Chapter 275 - 273: A Rich Woman’s Troubles

Chapter 275: Chapter 273: A Rich Woman’s Troubles

"Teacher Zhang, you’re absolutely right."

"What do I get out of being a matchmaker, you ask? I just want to help a few couples get together and earn some good karma, that’s all."

"And look what I get for my troubles... a beating..."

"Uncle, come on." Old Bai couldn’t help but frown. "Didn’t they already pay you for it?"

"Besides, after what Brother Zhang said today, I’ll go back and help you prove that you weren’t the one at fault. The problem was with the girl."

"You promise? You’ll explain everything clearly to your sister and your aunt?"

"I promise!"

"Good!" Hearing Old Bai’s promise, the old man finally smiled in relief.

He suddenly became proactive and said to Zhang Zhe in all seriousness, "Teacher Zhang, my nephew and I came here today mainly to ask you something."

"How can I avoid this kind of situation in the future?"

"That’s simple," Zhang Zhe said with a smile. "Just wear a helmet whenever you go out. What kind of person goes matchmaking without a helmet these days?"

"That could work." Second Uncle Bai nodded and immediately had Old Bai, who was standing beside him, order two motorcycle helmets online.

This method would at least treat the symptoms.

But if he wanted to treat the root cause...

Zhang Zhe waited until Second Uncle Bai had finished picking out the helmets before continuing.

"In the future, when you run into a situation where the man or the woman admits to having a flaw..."

"Like this recent case, where she said she’d had an abortion."

"You might get a woman who tells you she has a child out of wedlock, or that she can’t have children at all."

"Once you’ve understood the flaw, you must ask the woman what kind of concession she’s willing to make because of it."

"For example, if she can’t have children, would she be open to trying IVF after getting married? Is she willing to waive the betrothal gift and provide a dowry instead? Or perhaps adopt a child after marriage?"

"You have to get a clear answer. If the woman hasn’t thought about this before, you need to have her think it through completely before she goes on another blind date."

"Think about it, Uncle. If you were the man and you heard the woman admit to a flaw, what would your first reaction be? Assuming you’re okay with the flaw itself."

"The betrothal gift would have to be lowered, of course," the old man replied with a wide grin.

"Exactly. So, on a blind date, once the man accepts the flaw, he’s usually going to expect some form of compensation. The amount can be negotiated, but if there’s nothing, it’ll leave a bad taste in his mouth."

"If the woman never even considered making some kind of compensation for her flaw, she’s bound to blow up the moment you mention lowering the betrothal gift."

"Ooooh..."

"So that’s how it is." The old man touched the gauze on his head, feeling more and more that the beating he’d taken wasn’t worth it.

’Now he was thinking he’d asked for too little in compensation. Since it was all the woman’s fault, he should have demanded another twenty thousand.’

Seeing that Second Uncle Bai seemed to have truly understood, Zhang Zhe didn’t elaborate.

Going any deeper would have been a bit complicated, as it involved more advanced knowledge of relationship matching. The core concept was still "flaw-for-compensation," but sometimes that compensation could be an exceptional personal strength.

However, considering Second Uncle Bai mostly introduced people based on experience, matching those of similar social standing, it was fine for him to skip the advanced course.

What he’d learned from Zhang Zhe was more than enough for his purposes.

After his "lesson," Second Uncle Bai’s spirits were visibly higher than when he’d first arrived. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was like a new man.

If the doctor hadn’t ordered him to rest and recover, he would have been itching to go out and set someone up right then and there.

Seeing that his uncle seemed to be fine and that his questions were answered, Old Bai didn’t linger. He drove his uncle straight home.

By the time he returned to the matchmaking agency, the person in his passenger seat had changed from a slightly balding old man into a woman wearing a qipao.

This was the client Old Bai was introducing to Zhang Zhe today.

She was the only daughter of one of Old Bai’s business partners. Her family’s net worth was said to be around A9.2, which meant assets of about two hundred million.

Zhang Zhe had never really met the only daughter of an A9 family in real life.

So he made a point of observing her expression and bearing from the moment she stepped out of the car until she walked through the door.

His first impression was that she had a bit of a belly and her figure was somewhat out of shape.

A qipao is a very form-fitting garment; even a small paunch is immediately obvious. This woman was wearing a magnificent qipao, but it failed to give off much of an aesthetic appeal.

Yet she wore it anyway.

’This means one of two things: either she has no self-awareness and thinks she’s genuinely beautiful...’

’...or she used to be beautiful and is still clinging to her past self, unable to move on.’

"Come, let me make the introductions."

"This is the man I told you about, Zhang Zhe. Teacher Zhang. He’s the best of the young matchmakers in our Qing City."

"I had to try booking him for a full two weeks to get this slot today."

"Zhang Zhe, this is Tiffany. She acquired United Kingdom citizenship a few years ago, so for our purposes, she’s technically a foreigner."

"Please, Uncle Bai, don’t say that." Tiffany gave a reserved smile. "When I’m in the United Kingdom, I’m British. When I’m in Huaxia, I’m one of you. There’s no difference."

"Teacher Zhang, a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine..." Zhang Zhe politely exchanged pleasantries with the new client.

The three of them made polite small talk for a few minutes before Old Bai tactfully excused himself to go have a smoke, leaving the other two some space.

Only then did Zhang Zhe get down to business. "Tiffany, what issue did you come to consult me about today?"

"I came here hoping you could help me analyze something, Teacher Zhang."

"I’ve met this guy, and our relationship feels like we’re... ’more than friends, but not quite lovers.’ But I don’t know what’s going on with him. He doesn’t seem normal."

"I wanted to get your opinion on the matter."

"Ah, I see. Of course." Zhang Zhe nodded seriously. "Why don’t you just tell me about your friend’s situation."

"Okay."

"My friend... he’s very, very handsome, and quite generous, but he has a strange personality. He’s suspicious and quick to anger."

"His education level is average at best. Probably just a high school graduate."

"He’s very tall, about six-foot-one, and people mistake him for a model on the street, but he says he’s never been one."

"I, on the other hand, used to be a model..."

The woman’s way of speaking was all over the place, saying whatever popped into her head.

It gave Zhang Zhe the impression that she wasn’t highly educated and had muddled thinking.

But that was fine. Zhang Zhe was used to clients like this.

He patiently straightened out the facts about the woman and her male friend:

The woman had studied in the United Kingdom and currently worked in HR at a foreign-owned enterprise. Through a matchmaking agency in Qing City, she met a man of a similar social and economic background.

The man claimed to be in the import-export business, had high-end tastes, and spent over ten thousand a month on rent alone. He was also very generous, having spent money freely on their dozen or so dates.

As they spent time together, the woman found he had no major flaws, aside from a lack of intellectual depth. In fact, she felt more secure knowing he was handsome yet simple-minded.

The current point of conflict was this: the man was somewhat resistant to her physical touch and showed no intention of moving the relationship forward, yet he was still willing to go on dates, which made the whole situation very strange.

To put it in Zhang Zhe’s own words:

’The woman was getting impatient with this handsome guy, but he remained prim and proper, politely rejecting her advances even when he clearly understood her hints.’

’It was enough to stump a seasoned veteran.’