“Ji You, are you home? I am Zhao Xiaojing” someone said while knocking on the door.
Ji You was still resting in bed. She quickly got up and went to the door, greeting the young woman standing there “I am here, come in. My place is a bit small though.”
Zhao Xiaojing was very polite. She followed Ji You inside and asked while walking “How is your health?”
Ji You smiled “I am doing fine, have a seat, I will pour you a glass of water.”
Zhao Xiaojing did not have much presence in the broadcasting team. She was not as outstanding as Ji You and worried that Ji You might not be very familiar with her. She did not expect Ji You to be so warm and welcoming.
She thought this must be the way graceful people treat others. She hoped she could also be composed and elegant like Ji You.
Zhao Xiaojing did not know whether Ji You had terminated her pregnancy and did not want to bother her, so she said “No need to pour water for me, I will leave soon. The team leader asked me to check with you whether you can come to work the day after tomorrow. She wants to make arrangements in advance.”
Besides work arrangements, someone probably wanted to know about her personal situation, so they sent the quiet, shy, and reserved broadcaster to ask.
Pregnancy was clearly her private matter, but everyone around seemed to hope she would terminate the pregnancy, divorce, and return to Binjiang City.
She had to take leave and explain herself regarding work arrangements. Few people knew the real reason. If others were gossiping, they might have already spread rumors that she had an abortion.
It was also a good opportunity for Ji You to check the morning news schedule.
She placed the warm water on the table next to Zhao Xiaojing and said “See, I am fine. Tell the team leader I will come to work normally the day after tomorrow. I will handle the morning news.”
The person who came was most concerned about whether Ji You had terminated her pregnancy. Zhao Xiaojing could not tell and hesitated to ask.
They talked about some broadcasting matters, but Zhao Xiaojing remained worried. She sipped a few times of warm water and finally said “Someone might want to replace you for the morning news.”
At that time it was 1990. In Lincheng, art-related programs were not very popular yet. The morning, noon, and evening news were the most important programs and always assigned to the best broadcasters.
Zhao Xiaojing felt the person trying to replace Ji You was not very skilled and did not want to see someone unqualified on the news. She thought carefully before speaking.
Ji You smiled lightly with a relaxed tone “I know. Thank you for the reminder. I am not afraid of someone else broadcasting, but if they are going to replace me, they must have the same level of skill. Someone not capable does not qualify.”
Zhao Xiaojing knew Ji You was not from the local area and may not know the background of some people. She hesitated longer before saying “Some broadcasters did not take exams. They were directly assigned by the higher-ups.”
After saying that, Zhao Xiaojing finally exhaled. She did not know much and could only leave it at that. She underestimated Ji You. Ji You naturally knew the situation inside out.
Among young broadcasters, Ji You had no real rivals. But someone very unskilled still dared to covet her program.
Ji You nodded “We broadcasters need to improve our professional ability. Otherwise mistakes may occur during broadcasting.”
She remembered very clearly that tomorrow, Xue Xiaocheng would stutter while delivering the morning news.
She could not prevent it. With more broadcasting, zero mistakes were hard to achieve. Avoiding mistakes this time did not mean there would not be mistakes next time. She would just watch the show.
Zhao Xiaojing did not stay long and soon stood to leave “I will go tell the team leader that you will broadcast the morning news normally the day after tomorrow.”
Ji You also stood and said “Thank you for coming all this way.”
Zhao Xiaojing replied quickly “No need to see me off. Your home is close to our office. It did not take me much time.”
Ji You walked her to the hallway. Zhao Xiaojing said goodbye and left.
She admired Ji You for her excellent voice and strong professional skills. Even when someone wanted to take over her program, Ji You did not get angry. She handled it calmly as if she had complete confidence and could deal with challenges with ease.
Some people said Ji You was arrogant and ignored others. From interacting with her today, these were just jealousy and bias towards someone capable and beautiful. Ji You was cheerful, bright, and generous. Zhao Xiaojing wished she could be like that.
Zhao Xiaojing returned to the radio station. She originally planned to go find the broadcasting team leader, but Xue Xiaocheng was waiting for her. He pulled her into the office with a bright smile and asked the most important question “You just came from Ji You’s home right? She had an abortion right? How is her mental state?”
She had stayed until the afternoon just to find out about Ji You.
Other broadcasters in the large office were listening closely. Recently, Ji You had become the center of gossip.
Zhao Xiaojing answered honestly “I could not tell and did not ask. But she seems very well. She said she will broadcast normally the day after tomorrow.”
Xue Xiaocheng felt his heart sink. The smile on his face froze. He could not hide his disappointment. He wanted to broadcast an important program. He had only just replaced Ji You for a few days, and now that she was back, he could not do it anymore.
Ji You’s male co-host Luo Dongping was very excited. He threw the script on the table, stood up, and walked around “Great, Ji You will broadcast on time.”
Xue Xiaocheng glared at him “What do you mean by that?”
Ji You was not unpopular, so why was he so excited about her return? Did he not like her broadcasting? Who gave him the right to judge?
Luo Dongping hurriedly said “It is just work, nothing else.”
Xue Xiaocheng ignored him and looked at Zhao Xiaojing with a face that said “Why are you so naive” “Why did you even go there?”
Zhao Xiaojing spoke plainly “This is Ji You’s private matter. She does not say, so I do not ask.”
Xue Xiaocheng widened his eyes. The person in front of him was so useless. He thought Zhao Xiaojing was honest and obedient, so she was sent. He did not expect such a naive person to be so ineffective.
He frowned “Private matter? This is important. It is closely related to work. It affects the morning news schedule.”
He scolded the whole office “How come none of you care about work?”
Knowing this would create resentment, Xue Xiaocheng did not care. What could people do if they did not like her?
Zhao Xiaojing saw the disdain on his face and did not want to argue “I will go see the team leader.”
Ji You was thinking. Tomorrow was her last day of leave. In the morning, she had to check the programs to prepare for any mistakes. She also planned to go to the radio station personally.