Livestream Matchmaking: My Intel Infinitely Refreshes

[Congratulations to the Host for officially making offline contact with a high-quality dating partner.]

[Reward Acquired: 20 Happiness Points]

[Continue to advance the relationship and get Ms. Xia Yi to acknowledge you as her one and only current dating partner to receive 50 Happiness Points.]

[New Item Unlocked: Illusion-Breaking Pill]

[Illusion-Breaking Pill: All that appears is but an illusion. The mortal world can blind a person’s eyes. Consuming this pill will help you see reality, see through your boss’s empty promises, hear the lies your lover tells, and avoid being deceived.]

[Clinically proven to greatly increase Spiritual Sense after consumption, reducing the probability of being deceived to zero.]

[However, sometimes seeing things too clearly is not a good thing. The user should consider this carefully...]

Zhang Zhe didn’t take a closer look at the new item’s effects, because Xia Yi was still waiting outside to chat with him.

She’d already helped him get a milestone reward; the least he could do was give her some of his time.

"Sure, go ahead. I’m all ears."

Zhang Zhe briefly took on the role of a priest:

"You’ve come all this way. No matter what you ask, I’ll answer everything to the best of my ability, holding nothing back."

"Thank you, Teacher Zhang," Xia Yi said politely. "I had some free time this morning and watched your stream. I happened to see that PhD student consulting you."

"You said the most important thing for her to do right now was to consider if marriage is a necessity for her. I can understand that, but I can’t quite figure it out for myself."

"For someone in my situation, is marriage a necessity?"

"Do you still remember my details?"

"Of course I remember. You have a bachelor’s and a master’s in preschool education. How could I forget that?"

"Haha, so many women consult you every day, I was worried you wouldn’t remember."

Xia Yi laughed good-naturedly. Her tone of voice immediately told you she wasn’t a schemer.

"I forgot to tell you before, my mom actually had a Matchmaker come over to talk to me. The Matchmaker said my qualifications are really good, but my profession is an issue."

"At the time, she suggested I change careers."

"The way she put it, being a kindergarten teacher meant that any well-matched man would look down on me. I’d be seen as even less desirable than someone who just sponges off their parents."

"Teacher Zhang, is that really true?"

"It is." Zhang Zhe hesitated for a moment but chose to tell the truth.

’Even though simply flattering this girl and feeding her some insincere words for emotional validation would probably make it easier to complete the system’s task...’

’But Zhang Zhe just couldn’t bring himself to be a suck-up.’

"Based on my understanding of your situation, if we’re talking about a well-matched partner, your potential suitors would probably prefer you to be a housewife, or to find a cushy job in the public sector, right?"

"You’re right! You’re amazing, Teacher Zhang. The Matchmaker said the exact same thing."

"But I don’t want to."

"I think being a kindergarten teacher is pretty relaxing. Everyone gets along, the kids really like me, and most importantly, there are a lot of holidays. Not just weekends, but winter and summer breaks too."

"I’m jealous of the winter and summer breaks." Zhang Zhe tsked. ’I’m genuinely jealous of that.’

’For an average worker, the most enviable part of any teaching position was the long breaks. Who wouldn’t want to spend their summers in the countryside listening to cicadas, or head home half a month early in the winter to get ready for the New Year?’

"Hehe, I can hear the envy in your voice, Teacher Zhang. It sounds real."

"Of course it’s real. But taking care of kids is too exhausting; I’m not cut out for that kind of work." Zhang Zhe began to analyze the situation for her. "Actually, that’s another reason a lot of men don’t want to date a kindergarten teacher."

"A person only has so much energy. You spend all day at the kindergarten placating little kids, so when you get home, you have no energy left to do the same for your partner. Some people, when their own energy is low, will actually look to their partner for emotional support instead."

"That would be too exhausting for the man."

"Because generally, the man isn’t expecting his kindergarten-teacher partner to earn much money in the first place. So if he doesn’t even get emotional support out of the deal, it becomes very frustrating."

"That’s true." Sitting on the steps, Xia Yi nodded to herself. "Your analysis is spot on, Teacher Zhang. I get it."

"Sometimes when I’m tired from organizing an event, like for Children’s Day on June 1st, I don’t even want to move when I get home at night."

"My mom is always the one who takes care of me."

"Now that you put it that way, it seems like I’m really not suited for marriage."

"My colleagues all want to marry a rich man, but I’m not really short on money, so I don’t have the motivation to find one. So is that why I’m single? Now it all makes sense."

"..."

’Zhang Zhe had been analyzing away with great enthusiasm.’

’He was getting along great with Xia Yi. She thought like a normal person and wasn’t stubborn or pig-headed, which made the conversation very pleasant.’

’But Zhang Zhe suddenly realized that if he kept this up, he’d never complete the system’s next mission.’

’If he kept analyzing things this way, Xia Yi would be completely turned off from marriage.’

He quickly changed his tune. "But on the other hand, if you’re too tired sometimes and don’t want to move when you get home, you can just order takeout."

"Some guys might dislike your profession because you don’t earn much and don’t provide emotional support. So... you can just find someone who’s not lacking in either money *or* emotional support."

"Do people like that exist?" Xia Yi asked doubtfully.

"They do, they do."

"Like celebrities, for example. They’re already super busy, and once they join a production, you can’t even get in touch with them."

"No way." Xia Yi was a bit resistant. "The entertainment industry is too messy. I wouldn’t even like a C-list star. Besides, they wouldn’t be interested in me anyway."

"Then find a livestreamer."

"A livestreamer?"

"Right. A lot of streamers aren’t short on money. And besides, streamers also provide emotional support to people." Zhang Zhe analyzed, using himself as an example: "Kindergarten teachers placate kids, and streamers placate their audience and the big spenders in their chat. It’s pretty much the same."

"Coincidentally, both of these jobs aren’t very popular on the dating market."

"Ugh—forget about livestreamers." Xia Yi shook her head. "My colleague showed me some streamers. If you send him a ten-yuan gift, he’ll start yelling about how hot it is and then undo two buttons on his collar."

"I can’t stand that."

"Don’t look for that kind of streamer," Zhang Zhe quickly corrected her. "There are decent streamers, you know. Like ones who do matchmaking, analyze cases, or appraise antiques."

"Oh, so like you, Teacher Zhang, right?"

"Right, right!"

"Then I’d rather not," Xia Yi said, shaking her head. "I feel like people like you, Teacher Zhang, are too sharp. I’d definitely be no match for you."

"My parents say that with my personality, I should find an honest, down-to-earth guy. If I marry someone who’s super smart, I’ll definitely get taken advantage of."

"An honest guy? That’s me," Zhang Zhe said with a smile.

He dropped the pretense; they were bound to get to this point eventually. "Really. I’ve been an honest kid since I was little. If you don’t believe me, my elementary, middle, and high school teachers can all vouch for me."

"?"

"Teacher Zhang, what you’re saying... sounds a little strange to me." Xia Yi realized something was off. "Why do I get the feeling... that you want to be my dating partner?"

"You guessed right."

"Huh?" Xia Yi was so startled she shot to her feet. She looked at Zhang Zhe through the doorway and said, "Teacher, you can’t be serious. Are we... compatible?"

"We’re very compatible. Really."

"Look, just give it a try. I’m not charging you anything, so don’t feel any pressure. If it’s really not a good fit, then on to the next one."