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 candies for each employee.
From the senior executives down to the security guards and cleaning staff, everyone received one.
The next day, upon arriving at their workstations, the sight of the wedding candies once again filled the company with excitement.
This was especially true in International Marketing.
Previously, they had assumed Jiang Jingyu was just 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 congratulate her.
The insincere, fawning words made Tong An'an feel embarrassed even to hear them.
After politely interacting with everyone for a while, it was time to start work.
Anna had not yet offered her congratulations, so Tong An'an sent her a WeChat message, inviting her to the pantry.
When the two met, Anna finally offered her blessings.
Tong An'an felt a bit sheepish. "It's not that I don't consider you a friend and deliberately kept 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're married, will you continue working in this department?"
Tong An'an replied, "Yes, why wouldn't I?"
Anna said, "I mean, do you have plans to have children anytime soon?"
"Actually, International Marketing isn't a great department. When it gets busy, you have to align with overseas time zones, often working day and night. If you have the option, it's better to avoid it. It's not suitable for having children later on."
Speaking of this, Tong An'an was reminded of her 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. "Doesn't it seem incredible? Am I being too reckless?"
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Who says that? I actually think what you're doing is right and brave."
"Although you are young and beautiful, and became the president's wife effortlessly, only you know how secure you feel inside."
"Marriage now doesn't guarantee anything. Relying on your looks for favor isn't a long-term solution. Moreover, without achievements to back you up, even if you get promoted later, people will say you relied on your husband. Those who are unhappy with you will never be satisfied."
"But if you can leave this place and build something on your own, then your union with him will be a powerful partnership. Not only will no one dare to criticize you, but you'll become a legend, a beautiful story for 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? Are you allowed to improve yourself but I'm not? 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, Jiang Nanfang was respected and held an unshakeable position in the Zhan family, not just because she had given birth to six children for Zhan Beijue, but also because she possessed extraordinary professional capabilities.
For a woman to maintain her charm throughout her life, she had to constantly improve herself.
Another daughter-in-law of the Zhan family, He Yao, although her career hadn't achieved significant success, colleagues who had worked with her, including Zhan Jingrui, praised her professional abilities.
What about herself?
Although Jiang Jingyu had no demands on her, when she stood among people, she needed some confidence derived from her own abilities.
Having thought this through, Tong An'an went to her supervisor and informed him of her desire to go to South Africa. The supervisor was very surprised.
"Does Mr. Jiang agree?"
"He agrees. He told me to follow your instructions, so please tell me what I need to do."
Since Mr. Jiang agreed and no one else was willing, the supervisor directly gave the opportunity to Tong An'an.
He then provided her with the project information, the contact person there, and all the details, so she could familiarize herself, prepare, and await the company's arrangements.
That evening, Tong An'an told Jiang Jingyu. Jiang Jingyu 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 play along with me."
After a few more days of work, Jiang Nanfang picked an auspicious date, and the two families gathered to discuss the betrothal gifts.
Midway through the meal, Tong An'an announced her plan to study abroad for one to two years.
Tong Mama was shocked. "You disobedient girl! You've been causing so many major events one after another recently, do you want to scare me to death?"
"You refused to go on blind dates when you couldn't find a suitable job! Then, after finally finding a suitable job, you brought home a son-in-law after only a few days of work! I thought you had finally settled down, but now you want to go abroad?"
"Can Jingyu agree? Can the in-laws agree? What do people get married for? You're leaving for so long, can you be so selfish?"
Jiang Jingyu immediately stated that he had no problem and supported Tong An'an's growth.
He had already spoken to Jiang Nanfang and Zhan Beijue in advance, and they also supported her.
Tong Mama immediately lost her temper.
"In my life, I haven't been to many grand places or seen much of the world. My only wish is for my family's health."
"I've heard that some places abroad are quite chaotic, and you've never been there. Can you manage? That place isn't chaotic, is it?"
Tong An'an said, "It's not chaotic. Jingyu has arranged a good place for me, with beautiful scenery."
"I'm only going to study, and Jingyu will visit me from time to time when he has time, so there won't be any problems. Besides, we have the company and colleagues there, and we'll look out for each other. Everything will be fine."
"If you miss me, we'll video call every day, and I'll make time to come back and see you. One or two years will pass quickly."
Tong Mama then realized, "So, you've all planned it out and are just informing my father and me."
"You're truly growing up and becoming independent. You've only been married a few days and you're already like this. Alright, alright, you're not my daughter anymore anyway. Listen to Jingyu's arrangements. If he has no objections, I have no objections."
With her parents appeased, Tong An'an and Jiang Jingyu wholeheartedly began making preparations for her departure abroad.
Learning medical knowledge, exercising, studying English, writing documents – her days were fully scheduled.
Time flew by, and another month passed. Tong An'an was ready and could go abroad.
The place she was being dispatched to this time was Tanzania, a tiny nation the size of a grain of rice on the map.
She had thought she would be accompanying Anna, but unexpectedly, Anna was assigned to the office of another small country.
Fortunately, their countries were not larger than a province in China, so it was like traveling from the south to the north of a city. They could still meet frequently, which was a great relief.
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 once packed, the house felt so empty.
His heart also felt empty.