The instructor for the "Software Engineering" course was named Wang Zihuan. According to reliable sources, Wang Zihuan was a conscientious and responsible teacher who held high standards for his students and graded strictly. For students to score above 95 in his class was harder than reaching the heavens.
But as the team leader, Lin Zhixia would never yield to difficulties.
She was determined to ensure every team member scored above 95.
On Saturday morning, Lin Zhixia and her five teammates gathered at an off-campus café. Everyone had brought their laptops, discussing their project like a group of internet startup partners.
Lin Zhixia took the lead: "Our university has five faculties and sixty-two departments. We can develop an 'Alumni-Exclusive App' to record news and major events from different schools, updating lecture schedules, club activities, and reading group information in real-time..."
Lin Zhixia stood up from her seat, and her teammates looked up at her. Holding a glass, she resembled the leader of a startup team: "What’s most important for an internet application? Information and credibility—these two things are crucial."
The café was bustling with people and chatter. Nearby, an actual startup CEO was negotiating with an investor.
This CEO was Chai Yang. At only twenty-three years old, he had just graduated from university and gathered a few friends to develop an image recognition system. His company was newly established, and funds were tight everywhere. He urgently needed investor sponsorship and vowed to be accountable to them.
Chai Yang cut straight to the point: "Mr. Qiu, could you invest one million in us? I need to upgrade our servers and refactor the software..."
Mr. Qiu countered, "Where’s your proposal?"
Chai Yang’s attitude was extremely humble. He sighed like a palace eunuch before replying, "I sent an electronic copy to your email. I also brought a printed version today—would you like to review it?"
Mr. Qiu waved his hand dismissively, and the conversation hit a deadlock.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, the café’s music was melodious, and Mr. Qiu closed his eyes as if resting. One hand rested on the table, his thumb tapping lightly on the coffee saucer—Chai Yang observed for a while before realizing Mr. Qiu was keeping time with the music.
Chai Yang was completely deflated.
At the next table, Lin Zhixia was in high spirits: "Our app must meet students' needs for information access..."
One of her teammates, He Shangqing, suddenly raised his hand. "I have something to say."
Lin Zhixia slowly sat back down. "Do you disagree with me?"
He Shangqing had just rushed over from the track field. He wore a cotton T-shirt, the fabric clinging to his skin from sweat, faintly outlining his firm, well-built muscles.
He flexed his elbow, tightening his pectorals—his physique was undeniably the result of years of disciplined training.
It was hard to believe He Shangqing was from the School of Physics.
This was the first time Lin Zhixia had ever encountered such a physics student. She didn’t back down. Summoning her courage, she asked again, "Do you disagree with me?"He Shangqing reminded her, "The PPT outlined three modules: software design, software development, and software testing. If you pile on a bunch of features that require multiple rounds of testing, we won’t have enough time."
One of He Shangqing’s roommates chimed in, "The teaching assistant said as long as we finish a working software, we’ll get a baseline score of 70."
"Seventy points?" Lin Zhixia was stunned.
Luo Ying backed her up, "Seventy points is way too low."
He Shangqing rested his arm on the edge of the table and said calmly, "We’re not students from the Software or Computer Science departments. It’s impossible to build a large system in just two months. We have our own exams to worry about—it’s our second semester of junior year, all our courses are specialized, and the finals aren’t easy."
Hearing his words, Luo Ying felt a surge of anger.
What did he mean?
Just because he was busy, had a heavy course load, and faced difficult exams, he wanted to lower the standards for the group project? He was content with an ordinary system and unwilling to refine it or strive for excellence?
Suppressing her anger, Luo Ying said softly, "On the day we formed the group, Lin Zhixia asked in class if anyone was willing to put in extra time to create a quality system. You were the first to agree, He Shangqing. Do you remember?"
He Shangqing pinched the collar of his shirt between his thumb and forefinger, shaking it a couple of times to let in a cool breeze, easing the heat and sweat on his skin. He wiped his face with a tissue before replying, "We’re juniors, and Lin Zhixia is a sophomore. She’s a prodigy in the Math department—building a small software isn’t hard for her. I don’t have time to work on the system, but she does. I’m not stopping her from doing it."
Lin Zhixia remained silent.
She truly hadn’t expected…
She was going to stumble again in a group project.
Why was it so hard to communicate with teammates?
By observing He Shangqing’s words and actions, Lin Zhixia deduced that he was a highly opinionated person, difficult to persuade—the kind of person who easily achieved success in the conventional sense. They had clear goals, strategized meticulously, knew when to yield and when to push, and hardly felt any shame. Even if they made mistakes, they never looked inward for reasons. They were the epitome of refined self-interest.
Lin Zhixia sighed inwardly—she had been too naive before.
It seemed He Shangqing was playing a game of game theory with her.
