Chapter 249 - 247: The Illegitimate Child’s Wedding

Chapter 249: Chapter 247: The Illegitimate Child’s Wedding

"Are you sure you’re here for matchmaking advice?"

Zhang Zhe wasn’t as dramatic as the live comments. So what if it was a G-Wagen, a Forbidden City special edition? It was perfectly normal for someone from an A9 family to drive one.

He wasn’t going to suck up to the man one bit, at least not until he’d filled up the tank and delivered the car.

"Flexing a luxury car like that won’t necessarily attract the right kind of person, you know."

"It’s fine, it’s fine." The man had a very clear view of himself. "I’m not attracting any decent people as it is."

"Let me tell you about my situation, and you’ll understand."

"Alright, go ahead," Zhang Zhe said, making a ’go on’ gesture.

"I was born after 2000. I’m 188 cm tall and weigh 90 kg. My looks... I’d rate myself a 3.5 out of 10, but I work out, so I look pretty well-put-together."

"I have a bachelor’s and a master’s from the US. After graduating, I started working at my family’s company. My annual income is about 300,000."

"As for my family’s assets, we’re definitely A9. I don’t know if we’ve reached A10."

"Are you an only son?" Zhang Zhe asked.

"No, I’m an illegitimate son."

[???]

[Damn, the bro is being honest.]

[Holy crap, you can just say that?]

[Now I get why he likes art students.]

[Being an illegitimate son is fine. The key is how much money he’ll get.]

Hearing he was an illegitimate son, Zhang Zhe was only slightly surprised. He’d dealt with quite a few clients like this before.

The first time, it had been strange.

But after seeing it enough, he knew it was precisely these people—those who couldn’t inherit the family assets through normal means but had still enjoyed a life of wealth and privilege—who struggled the most with finding a partner.

Those from similar family backgrounds looked down on him.

And he, in turn, looked down on those from families less wealthy than his.

"My friend, your situation makes things difficult. You must know that, right?"

"I know. I saw the clip of that illegitimate daughter you had on your stream. But in her case, her mom was the wealthy one. In my family, my dad holds all the money."

"But..." The man thought for a moment before continuing, "I’m a man. In the marriage market, that’s different from being a woman, right?"

"It is different," Zhang Zhe nodded, affirming his statement.

"How many assets do you have under your own name right now?"

"I don’t know how much I have either." The man chuckled. "The car and the houses are all in my dad’s name. He said he’d transfer them to me before I get married."

"But I have no idea if he’ll actually go through with it."

"Every now and then, he tells me to work hard at the company, saying that if I become a senior executive, I’ll never starve."

"But the way he says it... it always gives me this feeling of, ’The crown prince is sickly; you must strive harder.’"

"It’s just so weird, you know?"

"Hahaha." This time, Zhang Zhe laughed out loud for real.

’It’s obvious his dad is just stringing him along. If he truly meant, "If my legitimate son doesn’t measure up, you will inherit the family business," the man would surely have some fixed assets under his belt by now.’

’He’d have been given something, even if it was just company stock options.’

’The most likely outcome is that he’ll only get usage rights, not ownership, and receive a regular living allowance.’

"Bro, help me figure this out."

"In the line of succession in your family, where do you stand?"

The man thought for a moment and replied, "Fourth, I guess."

"That’s a few too many people," Zhang Zhe said, shaking his head. "You probably have no chance of turning your life around by inheriting assets."

"Brother Zhang, the way you say that, it’s like you’d help me ’get rid of’ my older brother if he was the only one ahead of me."

"I’m not an assassin."

"You misunderstood!" Zhang Zhe quickly explained. "What I meant was, what if your older brother isn’t interested in inheriting the family fortune? What if he doesn’t want to be the emperor and just wants to be an idle prince?"

"That is a possibility."

"But with so many people ahead of you, there’s no chance."

"And you can’t be sure how much you’ll end up with in the end, right?"

