The adrenaline began to fade as we sat on the floor of the cold basement, surrounded by the hum of the saved servers. Su Lan let out a long, shaky breath and leaned her head against the cool metal of the rack.
Zhang Wei walked over, carrying two steaming thermoses he'd grabbed from the car. He handed one to Su Lan.
"You did it, Lan," he said softly. "The 'Savage Genius' saves the day again."
Su Lan looked up at him, the glow of the server lights reflecting in her eyes. She didn't push him away. She didn't make a sarcastic comment. She just reached out and pulled the zipper of his tracksuit jacket higher under her chin.
"I didn't do it alone, Wei," she whispered. "The 'Logic' was only sound because you were driving."
Zhang Wei reached out, his hand hesitating before he finally tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I fixed the mousse, by the way. I used white chocolate and lavender. It's... 100% sweet. Just like you are when you think no one is looking."
Su Lan's face turned a brilliant pink. "Shut up, Wei."
"Make me," he challenged, a playful glint in his eyes.
Su Lan didn't use words. She reached up, grabbed the lapels of her own (his) jacket, and pulled him down into a kiss that smelled like lavender and high-stakes coding.
In the corner, Mei Ling and Jia Yi did a silent high-five. The second star had finally aligned.