Lin Zhixia had a wish.
She wanted to save money to buy her parents a new house.
Lin Zhixia’s parents had lived in Ancheng Community for nearly twenty years.
The Ancheng Community was built in the early 1980s. The electrical system in the community had long deteriorated, the walls became damp during the rainy season, and the bathroom pipes had leaked… It would be nice to have a larger house where her brother’s bedroom could be more spacious, and her parents’ bedroom could have air conditioning installed.
With the determination of “I want to sell this software,” Lin Zhixia solemnly called a group meeting.
Luo Ying, He Shangqing, and He Shangqing’s three roommates all attended.
Lin Zhixia spoke methodically: “In the past month, through our collaboration, we’ve completed eighty percent of the task. Here, I want to first thank Senior Luo Ying. Senior has done a lot of work alone…”
Luo Ying smiled: “You’ve done more. You took on at least forty percent of the workload by yourself and helped all of us check for errors. Don’t overwork yourself. Wherever I can help you, just let me know.”
Luo Ying’s tone was gentle, her attitude caring.
She looked like an angel who had fallen from heaven.
Lin Zhixia happily shared the good news with Luo Ying: “Senior, the teaching assistant told me that the school might buy our software. We could earn money.”
Luo Ying sensed Lin Zhixia’s desire to make money. She asked softly: “Can it sell for 10,000 yuan?”
Lin Zhixia’s voice became even softer: “The teaching assistant said it could sell for 100,000 yuan.”
“How much?” He Shangqing hadn’t heard clearly.
Lin Zhixia leaned back against her chair and changed the subject: “All of our group’s code 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 website for hosting software source code. On GitHub, people can divide tasks, supervise each other, and modify code.
He Shangqing had never logged into GitHub. He had no idea what stage the group project had reached.
When He Shangqing heard that the group’s software could be sold for money, he knew the software must be exceptionally good. As he had expected, Lin Zhixia had indeed taken on most of the work. She was both capable and responsible. For He Shangqing, now was the time to reel in the net.
He Shangqing stared at Lin Zhixia with a hint of sincerity in his words: “I spent several weeks trying to learn programming, but couldn’t grasp it. I also need to study my major courses. I failed a course last semester, and I can’t fail again this semester, or I’ll have to go home. Next semester I’ll be a senior, about to graduate…”
He sniffed once: “Group leader, can I write the report? Assign me some work. I don’t want to see my contribution as zero. I’ve tried, but I didn’t succeed. Programming is a craft, and my skills aren’t good. If I can’t graduate, I’d be letting down the school and my parents.”
When Lin Zhixia heard him mention “parents,” she unconsciously straightened her fingers.
He Shangqing noticed Lin Zhixia’s small movement.
Finding the right entry point, he continued: “My parents raised me to this age without enjoying any comfort. My father’s health is poor; he takes medicine daily to control it. I’m prone to anxiety. Since entering university, I’ve been drifting along, with energy but nowhere to use it, busy with meaningless activities at school all day…”
Lin Zhixia listened to him quietly.
He sighed deeply: “Group leader, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was wrong. I argued with you repeatedly, embarrassed you, and made things difficult for you. I regret it so much. The last time you came to find me outside our classroom, I was filled with regret, extreme regret. Today I’m speaking honestly from the bottom of my heart. If I had any real programming skills, I wouldn’t have let you work so hard in the group.”
Lin Zhixia picked up her coffee cup, holding a spoon, and carefully stirring the coffee foam.
He Shangqing held his forehead, his eyes reddening.
He lifted his eyelids, red blood vessels appearing on his eyeballs, his voice extremely hoarse: “If you think my performance this month has been too poor and I must fail the course, must drop out, I won’t say anything. It’s what I deserve. I only ask you to help me think of a way to explain to my father…”
After He Shangqing finished speaking, the entire group fell silent.
No one spoke.
Lin Zhixia took a sip of coffee.
Unknowingly, Lin Zhixia had established her authority. No one treated her as a fifteen-year-old girl; she was not only their group leader but also the pillar of their group.
Lin Zhixia made no comment, which made He Shangqing feel nervous. He prompted: “You have no objections?”
Lin Zhixia put down her coffee cup and spoke sincerely: “In another month, we need to submit our assignment, and your contribution is currently 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 beginning, I would never have come to find you at your classroom door. Everything has a cause and effect. You are the cause, I am the effect. Your attitude determines how I will treat you.”
“What about the assignment?” He Shangqing asked.
Lin Zhixia remained calm: “I’ve reserved part of the program for you to write, including the software testing work, which can also be given to you. If you drop out, that’s your own choice. Please don’t lie to me.”
