“Season Four” was very different from the other seasons of Seeking Happiness. Not only was it the final season — which went on to complete the story — but its format and style of writing was very different from previous seasons. Gone were the heavy dialogues and developments. There were no chapters that existed solely to develop characters and relationships. The action was constant and the story sprinted at light speed. Stories that should have developed other many chapters were done in a few (if not one chapter). The pacing, details, and developments were all sacrificed because I had to finish the story in 3 months. I didn’t think it was possible, but I did it.

Am I happy with the final product? Mostly. I don’t refute that the story was very rushed; at times it was almost anti-climatic and at other times it was somewhat unconvincing (due to its abruptness). Generally though I was able to write most of the stories I had planned for these characters. You’ll get to learn all about the stories (and characters) that were cut due to lack of time in a special “Afterwords” chapter.

The content in season four was enough for two seasons and originally I planned five seasons with at least 400 chapters. Coming at the end of season three there were still many, many stories that I hadn’t written yet. I was “saving” them so that I could spread it all throughout the fanfic’s life so that there would always be something new and interesting to read. I wanted different stories to “lead” and hold the helm of the fanfic at different times. Unfortunately, everything was jammed packed into the last 61 chapters. It was overwhelming to write sometimes because I had “too many” stories. Some characters completely disappeared when the focus wasn’t on them. Big group/family scenes were rare. There was no “down time” ever in season four.

The format of season four hurt the four new main characters — Sek Biu (Raymond Lam), Lam Yuk Fan (Tavia Yeung), Wong Tsz Lok (Bosco Wong), and Chung Ka Ting (Leila Tong) — the most. I failed to properly develop them and thus the audience didn’t feel much for their characters and stories. I didn’t want to devote so much time to them when I still had so many other characters and stories that were already established. As it turns out the audience cares most about the “original” Virtues of Harmony blood and loves to read about them as compared to the new characters. I completely understand. I take full responsibility for “wasting” (even ruining) these new characters.

Originally I planned on introducing the new characters much more gradually and giving them stories to interact with our existing characters. It was supposed to be much more integrated. They were definitely not intended to feel like “outsiders” or “forced” on the audience. Sadly, due to their lack of developments and focus, they were viewed as such.

I have to make a confession. I did not enjoy writing for the new characters as much as I thought I would. Maybe it was because I didn’t get to explore them and therefore never connected to their “hearts”. I didn’t feel for them or enjoy them as much as the existing characters from seasons one through three. I had so much more fun and interest when I didn’t have to write for the new characters. The complaints against the new characters and how their chapters lacked the Virtues “feel” were totally understandable and I also have to agree with the criticisms.

Season four was all about the breakdown of our beloved Kam family and friends. Every story reached a climax and contributed beautifully to the fanfic’s main theme of happiness — which I’ll discuss in depth in the upcoming “special”.

The best single storyline in season four is arguably the entangled love relations among Ah Sing (Hawick Lau), Ah Lam (Linda Chung), Ah San (Steven Ma), and Fiona (Sherming Yiu). It was not surprising to me that it was the most well-received and highly-rated storyline of the season. This story was developed since season one and after over 200 chapters of building up it reached an explosive climax that captivated everyone. Not only was it an exciting, interesting, and “juicy” storyline, but it was also a very meaningful story that resulted in two very touching and sweet endings. I absolutely loved the Ah Sing/Ah Lam/Ah San/Fiona storyline the most. It was extremely satisfying and my best-written story this season.

I was always a fan of Ah Sing & Ah Lam and enjoyed their chemistry. I was intrigued by them. I love how they understand each other and are there supporting and helping one another throughout the whole fanfic (leading up to the climatic Chapter 258: loving ah lam and Chapter 259: unfaithful (an affair)). Their “forbidden” past with all of its unresolved feelings, questions, and ambiguities was very fruitful in terms of potential stories (which explains their abundant screen time). I compare their relationship to Heart of Greed’s Dak Dak Dei & Seung Joi Sum and in fact they at several points also address each other by such nicknames.

Since Chapter 69: keeping the key they began their emotional affair. It was subtle, but their reignited feelings were very clear and with each chapter these feelings grew deeper and stronger. They acted inappropriately (even if they did not do anything “wrong”) and were cheating on their respective spouse. It was no longer friendship.

Ah Sing and Ah Lam are both to blame for their affair and the consequent destructions of their marriage. Neither party is innocent. Ah Sing may have initiated their kiss and brought to surface their “forbidden” (therefore hidden) feelings but Ah Lam returned his kiss. She chose to confide in him and depend on him instead of her husband. This is very wrong and doesn’t constitute a healthy relationship — let alone a marriage.

The affair/cheating issue was something I always wanted to write about because it intrigues me. I believe they start out innocent. I don’t think the majority of cheaters maliciously set out on cheating. It is a mix of unclear feelings and failure to properly handle relationships which result in affairs. Of course when it comes to “love” it is hard to think logically. The heart is hard to control.

The Ah Sing/Ah Lam affair was brilliantly and truthfully written. I am very proud of those chapters; all of the build-up over the last 200 chapters was worth it. I loved it.

Ah San and Ah Lam’s marriage was rocky from the start. He was working too much and then he hurt Ah Lam’s pride and work ethics by bribing clients. They temporarily repaired their relationship but were soon torn apart again by the appearance of Ah San’s supposed cousin Ah Gan (Ron Ng). She didn’t support his decision (though she said she did). The breaking point came when Ah Lam learned that Ah San had selfishly broken her trust by making her pregnant with fake birth control pills.

