It is a truth universally acknowledged that a “high-quality human male (人类高质量男性 rénlèi gāozhìliàng nánxìng)” must be in possession of a “high-quality human female (人类高质量女性 rénlèi gāozhìliàng nǚxìng),” Xu Qingen, a 29-year-old financial adviser and emerging web celebrity, stated in a now-viral video posted on Instagram and various Chinese social media platforms in July.

With greasy hair, big glasses, and a face artificially whitened by heavy foundation, Xu hardly seems like a catch. Yet as he states, his three-minute video is a call for “courtship.” After introducing his age, height, weight, astrological sign, and career, he emphasizes the benefits that his future girlfriend can enjoy: 我能给您带来什么样的价值和利益呢？ 我这边可以不定期或定期给您一些财务上的支持 (Wǒ néng gěi nín dàilái shénme yàng de jiàzhí hé lìyì ne? Wǒ zhèbiān kěyǐ bú dìngqī huò dìngqī gěi nín yìxiē cáiwù shang de zhīchí, What value or benefits can I offer you? I can render you occasional or regular financial support) via (in English) “British pound, US dollar or Chinese yuan either.”

He further shows off his English skills and worldliness by saying, “I have worked in Europe or Hong Kong. I can speak English. If you have world traveling needs, I can help you take pictures (我在欧洲或者香港都工作过，我可以讲英语，所以说如果您有全球旅游的需求，我可以给您拍照 Wǒ zài Ōuzhōu huòzhě Xiānggǎng dōu gōngzuòguo, wǒ kěyǐ jiǎng Yīngyǔ, suǒyǐ shuō rúguǒ nín yǒu quánqiú lǚyóu de xūqiú, wǒ kěyǐ gěi nín pāizhào).

Though the video is supposed to show off Xu’s impressive credentials, presenting him as one of many men in China’s “elite” dating spheres with a high income and assets at their disposal, Xu’s nerdy look and habit of addressing prospective partners like a business client achieves just the opposite effect. His overly formal vocabulary, including words like “human (人类 rénlèi)” and “courtship (求偶 qiú’ǒu),” seems to emphasize the biological characteristics of human beings. His rational, business-like speaking style, which includes the use of the formal second person pronoun “您 (nín),” also makes his dating proposal sound like an embarrassing sales pitch. He even shows off his selfie posture on camera—twisting his body to intentionally show off the Burberry checks in his jacket lining.