Author's Note: Some friends requested that I write a story involving "Jealous Ji Xiang Kong."  In order to do so, I had to create some background and context first.  This story resulted from that, which is also why it's so short.  The jealousy-themed story may be found in Story #9.  

Story #8 – A Scene of Déjà vu

When Ji Xiang Kong retired from the iConquer world as a competitive player, he wasn’t yet ready to leave the game either.  He was still passionate about the sport, proud of what his countrymen had achieved so far, and determined to keep that momentum moving forward for future generations.  His wife, Qiu Ying, supported him in those endeavors, which was why when he received a phone call from the local university inviting him to teach a class for their upcoming semester, she was the first person to encourage him to accept. 

Being a professor at a university was a new experience for Xiang Kong, but he liked a challenge and it wasn’t before long that what was once unfamiliar became the familiar.  After all, teaching a classroom of students wasn’t so very different from coaching his teammates or tutoring others, like his wife, on how to play. 

Playing computer games wasn’t the only thing Xiang Kong’s students learned in his class, however.  He also gave lectures about the esports culture, the industry, gaming strategy, and the psychology that was required for a player to both know how to work cooperatively with one’s teammates and to also be able to anticipate an opposing team’s plays.

Not surprisingly, once Xiang Kong committed to teaching a class at the local university, he threw himself into the new role heart and soul.  He was working on the questions for his class’s midterm exam late one night when Qiu Ying came to sit next to him at his desk. 

“What’s this?” she asked. 

Xiang Kong nodded at his laptop screen with his chin.

She took a closer look.  “Is this the midterm exam you’re going to give?  I want to see.” 

Qiu Ying set aside the face mask she’d been holding and pulle