Chapter 267 - 265: Then You Are Invincible

Chapter 267: Chapter 265: Then You Are Invincible

Backstage, the female student in charge of the event heard Zhang Zhe’s words and couldn’t help but complain to his assistant, Xia Yi:

"Jeez, this... Teacher Zhang is being way too blunt!"

"Is he always like this when he’s matchmaking for people?"

"Actually..." Xia Yi’s face felt a little hot. "He’s not usually like this."

"But I don’t think it’s a problem for a lecture. Look, everyone’s reacting pretty normally."

"Normal is an understatement," the student said with a laugh. "Look at them, they’re all fired up!"

The young men and women in the audience were whispering amongst themselves, a buzz of discussion filling the air. Clearly, none of them had expected the lecturer on stage to say such things.

"AHEM, let’s quiet down, everyone. I’ve only just gotten started."

"I won’t elaborate too much on this first point, but since you’re all university students, I can be very blunt with you:

If you plan on becoming ’respectable’ members of society in the future—whether you pass the civil service exam or work for a corporation, basically any nine-to-five salaried job—then marriage is a system designed for you."

Zhang Zhe couldn’t elaborate further. The truth was, if you thought about it, certain acts that violate public security laws result in detention or a fine, with detention being the primary punishment these days.

This type of punishment is something only people with stable jobs would fear. Freelancers, like writers or streamers, don’t face nearly as much pressure from it.

However, the audience was full of students, so Zhang Zhe couldn’t go into detail, even if some of them were actually more experienced than him in that regard.

"Setting aside primal physical desire, the second point, and currently the most important aspect of marriage, is money."

"In this area, women might rely on men a bit more, but nowadays, the reverse is becoming more and more common."

"Simply put, combining two people’s finances enhances your ability to withstand risks..."

"Of course, the actual process is incredibly complex. You’ve got bride prices, dowries, prenuptial personal assets, postnuptial joint property... there’s so much to it. But in the end, it all revolves around money."

Before Zhang Zhe could finish, a guy in the back row suddenly shouted, "Women only get married to get their hands on money!"

The hall instantly erupted.

Everyone grew restless.

Zhang Zhe quickly stepped in to control the situation. "What this young man said is too simplistic. Actually, men can also marry for money. I have a detailed tutorial on that, in fact. After you graduate, if you’re really out of options, you can come find me."

"I’ll teach you."

"But the prerequisite is that your looks have to be up to snuff. At the very least, you have to be more handsome than me."

"HAHAHA..." Zhang Zhe had successfully diverted the students’ attention. Everyone was now sizing him up to see just how handsome he was.

"Alright, let me continue."

"The third point is one that your parents or the elders in your family often bring up: companionship."

"Life is hard. Having one more person by your side makes even takeout taste a little better."

’When I was younger, I used to think, what’s the big deal about companionship? I have so many online friends to keep me company, I’ll never be lonely.’

"Until one day, during the New Year’s holiday back in my hometown, a blizzard sealed off the mountain, and the internet went out..."

"So," Zhang Zhe shrugged, "actually, I wasn’t that eager to get married at first. I used to always tell my college roommates, ’Why get married? Isn’t being single great?’"

"I never expected them to actually believe me. To this day, they still don’t have girlfriends. Meanwhile, I’ve had a change of heart."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhe couldn’t help but laugh. Who would have thought that he, of all people, used to advocate for a life without marriage during late-night talks.

And now, not only had he become a Matchmaker, but he was also up here, chattering away while giving a lecture!

"Finally, the fourth point: children."

"This point is a bit like sex. In our country, marriage is pretty much the only legal way to have them."

"So why is ’children’ ranked fourth? Because you can still have children after a divorce."

"Didn’t see that coming, did you?" Zhang Zhe chuckled and continued to explain:

"To prepare for this speech, I specifically interviewed my parents. I asked them, ’What’s so great about raising a child after getting married?’"

"’You have to spend all your money on the kid, you lose your world-for-two, and you’re saddled with this burden for the rest of your life...’"

"This is what they told me: When a child is young, they’re cuter than any pet."

"As the child grows up, it’s like planting a tree. You have to water it, fertilize it, prune it, and so on. But watching that tree slowly grow, spread its branches, blossom, and bear fruit gives you a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that nothing else can compare to."

"And then, when your child gets married and has grandchildren, you get to enjoy the happiness of a full family..."

"What my parents said was a bit complex, so I’ll summarize it:

Raising children provides you with a kind of emotional value that lasts for many years, and you can’t find anything like it elsewhere."

"And for most people right now, getting married is the optimal path to having children."

"So, those are pretty much the four points..." The moment Zhang Zhe finished this sentence, before he could even say what was next, students in the audience began raising their hands.

It was clear that everyone had a lot they wanted to say.

Zhang Zhe glanced at the time. It was still early. He figured they could have a brief discussion, which would also help transition to the next topic.

"It’s fine if you want to speak, but we need to set a rule. Only the person I call on can stand up and talk. Otherwise, you all won’t give me a chance to speak later."

"If you all agree, how about a round of applause?"

"CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP—" Enthusiastic applause filled the venue.

"Alright, I’ll start calling on people then."

"Let’s alternate between men and women. This time, a guy can go first. Over here, third row from the back, the guy in the Lakers jersey."

"Finally, my turn." The student stood up, tilting his head up slightly with an air of confidence. "Teacher Zhang just mentioned a lot of benefits to marriage."

"What I want to say is, sure, there’s nothing wrong with what he said, but the current divorce-to-marriage ratio is already approaching 50%."

"In other words, for every four people who get married, two get divorced."

"This shows that after many people experience the four points you just mentioned, they realize they aren’t actually that important. They’re willing to give them up and leave the marriage."

"No, no, no." Zhang Zhe shook his head. "If you put it that way, you’re forgetting about all the people who want to get married again after a divorce."

"Isn’t it possible that they know the benefits of marriage and realize that marriage itself isn’t the problem, but the person they chose was? And that’s precisely why they want to enter into a marriage again?"

"Huh?" The student craned his neck. "Teacher Zhang, isn’t that a cop-out? If you just blame the person, then every unhappy marriage is just an individual’s problem."

"Exactly. What else would it be?"

"Then how do you explain that guy who got sent to jail by his fiancée after they got engaged?"

"From a Matchmaker’s perspective, he clearly chose the wrong person. He couldn’t satisfy his fiancée’s appetite, yet he insisted on forcing the marriage forward. Of course it was going to fail."

"This goes back to my second point. One of the needs in marriage is money. If that need isn’t mutually met, problems will naturally arise."

"Well then, Teacher Zhang, your argument is unbeatable. It’s all just the individual’s fault," a guy with a bowl cut shouted. "The problem is, how do you make sure you find the right person?"

"That’s something I can teach you," Zhang Zhe said, pointing to himself. "That’s what we Matchmakers do."

"But you’re all still young. I’m not here to teach you how to get married, but I can talk to you about how to screen potential partners."