Chapter 228 - 226: You’re a Little Too Extreme

Chapter 228: Chapter 226: You’re a Little Too Extreme

Zhang Zhe now understood why this woman was afraid to go on a livestream.

In the eyes of most guys out there, a woman like her, having such unrealistic ideas at her age, had most likely been led astray by some other man.

She might have already slept with him and was just hesitating about the divorce.

A woman on such moral low ground would be torn to shreds the moment she showed her face in a livestream.

Anyone could criticize her from their moral high ground.

There would even be hot-tempered guys relentlessly attacking her, bombarding her with private messages for days on end.

Most people really couldn’t handle that.

Someone had even been flamed so badly they deleted their account.

But Zhang Zhe wasn’t thinking along the lines of infidelity just yet.

Because this woman’s looks could only be rated a 2.8 out of 10. Aside from not being overweight, there were almost no redeeming qualities to her appearance.

It wasn’t that unattractive women couldn’t cheat—plenty of plain women played the field—but with her looks, combined with her listless state, no normal man would be interested in her.

"Ma’am, if you’re having second thoughts, it’s really not too late."

"Really?" The woman’s eyes lit up at Zhang Zhe’s words.

"Of course. Every woman has the right to a fresh start. Even if you were sixty or seventy, you could still get a divorce if you wanted to."

"That’s a right granted to you by law."

"The problem is..." Zhang Zhe spread his hands and asked, "after you get divorced, what kind of man are you looking for?"

"Many of the women I’ve met who want a divorce feel that there’s conflict in living with their husband, or they’re dissatisfied with their husband’s low income."

"But your husband is away on business all year and even hands over his salary. That’s already the ideal marriage for most women."

Zhang Zhe understood women fairly well. A large portion of them hoped to have no responsibilities after getting married, while still having money to spend.

To put it bluntly, they were just looking for a provider.

So, this type of man who was never home was their ideal type.

It didn’t even matter if they didn’t like him. They’d only be together for a few days during the New Year, and for the rest of the time, they could live their own fabulous life.

It’s no exaggeration to say that on Xiaohongshu, this kind of man is considered a "good man."

"Money isn’t actually that important. I still hope my other half can spend more time with me." The woman thought for a moment and said, "I’ve had enough of this widowed style of marriage."

"I think it’s better for a husband and wife to actually be there for each other."

"Fine, a companion-type man is easy to find, much easier than a high-income man," Zhang Zhe nodded and said. "As long as you can accept his income being lower than yours."

"How about a man who makes 6,000 a month, works a nine-to-five job, gets home on time every day, and waits for you at home?"

"Would that work?"

"What? Six thousand? That’s way too little!"

"Six thousand is too little?" Zhang Zhe turned directly to Xia Yi and asked, "In our Qing City, is a monthly salary of six thousand considered low?"

"It’s definitely not low," Xia Yi replied with a serious expression. "My dad told me the median salary in our city is only seven thousand. After taxes and social security, six thousand is actually a lot."

"But my husband makes a solid 300,000 a year. Six thousand a month is only..."

"Only seventy thousand a year?" The woman did the math, shocked. "That’s only half of what I make!"

"So what? The man is at home with you every day. You make money, you’re not going to share some with him?" Zhang Zhe almost laughed out loud.

"But it doesn’t have to be that low, does it? My prospects are actually pretty good. I may have been married before, but I don’t have kids."

"But you’re 32."

"I have a stable job, and I don’t have to support my parents in their retirement."

"But you’re 32."

"Before I got married, I could have found a guy with a government job making around 200,000 a year, but because of my feelings, I ended up choosing my current husband."

"But you’re 32."

"..."

"Matchmaker, I get what you’re saying. It’s just because I’m older, right? Can you stop repeating the same line over and over?"

"Oh, I thought you hadn’t heard me." Zhang Zhe smiled apologetically. "My apologies, I was being a bit repetitive."

"I just wanted to tell you that all the things you regret now, and all the points you think are your strengths, are all based on thinking from the perspective of your younger self."

"You’re 32. You shouldn’t be thinking that way anymore."

"An unmarried you in your twenties and a 32-year-old divorced woman are two completely different people in the matchmaking market—like heaven and earth."

"I know that. I know I’m a bit old now, but I have a government job. I think that’s still an advantage in the matchmaking market, right?"

"Come, let’s have my assistant, who also works for the government, analyze it for you." Zhang Zhe smiled and gestured for Xia Yi to speak.

Xia Yi was a tenured preschool teacher, which, in a broad sense, counted as a government job. Plus, her father held a high-ranking position within the system, so she was the most qualified to speak on this matter.

"Umm..."

"Well, I think... a divorced woman with a government job can definitely find someone, but you’d have to accept a man with a major flaw, like being bald, not liking to shower, or being divorced with a kid."

Xia Yi didn’t have any stage fright. Growing up, many of the older kids and adults around her had government jobs.

She had eaten her fair share of wedding candy from couples who worked government jobs.

"For someone like you, miss, I think you might be a good match for someone with a kid, because you seem very family-oriented."

The high-EQ way to put it was "family-oriented."

The low-EQ way was: plain, looks dependable, and is already halfway to being a frumpy housewife.

"Someone with kids is a no-go. I don’t even have children of my own, how can I just become a stepmom?"

"I just want to find someone whose income is similar to my current husband’s and who can be with me every day. Is that really not possible?"

The woman’s tone grew increasingly impatient because what Zhang Zhe and Xia Yi were saying didn’t match her expectations at all.

She had come to the matchmaking agency for a private consultation instead of calling into a livestream because she felt that discussing her marital problems in front of so many people would just get her flamed.

It wasn’t because she thought she wouldn’t be able to remarry after a divorce.

"My colleagues at work, and some of my close friends, they all married men from the same office, or from the one next door."

"Their incomes aren’t that different, really. At the end of the year, it’s only about a hundred thousand less than my husband’s, but those couples are always together and live very happily."

"I’m married too, but it feels like that kind of married life has nothing to do with me."

"Right, everything you’re saying makes sense." Zhang Zhe nodded. ’The woman is finally telling the truth.’

’A large part of why she wants a divorce is probably because she’s comparing herself to the people around her.’

’Once a person starts making comparisons, even the happiest life is doomed.’

’Today she’s complaining that her husband isn’t around enough, but if she had chosen someone who was around more back then, she’d probably be complaining that he doesn’t earn enough now.’

’People who are never satisfied don’t deserve happiness.’

"So, as I said, you can get a divorce and pursue that harmonious married life, as long as you lower your income requirements for your next partner."

"If you really want a divorce, you should do it quickly, before you hit menopause. Otherwise, it’s just torture for both you and your husband."

Hearing this, Xia Yi couldn’t help but tug on Zhang Zhe’s arm. To her, this advice sounded a bit too extreme.

Of course, Zhang Zhe understood what the young woman beside him was thinking.

Xia Yi had a gentle personality, so her ideas were naturally more moderate. If she were the one giving advice, she would have most likely told the woman to go back and have a good talk with her husband.

’But this woman has surely tried to talk to him many times. The idea of divorce doesn’t just form overnight.’

She had also said earlier that she had even discussed this with her parents, but they didn’t support her decision to divorce.