Due to her emotional state she called for a divorce. After learning from Ah Gan that the problems the two faced were all set-up, Ah Lam thought about getting back with Ah San. However, after seeing his “down” state she decided to use the situation to encourage Ah San to work hard (like in the past). She would get back with him when the time was right.

In every step of their relationship Ah Lam was in “control”. She decided everything and always believed she was right. She never asked Ah San. She only thought about herself. Ah San hit the nail on the head when he pointed out Ah Lam’s flaws. I really liked how the tables were turned and that Ah Lam had to work on correcting herself.

The most innocent party in the whole affair was Fiona. After being written out for awhile due to her insanity (and also to further develop and deepen the feelings between Ah Sing & Ah Lam) she regains her sanity only to be boggled by more palatial drama. Originally the third palatial arc was to be much longer and more in-depth, but because of loss of interest for palatial drama in my part it was extremely trimmed down. Ah Sing’s betrayal and broken promises were unforgivable. She was completely broken when she learned of Ah Sing’s affair and how he called her a “third party”. Their relationship was a “lie” and she was a replacement for Ah Lam in Ah Sing’s heart.

Ah Sing “belongs” to Ah Lam. Their history is too deeply rooted. They could never end up together though. They were destined, but ill-fated. “Ah Sing” therefore could never be with Fiona. He hurt her too much and did not deserve her.

Ah Sing’s “death” and subsequent rebirth as Siu Yuen — someone who existed only for Fiona — was very touching. He knew he had wronged her and didn’t dare to wish for forgiveness let alone for them to get back together. He wanted to make up for all the pain he caused her by fulfilling the promises he had made to her by being by her side for the rest of his life. These were things he should have done from the get-go, but as humans we make mistakes, live, and learn. Through all of his actions as Siu Yuen Ah Sing is able to earn Fiona’s forgiveness and they are able to have a new beginning and get back together with none of the “mess” and “history”. I really love their ending; it was very sweet, meaningful, and moving. I especially love the following lines: She had deemed it irreparable. She thought it was broken without hope of ever being whole again. … With Siu Yuen by her side Fiona mended the Island… and he mended her heart.

Ah San has grown so much not only from season one but also from his first appearance in episode 365 of Virtues II. At the end of chapter 277, so has Ah Lam. It is only after the two of them matured were they able to be parents to their newborn daughter and get back together. Not only did they learn more about themselves but they also learned more on what it means to be married. It was over 200 chapters of self-discovery and maturation for this couple. The events of season four truly tested their marriage and relationship. In the end they were able to renew their love and their relationship became much stronger and more balanced. I really enjoyed their ending; I love Ah San & Ah Lam.

Using “death” as a ploy to get Fiona and Ah San to forgive Ah Sing and Ah Lam seems a bit “easy”, but I think only when faced with the prospect of forever losing someone are we able to look pass anger and realize how much we still love that person. Often when people are hurt they understandably turn their “love” to “hate”. Death may have been the “eye-opening act”, but it is ultimately only through their sincere actions were Ah Sing and Ah Lam able to earn Fiona and Ah San’s forgiveness.

The much anticipated Ah Mei (Cutie Mui)/Ah Yuet (Michael Tse)/Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu) love triangle finally happened in season four. I had a lot of fun writing this. The set-up with the triangle was well-done because both girls could be seen as the “third party”. It was an innocent triangle and quite painful.

Ah Lo has always been Virtues’s VIP. She is a crucial “voice” and character in the series (the series noticeably loses entertainment value without Ah Lo). I debated a long time whether or not it was worth it to “kill” her off for the sake of writing the triangle. In the end I felt it was necessary. Despite her 30 chapters absence Ah Lo’s presence was always felt. I really missed her.

When Ah Mei returned she had a complete make-over and thought that her feelings for Ah Yuet were gone. She really did believe that. It wasn’t until she saw how broken he was following Ah Lo’s “death” did her love for him reawaken. She couldn’t ignore him — this is the man she has loved since childhood. With Ah Mei’s endless support, encouragement, help, and love Ah Yuet was able to stand up again. She brought him back to life.

I really grew to love Ah Yuet & Ah Mei. Their relationship was very sweet. It was a refreshing feeling compared with Ah Yuet & Ah Lo’s relationship. Their relationship was rushed and I would have liked to expand and more gradually write their love story but due to the time crunch I was forced to make their relationship so sudden. Ah Yuet & Ah Mei’s relationship, even in the ancient version, has always been based on gratitude and “responsibility” which then spun into love.

I wanted Ah Yuet not only to have a love triangle but to actually have two wives like in the ancient version.

Having Ah Mei discover the truth about Ah Lo was how I always planned it. It was a very tough decision to make, but we all knew what Ah Mei would do. Ah Mei’s “one day of selfishness” was sad and touching.

I love how Ah Yuet classified his relationship with his “two wives” as being one of sourness and the other sweetness. It really summarizes Ah Yuet & Ah Lo’s and Ah Yuet & Ah Mei’s relationships in both modern and ancient times perfectly.

