Chapter 19

Evening.

The "Words of the World" live studio.

Ten minutes before the live broadcast, Zhang Ye, as a guest, pushed the door open and entered. Wang Xiaomei was already there, adjusting the equipment with her head down, not even sparing a glance at Zhang Ye. Her phone editor was also in the room, a young man with many moles on his face, who was much more friendly compared to Wang Xiaomei.

"Teacher Zhang is here? Please sit here."

"Okay, is this my headset?"

"Yes, put it on and try it, I'll adjust it for you."

"Alright, the sound is just right, and the mic is fine too."

"Alright, the live broadcast starts in nine minutes, I'll go to the other side."

The phone editor went into the soundproof room on the other side of the transparent glass, giving them a countdown gesture every minute.

In the last thirty seconds, Wang Xiaomei suddenly said, "One more time, don't talk randomly, follow my views and pace."

Zhang Ye replied indifferently, "Alright." After all, she had more experience and achievements than him, and he was here to promote his own show, so he didn't mind her tone.

Three, two, one, live broadcast starts!

Wang Xiaomei pushed the equipment and smiled, "Hello everyone, welcome to 'Words of the World.' I'm your DJ, Wang Xiaomei. You may already know that today's live program is a special on relationships, and we are fortunate to have a guest, the host of our station's 'Midnight Ghost Stories' program, Zhang Ye, who is also the original author of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light.' Teacher Zhang, would you like to say hello to everyone?"

Zhang Ye immediately spoke into the earpiece, "Hello, listeners, I'm Zhang Ye. Today, I'm honored to be here with Teacher Wang to help everyone with their relationship issues."

Wang Xiaomei continued, "The hotline is now open. Listeners with relationship problems are welcome to call in."

There was a computer on the live broadcast desk, displaying real-time comments and discussions from listeners on the website. As the top-rated cultural radio program, the discussion atmosphere was very lively.

Netizen 3577: Relationship special? Haha, great, I'll listen to Teacher Wang's comments on relationship issues!

Netizen 1041: Teacher Zhang Ye is here too? My wife and I listen to 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' every night!

Netizen 5502: 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'? Isn't that a ghost story? There are no good ghost stories nowadays, I'm already disappointed with supernatural novels!

Netizen 2890: Friend upstairs, you're wrong. I guarantee 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' is different from any supernatural novel you've heard before, it's a classic!

Netizen 5502: Really? I'll listen tonight then.

Netizen 0019: The name sounds good, I'll listen tonight too.

The promotional effect of a star program was indeed significant. Zhang Ye knew that the listenership of his show would likely increase a bit tonight.

On the other side, the phone editor gave a gesture, indicating that the phone screening was complete. These calls were not just answered randomly; being a live broadcast, there were always people who might try to disrupt it, so a professional phone editor was needed to judge and screen the calls, selecting those with interesting topics and reliability.

Wang Xiaomei nodded, "Alright, let's take the first caller."

"Hello? Is it me?" It was a female listener, very excited. "Really me?"

Wang Xiaomei said gently, "Yes, what can we help you with?"

The female listener quickly said, "Teacher Wang, Teacher Wang, you're my idol, and my boyfriend and I both really like you..." Her tone then changed, "But my boyfriend has been ignoring me lately. He never used to get angry with me, but now he's always upset and even chats with other girls online, being flirtatious. I once saw his chat records, and they were all things like 'Are you up?' 'Are you sleeping?' 'Good night' 'Remember to eat on time.' He's never been that caring with me! Teacher, what should I do?"

Wang Xiaomei frowned, "Young lady, my advice has always been to break up with a man who doesn't value you. These greetings and flirtations may seem harmless, but they are a big issue and can be very dangerous. It also shows that his mind is no longer on you. Breaking up is a way to tell him where your boundaries are. If you keep tolerating him, he will only move further away. It's better to break up now and see if he can change. If he can, then you can consider getting back together. If not, it means he really doesn't care about you, and it's best to cut ties early."

