Livestream Matchmaking: My Intel Infinitely Refreshes

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: There’s a Fee for Consulting Me

Outside, Xia Yi fidgeted with her hands, her expression a little hesitant.

She knew Zhang Zhe was right. Blind dates were supposed to be low-stakes affairs; if it wasn’t a good match, you just moved on to the next person.

But something about it just felt... off.

It felt like she was a hero setting out to slay an evil dragon, only for the dragon to take one look at her, call her ”Mommy,” and invite her to play Valorant with it.

”Teacher Zhang, I just realized—you’ve never even seen me. You have no idea what I look like.”

”How do you know we’re compatible?”

”Is it possible,” Zhang Zhe said dryly, ”that if this door weren’t locked, we’d have already met by now?” He also mentally urged the locksmith to hurry up.

’Hurry up, man. I’ve got a blind date to get to.’

”Alright, that was definitely unexpected,” Xia Yi said, laughing as she looked at the agency’s front door. ”So, aside from my appearance, you think we’re a good match in every other way?”

”A remarkably good match.”

Zhang Zhe’s reply was swift.

But in reality, he felt a little insecure.

Without the system’s help, and judging solely on his family background and personal merits, he was truly no match for Miss Xia.

He was reaching far above his station.

It was a monumental reach, like a single man trying to conquer a snow-capped peak in a blizzard.

The daughter of a government official was just in another league.

An ordinary programmer like Zhang Zhe wasn’t even in the running. It would probably take a programmer on the level of Huawei’s ”Genius Youth” program to even come close. But the most suitable match would undoubtedly be someone from within the establishment, who could inherit her father’s resources.

Luckily, Zhang Zhe had the system.

’I’ve got a system, so who cares about all that? I’ll just go on the date first and figure the rest out later. If my qualifications aren’t enough, I’ll find a way to make them enough.’

Of course, he first had to convince Xia Yi.

”Miss Xia, what do you look for in a partner?”

”I... I don’t know.” Her good upbringing had given Xia Yi a very down-to-earth view on love and marriage.

Girls from stable, well-to-do families were usually like this.

”I think when it comes to marriage, the most important thing is the person’s character. Money and all that is secondary; what’s crucial is that they’re a good person.”

”A requirement like that is the hardest to fulfill.” Zhang Zhe instantly switched into Matchmaker mode, offering a professional critique. ”Assessing someone’s character is highly subjective. Only you can truly determine that for yourself.”

”In cases like this, we usually recommend going on a few more blind dates to get some experience.”

”Okay, I understand,” Xia Yi answered dutifully.

”So, want to start with me?”

”Okay.”

!

’She agreed just like that?’ An expression of irrepressible delight instantly appeared on Zhang Zhe’s face.

’There’s a door between us anyway. I can laugh if I want to. Hehehe.’

”Thank you for your trust.”

”You’re too kind, Teacher Zhang. But I have two conditions as well. Let’s just lay the ground rules now,” Xia Yi said with a small smile. ”First, every time we meet, if you notice anything wrong with me, you have to point it out right away. You can’t just keep it to yourself.”

”No problem.”

”And another thing! When we’re done with our ’blind date,’ you have to write me a summary report on it, no less than 800 words. I want to improve, too.”

”Still no problem,” Zhang Zhe agreed readily.

At his job, he had to write daily reports, weekly reports, and prepare quarterly summary PowerPoints.

Xia Yi’s request was a piece of cake for him.

”But I have a condition of my own.” Zhang Zhe remembered his system’s mission and made sure to clarify. ”Until you’re done ’dating’ me, you can’t accept any other blind date invitations.”

”Why?”

”Because I don’t want you calling out some other guy’s name while you’re on a date with me,” Zhang Zhe said, grasping for a reason.

The system’s demand was actually pretty unreasonable. Fortunately, Xia Yi wasn’t in a rush to get married; she hadn’t reached the point of juggling three dates a day while looking for the best option.

”Don’t worry, I’ll try to speed things along. I won’t hold you up for too long.”

”And what about you? This can’t be a one-way street,” Xia Yi retorted, a little indignant. ”What about all the online ’dates’ you have every day?”

”That’s a... professional requirement for me.”

”How about this: I promise to only conduct my ’dates’ in the livestream. It’ll be strictly online; I absolutely will not meet anyone in person.”

”How does that sound?”