The resolution to Ah Yuet’s love triangle was set from the beginning. It is the same ending the writers originally planned for Virtues II. Ah Mei was always going to sacrifice and leave, offering her full blessings for Ah Yuet & Ah Lo — allowing them to reunite. I love the letters that Ah Mei wrote; they were so sincere and moving. Ah Mei is such a sweet and lovable character; I actually grew to love her character a lot more because of my fanfic (her stories were rather boring in the series).

Ah Yuet loved both Ah Lo and Ah Mei, but they were different types of “love”. Love stories come in many different types and lengths, but it doesn’t make the love any less great. Moving on with life after a spouse dies is really difficult and for a number of people they cannot get over the hurdle of wanting to remain “faithful”. Men generally remarry more often than women. I went over the issue of widows versus widowers but was only able to do so in a superficial manner. I would have loved to dig deeper into that story. Ah Yuet grew to love his two wives, but only Ah Yuet & Ah Lo can be husband and wife in this lifetime.

Gam (Louis Yuen) and Ying Gei’s (Yvonne Lam) pregnancy storyline was drastically trimmed. It was supposed to be a hilarious story watching them try to get pregnant. I originally was going to write a new character for their surrogate. Not wanting to further bloat my already extensive cast I instead decided to incorporate Ah Lo into their story. It was a hilarious twist and tied the story really well together, especially with the impact of Ah Lo’s “accident”. They were able to get pregnant in the end because they stopped trying so hard. I believe that fate will naturally run its course. Sometimes you get what you want when you don’t try so hard. If it is meant to happen… it will.

Ah Yat (Joyce Chen) and Ah Hong (Johnny Tang) sadly never had any stories of their own besides season one’s “pregnancy scare”. It’s not because I don’t like them. Actually I did plan a nice story for them (which I will reveal in the “Afterwords”) but due to how the story turned out, they had to be cut. There wasn’t any story truly worth telling with them. Ah Yat has always had a problem with Ah Lo because she falsely blames her for ruining her chance to be a top TVB actress. They always argue but deep down I think Ah Yat likes having Ah Lo in her life. Even though Ah Yat regretted how she treated Ah Lo after her “death” and wished she was alive to be with her brother, when her “good sister” Ah Mei gets together with Ah Yuet, of course she’s going to support that pair. Ah Yat has always been a cheerleader for Ah Mei & Ah Yuet and always encouraged Ah Mei to “fight” with Ah Lo. Given Ah Yat’s nature, it’s not at all irrational that she childishly “hated” her brother along with Ah Lo in protest for Ah Mei.

After ending up together at the end of season two, Ah Nin (Frankie Lam) and Joey (Bernice Liu) began to take a “back seat” as do all happy couples in series. I would have liked their wedding to be a much bigger event, but due to time constraints they got engaged and married all in one chapter. Still, it didn’t make their wedding any less beautiful. Joey lost her memories after their first kiss. Therefore I always planned on having Ah Nin regain his memories after they kissed again. I admit that it’s a little farfetched that they did not kiss again until their wedding day, but it’s so much more meaningful that way. They got together again because they fell in love again. Ah Nin remembering their past only augments their present happiness. I really love this couple and am thrilled that I was able to give them a beautiful and complete love story in my fanfic.

Man Gwai Fei (Stephanie Che) has always been one of my most favorite characters. She is TVB’s most entertaining villain. Virtues II failed to fully utilize her which was a shame. Thus I couldn’t let her go to waste in my story. I planned to have Gwai Fei come front & center as the hilarious antagonist everyone loves to hate. Actually I feel sorry for Gwai Fei and Chapter 223: birthday, party, tears exemplifies why. She’s so lonely and just wants friends and family. Her attempt to be a “good person” was hilarious because it was so fake and half-hearted. One has to wonder… if Gwai Fei truly wanted to change and be a “good person”, how different would her life end up? Chapter 224: lady vengeance, which marked Gwai Fei’s “turn” into a full-blown villain, was both sad and chilling. She became so caught up in revenge that she lost herself.

Gwai Fei’s schemes did not dominate the story as much as I originally envisioned. Aside from plotting to marry Wong Sheung (Lau Dan), causing Ah Lo’s “death”, causing Joey’s miscarriage, and teaming up with Ah Ting, she really didn’t do much else. Maybe it’s because it’s harder to conduct crime in the daylight of modern times. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have enough time to write or think her villain path thoroughly. All I know is that in the end I still felt like Gwai Fei wasn’t as central a character as I had wanted her to be. Her terrorizing the Kams wasn’t as big as I hyped it to be.

Ah Ting was the new “bad girl” that replaced Rose (Kenix Kwok) in the Kam household. As the beautiful and seemingly innocent god-daughter of Nim Chi (Nancy Sit), Ah Ting was supposed to be the surprising element that helped to further divide the Kams. I did not originally plan on teaming Ah Ting and Gwai Fei together, but it worked out wonderfully. Gwai Fei’s original partner-in-crime was Man Gwai Yan (Celine Ma). I enjoyed Chapter 278: conscience because it really distinguished Ah Ting and Gwai Fei. They are both “villains” but they differed because one still had a “heart”.

Gwai Fei suffered because her heart was closed to everyone. No one could come in because she didn’t let anyone in. She erred and continued to err even when she learned her rape had been a misunderstanding. It’s sad, but Gwai Fei has no one to blame but herself.

My most favorite story to write in terms of the “new” characters was Wong Hau (Maggie Shiu) and Ah Lok. I love “pretty mom” and “handsome son”! They have this undeniable chemistry and charm that is so Virtues. I enjoyed their unique relationship and characterizations tremendously. It was extremely refreshing and fun to write. Out of all the “new” families, my favorite is the Wong family — too cute! I love the happy ending for them.

