Chapter 84: The Joint Trial
"No wonder you wanted to create your own account to post clips from your streams!" Xia Yi quickly connected Zhang Zhe’s idea to his actions on his stream. "You’re building your own personal brand for matchmaking, right?"
"Yeah, that’s the idea."
"I think that’s a great idea." Xia Yi nodded. "Streamers definitely make the most money being their own boss. Otherwise, the guilds and platforms take such a huge cut, and you end up with much less."
"Plus, if you open your own matchmaking agency, you can take on offline events."
"Like my dad’s... their work unit once hired a matchmaking agency to organize an offline mixer, and it wasn’t cheap."
Xia Yi had almost let it slip. For now, she was still describing her father to Zhang Zhe as a "regular civil servant."
"That’s what I was thinking, too."
"A 30-year-old programmer, even if I look for a new job, I’ve only got about five years left. Sooner or later, I’ll be pushed out by the fresh-faced graduates."
"But the matchmaking industry... that seems like something you can do until you retire." Zhang Zhe was one step short of just saying his current career path met Mother Xia’s requirements.
’Of course, I can’t be that direct,’ he thought. ’That would sound a bit desperate.’
’She’d probably wonder if there was something wrong with me, being in such a rush.’
"You definitely can. There’s an old lady downstairs from us who’s retired but still helps set people up." Xia Yi nodded, fully agreeing with Zhang Zhe’s idea.
And with that, the topic of work was settled.
As for the height issue, there was nothing Zhang Zhe could do. The system hadn’t given him any pills for a second growth spurt.
But a blind date had to have some flaws. Otherwise, it would just feel like a scam.
At this point, they had nearly finished their meal and their conversation.
It was time to settle the bill.
Zhang Zhe hesitated for half a second. He decided to ignore the system’s mission for now and not push to go Dutch.
He was the system’s master; he decided whether or not to do the missions.
Xia Yi hadn’t intended to eat at such an expensive restaurant. He was the one who had invited her, and they hadn’t agreed to split the bill beforehand. Asking her to pay now wouldn’t be right.
’Next time,’ he thought. ’We’ll come here again next time.’
’The system only said it had to be at the most expensive restaurant in the city, but it didn’t specify the *first* time.’
’On the second date, Xia Yi will have an idea of the cost here. If I drop a hint then, suggesting we go Dutch will be much more reasonable.’
Of course, this decision was based on the fact that they clearly had a mutual good impression of each other and there would definitely be a next date.
Zhang Zhe gestured to a nearby waiter. "Hello, I’d like to settle the bill."
"Of course, sir. Here is your bill. Please look it over."
"No need. Can I pay with a QR code?"
Zhang Zhe took out his phone. Just as he pulled up the QR code and was about to hand it over, he saw Xia Yi reach out and take out a bank card.
She passed it to the waiter before he could. "Use this card."
"Uh..." The waiter was a bit confused.
He had been eavesdropping nearby and knew the two were on a blind date.
Doesn’t the man usually pay on a blind date? There was generally only one reason a woman would offer to pay: she didn’t want to see him again.
The waiter glanced at Zhang Zhe with a worried look.
It was as if he were saying: ’Hey buddy, don’t get worked up.’
’It happens to the best of us. Better luck next time, hero.’
Zhang Zhe was also a little puzzled, but thankfully, Xia Yi quickly covered her mouth and whispered an explanation, "I saw when I came in that you can get a discount if you pay by card."
"It’s pretty expensive, so every little bit helps."
"Alright." Zhang Zhe hadn’t expected that to be the reason. "I’ll transfer you the money later, then."
"No, no need." Xia Yi shook her head. "Can’t you just treat me next time we eat out?"
"Or... is there not going to be a next time?"
"If there’s no next time, then I’m not paying!"
"How could that be? Of course there’s a next time!" Zhang Zhe said decisively.
"Hee hee." Hearing this, Xia Yi smiled, even more brightly than before.