"Right." The man’s voice was tinged with bitterness.

"So if you get married in the next year or two, would your dad, or your family, be willing to step up and help arrange things?"

"Right now, they probably would be."

"But in a few years, after my younger brother graduates from college, I don’t know if my dad will still have any interest in bothering with me."

[The man has a very clear understanding of his situation.]

[Rich people really do mature early when it comes to this stuff.]

[I have a plan: just convince your younger brother to get a PhD.]

[Hurry up and get married now, have a son to give your dad a grandson. Grab as much as you can while you can.]

"Then you actually have an opportunity right now." Zhang Zhe snapped his fingers. "Your advantage is asymmetrical matching."

"If you handle this asymmetry correctly, you might even have a chance to find a wife from a family of equal social standing."

"Asymmetry?"

"I think I’ve heard that term on your stream before."

"Hold up, Brother Zhang. You’re not going to suggest I go for an older ’leftover woman,’ are you?"

"Heh heh." Zhang Zhe gave the camera a sly little smile.

The man was a long-time viewer and instantly understood the meaning behind that smile. His tone became extremely resistant. "No, absolutely not. I wouldn’t dare marry one of those cranky old women."

"I’d rather stay single."

"You really won’t consider it?" Zhang Zhe pressed. "If you find an older woman from a family of equal standing, you could have a chance to change your own status within your family."

"Thanks, Brother Zhang, I get what you’re saying. But I’ve seen so many of those older ’leftover women’ on your matchmaking streams. Now, I make a detour whenever I see an older woman."

"Even at high-end karaoke bars, I only request women under 28."

"I absolutely will not accept an older ’leftover woman’."

"That’s a shame." Zhang Zhe sighed. "If you’re not willing to go down that path, your remaining options are pretty much the same as those for the illegitimate daughters of wealthy families."

If an illegitimate son had any advantage over an illegitimate daughter, it was the traditional ability of a son to carry on the family bloodline.

The fact that the man’s father was willing to help with his marriage served as an "official endorsement" of this point.

Although he probably had no chance of getting his hands on the family business, it at least proved he had the genes of a wealthy family. Combined with his master’s degree and 300,000 annual salary, he could give a potential match something to look forward to.

But women his own age were out of the question.

"If you’re looking for younger women, you can probably only find someone from a family with assets one or two orders of magnitude lower than yours."

"Around a low-end A8, give or take."

"An A7.5—Xiaomei-level pretty, decent personality, understands relationship dynamics, and wants to live a good life—would be a perfect match for you."

"Huh?" The man was surprised it was that bad. "Isn’t that just an ordinary girl whose family has one or two properties and not much cash flow?"

"Sort of like that girl you were just on the call with?"

"Yes, but that girl from before? She probably wouldn’t be interested in you," Zhang Zhe said, unable to stop himself from laughing.

’Just a moment ago, the man was lecturing her, and now, in the marriage market, it turns out he’s in a worse position than she is.’

’He was kind of acting like a clown.’

But the reality was:

"Nowadays, any woman your age who is even slightly attractive, especially if she’s dated wealthy men before, will be looking to marry up."

"They always start by aiming for the highest possible ceiling."

"They’re all hoping to accidentally marry into royalty."

"You might be a decent backup plan, but a backup is just that—something to fall back on for peace of mind. If they’re actually forced to choose their backup, they’ll be miserable about it."

[That’s not true, when I pull from gachas, I’m basically always relying on the pity system.]

[A normal girl really wouldn’t go for an illegitimate son.]

[So this guy is also the type of person with a high ceiling for dating but a low ceiling for marriage.]

[When it comes to marriage, he’s actually worse off than an only son from a normal A8 family.]

"Then what’s the fucking point of getting married?" the man spat. "I shouldn’t have even asked. Now, the next time I run into a gold digger who’s only after me for my status, I won’t even feel confident."