Five figures!

Five figures was a large sum of money.

Lin Zhixia was already tempted.

She was about to agree when she remembered what the teaching assistant had said—this software could potentially sell for six figures.

Lin Zhixia gathered her courage and negotiated: “Last month, we were attacked by hackers, and the program’s backend crashed. I worked continuously for a month, modifying code every day, finding and fixing vulnerabilities. My information security management solution… is very special, incorporating some mathematical techniques. If you want to buy my copyright outright, a six-figure price would be more reasonable.”

After Lin Zhixia finished speaking, the room fell silent.

The two managers from the internet company conferred briefly in low voices, and surprisingly, they didn’t reject Lin Zhixia’s proposal. They merely said they would discuss the details with her after class.

Lin Zhixia was about to participate in a business negotiation. She felt nervous, fearing that she might have asked for too much and ruined the deal.

She pretended to be calm as she stood at the podium, waiting for feedback from the professor and the teaching assistant team. The professor and teaching assistants praised her and wished her success in selling the software copyright.

Then, following the evaluation process, the professor began asking detailed questions about the group’s division of labor and cooperation.

The professor of Software Engineering was named Wang Zihuan. Professor Wang’s grading standards were high, and he had strict requirements for students. Even though Lin Zhixia’s software had earned recognition from the internet company’s technical personnel, Professor Wang showed no leniency.

Professor Wang asked directly: “I heard from the teaching assistant that your group encountered some problems with cooperation, is that right?”

Lin Zhixia admitted: “Yes.”

Professor Wang spoke earnestly: “It’s not just about learning technology, children. You also need to learn how to cooperate with others.”

Luo Ying immediately explained: “Professor, He Shangqing doesn’t reply to our messages or attend group meetings. We want to cooperate with him, but he doesn’t give others a chance.”

In front of so many people, Luo Ying had no reservations about exposing someone’s shortcomings—something He Shangqing had never anticipated. What followed were targeted questions from Professor Wang. The professor asked him what code he had written, what work he had completed, and what technical difficulties he had overcome.

He Shangqing stammered: “I wrote the user login and registration.”

“Just that one module?” Professor Wang asked.

The teaching assistant added with a smile, “Just for this small module, He Shangqing took more than three months.”

Professor Wang looked at He Shangqing: “What have you learned in our course?”

Professor Wang held an “Individual Evaluation Form” in his hand. He wrote a “D” in the “Technical Practice” section for He Shangqing.

He Shangqing caught a glimpse of the professor’s handwriting. He knew that being honest would result in failing the course. Left with no choice, he stood straight with his hands at his sides and stated, “Lin Zhixia modified my code… she wasn’t satisfied with my work.”

Lin Zhixia was prepared for this.

She countered: “Professor, He Shangqing’s code was very brief, only forty lines in total, and it had errors that prevented it from running. He never approached me or discussed any technical issues with me. I’ve already reported this situation to the teaching assistant.”

He Shangqing argued: “I studied for more than three months…”

Professor Wang interrupted: “Time’s up. You can go back now. Next group, come on, please get ready and demonstrate your program on stage.”

Lin Zhixia walked down from the podium with light steps, not giving He Shangqing any thought. She found a seat and sent a message to Jiang Yubai, asking him how to sell software at a high price.

Jiang Yubai replied immediately: “What’s your ideal price?”

Lin Zhixia: “One hundred thousand.”

Jiang Yubai: “Don’t commit yet, wait for their offer. If they offer more than one hundred thousand, then consider your next step.”

Lin Zhixia: “If their offer exceeds one hundred thousand, I’ll accept it.”

Jiang Yubai: “First, clarify if they want an exclusive license. After discussing the details, carefully review the contract.”

Lin Zhixia: “Alright, do you have any other tips to share with me?”

Jiang Yubai held his phone, his fingertips hovering over the screen. After a few seconds, he sent a message: “This Saturday, I’ll bring the dress and shoes to your school for you to try on and see if they fit.”

Lin Zhixia suddenly remembered that the dress and shoes were ready!

She was very excited and quickly responded: “Great! Saturday morning at eight o’clock, at the school gate. I’ll be there!”

Jiang Yubai also said, “I’ll be there.”

A smile appeared in Lin Zhixia’s eyes. She browsed through their chat history repeatedly, silently reading each word and sentence, imagining his expression as he typed… Suddenly, Luo Ying asked her: “Who are you chatting with? You look so happy.”

Lin Zhixia answered without hiding: “Jiang Yubai.”

Luo Ying rested her chin on her hand: “You and Jiang Yubai are almost sixteen, right?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhixia said truthfully, “In two or three months, both he and I will be sixteen years old.”

Lin Zhixia and Luo Ying’s conversation didn’t last long before the melodious end-of-class bell rang through the hallway.

A manager from the internet company, called Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia hurried over. Before she could steady herself, the manager made an offer: “We’ve reviewed your ‘Software Report,’ and the technology is solid. Our proposed price is 240,000. Can you accept that?”

Two hundred and forty thousand?

Lin Zhixia was slightly stunned.

