Chapter 109: Auntie Has Arrived

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Auntie Has Arrived

"Brother Zhang, just ignore him. The kid’s got nothing better to do and is clearly up to no good." Old Bai stepped in to restore order. "Hui Zi! Now, on my command, punch your own balls 100 times!"

"I know it’s hard, but that’s an order!"

"Okay, okay, I was just joking." Hui Zi chuckled, a bit shamelessly. It was clear he was in a great mood.

Zhang Zhe had temporarily helped him work through his issues.

It wasn’t actually a big deal, but it was likely no Matchmaker had ever told him this before. Just think about people like Sister Zhou, and it all makes sense. A Matchmaker desperate to make a buck, upon meeting an easy mark like Hui Zi, would be chomping at the bit to set him up.

There was no way they’d help him analyze his problems.

But Zhang Zhe was different. He had already gotten paid by Hui Zi. His next step was to build a good reputation within this circle, which would allow him to earn even more in the long run.

With Hui Zi serving as a successful example, the other single men at the gathering were getting eager to have their turn.

A few of the men who were anxious to get married exchanged glances and swarmed forward as one.

Old Bai quickly had everyone form a line.

"No need to rush. Brother Zhang is here today. One at a time."

"Everyone will get their turn."

At first, Zhang Zhe greeted everyone with a smile.

By the end, he couldn’t wipe the pained expression off his face.

Most of the men present were wealthy, and they all shared the same core desire: to find a woman who would genuinely care for them, not one who was just after their money.

This was somewhat contrary to the laws of the market.

For this reason, many of them had turned down 20-year-old beauties throwing themselves at them, opting instead for blind dates with divorced office clerks five or six years their junior.

"My man, do you have a fetish for ugly people or something?"

After seeing the photo of a potential match for one of the guys who’d gotten rich off demolition compensation, Zhang Zhe finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

"You’re worth 25 million, yet you’re going for someone swarthy and plain who looks like Song Xiaobao. What’s the angle?"

"She just looks like the practical type, you know? Good for settling down," the man explained sheepishly. "Those young, beautiful ones... you can tell at a glance they’re not looking to build a life. They’re definitely after my money."

"And you think she’s not after your money just because she’s plain?"

"Less attractive women are more realistic. They know exactly what they’re working with. She’ll have all the calculations done in her head, down to the last penny."

Zhang Zhe laughed in exasperation at the man’s logic. Apparently, this brilliant idea came from his great-aunt, a Matchmaker back in his village.

"Man, you need to remember this: as long as you have money, anyone who goes on a date with you is going to be interested in your money."

"The only difference is the size of their appetite."

"So when wouldn’t they be after your money? When you don’t have a penny to your name, or maybe when you’re millions in debt."

"If a woman likes you then, it’s definitely not for your money. More likely, she’s after your kidneys."

After hearing this, the man shot a complicated look at Old Bai, who was standing beside him.

Old Bai’s expression was just as complicated.

Because he was in the exact same boat.

"So what am I supposed to do? I can’t pick the plain ones, and I can’t pick the beautiful ones. Now that I have money from the demolition, how is it even harder to get married than before?"

"It’s easy to get married. Just ask that the woman be attentive to you, and don’t demand ’true love.’ Then you can get married."

Zhang Zhe said earnestly,

"True love is something money can’t buy."

"Getting a woman to be attentive to you is good enough."

"When you’re cold, she gets you a jacket. When you’re thirsty, she pours you a glass of water. When you get home, she’s there to talk with you. At night, she cuddles up with you on the couch to watch TV..."

"Even if there’s an element of pretense because she’s in it for the money, does it really matter?"

"It doesn’t." Old Bai, who had been listening from the side, suddenly had an epiphany. He stood up and gave Zhang Zhe a formal, respectful bow. "Brother Zhang, when you put it like that, I understand."

"But why didn’t you say this on your livestream?"

"If I said this on stream, I’m afraid I’d get canceled," Zhang Zhe explained calmly. "A lot of women can’t stand to hear this stuff. If my words were taken out of context, my streaming career would be over."

"I see. It looks like inviting Brother Zhang here was the right move."

"Lao Chen, what about you?" Old Bai looked over at the man who’d struck it rich from demolition. "Did you get it?"

"I get it too."

"Brother Zhang, what if I pretend I’m broke and go back to my hometown to find someone who genuinely wants to settle down? Do you think that would work?"

"I see it in all those short-form web dramas."

"You know, the ones like ’The CEO’s Secret Identity is Exposed.’"

"You can give it a try," Zhang Zhe said, not shutting the idea down completely. "Who knows, maybe the people in your hometown are genuinely down-to-earth."

...

「Back home that evening.」

Zhang Zhe reviewed the day’s events. While all these wealthy men wanted to find a wife for love, each of their situations was unique.

This was because the ways in which they had become rich were all different.

The men who had become rich overnight from demolition compensation were extremely wary of women who were after their money. They gave off the vibe of someone who’d been poor and was now terrified of losing it all, deathly afraid that any woman was only interested in their wealth.

In contrast, the first-generation entrepreneurs were a bit better off. Most of them had already been through one, or even several, unhappy marriages. Their current situation was a lot like Old Bai’s—they just wanted to find someone who would be attentive to them.

And the circumstances for the second-generation rich were even more complex.

Some had played the field too much in their youth and now had impossibly high standards for women, making it seem at a glance like they had no hope of ever marrying.

Then there were those like Hui Zi, who were so controlled by their parents that they didn’t even have a clear idea of what they wanted in a partner.

Others had been half-killed by an arranged marriage and were now limping through the dating market, desperately searching for someone genuine to save them.

Zhang Zhe made a few simple notes, jotting down the names of the men in the group chat and their respective situations.

His final conclusion: This was a gold mine.

Although Zhang Zhe didn’t currently have a roster of single women to draw from and couldn’t help these men find a wife directly, after a full evening of conversation, at least three-quarters of the group members said they would pay him to help vet their potential partners.

After spending the money, they would at least get some peace of mind.

As for the remaining men who didn’t quite agree with Zhang Zhe’s views on love and marriage, well, there was nothing to be done about them. They insisted on believing they could find a "true soulmate," even if it meant waiting another decade...

Zhang Zhe could only wish them well.

By the time he finished analyzing everyone’s situation, it was already 10:00 PM.

Zhang Zhe was planning to go to bed, but on second thought, he decided to stream on Xiaohongshu for a bit. He needed to stay active every day to build a habitual audience for his livestreams.

It had to be said, Zhang Zhe’s luck was uncanny.

The moment he went live, he stumbled upon some great material:

A middle-aged woman joined the stream to talk.

"Hello, Sir. I was born in ’81 and have been divorced for fifteen years. I haven’t dated anyone since the divorce. I run my own small business and am fairly well-off—at least in our small county next to Shenghai, I’d be considered in the second tier of wealth."

"Regarding my family background, my parents were ordinary workers—most people of their generation were workers or farmers. My mother has passed away, and my father is retired and lives at home."

"I have a daughter who’s a junior in college. She’s from my marriage with my ex-husband, and I raised her on my own. I never really thought about remarrying before, but now that she’s an adult, I’ve started to consider finding a partner again."

[Auntie, I don’t want to struggle anymore.]

[I was expecting a plot twist where she says she’s looking for a match for her daughter.]

[Isn’t this basically a twilight romance? She should be looking for old guys in the park.]

[Born in ’81... that makes her 44 years old.]

[You might not believe it, but this ’auntie’ was born in the ’80s.]