Chapter 183 - 181: The Entire Direction Is Wrong
Zhang Zhe had just finished speaking. Before the woman could even react, the bald man shot him a look of utter disbelief.
His expression seemed to say:
’Can you really just say things like that out loud?’
Zhang Zhe shrugged. He was just speaking the truth. ’The standard for a woman trying to land a sugar daddy is, at the very least, to be well-dressed and probably have a face full of plastic surgery, right?’
Given Ms. Tong’s situation, while she had a slight edge in looks compared to the chubby girl from before, she was nowhere near attractive enough to coast on her gender.
If she married a rich man, people would just sigh and say, ’CEO so-and-so is such a practical man. He knows to marry for virtue, not for looks.’
"You’re just a Matchmaker, you can’t speak for everyone," Ms. Tong finally snapped back to her senses, retorting, "I’m the type of person who really cares what other people think. His situation is definitely a no-go."
"Alright, man, you can put your hat back on," Zhang Zhe said with some regret.
’The stock market whiz’s credentials are a pretty good deal. This woman will have a hard time finding someone like him again.’
But you can’t force love. Besides, other male guests were already lining up behind the man. Zhang Zhe wanted to be more efficient; he’d focus on getting Ms. Tong successfully matched first.
"So that’s it? I’m out of the running?" The man seemed unwilling to give up. "Matchmaker, come on, put in a few more good words for me."
"There’s really nothing I can do about this," Zhang Zhe said, shaking his head. "I’m not a magician. I can’t just make your hair grow back, POOF!"
"Then... what am I supposed to do?" the man said with a long sigh. "I know my looks make it hard to find a partner, but I’ve already lowered my standards to kindergarten teachers!"
"What’s wrong with kindergarten teachers?" The woman was instantly triggered by his comment, looking like she was ready to jump up and unleash a tirade at any moment.
"Kindergarten teachers... are great! You’re nurturing the future flowers of our nation. It’s a respectable profession," the man replied hastily.
His survival instinct was kicking into high gear. After all, he was surrounded by a hundred kindergarten teachers; they could drown him in spit.
"But jobs like university professors, women with government jobs, or managers at state-owned enterprises... those are still a bit better than a kindergarten teacher."
"Hmph, as if those women would even give you the time of day," the woman retorted with a pout. "Besides, I don’t think those jobs you mentioned—state-owned enterprises, professors—are necessarily better than ours."
"Are their work environments as safe as ours? Are their work lunches as tasty as ours? Is their..."
"Hold on a minute," Zhang Zhe couldn’t help but interrupt the woman. ’Why is she trying to flex her superiority now?’
"Let the man finish what he was saying. Once he’s done, we can quickly move on to the next person."
"Fine," the woman nodded. "Go ahead, sir."
"I was just trying to say that the women I’ve been matched with before all looked down on me. I can understand that. So I’ve been steadily lowering my standards. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have even bothered coming to a matchmaking event like this."
"Now, if even kindergarten teachers won’t have me, my only options left are nurses or divorcees."
The man looked at Zhang Zhe with a devastated expression and said pitifully:
"Matchmaker, why is it so hard for me to get married?"
"Because you’re going about it all wrong," Zhang Zhe said, a bit exasperated. "The idea of lowering your standards isn’t wrong, but who only lowers their standards for a woman’s profession?"
"Bro, you don’t actually think that women on the dating market today will lower their standards for a partner just because they have a less-than-ideal job, do you?"
"The difference in standards between a university professor and a nurse is most likely because of their different family backgrounds. Second to that would be the difference in their looks, followed by their figures, dating histories, and then their incomes...
"...and only at the very, very end of the list do their social circles and professions come into play."
"There are plenty of attractive nurses whose standards are higher than women with government jobs. How can you just keep lowering your standards based on profession alone?"
[This guy can’t possibly think nurses will lower their standards, can he? The matchmaking corners are full of nurses, and their standards are sky-high.]
[I’ve been on over 50 blind dates. As long as a woman has the looks, even if she’s a freeloader living off her parents, her standards will be high.]
[Bro, you should just sign up for one of Brother Zhang’s classes and actually learn something.]
[Didn’t you hear the girl? She doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with being a kindergarten teacher.]
[These women are just stubborn. If you offered to trade her job for a university professor’s position, she’d pay you to do it.]
Zhang Zhe couldn’t explain it too bluntly; after all, he was surrounded by women.
He really wanted to just tell the man directly:
’Look at everyone here. Is there even a single one who would admit that being a kindergarten teacher is a disadvantage in the dating market?’
’Even if they know it in their hearts, they would never admit it during a matchmaking event.’
’Forget about the actual situation. These people don’t care about that. Out of ten older single women at these events, nine of them ignore reality and just make wishes. Only one is actually unmarriageable because her situation is just that bad.’
"So how should I be searching?" the man asked, confused. "Should I look for a divorced university professor?"
"That’s an option. Go home and think about it. Figure out what the absolute lowest-tier profession you can accept is. From what you’re saying, it’s obvious you don’t actually want to be with a kindergarten teacher or a nurse, so don’t just lower your standards randomly."
"With your income, finding an average-looking woman with a government job who doesn’t have a car or apartment in Qing City shouldn’t be a problem. If you want to get married, the first thing you should think about is lowering your standards for your partner’s family background."
"Find someone from a poor family. For example, a girl from a rural family who isn’t an only child but also doesn’t have a younger brother. That would be the best-case scenario."
[It’s true, girls from the countryside are generally more accepting than city girls.]
[I don’t think a rural girl with a government job would have trouble getting married, right? Isn’t Brother Zhang oversimplifying things?]
[A woman with poor prospects won’t be able to get married anywhere, regardless of whether she has a government job or not.]
[Can we see what the bald bro actually looks like?]
[Brother Zhang is spot-on with his matchmaking advice. This guy is in for a treat.]
"Okay, I get it now." The man, now wearing his hat, nodded, stood up, and shook Zhang Zhe’s hand, his face full of gratitude. "Now that you’ve put it that way, I understand."
"I know what kind of person I should be looking for."
"Mm, good luck. Sir, if you could step aside, there are other men behind you waiting for their turn."
Zhang Zhe was being perfunctory because he had just glanced over at a nearby table where a man and woman were chatting happily. Meanwhile, he hadn’t even made a dent in his own matchmaking task.
「...」
The man standing in line behind the bald guy was handsome, resembling Ming Dao, or maybe Ruan Jingtian. In any case, he had that strong-browed, large-eyed, domineering CEO look.
’His looks rate a 5.’
’A guy with a government job who looks like this has to come to a matchmaking event?’
"Hello, handsome." Ms. Tong, who clearly judged a book by its cover, was suddenly very enthusiastic. She took the initiative and said, "Would you like to exchange information packets and take a look?"
"No need," the man said, shaking his head. "I already looked over your information when the previous gentleman was exchanging his with you."
"I only have one question. If I were to marry you, roughly how much would your family provide as a dowry?"