The rain had stopped by the time I walked back to my dorm, but my lips still felt the ghost of Li Yan's kiss. My phone was a graveyard of missed calls from Hao Ran.
Hao Ran (11:42 PM): Xiao Xing, where are you? I'm at the dojo waiting.
Hao Ran (12:15 AM): Is he with you? Just tell me the truth.
I sat on the edge of my bed, the silver medal heavy against my chest. I had won the "re-match," but at what cost?
My laptop pinged. A GitHub notification, of course.
User L_Y_ChessMaster has created a NEW branch: 'Our_Future_v1.0'.
Comment: The logic is no longer incomplete. But we have a 'Legacy System' (Hao Ran) that needs to be decommissioned properly. I'll wait for you at the bridge at 6 AM. Don't be late for our first 'real' day.
I closed my laptop. The "Seven Stars" chat was exploding.
Su Lan: I saw two shadows at the community center tonight. If one was a 'Karate Princess' and the other was a 'Robot,' I'm going to need a full report by breakfast.
Zhang Wei: Guys, I think I left my whisk at the cabin. Also, is anyone else worried that Hao Ran looked like he wanted to punch a wall?
I didn't reply. I looked at the blue hydrangeas Hao Ran had given me; they were wilting on my desk. Then I looked at the coordinate card Li Yan had left me.
The "Slow-Burn" was over, but the "Fire" was just starting.
"I'm sorry, Hao Ran," I whispered to the empty room. "But some variables can't be replaced."