Chapter 22: The Classroom Base

"It's on the third floor of the East Building, Classroom 305. Go take a look." The director casually picked up a key from the desk and handed it over.

Lin Qianfan took the key and headed straight for the East Building.

The classroom door lock was old and stiff. With a metallic click, the door opened to reveal a room thick with dust. Several rows of dilapidated long desks were scattered haphazardly in the corners, and the floor was layered with cobwebs and scraps of paper.

"This state is pretty miserable," Lin Qianfan muttered to himself, looking around. He sighed, but figured it would be passable once cleaned up.

That afternoon, Lin Qianfan called a few guys from his dorm to help with the cleanup.

"Qianfan, you got the classroom approved, but this place is practically a ruin," Yongpan grumbled while sweeping the floor.

"Quit whining and get to work. Once we're done, we'll have a place to develop our project." Lin Qianfan wiped down a window, directing the others as they moved desks and chairs.

After a busy afternoon, they finally managed to clean the room. The setting sun streamed through the windows, making the space look bright and spacious.

"Now that's more like it," Lin Qianfan said, standing at the door with a satisfied look.

After school the next day, Lin Qianfan withdrew twenty thousand in cash from the bank and headed straight to the town's computer mall.

The mall was a dizzying array of desktop and laptop computers from various brands lining the shelves.

"How are the specs on these three?" Lin Qianfan asked the clerk, pointing to a row of high-performance desktops.

"This model is best for development right now. The performance is solid, and the price is reasonable." The clerk opened the computer to display the specifications.

"Fine, I'll take these three, and throw in three monitors, keyboards, and mice," Lin Qianfan said decisively. "The delivery address is Classroom 305, East Building, at the Practical High School. Can you deliver today?"

"No problem, within two hours," the clerk nodded.

By late afternoon, the three computers were delivered to the classroom on time.

"Finally, some decent equipment," Yongpan said, stroking the brand-new tower with excitement in his eyes.

"Don't just stand there enjoying it, install the system. We're on a tight schedule," Lin Qianfan urged.

Yongpan skillfully unpacked the gear and connected the hardware; the three computers were soon up and running.

That night, the group was buzzing with activity around the computers.

"The initial framework for the shopping app is done," Dawei said, typing the last line of code before letting out a breath of relief.

Lin Qianfan leaned in to take a look. The interface was simple but clear, with product categories, a search bar, and a shopping cart all in place.

"It's taking shape," Lin Qianfan nodded, though he soon frowned. "But the payment interface isn't great. Too many steps—the user experience is poor."

Yongpan slapped his thigh. "You're right. The payment process is way too cumbersome. We need to simplify it."

"And the product detail page—the images load too slowly. That needs optimization," Lin Qianfan pointed out a few more issues.

"Got it, we'll fix it tomorrow," Yongpan said, pulling out a notebook to jot down Lin Qianfan’s suggestions.

Over the next few days, the group practically lived in the classroom, attending classes during the day and debugging code at night.

For every optimization completed, Lin Qianfan would test it personally, ensuring there were no issues before giving the green light.

"Great job, guys!" Lin Qianfan patted Yongpan on the shoulder. "Keep it up, we're not far from the launch!"

Yongpan rubbed his shoulder and sighed heavily. "Qianfan, you really know how to push people."

Lin Qianfan smiled. "We're making miracles happen, aren't we?"

Yongpan rolled his eyes, put down his mouse, and stretched his neck. "Easy for you to say, but I'm the one who's pulled two all-nighters!"

"You're giving up after just two days?" Lin Qianfan pushed a paper cup toward him. "Drink some water and keep going."

"Fine, fine. You're the boss," Yongpan grumbled, taking a sip from the cup.

The computer fans hummed as the group debated details while tweaking the web pages.

"Isn't the color scheme of the payment page too tacky? This green looks like a butcher's apron," Dawei frowned.

"Then switch to blue; it looks more professional," Lin Qianfan pointed at the icons on the screen.

"And this part—make the product categories clearer. If users are confused, nobody will use it."

"I know, I know." Yongpan tapped the keyboard a few times and refreshed the page. "How about this?"

Lin Qianfan nodded and stood up to stretch. "That's good enough. Let's call it a night."

"Finally free! My brain feels like it's going to smoke," Dawei slumped into his chair.

Lin Qianfan laughed and grabbed his jacket from the table. "Alright, let's pack it up. Don't work yourselves to death—the launch depends on you guys."

They gathered their things to return to the dorms. Just as they walked downstairs, they bumped into Xia Ruo, who was coming back from evening study hall.

"Qianfan, you guys aren't back yet?" Xia Ruo stood at the entrance, holding a bag of snacks she had just bought.

"Busy with the platform," Lin Qianfan replied casually, his gaze falling on the bag. "You bought so much food—are you hungry tonight?"

"It's for my roommates," Xia Ruo said, holding the bag out. "Do you want some?"

"No thanks, you guys go ahead. We've got instant noodles here. You should get back; the dorm manager will lock the doors soon." Lin Qianfan waved her off and checked the time.

Xia Ruo nodded and turned to leave.

"Qianfan, you and Xia Ruo have been pretty close lately, huh?" Yongpan teased, winking at him.

"Yeah, you guys seem pretty cozy," Dawei chimed in.

"Don't talk nonsense," Lin Qianfan patted Yongpan's shoulder. "Get back to the dorm and sleep, we have class tomorrow!"

The group laughed and joked all the way back to their dorms.

Back in her room, Xia Ruo had just set down her snacks when she heard chatter outside the door.

"Did you hear? Xia Ruo was talking to Lin Qianfan downstairs! They looked really close."

"Tsk, tsk, I'm surprised someone like Xia Ruo would get that close to Lin Qianfan."

"No kidding. Lin Qianfan seems like a decent guy, and I heard he's a bit of a local celebrity in class."

The voices faded away. Xia Ruo didn't pay them much mind and looked down to organize her schoolbag.

Her roommate, Zhang Lin, frowned. "Xia Ruo, did you hear what they were saying about you and Lin Qianfan? Doesn't it bother you?"

"I heard. It's nothing to worry about," Xia Ruo replied nonchalantly.

"You're just too soft!" Zhang Lin put down her towel. "If you ask me, they said that on purpose for Xu Qian to hear. There's going to be trouble."

Xia Ruo shook her head. "It's fine. Lin Qianfan and I are just friends."

In Xu Qian's dorm room:

"What did you say? Lin Qianfan and Xia Ruo?" Xu Qian put down her book and scanned her roommates.

"Yeah, it's all over the class today. They say they're together," one roommate said while tidying her bed.

"Qianqian, why don't you go ask him?" someone teased.

"Ask what?" Xu Qian tossed her book onto the bed. "I'm just going to see what exactly Xia Ruo has that makes her so special."