Livestream Matchmaking: My Intel Infinitely Refreshes

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Smart or Not?

"You want to go with Option A?" Zhang Zhe double-checked.

"That’s right, Option A."

"I think you’re a good fit for me, streamer."

"Alright!" Zhang Zhe clapped. "See? This is a woman with good taste. Chat, you all should learn from her."

Even though he disliked her affected, cutesy voice, her choosing Option A was a sign of her approval. As a streamer, he had to give some face to a viewer like her.

"As the first woman on my stream to ask me out personally, I’ll definitely give this two hundred percent of my enthusiasm."

"Okay, you can start now."

"Why don’t you introduce yourself first."

"Okay, but I’d like to first say why I think you’re such a good match for me," the woman said with a hint of affectation. "It’s because I think you’re very smart. Especially when you said some people just aren’t cut out for marriage. That showed you really have a brain."

"And I’m very smart myself."

[Really? I don’t believe you.]

[Doesn’t sound very smart, tbh.]

[This must be a plant the streamer paid for, right?]

[Damn, this Little Clamp’s voice really gets a guy going.]

[Look at the streamer’s expression, he actually believes her!!!]

"Some people in the comments don’t believe I’m smart. I have a bachelor’s from a TOP 3 university in China and a master’s from a top 100 QS-ranked American university. I’ve been a top student my entire life. The streamer has a bachelor’s from a 211 university; you should know what that means, right?"

"Ahem? Streamer?"

If she hadn’t made that noise, Zhang Zhe wouldn’t have even realized she was prompting him to respond.

Listening to her talk, he was already feeling like they were from different species.

Her sense of academic superiority was practically oozing through the screen.

’When it comes to TOP 3 universities in China, you could first rule out Qingbei, since those two schools usually refer to themselves as the TOP 2.’

’Besides them, whether it was Fudan, Zhejiang University, or Shanghai Jiao Tong, they were all undisputed heavy hitters.’

’By comparison, a master’s from a top-100 QS American university was actually just average. After all, those top-tier Chinese schools are all ranked in the QS top 50.’

’Normally, you pursue a master’s degree that’s a step up from your bachelor’s, but that didn’t seem to be the case for her. Still, getting into a legitimate American master’s program—not just a diploma mill—proved both her family’s financial resources and her own intelligence.’

Zhang Zhe never used to pay attention to this stuff.

That was until a blind date where he was told it was an event organized for "Project 985" alumni. They were screening by education level. If your degree wasn’t up to par, you weren’t welcome, because your IQ wasn’t considered high enough.

But people with equivalent degrees from overseas were welcome.

Zhang Zhe got curious and looked up what counted as an "equivalent overseas degree." He found out that Australia alone had 19 universities in the QS Top 300, while Xijiao back home was only ranked 305th...

And that’s when Zhang Zhe understood. These people who screened for degrees weren’t actually screening for intelligence. They were screening for wealth.

But the woman on the call was different. She genuinely believed her academic credentials were ironclad proof of her superior intellect.

"With a degree like yours, you’re definitely a top student," Zhang Zhe said, humoring her. He’d called her a "top student," not "smart."

The woman seemed quite satisfied with his response, immediately turning to the chat. "See? The streamer is so objective. You all have nothing to say now, do you?"

"Now that I’ve covered the most important part, I’ll move on to the less important details."

"I’m 167 cm tall and weigh 57 kg. As for looks, I’m about a 5.5 out of 10, with makeup on, of course."

"Actually, I think you’re a 5 too, streamer. With makeup, you could even be a 6."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Zhang Zhe quickly put a stop to her over-the-top flattery. "I’m not a 6 even with makeup. I’d need plastic surgery to get there. I’m pretty self-aware."

’A 6-out-of-10 guy is basically campus-heartthrob material.’

’If I were a campus heartthrob,’ Zhang Zhe thought, ’there’s no way I’d still be single.’

[She’s definitely a plant hired by the streamer.]

[Actually, I think the streamer is pretty handsome. Not a 6, but at least a 5.]

[Men and women really have different beauty standards. Streamer, you’re a 5, believe in yourself.]

[This streamer is a 5? Then I’m a 7. People call me a young Liu Dehua.]

