Chapter 241 - 239: Looking for a Leader’s Son

Chapter 241: Chapter 239: Looking for a Leader’s Son

"Can I ask my question first? If I can’t explain it clearly, can you help me pinpoint the issue then?"

"No problem." Zhang Zhe nodded. "Paying users get two services."

"Go ahead, what’s your question?"

"Okay, thank you, Brother Zhang." The guy on the call coughed lightly and said, "It’s like this. I’m a doctor at a city-level public hospital."

"My problem right now is, I have a bit of a low libido."

"Bro, are you a gynecologist?" Zhang Zhe asked curiously.

He’d heard that some doctors lose interest in the physical side of things after seeing so much of it at work. While it didn’t happen to many, it was understandable.

However, this wasn’t the case for this guy.

"I’m not in gynecology, I’m in the ER."

"I think it might be because I’m too busy."

"Right now, I have to work six to six-and-a-half days a week. I feel so, so tired every day, and I just don’t have the energy for a lot of things."

"No way..." Zhang Zhe frowned.

He had a friend once who worked for a month straight. The moment he got his paycheck, without a minute’s rest, he immediately hailed a cab to go get a foot massage, without a single thought about whether he might drop dead from exhaustion.

When it came to desire, it usually exploded in an instant after being suppressed to its absolute limit; it rarely vanished completely from suppression.

"How old are you, man?"

"I was born in ’98."

"You’re even younger than me?" Zhang Zhe was incredulous. "I thought you were already 40."

[I’m 41 and I don’t have a low libido]

[Brother Zhang is looking down on us 40-year-olds]

[He’s either got a physical problem or has gone through some kind of psychological trauma]

[Losing interest at only 27? That’s tragic. At his age, I was trying to figure out how to ’connect’ every day.]

"Bro, do you think you might have a psychological issue?"

"Haven’t you asked for help from another hospital?"

"Not yet." The guy explained, "I’m not actually trying to ask about that problem. It’s just that people are trying to set me up on blind dates, and I wanted to ask how I should choose."

"Choose one who doesn’t mind your low libido?" Zhang Zhe thought for a moment, then shook his head. "That’s a bit hard to screen for. You’d have to ask them one by one. You can’t tell just by observing."

"Brother Zhang, you’ve misunderstood me."

"I mean, I have a hard time getting interested in the opposite sex. It’s not that I’m... physically incapable. I’ve actually been in a few relationships before."

"Oh, so you’re just mentally and physically exhausted, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that’s exactly what I mean."

"So now..." the guy explained, "because I’m at that age, people around me have introduced me to a lot of potential partners. They’re basically all teachers."

"My experience on dates with them has been a bit poor."

"To be honest, I have certain standards when it comes to a woman’s looks, but I can’t really accept it if she’s too willful."

"As for material things, I don’t have any major demands."

"But because my work is so busy, I don’t really feel motivated to get married..."

Zhang Zhe nodded as he listened, writing down what the guy was saying on a whiteboard.

He was all over the place, saying whatever came to mind.

The impression he gave was that he was so tired, he hadn’t had the chance to sit down and think these things through clearly.

’This might be one of the reasons why the marriage rate is getting lower and lower these days.’

’Everyone is too tired from work. Even when they consider their personal lives, it’s just fragmented thoughts like this guy’s, without any deep, clear consideration.’

’The result is: every blind date makes them feel it’s not a good match, and they become more and more convinced that they’re not suited for marriage.’

After the guy finished speaking, Zhang Zhe helped him organize his thoughts:

"Basically, you’re a bit hung up on looks. You’re willing to lower your material expectations to find a wife who is good-looking and also understands your work."

"For that... you should definitely prioritize looking for someone in the same profession."

"Right, I’ve thought of that too." The guy was on the same wavelength as Zhang Zhe. "I was also thinking I should find a doctor or a nurse."

"But my parents think that if both people are busy at the hospital, then when you form a family, it won’t even feel like a home."