The most ridiculous story was Ah Biu & Ah Fan. They had a lot of chemistry but sadly I ruined them with a trashy storyline. It just didn’t work out like I had planned. In my mind Ah Fan being wrongly accused as the “third party” (like her mom) was much more touching and the story with Ah Biu helping her realize her dream much sweeter. In reality, it was rather boring and forced. I ended up having to quickly write them off to save them from further destruction. Their stories with their birth parents were interesting and touching, but after that it just went downhill. I feel badly about it.

Going back to the Kams, how much do we love them? It hurt me to break them up and see them really argue and fight “for real” in season four. There were just so many misunderstandings and villains causing troubles that the family split apart. Of course the person who hurt the most because of the breakdown was no other than our main matriarch Nim Chi. In the ancient version Nim Chi was so much more central to the family. She kept everyone and everything in order (despite being crazy and silly herself). This element of Nim Chi was lacking in her modern counterpart which wasn’t right. It was sad watching her run around trying to put the pieces of her family back together.

How typical and tacky is it to have a character fake illness to achieve something? It’s such a predictable cheap trick from TVB writers. The family getting back together because Nim Chi has cancer was something that people expect from TVB. However, there’s a big twist in my story using this same plot device. At the end it’s not clear whether Nim Chi is really sick with cancer and if so, how sick. It’s a cruel twist that’s shocking and unexpected. I purposely ended the story mysteriously and ambiguously.

My most favorite chapter in the entire fanfic has to be the finale: Chapter 280: happiness. It is flawless and completely satisfying. I am so proud of it. It was so well-written, meaningful, touching, and brought back so many memories. It is how Virtues should have ended. It ties the story together beautifully and brings everything full-circle. I love the ending monologue the most. I also love how the very last scene directly relates back to the ending scene of the costume version (which in turn tied it to the modern version). It really connects the entire Virtues saga.

As a whole season four was a jam-packed ride with a ton of action. It concluded and wrapped up the story well despite a few bumpy parts that could have been improved had I had more time. I am by and large satisfied and happy with my work.

Everyone is saying “hello” today on this new year but I’m saying… “goodbye”.

It’s the end of an era. I’m truly closing the TVB chapter of my life. There won’t be a comeback. I won’t say another word or share another thought about TVB. My heart has died and I no longer care.

Even if I have the time, I don’t have the interest. I can’t bring myself to watch a series. My attention span can no longer handle the long-winded nature of TVB series with its much-more-than-needed length in episodes. It all feels too typical and recycled. I feel like I’ve seen every series that TVB can possibly make and that every new series is just an old series with new faces. There is no more excitement, no more passion. The love is no more.

I don’t even have the interest to watch or re-watch old classics. At this point, I feel like I’ve watched every series I’ve ever wanted to watch already.

After Virtues of Harmony ended in 2005 I hoped day and night for a reunion and I held on to that hope for a long time. I longed for TVB news hoping to hear something Virtues related. Since 2005, TVB has steadily declined and I enjoyed watching less and less and my viewing also decreased. The only series I regretted never having the chance to watch was A Kindred Spirit because it’s Virtues’s mother. I was able to fulfill that “void” from 2007 to 2009. Truly the series I enjoyed the most in the last 2 years was Kindred (despite my complaints/criticisms of it during its bad periods). Now that I’m done Kindred, there is no Virtues left in TVB for me to hold on to.

My TVB “life” has always been Virtues based. 5 years later, I’m ready to move on. There will only be beautiful memories left.

I thought I could do it, but I can’t. I feel no regrets. There’s no turning back. I cannot continue something I have no heart to do anymore.

Thank you to all of my readers (silent & active) who have supported me through the years. Without you guys I would not have made it so long. Thank you for making my site a success. I really enjoyed my time as a TVB blogger star while it lasted. I wish everyone health, wealth, success, and lots of happiness in this new year and the years to come.

Goodbye, TVB.

刑警 – “Cops”
(Michael Miu, Felix Wong, Jessica Hsuan, Nancy Wu, etc.)

武偈大師 – “Wu Jie Monk”
(Bosco Wong, Michael Tse, Sunny Chan, Kate Tsui, etc.)

隔難七日情 – “Quarantined 7-Day Love”
(Bobby Au-Yeung, Bowie Lam, Myolie Wu, Yoyo Mung, Sonija Kwok, etc.)

五味人生 – “Five Flavors of Life”
(Roger Kwok, Esther Kwan, Michelle Yim, Derek Kwok, etc.)

The Mysteries of Love
(Raymond Lam, Tavia Yeung, Kenneth Ma, Bernice Liu, etc.)

蒲松齡 – “Pu Song Ling”
(Steven Ma, Sunny Chan, Linda Chung, Fala Chen, etc.)

女拳 – “Female Fist”
(Liu Xuan, John Chiang, etc.)

Twilight Investigation
(Wong He, Linda Chung, Raymond Wong, etc.)

Growing Through Life
(Damian Lau, Cecilia Yip, Raymond Lam, Bosco Wong, Toby Leung, etc.)

公主嫁到 – “Here Comes the Princess”
(Moses Chan, Charmaine Sheh, Linda Chung, Fala Chen, Kenneth Ma, etc.)

