Chapter 89: Lecture
[Isn’t the host being a little too absolute?]
[So love also has to be between people of equal social standing? That’s a bit too realistic.]
[Stop arguing, some of you in the comments. The host said you only need to consider matchmaking standards for marriage. Who cares when you’re just dating?]
[Damn, that’s way too real.]
[Then why did the host criticize that girl from earlier who was asking for a bride price?]
[The problem with that girl was that she wanted a bride price but insisted on using emotions to blackmail the guy.]
The bullet comments were exploding with fierce debate.
Zhang Zhe suspected that if this were happening offline, some people would be slamming their fists on the table by now.
This was where the advantage of being the host became clear. The moment he spoke, everyone had no choice but to listen:
"It’s not that you can’t believe in love anymore. Love is still beneficial for a marriage. Matchmaking isn’t as simple as pairing an A8 with an A8 or an A9 with an A9. There are upper and lower limits."
"Perhaps in the matchmaking market, this girl is your upper limit, and you are her lower limit."
"But then you two fall in love, madly and deeply."
"In that case, you’ll find it much easier to reach that upper limit."
"I’m not suggesting you go seduce the daughters of rich men. No, why are your minds all in the gutter?"
Zhang Zhe sometimes felt helpless. Why did the bullet comments always have to spell out the truth?
’It ruins the beauty of it when you say it out loud.’
"So if I’m dating with the intention of getting married, I should look for someone whose circumstances are similar to mine?" the girl finally asked a question for herself. This was, in fact, one of her real reasons for calling in.
"If my original family background is poor, does that mean I don’t even deserve to be in a relationship if I’m thinking about marriage?"
"You’re still in college, right? What year are you?" Zhang Zhe didn’t answer right away, asking a question of his own instead.
"A sophomore."
"Nineteen?"
"Yes."
"Look at that, everyone in the comments, take a look. She’s only a sophomore and she’s already thinking about such an important issue. Some of you are almost thirty and still haven’t figured these things out."
[Keep talking, I love it when you personally attack me!]
[Is it possible she’s just mature for her age, and not that we’re immature?]
[No wonder there are fewer and fewer good guys on the matchmaking market. Turns out they’re all getting snatched up by girls like her in college.]
[Is it too late for me to take the self-study exam for a bachelor’s degree?]
"Miss, since you’re a sophomore, I would still suggest you focus on your studies first. At least wait until you’re of legal age to marry before you start thinking about marriage," Zhang Zhe said with a smile.
"But didn’t you say before that women should start early? That it gets harder to find someone as you get older."
"That’s true, but you have to be at least twenty. You haven’t even reached the legal age for marriage yet. A girl in her teens truly has limitless potential." Zhang Zhe was speaking the truth. "You’re in the stage of accumulating capital right now. Don’t be in a rush to cash in."
"Then when is the right time for me to cash in?"
"..." Zhang Zhe was actually stumped by her question.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answer. In fact, the matchmaking market has data showing that women between the ages of 25 and 29 have the highest success rates in matchmaking.
But this girl was so eager, and Zhang Zhe couldn’t help but feel that something was off. She was a little too pragmatic.
Zhang Zhe thought for a moment before replying, "Everyone’s situation is different. If you really want to know, follow my account, [Matchmaking Live Stream Room]. When you’re old enough to get married, come find me for a full consultation."
"How does that sound?"
"Okay." The girl was very cooperative, but she had another idea. "Sir, a lot of girls at my school have the same marriage-related problems as I do. Could you come to our school and give a lecture?"
"I’m from the X University Women’s Association."
"Many of the older female students and even the counselors at our school are confused about marriage and relationships."
"I’d like to invite you..."
"No, no, no." Zhang Zhe knew his own limits. Given his current attitude towards gold diggers, if he went, he’d just be a living target for thrown water bottles and eggs.
[Warning!]
