meanwhile, we will arrange emergency visas for all of us. Time is precious. Every moment counts."

Liqin looked at Jia, and stated: "Get ready to depart for the airport immediately."

Jia tilted her head with narrowed eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

As she got up, to freshen up and pack Liqin responded, "Bao is at risk."

"We can complete the rest of the three days of our honeymoon trip, in Zermatt." He added, lightening the tensed environment.

"Let's hope, that he is safe."

As Jia washed herself up, Liqin continued, "Nothing is more important now than the life of a precious one, who is not even aware of the sword, that looms over his head."

"All these days he had been dodging those guys thinking, that they were paparazzi, overlooking the fact, that there could be a severe security concern."

Jia walked out of the bath drying her hair with the towel and said, "Who could have imagined, that people would make the trip to the mount of Matterhorn, to slaughter an innocent life?"

Liqin pondered, as he picked up his clothes, to freshen up, "That's an appropriate question though. Who could want to take his life?"

As he walked out of the bath in a robe, he turned to Jia and said, "Pack up the things, while I go down to complete the check-out formalities."

"Yes," Jia responded, pulling out clothes from the closet to pack.

As the closet was being emptied, Liqin walked out of the room and said, "Do a second check, and also check for all our documents to see if they are in place."

Jia does a second check to see for anything missed out, and pondered, "I never knew him to be this particular and detailed about things. Wow! He has grown up from his high school carefree days. Probably it is the impact of the responsibilities he had to shoulder, after his grandmother's demise, and his years of studying abroad."

Her thoughts were interrupted, by an incoming call from Liqin. As she answers, Liqin says, "Come down for dinner. I have already completed the check-out formalities."

Jia walked out of the room responding, "Yes," as she disconnected the call.

As she walked into the diner, Liqin said, "I have already placed the order. We have an hour before the cab arrives."

As they completed their dinner Liqin looked at his watch and said, "We have another twenty minutes before we leave."

As they got back to the room, Liqin called up the reception and said, "Kindly arrange a concierge to get the bags down for us."

After a few minutes, a concierge turned up to pick up the luggage.

As they walked out, Liqin turned around and said, "We will come back, to weave fresh memories, as we leave behind memoirs of love and warmth on the onset of our new life."

"Yes." Jia replied, holding his arm as they leave the resort."

As they reach the Bora Bora airport, Jia looked at her watch and said, "It is nine o'clock in the evening already."

Liqin browsed through his mobile and checked for the time in Zermatt, and it showed as 8 AM, December 20, 2010. He walked back and forth, with his hand on his forehead and called up Bao. As the call gets through, he asked, "How are things down there?"

"I am waiting for her; she is supposed to reach in another half an hour."

Not wanting to startle him, Liqin paused and asked, "Are there people still trailing you?"

"I dodged them off, with a disguise. Moreover, I took the helicopter to reach here and arranged the same for her. They would not have the money, to hire a copter to reach me. By the way, is there something fishy about this whole affair?"

"No. Not as long as they are paparazzi, wanting some pictures of the handsome next-generation heir, of the Li household. However, it would be advisable to be on your alert always, you cannot risk your life, and the life of your loved ones, over some careless mistake. Isn't it?"

"That's true. I can't put her life to risk with mine."

"I and Jia, are on our way to celebrate with you. We have already touched the airport to take a flight. We initially thought of surprising you, but we need your location to be there. Can you send me your live location?"

"Why not?" Bao affirmed and sent the location. He further pried, "Is there something that I need to be alarmed about?"

Not able to hold on anymore, Liqin paused, sighed, and responded, "There is a security alert raised regarding your safety, and we are all on our way. Be on guard. Check for suspicious movements."

Bao held his breath and responded, "I don't have any enemies or anyone whom I recollect to have hurt in the past. Who could be targeting me, and for what?"

"That is an answer, that we need to get from the assailant. Don't worry, it would not take much time before he lands up behind bars."

"Why wasn't I informed earlier? I cannot put her to risk along with me."

"We left for Zermatt, the moment we got the information. As far as I know, the risk is low, concerning the fact, that you have dodged them successfully with your disguise. Let us hope, that you are safe till we arrive."

"You should have heeded dad's advice, and allowed security to accompany you. Anyway, those officers have already left for Zermatt. I am about to board the plane. Take care."

As Liqin and Jia board the chartered flight to Zurich, arranged for them, he forwarded the live location of Bao to the team back in Shanghai to track.