”Deal! Then we have a gentleman’s agreement,” Xia Yi said, proving very agreeable. ”And if either of us breaks it, the other has the right to expose them online.”

”Haha, you mean post about it on Xiaohongshu?”

”Nope. The Qing City Daily.”

”Scared now?”

”Very impressive,” Zhang Zhe said, clapping twice with emphasis.

The fact that she thought of a traditional news outlet proved Xia Yi was no ordinary person.

A Matchmaker isn’t afraid of being called out on Xiaohongshu, but getting named and shamed by official state media is another story.

After they made their pact, they both fell into a comfortable silence. The only difference was that Zhang Zhe was checking his system messages, while Xia Yi was staring at the agency’s front door, lost in thought.

A little while later, the locksmith arrived.

As the locksmith was getting his tools out, Xia Yi seemed to have a sudden thought. She spoke to Zhang Zhe through the door:

”I’ll send you a couple of my old photos in a bit. Let’s not meet in person today.”

”That way, when we meet for the first time this weekend, it’ll feel more official, like a real, proper blind date.”

”Don’t you think?”

”Sounds good,” Zhang Zhe readily agreed. He could put his daytime streams on hold over the weekend to go on the date.

”Alright, I’m heading off then. See you this weekend, Zhang Zhe.” Xia Yi had subtly changed how she addressed him.

”See you this weekend.”

...

”Hey, buddy, did I get here too late?” the locksmith asked, feeling a pang of guilt as he watched the two say their goodbyes right in front of him. On his way over, there had been two red lights with no traffic; he totally could’ve run them. ”Were you two on a date just now?”

”Nothing that serious. We just met.”

”Oh.” The middle-aged locksmith glanced up at the sign overhead.

’Oh, right, this is a matchmaking agency. What kind of person gets locked inside a matchmaking agency in the middle of the night and just chats with someone through the door?’

He was suddenly very curious about who Zhang Zhe was.

Luckily, his job gave him a perfectly legitimate reason to ask. ”Hey, buddy, what do you do for a living? I need to ask for my records.”

”Not that I suspect you or anything, it’s just our policy.”

”I get it,” Zhang Zhe explained. ”This is a matchmaking agency, and I’m a Matchmaker here. I was working so intently that someone locked me in.”

”Could you please get me out of here?”

”Oh, so you’re a Matchmaker.”

”No wonder you two were talking about blind dates,” the locksmith said, the pieces clicking into place. He studied the keyhole, asking idly to pass the time, ”You don’t sound that old. Started working as a Matchmaker this early?”

”Hey, a job’s a job.”

”That’s true.”

”So, can I ask you for some advice?”

”Sure, ask away.” Zhang Zhe was in a good mood and didn’t mind chatting with the man.

”No rush, I’ll unlock it first...”

...

”Alright, done!”

Just as the locksmith finished speaking, Zhang Zhe heard the distinct sound of the lock being removed. Then, the door was pulled open from the outside.

A middle-aged man in an ”Ah Mao Locksmith” uniform stood there, holding the lock and grinning at him.

”Boss, WeChat or cash? We agreed on eighty over the phone.”

”WeChat. I’ll scan your code.”

”Alrighty!”

The locksmith held out his QR code. Only after confirming the payment went through did he step aside to let Zhang Zhe out.

”Thanks for the help,” Zhang Zhe said perfunctorily.

’It hadn’t really been that much help, though. The guy had taken less than two minutes from arrival to opening the lock. Eighty bucks earned way too easily.’

”Not at all, boss.”

”The lock itself is easy,” the locksmith said, pulling off his gloves. ”It’s the trip over that’s the hard part.”

Once the man finished packing his tools, Zhang Zhe got ready to leave as well.

But the locksmith showed no signs of leaving. Instead, he just smiled at Zhang Zhe again.

”Buddy, you said before that I could ask you for some advice...”

It dawned on Zhang Zhe instantly. The guy was afraid that if he’d asked his question earlier, Zhang Zhe might try to use the answer to weasel out of paying the eighty-yuan fee, claiming it was a consultation. That’s why he waited until after he was paid.

’The guy was a little calculating.’

’But people shouldn’t be so calculating.’

’Sincerity is what matters most between people.’

So, Zhang Zhe deliberately replied, ”My consultations aren’t free, you know. It’s eighty for ten minutes. Pay first, then we can talk.”

”Are you sure you want to ask?”