Forensic Heroes III
(Kevin Cheng, Raymond Cho, Mandy Cho, Leanne Li, etc.)

巾幗梟雄之義海豪情 – “Rosy Business II – Righteous Sea of Heroic Love”
(Sheren Tang, Wayne Lai, Elliot Yue, Raymond Wong, Fala Chen,
Ngo Ka Nin, Nancy Wu, Susan Tse, Ben Wong, Kara Hui, etc.)

Linda Chung made her debut into the music world last year with promising results. Continuing her career as a singer, Linda’s sophomore album releases on November 12, 2009 entitled My Love Story. Continuing with 2008’s “One Person Dinner, Two People World” [一人晚餐, 二人世界] it is again a love-based CD, but it is more mature and sophisticated this time. My Love Story is a two-disc CD & DVD package containing 12 tracks, 6 music videos, and 7 postcards.

CD
01. “Thinking of You Day and Night” [日夜想你]
02. “Struggling” [明爭暗鬥]
03. “Imply” [暗示]
04. “Love Hurts” [戀愛令人心痛]
05. Cha Cha Cha
06. “Someday” [有一天]
07. Fly Me To the Moon
08. “Live and Die for Love” [生死也為愛]
09. “Heard You Love Me” [聽說你愛我]
10. “Aries’ Love Song” [白羊座的情歌]
11. “Someday” [有一天] (Mandarin)
12. “Let Me Keep Loving You” [讓我繼續愛你] (Mandarin)

DVD
01. “Thinking of You Day and Night” [日夜想你]
02. “Struggling” [明爭暗鬥]
03. “Love Hurts” [戀愛令人心痛]
04. “Imply” [暗示]
05. “Let Me Keep Loving You” [讓我繼續愛你] (Mandarin)
06. “Someday” [有一天] (Mandarin)

My Love Story focuses not on Linda’s personal love story (which is mostly blank at this time) but rather on “love” from many different perspectives. “One Person Dinner, Two People World” showed love more in an innocent, almost childish way (suitable given its status as a virgin release). My Love Story reflects Linda’s views on all of the diverse love and relationships in the world — ranging from crushing on someone (lead single “Thinking of You Day and Night”), getting frustrated that men just aren’t good with reading between the lines (track #3 “Imply”), dealing with a love triangle after the invasion of a third party (second single “Struggling”), heartache (duet with Philip Wei in track #6 “Love Hurts”), and being forever faithful (track #7 “Live and Die for Love”).

Linda musically composed three of the second CD’s tracks — “Thinking of You Day and Night”, “Someday”, and “Live and Die for Love”. “Someday” is a very special and meaningful song for Linda because she wrote it with her brother. It’s an awe-inspiring song that is full of hope. Wong Cho Lam composed the lyrics for “Someday”. “Live and Die for Love” has a costume-drama mood to it. It’s an “ancient”-feeling song reflecting Linda’s conservative views on love; she jokes that she was born in the wrong lifetime. Linda says she was partially inspired by Jin Yong’s famous power couple Yeung Gwoh & Siu Lung Lui from Return of the Condor Heroes.

“Let Me Keep Loving You” is the Mandarin version of “Thinking of You Day and Night”. “Fly Me to the Moon” is an English song, a remake of a very famous US song from the mid-1900. Linda loves this song because it is very “dreamy”. “Cha Cha Cha” is a fast-pace dance song that is reminiscent of Britney Spears’s earlier works when … Baby One More Time released a decade ago in 1999.

Linda has been writing and recording songs since early this year and this CD represents her passion for music and desire to craft a more involved and richer album for fans and listeners. My Love Story is the end result of many months of hard work. It has a solid theme and features an array of songs that’s sure to please.

Order it from YESASIA today!

Be sure to support Linda’s second CD effort!

In the spring of 2006 a new addition was made to timeless: the VIRTUES OF HARMONY network. On April 11 TVB Musings was born. During the next few months it grew and later on emerged as the top TVB blog. The last three years of doing this blog is rich with memories… not only for me but for my readers as well.

How the blog came to be
In 2006 the only forum I actively posted on was gone. I refused to join another forum. Thus I had no outlet for my many thoughts on TVB. At that time the “blog” was becoming popular. Inspired by blogs such as Sehseh’s Blog and Asia’s TVB Generation I began to play with the idea of having my own blog. It looked like it was a lot of fun and something that I could do.

TVB Musings was born for two reasons. The first was that I could release all of my built-up thoughts about various series and topics. The second was because I wanted to keep my Virtues network alive. At that time it had been over a year since Virtues ended. People forget easily so I knew that the only way to keep it alive was to have a contemporary division.

The climb to the top
On April 11, 2006 TVB Musings was a newcomer on the blogging scene. I had some visitors thanks to my existing Virtues network. It was a small and simple blog. I never thought about being #1. I never intended on TVB Musings becoming so big or popular. In my mind it existed only to allow me to post my TVB thoughts. Of course, I did promote and advertise my blog because it would be so boring without visitors.

The turning point in my blog’s life was the hilarious satirical piece Making of the “All About Women” Cover. More and more visitors came after that post. In that first summer I updated almost daily with something fresh and unique. I quickly became distinguishable from other bloggers not only because of my pre-established “fame” as a TVB online veteran (since 2001) but because of my thoughtful and creative pieces.

The hits and comments increased by the day. It wasn’t long before TVB Musings became the #1 TVB blog and a leader in the blogging community.

