Buses carried them along the mountain road. Dense forests soon obscured the spires of Prague City Hall. The sun shone through the car window on Wang Yi's face, and Chen Ying leaned on his shoulder and listened to him describe the anecdotes of Berlin. The painted bear sculptures that stand in the streets and alleys, and the Russian military hats that can be found everywhere near Checkpoint Charlie.

"It is said that from the TV tower you can see the whole city. It's a pity I never had the chance to go. "He has no regrets.

Her mobile phone rang, it was Qin Hong's long-distance call. Wang Yi pinned his face, and his expression was reflected in the car window. He holds his phone in one hand, his elbow propped up on the windowsill with the other, and the headphone cord hangs over his ear. He stared gravely into the distance. The monotonous forest obscures everything, and nothing can be seen except the rolling hills. Along the way, there are occasional working farmers in the fields, their wooden houses joined together and painted in colorful paint. Seeing the passing bus, several children ran over to look through the highway railing and waved at the passengers in the car.

It's night on the Chinese side. Qin Hong said a few words and planned to rest. Chen Ying tried to remind him as quietly as possible to attend the training class on time, after all, it was about his professional future. He casually coped with a couple of sentences and hung up. She was stunned for a moment and put her phone in her pocket. Wang Yi closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the car window, as if he was asleep.

The next hour passed slowly. It wasn't until she checked her passport again at the G&D border that she spoke to him again. Everyone sat still with their passports in their hands, and two soldiers with guns got into the car to check them one by one. He paused when he saw Chen Ying's passport, counted with his left hand, wordlessly stamped a new green stamp next to the entry stamp, and stretched out his hand to ask for Wang Yi's passport. Colorful passports were passed around, and there was silence in the car. The soldier standing directly in front of the carriage scanned every face vigilantly with his gun.

Soldiers checking passports signaled that they could pass. Two soldiers jumped out of the car. The barricades that had been stopped in front of the car were also lifted. When the vehicle passed by, Chen Ying saw three or four officers and soldiers standing in a small house next to the checkpoint.

"Are you alright?" Wang Yi looked at Chen Ying and said. At this time, the bus was about to enter a tunnel.

"It's fine."

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt that it was pitch black in front of her. Someone lifted her jaw and kissed her passionately on the lips, tongue expertly priing open teeth and touching the tip of her tongue. The other slowly sucked the air out of her mouth, making her almost suffocate. She was dizzy, and in her vague consciousness, the scene in front of her seemed familiar.

"No!" She struggled to break free, tugging at the other man's sleeve.

As the car pulls out of the tunnel, the old red-roofed castle comes into view. Wang Yi gently took her hand and put it back on her lap.

"We can't do this, Wang Yi!" She looked at him reproachfully. Conscience had shut her up, and a chasm had quickly created between their seats, which he could not cross now.

He didn't speak, just looked at her. Watch her keep shaking her head in self-reproach, her hands in her long hair.

"It's all up to you." After a while he said.

They sat quietly side by side, drinking only what they had brought. She also pulled out the headphone cable and began to listen to the song. They did not talk until Berlin and seemed to be strangers in the same car.

"This way." When he got out of the car, he pushed his suitcase, and Chen Ying followed behind with his bag. They bought tickets at the self-service machine at the entrance of the subway station, and Wang Yi taught her how to register the boarding time at the entrance of the station. There was a lone tin box, and there wasn't a single flight attendant.

"Ticket checks in Germany are very strict, and they are all plainclothes. If caught evading fares, a fine of 200 euros is imposed. Wang Yi carefully checked the time and station name printed on each ticket to ensure that the information was clear and complete. In the subway, they put the suitcase near the door, and both people sat on the suitcase. The carriage was crowded with passengers of all colors, many holding books and not looking at the people next to them.

They walked into Wang Yi's dormitory near Humboldt University. It's an apartment building with all kinds of people living in it. The school rents exchange students for a full year, even though each student only exchanges for one semester. All dormitories are single rooms with separate kitchens and bathrooms. Wang Yi's room is on the third floor. The walls inside the building are painted light grass green.

"The room is a bit messy." He said as he went into the kitchen to look for a broom, "because no one else came in but me." ”

She walked slowly in with her suitcase. See the hanger he hung on the curtain rod, and the books and newspapers littered on the coffee table. On the windowsill is a row of empty glass bottles with hyacinths planted at the mouth and white flowers blooming. There was a basic German-Chinese dictionary on the desk, and she couldn't help but walk over and open it. He walked around the house and hid all his dirty clothes and trash cans in the kitchen.

"The classmate next door went on a trip and you can stay with him. I'll just talk to him. "The balconies of the two rooms are connected. You can call me if you need anything – or just come and get it. ”

She stood silent.

"Won't bother you unless you ask for it." He assured her.

She followed him from under the mat to get the key to the next room. The owner of the house seems to have taken everything with him, leaving only the mattress and the table and chairs. She spread her coat on the mattress and walked over to open the curtains to see the golden cross on the German Historical Museum and the Berlin Cathedral in the sunlight. Many resting people sit on the grass in front of the church, and the Rhine flows quietly under the bridge next to the church.

"Every European city has its own river, like a business card for status." Wang Yi said.

"Waterways and ports are important transportation channels, and the carrying capacity and efficiency of waterways will be much higher than that of road traffic. Without waterways, transportation costs would be prohibitively high. Trade and trade will also not be possible. "To this day, we still can't get rid of our dependence on water. ”

They returned to Wang Yi's room from the balcony. He crouched down to open his suitcase, hesitated for a moment and began to flip through the calendar on the table, which was marked down the day's work.

"I have some books that need to be returned. Can you wait here for me for a while? As he spoke, he picked up a few thick books on his chair, and Chen Ying saw that they were lecture notes on German art history. He opened the laptop on his desk, "This folder on my computer has a lot of photos from this exchange. You can take a look. ”