Before going to bed that night, Jiang Jingyu messaged Zhang Yang, asking him to arrive at the company an hour early the next day to prepare a packet of wedding candy for each employee.
From the senior executives to the security guards and cleaning staff, everyone received one.
The next day, upon arriving at their workstations, the office buzzed with excitement at the sight of the wedding candy.
This was especially true for International Marketing.
Previously, they had dismissed Jiang Jingyu as merely playing around and hadn't paid much attention to Tong An'an. Now that she had suddenly become the boss's wife, everyone rushed to offer their congratulations.
The insincere smiles and flattering words were so awkward that Tong An'an felt embarrassed to even hear them.
After politely interacting with everyone for a while, it was time to start work.
Anna had not yet offered her congratulations. Tong An'an messaged her, inviting her to the pantry.
When they met, Anna finally offered her blessings.
Tong An'an felt a little embarrassed. "It's not that I don't consider you a friend and deliberately hid it from you. It's just that I didn't expect things to progress so quickly..."
"You don't need to explain to me. It's your private life, and you're not obligated to tell anyone. I'm just curious, now that you two are married, will you continue to work in this department?"
Tong An'an replied, "Yes, why not?"
Anna said, "What I mean is, do you have any plans to have children in the near future?"
"Actually, International Marketing isn't a great department. When it gets busy, you have to match overseas hours, often working day and night. If you have the option, it's better to avoid it. It's not suitable for when you plan to have children."
Speaking of this, Tong An'an remembered the trip to South Africa.
She asked Anna what qualifications were needed to go there.
"What for? You want to go to South Africa?"
Tong An'an gave a wry smile. "Don't you find it incredible? Do you think I'm being too demanding?"
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Who said that? I actually think what you're doing is very right and brave."
"Although you're young and beautiful, and you've become the president's wife effortlessly, only you know how you truly feel inside."
"Marriage nowadays doesn't guarantee anything. Relying on your looks can't last forever. Moreover, without tangible achievements to back you up, even if you get promoted later, people will say you relied on your husband. Those who disagree with you will never be convinced."
"But if you can leave here and build something for yourself through your own efforts, then your union will be a strong partnership. Not only will no one dare to question you, but you'll become a legend, a beautiful story in this company. I support you."
"Besides, I want to go too. If you go, we can be companions."
Tong An'an was surprised. "You want to go too?"
Anna joked, "What? Is it only permissible for you to improve yourself, but not me? Staying in this cubicle every day is too boring. I've wanted to venture out for a long time."
Anna's words further solidified Tong An'an's resolve.
Indeed, the reason Jiang Nan Fang was respected and held an unshakeable position in the Zhan family was not just because she gave birth to six children for Zhan Bei Jue, but also because of her professional abilities that were beyond ordinary people.
For a woman to maintain her charm throughout her life, she must constantly improve herself.
The Zhan family's other daughter-in-law, He Yao, although she hadn't achieved much in her career, was praised for her professional skills by her colleagues, including Zhan Jing Rui.
And herself?
Although Jiang Jingyu had no demands on her, standing in a crowd, she needed some confidence derived from her own abilities.
After mulling it over, Tong An'an approached her supervisor and mentioned her desire to go to South Africa. The supervisor was quite surprised.
"Does President Jiang agree?"
"He agrees. He said I should follow your instructions, so please just tell me what I need to do."
Since President Jiang agreed, and others were unwilling, the supervisor directly offered the opportunity to Tong An'an.
He then provided her with the project information, contact personnel, and all the details, asking her to familiarize herself with them and prepare, awaiting the company's arrangements.
That evening, Tong An'an informed Jiang Jingyu. He held her and remained silent for a long time before ultimately respecting her choice.
"It's just that we can understand here, but what about your parents..."
"If my parents knew how poor and extreme South Africa is, they definitely wouldn't agree to let me go. So, you'll have to help me put on an act."
After a few more days of work, Jiang Nan Fang chose an auspicious date for the two families to gather and discuss the betrothal gifts.
Midway through the dinner, Tong An'an announced her plan to study abroad for one to two years.
Mother Tong was shocked. "You incorrigible girl! You've been causing so many big events one after another lately, are you trying to scare me to death?"
"You refused to look for suitable jobs before, and you refused to go on blind dates! Then, after finally finding a suitable job, you brought home a son-in-law within days of starting! I thought you were finally settled, but now you want to go abroad?"
"Does Jingyu agree? Do your in-laws agree? What do people marry a daughter-in-law for? You're going away for so long, can you be so selfish?"
Jiang Jingyu immediately stated that he had no issues and supported Tong An'an's growth.
He had already informed Jiang Nan Fang and Zhan Bei Jue in advance, and they also supported her.
Mother Tong immediately softened.
"In my life, I haven't been to many places, nor have I seen much of the world. My only hope is for my family's health."
"I've heard some places abroad are quite chaotic, and you've never been there. Will you be alright? Isn't that place chaotic?"
Tong An'an replied, "It's not chaotic. Jingyu has arranged a good place for me, with beautiful scenery. It's very scenic."
"I'm just going to study, and Jingyu will visit me from time to time when he's free. There won't be any problems. Besides, we have the company there, and colleagues who will look out for each other. It will be absolutely fine."
"If you miss me, we can video call every day, and I'll make time to visit you. One or two years will pass quickly."
Mother Tong then realized, "So, you've all planned this out, and you're just informing my father and me?"
"You truly are a girl who can't stay home. You've only been married a few days, and you've already become like this. Alright, alright, since you're not my daughter anymore, just listen to Jingyu's arrangements. If he doesn't have an opinion, then I don't."
Having secured her parents' approval, Tong An'an and Jiang Jingyu wholeheartedly began making preparations for her departure abroad.
Studying medical knowledge, exercising, learning English, and writing documents, her days were packed.
Another month flew by. Tong An'an was ready and could finally go abroad.
Her assigned destination this time was the country of Tanzania, a tiny speck on the map.
She had expected to accompany Anna, but Anna was assigned to an office in another small country.
Fortunately, their countries were not as large as one of China's provinces. It was akin to traveling from the south of the city to the north, so they could still see each other often, which was quite reassuring.
The night before her departure, Jiang Jingyu personally helped pack five large suitcases for Tong An'an.
Normally, she didn't seem to have many things, but as they were packed, the house felt noticeably empty.
His heart felt empty as well.