Ji You was in a light and cheerful mood, but Fang Yi’s worry was near its peak. He was concerned that Ji You might gag while broadcasting, and if that happened, it would be a serious blow for her.
At the entrance of the radio station, Fang Yi handed over a mesh bag and said, “If you feel like vomiting, eat a hawthorn to suppress it, but don’t eat too many. Too many can cause acid reflux.”
Inside the mesh bag, glass jars held hawthorn in syrup.
Ji You took the bag, studied Fang Yi’s expression, and asked, “What are you worried about?”
Fang Yi firmly denied it, “I am not worried about anything.”
Ji You straightforwardly revealed his thoughts, “You are worried that I might gag while broadcasting.”
Fang Yi knew Ji You never pretended to be oblivious, so he admitted, “If a small problem occurs, don’t take it to heart.”
He felt that Ji You did not necessarily need to broadcast the morning news, but their relationship was not close enough for him to suggest that.
Ji You spoke lightly, “I am not worried at all. Why are you worried? I will use strong willpower to overcome morning sickness.”
Fang Yi thought morning sickness was a natural reaction developed by humans over millennia. How could it be overcome by willpower?
Yet he said, “I believe in you. Relax, and after you finish broadcasting, I will bring you breakfast.”
Ji You nodded, “Okay. It will not be a problem for you, right?”
Fang Yi’s brow twitched slightly. She seemed unusually formal with him. He said, “How could it be a problem? Don’t be so polite with me.”
After watching Ji You walk through the doors, Fang Yi suppressed his worries and turned to go home.
Ji You entered the office. Luo Dongping arrived shortly after, and the two greeted each other naturally.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.”
Luo Dongping felt that Ji You’s attitude toward him had improved considerably. Smiling widely, he said, “It is so good that your leave is over. Welcome back to work.”
He was willing to partner with Ji You because he had always been anxious when broadcasting with Xue Xiaocheng. He worried that mistakes would occur and not be properly handled. With Ji You, he had no such concerns. Her high level of skill helped him broadcast at his best.
Ji You smiled slightly, “Pleasure to work together.”
Before broadcasting, the most important task was preparing the scripts. Ji You stepped out of the office and stood under the plane tree near the entrance.
The fresh air cleared her mind. Sunlight filtered through the branches. She reminded herself: Do not gag, do not gag, do not gag.
No colleague knew that Ji You’s morning sickness was severe enough to affect her broadcasting. She would not reveal her weakness to competitors.
She entered the broadcast room fifteen minutes early. At seven o’clock, when the local news music faded, Ji You’s voice sounded, “Good morning, listeners. It is exactly seven o’clock. Welcome to Lincheng Radio Station’s morning news. First, here is today’s weather report.”
Her enunciation was clear and precise. Her voice was bright, full, smooth, and almost devoid of personal emotion, yet carried a subtle energy that could awaken the city, spreading over Lincheng as sound waves.
The people of Lincheng liked her broadcasts. In the busy morning, bicycles crowded the streets. Some sat at small shops having breakfast. Others hurried to school with backpacks.
They did not know Ji You’s name, yet in the bustling morning full of life, they enjoyed learning local news through her broadcasts.
Some noticed that today’s broadcast was different from yesterday’s and said with delight, “That female announcer is back.”
Fang Yi placed a thermos of hot milk powder and malt powder in his bicycle basket and held the lunchbox against his chest, using his body heat to keep it warm. The bulge on his chest looked odd, but he did not mind.
Riding on the main road, the basket also carried a black radio playing the local news loudly.
Since Ji You’s morning sickness began, he had listened to the broadcasts carefully, fearing she might gag suddenly.
Today was no different. He listened attentively but was sometimes interrupted by surrounding noise. When the broadcast sound was blocked, he frowned slightly.
His wife’s broadcast was much better than yesterday’s female announcer. Her voice was pleasant, confident, powerful, and authoritative, inspiring trust.
The station was nearby. After walking only a minute or two, he stood under a tree and lowered the volume of the broadcast, focusing on listening while waiting for Ji You.
Thirty minutes of high-intensity work passed. Ji You did not gag or make any mistakes. She completed the broadcast smoothly, with only a slight sweat on her temples.
She exhaled quietly. This was her beloved work. She excelled naturally.
She would never be defeated by morning sickness.
Luo Dongping organized his scripts while saying, “Ji You, working with you is better. Sitting next to you makes me confident, and broadcasting feels really easy.”
He almost admitted that he did not want to broadcast with Xue Xiaocheng.
There was no need to worry about mistakes. Broadcasting under relaxed conditions was very different from broadcasting under anxiety. Ji You could bring out his best performance.
Ji You said arrogantly, “Now you see how good I am. Why didn’t you notice before? Did you have a bias against me?”
Luo Dongping nodded and shook his head frantically, “No, impossible to be biased. We just were not familiar before.”
While nodding, he thought that Ji You had suddenly become easy to communicate with. It would be great if she was always like this.
After reviewing today’s broadcast with the director, Ji You walked out of the office lightly, ready to eat breakfast. She reached the main entrance and indeed saw Fang Yi waiting under the tree.