A 27-year-old man from Dongguan, China, has been having trouble finding a job because he looks more like a child than a man in his late 20s.

Saying that Mao Sheng looks a little young for his years would be a serious understatement. He claims to be 27, but everyone agrees that he doesn’t look a day over 10. And while some would consider that a blessing, the young man from Dongguan claims it’s a curse, because it prevents him from getting a job. Most employers don’t believe he is as old as he claims to be, and those who do say that they don’t want authorities snooping around and accusing them of child labor because of his youthful looks.

Mao Sheng became an overnight sensation in China last week, after a video shot on the streets of Dongguan went viral on Douyin (TikTok). In it, the young man revealed his age and complained that he couldn’t find a job to support his father, who was recovering from a stroke. He had been asking for a job at local factories with a friend, but while they quickly found employment, he wasn’t so lucky.

Sheng’s story touched the hearts of millions around China, many of whom accused employers for not giving him a chance because of his unusually youthful visage. Luckily, after he became famous online, plenty of entrepreneurs reached out and offered him jobs.

Another video posted on Douyin a couple of days ago revealed that Mao accepted one of the jobs offers he received, and hopes to earn enough to help his father recover. Once they get over that hill, he hopes to find a girlfriend and start a family.

Although Mao Sheng’s story was picked up by several news outlets in China, none of them mentioned any medical reason for the 27-year-old’s youthful looks. We suspect that it must have something to do with his pituitary gland, which controls physical growth. We’ve seen similar cases in the past, adults stuck in the bodies of children, and the pituitary gland was almost always to blame.