"But won't I seem a bit spoiled? To reject a good life and insist on going to South Africa. Will your family disapprove of me?"
Jiang Jingyu pulled her head into his embrace, comforting her.
"Silly girl, why would they? Everyone has their own value and pursuits. From my mommy, daddy, to myself, and then to my younger siblings, and to you, we are all the same. I will respect everyone's decision and not interfere."
"I love you, but you are free. Don't talk about being spoiled or about others being unhappy. The 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 was already feeling reluctant before the application was even approved.
Such a good man, desired by so many, she was quite bold.
What if she went to some godforsaken place for a year or two, and someone else snatched him away?
Seeing Tong An'an's mixed emotions, Jiang Jingyu asked what was wrong. She mumbled honestly.
"I suddenly feel so reluctant to leave you, so afraid of losing you. Without you, I could never find anyone better in this world. I'm starting to regret deciding to go to South Africa."
"Silly girl. In the end, it's still about you not having confidence in me, thinking I might change my mind at any moment."
"No, it's not that I don't have confidence in you, it's in myself."
"Then how about we get our marriage certificate before you leave? I'll legally keep myself pure for you, will that put your mind at ease?"
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 along with her, "So, do you agree?"
Tong An'an nodded repeatedly.
Why wouldn't she agree?
This was a sure win, and things couldn't get any worse than their current situation.
She was overjoyed!
So, they discussed and decided to visit Tong An'an's parents that weekend to announce their relationship and gauge their opinions. Then, both families would have a meal together, and they would get their marriage 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 bring her back to reality, taking her for a workout after work.
Tong An'an, who never exercised, found Jiang Jingyu to be like a devil, demanding a lot from the start, leaving her exhausted.
Moreover, the day after the workout, she coincidentally got her period.
Perhaps due to the exercise or too much late-night staying up recently, her flow was particularly heavy this time.
Tong An'an, who rarely experienced menstrual cramps before, now suffered from severe backaches 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. Despite feeling uncomfortable, she was too embarrassed to tell him about these things.
She gritted her teeth and persevered until the third day.
Blood gushed out like free-flowing tap water. As she stood up after a set of exercises, her pants got stained. It was then that Jiang Jingyu noticed her strange complexion.
"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, her legs covered in blood. She could only tell him she was about to pass out, and Jiang Jingyu rushed her to the hospital in a panic.
Upon examination, it was discovered that she didn't have ordinary menstrual cramps but 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 something, but back then she was just a poor student. Others around her also felt uncomfortable during their periods, and Tong An'an had never imagined she would get sick.
She asked the doctor blankly, "Is this condition serious? Is the surgery difficult?"
The doctor replied, "How to put it, it's serious in a way, and not serious in another."
"Cysts smaller than four centimeters are generally 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 this way. Progesterone can effectively inhibit the growth of the cyst, or even cause it to shrink and disappear."
Tong An'an was stunned at that moment, even suspecting the doctor was a fraud hired by Jiang Jingyu.
How could there be such a strange illness in the world that could be cured by pregnancy?
The facts proved her suspicion to be petty.
She checked on her phone, and it was indeed true.
However, it was just too absurd.
She had studied diligently for over 20 years, only to work for two months and before she could even showcase any value, she was expected to marry and have children...
Although marrying Jiang Jingyu was a wonderful thing, Tong An'an truly felt unwilling to spend the rest of her life as a wife living under his shadow.
Jiang Jingyu knew that since she had made up her mind to go to South Africa, it indicated her high career aspirations.
Therefore, having a child now was definitely not her first choice.
So, after the doctor left, he comforted Tong An'an.
"It's not a major surgery. If you don't want to have a child, we can proceed with the surgery. I'll be with you, it's okay. We can get through this."
"Will you think I'm selfish?"
"See, you're doing it again. Didn't I tell you the other day that all our choices are made together? 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 and decided to postpone meeting her parents, keeping it from them, and confirmed the surgery date with the doctor.
Although it wasn't a serious illness, Jiang Jingyu was still very concerned, taking care of her every day and even finding the department director to personally arrange her surgery.
Pre-operative examinations were required, and as usual, Jiang Jingyu accompanied her.
Unexpectedly, fate seemed to be testing this devoted couple; the examination results were quite unfavorable.
Tong An'an's AMH level in her blood was only 0.75, while the normal level is 2-6.8 ng/mL. Her level was 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, the surgery carried risks, and they were unsure if it would cause permanent and irreversible damage to her ovaries.
Two: Transfer to the reproductive endocrinology department to undergo IVF first. Place hope on progesterone to eliminate it on its own.
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, natural conception was impossible.
It was unlikely anyone could 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 was struck as if by lightning.