The female listener was doubtful, "Is that really the case?"

Wang Xiaomei looked at Zhang Ye, "What do you think, Teacher Zhang?"

Zhang Ye blinked, "I think it's better to communicate first. Relationships are a two-way street. Maybe you're holding your boyfriend too tightly, which makes him feel like he wants to escape." Seeing Wang Xiaomei's stern look, Zhang Ye added, "If communication doesn't work, Teacher Wang's advice is also a good strategy."

On the computer, the netizens had strong opinions.

"Teacher Zhang Ye is causing trouble!"

"Men like that should be broken up with, Teacher Wang is right!"

"Exactly, if it were me, I'd slap that guy! What two-way problem?"

"Haha, I love listening to Teacher Wang scold people. She's so straightforward. Teacher Zhang, don't cause trouble!"

One call...

Three calls...

Five calls...

Wang Xiaomei was scolding people and advising breakups!

Wang Xiaomei clearly felt that Zhang Ye was talking too much and not following her lead, so she didn't ask for his opinion on the next few calls. Zhang Ye sat in his chair for over half an hour without saying a word. He was also unhappy; he came as a guest to share his views, not to be forced to say everything according to her wishes. Why should he?

"Our program is almost over. Let's take a commercial break and then take the last call of the day." Wang Xiaomei held up one finger to the phone editor.

Zhang Ye simply turned off his mic and didn't plan to speak anymore.

During the commercial break, Wang Xiaomei glared at Zhang Ye, "What did I tell you before?"

Zhang Ye countered, "Expressing different opinions, what's wrong with that? I think it's best to encourage reconciliation in relationship issues. Whether to break up or not should be decided by the parties involved. We are just providing a way for them to think, not forcing them to break up. Listeners might like to hear that, but what about the parties involved? What about their feelings?"

Wang Xiaomei was furious, "Do I need you to teach me?"

Zhang Ye shrugged, "So I won't talk anymore. You go ahead."

The two were very unhappy. Zhang Ye didn't care about respecting his senior anymore. He could compromise on many things, but not on principles.

The commercial ended, and the live broadcast resumed.

Wang Xiaomei, suppressing her anger, said, "Let's take the last call."

"Hello?" It was a calm female voice, very young, no more than twenty-five.

"Hello, what relationship problem are you facing? You can tell us," Wang Xiaomei said.

But the last call turned out to be a big problem. The woman on the other end said, "My name is Xiaoli. I'm twenty-two years old and a third-year college student. My boyfriend is graduating this year, but his family has arranged for him to study abroad, and he won't be back for at least five years."

Wang Xiaomei asked, "Where is he going?"

The college student replied, "To New York. I know that once he leaves, our relationship will be over. I've tried everything to make him stay, but he won't. He keeps promising me to wait for him, saying he will marry me when he returns in five years, but I don't believe him."

Wang Xiaomei, unaffected by Zhang Ye's words, was even more determined to stick to her approach, "Young lady, if your boyfriend really loves you, he would choose to stay. But it's clear that he values his career and future more than your relationship. There's no point in lingering with such a man. If you wait for five years, you'll be the one who's foolish. I've never been in favor of long-distance relationships. Even the best relationships can wear out over time. It's better to end the pain now. Think about it carefully."

The college student's tone was very calm, "I've already thought it through."

"That's good," Wang Xiaomei said with relief. "We've done all we can to help you."

The college student smiled faintly, "Thank you, Teacher. I know what to do. I hope my boyfriend can hear this call. This will be my last message to the world."

Click, there was a sound on the other end.

Wang Xiaomei sensed something was wrong, "What are you doing?"

The college student said softly, "I'm taking my boyfriend's razor blade. I have no reason to stay in a world without him. Goodbye!"

Zhang Ye was terrified!

Wang Xiaomei was also suddenly very anxious!

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