"But won't I seem a bit difficult? To give up a good life and insist on going to South Africa? Will your family be upset with me?"
Jiang Jingyu pressed her head into his chest and comforted her.
"Silly girl, why would they? Everyone has their own value and pursuits. From my mom and dad to myself, to my younger siblings, and then to you, we are all the same. I will respect everyone's decision and will not impose or interfere."
"I love you, but you are free. Don't say things like being difficult or making others unhappy. This decision was made by both of us. I will face it with you."
Tong An'an was so happy she didn't know what to do, tightly hugging his neck.
She hadn't even applied yet, and she was already feeling reluctant.
Such a good man, desired by so many, she was really being too bold.
If she went to that godforsaken place for a year or two, what if he was poached by someone else?
Seeing Tong An'an's mixed joy and sadness, Jiang Jingyu asked what was wrong. She mumbled, telling him the truth.
"I suddenly feel so reluctant to leave you, so afraid of losing you. If I lost you, I wouldn't be able to find anyone else in the world better than you. I'm regretting deciding to go to South Africa."
"Silly girl. In the end, you don't have faith in me, right? You think I might change my mind at any moment."
"No, it's not that I don't have faith in you, it's in myself."
"Then how about we get our marriage certificate before you leave? I'll legally remain yours, and then you can be at ease, right?"
Tong An'an looked up in surprise, "What did you say? Get our certificate before I leave?"
Jiang Jingyu looked at her dotingly, "I'll have to inconvenience you a bit, we won't have the wedding for now."
"Ah! Jingyu, you're so good. Why are you so good to me!"
Jiang Jingyu smiled with her, "So, you agree?"
Tong An'an nodded repeatedly.
Why wouldn't she agree?
This was a surefire deal, and it couldn't be worse than the current situation.
She was overjoyed!
Thus, they decided to go back and see Tong An'an's parents that weekend to announce their relationship and gauge their opinion. Then, the parents from both families would have a meal together, and they would get their certificate on that day.
Suddenly finding true love, suddenly getting married, Tong An'an was so happy.
However, no matter how happy she was, Jiang Jingyu had to pour cold water on her, taking her to work out after work.
Tong An'an never exercised, but Jiang Jingyu was like a devil, demanding a lot from her right from the start, exhausting her.
Furthermore, the day after exercising, her period arrived.
She didn't know if it was due to the exercise or staying up too late recently, but this time the flow was particularly heavy.
Tong An'an rarely experienced menstrual cramps before, but this time she had severe back pain and abdominal bloating.
She and Jiang Jingyu had only reached the stage of holding hands, hugging, and kissing. They hadn't progressed to the final step, so even though she felt uncomfortable, she was too embarrassed to tell him about these things.
She gritted her teeth and endured until the third day.
Blood gushed out like free-flowing tap water. As she stood up after a set of exercises, her pants were soaked. Jiang Jingyu finally noticed her strange expression.
"What's wrong? Why are you sweating so much? Your face is so pale. Are you feeling unwell?"
Tong An'an felt dizzy and nauseous, with blood all over her legs. She could only tell him she was about to collapse. Jiang Jingyu rushed her to the hospital.
After examination, it turned out she wasn't experiencing ordinary menstrual cramps but had an ovarian cyst.
It was already four centimeters in size, and the doctor said it met the criteria for surgery.
"This condition didn't develop overnight. You must have had symptoms before. Didn't you notice anything?"
She definitely had noticed, but back then she was just a poor student. People around her would also feel uncomfortable during their periods, and Tong An'an never thought she would get sick.
She asked the doctor in a daze, "Is this condition serious? Is the surgery difficult?"
The doctor said, "How to put it, it's serious and not serious."
"Generally, cysts smaller than four centimeters are not recommended for surgery; medication can be used for control, or pregnancy as soon as possible."
"Actually, pregnancy is the best solution. Many patients recover through this. Progesterone can effectively inhibit the growth of the cyst, even causing it to shrink and disappear."
Tong An'an was stunned at that moment, even suspecting if the doctor was a fraud hired by Jiang Jingyu.
How could such a strange illness exist in the world, one that could be cured through pregnancy?
As it turned out, she was being small-minded.
She checked on her phone, and it was indeed true.
However, it was too ridiculous.
She had studied diligently for over 20 years, only to work for two months, and before she could even realize her value, she would have to get married and have children...
Although marrying Jiang Jingyu was a very, very good thing, Tong An'an was truly unwilling to spend the rest of her life forever living under his radiance as a wife.
Jiang Jingyu knew that since she had decided to go to South Africa, it meant she had high career aspirations.
Therefore, having children now was certainly not her top priority.
So, after the doctor left, he comforted Tong An'an.
"It's not a major surgery. If you don't want to have children, we can do the surgery. I'll be with you, it's okay. We can get through anything."
"Do you think I'm very selfish?"
"See, you're doing it again. Didn't I tell you the other day? All choices are made by both of us. Besides, we are not ready to be parents. Bringing a life into this world just to treat an illness is irresponsible."
Tong An'an was very grateful for his understanding. She could only postpone meeting her parents, keeping it a secret from them, and confirming the surgery date with the doctor.
Although it wasn't a serious illness, Jiang Jingyu was still very concerned, running errands for her every day and even finding the department head to personally arrange her surgery.
A series of checks were required before the surgery, and as usual, Jiang Jingyu accompanied her.
Unexpectedly, fate seemed to be intentionally making things difficult for the couple who had good intentions. The results of the examination were quite bad.
Tong An'an's AMH level in her blood was only 0.75. The normal level is 2-6.8 ng/mL, far below the normal range.
The doctor suspected that the continuous enlargement of the cyst had caused significant damage to her ovaries, leading to this situation. Now, there were only two solutions.
One: Proceed with the surgery as planned. However, surgery carries risks, and they were unsure if it would cause permanent and irreversible damage to her ovaries.
Two: Transfer to the reproductive department and undergo in vitro fertilization first. Place hope on progesterone to eliminate it naturally.
In other words, even if Tong An'an wanted to resolve the cyst through pregnancy with Jiang Jingyu, it was no longer possible.
Given her physical condition, she could not conceive naturally.
It was estimated that no one would be able to accept such news.
Having the ability but not wanting to have children is one thing; not having the ability to have children is another.
Tong An'an felt as if she had been struck by lightning.