Dalian Maple Leaf College of Technology turned the students' casual remark into a promise kept.

The wind of September turned cool overnight. On everyone's phones, others' 'first cup of milk tea in autumn' filled the screen again. That cup of milk tea usually has to be asked for before it arrives. But the Class of 2026 freshmen hadn't even spoken up when the cups were already in their hands: on September 8, cup after cup of milk tea was delivered into their hands.

Who heard that 'casual remark'?

Not long after enrollment, the Class of 2026 freshmen were busy getting to know the campus, each other, and this place they would call home for three years. On social media, the 'first cup of milk tea in autumn' trended again for another year. This meme is shown off by someone every year; at the end of the day, what people care about is never just the drink, but the fact that 'someone is thinking of me on this day.' And to prove this, usually someone has to speak up first.

A student half-jokingly muttered, 'It would be nice if our school gave some out too.' In many places, a joke like that really is just a joke. But here, no one waited for it to be mentioned a second time. The school took the students' voices on board — first cup of milk tea of autumn, Class of 2026, consider it arranged.

So the same cup of milk tea — bought by yourself versus sent by someone who cares — doesn't taste the same. The difference isn't in the sweetness, but in that sense of 'am I being seen?'

More than just milk tea was handed over

On September 8, Yang Ping, Chairperson of Xinyang Shengye International Education Holding (Dalian) Co., Ltd. and of Dalian Maple Leaf College of Technology; Yang Jie, President of Dalian Maple Leaf College of Technology; Gao Chenglin, Executive Vice President; Eilis, Vice President; and Xue Fei, Minister of the Publicity Department, came among the Class of 2026 freshmen and personally handed cup after cup of milk tea into the students' hands.

A cup of milk tea isn't worth much. What's valuable is the person handing it over, and that they remembered. For many Class of 2026 students, this is probably their first time leaving home and welcoming autumn in a strange city. The homesickness, and the unsettled unease about the new environment, are often hidden in these inconspicuous little things. And a cup of sweetness that is remembered can just soften them a little.

From 'someone mentioned it' to 'delivered into hands,' in between lies a whole set of trivialities: procurement, packing, and coordination. The students don't need to know about these, nor do they need to feel them. They only need to know that their words were not treated as wind past the ear.

From freshman year to the third year, this sweetness isn't a 'one-time thing'

What's even more anticipated is that this isn't a surprise that 'ends when the activity ends.' The school will subsequently expand the milk-tea delivery range from the Class of 2026 freshmen to all students college-wide, and in light of the work arrangements and semester milestones at different stages, gradually send this token of care to the sophomore and junior students.

In other words — freshmen, you taste it first. Those not yet your turn, don't worry; your cup is also on the way. The warmth and sweetness of this autumn campus shouldn't belong to just one grade.

At the end of the day, from welcoming new students to daily management, the school has been answering the same question: do the students' casual 'little things' deserve to be taken seriously? This time, the answer is a cup of milk tea. And it shouldn't be answered only once.

Autumn will pass day by day, but being 'remembered' will not. Class of 2026 freshmen, welcome to Dalian Maple Leaf College of Technology. This is the first sweetness the school hands you — may the next three years here let you taste sweetness, and also grow strength.