By day, 22-year-old Zhuansun Xu is a foreign exchange trader in Beijing. By night, he chats with female clients who pay him to be their “boyfriend”, something he has done for the past year.

Girls come to Zhuansun with different needs -– some want friendly advice, while others have more romantic requests.

“While we’re interacting, I tell myself: I really am her boyfriend, so how can I treat her well?” he told AFP.

“But after we’re done, I’ll stop thinking this way.”