[High-Value Intelligence]
[Your current matchmaking target, Mao Nana, is an informal member of a foreign NGO trained to operate in this country. Her matchmaking attempt with you is a sham; her real goal is to use you to create marriage and relationship panic among other women. Please proceed with caution!
However, this is also a good opportunity for an offline matchmaking event. You can use this chance to come into contact with a large number of highly educated female students on campus who lack relationship experience. Please make your own choice.]
’She’s got bad intentions!’
Zhang Zhe couldn’t help but frown as he read this.
He knew the methods of certain NGOs. Many of the online "feminist" keyboard warriors on Weibo were on their payroll.
’I can’t believe there are people like this in universities now.’
He had always been skeptical of the online claims that university campuses had become breeding grounds for these radical feminists. After all, back when he was in college, the upperclasswomen were intellectual, the underclasswomen were gentle, and everyone got along harmoniously.
’It’s only been a few years. How could the tides have turned so dramatically?’
But now this girl was right in his face, and he had no choice but to believe it.
Fortunately, he had always been cautious while streaming, as if treading on thin ice, so he hadn’t agreed to it directly.
"If you really want to find someone for a lecture, I can recommend a master to you." Zhang Zhe thought for a moment and said, "Go on Douyin and search for a matchmaking blogger named Li Lei."
"Ask him if he’s willing to go."
[Host, stop messing around. Li Lei specializes in tearing down ’leftover women.’]
[Hahaha, the host is such a troll.]
[Li Lei is too extreme. I’d recommend looking for the female lawyer, Lawyer Guo.]
[You don’t have to go through all that trouble. Just search for the ’Matchmaker Kill List’ on Xiaohongshu and go down the rankings from the top.]
"Oh, Douyin, you said?"
"Wait, you’re really going to look him up?" Zhang Zhe was confused. He thought this woman would definitely know who Li Lei was. After all, the man was a top figure on Xiaohongshu’s bounty list.
’This woman is so unprofessional.’
"Yes, didn’t you recommend him, sir?"
"Have you not used Douyin or Xiaohongshu much before?"
"That’s right. I went to high school and university in America. I’m in the country now as an exchange student."
"No wonder you don’t get it." Zhang Zhe nodded. "So, can someone like you even get paid?"
"Huh?" the girl asked, confused. "What money?"
"What I mean is, when you organize this kind of lecture, how much of a budget does the school give you? A Matchmaker of my caliber requires an appearance fee."
"Who would go without an appearance fee?"
"Oh, an appearance fee. I can apply for that," the girl immediately declared. "I don’t know how much I can get, but I’ll apply for the highest amount possible within my authority."
"You’re applying to your school for it?" Zhang Zhe asked softly.
"Yes, we’re a university-level organization."
"Well then, send me a private message after you’ve secured the funding. We have plenty of lecturers on our team."
The girl was making him an empty promise, and Zhang Zhe returned the favor with an empty promise of his own. It was just a matter of who was fooling whom in the end.
If this had been a week ago, Zhang Zhe would have excitedly accepted her invitation. Back then, he was frantically trying to rack up his matchmaking count, and universities were overflowing with single master’s and doctoral students, especially in the engineering labs.
But now, he had to be more selective.
He had to protect his reputation. After all, he was planning to open his own matchmaking agency, so it was better to be cautious.
Besides, he had promised Xia Yi that he would only do matchmaking online and not meet people offline.
[Better not take this kind of gig. The payment is really slow. They could hold your money for half a year.]
[Women’s Association? Why do I get a weird feeling about this organization?]
[Which school is holding the lecture? Can I sit in? It’s not that I want to see the girls, I just mainly want to be educated by the host.]
[Host, is your matchmaking agency still hiring lecturers? I’m kind of interested.]
The bullet comments were full of their usual heckling, which Zhang Zhe was already used to. But one comment from a viewer caught his attention:
[Host, if you’re willing to do a lecture, get in touch with me.]
It was from that locksmith guy. Zhang Zhe remembered his ID clearly: [Thief Saint Bai Yutang].