Chapter 129: You Suffered a Great Loss

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: You Suffered a Great Loss

"Aunt, this is fine." The teacher, Fang Qianqian, nodded as soon as she heard Zhang Zhe’s explanation. "His plan sounds pretty reliable."

"It’s basically 99 for one consultation." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"But other places offer free consultations," the aunt retorted. "He charges you just to fill out a form here."

"Although, his other services are pretty cheap."

"No problem, you two can take your time to consider it." Zhang Zhe casually pulled out his phone, not looking the least bit hurried.

Many matchmaking agencies offered free consultations. It was just like Tencent’s games—free to play, but if you wanted to enhance your experience, you had to pay for a membership.

The matchmaking industry took things to a greater extreme. More often than not, the rule was simple: if you wanted to find a partner, you had to pay.

The more personalized the service, the more expensive it got.

Zhang Zhe had considered doing the same, but he was too short on clients at the moment. He had plenty from online, but very few were local to Qing City. After careful consideration, he decided to stick with his current pricing plan.

’Build up the database first, and then we’ll see.’

’As for the 99 consultation fee, it could serve as a threshold to filter out clients who weren’t that serious about marriage.’

"No need to consider it any further. I’ll pay." Fang Qianqian didn’t hesitate. She had used other matchmaking agencies before, so she knew Zhang Zhe’s fee was very reasonable.

After scanning the code to pay, she started filling out the form on her own.

Meanwhile, the aunt wasn’t just standing idly by. She started bossing her around from the side:

"Just add a little to your height. Girls wear high heels, anyway."

"Add another 50,000 to your income. Your father is about to get his pension."

"How could a potential match not own a house? No, he absolutely must own a house."

"..."

At first, Zhang Zhe wanted to laugh as he listened, but soon he started to feel bad for the teacher. ’So this is the real pressure a thirty-year-old woman faces to get married? It’s pretty terrifying.’

"Ma’am, please let her fill it out herself." Zhang Zhe handed the aunt a newspaper. "You can read the news. Or just tear it up for fun, that’s fine too."

"Huh?" The aunt looked baffled.

"Don’t keep interfering."

"The process of her filling out the form is also an opportunity for self-reflection."

Zhang Zhe explained in a very professional tone, "If you’re over there telling her to add to her height, and then the guy meets her in person and finds out it’s not right, he’s definitely going to think she’s dishonest."

"And her reputation will be ruined."

"That makes sense." The aunt nodded. "In that case, just put down the real information. Don’t go making things up."

"I wasn’t writing anything fake in the first place," the teacher mumbled under her breath.

Soon, she had filled out the entire form.

Zhang Zhe took the form and glanced over it. ’Nice handwriting,’ he thought. ’Just what you’d expect from a teacher.’

Then he looked at her profile...

Born in 1995, height 5’5", weight 105 lbs. Her physical stats were excellent. You could tell just by looking at her; the woman had kept herself in great shape.

’She was the type who had it all.’

A bachelor’s degree in education from a Project 211 university. Among teachers in Qing City, that was considered a high level of education. If she pursued a master’s degree part-time, she would have even more room for promotion at her school.

Her family background was a bit lacking. Her father was a regular employee at a township enterprise, her mother was a farmer, and she had a younger brother still in college.

A woman from a rural family with a younger brother usually has a hard time finding a partner.

However, being a junior high teacher in the city was a huge plus. She had a good chance of finding a local man—an only son with his own car and apartment.

It was hard for female teachers in small towns to find a partner because they were at the ceiling of the local dating market. If they couldn’t "date down," they would remain single. And because of the high social standing of the teaching profession, it was inherently difficult for them to do so.

But in a major city or the provincial capital, it was a completely different story.

Teachers in public schools were only in the second or third tier of the marriage market. Many single young men at the lower end of the first tier would look downward, making female teachers a perfect match.

’For this woman to have remained single until she was thirty... that was a feat in itself.’

"Miss Fang, are you currently in a relationship?" Zhang Zhe frowned as he looked at the "Relationship Status" field on her form. It said, "In a relationship." He was a bit confused. "Are you here for matchmaking behind your boyfriend’s back?"

"That’s not something we encourage."

"There’s basically no chance of my boyfriend and I getting married." A pained look crossed Fang Qianqian’s face, and she seemed distressed.

"Tell me about it."

"This information is very important."

"Well, here’s what happened. I met my current boyfriend at work. You could say it was love at first sight; we were both very happy with each other."

Zhang Zhe couldn’t help but smile when he heard "love at first sight."

’Love at first sight during your school days might actually be the kind you see in movies—it has nothing to do with looks or money. It happens just because I bounced a basketball off your head and you looked so captivating when you cried.’

’But when a thirty-year-old woman said it, it sounded more like lust at first sight.’

’The guy was probably good-looking. Or maybe he was average-looking, but wore a Rolex.’

"After we’d been together for a while, I slowly realized his family background was far, far better than mine. He was in a social class completely beyond my reach."

"His family’s connections are almost all in the provincial capital; he just came to Qing City to start his own career."

"We’ve been together for over two years, and I’ve been wanting to take the next step—to get married, you know—but he doesn’t seem very interested."

"But whenever I bring up breaking up, he refuses."

"So for now, we’re just... staying together. But without any plans for marriage."

"Qianqian, why didn’t you ever tell me about this?" The aunt, who had been listening on the side, looked ready to jump out of her skin. "You have a boyfriend? And you’ve been together for two years?"

"Then he needs to take responsibility!"

"Have you two slept together? If you have, he can’t just refuse to marry you and expect to get away with it! If he dares not to marry you, we’ll go to his office and raise hell!"

"Aunt, please stay out of this," Fang Qianqian said, her voice strained.

"How can I stay out of it? Your father told me that I had to..."

"Ma’am, please calm down," Zhang Zhe cut in. "And forget about causing a scene. Your niece is a teacher. If she goes and does that, what about her job?"

"That’s true..." The aunt nodded and slumped back into her seat, looking dejected.

The aunt knew full well how difficult it was for a rural family to raise a daughter to become a teacher in the city.

She had just gotten carried away in the heat of the moment.

"Ms. Fang, let’s continue."

"Forgive me for asking, but during your two-year relationship, did the man provide you with any financial assistance or help with your career?"

"For instance, did he buy you gold jewelry, or pull some strings for you?"

"If he did, well... how do I put this... sometimes it’s best not to bring emotions into what is essentially a transactional relationship."

"No, that’s not it." Fang Qianqian shook her head. "I’m not a gold digger. I’ll admit, after I found out how well-off his background was, I was a little tempted by his family’s circumstances."

"But we started out as a normal couple. I’ve never asked him for money. In more than two years together, the most expensive gift he’s ever given me was a Swarovski necklace."

"Look, it’s this one I’m wearing."

"..." Zhang Zhe knew those imitation crystal necklaces only cost around a thousand yuan on the market. "Miss, I think you may have gotten a raw deal."