Ji You had already secured the position of section chief for herself
“Ji You, once again your audience letters are the most numerous. Why do you think they love writing to you so much?” Old Li said, handing over a stack of letters over ten centimeters thick.
Ji You took the large stack with both hands, saying, “Thank you for the trouble.”
During broadcasts, the announcer’s name was not mentioned, and the audience did not know Ji You’s name, but the envelopes were labeled “morning news female announcer,” so Ji You was able to receive them.
Section Chief He, who had just walked in from outside, saw Ji You holding such a thick stack of letters and patted her on the shoulder, saying, “Little Ji, receiving this many letters again, it seems you are the most popular with the audience. Keep it up.”
Ji You’s lips curved slightly. In this era, one way to judge an announcer’s popularity was by the number of letters received.
Previously, she had never cared about audience letters and had never read them. All the letters piled under her desk had gathered dust, and she only found them bothersome, wishing they could all be cleared away.
Zhao Xiaojing looked at Ji You eagerly and said, “I envy you for receiving so many letters. I hope one day I can get this many too.”
Ji You untied the string binding the letters and said, “As long as the program is good, the audience will write you plenty of letters.”
Xue Xiaochen had not received a single letter and felt unfair, saying, “Morning news is a key program for us. It’s not strange for the announcers to get letters. Besides, getting letters is no big deal. Work is endless, and there’s no time to read them.”
Luo Dongping was quicker to retort, saying, “As if just being a morning news announcer guarantees this many letters. I’ve received fewer than Ji You. It seems female announcers are just more popular.”
Ji You was sorting through the letters and picked one with beautiful handwriting. She tore it open and said while taking it out, “I want to read the letters. Since the audience is willing to send them to me, I will make time to read them even if I am busy.”
Of course, this was said for Xue Xiaochen to hear. She pursed her lips and, seeing everyone busy, said nothing further.
The letters piled up to more than a meter high. Ji You read quickly, and the contents varied widely. Some expressed affection for her, some shared daily life, and some reported situations.
Ji You had originally believed that no one in Lincheng liked her, thinking everyone hated her. She did not expect the audience to like her so much. In these letters, the audience expressed their feelings in all sorts of ways.
She felt for the first time the joy of communicating with her audience.
Those sharing daily life stories were even more touching. Perhaps they treated her like a trusted acquaintance, sharing work and personal matters. They did not know she was not the caring sister they imagined. She was demanding, arrogant, capricious, and sharp-tongued. If they knew the announcer they confided in was this way, likely no one would write to her.
Luo Dongping stood up to stretch and saw the stack of opened letters on Ji You’s desk. He craned his neck and asked, “Ji You, are you really reading them? How can you finish so many?”
Ji You did not even lift her head, saying, “I don’t read them all at once. I read a few whenever I have time.”
Luo Dongping realized Ji You had never read audience letters before. Now he was certain she had changed, obviously for the better, which would help her establish good relationships and a solid audience base.
Many letters also reported problems. When she saw letters about the black clinic she had visited, Ji You, who had been reading comfortably, sat up straight and began reading carefully.
The audience member who wrote this letter was a victim of the black clinic.
They were appealing to the media for help and reporting the situation.
Based on information she had in her previous life, the clinic she had visited was just a black clinic. The doctor had no relevant qualifications and mainly handled gynecology and obstetrics.
Ji You learned that the so-called miracle doctor, who had tried to give her drugs for induced abortion, claimed to treat all diseases and was somewhat famous locally.
This “miracle doctor” treated all kinds of difficult illnesses: deafness, paralysis, cancer, mental illness, heart disease, rheumatism. There was no disease he did not dare to treat or could not treat.
Ji You’s previous anonymous letters to various departments had fallen into a void with no response.
She could not give up. She could not allow the black clinic to continue harming people and profiting illegally.
She realized she could no longer report anonymously. As a media professional, only through the power of the radio station could the problem be addressed.
She decided to read all the audience letters first, to see if she could find more victims.
At noon, Fang Yi deliberately slowed the car and waited at the gate instead of entering.
It was already time to start work, and Xiao Yu still arrived late. Seeing Fang Yi there, joy surged again. Was Fang Yi really waiting for her?
Fang Yi was tall and strong, handsome and proper, with a secure job. She could not understand what Ji You found to dislike about him.
Despite her disdain, she had not divorced him. That seemed morally wrong.
She could give Fang Yi a warm home.
“Fang Yi, are you waiting for me?” Her charming voice could not hide her surprise.
Fang Yi’s face showed no expression as he said, “We were just neighbors before. It was only that our parents were close.”
Xiao Yu’s smile froze in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Fang Yi’s jaw tightened. “The sister, the childhood friend none of it is true. I have no sister, no childhood friend. We are only neighbors. Do not say things in front of Ji You that she does not like to hear.”
Having received a cold reception early in the morning, Xiao Yu felt frozen. She wanted to say she did not know what Ji You had done to enchant him so completely.
Fang Yi did not give her a chance to speak or even look at her. He stretched his long legs and rode his bicycle into the agricultural machinery factory.
Xiao Yu was left standing in silence. She had only gone to see Ji You once, and yet Fang Yi warned her repeatedly.
Even if they were just neighbors, this was his attitude now that he had a wife?
She had been excited to see Fang Yi in the morning, only to be angered after a few words. She was full of complaints with no outlet, completely frustrated.
Just wait, it would not be long before they divorced.
In Binjiang City, Zou Wentao was overjoyed to receive a telegram.
He wanted to give a gift that suited the recipient. He needed ginseng. He knew Ji You had previously been in the mountains, a place that produced ginseng, which she “casually” mentioned in a letter. Sure enough, she quickly found two three-hundred-year-old roots of ginseng.
This proud, arrogant, capricious, and demanding woman was still completely under his command. This gave him a strong sense of accomplishment.
His mind was full of ginseng. He wanted to give it to the leader. The leader’s father needed ginseng for his health. If he could deliver it, the next promotion was guaranteed to him.
His mother expressed some concern. “Ji You is so arrogant. You ran from a wedding and made her angry. She really went to get you ginseng?”
At that moment, Zou Wentao was bursting with confidence. “Ji You was captivated by my charm and cannot forget me. She went to get ginseng that no one else could find and even traveled far to deliver it to me.”
He made a special trip to the hospital. Seeing that the leader was not in a good mood, he could not resist telling him the good news about the ginseng.
The leader was overjoyed. “Xiao Zou, you handled this well. You have good judgment. The future is bright. When can the ginseng be delivered?”
Zou Wentao had never been so valued. “It will arrive tomorrow night and can be given to you the day after.”
He was confident that the section chief position was already in his pocket.
He knew Ji You was proud. If he sent a telegram to have her come to receive it, he had to go. Otherwise, she might turn angry.