He Shangqing put on a surprised expression: “Where did I lie?”
Lin Zhixia looked at him with slight sympathy and explained: “You might not remember what you’ve said before, your expressions, your actions, but I remember them all. At our first group meeting, I had already guessed your personality. When you lie to me, it’s like you’re acting.”
Lin Zhixia’s eyes were startlingly bright.
He Shangqing hadn’t expected her to be so intelligent, with such strong memory and insight.
He Shangqing’s roommate placed a hand on his arm, persuading him to spare some time to write code. Feeling the pressure, he could only agree.
*
After this group meeting, the entire group’s work progressed smoothly.
Lin Zhixia merged all modules and expanded the original functions.
She fully considered the system’s stability and practicality, repeatedly conducting online testing. To alleviate the “high concurrency” pressure brought by multiple users simultaneously online, she used a separate image server and optimized the database structure.
The teacher only asked them to make a web version of the software. However, after completing the web version, Lin Zhixia took the initiative to develop iOS and Android mobile versions. Group members were too busy to handle everything, and Lin Zhixia expressed understanding. Luo Ying, however, didn’t decline and contributed a lot of effort.
By early May, all indicators had been achieved.
Lin Zhixia promoted their group’s results everywhere. She invited classmates to visit the website, download the app on their phones, and provide timely feedback on any issues encountered while using the app.
Lin Zhixia’s roommates, classmates, and many seniors from the quantum computing group all responded to her call, giving her considerable support. In the quantum computing laboratory, she sincerely thanked everyone: “Thank you, seniors, for helping me with this favor!”
Tan Qianche laughed and said, “You’ve been here for almost two years, stop being so formal with us. Using your software is a small effort for us and can benefit us too.”
Tan Qianche had bought a new iPhone. He opened the built-in app store and asked: “What’s your software called?”
“We haven’t listed it on the Apple App Store,” Lin Zhixia explained.
“How do I install it?” Tan Qianche asked her.
How could they temporarily port the iOS project from the computer to test it on a phone?
Lin Zhixia said, “It’s not difficult.”
She used the Mac in the quantum computing laboratory to download their group’s iOS software code from GitHub (a code hosting website), and then, through the “device debugging” function of Xcode (a large compiler supported by Mac), installed this software on the iPhones of the seniors.
In comparison, the installation steps for Android software were simpler and quicker, only requiring opening a package with an APK extension.
The seniors held their phones and continuously praised: “You’re already this impressive at the testing stage?”
“Our functions are very simple,” Lin Zhixia said excitedly. “They just look impressive. I also want to ask the school for money to expand the server.”
Tan Qianche didn’t understand programming development at all. He held his phone, his fingertips quickly swiping across the screen, and shared his thoughts: “You’re truly intelligent.”
“It’s nothing special,” Lin Zhixia modestly said. “Senior is also very intelligent.”
Tan Qianche smiled without speaking.
In a sense, Lin Zhixia’s assessment of Tan Qianche was quite objective. After watching Lin Zhixia’s series of operations, Tan Qianche learned them immediately. He helped many students successfully install Lin Zhixia’s application software.
Tan Qianche knew many students, with connections far more extensive than Lin Zhixia’s. Under his promotion, the number of online users grew rapidly.
Lin Zhixia’s group members also worked hard, especially Senior Luo Ying, who seemed to shed her prestigious university student’s lofty temperament overnight, becoming like a salesperson at a gym entrance, asking everyone she met: “Hello, are you interested in installing a mobile app?”
On the university campus, Luo Ying had originally been an aloof and gentle goddess. But for the sake of the group assignment, she became especially approachable, which deeply moved Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia decided that once the software was sold, she would give the senior a larger share of the money.
*
How much money could this software sell for?
To clarify its commercial value, Lin Zhixia consulted the most business-savvy person she knew—Jiang Yubai.
Recently, Lin Zhixia has been meeting with Jiang Yubai every weekend. Jiang Yubai always brought her to his home, chatting with her in a music hall.
The music hall was covered with a light-colored wooden floor, with a grand piano in the corner. Velvet curtains blocked the bright light, and a full-length mirror reflected their figures.
Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia sat side by side on a piano bench. Lin Zhixia leaned close to Jiang Yubai and asked him: “We now have more than two hundred regular users. What do you think about the prospects of our software?”
Jiang Yubai asked her in return: “Do you want to start a business or 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 closed around her wrist, loosely holding her, and he said: “If you want to sell the product to the school, I suggest you…”
Before he could finish, Lin Zhixia laughed softly: “Don’t be shy, you can hold my hand.”
Jiang Yubai glanced at her, and she explained: “After all, I need to practice dancing with you. We must get used to holding hands.”