Chapter 108: To Beat a Boss, Learn to Pull

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: To Beat a Boss, Learn to Pull

"Haha, you’re hilarious, Brother Hui."

"Heh heh heh." Hui Zi chuckled, a bitter edge to his smile. "Anyway, Brother Zhang, you know my situation."

"My dad is a henpecked husband, famous for it all over Qing City."

"And me, well, I guess I’m a mama’s boy."

"Don’t be in such a hurry to label yourself," Zhang Zhe cut in. "Don’t listen to the nonsense from the matchmakers and the women you’ve gone on dates with."

"The moment a woman hears you have an overbearing mother, she slaps the ’mama’s boy’ label on you. That way, she can get on her moral high ground and judge you however she pleases."

"The matchmakers are the same way."

"First, ask yourself this: has your mom arranged everything for you your entire life? Whenever you run into a problem, do you just expect your mom to tell you what to do?"

"Pretty much," Hui Zi said sadly. "I feel like my mom set my entire life path in stone."

"I’ve read online that’s what mama’s boys are like."

"So, is your mom the reason you’re still unmarried at 34?" Zhang Zhe asked with a smile.

"Not exactly. Actually, according to my mom’s plan, I was supposed to marry my childhood sweetheart when I was 23."

"And then?" Zhang Zhe asked, curious. "Why didn’t it happen?"

"Her dad went to prison." Hui Zi’s reply was concise but carried a lot of weight.

"Well, that’ll certainly stop a wedding. What happened after that? Did your mom just stop trying to arrange things for you?"

"Oh, she did, she did. But I only ever wanted to marry my first love," Hui Zi said with a shrug. "Unfortunately, after her dad went to prison, her mom took her and moved abroad. I hear they’re in Maple Country now."

"Then you’re not a mama’s boy," Zhang Zhe said encouragingly. "The fact that you’ve been fighting for love this whole time definitely means you have a mind of your own."

"It’s understandable that your mom arranged your schooling and career."

"To be honest, I wish someone would arrange things for me. Too bad my parents weren’t lucky. They didn’t get rich back when opportunities were everywhere."

It was clear that Hui Zi’s biggest hang-up was this "mama’s boy" label.

He had even subconsciously accepted it as the truth.

Sometimes, overbearing parents really do suppress their child’s nature. For a business elite to raise a child who lacks self-confidence, it just goes to show their approach to parenting was a failure.

It was only natural that Hui Zi hadn’t formed his own views on marriage.

"So, Brother Zhang, is there any hope of me getting married?" Hui Zi sighed. "I feel like no matter who I find, my parents won’t be satisfied."

"Nonsense," Old Bai chimed in from the side. "Your mom was pretty satisfied with that guy you found before, wasn’t she?"

"AGH—" Hui Zi wailed. "Say one more word and I’m telling Brother Zhang about how you got scammed out of over 3.47 million by that woman."

"Alright, alright, you’re brothers. Don’t attack each other," Zhang Zhe stopped them.

He understood that Old Bai had chimed in to try and lighten the oppressive atmosphere.

Hui Zi really was being too pessimistic.

His overbearing mother was suffocating him.

"Brother Hui, you basically have two paths right now."

"One is to keep looking for a partner based on your old criteria and find a woman who’ll satisfy your mom. In other words, a woman who is resilient and good-tempered."

"As long as you don’t insist on someone from a matching social and economic background, women like that are pretty easy to find. The eldest child from a large family is usually especially resilient."

"Really that easy to find?" Hui Zi asked doubtfully. "Look at those two who showed up on your livestream today. Were they even a serious option?"

"That’s because you were at the wrong matchmaking agency," Zhang Zhe said, full of confidence. "Leave it to me. I can help you find the kind of girl you’re looking for."

"But, do you want to hear the other path I have in mind for you first?"

"Yes!" Hui Zi nodded vigorously. "Of course I do!"

"Okay, then listen up."

"Find someone you actually like, start building a life with her, and just don’t tell your mom for now."

"Get married in secret?" Hui Zi shook his head emphatically. "No way. My mom would cut me off completely."

"Who said get married? Can’t you just date?"

"?" A giant question mark appeared over Hui Zi’s head. "What, am I supposed to just date her forever?"

"Why not?"

"You just have to be upfront about it with the girl before you start your relationship."

"There are plenty of women who are fine with not getting married these days," Zhang Zhe pointed out. "Besides, it’s not about *never* getting married. It’s about a tug-of-war. A slow, drawn-out tug-of-war with your mother."

"This is something you rich folks should understand better than me."

"No matter how overbearing your mother is, as long as your girlfriend isn’t living with her, how much power does she really have? Is she going to Fed-Ex you her stinky socks and ask your girlfriend to wash them?"

"It wouldn’t come to that. We have maids."

"Exactly," Zhang Zhe lectured. "The strategies on the domestic server are just too outdated. This is basically how the rich guys on the international servers play the game."

"Especially the French."

"Of course, I’d still advise you against playing the field too much. After all, at your age, I’m worried you’ll wear yourself out."

When faced with overbearing parents, a long, drawn-out struggle is the standard play.

The impulse to go all-in at the first sign of trouble only works if you’re truly ready to fly the coop. Otherwise, you’ll just find it’s a losing battle.

"If you want to get married, either of these two plans will work. It’s your choice."

"And if you don’t want to get married at all, then it matters even less. You can play the field however you want."

Hui Zi listened to Zhang Zhe, stroking his chin as he thought for a long time.

He didn’t make his decision until after the food had arrived:

"Brother Zhang, I choose the second option."

"I want to find a girl I like and just date for a while to test my mom’s reaction. If she really starts pushing me to get married, I’ll threaten to marry another man."

"Tsk, tsk. Listen to yourself. With an attitude like that, who’s going to call you a mama’s boy?" Zhang Zhe said with a nod. "This is no problem. You might be a little old, but luckily, you’re rich."

"And when you’re rich, nothing’s a problem."

"Yeah. Thanks, Brother Zhang." After thanking him, Hui Zi didn’t get up. Instead, he held up the flyer in his hand. "I have one more question."

"Brother Zhang, isn’t this rule you have written here a bit too absolute?"

Zhang Zhe followed his finger. It was pointing to a template he’d found online that read: [This establishment reserves the right to refuse service to the following ten types of people].

Matchmaking agencies usually have something like this.

Matchmakers are people, too. Keep dealing with terrible clients, and eventually, it’ll mess with your head.

Hui Zi’s question was about the fifth rule:

[We do not serve those seeking to get rich overnight through marriage, or gold diggers looking for a sugar daddy or mama.]

"Brother Zhang, people like us... we count as rich men."

"If you refuse to serve the gold diggers, how are you going to find a match for us?"

Zhang Zhe knew what Hui Zi meant. He was warning him that this rule would cut off a lucrative source of income.

When rich men go to a matchmaking agency, it’s not always to get married.

It can also be for a companion.

But Zhang Zhe had no intention of earning that kind of money. That was a madam’s job, and he wasn’t about to step on her turf.

"You think it’s hard to find a gold digger?"

"Just park your luxury car in front of an art school and wait for someone to ask for your WeChat. You really need to pay me to do that for you?"