[You all still don’t get it. In this girl’s eyes, the streamer’s looks give him an advantage over her.]

"Anyway, I think you’re a 6. My opinion is the only one that matters," the woman declared in a classic domineering CEO-style.

"Right now I work at a major internet company. I’m a corporate drone, just like the streamer. My annual income is between 300,000 and 400,000, depending on my year-end bonus."

"My family’s assets are at the A8 level, which is a bit higher than the streamer’s. But I don’t care how much a guy makes, because my own material desires are pretty low..."

"’A bit higher’? A8 is an order of magnitude more than my family!" Zhang Zhe couldn’t figure out her game. ’Is she actually into me?’ he wondered.

’The system didn’t react at all, which meant the information she was giving him was true.’

’The beautiful brainiac fell for me, a livestream matchmaker?’

’No, wait...’

Zhang Zhe suddenly thought of something and quickly asked, "Did you forget to mention your age?"

"Oh, that’s right."

"I was born in ’92."

’Born in ’92, which would make her 33 years old.’

When Zhang Zhe heard that, everything suddenly clicked into place.

’Highly educated, works at a major tech company, 33 years old, unmarried, and still speaks with that saccharine, cutesy voice...’

’With all those stats stacked up, Zhang Zhe could practically feel the bitter, resentful woman aura rolling off her, even if she wasn’t showing a hint of it on stream.’

’Even if you’ve never eaten pork, you’ve seen a pig run, right?’

’Back in his old job, Zhang Zhe had dealt with plenty of women like her.’

’Women like her were almost always incredibly high-maintenance and difficult to get along with. After dealing with enough of them, he had developed an almost physical aversion.’

’The internet was always going on about how "stereotyping," "discrimination," and "labeling" were bad. But to Zhang Zhe, stereotyping was just a risk-avoidance mechanism hardwired into our DNA.’

’If you’ve seen it happen over and over and still don’t instinctively put your guard up, you’re just being an idiot.’

"At your age, has no one at your company tried to set you up on a date?" Zhang Zhe asked, feigning innocence. "I’d think major tech companies would have their own matchmaking events. Plus, colleagues are always introducing people to each other."

"A lot of people have pursued me, actually."

"I just never met the right one."

"At first, I thought it was just bad luck with fate. Later, I realized that wasn’t it. The truth is, I’m very particular about looks, and I also require my partner to have a brain."

"My classmates and colleagues... their minds generally aren’t all that sharp. And finding one who’s even remotely good-looking is next to impossible."

"I have a hard time tolerating people who aren’t intelligent."

[??? Is this woman crazy?]

[She’s got me laughing out of sheer anger in the middle of the afternoon. Do people like this actually exist?]

[Her cutesy voice makes my skin crawl. My verdict: I’d rather listen to a sweaty size-9 foot.]

[First time seeing a thirty-something who still questions the intelligence of everyone around her.]

[If you’re so smart, why is your annual income only 300k?]

[Your classmates and colleagues aren’t smart, but they’re the only classmates and colleagues you have. Doesn’t that say something about you?]

Zhang Zhe glanced at the chat. There were probably a lot of office workers watching the stream at this hour.

He figured she must have struck a nerve with some of them, which was why the reactions were so intense.

Zhang Zhe had the same question. "You think your colleagues aren’t smart, but you all earn about the same, right?"

"Did you crack open their skulls to count the wrinkles on their brains? Did you find that theirs were smoother?"

"Hahaha, of course not," the woman said flippantly. "I make the same as them only because I don’t put all my effort into making money. I was originally going to pursue a career in academia, you know."

"Sounds to me like you’re romanticizing the path not taken," Zhang Zhe said, seeing the chat seething with indignation. He felt it was his duty to help them vent a little. "You really think your income would be higher if you just ’focused’ on making money? That’s a totally unfounded assumption."

"Plenty of brilliant academics have gone into business and lost their shirts. There’s no shortage of examples."

"Exactly," the woman agreed readily. "That’s why I said you were smart, streamer. I used to tell my colleagues the same thing, and they’d actually believe it."

[You actually got someone to take the bait?]

[It must suck to be this woman’s colleague.]

[Colleague: I was just humoring you, and you actually believed it? You’re the real idiot.]

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