Together Forever

Chapter 21.5

Final Chapter

June of this year was the crazy month of the UEFA European Championship.

Inside the radio studio, there sat only her. The program was about to begin, but the other person had not arrived yet.

Tong Yan propped her head up on her hand, somewhat tired owing to an entire night without sleep, and flipped casually through the stack of script she was holding. Inside her headphones, the radio director was drinking soy milk while also instructing her in a slightly cross tone, "Another five minutes until seven o'clock. If Mai Ming is late, give a live report on the traffic first."

She raised her left hand and made an "okay" sign with it.

When only two minutes remained, someone tapped her on her shoulder. It was her late-arriving partner.

"So close, so close." With his hand still on her shoulder, her partner sat down, panted deeply a couple of times, and cleared his throat.

"You should just request to switch over to the evening program." Tong Yan handed a headset to him.

"Why are your eyes so red, too?" The other person took the headset from her.

"Last night was the anniversary of my grandmother's passing. I couldn't sleep." She quickly finished what she was saying and gestured to him to be quiet.

In that two-hour, live radio show, they were continually reporting traffic updates as well as jesting and chatting with one another. Mai Ming especially loved football and, in particular, was a hardcore fan of the German team, so the conversation topic naturally moved in that direction. Tong Yan did not really know football and would only provide some casual responses, letting him guide the mood and response of the audience.

For one and a half hours of that live program, he spoke until his mouth was parched, and the last thirty-minute call-in segment of the program, he tossed to her to handle.

With such radio shows, the majority of audience participation and interaction was through text messaging. Each month, there was only one day of interaction through telephone call-in, and she and a special-guest police officer would take the calls together.

"Little Ke, I'm a long-time listener of the traffic station. I've listened all along to both your morning live show and your nighttime program."

Mai Ming was accustomed to this sort of situation already and could not help grinning as he mouthed, "A long-time fan."

Baring her teeth, Tong Yan made a face at him while responding to that enthusiastic listener, who was still professing his love. "Thank you."

This was supposed to be a discussion time on the policies regarding a new road, so they had not expected that after that listener finished declaring his feelings of "I love you so much," he would hang up the phone of his own accord. This time, even the traffic police captain, who had been specially invited onto the show, broke out in amused chuckles.

There was approximately only another five minutes before the program was going to end, and with a stern expression, she warned the person beside her that she needed to have a drink of water. Mai Ming at last pulled himself together and, using his pure, yet also magnetic voice, he assumed the job of interacting with the audience. "Hello."

"Hello."

The voice was deep and warm, with much texture to it.

In that instant she heard it, she froze.

It was impossible for her to ever forget that voice.

It had been so long since she heard it, yet she still clearly remembered it.