He made the last call, to the security officer, before boarding and informed "I have shared his live location for you all to co-ordinate."

Back in Cervinia, Bao rubbed his hands together, slammed his fist on the table and traced his memory back to the time from when he landed in Zermatt, and pondered, "Are they aware of the fact, that I am in love with Xiao Ann? Would she be at risk as well?"

As he was immersed in these thoughts, he received a call from the security cell.

"Sir, we would just like to know if there are any photos, accidentally taken of those men trailing you?"

"I will send all the photos taken, to you immediately."

He looked at all the pictures, that he clicked with his camera, and checked for any clues. Leaving aside the photos, that he had taken of Ann, he forwarded the remaining from his laptop.

He brushed his hair with his hands and said, "Luckily, I had brought along my laptop today."

He checked his watch, and said, "It's ten o'clock already, and they should have been here by now."

Bao walked back and forth, jittered, at the thought of Ann being harmed by them, on their losing track of him. He picked his phone and called the guide, whom he had arranged to undertake everything. The guide replied, "I went to fetch her, but they had already left for a morning expedition and will be back by eleven o'clock."

"Sir, I would not be able to drop her till the Villa, due to the storm approaching, hence, kindly wait at the juncture of the helipad to pick her up."

"That's fine."

He then called the bell boy at the hotel, and asked, "Had you handed over the note, that I had requested to pass onto Miss Xiao?"

"I had handed over the message, to the lady in question personally."

As he gazed through the French window of his Villa, waiting for the copter to arrive, Li Bao fixed his gaze at the sky and pondered, "The blizzard is expected to hit by four o'clock, in the evening, and we need to leave this place around two o'clock in the afternoon, to ensure, that we do not get stuck in the blizzard."

"The weather forecast is expecting the blizzard to last for at least two to three days; the whole area of Cervinia would be shut down to avoid casualties. I hope she reaches safely on time."

He checked the time, and said, "It is half-past eleven already. I need to get going to pick her up."

He picked a grayish-blue turtle neck, made of a thick cashmere sweater, combined with a black hooded expedition jacket, a grey scarf, and expedition gloves. He checked his snow boots and carried an additional expedition jacket as a practical safety measure. He carried two Thermos steel bottles, one with hot water and the other with a hot chocolate drink as well.

He locked the Villa gates and walked towards the helicopter exit point.

He waited for a while, hoping that it would not start snowing immediately. He checked the time, as flurries of snow start falling, creating a fresh blanket of snow across the already white landscape, and pondered, "It's already half-past noon. I would freeze, if I keep standing in the blizzard, like this later on. I have no choice though. I cannot risk her losing her way in a blizzard on arrival."

As the intermittent snowfall gained strength, he rubbed his hands together and thought, "Hope they reach soon. I wouldn't want to die of hypothermia here."

He looked at his watch again, after an interval and said, "It is already past one o'clock in the afternoon, and there are no signs of her coming. Moreover, it is snowing heavily now. Is she all right?"

As the guide, he arranged, failed to reply he panicked and said, "Hope she is safe. It is quite late to even request the copter to pick me up. By the time they reach the wind might pick up speed and strength. I cannot put their lives at risk for me. It would also help me, to stay put safely in Cervinia, considering the security alert, that was raised."

"It has already been nearly two hours since I had been waiting for her in the snow, and my body is starting to feel the cold. The wind has become stronger and the snowfall heavier." He opened a thermal steel bottle and gulped the whole bottle to keep himself from freezing.

He picked the additional coat he had carried, and wore it over his existing one, and blurted out, "I can't die here." He brushed his hands against each other, to create warmth.

After a while, he checked the time again, and said to himself, "It is half-past one, and has started snowing heavily already. With the wind catching speed, the chances of her arrival are quite bleak now. I need to get back, as the stakes are high with the blizzard on one side and the security threat on another. Moreover, I need to stay put in this place as no threat, would have access to this place in the storm, and the location is already shared, so I would be picked up easily from here, by the security officers."

He hit his head, raised his hand out, and shouted, "There's no hope now. Only a fool like me would come all the way here to confess. I had lost my sensibility probably—I have become mad in love."

He looked down, shook his head, and said, "Time is up, and I need to get back to the safety of my cocooned villa, to shelter from the storm. I should drink this bottle of hot chocolate to survive before I leave."

