Breakups in relationships can be ugly. There can be tears, screaming and thrown things.

 

　　恋情的决裂可能会令人十分难堪。会伴随着眼泪，哭喊以及乱扔东西。

 

　　But while most people draw the line at text messaging the bad news, some people have taken it one step further: they hire quick and merciless love assassins to do the “dirty work” for them.

 

　　但当大多数人还在选择通过发短信这种方式来划清界限时，有些人做得更绝：他们雇佣高效而无情的爱情刺客来为他们解决这些“烦心事”。

 

　　At least 40 “breakup agents” now advertise their skills on Taobao for ending bad relationships, claiming to keep the damage to a minimum.

 

　　如今，至少有40家“分手代理中介”在淘宝上打出广告，提供结束糟糕恋情的服务，声称可以将伤害最小化。

 

　　“I got this idea from the movie The Break-Up Artist,” said Li Xiongfei from Shijiazhuang, 21, who started a breakup service six months ago.

 

　　“我这个点子是受电影《分手专家》的启发。”来自石家庄，21岁的李雄飞(音译)说道，他从6个月前开始提供该项分手服务。

 

　　Li has a team of four, all in their early 20s. Together, they have helped more than 30 clients – all young people between 20 to 27 years old – get rid of lovers they didn’t want any more.

 

　　李雄飞有一个四人小团队，年龄都在20岁出头。该团队一共帮助了30多位年龄在20岁到27岁之间的顾客成功摆脱了他们已经不爱的另一半。

 

　　Every time a client comes to Li, he asks details including how they met, how long they’ve been together and why he or she needs to end the romance.

 

　　每当有顾客找到李雄飞时，他都会询问一些细节问题，比如他们彼此如何相识，在一起有多久，以及他/她为何需要结束这段恋情。

 

　　Li and his people then discuss and write a draft of what to say before they deliver the bad news.

 

　　而后，李雄飞会和同伴们进行讨论并打草稿写出在传达坏消息前要说的话。

 

　　Usually, they make a call to the dumped as a friend of their client, saying that his or her significant other has to quit their relationship and it is good for both parties.

 

　　通常而言，他们会以顾客朋友的身份打电话给被甩的一方，告知他/她的另一半必须得放弃他们之间的关系了，这样对双方都好。

 

　　Li added that they charge 50 yuan for a soft let-down by phone.

 

　　李雄飞补充说，他们对一次委婉的电话分手所收取的费用是50元。

 

　　Sometimes, the job can be tough and one phone call doesn’t cut it, especially when the dumped is a woman.

 

　　而有时，这项工作可能会很艰难。一次电话解决不了问题，尤其当被甩一方是女性的时候。

 

　　“They often cry over the news and then hang up on you,” said Li, who recently spent two weeks talking a woman into letting go.

 

　　“他们通常听到消息后会哭，然后挂掉你的电话。”李雄飞说道。最近他曾花两个星期的时间来劝说一位女士放手。

 

　　Most of the time, Li said they make their clients happy.

 

　　李雄飞说，大多数时间他们都能令顾客感到满意。

 

　　But obviously, not every one likes the idea of outsourcing breakups to a middleman.

 

　　但显然，并非所有人都欣赏将分手外包给中间人这个主意。

 

　　Wang Yuru, a psychologist from Shanghai, points out that when a stranger comes to tell a person that he or she is dumped, it hurts even more than hearing the bad news from their ex-partners.

 

　　来自上海的心理学家王玉茹(音译)指出，当被陌生人告知他/她被甩了时，这个人所受的伤害甚至可能比直接听到前任提出分手更大。

 

　　“Don’t do that to someone you once loved,” added Wang.

 

　　“别对你曾经爱过的人这样做。”王玉茹补充道。

 

　　Some people take it even further. A Sina Weibo micro blogger named Celilia said that the service is against Chinese value of “making peace between people” and is immoral.

 

　　有些人对此表达了更为严厉的态度。一位名叫Celilia的新浪微博博主表示这项服务违背了中国“人和”的价值观，是不道德的。

 

　　“You know what’s immoral?” said Li Xiongfei. “Some people asked us to poison other people’s relationships. That’s immoral. But we say no to them.”

 

　　“你知道什么才叫不道德吗？”李雄飞表示，“有些人要我们去破坏别人的恋情。那才是不道德。但我们都会对这些人说不。”