Lin Zhixia has a wish.
She wants to save some money to buy a new house for her parents.
Lin Zhixia's parents have lived in Ancheng Community for nearly twenty years.
Ancheng Community was built in the early 1980s. The power supply system in the community has long been aging. The walls are damp during the rainy season, and the water pipes in the toilet have leaked... It would be great if we could move to a bigger house. My brother's bedroom would be more spacious, and my parents' bedrooms could be equipped with air conditioners.
With the determination to "sell the software", Lin Zhixia solemnly convened a team meeting.
Luo Ying, He Shangqing, and He Shangqing's three roommates were all present.
Lin Zhixia said clearly: "In the past month, we have completed 80% of the tasks through cooperation. Here, I would like to thank Senior Sister Luo Ying, who has done a lot of work alone..."
Luo Ying smiled and said, "You have done more. You have taken on at least 40% of the workload, and you have also helped all of us check for errors. Don't work too hard. If there is anything I can help you with, just let me know."
Luo Ying spoke in a soft tone and with a concerned attitude.
She looked like a fairy who had fallen from the sky.
Lin Zhixia happily shared the good news with Luo Ying: "Senior, the teaching assistant told me that the school might buy our software, and we can make money."
Luo Ying clearly felt Lin Zhixia's desire to make money. She whispered, "Can it be sold for 10,000 yuan?"
Lin Zhixia's voice was even lower: "The teaching assistant said it can be sold for 100,000 yuan."
"How much?" He Shangqing didn't hear clearly.
Lin Zhixia leaned back in her chair and changed the subject: "All the codes in our group have been made public on GitHub as required by the teacher. I checked your work progress... He Shangqing's contribution is zero."
GitHub is a software source code hosting website. On GitHub, everyone can work together, supervise each other, and modify the code.
He Shangqing had never logged into GitHub. He didn't even know what stage the group project had progressed to.
When He Shangqing heard that the team's software could be sold, he knew that the software was very good. Just as he expected, Lin Zhixia took the initiative to undertake most of the work. She is both capable and responsible. For He Shangqing, now is the time to close the net.
He Shangqing looked at Lin Zhixia steadily, and his words were full of sincerity: "I have spent several weeks learning programming, but I haven't mastered it. I also have to study my major courses. I failed last semester, and I can't fail again this semester. If I fail again, I will have to go home. Next semester I will be a senior and graduate..."
He sniffed. "Team leader, can I write the report? Please assign me some work. I really don't want to see my contribution being zero. I've tried, but failed. Programming is a craft. I don't have the skills, so I can't graduate. I'm sorry for the school and my parents."
When Lin Zhixia heard him mention "Mom and Dad", she stretched out her fingers unconsciously.
He Shangqing noticed Lin Zhixia's little action.
He found the right entry point and continued, "My parents raised me to this age, but I never enjoyed any happiness. My father is in poor health and takes medicine every day to control his condition. I am prone to anxiety, and I was confused when I went to college. I had a lot of energy but nowhere to use it. I was busy all day in school..."
Lin Zhixia listened to him quietly.
He sighed deeply, "Team Leader, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's my fault. I argued with you and embarrassed you, and made it difficult for you to do your job. I really regret it. Last time you came to find me at the door of our classroom, I felt so regretful. I regretted it so much. Today I'm going to tell you the truth from the bottom of my heart. If I had any real programming skills, I wouldn't let you work so hard in the group."
Lin Zhixia picked up the coffee cup, held a spoon, and carefully stirred the coffee foam.
He Shangqing held his forehead and his eyes turned red.
He opened his eyelids, bloodshot eyes appeared on his eyeballs, and his voice was extremely hoarse: "If you think that my performance this month is too bad and I must fail the course and drop out of school, I won't say anything. This is what I deserve. I just ask you to help me think of a way to tell my father..."
After He Shangqing finished speaking, the whole group fell silent.
No one spoke.
Lin Zhixia took a sip of coffee.
Unconsciously, Lin Zhixia established her own prestige. No one regarded her as a 15-year-old girl. She was not only their team leader, but also the backbone of their team.
Lin Zhixia didn't comment, but He Shangqing actually felt nervous. He urged, "You have no objection?"
Lin Zhixia put down the coffee cup and said sincerely, "In another month, we will hand in our homework, and your contribution now is zero. You don't have to apologize to me, I have no intention of targeting you. If you were willing to study with us from the beginning, I would never go to the classroom door to find you. Everything has a cause and an effect. You are the cause and I am the effect. Your attitude determines how I will treat you."
"What about the homework?" He Shangqing asked.
Lin Zhixia remained calm: "I left some programs for you to write, including software testing work, which can also be handed over to you. If you drop out, it is your own choice, please don't lie to me."
