Livestream Matchmaking: My Intel Infinitely Refreshes

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

His buddies in the group chat analyzed Zhang Zhe’s idea from every possible angle.

The best-case scenario: he becomes a big-time influencer, switches to livestream selling, earns 20 million a year, and then has a major scandal and gets permanently banned.

The worst-case scenario: all the money and effort he invested go down the drain for nothing, and his livestream channel still gets banned in the end.

Zhang Zhe summarized what they said, writing down all the pros and cons on a piece of paper. He listed them out one by one, then tried to find a solution.

This kind of problem-solving was all too familiar to him.

He worked on it until midnight, and he actually came up with an answer:

Get a short-term job at a marriage agency.

Not necessarily as a Matchmaker. The standards for that position were too high. It not only required eloquence and emotional intelligence but also a flexible moral compass. The average person couldn’t handle it, and he wouldn’t necessarily pass the interview anyway.

If that didn’t work, being a clerk who helped create client files would be perfectly fine.

As a clerk, not only would he get access to firsthand information, but he’d also have an inside track. If he found someone he liked, he could just have his colleagues arrange a blind date for him.

Most importantly, people willing to spend money at a marriage agency were highly motivated—even desperate. It was far more reliable than trying to find someone in a Matchmaker’s livestream.

’As a graduate from a top university applying for a clerk position with no salary requirements, I should be able to find a job pretty easily, right?’

’It’s not a government job, so it shouldn’t be that competitive.’

To be on the safe side, Zhang Zhe decided to check out the biggest local marriage agencies. The bigger the agency, the more positions they’d surely have.

He consulted local marriage agency rankings, combined them with reviews on online forums, and shortlisted a few candidates that very night. Then he checked each one to see if they were hiring clerks.

After looking through all of them, Zhang Zhe was a bit disappointed. These agencies were only hiring "Matchmaker Interns" or "Matchmaker Apprentices"; there were no other positions at all.

However, he wasn’t discouraged.

Based on his experience looking for jobs in the big city, many companies had openings they simply didn’t post online.

If he contacted HR or asked in person, something might turn up.

...

The next morning, Zhang Zhe woke up bright and early.

His parents were still washing up when they saw he was already dressed and ready to leave.

"Where are you going so early?" Mrs. Zhang asked suspiciously. "You’re not going to an internet cafe with your friends, are you?"

"Nope. I’m going to check out the Zhuyin Marriage Agency."

"Where?" Mrs. Zhang blinked, thinking she was hearing things.

"The biggest marriage agency here in town. What’s wrong? Is there some kind of problem with the Zhuyin Marriage Agency?"

"No, no!" Mrs. Zhang shook her head repeatedly, her excitement written all over her face. "You should hurry up and go. They open at 8:30, so if you go early, you can avoid the line."

"Oh, okay."

Carrying his file folder, Zhang Zhe rode his electric scooter out of the residential complex under his mother’s eager gaze.

He couldn’t help but laugh when he thought about what he was about to do.

Being both a referee and a player... in the world of blind dates, this was definitely playing dirty.

His first destination was a long-established marriage agency with over twenty years of history—the Zhuyin Marriage Agency.

Matchmaking itself is a highly regional affair.

When people talk about matchmaking, they usually mean finding someone in a specific area, sometimes even narrowing it down to a particular county.

Therefore, the longer a marriage agency has been established in a local area, the more well-known and trusted it becomes, and the deeper the bond between the local residents and the agency.

As far as Zhang Zhe knew, his second uncle had found his wife through the Zhuyin Marriage Agency. His uncle’s daughter had also found her partner there last year, and their child was already a month old.

Cases like his second uncle’s family, where two generations had dealings with the agency, were definitely not isolated incidents.

Thousands upon thousands was probably an understatement.

This was enough to show just how formidable the Zhuyin Marriage Agency was.

...