With a heavy heart, he started to trace his footsteps back. After opening the second bottle, he gulped the hot chocolate. After five minutes of walking in the snow, he heard the roar of the rotor blades of a copter hovering above. He stopped and turned to look above when he heard a faint sound in the wind.

"Li Bao." Xiao Ann called out loudly, as the wind had picked up speed, and the howling was starting to be heard loudly, suppressing every other sound present.

He smiled with tears in his red eyes when he saw Ann get down from the helicopter and rush toward him with tears and anger in her eyes,

She came rushing, hit him hard on his chest, and said with tears, "You were crazy, waiting for me in this howling wind."

She had barely reached him when the blades of the helicopter roared as it flew high and headed back. She turned around, stood still, fixed her gaze at the copter in flight in awe, and said, "Am I dreaming? They left us in the blizzard, to fend for ourselves."

She turned around and shouted, "Look, what you have done. Now, I am stuck here in this storm, in a no man's land, while I should have been leaving for the airport to welcome him."

"Welcome whom?"

"A family friend."

"What about your would-be fiancée?"

She hung her head low and replied, "I broke off the engagement."

"Why?"

"I spoke to him about her and her feelings for him and set him free from the bindings."

"Is that the only reason why you did that?"

She turned away looked around as the wind howled and said, "Hey! That's not the point. Now, my mother will get notified of my adventure, and will be worried for the next two to three days."

Li Bao held her arms tightly with his shivering hands, and said with a feeble voice, "This is not the time to fight about this. We need to shelter ourselves from the storm. The wind is picking up speed."

"I have a villa in Cervinia. We need to get there before it's too late."

She looked into his eyes, and said, "When did you get yourself a villa in Cervinia?"

She touched his head as he panted for breath and asked, "Are you crazy? Did the cold get into your head?"

He held her by her arms and shouted to be heard in the howling wind, "We have no choice. Now, would you do the honor of following, or do you want me to pick you up?"

Sighing, she shouted, "Do I have a choice in this storm? Let us go."

As they ran in the snow through the howling wind, she shouted, "Bao I hope I can trust you. I hope, I don't have to put up with your lies anymore."

She looked around the snow that pounded the mountain and thought, "I have no choice, but to trust him now."

Bao held her by her hand, and said, "Come on, we need to reach quickly. We are already covered by layers of snow."

She held his hand tightly as they ran towards the villa.

As Bao opened the Villa gates, she said, "Oh My God! The snow is pounding all over with a howl, that could send shrieks down the spine of a weakling. We are just in time to avoid the pounding of it."

As they walked from the gates to the villa, she asked, "Are we going to be stuck here for three days?"

Bao responded as he shivered, "Maybe yes."

As he breathed out cold air with panting, he said, "They have shut down transportation, since nine in the morning, and evacuated people from high-risk zones."

Ann looked into his eyes, and asked with fear, "Do we fall under that?"

Bao, caught his abdomen, looked up, shook his head, and said, "I don't know? I had initially not intended to stay here, for the next three days."

She looked at him stunned, and asked, "What on earth, were you thinking Bao?"

As they stood at the entrance of the door, Li Bao panted for breath and said, "Let's hope for the best."

She stared at him in disbelief, and said, "You don't jump off a cliff hoping, that God would send his angels to hold you as you fall. That is what is called testing God."

He looked at her, his eyes closing down, shook his head, and said, "I was not testing God in any manner. Believe me, I never wanted it to turn out this way."

Shivering, he blurted, "Now, let's get inside before we get frozen to death."

She replied with tears, "Don't you think we would get frozen inside as well if the blizzard continues with a power outage?"

He held her face, wiping the tears away, and said, "Trust me. You won't."

He quickly opened the door as his strength had waned, and he could no longer braze the cold wind.

As he opened the door, he fainted in the warmth of his heated villa, to the shock and disbelief of Ann.

Ann bent down, and thought, "Oh No! This is the least I expected, at a time like this. His human strength must have been exhausted, standing in the snow. What was he thinking, when he did that?"

She quickly pulled him inside and closed the door shut.

22nd December 2010

Two days had already passed with the whole region of Cervinia, and high-altitude areas of Zermatt blocked for travel.

Back in Zurich, Liqin browsed and paid detailed attention to the weather forecast. Every fresh forecast stated that "The blizzard had disrupted the transportation services, since the last two days even in Zermatt. Though it has reduced its hold over Zermatt, it is still howling and pounding over Cervinia as if trying to conquer the land with its strength and prowess."

