Lin Zhixia had a wish.
She wanted to save up a sum of money to buy her parents a new house.
Lin Zhixia's parents had lived in Ancheng Residential Complex for nearly twenty years.
Built in the early 1980s, the complex's electrical system had long been outdated. During the rainy season, the walls would become damp, and the bathroom pipes had leaked before... If only they could move to a larger house, her brother's bedroom would become more spacious, and her parents' room could have an air conditioner installed.
With the determination of "I'm going to sell this software," Lin Zhixia solemnly convened a group meeting.
Luo Ying, He Shangqing, and all three of He Shangqing's roommates were present.
Lin Zhixia spoke methodically: "Over the past month, through our collaboration, we've completed eighty percent of the tasks. Here, I'd first like to thank Senior Luo Ying. Senior has single-handedly taken on a lot of work..."
Luo Ying smiled and said, "You've done even more. You've handled at least forty percent of the workload alone and helped all of us check for errors. Don't overwork yourself. If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know."
Luo Ying's tone was gentle and her attitude caring.
Her demeanor was like that of a fairy sister descended from heaven.
Lin Zhixia happily shared the good news with Luo Ying: "Senior, the teaching assistant told me the school might buy our software. We can make money."
Luo Ying clearly sensed Lin Zhixia's eagerness to earn money. She asked quietly, "Can it sell for ten thousand yuan?"
Lin Zhixia whispered even softer: "The teaching assistant said it could sell for one hundred thousand yuan."
"How much?" He Shangqing didn't catch it clearly.
Leaning back in her chair, Lin Zhixia changed the subject: "All the code in our group has been made public on GitHub as required by the teacher. I've checked your work progress... He Shangqing's contribution is zero."
GitHub is a software source code hosting platform. On GitHub, everyone can divide tasks, collaborate, supervise each other, and modify code.
He Shangqing had never even logged into GitHub. He had no idea how far the group project had progressed.
When He Shangqing heard that the group's software could be sold for money, he knew the software must be exceptionally well-made. Just as he had expected, Lin Zhixia had indeed taken on most of the work voluntarily. She was both capable and responsible. For He Shangqing, now was the time to reel in the net.
He Shangqing stared intently at Lin Zhixia, his words carrying a hint of sincerity: "I spent several weeks learning programming but didn't master it. I still have to focus on my major courses. I failed last semester and can't afford to fail again this semester, or I'll have to go home. Next semester I'll be a senior, about to graduate..."
He sniffled: "Group leader, can I write the report? Assign me some work. I really don't want to see my contribution at zero. I tried, but I didn't succeed. Programming is a skilled craft, and my skills aren't good enough. If I can't graduate, I'll let down the school and my Mom and Dad."
When Lin Zhixia heard him mention "Mom and Dad," she unconsciously straightened her fingers.
He Shangqing noticed Lin Zhixia's subtle movement.
Finding the right angle, he continued: "My Mom and Dad have raised me to this age without enjoying any comforts. My Dad isn't in good health and takes medication daily to manage it. I tend to get anxious. Since coming to university, I've been drifting aimlessly, full of energy but with nowhere to direct it, just busying myself with random things around campus all day..."Lin Zhixia listened quietly as he spoke.
He let out a long sigh: "Team leader, I'm sorry, I was wrong. Arguing with you constantly, making you feel awkward and putting you in difficult positions—I deeply regret it. When you came looking for me at our classroom door last time, I was overwhelmed with regret. Today, I want to be completely honest with you: if I had any real programming skills, I wouldn’t have made you carry so much of the burden in the group."
Lin Zhixia picked up her coffee cup, holding a spoon as she carefully stirred the foam.
He Shangqing rested his forehead in his hand, his eyes reddening.
He lifted his gaze, bloodshot veins visible in his eyes, his voice hoarse: "If you think my performance this past month has been too poor, that I deserve to fail or even be expelled, I won’t argue. That’s what I deserve. I only ask you to help me figure out how to explain it to my dad…"
After He Shangqing finished speaking, the entire group fell silent.
No one made a sound.
Lin Zhixia took a sip of coffee.
Unconsciously, Lin Zhixia had established her own authority. No one saw her as just a fifteen-year-old girl anymore—she was not only their team leader but also the backbone of their group.
Lin Zhixia offered no evaluation, and He Shangqing grew anxious. He pressed, "Do you have nothing to say?"
Lin Zhixia set down her coffee cup and spoke sincerely: "We have to submit our assignment in another month, and your contribution so far is zero. You don’t need to apologize to me—I have nothing against you. If you had been willing to learn with us from the start, I would never have come looking for you at your classroom. Every action has its consequence: you were the cause, I was the effect. Your attitude determined how I would treat you."
"What about the assignment?" He Shangqing pressed.
Lin Zhixia remained calm: "I’ve reserved a portion of the programming for you to write, including software testing tasks. If you drop out, that’s your own choice. Please don’t lie to me."
