Chapter 253 - 251: Typical Symptoms

Chapter 253: Chapter 251: Typical Symptoms

Zhang Zhe found it a shame that this woman hadn’t appeared on the livestream.

This was a picture-perfect case of PUA.

Imagine the boyfriend’s daily life:

He worked diligently like an old ox during the day, only to come home and discover that the reason he could even earn money was supposedly all thanks to his girlfriend.

His world must have come crashing down.

Had the boyfriend not contributed anything? Not necessarily. From the looks of it, he had satisfied the woman’s desire for control to an extreme degree.

He was the one providing all the emotional value.

It was just that the woman’s way of demanding emotional value was unconventional, so it wasn’t as obvious.

"Like you said, if it weren’t for you, who knows what a miserable life your boyfriend would be living right now." Zhang Zhe first went along with her narrative. "So why would he want to break up?"

"Didn’t you say he knows how important you are to him?"

"Is he done living the good life?"

"I find it strange, too." The woman frowned, her face wrinkling up. "The way I see it, he sometimes has trouble taking care of himself."

"If he leaves me, his quality of life will definitely plummet."

"But I’m different. I’m not lacking for suitors at all."

"?"

Zhang Zhe’s expression instantly turned to one of confusion.

’A woman who wasn’t lacking for suitors... if her boyfriend broke up with her, shouldn’t she just move on to the next, better guy?’

’So why was she trying to get him back one moment and get revenge the next, all while acting like she was deeply in love?’

’Could it be that she’d gotten used to controlling this one and didn’t want to switch?’

’She couldn’t be that twisted, could she?’

Zhang Zhe looked at the woman’s face. She was a plain-looking 3-out-of-10, with a body that didn’t stand out in any way. She wore thin-framed glasses, which gave her an intriguing sense of contrast.

If a woman like that was a bit more outgoing, it was true that some guys would pursue her.

But the problem was, she’d been with her boyfriend for four years. Were there really that many people trying to steal her away?

"Who are all these people pursuing you?" Zhang Zhe asked, puzzled. "Friends you’ve met out and about? Or your colleagues? Classmates?"

"A lot of them are my colleagues, and some were introduced by colleagues. They’re no worse than my boyfriend..."

"Hold on a minute!" Zhang Zhe cut her off.

’The woman had let it slip. What did she mean, "introduced by colleagues"?’

’What kind of colleague sets up a woman who already has a boyfriend?’

’They’re colleagues, not members of some secret swinging club. In a normal office, nobody plays games that openly.’

That left only one explanation:

"You’ve been with your boyfriend for four years, and your colleagues are still setting you up? Have you just not told anyone you’re in a relationship?"

The woman fell silent for a moment.

Only under Zhang Zhe’s unwavering gaze did she admit, "Right. I haven’t made it public."

"So all your colleagues think you’re single?"

"That’s right."

"I can’t possibly announce our relationship before we’re officially engaged." The woman had her own theory. "Brother Zhang, you should know that announcing a relationship on Moments can affect your career."

"Especially as a woman, if I announce I have a boyfriend, my boss will start thinking about me getting married and having kids. A lot of opportunities that would have come to me might go to someone else instead."

"..." Zhang Zhe let out a small laugh.

’You really do laugh when you’re left speechless.’

’A woman who graduated from college less than four years ago... what kind of boss would target you just for having a boyfriend? She must have a persecution complex.’

He heard Xia Yi, who was beside him, also take a deep breath, clearly trying to compose herself as well.

Noticing their expressions, the woman added an explanation:

"I have to make it clear, I’m not stringing him along while looking for someone better."

"Every single guy who shows interest in me, or who outright pursues me, I tell my boyfriend all about it."

"And I don’t do this to show off how great I am. I do it to make him understand why, after all these years, no one is pursuing *him*."

"Why, after all these years, are people constantly pursuing *me*?"