He received a call from the copter services who said, "Transportation has been resumed till Zermatt, though restricted above that."

Liqin raised his hands high with clenched fists and exulted. He turned to Jia with tears, placed his arms on her shoulder, and said, "We can finally move to our destination after two days. I have not been able to get in touch with him, due to the blizzard. We will get in touch with him as soon as the services are up."

"How will they survive in that Villa, in this blizzard with the power outage like this?" Jia blurted as she looked out of the French window toward the towering Alps outside.

Liqin packed the belongings and responded, "The keeper of the house insulates it well before the winter. It has a power backup system, that can work for up to two days. Moreover, there is an underground cellar with partitions, that store ample firewood, and beverages as a precaution. Every room has a hearth to keep it warm."

Jia turned to him, with her hands fidgeting her crowning glory of brown hair that bounced on her forehead, and said, "Liqin, today is the third day, without electricity. How will they survive?"

He looked above, shook his head, closed his eyes, and said, "Let's trust God and hope for the best."

As they hopped onto the cab to catch the copter, he said, "I spoke to the keeper, and he said, that they would be comfortable as food and beverages had already been stocked. Let us hope for the wind to lose its hold today. The wardrobes are well-packed with the clothing, used for ice expeditions, that the family uses on their regular trips. If the suits of aunt Diu fit her, she would be safe."

"That, however, could be a trouble considering the fact, that aunt has a very lean figure, and the average American youth would not fit into it."

As the cab screeched to a halt, they were greeted by the pilot, "Good morning, we are prepared to leave."

"You will need to take an electric taxi from the drop point of the copter."

As the rotors of the copter started, Liqin answered, "We'll do that."

As the copter hovered over Zermatt it provided a panoramic view of the village blanketed in snow with houses glowing in a golden light.

Jia looked down and said, "This looks like a fairy tale setting. Hope it has an ending of a fairy tale too."

Liqin rubbed his hands together, then held on to her hands tightly, shook his head as he looked down, and said, "You are right. Hope we have a fairy tale ending as well today."

As the copter prepared to land, the sun rose to spread its golden arms across the landscape blanketed with snow.

Jia looked around and said, "The landscape blanketed in layers of snow seemed to bask in full glory, by reflecting the golden emissions of the sun."

Liqin curled his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulders, and lovingly placed a peck on her neck.

Together as they enjoy the landscape, basking in the glory of the morning sun, the helicopter took its flight back, leaving them to revel in the glory of the paradise, called Zermatt.

They enjoyed the bliss morning hues, as they awaited the electric car from the luxury hotel to pick them up.

An electric cab halted before them, and a middle-aged man greeted them and asked, "Are you, Mr. and Mrs. Chang?"

Liqin turned around with Jia still curled in his arms, shook his head, and said, "Yes, we are."

The driver walked out and greeted them as they broke their embrace, and said, "Good morning, I have been asked to pick you up. Hope you have had a relaxed journey."

Jia smiled and responded, "Yes, and very Good morning to you too."

As they wound through the roads of Zermatt Liqin sighed, trying to connect to Bao, and said, "We have completely lost touch of him, since the last call."

The driver looked through the internal rear mirror and responded, "Telecom services have been disrupted in the storm. If there is not much damage, it should be restored by afternoon in Zermatt. Where is the person whom you are trying to connect, located now?"

Liqin sighed, his gaze still fixed on his mobile, and replied, "In Cervinia."

The driver checked the road through the external rearview mirror and replied, "Then it would be tough even today, as the winds are still howling over the little town up there. The forecast predicts it to subside by evening. If that happens, then power supply and telecom services may resume by midnight. Transportation would only resume tomorrow morning, though. These are all, however, dependent on the assumption, that the damage has been limited in this blizzard."

As they reached Chalet Zermatt Peak, Jia smiled and replied, "Wow! This looks eternal."

They walked to the reception as Jia looked around, quickly checked in, and came down after leaving the baggage in the suite.

Liqin brushed her disheveled hair and said, "I will go to speak with the local police department. They have already sent the necessary documents through the Chinese Embassy, requesting extended support."

As they walked out of the chalet, the security officers in charge of Bao's safety, arrived at the hotel.

After they checked in, Liqin turned around and instructed, "One of you stay back with her. The rest can join me for a trip to the local police department seeking support. We will not get any help from any sources unless we have their support."