Chapter 262 - 260: You Are PUA-ing Women

Chapter 262: Chapter 260: You Are PUA-ing Women

"Teacher, I’ll go and observe what you’re talking about later."

The woman was capable of critical thinking. After Zhang Zhe finished speaking, she thought for a moment and said, "Now that I think about it, my parents don’t really discuss work-related topics when they’re at home."

"Mhm, that’s something you have to investigate for yourself."

"When it comes to common interests, don’t expect your education to filter people for you. You have to talk to them one by one."

"Even among your classmates, aren’t there plenty you can’t connect with?"

"Next, let’s analyze your positioning in the dating market."

Zhang Zhe glanced at the information the system provided about the woman.

The woman hadn’t told any lies, so there was only one piece of [Low-Value Intel]. It roughly stated that she had never been in a relationship during her student years and held many unrealistic fantasies about her other half.

’This type of person... without a harsh reality check from society, it’s hard for them to come to their senses.’

"What’s your current annual income?"

"I’m not working right now; I’m unemployed and living at home."

"But most of my classmates earn around 200,000 to 300,000 a year."

"Then let’s just say 200,000. We’re used to taking the lower end; it’s more reliable." Zhang Zhe hesitated for a moment before saying, "If I were to help you find someone, I’d probably look for a self-employed business owner or a contractor with an associate’s-to-bachelor’s degree, earning 500,000 to 600,000 a year. He’d be in his early thirties, from a rural family, a self-made man who’s earned over a million."

"This is basically the upper limit of income you can find in a man."

"If you want more, you’d have to relax your criteria on marital history or age. In your current situation, I don’t think that’s necessary."

"Because you could find someone like that even if it were your second marriage."

[Hahaha, is Brother Zhang already planning for her second marriage?]

[Education is the only asset that doesn’t depreciate in a second marriage.]

[Seriously, my cousin is a contractor. He married a woman with a master’s degree who was on her second marriage. They had two kids in four years.]

[If she finds a self-employed guy with a lower education, his whole family will absolutely worship her. It’s definitely the path of least resistance.]

"If you’re worried you won’t be able to communicate with someone with an associate’s-to-bachelor’s degree, you can lower your income requirement and look for an employee at a private company earning 300,000 a year, with a bachelor’s degree, and around your age."

"There’s that big of a difference between the two?" the woman asked, surprised.

Her surprise stemmed from the fact that the 500,000-earning contractor dropped to a 300,000-earning bachelor’s graduate. ’Is a bachelor’s degree really that valuable?’

"The gap might be even bigger than you imagine." Zhang Zhe smiled faintly. "Those self-employed types, the contractors I mentioned earlier, they might even tolerate you being a bit of a Voldemort."

"The latter type of guy, however, might not accept it."

"To put it bluntly, it’s a question of how much of an advantage your greatest strength, your PhD, can give you."

"Of course, you’ll have to sacrifice some things too. For example, like the bullet comments said, you might not be able to discuss very deep topics with your husband, and he might not understand your ambitions."

As Zhang Zhe was speaking, his phone suddenly buzzed with a notification. Someone else had placed an order.

He initially thought it was the next client paying ten yuan to get in line early.

But the screen was flooded with bullet comments all saying the same thing:

[@LovableAndCharmingVillain: Streamer, I placed an order. Can you let me come on the mic and say a few words right now?]

???

"Another brother wants to go full-on open mic?"

"Sure, go ahead and request to join the voice chat."

"But let’s be clear, if you get on here and attack my sister, I won’t hesitate to take you down."

Zhang Zhe accepted the voice chat request with a laugh.

However, he kept his hand on the mouse, the cursor already poised, ready to kick the person out of the stream at a moment’s notice.

Soon, the person was on the mic.

The speaker was a woman with a slightly husky, smoky voice:

"I came on here to say that you, streamer, are PUA-ing us women."

"A female PhD from a 985 university marrying a rich contractor? Are you serious? No matter what, she should at least be able to find a master’s graduate from a 985 university."

"Mhm, and then what?" Zhang Zhe asked, spreading his hands.

"What ’and then what’?" The woman who just joined didn’t understand what he meant.