He Shangqing made a surprised expression: "Where did I lie?"
Lin Zhixia looked at him with a little sympathy and explained, "You may not remember what you said before, your expression and actions, but I remember them all. At the first group meeting, I had already guessed your character. You lied to me as if you were acting."
Lin Zhixia's eyes were surprisingly bright.
He Shangqing didn't expect that she was so smart and had such a strong memory and insight.
He Shangqing's roommate put his arm around him again and urged him to spare some time to write code. He felt pressured and had no choice but to agree.
After this group meeting, the work of the entire group progressed smoothly.
Lin Zhixia merged all modules and expanded the original functions.
She fully considered the stability and practicality of the system and conducted repeated online tests. In order to alleviate the "high concurrency" pressure brought by multiple users online at the same time, 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 Lin Zhixia finished the web version, she took the initiative to develop the iOS and Android mobile versions. The team members were too busy to handle it, and Lin Zhixia expressed her understanding. Luo Ying did not refuse and contributed a lot of effort.
By early May, all targets had been met.
Lin Zhixia publicized the results of her group everywhere. She invited students to visit the website, download the app and install it on their phones, and promptly report any problems they encountered when using the app.
Lin Zhixia's roommates, classmates, and even many seniors in the quantum computing group responded to her call and gave her a lot of support. In the quantum computing laboratory, she thanked everyone from the bottom of her heart: "Thank you all seniors for helping me!"
Tan Qianche said with a smile: "You have been here for almost two years, don't be so polite to us all the time. We can use your software. It's a piece of cake and it will be convenient for us."
Tan Qianche had just bought an Apple phone. He opened the app store on his phone and asked, "What's the name of your software?"
"We are not listed in Apple's App Store," Lin Zhixia explained.
"How do I install it?" Tan Qianche asked her.
How to temporarily transfer the iOS project in the computer to the mobile phone for testing
Lin Zhixia said: "This is not difficult."
She used the Apple computer in the quantum computing laboratory to download their group's iOS software code from GitHub (a code hosting website), and then installed the software on the Apple phones of seniors through the "device debugging" function of Xcode (a large compiler supported by Apple computers).
In comparison, Android software installation steps are simpler and faster. You just need to open a package with the suffix apk.
Seniors held their phones in their hands and exclaimed: "You are still in the testing phase, how can you be so amazing?"
"Our function is very simple," Lin Zhixia said excitedly, "it just looks powerful. I also want to ask the school for money to expand the server."
Tan Qianche didn't know anything about programming. He held his phone, his fingertips quickly swiped across the screen, and said with emotion: "You are really smart."
"It's okay," Lin Zhixia said modestly, "Senior is also very smart."
Tan Qianche smiled but said nothing.
In a sense, Lin Zhixia's evaluation of Tan Qianche was quite objective. Tan Qianche learned Lin Zhixia's operation on the spot after watching her. He helped many classmates successfully install Lin Zhixia's application software.
Tan Qianche knew many students and had a much richer network of contacts than Lin Zhixia. Under his promotion, the number of online users grew rapidly.
Lin Zhixia's team members also worked hard - especially senior sister Luo Ying, who seemed to have shed her noble temperament of a prestigious university student overnight and became like a salesperson at the door of a gym, asking everyone she met: "Hello, classmate, are you interested in installing a mobile phone app?"
On the university campus, Luo Ying was originally an unattainable and gentle goddess. But for the group assignment, she became particularly approachable, and Lin Zhixia was very moved.
Lin Zhixia decided that once the software was sold, she would give her senior more money.
How much can this software sell for
In order to figure out its commercial value, Lin Zhixia consulted in detail with the person she knew who understood business best—Jiang Yubai.
Recently, Lin Zhixia met Jiang Yubai every weekend. Jiang Yubai always brought her home and chatted with her in a concert hall.
The concert hall had a light-colored wooden floor and a grand piano in the corner. Velvet curtains blocked the bright light, and floor-to-ceiling mirrors reflected the two of them.
Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia sat side by side on a piano bench. Lin Zhixia sat next to Jiang Yubai and asked him, "We now have more than 200 regular mobile phone users. What do you think of the prospects of our software?"
Jiang Yubai asked her back: "Do you want to start a business or sell products?"
"I don't want to start a business." Lin Zhixia replied. As she spoke, she grabbed the corner of his clothes.
Jiang Yubai subconsciously grabbed her wrist, then slowly let go. His fingertips gathered around her wrist, holding her loosely, and said, "If you want to sell your products to schools, I suggest you..."
Before he finished speaking, Lin Zhixia laughed softly: "Don't be shy, you can hold my hand."
Jiang Yubai glanced at her sideways, and she explained, "After all, I want to practice dancing with you, so we must get used to holding hands."