The fame
TVB Musings became popular and known for many different features and articles from 2006-2009. The Fanfic, Comic Tease, Series 411 (I claim credit to the basic “series information” format that is so widely used everywhere these days; I created it for TVSF back in 2002), Insight, Naming the Months, Fun with Titles, Remember, Recast, and Desperate Widows are just some of the many original TVB Musings pieces in addition to countless of reviews. Highlight posts can be found in the Index.

Probably the #1 reason why people like to visit TVB Musings is because they like to read my thoughts and hear my voice. My thoughts are frequently intricately detailed, always clear and frank, and often provide some unique insight.

In total there are over 550 posts with over 6,800 comments.

All good things come to an end
I’ve been watching TVB since I was 5 back in 1992. It’s been 17 years. Gradually over the years my interest in TVB has declined. It is so rare to find a great series these days. Most series are mediocre and typical — formulaic repeats of what has worked in the past.

For me the “golden days” of TVB are over.

I’m not interested in watching anymore. I don’t crazily seek news. I could care less if I’m not up-to-date on TVB’s latest. I can go days without watching TVB. The mood and enjoyment in watching TVB is no longer there.

I’m not looking forward to any series. There are no series that I “must” watch. I’ll be honest. If it wasn’t because I’m a Linda Chung fan I probably would have dropped interest in TVB even faster and sooner.

TVB no longer amuses or impresses.

My favorite TVB era will always be 2001 to 2005 (the Virtues years).

The end of an era…
Starting August 31, 2009 I am in my 5th year in my six-year Doctor of Pharmacy program. I have a lot to learn and master. My time for the next year is very tight and valuable. I pretty much study and go to class every day. I don’t have much free time.

In the rare moments of freedom that I do have, I don’t wish to “waste” them on something I don’t have much interest in or care greatly about. It is therefore with my declining interest in blogging and press for time that I decided to retire from the TVB online world.

In September 2009 there will no longer be updates at TVB Musings anymore. Those days are over. I’m no longer the same person who was so passionate about this blog like before. Of course I still enjoy the blogging experience, but the feeling isn’t as strong or great as before. I don’t want to do it every day anymore.

TVB Musings is a part of my childhood. I have to grow up and enter adulthood.

Thank you
I sincerely appreciate all of my visitors.

Whether you posted comments or read in silence your presence was felt. Without you guys — my faithful visitors and supporters — TVB Musings would not have grown into the massive site that it has. I owe it to you guys for your endless support and appreciation of my work. It makes all of the time and effort that I put towards this blog worth it. You guys kept me going.

The most enjoyable part of blogging is seeing the feedback for my works and responding to comments left. I really enjoy the interactive part of TVB Musings the most. It feels personal and allows me to get to know you guys.

Encoded Thoughts
Don’t forget TVB Musings.

Don’t forget MetalAZNWarrior.

Don’t forget the days that you spent here. Don’t forget these days that we once shared and had — these light-hearted and fun days.

Remember these precious days. These days won’t exist again. We are all growing up… some sooner and others later.

The days at the original TVB Musings only exist in our childhood.

TVB Musings’ Episodic Memory
I was playing with the idea of having my own blog some time before April 11, 2006. It wasn’t until I was watching an American sitcom one day that I decided to do TVB Musings. On that particular episode, a guest star character came on with a talk show segment called “…’s Musings”. I thought the name clicked and fit what I wanted to blog about. Hence TVB Musings was conceived. Who knew I’d get such a good name that way, huh? I really like the name. It’s memorable and has a certain ring to it.

I always write my posts well in advance. I have a WordPad document that keeps all pending/unfinished posts and another file which holds all posts that have already been published.

When the “time” comes to post, I work on the images to be used on Photoshop and then add the image tags to the post. I then upload the pictures to my server and then publish a draft. Next I read over the post (it’s a preview of what the post is going to look like) to proof-read. Sometimes I’ll cut and/or add things depending on how I feel the article flows. The final step is to run the post through Microsoft Word. Due to a certain “notorious editor” I try my best to make sure that I have no grammatical and/or spelling errors. Once a post has passed all of the above steps it is published for the public to read.

A lot of time and dedication is invested into every single post that graces TVB Musings.

I get inspiration for my posts randomly. They just come to me. It’s unexplainable. For example, I was on the bus 3 years ago observing people that got on and thinking to myself about all the different paths and lives that everyone has. This evolved into a thought about TVB actresses; The Yeung Sisters was thus born. I just think of these things. I like to observe and analyze.

I only like to write about what interests me and what I like. I never force myself to say anything for the sake of popularity. If I’m not happy posting, then I’d rather not post. Aside from a few posts done during the time when I was trying to climb up even more and secure my #1 spot (my site was once ranked in the top 40,000 in the world) I only post according to my “heart”.

I never know how the audience is going to respond and ratings vary. It’s always exciting to have a “hit” but of course I know that not everything I post is a “gem” (that would be impossible) but I always strive to maintain very high standards of quality. I’m very selective and protective about my work.

I’m really proud of my work and all of the success that I have had.

I’m going to miss not being “online” anymore. It’s going to be a different feeling. However, I know this has to be done.

The future is unknown. Perhaps one day I’ll return. Perhaps I won’t. No matter what happens to me timeless: the VIRTUES OF HARMONY network will always be around. You can follow me on Twitter to stay in touch and be updated.

