Zhang Zhe looked at the bullet comments and considered his own life experience.
He asked the man a question: "When you two were dating, including when you were intimate, who was the one in charge?"
"Her," the man answered quickly. "I’m kind of like the girl in the relationship."
"And she’s like the guy, right?" Zhang Zhe continued to ask.
"That’s right."
"Okay, so after you broke up, was there still any financial exchange between you?"
"Teacher, are you asking if I’m still spending money on her?"
"Yes, that’s more or less what I mean." Zhang Zhe didn’t phrase it that way because he suspected it was also possible the woman was spending money on the man.
After all, hadn’t the man just said he was like the girl in the relationship?
"No, nothing like that. In fact, when we were dating, she was the one who spent more money."
"Okay, then I understand completely."
Zhang Zhe thought for a moment, then pulled the whiteboard from behind him.
He scribbled a few large words on it: "Fourth-Type Love."
This was the man’s current situation.
"Brother, don’t you feel like your relationships are different from other guys’? In an intimate relationship, you and the woman have swapped roles."
"I have felt that a little," the man agreed with Zhang Zhe’s assessment.
"Then this is it." Zhang Zhe tapped the whiteboard and said, "This is ’Fourth-Type Love.’"
[Yo, Brother Zhang even knows about Siai!]
[What kinda bullshit love is that.]
[Now that you put it that way, I get it. I totally get it.]
[I’ve heard of this. My bestie is like this. She said she’s always wanted to f**k her boyfriend.]
[Such a niche circle, such a niche term.]
"’Fourth-Type Love,’ or Siai for short. The first three types are heterosexual, gay, and lesbian. The second and third types are already considered niche, so the fourth is naturally even more so."
"Let me put it this way: Sister Yu and Old Kua from the short videos are a pretty good example of this kind of situation."
Zhang Zhe only gave a simple explanation to the viewers.
There was no need to go into detail; anyone could figure it out with a little thought.
"Fourth-Type Love" actually exists widely in real life, but in earlier years, no one paid it any attention, simply equating it with a man being ’henpecked.’
In reality, in this type of relationship, the man and woman have completely swapped places. It can even lead to situations where the man is the submissive partner, and most importantly:
It’s a matter of orientation.
One’s orientation doesn’t change just because they break up with a particular boyfriend or girlfriend.
"This should help you understand this brother’s situation with his girlfriend."
"The men in the stream can think about this: your ex-girlfriend was very difficult, and she broke up with you, but then she says she misses you and wants to see you."
"Plenty of you probably wouldn’t refuse, right?"
[Damn, so that’s what it was. My ex was just like that. She always wanted to buy a plastic rod and use it on me.]
[The internet really is something else. I could’ve wracked my brain and never thought of this.]
[This counts as a kink, right? Probably a really hidden one.]
[Even with the genders swapped, I still don’t get it. Would a handsome guy go for an ugly girl?]
[As a handsome guy myself, I’m telling you, they do. Ugly girls have their own advantages.]
"You all really shouldn’t think this guy is ugly," Zhang Zhe offered a different perspective. "You aren’t his ex-girlfriend, so you wouldn’t get it."
"This sort of thing is like a round face with a full beard and glasses, or like a calico cat in the cat world. If you’re not the one involved, you just won’t understand the appeal."
"Of course, if anyone in the chat can actually appreciate this guy’s looks, I suggest you get your own orientation checked."
"So my ex-girlfriend and I are actually a good match, right?" The man sounded unwilling to give up. "I feel like she’s really suited for me."
"Then why don’t you try to win her back?"
"Didn’t you say you broke up because you were being difficult? Well, you can stop being difficult. Make her a promise when you see her next," Zhang Zhe suggested.
"Will that be enough?"
"I can’t make any guarantees." Zhang Zhe shook his head. "I’m a Matchmaker, not a master relationship counselor. I can’t give you any mind-blowing ideas."
"But from a marriage and relationship perspective, I suggest you try to win her back."
"You’re basically part of a sexual minority. If you find a suitable partner, you need to cherish them, because on the marriage market, you’re in a category that almost no one is looking for."
"In a way, being a sexual minority is also your advantage."
[Brother Zhang hit the nail on the head. If this guy went on blind dates, no woman would be into him.]
[Low income, normal family, ugly looks... this guy really can only get married through dating.]
[I’m curious, at the wedding, will he be the one wearing the veil?]
[The fact that this ’Fourth-Type’ relationship the streamer is talking about can lead to a normal marriage is the wildest part.]
[Alright, I’m coming out with it. I’m looking for a dominant girlfriend. DM me if interested.]
[I actually like submissive guys too. I fantasize about being a super-dominant top every day.]
"I get it. Teacher, you mean that if I start looking again, I’ll definitely never find someone like my ex, right?"
"Correct. It’s practically 100%," Zhang Zhe said with certainty.
’She’s a Xiaolin Qingxia in my book,’ he thought. ’For a girl like that to be into him... it’s a one-in-ten-million chance at best.’
In the concept of relationships, marriage is the surface, while love is the core.
This guy was suited to pursuing the core first. As for the surface stuff, he was still young, so there was no rush.
"If you can’t win her back, you’ll probably have to use the internet and search slowly. There are a lot of creeps online, so be discerning. Be careful you don’t get tricked by a man pretending to be a woman."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher." The man’s tone was clearly much more spirited than when he first called in.
It was obvious he had been confused about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend before.
Now, everything felt crystal clear.
After the call ended, no one else was joining, so Zhang Zhe idly scrolled through his private messages in the background. One from a woman was very interesting. She said she wanted to call in because her family was demanding a 1.5 million bride price.
’There are masters like this out there?’
Zhang Zhe immediately replied to her: "Come on, hurry up and join."
About three minutes later, he received the call request from the young woman.
"Hello, Teacher."
"I can’t believe I didn’t get the notification that you went live. I definitely have notifications on. I almost missed it."
"It’s alright, it’s alright. I saw your private message." Zhang Zhe took the opportunity to address the viewers in his stream: "If anyone wants to call in but it’s not a good time right now, you can also send me a private message. Just explain your situation briefly and to the point."
"If your reason is interesting, I’ll definitely get in touch with you."
"Like this young lady here. Her reason for calling in is that her family is demanding a 1.5 million bride price."
[Whoa! If you got shipped to Northern Myanmar and sold for parts, you’d probably fetch about that much, right?]
[Could you please tell us which province you’re from, thanks.]
[Damn, when you put it like that, my 280,000 bride price doesn’t seem so high anymore.]
"Teacher, I need to explain," the woman said, clearing her throat. "I was being a bit of a clickbaiter. They are asking for a 1.5 million bride price, but my family will give back double that in dowry."
"This is the custom here in Wenzhou. Whatever the groom’s family gives as a bride price, the bride’s family gives back double."