Chapter 115: Is Something Wrong With Him?

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Is Something Wrong With Him?

’Was Mrs. Xu really that devastated by her family?’

Zhang Zhe really hadn’t expected it. Just moments ago, when he saw her sitting calmly in the matchmaking agency, he had praised her in his heart:

’A true veteran. Let the wind blow and the rain fall, she remains unshakable.’

’Who knew she was hurting so badly.’

Zhang Zhe couldn’t help but sigh. "So, what are the plans for this matchmaking agency?"

"Terminating the lease," Teacher Wang said. "We’re getting half the rent back and have already told the landlord to find a new tenant. We’ll have everything cleared out by the end of the month."

"How about... you don’t move out?"

"This is a great matchmaking agency."

Zhang Zhe pointed to himself and said:

"I was actually planning on opening my own agency. Teacher Xu, why don’t you transfer this one to me?"

"Huh?" Teacher Wang was slightly surprised.

Mrs. Xu’s eyes lit up, her entire demeanor brightening. "Xiaozhang, you’re not joking with this old woman, are you?"

"You’re really going to open your own matchmaking agency?"

"That’s right." Zhang Zhe nodded. "I’m dedicating myself to the matchmaking business from now on. I’ll probably focus more on the online aspect, though."

"So, Teacher Xu, if you’re looking to sell any of this livestreaming equipment, you can just sell it directly to me."

"Yes, yes, of course." Mrs. Xu broke into a wide, happy smile. She hadn’t been this happy in days. "I never thought I’d live to see a newcomer join the trade."

"This is wonderful."

"Livestream matchmaking is a good path. You earn a bit less, but you have fewer headaches. That’s how you build a business that lasts."

"If you really want this agency, don’t bother buying it. I’ll give it to you."

"I must insist on buying it." Zhang Zhe declined Mrs. Xu’s kind offer.

Teacher Wang, ever so perceptive, whispered a few words into her master’s ear, essentially explaining the situation for Zhang Zhe.

It was true that the matchmaking agency was the old lady’s own property.

But in the eyes of her descendants, it was a hot commodity.

If she just gave it away, there’s no telling what kind of trouble would stir up after she was gone.

So not only did a sale have to happen, but they also needed to use a proper agent.

The contract needed to be written down in black and white.

Besides, the items in the shop weren’t worth much anyway. There was no need to save Zhang Zhe such a small amount of money.

The real key was the agency’s social media account.

After Teacher Wang’s reminder, Mrs. Xu understood and nodded repeatedly.

"In that case, we’ll get an agent to appraise the agency. I’ll cover the agent’s commission fee. Every little bit we can save helps."

"As for my Xiaohongshu account, I’ll just transfer it to you for free, Xiaozhang. We can sign the agreement right now."

’A direct transfer?’

Zhang Zhe was indeed tempted to take advantage of the offer.

But when he thought of Mrs. Xu’s granddaughter, and the ambitious daughter-in-law Teacher Wang had mentioned, he refused.

It wasn’t worth it. He didn’t want to spend his future getting dragged into lawsuits by Mrs. Xu’s family.

"Teacher Xu, thank you, but a transfer won’t be necessary."

"We can just modify our previous contract into a three-month operations agreement. Once the time is up, I’ll return the account to you."

"Is three months enough?" Mrs. Xu was genuinely concerned for Zhang Zhe. "How about a year? Take your time."

"It’s fine, three months is plenty."

"A year would still be better."

"..."

"Alright, stop arguing. Listen to me—six months!" Teacher Wang waved her hand, settling the matter with an air of authority.

Six months for Zhang Zhe to operate the account.

No liability, and no pay.

In reality, this was a clear signal for Zhang Zhe to do as he pleased and migrate the traffic from the "Granny Xu the Matchmaker" account.

Mrs. Xu was still in robust health. As long as she didn’t go back on her word, her daughter-in-law and granddaughter couldn’t do a thing about the contract.

The transfer contract for the matchmaking agency was even simpler.

The agent who came to help even admitted that he had never encountered a buyer and seller who were so cooperative.

It was like passing something from your left hand to your right.

In the end, the entire matchmaking agency—everything except for Mrs. Xu’s wheelchair and some personal items—was bundled together with the remaining two years of the lease and sold to Zhang Zhe for a total of 100,000 yuan.

If Zhang Zhe had started his own shop from scratch, the renovations alone would have cost about that much.

Not to mention the rent for such a large storefront at the entrance of a bustling residential complex in the city.

Mrs. Xu even helped him contact a renovation company and the head of the local subdistrict office.

The way she was acting, it was as if she were treating Zhang Zhe as her successor.

And all of this was simply because Zhang Zhe had shown up at the right time and the right place.

If it had been any earlier, before Mrs. Xu had become so disheartened with her family, she never would have sold the agency.

If it had been any later, the place would have probably been rented out to someone selling breakfast.

That evening, as he was about to leave, the old lady shared a few words from the heart with Zhang Zhe:

"Xiaozhang, I’ve been a matchmaker for many years, and there’s one piece of experience I can pass on to you:

Never, ever lie.

It doesn’t matter if the person looking for a match is a man or a woman, rich or poor. Don’t let external factors influence you into helping them lie."

"Actually, before you, I met another very talented young man. He was an even smoother talker than you, and incredibly quick-witted."

"But he took someone’s money and matched a young woman with a mentally ill man. That man tormented her to death."

"The man was mentally ill, so he couldn’t be sentenced to death."

"So the young woman’s father found the matchmaker, went right up to him, and stabbed him right here."

Mrs. Xu reached out and poked Zhang Zhe in the side.

It made the completely unprepared Zhang Zhe jump.

"Hahaha, you..." The old lady laughed like a successful prankster, then waved her hand. "That matchmaker ended up bleeding to death in a stinking ditch."

"Whatever you do, don’t be like him."

"Right." Zhang Zhe nodded with a serious expression. A lesson paid for with a life by a veteran of the trade was one he had to respect.

You couldn’t find stories like that online these days. Anyone who didn’t know better might think acts of revenge like that just don’t happen anymore.

Mrs. Xu’s words served as a wake-up call for Zhang Zhe.

Being a matchmaker was generally safe, but it could also be life-threatening.

...

After taking over the matchmaking agency from Mrs. Xu, Zhang Zhe was constantly busy.

Busy with paperwork, busy with renovations.

If he hadn’t set an alarm, he would have almost forgotten he had a date with Xia Yi.

On Saturday afternoon, they were going to see *Langlang Mountain’s Little Monster* together.

The two had arranged to meet at the entrance to the mall.

Zhang Zhe thought it was going to be a date for two, but to his surprise, Xia Yi had brought a female friend along—a colleague from her kindergarten.

He had no idea what this colleague’s goal was, but she was dressed to kill. A low-cut, black spaghetti-strap top, swaying precariously as she walked, was enough to make one’s heart race.

"Yiyi, this date of yours, why isn’t he looking at my chest? Is there something wrong with him?"

"I don’t know. Maybe you’re dressed too conservatively?"

"You call this conservative? Girl, I’m just helping you test him out, not offering myself up for free."

"Hold on." Xia Yi leaned in and whispered to her colleague, "I didn’t ask you to test him, you invited yourself!"

"Oh, right. I guess I did."

"Then I guess I’ll put my jacket on. That bald guy who just walked by was totally leering at me."

"Oh, right, Yiyi, don’t forget—you were going to have your date analyze my problem for me for free."