The manager thought he had offered too little. He turned to speak with Professor Wang, and the teaching assistant also joined in, praising her: “Lin Zhixia is a student from the Mathematics Department. Our school’s mathematics and physics programs rank first in the country, better than neighboring universities. Lin Zhixia’s algorithm is quite innovative. With some refinement, it might qualify for a national patent, which has good development prospects.”

The manager worried that Lin Zhixia might raise her price. To keep the price down, he could only say: “Lin Zhixia upgraded a chain hash algorithm, which reduced the computational load of the program. However, her system architecture still uses traditional methods, and in terms of system stability, it’s not as good as our interns’ work.”

Lin Zhixia remembered Jiang Yubai’s reminder and immediately asked: “Are you looking for an exclusive license?”

Lin Zhixia only asked this one question, but the manager showed hesitation.

He went outside to make a phone call and returned after a few minutes. This time, he had a more serious expression and said formally: “Student Lin Zhixia, let me be frank, speaking purely from a business perspective, I’ve negotiated with my superiors, and the maximum we can offer is 400,000, that’s 400,000 after tax. This is as high as we can go. What we value is your database algorithm and your information security algorithm. The software itself is not within our evaluation scope…”

The last sentence was a lie.

Lin Zhixia’s software theme, design, and creativity were all aspects that the company valued highly.

Lin Zhixia didn’t think deeply about it. She jumped in place and landed in front of the manager: “400,000 after tax? Final price, no going back?”

The manager smiled gently: “Will you change your mind?”

Lin Zhixia was about to answer when Jiang Yubai’s advice floated through her mind again.

She imitated Jiang Yubai’s attitude and said politely, “Thank you for your recognition. Let’s discuss the details after I’ve reviewed the contract.”

The manager repeatedly agreed.

That afternoon, the manager brought several colleagues, printed contracts, and a lawyer from the company’s legal department to the school. They eagerly found Lin Zhixia and discussed every clause in the contract with her.

After confirming the contents of the contract, Lin Zhixia called Jiang Yubai. She could recite legal clauses, but she knew almost nothing about real business—real business is hidden in reality, originating from interactions between people, and she lacked relevant experience.

Jiang Yubai quickly answered her call. Since the internet company was buying the copyright for the entire software, Jiang Yubai suggested that Lin Zhixia document each group member’s contribution in the contract and distribute the copyright fee according to each person’s contribution percentage.

Except for He Shangqing, all other group members were present.

Lin Zhixia calculated that she had written the entire backend of the software herself, 80% of the Apple and Android apps, and had delegated the remaining work to senior student Luo Ying. The other three senior students had only written the front end of the web version, and Lin Zhixia had corrected a lot of errors for them.

Lin Zhixia honestly said, “Senior Luo Ying did more than 20%, and the three of you together contributed about 10%.”

The three senior students hadn’t expected to receive any money. They were well aware of their actual workload and didn’t say anything, accepting Lin Zhixia’s distribution method, and even feeling somewhat grateful to her.

However, Luo Ying said: “Give me 20% to. I don’t need the money.”

“No way,” Lin Zhixia firmly said, “I want to give you 30%.”

Luo Ying smiled brightly: “If it weren’t for you, I would have gotten at most 80 points in this course. You helped me get a high score, and now you want to give me money? I can’t accept that. You’re my junior, several years younger than me. How about this—give me 10%, just as a token. A difference of over a hundred thousand doesn’t matter to me.”

Luo Ying’s casual statement that “a difference of over a hundred thousand doesn’t matter to me” astonished everyone present.

The internet company’s lawyer asked: “Have you decided on the changes?”

Luo Ying quickly answered: “I’m willing to give up all my share so that Lin Zhixia can have 90% by herself. The other three can have 10%.”

Lin Zhixia softly persuaded her: “Senior, are you not taking any money? You worked hard for three months…”

Luo Ying gently put her arm around Lin Zhixia’s shoulders: “I know how hard you worked. Have you been sleeping well these past few days? Last month, you developed dark circles under your eyes. These hundreds of thousands in copyright fees are all earned through your blood and sweat. Compared to you, I wasn’t tired at all—I was just doing it for the grade. I said earlier, without you, I couldn’t even get 90 points. You’ve been my programming teacher for three months; I should show some appreciation.”

Lin Zhixia wanted to say more, but Luo Ying’s attitude was exceptionally firm.

The deep friendship between Lin Zhixia and Luo Ying moved the other three senior students in the software group, but they couldn’t completely give up their shares; they only agreed to give Lin Zhixia ten thousand yuan each.

Thus, the final contract terms stated: A total of 400,000 yuan, buying out the software copyright in a one-time payment, with Lin Zhixia receiving 370,000 yuan and the other three senior students receiving 10,000 yuan each.

Looking at the contract, Lin Zhixia felt waves of emotion and solemnly signed her name.

A few days later, Lin Zhixia received a text message notifying her that 370,000 yuan had been deposited into her account. She was so excited that she almost fell off her chair. After nearly a minute, she calmed herself down, picked up her backpack, and happily went out.