Thank you to everyone for all of the memories and making TVB Musings all that it was and so much more.

Click on the pictures to access the sites

Sa Sa (Kingdom Yuen), Ah Nin (Frankie Lam), Joey (Bernice Liu), Ah Yuet (Michael Tse), Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu), Ah Yat (Joyce Chen), Ah Hong (Johnny Tang), Gam (Louis Yuen), and Ying Gei (Yvonne Lam) all gathered around Nim Chi (Nancy Sit), who looked pale and weak on the hospital bed. They had learned from Sa Sa that Nim Chi had cancer.

“Ma Chi! Don’t leave me!” Ah Yat sobs loudly as she hugs her mom.

“You’re the one who left me!” Nim Chi retorts.

“I’m sorry! We’ll move right back.”

“I don’t want to force you to face people you hate.”

Ah Yat gets up and looks at Ah Yuet and Ah Lo. She frowns. “Second brother, second sister-in-law, I’m so sorry. Actually I was being childish and ridiculous. What happened between you three is not any of my business. I know everyone is unhappy over what happened… but I should not have acted out for Ah Mei (Cutie Mui). I was upset. Actually I don’t hate you two. I’m so sorry.”

“Wah! You know how to be sorry? That’s a first!” Ah Lo rolls her eyes.

“Honey!” Ah Yuet scolds.

“It’s okay! If she wants to ridicule me, that’s fine! As long as Ma Chi is happy, I can endure anything!” Ah Yat assures.

Ah Yuet hugs Ah Yat. “It’s okay.” He turns to Nim Chi, “Ma Chi, Ah Lo and I have thought it over… we’re not moving out. You know us, we’re very calculating and cheap! We did the math and moving out is not in our favor. We can’t handle it. We need you. Our family has to live with you.”

Ah Lo looks at Ying Gei and tells her, “Once I’m stronger… I will be your surrogate again. I’m really sorry I couldn’t keep my pregnancy. I know how much those babies meant to you.”

Ying Gei hugs Ah Lo. “You really didn’t want to abort them! You really wanted to help us!”

“Of course! I keep my words! This time I’ll only charge $75,000,” Ah Lo winks.

“$75,000? You already took $50,000 from us and didn’t deliver anything!” Gam shouts.

Ying Gei rubs Gam’s chest, “We’ll discuss the price later!”

“Uncle, please come home,” Ah Yat pleads. “The house is so boring without you!”

“How would you know? You don’t even live in 8A anymore! Isn’t that right?” Gam scoffs.

“I live in 8A! It is boring! We need your jokes! We need this uncle and aunt-in-law! Please come back,” Ah Yuet begs.

“Yes, come back!” Ah Lo says after Ah Yuet nudged her.

“It’s not the same without you two,” Ah Hong agrees.

“Fine… since everyone is begging, we’ll move back!”

“Ma Chi, Joey, baby Hoi Sum, and I will also move back. Before it was just Mr. Wong so it was okay for us to stay there, but now that his wife and son have both returned we don’t want to intrude on their privacy. Furthermore, you have to let Joey experience being a Kam family daughter-in-law and face how ‘barbaric’ you are!” Ah Nin smiles.

Joey lifts up her fists and jokes, “I’m ready to battle this mother-in-law and create ‘Peace of In-Laws III’!”

Nim Chi cries as she looks at her family members before her.

In a corner of the room, Sa Sa winks at Nim Chi and then gives a quick smile.

Everyone hugs Nim Chi. It was a big group hug. With a huge beam on her face, Nim Chi wipes her tears.

“Everyone is moving back? How can we fit so many people in that tiny apartment?” Nim Chi demands.

“We’re a mafia. We’ll find a way, isn’t that right?” Gam laughs.

“We’re buying a big house to fit everyone in!” Nim Chi states.

“So much for not wanting everyone to move,” Gam teases.

Nim Chi, Sa Sa, and the rest of the Kams all went to see Man Gwai Fei (Stephanie Che) to confront her about why she so maliciously wanted to break up their family. They all had stern faces on. Gwai Fei was shocked to find the entire Kam family outside of her apartment. They were her sworn enemies. She hated them with a passion.

“Auntie Chi! What a pleasant surprise,” Gwai Fei smiles.

“Why did you have to do this?” Nim Chi inquires.

“What are you talking about?”

“Miss Man… we thought you turned good! Why are you more evil than before?” Ying Gei asks.

“Evil? I don’t know what everyone is talking about.”

“Ah Ting told me everything!” Nim Chi yells.

“Ah Ting? What? She came back from the dead to tell you?” Gwai Fei laughs menacingly.

“She’s dead?!” Nim Chi’s eyes bulge out.

Gwai Fei stops laughing and looks dumbfounded. “Oops.” She had accidentally blurted out that she murdered Ah Ting.

Gwai Fei was arrested after they found Ah Ting’s body. Lam Sin (Yu Yeung) was able to narrow down the location for the search team. She cursed at the Kams as they watched her get dragged away. “You Kams all deserve to die! You ruined my happiness! I hope no one is ever happy!” Gwai Fei laughs like a crazy woman.

Nim Chi couldn’t bear to look at Ah Ting’s dead body. She cries. Even though Ah Ting was apparently not a good girl she at least did one good thing — without her they would never have known Gwai Fei’s secrets.