She hadn’t been on many blind dates, but she knew that you had to fight for your own happiness.
...
When she got home that evening, Mother Xia asked about Xia Yi’s blind date.
"Yiyi, how was it? Are you satisfied?"
"I’m pretty satisfied, but there’s just one thing." Xia Yi said while munching on a pear—the Japanese food really hadn’t filled her up. "He’s a little short, only 172cm."
"Only a bit over 1.7 meters? That’s really not tall."
"Is he good-looking?"
"A bit like Liang Chaowei, very charismatic." Xia Yi said, reminiscing. "The kind of guy that women on the street will occasionally turn around to stare at."
The value of "Sturdy Man" was still increasing.
Xia Yi was telling the truth.
The rate at which people turned to look at Zhang Zhe on the street was about the same as hers; they just attracted different kinds of gazes.
"He’s that handsome?" Mother Xia mused for a moment. "If he’s really that good-looking, then being a little short doesn’t matter."
"Mom, how can you be so fickle?"
"Women are fickle by nature." Mother Xia chuckled. "Being tall isn’t all that useful. You look up and all you see are his nostrils. It’s better to be handsome. Your dad was quite handsome when he was young, like the Fifth Prince from *My Fair Princess*."
"Huh?" Xia Yi was so surprised she forgot about the pear in her hand.
’The Fifth Prince? Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?’
Her mother, standing nearby, didn’t realize how impactful her words were and was still urging her, "Go change that list of requirements I gave you. You can change the height to 170cm and up, on the condition that he’s handsome."
"Does someone like Liu Ye count as handsome?"
"He does! Yiyi, just how many guys have you been on dates with? First Liang Chaowei, now Liu Ye."
"Just one, just one. I was just asking." Xia Yi suddenly smiled as she spoke, a glint flashing in her eyes.
"Oh, right, where did you two have your date today?"
"That really expensive Japanese restaurant next to the Wanda Plaza. The one Dad used to forbid me from going to because he said the seafood might be radioactive."
"That one? It’s not cheap there. Seems like the guy is quite sincere." Mother Xia nodded. "You didn’t go crazy ordering, did you? You’re not allowed to treat the young man like a walking wallet."
"No, no."
"Mm, that’s good. Remember to treat him next time you meet so he doesn’t look down on you."
"I know."
"I figured you did." Now certain that her daughter was going to continue seeing him, Mother Xia could finally relax after a day of worrying.
...
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhe was getting an even better reception than Xia Yi.
Hearing he had gone on a blind date, his aunt, who had married into a family in the next city over, had come to "help vet" the girl for her nephew, Zhang Zhe.
Now it was a "joint interrogation."
But his aunt had come a bit early; they weren’t at the "meet the parents" stage yet.
"Zhe, are you saying you two had a 4,000-plus yuan Japanese meal today, and the girl paid?" His aunt nearly jumped up when she heard this. "Why?"
"Probably because I’m handsome," Zhang Zhe said, not bothering to explain further.
He could tell his aunt’s question was just her venting. His cousin had probably done something outrageous again.
"You’re handsome? ...Well, you do look a bit fresher than before."
"What the hell? How is it that you’re better looking at 30 than you were in your early twenties?"
"It’s because our house has good feng shui. A good house nurtures people," Mrs. Zhang chimed in mischievously. "Not only has Zhang Zhe gotten better-looking, but my back doesn’t hurt anymore, and your brother’s rheumatism hasn’t acted up either."
"If you ask me, you guys should just move to Qing City, too."
"Oh, stop it, Sister-in-law." His aunt waved her hand dismissively, her eyes still fixed on Zhang Zhe. "You didn’t find yourself a sugar mama, did you? Is she going to keep you?"
"Ah, Zhe, your cousin is still single, you know. He’s spent over ten thousand yuan just treating girls on dates, and I still haven’t even met one of them."
"If you really have a connection, can you help me ask if that sugar mama has any sisters she could introduce? If not, her daughter would work, too!"