An Invited Dinner Party

Early the next morning, Li Qiwei and his two companions finally left London and began their journey to Germany.

The crashing waves, rumbling trains, and jolting carriages accompanied Hong'er's nonstop chatter all the way. She was terribly excited.

Li Qiwei and Li San, on the other hand, were both bleary-eyed the entire journey, so worn out by the noise that all they wanted was to sleep.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. After four days and four nights, the three of them finally arrived in Berlin on the morning of July 4.

After checking into their hotel, Li Qiwei immediately contacted Planck to ask about the arrangements.

Planck was delighted to hear from him and invited Li Qiwei to his home that very evening.

He had also arranged a small welcome gathering for Li Qiwei the next day. Most of the guests would be students and professors from the physics department at Berlin University.

Li Qiwei was flattered by the honor and agreed to arrive on time for dinner.

When he returned, he told Li San and Hong'er to come along, but they flatly refused. They said they weren't used to dining with foreigners, so he had to let it go.

Li Qiwei asked Hong'er to prepare a few small gifts suitable for the occasion. He planned to bring them that evening.

As the young master of a prominent family, Li Qiwei had brought a generous supply of novel Chinese handicrafts with him to Britain, so he would have something on hand for occasions like this.

That left him with nothing to do that afternoon.

He wandered alone through the streets of Berlin, soaking in the charm of this world-famous city.

In his mind, he could almost hear the familiar short-video soundtrack he had seen in a later age.

[Background music: "A dream of golden millet, far too long; I gaze up at this moonlight."]

[Video: That night, Berlin's flak towers lit up the entire sky.]

Of course, although Berlin was Germany's capital at this time, it was nowhere near as prosperous as he might have imagined.

It fell far short of the sprawling metropolis it would become in the future; the two were hardly comparable.

And yet the city carried the weight of history, a feeling that especially captivated Li Qiwei, a man who had traveled through time.

Before he knew it, he had spent the whole afternoon wandering.

He checked the time on his pocket watch, then set off for Planck's home.

That evening, on a street in central Berlin, Li Qiwei stood before a house and knocked softly.

"Oh, Bruce, you're finally here! Welcome!" Planck embraced Li Qiwei, then ushered him inside.

"Good evening, Professor. I brought you a gift. You don't see things like this in Berlin every day."

"Oh, Bruce, you really shouldn't have. Marie Merck, come over here! Bruce is here."

Just then, a middle-aged woman with a warm smile and a face that had retained its charms came over. She was Planck's first wife.

"Oh, my goodness, this porcelain is exquisite! What a precious gift!" Marie Merck exclaimed as she accepted it.

"It's only a small token of my appreciation. Without Professor Planck's guidance, I wouldn't have published my paper so quickly," Li Qiwei said with a smile.

Planck hurriedly led Li Qiwei toward the dining room.

"Haha, Bruce, you don't have to be modest. The credit is mostly yours. I was just lucky enough to be involved."

"Come, sit down. You must be exhausted and hungry after such a long journey."

"Marie Merck, please bring Bruce something to eat!"

The two men ate and discussed various topics. Marie Merck didn't join them at the table; she had to look after her four children.

The little ones had run off somewhere to raise a ruckus. What Li Qiwei didn't know was that all four of them would meet tragic fates in the years to come.

For now, he ate and chatted with Planck about physics, as well as the upcoming regular meeting of the Berlin Physical Society.

"Professor, I'd like to know who's attending this meeting. Please don't make me nervous. I don't want to run into another Lord Kelvin."

Planck laughed at Li Qiwei's teasing and explained, "Don't worry, Bruce. Everyone is coming to hear your lecture."

"No one will give you a hard time because of your background. After all, even Lord Kelvin lost to you. The others aren't fools."

"And there are some heavyweight physicists attending this meeting as well."

Li Qiwei's interest was piqued. As Planck listed the attendees, he realized just how distinguished and prestigious the gathering would be.

There would be so many great figures in attendance, including:

Wilhelm Röntgen, age fifty-five, who had discovered X-rays in 1895 and received the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.

Ludwig Boltzmann, age fifty-six, best known for proposing the Boltzmann equation for statistical physics.

Hermann Minkowski, age thirty-six, who had been Einstein's teacher.

Emil Fischer, age forty-eight, a close friend of Planck's and the recipient of the 1902 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

These were all giants of the present day, not rising stars of the future like Einstein.

Planck also told Li Qiwei about some future giants who would be there, such as:

Max von Laue, age twenty-one, who had studied under Minkowski and would later study under Planck, before receiving the 1914 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Fritz Haber, age thirty-two, who would be the first to synthesize ammonia from the air, freeing humanity from dependence on natural nitrogen fertilizers and earning the 1918 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Of course, many other professors and students would be attending alongside these prominent figures.

The Berlin Physical Society's membership wasn't limited to physicists. It included many experts in other fields as well.

And because the society was regional, most of its invitees were scientists from Germany or scholars temporarily living there.

That meant many of the names Li Qiwei recognized wouldn't be there.

Still, the people who were attending were more than enough.

Any one of them would have been a figure worthy of a place in the textbooks of the future.

Now, every one of them was drawn to Li Qiwei, eager to see what sort of brilliance the genius who had created Quantum Mechanics possessed.

After recalling all those famous names, Li Qiwei could only smile wryly. "Professor, now I really am starting to feel the pressure."

"But I'm still very grateful that you gave me this opportunity. It means a lot to me."

"Huaxia needs a voice of its own in the sciences!"

Planck was moved by Li Qiwei's resolute words. He sincerely hoped that Li Qiwei's homeland would grow strong.

He could sense that Li Qiwei carried a heavy burden.

Although he didn't know why Li Qiwei had chosen this path, he would support him without reservation.

Caught up in the moment, Planck—who never touched alcohol—ended up sharing several glasses of wine with Li Qiwei.

The pleasant mood only grew as the two talked, and laughter filled the room.

By the time Li Qiwei made it back to the hotel, it was already past ten that night.

Several days of travel, combined with the wine, had left Li Qiwei slightly drunk and his mind hazy.

Hong'er smelled the alcohol on him and hurried to help him out of his clothes. After wiping him down, she helped him into bed to rest.

But whether it was the alcohol or something else, Li Qiwei suddenly kissed Hong'er on the forehead.

Hong'er jumped in fright. Her cheeks flushed red, and she stood beside the bed, at a loss for what to do.

Head bowed, she rubbed the fabric of her clothes between her hands.

Li Qiwei was already lying in bed, unaware of what he had just done. He was breathing softly, on the verge of snoring.

Hong'er went to his side and watched him quietly, smoothing his tousled hair.

There was something intoxicating about Li Qiwei's scent. Hong'er felt her whole body grow hot, her mouth dry.

She didn't know what to call this feeling. All she wanted was to serve her young master for the rest of her life and never leave him.

Worried that Li Qiwei might wake thirsty in the middle of the night, Hong'er curled up beside the bed to keep watch. She eventually fell asleep, a faint smile still on her lips.