PETALING JAYA, Jan 14 — Does your heart fill with dread at the thought of celebrating Chinese New Year with nosy questions from relatives about your personal life?

E-commerce website Lazada Malaysia has come up with a way for you to answer those pesky questions.

Eight dapper gentlemen have been roped in by Lazada to give a few lucky customers bragging rights over the Chinese New Year season.

Winners of the “Slash the Leng Zai” competition will get to spend a day with their pretty boy at a nursing home on January 26 where they can enjoy a reunion lunch and lion dances with some lovely elders.

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Among the potential “boyfriends” that shoppers can bid for include actor and radio DJ Dennis Yin, fitness trainer Ilman Hakeem, and self-proclaimed “Instagram husband” Adery Chin.

Interested? All you have to do is take part in a “reverse auction” by clicking on your chosen beau’s profile in the Lazada app from January 16 to January 18 and slash his price from RM8,888 to RM0.

'Polis Evo 2' actor Dennis Yin will be up for grabs once bidding begins on January 16.
'Polis Evo 2' actor Dennis Yin will be up for grabs once bidding begins on January 16.

You can also enlist the help of your family and friends to speed up the process and achieve the 48 slashes needed to bring his price down to RM0.

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Lazada Malaysia chief marketing officer Andrew Gnananantham said the campaign was a way for people to fend off interrogations from relatives about their personal life while spreading goodwill and cheer to the people who need it the most at the same time.

“During Chinese New Year family reunions, a pet peeve that many of us have is being asked questions by older relatives about our love lives.

“So, we decided to put a fun twist on the typical scenario by providing shoppers the chance to ‘Slash’ for a date and bring some festive joy to the elderly.

“The aim of ‘Slash the Leng Zai’ is to highlight what really matters during this festive season – being with family and counting our blessings. Many elderly folks living in homes rarely receive visits or leave the home during CNY, and reunion dinner plays a significant part in ushering in the New Year.

 Ilman Hakeem is a trainer who regularly shares his passion for fitness and food on his Instagram.
Ilman Hakeem is a trainer who regularly shares his passion for fitness and food on his Instagram.

“We want to share the love through this initiative by bringing the reunion to them – including boyfriends!” he said.

The campaign appears to be based on rent-a-boyfriend services that have gained popularity in countries like Japan and China where demand for rented companionship allows some men to make a living.

Rental boyfriends see increased demand especially during the festive period such as Chinese New Year where women seek their services as a way to alleviate social pressure from relatives.