"Why do his own colleagues, and even his boss, think he’s so impressive for managing to get a girlfriend like me?"

"PHEW—" Zhang Zhe let out a long breath. "Just listening to you talk, I can feel how incredibly stressful it must be to be with you."

"How did your boyfriend last this long?"

"He says he’s stressed, too." The woman nodded. "But I think, for a man, shouldn’t more pressure mean more motivation?"

"..."

"If you don’t mind my asking, why are you and your boyfriend breaking up?"

"He feels he can’t meet my expectations, and he’s unwilling to work harder, so he wants to run away." The woman frowned, a look of disgust on her face. "I never expected that after four years, he wouldn’t have made any progress at all."

"Brother Zhang, to be honest with you, with my qualifications, I could find someone better than him at any time."

"My boyfriend admits this himself."

"But I never did..."

"Because you saw him as a ’potential stock,’ someone who, if he just worked hard according to your standards, could build a better life with you, right?" Zhang Zhe finished her sentence for her.

She nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Brother Zhang, that’s exactly what I was thinking."

"How did you guess?"

"Does that even require guessing?" Zhang Zhe scoffed. "People were using PUA tactics like that five years ago."

"I’m not PUA-ing him..."

The woman reacted quickly, trying to explain.

But what she said didn’t matter.

Zhang Zhe turned to Xia Yi. "Little Assistant, what do you think?"

"I think she should just let that guy go," Xia Yi said with a hint of sympathy. "After four years, the fact that he still has the courage to break free from such deep-seated PUA is pretty remarkable."

"My thoughts exactly," Zhang Zhe nodded.

He had already explained what PUA was very clearly on his livestream, but this was the first time he’d ever seen such an exaggerated case.

This woman’s boyfriend had an insanely high tolerance for stress.

He had foolishly announced their relationship, only to find out his girlfriend hadn’t made it official at all.

Not only that, but he also had to constantly face the pressure of being compared to the other men pursuing his girlfriend.

"Brother Zhang, I’m really not PUA-ing him."

"I’m doing it for his own good."

The woman was still trying to explain, but her script was always the same, without a shred of originality.

Zhang Zhe listened in silence, then asked her a question in return:

"Have you heard of NPD?"

"Yes, Narcissistic Personality Disorder."

"Do you think you have it?"

"I don’t." The woman shook her head. "I definitely do not have NPD."

"No, you definitely do," Zhang Zhe said, his expression serious. "I’m a professional, and I can tell you unequivocally that the behavior you’re displaying is classic NPD."

"People with NPD habitually put down those around them, take credit for others’ achievements, are addicted to bragging, and excessively exaggerate their own greatness..."

"If you could really find someone better than your current boyfriend so easily, you wouldn’t be agonizing over whether or not to break up."

"But I’ve invested a full four years in him!" the woman stressed. "Four years! I helped him grow from a student into the outstanding employee he is today..."

Zhang Zhe didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he looked at a list of NPD traits on his phone and used it to explain her behavior:

"’People with NPD tend to excessively exaggerate their own efforts and take credit for the successes of those around them...’"

"But without me, my boyfriend really wouldn’t be where he is today!" the woman exclaimed.

Zhang Zhe calmly continued explaining, "’Common phrases for someone with NPD are, "If it weren’t for my help, you would have never made it," and "It’s all thanks to my connections." They make the people around them feel suffocated and gradually lose their sense of self-worth...’"

"Brother Zhang, if you’re going to be like this, we can’t communicate."

The woman couldn’t take it anymore and shot to her feet.

"I originally thought you were objective, but you keep accusing me of PUA one minute and NPD the next. I find that very unprofessional."

"That’s fine, you’re entitled to your opinion." Zhang Zhe stood up and said with a smile, "It’s like I said before."

"If you want to prove you don’t have a narcissistic personality, then break up with him, find a guy who’s better than your current boyfriend, and prove that everything you’ve said is true!"

"You can’t... find one, can you?"