Before being reborn and getting married, the pampered young lady emptied her family's assets to

Chapter 105 I've Waited for You My Whole Life
An Min looked at the old man behind Zhou Ruian.

He was wearing a faded Zhongshan suit, his back hunched, leaning on a smooth wooden cane, his eyes fixed on her.

There was no probing in his gaze, but rather it seemed to hold a deep pool steeped in the passage of time, causing An Min's heart to tighten inexplicably.

However, the elderly person's eyesight is not very good, and their vision is somewhat scattered and unfocused.

"Comrade Anmin, this is my father."

Zhou Ruian introduced softly, helping the old man to the side, "Dad, don't you think the scenery here is beautiful?"

The old man didn't answer, but stared intently at An Min, his lips moving a few times before he suddenly murmured, "Shuwei...it really is you..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ruian quickly pulled his father back.

"We'll be going now, let's talk another day."

He was afraid that his father's emotional state would worsen his condition.

As the two figures walked away into the distance, An Min didn't take it to heart, treating it as just an accident.

Her days proceeded in an orderly fashion, her pregnancy became increasingly obvious, and Liang Yi's care became more and more meticulous.

As promised, Zhou Ruian rented a quiet house in the village and settled down, bringing with him his seriously ill father, Zhou Bonian.

He rarely appeared in front of Anmin on his own initiative. He would only occasionally meet her from afar at the village entrance and nod politely as a greeting.

His refined restraint and sense of distance gradually dispelled Anmin's initial doubts.

However, Liang Yi was unhappy, as he always felt that Zhou Ruian had ulterior motives.

Even if Zhou Ruian didn't talk to her, Liang Yi still looked like she was jealous.

She found it somewhat amusing, yet also felt a subtle sweetness of being cherished.

That afternoon, the sun was shining warmly. Sister Chunli came to visit Anmin. The two sat on small stools in the yard, basking in the sun while mending some small clothes to prepare for the upcoming baby.

Sister Chunli is a kind-hearted and well-informed person. She was whispering to Anmin about the latest gossip in the village.

"Hey, Anmin, look over there."

Chunli suddenly nudged Anmin with her elbow and gestured towards the courtyard gate.

"Comrade Zhou pushed his father out. The old man seems to be in better spirits than when he first arrived, but his eyes look a little..."

Anmin looked up.

Zhou Ruian was seen carefully pushing a wheelchair.

Sitting in the wheelchair was a thin old man, his father, Zhou Bonian.

Zhou Bonian's hair was gray and sparse, his face was etched with the lines of time, and his eyes were somewhat cloudy as he stared blankly ahead, yet seemed to be trying to focus.

Zhou Ruian pushed his father slowly along a path not far from Anmin's courtyard, probably wanting his father to get some fresh air.

Sunlight shone on the old man, who squinted slightly, looking dazed.

As the wheelchair passed Anmin's courtyard gate, Zhou Bonian turned his head and his gaze fell on Anmin, who was sitting in the courtyard.

In that instant, time seemed to freeze in the old man's eyes.

"Shuwei, Shuwei, is that you? Is it really you?"

Anmin and Chunli were both stunned.

Anmin subconsciously stood up, looking somewhat helplessly at the suddenly agitated old stranger.

Zhou Ruian was clearly startled as well, and quickly bent down and whispered in his father's ear, explaining in a gentle but urgent voice.

"Dad, Dad, you've mistaken her for someone else. That's not Aunt Qin. That's Aunt Qin's daughter, Comrade An Min. You've mistaken her for someone else, Dad."

However, Zhou Bonian seemed completely absorbed in his own world and ignored his son's explanation.

His eyes were fixed on An Min, tears welling up in them.

"You're still blaming me, aren't you? Blaming me for not being decisive enough back then."

The old man's voice was broken and choked with sobs, filled with the regret and longing of his twilight years. "Under that big banyan tree at Huacheng University, you said you wanted me to go with you to Haicheng, but I... I was afraid then..."

Anmin's heart skipped a beat.

These place names and scenes subtly overlapped with fragments of stories she had heard from her aunt An Qing about her mother's youth.

She stood still, neither moving nor speaking, simply listening quietly.

Zhou Ruian looked apologetic and helpless as he tried to comfort his father: "Dad, you're tired. Shall we go back and rest?"

For Zhou Bonian, it was as if a floodgate that had been sealed for decades had been opened, and the regrets and pain that had been suppressed throughout his life surged forth.

He poured out his heart to An Min, who looked just like the bright and beautiful woman deep in his memory.

“I had too many concerns back then. My family didn’t agree, saying it was bad for my family background and they were afraid it would implicate me. I was afraid of ruining your future. I… I asked you to wait for me, to wait until I settled things at home, but you have a strong personality, you couldn’t wait…”

The old man's tears finally rolled down his cheeks.

"You left, went to Haicheng without looking back. I only found out later that you got married, but that man didn't treat you well, did he? Didn't he, Shuwei?"

Anmin's breath hitched.

Her mother died young, and all she knew was that her mother was depressed after getting married in Haicheng and eventually died of illness.

On Chi-kit was tight-lipped about the matter, and his aunt On Ching knew very little about it and spoke vaguely about it.

At this moment, it seemed that another version of the reason for his mother's departure from Huacheng was heard from Zhou Bonian's mouth.

"I've regretted it for the rest of my life."

Zhou Bonian wept uncontrollably, as if he were pouring out all the heartfelt words he had kept bottled up throughout his life at the end of his days.

"If I had been braver back then, and followed you regardless of everything, would you not have gone to Haicheng, not met that bastard, not... not left so soon..."

"Dad! Please stop talking!"

Zhou Ruian's voice was pleading, trying to stop his father's almost out-of-control confession.

He looked at Anmin apologetically, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"I'm sorry, Anmin, my father's condition is getting worse."

Just then, Liang Yi appeared at the courtyard gate.

He had obviously heard the noise and quickly walked over.

The man's face was somewhat gloomy, and his brows were furrowed.

His gaze swept over An Min, confirming that she was unharmed, before settling on the emotionally agitated Zhou Bonian and the troubled-looking Zhou Ruian.

He didn't ask anything, but simply stood beside An Min without making a sound.

An Min felt comforted and supported by Liang Yi, and regained her composure.

She looked at the old man in the wheelchair crying like a child, and felt a mix of emotions.

“Uncle Zhou, you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m not Qin Shuwei, I’m her daughter, An Min.”

“My mother has been gone for many years. Zhou Ruian should have told you about this.”

Otherwise, Zhou Bonian wouldn't have kept saying that he left so early.

However, Zhou Bonian was very ill and his memory was confused. There were some things he said that he probably didn't even know what he was saying.

Although she was mistaken for someone else, Anmin felt somewhat embarrassed.

But she also has to thank Zhou Bonian, because it was through him that she learned about so many hidden details of what happened back then.

However, Zhou Bonian seemed not to hear An Min's explanation, and just said to himself, "Shuwei, I have waited for you my whole life and never married. Can you come back with me?"

These words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone stunned.

If Zhou Ruian never married, where did he come from?