Professor Chen, who always called himself Old Chen, was in his sixties. He had a kind personality and the integrity of an older-generation intellectual. They said that when he was young, he had worked at several design institutes and once had a chance to pursue a career in government, but in the end, he never took that path. After a winding journey, he returned to his alma mater and became a mentor in the design department.
He didn't mind teaching.
Unfortunately, even at a famous university, it was hard to make much money in an obscure major. Perhaps it was precisely because there was so little in the way of perks that he got along so well with his students. There was less to make trouble over.
He had been the mentor for Construction Worker and Bricklayer, and they were his last batch of graduate students. After those two unreliable fellows graduated, Old Chen planned to go home and enjoy his retirement.
His wife had passed away several years ago, and both of his sons had families and careers of their own. They occasionally brought the grandchildren over for a visit, making Old Chen's retirement quite fulfilling.
Generally speaking, people with fulfilling lives in reality weren't very likely to seek comfort in a virtual world. Of course, the main reason Old Chen hadn't played many games was that he'd missed the boat.
When he'd been as young as Construction Worker, even arcade games had still been a rarity.
So when his two students said they wanted him to join them in a game, Old Chen had refused.
For one thing, he'd spent years cultivating self-discipline and genuinely wasn't fond of that sort of pastime. If he had the time, wouldn't it be better to find a few good friends for