"What are the specs on this 985 master’s graduate? What’s the use of just having a degree sitting there?"

"Oh, the 985 master’s graduate I’m talking about would earn at least 300,000 a year, have a similar family background to this woman, and be around the same age."

"And what’s in it for him?" Fearing the woman wouldn’t get it, Zhang Zhe elaborated, "This guy you’re describing, what does he get out of marrying a female PhD?"

"He’s after her high education level, her ability to communicate."

"Then wouldn’t finding a master’s graduate with the same education level be enough? Then he could add on other requirements."

"A PhD is always better than a master’s, right?"

"Well, an academician is better than a PhD." Zhang Zhe was amused by her. "Are there any 985 master’s graduates in the stream? Get on the mic and school this lady. Tell her what kind of person you’re looking for."

[I’d definitely look for a beautiful woman. A pretty little undergrad is good enough.]

[I’m not a 985 master’s graduate, but I think they’d definitely trade that high education for other qualities.]

[I’d date anyone but a PhD. If he likes degrees so much, he should just get a PhD himself.]

"Are there no 985 master’s graduates in this stream?"

"Well then, from now on, when I, a 211 university undergraduate, call myself highly educated in here, none of you are allowed to object, okay?" Zhang Zhe chuckled. He really hadn’t expected that no one would come on the mic.

They probably figured that this woman who paid to get on the mic and complain would be difficult to talk to, so no one had the courage to join the fray.

"Sister, you could actually find a male PhD, too."

"As long as you’re willing to accept that his income might be a little lower than yours, or his family background a bit worse, it’s possible."

"But if you insist on hypergamy, then you can only consider what I’ve suggested."

"Yes, I understand." The PhD student was quite receptive to advice. "Brother Zhang, after you explained it, I realized my approach was wrong."

"In the eyes of male PhDs, I’m just a very ordinary woman. It’s perfectly normal that they wouldn’t be interested in me."

"Sister, don’t be like that." The woman who had paid to join the call wouldn’t give up and suddenly raised her voice. "You’ve earned a whole PhD! Why are you still thinking about relying on a man?"

"You’re already one of the most outstanding women on this planet!"

"You give me too much credit," the PhD student replied calmly. "There are several female PhDs in my research group, and my advisor is a woman too. I know I’m not that outstanding. I just have a better mentality than others and can endure hardship."

"Teacher Zhang, thank you."

"At least I have some direction now."

"You’re welcome." Zhang Zhe gave a benevolent smile. "You’re much more receptive to advice than most women. But I still have to remind you to sort out your family situation when you get back."

"If your family can help you with a car and an apartment before marriage, your upper limit for a partner could be even higher."

"Okay, I’ll be sure to confirm that," the PhD student readily agreed.

After she left the voice chat, Zhang Zhe looked at the woman who had paid to critique him and was still on the line, and couldn’t help but laugh.

"Sister, has your worldview shattered?"

"Did you just discover that even a highly accomplished female PhD ultimately wants to find a good man?"

"No, it hasn’t," the woman said in a firm tone. "It’s that this woman’s family of origin has problems. She places too much importance on family."

"Actually, there’s no need to be in such a hurry to get married."

"She’s a female PhD. If she works hard, she could easily earn 500,000 a year. Then, wouldn’t finding a partner be a piece of cake? Even if she doesn’t find anyone, she can live a great life on her own."

"Goodness, you’ve got some seriously thick education-tinted glasses on, don’t you?"

Zhang Zhe almost didn’t have the heart to shatter this woman’s illusion.

A woman from a non-985, non-211 undergraduate university who tested into a 985 combined master’s-PhD program was very likely in a ’pitfall’ major or a niche field. Earning 500,000 a year was truly not a simple matter.

If she were really in a hot major like computer science or artificial intelligence, she wouldn’t be in a hurry to go on blind dates. Wouldn’t competing for a million-yuan annual salary at a big tech company be a better use of her time?

This was also why Zhang Zhe advised the PhD student to make good use of the halo effect from her degree.

If he, a mere 211 undergraduate, could figure out the tricks of the trade, how could a master’s or PhD graduate fail to notice her degree’s poor income-generating potential?