Lin Feng's eyes fluttered open.
He wiped the sleep from his face and reached for his phone. The screen lit up - 6:00 AM. October 5th.
He exhaled and set the phone back down.
Then his eyes snapped open.
He sat up abruptly and swung his legs off the bed.
"Wake up," he called out, his voice cutting through the quiet room. "Everyone, get up."
Groans answered him from the other bunks as his roommates slowly stirred.
Lin Feng grabbed his toiletries and headed for the showers.
...
A while later, the four of them sat together at the study desk for their daily meeting.
"Good progress on the new features," Zhang Wei began. "Order tracking is almost done. Real-time inventory display is functional but needs some polish. Push notifications... I'm still working on that one."
He scratched his head.
"Should have everything ready for testing by tomorrow."
Lin Feng nodded.
Chen Ming straightened up.
"Popularity is still climbing," he reported. "The customer group chat is more active than ever. There are some questions and complaints, but nothing major." He paused. "A few people asked if we'd be restocking soon. Word's getting around that some items are running low."
Lin Feng's expression grew serious at that.
He turned to Li Jun. "And you?"
Li Jun pulled out his phone and scrolled through his notes.
"Here's yesterday's data. Total orders: 52. Items sold: 71. Revenue: 780 yuan. Cost of goods sold: 480 yuan."
He set down his phone and let out a breath.
"I'll be honest - I was scared after Saturday's peak. The numbers were insane." He shook his head. "But it seems things are slowly returning to normal. Otherwise, we might've run out of stock before the end of Golden Week."
Lin Feng nodded slowly.
"Running out of supply would be a bigger hit than any profit we'd make from it," he said. "If we're seen as unreliable - especially now that we're on our way to registering - it wouldn't be a good look."
He frowned.
"That being said, we really are cutting it close."
Li Jun raised a hand reassuringly.
"We should get a chance to restock the day before Golden Week ends," he said. "Most shops will be reopening around then. My uncle's side should be able to make a delivery."
Lin Feng relaxed slightly.
"That's good to hear."
The discussion continued for a while longer - inventory priorities, customer feedback, potential issues to watch for. By the time they wrapped up, Lin Feng's delivery window was approaching.
He grabbed his things and headed out.
...
The deliveries went smoothly. Lin Feng completed his rounds and returned to the dorm.
For the rest of the morning, he mostly studied, occasionally doing some research on the side. The others were equally focused on their books.
Even Chen Ming - who was usually out handling marketing tasks - stayed in the dorm more than usual.
It seemed the upcoming midterms had everyone on edge.
Even Li Jun played games noticeably less than before.
At almost noon, Lin Feng and Li Jun gathered around Zhang Wei for their daily coding lesson.
An hour passed quickly.
At 1 PM, the four roommates headed out for lunch together.
They chatted casually as they ate - about classes, the business, and other random topics that came to mind.
Afterward, they returned to the dorm and continued studying.
...
In the evening, Lin Feng gathered his things and headed out for his teaching job.
As he walked toward his office, he pulled out his phone and dialed home.
Dad wasn't around, so he talked with his mom instead. The conversation meandered through random topics - how he was eating, whether he was sleeping enough, if he'd made any new friends.
By the time he arrived at the office building, it was time to hang up.
"I have to go now, Mom. Work."
"Alright, alright. Don't forget to call again soon!"
"I won't."
He ended the call and made his way upstairs.
...
Lin Feng settled into his chair and opened his laptop, connecting to the video call.
This time, it wasn't just Tingting on the screen - her mother was there too.
Madam Zhao smiled apologetically.
"I wanted to apologize for Thursday and Friday," she said. "Some unexpected matters came up."
Lin Feng shook his head. "No worries at all. I understand."
He paused, then added, "I took the time to reconnect with some friends, so it worked out."
"Is that so?" She looked relieved. "Then I'm glad."
Her expression shifted slightly.
"I was hoping you could give me a report on my daughter's progress."
Lin Feng's expression turned strange.
"Like... right here?" he asked, glancing at Tingting on the screen.
Madam Zhao followed his gaze and seemed to understand.
She turned to her daughter.
"Tingting, why don't you go get yourself a snack? I need to speak with your teacher privately for a moment."
Tingting's face fell into a pout, but she stood up and left the frame.
Once she was gone, Madam Zhao turned back to Lin Feng.
"Now then - how is she doing?"
Lin Feng considered his words carefully.
"Honestly? She's already quite good. She's a smart girl - she actually knows most of the material."
He paused.
"The issue is bringing it out in conversation. She understands the concepts, but when it comes to speaking and listening in real-time, she seems to hesitate and doubt herself."
He smiled slightly.
"With a little more practice, she should be able to overcome that."
Madam Zhao nodded, looking pleased.
"Thank you for the honest assessment. I'll leave you to it, then."
She stood and left the frame.
A moment later, Tingting returned, sliding back into her seat with a curious expression.
"What did you tell mom?" she asked immediately.
"Ask your mom."
"She won't tell me!"
Lin Feng smiled.
"Well... I suppose I can tell you."
Tingting's eyes lit up with excitement.
He raised a finger.
"But there's one condition."
Her face dropped.
"What?"
"Today's class will be conducted entirely in English," he said. "I'll teach in English. You'll respond in English. Consider it listening and speaking practice."
He leaned back slightly.
"I'll judge your performance by the end of class. If you pass, I'll tell you what I said to your mother."
Tingting stared at him for a moment.
Then determination flickered in her eyes.
"You're on," she said in English.
The lesson began.
...
The next two hours were challenging - for both of them.
Lin Feng explained concepts, asked questions, and guided discussions entirely in English. Tingting followed along as best she could, her brow furrowed in concentration.
When the lesson finally concluded, Tingting leaned forward eagerly.
"Did I pass?"
Lin Feng nodded, a warm smile on his face.
"Yes. You did well."
Her face lit up.
"Then tell me! What did you say to my mom?"
Lin Feng chuckled.
"I told her you needed more practice with listening and speaking."
He tilted his head.
"We'll be doing these types of lessons more often from now on. Let's see... every Friday sounds good."
Tingting blinked, processing this.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
She looked slightly deflated.
Lin Feng observed her expression and smiled.
"You seem disappointed. Weren't you glad to hear you're doing well?"
Her expression brightened immediately.
"I am! I just thought..."
She trailed off, then laughed.
"Never mind."
Lin Feng leaned back.
"So - what do you think? Did you enjoy today's lesson?"
Tingting nodded without hesitation.
"Yes," she said in English. "I really enjoyed it."
Lin Feng smiled.
"Good. Keep up the hard work."
They exchanged goodbyes and ended the call.
Lin Feng packed up his things and made his way back to the dorms.