Lin Zhixia would inevitably invest a great deal of time into developing a complex software, while He Shangqing only needed to contribute minimal effort to secure a high grade by virtue of being a "group member."
The instructor for the Software Engineering course had mentioned that all groups should resolve cooperation issues on their own first; only if they couldn’t, should they seek the teacher’s help. However, the teacher might give low marks in the "intra-group communication" category to all members.
Lin Zhixia didn’t stand a chance in a group vote either. In this group, three people were He Shangqing’s roommates, and only Senior Luo Ying supported Lin Zhixia. Although Lin Zhixia was the group leader, her actual authority was effectively hollowed out.
Lin Zhixia’s heart sank.
It was just a group assignment—why did it feel like a palace intrigue?
Hugging her laptop, Lin Zhixia put on a serious expression. She knew He Shangqing didn’t want to invest much effort; his main focus was still on physics. The reason he had chosen the "Software Engineering" course was that scoring a 70 was easy, an 80 was achievable, and being in a group with Lin Zhixia gave him a high probability of pushing for a 90.This is a low-risk, high-reward decision.
Seeing Lin Zhixia at a loss for words, He Shangqing revealed a faint smile.
He Shangqing held the glass with one hand, carefully savoring his drink, when the main door of the café was pushed open, accompanied by the sound of bells.
A young man in casual clothes entered the café. He appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, with a tall and slender build, exceptionally handsome features—flawless from every angle—and as dazzling as a bright star even in broad daylight.
Every girl in the café was staring at him.
And he was gazing at Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia waved at him: "Jiang, Jiang, Jiang, Jiang, come over quickly! I saved a seat for you!"
She didn’t call Jiang Yubai by his full name—because she didn’t want strangers to know it.
Jiang Yubai walked straight toward her.
There was an empty seat beside Lin Zhixia, and Jiang Yubai sat down next to her without hesitation. He took the initiative to greet Lin Zhixia’s classmates and exchanged a few pleasantries with them. He was very attentive to conversational techniques and, in just a few words, managed to extract basic information about those classmates.
He Shangqing noticed something and asked him in return, "Are you a friend of Lin Zhixia’s? Which university are you attending?"
Jiang Yubai simply replied, "I’m in my third year of high school. Next semester, I’ll be going to an academy."
He Shangqing smiled and didn’t ask further.
Lin Zhixia handed her drink to Jiang Yubai: "Lemon Strawberry juice, would you like to try it?"
Jiang Yubai lowered his head and took a sip from the cup.
Lin Zhixia continued whispering in his ear: "It’s been a long time since we last met. Today, you happened to be free, and so was I, so I invited you to the café. I didn’t expect you to come so early. But we’ll be wrapping up soon... I can spend the whole day with you."
Jiang Yubai nearly choked.
Lin Zhixia’s way of speaking to him remained as straightforward, concise, and unreserved as ever.
Jiang Yubai turned his face slightly and said quietly, "You can continue your meeting. I’ll wait for you."
Lin Zhixia happily replied, "Okay, you’re so considerate."
Jiang Yubai’s arrival lifted Lin Zhixia’s mood at least tenfold.
Light slanted across the windowpane, and outside the window, the street bustled with people and traffic. Under the shade of the large trees lining the road, patches of green created a hint of tranquility amidst the noisy city. Jiang Yubai glanced sideways out the window, holding a cup in his hand. No one knew what he was thinking; he seemed like the quietest of listeners.
Lin Zhixia shifted closer to him.
He remained still.
She moved another inch closer.
Luo Ying immediately spoke up: "He Shangqing, you don’t want to do the group assignment, do you?"
He Shangqing’s smile deepened: "It’s impossible for me not to do the group assignment. You have to assign tasks to us. The software’s backend needs to be layered... divided into three tiers: the logic layer, the database layer, and the request layer. I can take charge of the database layer, and I can also implement several data encryption algorithms. Let Xiao Zhang from our dorm handle the user interface. You and Lin Zhixia can work on the frontend, interface design, and the implementation of other interfaces... For the sake of our group, you two are capable and should take on more work."
Luo Ying wrapped her hands around her cup, her tone aggressive: "Are you the group leader? Are you assigning tasks to me?"
"I’m the group leader," Lin Zhixia interjected. "He Shangqing, since you’re a member of our group, I hope you’ll follow the rules. The database doesn’t need a dedicated person—I can write it in a day."Another one of He Shangqing's roommates interjected, "Lin Zhixia, Team Leader Lin, if you can complete most of the backend functions in a single day, then the distribution of those tasks isn't fair no matter how you look at it. How about you handle the interface and client-side code alone, and let us take care of the rest?"
Jiang Yubai clearly heard their conversation.
To resolve the dispute among everyone, Jiang Yubai spoke up, "I have a suggestion."
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