Chapter 107: The Men’s Offline Meetup

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: The Men’s Offline Meetup

After the stream, Zhang Zhe subconsciously opened his WeChat to find several messages Xia Yi had sent him half an hour ago:

"Zhang Zhe, something hilarious happened to me today."

"My kindergarten’s principal wanted to introduce his nephew to me. He just brought the guy over directly. Of course, I said no. I told him I was already in the process of being set up with you."

"And then, the principal’s nephew immediately told the principal that he wasn’t interested in me in the first place, and that he was interested in a girl from the office next to the principal’s."

"But that girl is the one the principal himself is currently pursuing."

"Hahaha, the principal’s face turned green."

Zhang Zhe couldn’t help but laugh after reading it. He quickly replied with a straight face: "Is that funny? All I see is a despairing principal."

Xia Yi replied in seconds: "Haha, he probably is pretty desperate."

"By the way, Zhang Zhe, are you off work?"

"Yeah, I just got off."

"That’s great. I’m jealous. I’m on duty today, so I have to stay with the kids until 7 p.m."

"Same here, pretty much. I have to go have dinner with a bunch of older guys and give them marriage counseling."

Since she was sharing a part of her life with him, Zhang Zhe naturally did the same.

"Are they your clients?" Xia Yi asked, quite curious.

"You could say that. To be precise, I’m preparing for the future. They will be clients of my future marriage agency."

"Oh, so this is basically your marriage agency’s first day in business." Xia Yi was quite invested in Zhang Zhe’s affairs, mainly because she had no real-world experience in this area and found it fascinating. "Are you going to hand out flyers?"

"I’ve seen marriage agencies hand out flyers when they hold these kinds of offline events."

"And someone would be talking through a portable megaphone."

"Are you going to do that?"

Zhang Zhe pictured the scene Xia Yi described.

’Me, standing up there speaking into a white portable megaphone, with a crowd of middle-aged men sitting below, all looking at the flyers I’d handed out...’

If a passerby saw that scene and called the police, the cops would probably show up in a second, no hesitation.

A group of middle-aged women gathered together might be for a promotional event or to do square dancing. But when a group of middle-aged men gathers, things aren’t necessarily so simple.

However, what Xia Yi said about the flyers really served as a good reminder.

’I really should give everyone some promotional materials to look at.’

’The content of the flyers isn’t important; having the flyers themselves is what matters.’

Zhang Zhe had been so focused on building his personal brand that he’d almost forgotten that if he really wanted to systematically take on business, he had to go through a marriage agency. It was more official and would help him avoid a lot of risks.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhe quickly apologized to Xia Yi.

"I have to go design a flyer. I hope there’s still enough time."

"I really owe you one for this. Otherwise, the promotional effect of tonight’s event might not have been as good."

"You’re being too polite. Go on, go."

After replying, Xia Yi also sent two "You can do it!" stickers.

Zhang Zhe suddenly felt a warmth spread through him.

The last time a girl had cheered him on was back during his high school sports meet. One of the girls from his class had used the broadcast system to wish luck to the athletic heroes from Class 08 of the third year who were participating in the 800-meter race. Zhang Zhe happened to be in that event.

...

While looking online for a freelance graphic designer to make the flyer, Zhang Zhe also settled on a name for his marriage agency.

He’d call it "Mei Man Marriage Agency."

He had originally wanted to call it the Perfect Marriage Agency, but after some thought, it felt too over-the-top.

Zhang Zhe himself was still striving for a perfect marriage, so helping his clients achieve a happy and fulfilling one would already be quite an accomplishment.

For the rest of the design, there were ready-made templates online. Since time was tight, Zhang Zhe picked one labeled "Most Popular" and sent it off to be made.

That evening, Zhang Zhe arrived right on time at the designated seafood barbecue restaurant, holding a stack of flyers.

When he arrived, the restaurant was already packed.

But a table in the very back was almost empty, with only Old Bai sitting there by himself.

Seeing Zhang Zhe, Old Bai immediately stood up on his stool and clapped his hands:

"Everyone, quiet down for a moment."

"The guest of honor for our gathering tonight has arrived!"

WHOOSH. All thirty-something people present turned to look in the direction Old Bai was pointing.

"Brother Zhang!"

"Brother Zhang, you’re here!"

"Welcome, welcome! Brother Zhang, I’ve been waiting for you to get here."

"Brother Zhang, go on up and take a seat. Boss Bai saved a spot for you."

"It’s me, Young Master Liu! Brother Zhang, we just added each other as friends."

"..."

Almost all the older guys there were older than Zhang Zhe, but every one of them called him "Brother Zhang" with immense familiarity, as if a gang had just met their boss.

Zhang Zhe greeted them one by one.

’These are my patrons, after all. I have to show the proper courtesy.’

’They’re all practically glowing with golden light.’

’The net worth of any one of them is enough for an ordinary person to just lie flat for 500 years.’

’I’d better make a good first impression.’

For those who were too far away to greet face-to-face, Zhang Zhe tried his best to make eye contact for at least half a second.

’At least they’ll remember my face, right?’

Once he made his way through the crowd to Old Bai’s side, the atmosphere immediately became much more comfortable.

"Brother Zhang, your timing is perfect."

"I’ve already ordered the food. You must be starving. I’ll have the owner serve our table first in a bit."

"Here, let me pour you a glass of apple cider vinegar."

"Old Bai, you don’t have to be so formal. I can get it myself." Zhang Zhe was very clear about his role. It was one thing for the client to be polite, but if he started putting on airs, his career as a Matchmaker would be over before it began.

After the pleasantries, Old Bai told Zhang Zhe that it would just be the two of them at this table.

This was to leave an empty seat for the brothers who would come up for consultations later.

For now, Old Bai was acting as Zhang Zhe’s male secretary, helping to maintain order.

Since everything was already arranged, Zhang Zhe didn’t waste any time and quickly began distributing the flyers.

Mei Man Marriage Agency was, for all intents and purposes, having its trial run today.

A trial run attended by so many wealthy bachelors from Qing City... not even the grand opening of the Zhuyin Marriage Agency back in the day had been this big of a spectacle.

Zhang Zhe had really picked a good time to start.

Twenty years ago, without the promotional channels of the internet, he would never have had the chance to play matchmaker for the rich.

Just as everyone had received a flyer and Zhang Zhe was getting back to his seat, before he could even get comfortable, a middle-aged man with rimless glasses and a refined-looking face, but sporting a small potbelly, sat down next to him:

"Brother Zhang, it’s me, Hui Zi!"

"Oh, it’s Brother Hui." Zhang Zhe immediately grew serious. "A pleasure to meet you. I’m glad we finally get to meet in person today."

"Do you have a new matchmaking prospect for me?"

"Not yet, no. But I was hoping you could help me analyze something: whether it’s even possible for me to get married."

Hui Zi gave a somewhat awkward laugh and said:

"This afternoon, a Matchmaker told me I’m a classic mama’s boy. She said a man like me doesn’t deserve a wife and is better off finding another mother."

"About that ’finding another mother’ thing... I asked my dad about it. He said he wouldn’t dare. He’s afraid my mom would kill him."