Chapter 135: Merit

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Merit

"You work for the state grid. Your environment is very stable. Your colleagues, your parents, and your close friends can all provide you with emotional value."

"They can satisfy many of your emotional and psychological needs."

"But if you marry this guy, he’s far from his parents, all alone in Lin’an. His entire emotional needs will fall on you and your children."

"You can’t count on his colleagues at the company. It’s a win if they don’t add to his problems. Maybe he finally finds a lunch buddy, and then that person resigns..."

[Don’t say it, don’t say it, I’m begging you, stop!]

[BOOHOO... this poor guy is crying his eyes out.]

[A man can also get his emotional value from fishing or gaming, but it’s even better if it comes from his wife.]

[My husband is a programmer, and he really does have emotional breakdowns sometimes.]

[The main thing is whether you’re the type to provide that emotional value, sis.]

"What the Teacher said is exactly what I’ve been trying to say." The man spoke up before the woman after listening. "I’ve told you this before. The gap between us will only become more obvious as we get older."

After hearing what Zhang Zhe and the man said, the woman clearly calmed down and thought it over carefully.

When she spoke again, her anger had cooled somewhat:

"Okay, I get it."

"So basically, we’re just not suited for marriage."

"That’s right," Zhang Zhe nodded.

"It’s mainly my problem," the man added. "If this were a formal blind date, our circumstances wouldn’t match at all. A Matchmaker would never have introduced us."

"Teacher, can you help analyze my situation now?"

"And help her with an analysis later, too."

"Bro, the kind of partner you should choose depends on whether you plan to stay in Lin’an, go back to your hometown, or move to your home province’s capital city to build your career."

"As for the specifics... maybe we should skip it?"

"I feel like if this young lady hears a profile of your future partner, she’s really going to lose it."

Zhang Zhe felt a bit of sympathy for both of them.

If they hadn’t come to him for an analysis, they might have muddled their way into marriage and muddled through life together. Of course, there would have been no shortage of friction.

They might have gotten married, then divorced, dragging it out for half a lifetime.

That’s how it always goes for the Phoenix Men in TV dramas, anyway.

But they just had to come here.

Both of them were a little emotional, but not overly so; rational, but not completely. That’s why things had gotten so awkward.

"Alright, I understand what you mean, Teacher."

"So, I’ll head back first?" the man asked from the side.

"Yeah, you can go," the woman replied. "I still have a question for the Teacher."

"Alrighty. Goodbye, Teacher."

"Goodbye. Feel free to come back if you have more questions in the future." Zhang Zhe smiled and waved at the camera.

’He was always happy to welcome returning customers, because repeat visitors usually caused him less mental anguish.’

Once the man was completely gone, the woman quickly spoke up:

"Teacher, he’s gone now. Can you tell me the truth? Did you two plan this?"

"Because he’s the one who told me to connect with the Matchmaker."

"Did he conspire with you to find an excuse to break up with me?"

[Sis, you’ve been reading too many novels, haven’t you?]

[Don’t worry, Brother Zhang isn’t that kind of person.]

[To be honest, if the money’s right, I really think the host would do something like that.]

[Brother Zhang, why don’t you just admit it? She seems a little obsessed.]

’Maybe I should just bite the bullet and admit it was scripted,’ Zhang Zhe actually considered.

But in the end, he gave up the idea. ’My reputation has to be protected.’

"Sis, look at my honest face. Do I look like someone who would play those kinds of dirty tricks on you? That’s a little insulting."

"Okay, I believe you, Teacher."

"Then let me ask one last question."

"I think my boyfriend—well, my ex-boyfriend now, probably—is already outstanding. If even he isn’t a match for me, or as you say, he isn’t good enough for me..."

"Doesn’t that mean that a guy from a poor family, who works hard to get a high income, still isn’t worthy of marrying a girl from a well-off family?"

"Then why do so many streamers tell guys to grind so hard in their careers?"

"Wouldn’t it be better to just get reincarnated?"

"Getting reincarnated is even riskier," Zhang Zhe analyzed seriously. "Even if you know some rich people and manage to get reincarnated right when they’re trying for a baby, you’re still most likely to end up in India or Africa."

[You could also end up reincarnated as Zhu Bajie.]

[I actually know a second-gen rich kid, worth billions, who’s trying for a baby. Any bros interested?]

[See? It’s really hard to be a man.]

[Actually, it’s because being a programmer is too unstable. If he passed the civil service exam, it might be better.]

[For a kid from the countryside, becoming a programmer is already the optimal solution.]

[Wanting to surpass the accumulated wealth of several generations through one person’s efforts... being a P7 at Ali is far from enough.]

"If he’s not good enough for you, it means he hasn’t worked hard enough. If he were a Class A or Class B talent in Lin’an, wouldn’t he be qualified then?"

Zhang Zhe had seen the local talent classification program.

All it takes is a Nobel Prize, or a Pritzker Prize, or being an academician of the two academies, and you can be classified as a Class A talent.

"Honestly, miss, just let that poor guy go."

"Look how humble he is in front of you. He came on the stream and spent the whole time talking about his own shortcomings. You can just imagine how much he’s struggling internally."

"You’ve only just started dating. When it comes time for an engagement—the betrothal gift, the ’three golds,’ the wedding, all of it piling up at once—he’s all alone in Lin’an. He might not be able to handle it."

"And that’s not even counting your parents giving him a hard time, your relatives’ judgment, or the gossip from your colleagues and friends. If you don’t believe me, just look at the bullet comments and see what everyone is saying."

The bullet comments in the stream were now almost all advising them to break up.

No one was actually trying to cause trouble. The couple’s situation was just clearly unsuitable. The man had too little self-esteem, and the woman wasn’t resolute enough. Cutting their losses now was better for both of them.

The sheer number of bullet comments accusing him of being a predator out to steal the family inheritance showed just how much pressure a self-respecting man from the countryside faces when trying to marry up into a rich family’s only daughter.

Phoenix Man, Chen Shimei, vampire...

He hadn’t even done anything, yet people had already slapped him with every bad label in the book.

It’s similar to the term "gold digger." A girl who isn’t actually a gold digger usually can’t stand being called one.

...

After the woman disconnected from the call, Zhang Zhe suddenly felt a sense of "Karma -1."

It was as if he had broken up a couple who genuinely admired each other.

But luckily, the man’s attitude gave Zhang Zhe a bit of confidence, assuring him that he had done the right thing.

"To all the ladies in the stream, if you have a boyfriend and still want to come on the call, you’d better do what the last girl did and bring your boyfriend with you."

"Let’s get everything out in the open. No one should hide anything from anyone."

"Otherwise, I might start to doubt your character."

[Teacher, my boyfriend said it’s okay for me to come on and ask. Is that alright?]

"’Milk-Cookie-Chocolate,’ that girl. Come on, get on the call."

Zhang Zhe’s interest was immediately piqued when he saw the comment.

’What kind of man wouldn’t mind his girlfriend keeping her options open while still with him?’

’It couldn’t be some kind of special fetish, could it?’

"Sis, the moment you sent that comment, I knew you must be a really interesting person."