"What’s their line of thinking?" Zhang Zhe didn’t object to what the man’s parents said, because there was indeed some truth to it.

’For a dual-income family where both spouses were the type who were too busy to be home, things could still work out well if their interests were tightly bound.’

’But once the gap in income and contribution to the family becomes too large, it can easily lead to irreconcilable conflicts.’

’The most direct example is:’

’If they’re at the same workplace, and the wife gets promoted to a leadership position while the husband becomes her subordinate, the entire dynamic within the family has to be restructured.’

’Even without that risk, the question of who would take care of the kids if they had any is also a problem.’

"Do your parents want you to find someone who’s family-oriented?"

"They..." The guy paused for a moment, then said, a little embarrassed, "They want me to find the daughter of a leader."

[That could actually work]

[It seems doctors really can marry up, since they can help take care of their father-in-law and mother-in-law’s health]

[His personal qualifications must be really good, otherwise his parents wouldn’t have the confidence to suggest that]

[If he wants to climb the social ladder, that’s definitely a way to do it]

In the marriage and relationship data that Zhang Zhe had, doctors were indeed considered a profession where it was relatively easy to marry up.

Although male doctors had the classic "three romances"—with a classmate, a pharmaceutical rep, and a female student—if one wanted to get ahead, it wasn’t too difficult to rely on one’s ability and social connections to find a rich or powerful father-in-law.

"A leader’s daughter? Not many of them are pretty."

"Bro, you’re hung up on looks, and you have a low libido. I’m afraid if you marry an ugly daughter of a leader, for the rest of your life, all you’ll have is work."

"I’m actually fine with that." The guy said, somewhat unconcerned. "Work is all I have right now anyway. I feel like the meaning of my existence every day is just to work for my department head."

"Marrying a leader’s daughter would just be like working another shift for my wife after I get off work. It doesn’t matter."

"..." Zhang Zhe was momentarily speechless.

’This guy sees things pretty clearly, but he’s just a bit pessimistic. He has this sense of numbness from being overworked.’

"Bro, in your situation, I’d actually suggest you go out and date more."

"To put it in a slightly superstitious way: you need to ’wash away the bad luck with a happy event.’"

"Really, it’s just about bringing some change into your life. Otherwise, you’re so listless. You’re only 27 and you’re already like this. I can’t even imagine what you’ll be like in your thirties."

Zhang Zhe’s advice was very sincere. Considering what was best for the guy, if he went straight into an arranged marriage now, it would probably be very difficult for him to have a happy marriage.

Adjusting his current state of mind was the most important thing.

But the guy’s answer was completely unexpected:

"Dating... I have thought about it."

"But it’s a bit strange. The people pursuing me right now... are all men."

"Huh?" Zhang Zhe and Xia Yi’s mouths dropped open in surprise at the same time.

The livestream’s comment section instantly exploded.

"Bro, are you actually into other bros?"

"No, no, my sexual orientation is normal. I’ve only ever dated women before. But it’s just so weird, guys are always hitting on me."

"Uh... Do you have a beard?"

"No, no, Brother Zhang, don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t wear white socks, I don’t have a beard, and I don’t have a buzz cut."

"But I do quite enjoy watching ’Nantong’ videos."

"I think those videos of them pole dancing are really well done..."

"Anyway, it’s just... they have this kind of energy that you just don’t find in women."

[???]

[I checked his IP, it’s not from Chengdu either]

[To be fair, I also think they dance really well]

[So there are this many gay guys in the stream, huh. That’s a relief.]

[This bro is here fishing for a partner, isn’t he?]

"I get what you mean." Brother Zhang said, holding back a laugh. "They have this seductive charm that little girls just can’t compare to, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, you think so too, Brother Zhang?"

"The hell I do! I was talking about Jiale, you’re talking about ’Nantong’."

Thankfully, Zhang Zhe quickly patched things up, otherwise Xia Yi next to him would have started to doubt his orientation.

"Bro, one of the comments in the chat hit the nail on the head."

"You got it wrong. You should be looking for a leader’s son."