He Shangqing feigned surprise: "When did I lie?"
Lin Zhixia looked at him with a hint of sympathy and explained: "You may not remember what you said before, or your expressions and gestures, but I remember everything. At our first group meeting, I already had a sense of your character. When you lie to me, it’s like you’re acting."
Lin Zhixia’s eyes shone with remarkable clarity.
He Shangqing hadn’t expected her to be so sharp, with such strong memory and insight.
He Shangqing’s roommate patted his arm again, urging him to set aside some time to write code. Feeling the pressure, He Shangqing had no choice but to agree.
After this group meeting, the team’s progress went smoothly.
Lin Zhixia integrated all the modules and expanded the original functionality.
She thoroughly considered the system’s stability and practicality, repeatedly conducting online tests. To alleviate the "high concurrency" pressure from multiple users being online simultaneously, she used a separate image server and optimized the database structure.
The teacher had only asked them to develop a web-based version of the software. However, after completing the web version, Lin Zhixia took the initiative to develop iOS and Android mobile versions as well. The other team members were too busy to contribute much, and Lin Zhixia understood. Luo Ying, however, did not refuse and contributed significantly.
By early May, all targets had been met.Lin Zhixia was everywhere promoting their group's achievements. She invited classmates to visit their website, download the app onto their phones, and promptly report any issues encountered while using it.
Her roommates, classmates, and even numerous seniors from the Quantum Computing group responded to her call, offering substantial support. In the Quantum Computing Laboratory, she expressed heartfelt gratitude: "Thank you all, seniors, for being willing to help me with this!"
Tan Qianche laughed and said, "You've been here almost two years now, no need to be so formal with us. Using your software is just a small effort on our part, and it's convenient for us too."
Tan Qianche had just bought a new iPhone. He opened the built-in App Store and asked, "What's your software called?"
"We haven't published it on Apple's App Store," Lin Zhixia explained.
"How do I install it then?" Tan Qianche asked her.
How could they temporarily transfer the iOS project from the computer to test on mobile phones?
"This isn't difficult," Lin Zhixia said.
Using the Quantum Computing Laboratory's Mac, she downloaded their group's iOS software code from GitHub (a code hosting platform), then used the "Device Debugging" feature in XDE (a large compiler supported by Macs) to install the software on the seniors' iPhones.
In comparison, Android software installation was simpler and faster - just open a package with the .apk extension.
Holding their phones, the seniors exclaimed one after another: "You're already this impressive during the testing phase?"
"Our features are quite simple," Lin Zhixia said excitedly. "It just looks impressive. I still want to ask the school for funding to expand our servers."
Tan Qianche knew nothing about programming development. Holding his phone, his fingers swiftly swiping across the screen, he remarked with feeling: "You're truly clever."
"Not really," Lin Zhixia said modestly. "Senior, you're clever too."
Tan Qianche smiled without responding.
In a way, Lin Zhixia's assessment of Tan Qianche was quite objective. After watching Lin Zhixia's series of operations, Tan Qianche immediately learned how to do it. He helped many classmates successfully install Lin Zhixia's application software.
Tan Qianche knew many students and had a much broader network than Lin Zhixia. With his promotion, the number of online users grew rapidly.
Lin Zhixia's group members also worked very hard - especially senior Luo Ying, who seemed to have shed her elite university student's aloof demeanor overnight. Like a promoter at a gym entrance, she would ask everyone she met: "Hello, classmate, interested in installing a mobile app?"
On campus, Luo Ying had originally been an unattainable gentle goddess. But for the group project, she became particularly approachable, which deeply moved Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia decided that once the software was sold, she would definitely give senior Luo Ying a larger share of the money.
How much could this software actually sell for?
To understand its commercial value, Lin Zhixia consulted in detail the person she knew who was most knowledgeable about business - Jiang Yubai.
Recently, Lin Zhixia had been meeting with Jiang Yubai every weekend. Jiang Yubai would always bring her to his home and chat with her in a music hall.The concert hall was paved with light-colored wooden flooring. A grand piano stood in the corner, and velvet curtains blocked out the bright light. The floor-to-ceiling mirror reflected the figures of the two of them.
Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia sat side by side on a piano bench. Lin Zhixia pressed close to Jiang Yubai and asked him, "We currently have over two hundred regular users. What do you think about the prospects of our software?"
Jiang Yubai countered, "Do you want to start a business, or do you want to sell the product?"
"I don't want to start a business," Lin Zhixia replied. As she spoke, she tugged at the corner of his clothes.
Jiang Yubai instinctively caught her wrist, then slowly released it. His fingertips hovered around her wrist, holding her loosely as he said, "If you want to sell the product to schools, I suggest you..."
Before he could finish, Lin Zhixia chuckled softly, "Don't be shy. You can hold my hand."
Jiang Yubai glanced sideways at her, and she explained further, "After all, I'm going to practice dancing with you. We must get used to holding hands."
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