“Yes, Mom, I’m leaving for Prague today. I’m absolutely certain! I just want to study German literature at Prague University for a year. Okay, maybe two years... But I’ll finish as quickly as I can and return to the Berlin Conservatory to continue my flute studies. By then, I’ll surely have a much deeper understanding of how those pieces should be played. Mom, I’m leaving today—what’s the point of trying to change my mind now?”

Lin Xuene stretched out her words in exasperation, her phone resting on the coffee table as she checked her packing list one last time. But before she could relax, a furious voice roared out of the phone’s speaker, startling her so much that she jolted back despite already keeping a safe distance.

When the words from the other end became clearer, Lin Xuene’s frustration flared. She snatched up the phone and retorted, “Mom! How many times do I have to explain? I love him! I love him more than anything! That’s why I have to go to Prague! I have to study at Prague University! And it has to be the Carolina Campus—because that’s where the German department used to be. That’s where Kafka studied literature and law!”

Lin Xuenie had barely finished speaking when the woman on the other end of the phone became even more furious, shouting, “Love? What love? Kafka was already dead for years before your grandfather was even born!”

This cutting remark left Lin Xuenie stunned. She could only manage a weak reply, “Well, I love my grandfather, too!”

At 19 years old, Lin Xuenie was about to finish her second year as a flute major at the Berlin Conservatory of Music. But starting next semester, she would leave Berlin to study German literature at Charles University in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xuenie walked slowly around the small apartment she had been renting in Berlin, checking to ensure nothing was forgotten. Satisfied, she carefully packed her silver-plated flute into her bag, closed her suitcase, and made her way out the door.

It was just past noon, and the taxi she had ordered was already waiting downstairs. Timing couldn’t have been better — she would arrive at Berlin Central Station in plenty of time to catch the 1:03 p.m. train to Prague. If everything went according to plan, she would reach her destination at exactly 5:28 p.m.

It was the afternoon. In summer, Prague at 5:28 PM still bathed in golden sunlight, with the city not slipping into twilight until nearly 9:30 PM. It was during this time that the city showed its most exquisite colors of the day.

Lin Xue Nie could hardly put into words the excitement and thrill she felt as she hauled her suitcase onto the train. She had worked toward this moment for an entire year. Or perhaps, more accurately, ever since she first read the novels and essays of a man who had passed away over fifty years ago, the idea had taken root in her heart.

It was truly a wildly ambitious dream. She longed to walk the same paths he had once walked, to study German literature at the university where he had studied, and to live in the city of Prague, which had once confined his soul.

Although Prague was just a few hours away from her previous home in Berlin—only four and a half hours by train—she had never set foot there before today. She had told herself that she would not enter Prague until she had achieved her goal of studying German literature at Prague University.

And now, she had done it! She was finally going to the Prague she had always dreamed of!

The mere thought of it made Lin Xue Nie want to shout out with joy!

But before she could indulge in her excitement, she decided it might be best to find a compartment and settle down, so as not to block the other passengers boarding behind her.

Just as she sat down, however, her phone buzzed with a message from her friend Helena. At such a thrilling moment, her friend had the nerve to ask how far she had gotten with Studies on Hysteria!

Helena, a psychology student at Prague University, had spent a semester as an exchange student at Humboldt University in Berlin the previous year. The two had met by chance at a convenience store near Humboldt University, where Lin Xue Nie was enjoying some fruit while Helena was making do with a box of salad for her lunch.

It never occurred to her that the two people sitting on opposite sides of the same table would eventually become friends.

Four months ago, a psychology student—one who often made Lin Xueye feel that she was a bit eccentric—had recommended Freud's Studies on Hysteria to her.

Of course, over the past four months, Lin Xueye hadn't so much as turned a single page of Studies on Hysteria.

Just imagine—if she were to reveal the truth now, what awaited her wouldn’t merely be the kind of cruel treatment one might expect from autumn winds sweeping through fallen leaves!

With this thought, Lin Xueye, trembling, quickly pulled the book from her bag, flipping through its pages as she sent a voice message to her friend on WhatsApp.

"I think there's something seriously wrong with this Chinese edition of Studies on Hysteria that I’m holding. The introduction is 25 pages long!"

"And after those 25 pages, there's a 95-page biography of Freud by the editor. This doesn't seem like Studies on Hysteria at all—it's more like A Study on Freud..."

As she opened the book, Lin Xueye sent several voice messages like this to her friend Helena, venting her frustration at how some publishers seem to be tricking people these days. However, before she could finish all her complaints, Helena—the Czech girl—sent a brief reply:

"Hiss..." Lin Xueye, instantly exposed, inhaled sharply. But just as she widened her eyes, unsure of how to explain herself, the train came to a stop once more. It was yet another station in Berlin. It had only taken five minutes to travel from Berlin Central Station to this stop.

Before Lin Xueye realized it, a few passengers had boarded the train as it pulled into the station. Among them was a tall boy with golden hair and a strikingly elegant build, his shoulders broad and well-defined, dragging his suitcase as he passed by Lin Xueye’s compartment. Initially, he appeared ready to walk on by, but it seemed as if something caught his attention—something in the compartment—prompting him to stop.

After pausing, he lingered for a moment before glancing at the girl across the table, who appeared deeply troubled as she stared at an open book. Then, he turned back and gently knocked on the compartment door.

The sound of the knock drew Lin Xueye’s gaze toward him. Just one look, and she was captivated, her focus entirely on him.

To describe him… he was the sort of young man whose presence radiated a sense of classical grace. It was hard to pin down whether to call him handsome or strikingly beautiful, but his youthfulness only added to the distant yet dignified air he carried.

“May I sit here?” His voice was like the smooth resonance of a cello, and it was so melodious that Lin Xueye found herself answering before she fully grasped what he had said.

“Yes! Of course, you can,” she stammered, a little caught off guard by the enchanting quality of his voice.

Once he received her affirmation, the boy smiled. The warmth of his smile made Lin Xueye feel unexpectedly flustered. She hesitated for a moment before asking in German, after he had placed his suitcase onto the luggage rack:

“Are you German?”

In truth, Lin Xueye didn’t need to ask, as his features were the epitome of a classic German, or rather, a Germanic appearance. His long, golden hair softened the otherwise cool and aloof vibe he exuded. The boy, who appeared to be about the same age as Lin Xueye, seemed momentarily surprised when she spoke in German. He then walked toward her, confirming her assumption, and settled into the seat opposite her, meeting her eyes.

In the eyes of this German boy, the girl before him had eyes as dark as the night, deeper than the typical Asian gaze, and delicate features that spoke of quiet elegance. She wasn’t the type of striking beauty that would immediately demand attention. Rather, she was like the purest snow in winter—gentle and serene, someone you’d want to look at again after you had turned your gaze away.

At that moment, Lin Xueye, sitting across from this German boy, couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. While she had been approached by local boys during her two years abroad, she had never encountered one who looked at her with such directness—never one so strikingly handsome who seemed so assured in his attention.

“My name is Eberhardt. Eberhardt Greutz.”

The boy introduced himself, then, noticing the discomfort he had caused the girl across from him, quickly apologized. "Sorry," he said, his voice softening. "I just feel like there's something about you that seems very familiar. But I can’t quite explain where that feeling comes from."