The four roommates sat together in the dorm, three of them staring at their phones with focused expressions.
Zhang Wei watched them with an expectant look on his face.
"So... what do you think?" he asked.
They all looked up at the same time, wearing identical expressions.
"It's really good," they said in unison.
"Really?" Zhang Wei scratched his cheek, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Of course," Chen Ming said with a grin.
Lin Feng nodded in agreement. "It seems like all the basics have been figured out. Now we just need to work on some secondary features to improve the app."
He set down his phone.
"Chen Ming and I did some research on potential features, but since I was busy that day, we weren't able to sit down and discuss them properly."
He shrugged.
"But it doesn't matter. We can list them here and have everyone vote. That's much better than just the two of us making the decisions."
The others nodded.
"I'll go first," Lin Feng said. "From my research, I think we should add order tracking so customers can see where their delivery is - this is particularly useful since we're planning on having part-timers. Also, I guess this is more of a back-end thing but we need a way to manage inventory in real-time. And finally, a delivery history feature so customers can quickly reorder items they've bought before."
Chen Ming perked up. "My turn!"
He pulled out his phone and glanced at his notes.
"I was thinking we could add push notifications for order updates and promotions. Also, a favorites system so people can save items they like. Oh, and maybe a referral program - you know, invite a friend, get some store points."
The four of them discussed the suggestions back and forth, weighing the pros and cons of each feature.
Eventually, they reached a consensus.
Order tracking, real-time inventory tracking, and push notifications would be prioritized for the initial release. The other features weren't being ignored - they could still be added gradually. They just weren't essential for now.
...
With the discussion concluded, Zhang Wei immediately got to work on implementing the new features.
Lin Feng grabbed his things and headed out for his delivery window.
Among the orders was one from the class monitor.
When he arrived at her dorm, Sun Xiao greeted him with her usual warm smile.
"Here you go," he said, handing over the items.
He paused.
"By the way... I'm sorry again for not being able to help you with the mooncakes."
Sun Xiao shook her head quickly. "It's really okay! You don't need to keep apologizing."
"I mean it," Lin Feng insisted. "You were counting on me, and I let you down."
"You didn't let me down," she said firmly. "You have your own responsibilities. I understand."
Lin Feng looked at her for a moment, then smiled.
He pulled out his phone.
"This one's on me," he said, declining her payment.
Sun Xiao blinked. "What? No, I can't…"
"You're always taking care of the class," he said. "Who's going to take care of the class monitor?"
She stared at him…
Then a gentle smile spread across her face.
"Thank you," she said softly. "But don't do this next time. I'd feel bad."
Lin Feng nodded.
With that, he gave her a small wave and continued on his way.
...
After finishing his deliveries, Lin Feng returned to the dorm and spent the rest of the afternoon studying.
At eleven o'clock, he and Li Jun gathered around Zhang Wei for their daily coding lesson.
An hour passed quickly.
Lin Feng felt like he was finally getting the hang of this Python thing. He could now write simple scripts on his own, and he had even created a few automations on his laptop that he was quite proud of.
Nothing fancy - just small tools to make his daily tasks easier. But it was progress.
As the lesson wrapped up, Lin Feng glanced at the time.
He stood up and grabbed his phone.
"I have to head out," he said to his roommates. "I'll see you guys later."
It was almost time for his lunch with Liu Mei.
…
Lin Feng stood at the apartment door and pressed the doorbell.
A few seconds later, the door swung open.
"Lin Feng, you're here! Come on in, I'm almost done cooking."
Liu Mei stepped aside to let him through. As he entered, he held out the bouquet of flowers he had been carrying.
She accepted them with a surprised expression, closing the door behind him.
She looked down at the flowers, then back up at him. A smile tugged at her lips.
"You didn't strike me as this kind of person," she teased, catching up to him as he walked inside.
"I couldn't think of a gift to bring, so I decided on these." He glanced at her. "You don't like it?"
"Of course I like it." Her smile widened. "You're quite thoughtful."
She guided him to the living room and gestured toward the couch.
"Would you like a drink?" she asked.
"Just water is fine."
She disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a glass of water. She handed it to him, then sat down right next to him on the couch.
She looked at him with a warm smile.
Lin Feng took a sip of his water.
"Won't this cause trouble for the teacher?" he asked.
Her expression shifted to one of understanding.
"Is that why you were so reluctant?" she asked.
"You noticed?"
"Of course." She nodded. "You're really thoughtful."
He looked at her, not quite sure how to respond.
"Well... to be honest, I don't really care," she said quietly. "I think I might quit the whole thing altogether."
Lin Feng's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why?" he asked. "Because of what happened?"
She shook her head. "No. It's something I've been thinking about for a while now."
He studied her expression carefully.
Back then, the teacher had quit too - right when they were entering their sophomore year.
After discovering the drugging incident, he had assumed that was the root cause. But it seemed there were other issues he hadn't known about.
Before he could ask further, Liu Mei suddenly perked up.
"Ah! I almost forgot about the food!"
She jumped up from the couch and hurried into the kitchen.
A few moments later, she emerged carrying several dishes. She set them down on the table one by one, the aroma filling the small apartment.