*

Recently, Lin Zeqiu’s academic burden had been heavy. His school’s final exams were scheduled for late June, and despite studying desperately, he still couldn’t cover all the material.

Lin Zeqiu was sitting in the library, spacing out, when his phone suddenly started vibrating. The screen displayed three characters: “Pestering Spirit.”

Lin Zeqiu answered the call, walked out of the study room, and asked: “Lin Zhixia, what’s up?”

Lin Zhixia urged impatiently: “Brother, come out quickly. I’m waiting for you at your school gate. I have a gift for you.”

Lin Zeqiu found it strange.

Today wasn’t any important holiday, nor was it his birthday. Why would Lin Zhixia want to give him a gift? Was it some kind of code?

Lin Zeqiu clutched his phone and sprinted to the school gate at the fastest speed of his life. Seeing Lin Zhixia standing properly outside, he slowed down.

He walked toward Lin Zhixia at a measured pace.

Lin Zhixia held a box with both hands: “A new phone! For you! It’s 2011 now, the era of smartphones has arrived, and my brother is still using a Nokia, which is too inconvenient. You can use a smartphone to download apps, look up words, make memos…”

Lin Zeqiu asked her: “How much did this cost?”

“Four thousand yuan,” Lin Zhixia said.

Lin Zeqiu’s fingers gripped the packaging box. He lowered his head and asked hoarsely, “Where did you get so much money? Tell me.”

Lin Zhixia confidently said, “I earned it myself. I sold the software I made. You can see the news on our school’s official website.”

Lin Zeqiu didn’t respond for quite a while.

Lin Zhixia waved to him: “Brother, I have other things to do. I’m leaving now. You continue studying for your exams!”

Lin Zeqiu called out to her: “Lin Zhixia!”

Lin Zhixia turned around: “What?”

Lin Zeqiu sighed. He walked up to her and patted her head. His palm was very warm as it gently rested on top of her head, and his voice was low and gentle: “Don’t tire yourself out. Don’t always think about making money. I’ll handle the family matters; you just focus on pursuing your research.”

Her brother could say such things!

It must be because the gift was good!

Thinking back, when Lin Zhixia had given her brother an Easter egg, he had helped wash her little penguin that very night.

Lin Zhixia had a sudden realization and continued enthusiastically: “Brother, after I got the money, I immediately went to the mall and bought your phone. I know you don’t like to spend money on yourself, but you deserve all the good things. Brother, wait until I make big money—I’ll make sure you, Dad, and Mom all live well.”

This string of sweet words from Lin Zhixia made Lin Zeqiu turn his face slightly away. He acted as if he didn’t care: “What are you doing, suddenly saying these things? Study hard and don’t always think about unnecessary stuff.”

Lin Zhixia pointed out in great surprise: “Your eyes are a bit red. Are you so moved by me that you want to cry? Brother, I didn’t know you were so easily touched.”

Lin Zeqiu scoffed coldly: “How could that be possible?”

He turned around and said: “Alright, don’t you have something to do? Let’s talk another day. I’ll come find you for a meal.”

Lin Zhixia smiled and answered: “Okay! Bye!”

After parting with Lin Zeqiu, Lin Zhixia called Jiang Yubai to invite him out.

Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia hadn’t seen each other for more than a month. Jiang Yubai had originally planned to visit Lin Zhixia’s school this Saturday to deliver her custom-made clothes and take a walk and chat with her.

Now, with Lin Zhixia inviting him out early, it was a good opportunity to bring her the clothes.

The first thing Lin Zhixia said when she saw him was: “Jiang Yubai, I have good news to tell you.”

Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia sat on a bench by the roadside. The early summer breeze brushed through her hair, and the bright daylight shone in her eyes as she slowly leaned close to his ear and whispered: “I’ve made money and want to buy you a gift, but I don’t know what you need.”

Jiang Yubai was about to speak when Lin Zhixia sighed softly, her breath grazing his earlobe like a soft feather brushing against his skin. His breathing became uneven, though his words remained calm: “Don’t spend money on me. You’ve already given me many gifts…”

“Did you like them all?” Lin Zhixia asked him.

“Yes,” he admitted frankly.

He picked up two gift bags and handed the custom-made clothes to her: “Your dress and shoes.”

Lin Zhixia hugged the bags: “I’ll try them on when I get back to my dorm.”

Jiang Yubai said, “If they don’t fit, they can be adjusted.”

This was the first time Lin Zhixia had received a custom-made dress and shoes, and she didn’t know what the standard for “fitting” was.

She took the gift boxes back to her dorm, opened the packaging bags, and marveled at the fabric and craftsmanship of the dress—the color was pure, and the material was very fine and light. It even came with a brassiere.

Lin Zhixia crouched on the floor examining the dress for ten minutes before taking off her clothes and changing into the dress.

Just at that moment, Deng Shasha and Feng Yuan returned from outside. As soon as they entered the dorm, they came face to face with Lin Zhixia. Deng Shasha murmured in shock: “Oh my goodness, a fairy has descended upon our dorm.”