As a long-established agency, it was naturally located in the old part of town, surrounded by residential buildings from the 1980s. The area was worn-down, but full of life.

Zhang Zhe ate two steamers of xiaolongbao at a roadside stall and rested for a while, waiting for the marriage agency to open.

At 8:30 on the dot, the roll-up security door rose with a CREAK.

Zhang Zhe stood up, tidied his appearance, and became the first bachelor to walk into the agency that day.

The woman who opened the door was startled to see him come in.

"You’re here so early, handsome! Do you have an appointment with one of our Matchmakers?"

"It is a bit early, but I’m not here to see a Matchmaker," Zhang Zhe replied, his eyes scanning the agency’s lobby.

This marriage agency was a classic case of having a tattered exterior but being gold and jade on the inside.

Many shops in the old part of town were like this.

They looked shabby on the outside, but their interiors were actually very modern.

The most eye-catching feature in the lobby was the 100-inch display screen hanging on the left wall right by the entrance. The screen showed a list called the "Matchmaker Leaderboard."

At the very top were the "King of Matchmakers," and there were only two of them.

Below them were "Diamond," "Gold," "Silver," and so on, arranged in a pyramid structure.

Before Zhang Zhe could get a closer look, the woman called out to him.

"Handsome, you said you’re not here to see a Matchmaker? Then what are you here for?"

"If you’re not here to find a partner, are you here to sell something?"

"I’m not here to sell anything." Zhang Zhe pointed to himself. "I’m here to find a job."

"I’m a graduate from a top university, just back from Shencheng City. I’m very interested in the matchmaking industry and want to make a living in this field."

"My mom told me that the best marriage agency in Qing City is the Zhuyin Marriage Agency."

"That’s why I rushed over here first thing in the morning, hoping to see if I could find a job here while you’re not too busy."

"Ohh..." The woman nodded, then shook her head. "But we’ve already filled all our intern positions for the year."

"You’re too late."

"That’s fine. It doesn’t have to be a Matchmaker position."

"Not a Matchmaker? Do you want to be a security guard? But we’re not short on security guards either."

"What about besides security? Do you need a clerk? A typist?" Zhang Zhe spared no effort in selling himself. "I majored in computer science in college. I can type really fast, and I can even write programs..."

The woman across from him furrowed her brow as she listened.

When Zhang Zhe finished, she asked tentatively, "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Not at all."

"Then why would a computer science graduate like you want to be a clerk at a marriage agency?"

"It’s very strange!"

"I think it’s perfectly normal. I just want to get my foot in the door of the industry, start with a basic position, and gain some experience."

"No, no, no, this isn’t an issue of gaining experience." The woman shook her head. "Young man, let me be honest with you. I’m one of the partners of this agency, so I know the situation here very well."

"We are indeed short on a few strong young men like you."

"We don’t have many male Matchmakers here. Far too few men are willing to get into the matchmaking business these days."

"But even if we were hiring, we’d be looking for people with experience. We wouldn’t dare hire a greenhorn like you, especially when your motives are so unclear."

"I hope you can understand..."

"I understand." Zhang Zhe patiently waited for her to finish before saying with utmost sincerity, "That’s why, if you’re willing to give me a chance, I’ll work without pay."

"Huh?" The older woman, who had been about to show him the door, hesitated.

These days, anyone who came across a job applicant who didn’t want a salary would have to pause.

Free labor is very tempting.

"Don’t doubt it, you heard me right. I think the opportunity to work here is good enough; I shouldn’t ask for a salary on top of that," Zhang Zhe said earnestly. "Just think of me as a volunteer."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. We can even sign a contract."

"But why? Just because you simply like this industry?" The woman was baffled. In her thirty-plus years in the business, this was the first time she had ever encountered such a situation.

"Yes. I believe the meaning of life is to live it in a way that you love," Zhang Zhe said, a bit dramatically. "I love this, so I came."

"I see," the woman nodded. "So, your preferred way of life is to work for people for free?"

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