Ah Biu (Raymond Lam) and Ah Fan (Tavia Yeung) returned from the mainland to find Ah Lok (Bosco Wong). They wanted to warn him about Ah Ting. While Ah Biu was working as a policeman there he by chance happened to learn about Ah Ting’s past as Katy. She was known for stealing money and valuables and was with countless of men.

“It doesn’t matter. She’s dead,” Ah Lok states.

Ah Fan’s name was cleared and she was able to re-open “Sharing Sweetness” in Hong Kong. She was able to rejoin her family. Ah Biu also reunited with his parents, Sek Dai Chuen (Johnny Ngan) and Chan Kiu (Helen Ma), Chan Hung (Sheren Tang), Ah Tai (Kate Tsui), and Auntie Wan (Lai Suen).

The Kams all pitched in to purchase a big house. They all went to shop for a big round table so that everyone would fit in the dining room.

“Your plan worked!” Sa Sa whispers to Nim Chi.

Nim Chi just smiles. She clears her throat and makes an announcement, “Everyone — I have a confession. I don’t have cancer.”

“What?! Then we’re all moving out!”

Everyone laughs.

Secretly one day Nim Chi went to the doctor’s office. She sat in the patient’s chair opposite the doctor.

“Miss Yau, let’s discuss your treatment…” the doctor begins.

(Ending Monologue)

Happiness — everyone seeks it. We all want it… it drives our lives.

Some people never get it…

[Shot of Man Gwai Fei in her prison cell]

They don’t get it not because they don’t deserve happiness. They don’t get it because their hearts are closed. Happiness can only enter an open heart.

Some people think they lost it…

[After leaving Hong Kong Ah Mei learned that she was pregnant. She ended up giving birth to a girl. Even though she could not be with Ah Yuet she was able to always have a part of him by her side. Ah Yuet and Ah Mei at one time were able to connect and produce the miracle that is their daughter. Ah Mei valued and loved this girl - who was her everything. This girl represented her undying love for Ah Yuet and the love that Ah Yuet once had for her. Ah Mei and her daughter were a happy mother & daughter pair living in England.]

Instead, they find happiness in another form.

[Shot of Ah Mei kissing her daughter and remembering Ah Yuet]

Life is full of wonderful surprises and twists…

[Shot of Wong Sheung (Lau Dan), Wong Hau (Maggie Shiu), and Ah Lok attempting to cook a meal together with 7th sister (Teresa Ha) in the background shaking her head]

Couples always face winds and clouds…

[Flashback of Fiona (Sherming Yiu) & Ah Sing's (Hawick Lau) and Ah San (Steven Ma) & Ah Lam's (Linda Chung) confrontations]

If they love each other and both grow, they’ll always end up together…

[Shot of Ah Biu and Ah Fan and their families discussing their wedding]

Through it all true love prevails and makes everyone stronger.

[Shot of Ah San & Ah Lam taking pictures of their daughter; shot of Ah Sing pushing Fiona on a swing in the Imperial Garden]

Laughter, laughter…

[Shot of the "Ka Yan" employees gossiping]

The sounds of happiness…

[Shot of the Kam family at a family portrait photo shoot]

Never changing, always the same…

[Shot of the Kam family having dinner at their new house]

Happiness comes unexpected…

[Shot of Ying Gei learning that she's pregnant with Gam's baby]

You can always recognize it…

[Shot of Ah Yuet & Ah Lo and their four kids]

Within the heart…

[Shot of Ah Nin & Joey playing with baby Hoi Sum]

It resides…

[Shot of Ah Yat & Ah Hong]

Forever more…

[Shot of Sa Sa & 11th brother (Lee Kwok Lun) and their adopted daughter Ling-ling (Jenny Shing)]

Sadness…

[Flashback of Rose (Kenix Kwok) & Michael's (Kevin Cheng) deaths, Ah Lo's presumed death, Ah Ting's murder, and other sad moments throughout the series]

Sadness always exists along with happiness. The two will always go together, always balancing one another. One cannot exist without the other. In sadness there is happiness and in happiness there is sadness.

[Shot of Nim Chi laughing with her family and then secretly going for treatment]

Happiness cannot be sought. It’s not guaranteed. Happiness is earned. Happiness makes life beautiful and worth living.

(Monologue Ends)

Nim Chi drifts away in her dreams with a big smile on her face.

[Dream, Ming Dynasty]

The Kam family was at a wishing tree. All of their hands touched a wishing orange that held their sincerest wish.

“May we always be together in every lifetime… always happy!”

With Ah Ting’s (Leila Tong) encouragement, Nim Chi (Nancy Sit) decided to stop moping about her broken family and do something about it.

Nim Chi visited Gam (Louis Yuen) and Ying Gei (Yvonne Lam) first.

“Auntie Chi,” Ying Gei lets Nim Chi into the apartment.

“Ah Gam, Ah Gei,” Nim Chi greets.

“Ah, it’s the ‘big mole’ leader of the Kam mafia!” Gam states.

“Ah Gam, what are you saying? What mafia? You are a part of this family!”

“Am I? I don’t think so! No one respects or sticks up for us. We’re supposed to be their uncle and aunt-in-law but do they treat us like that?”

“Do you think your behavior warrants respect? What uncle insults his niece-in-law? What uncle breaks ties with his family? Ah Lo has returned! She didn’t abort your baby!”

“That’s only what she said, isn’t that right?”

“Second daughter-in-law was beaten so badly that she miscarried and ended up in a coma for six months. Don’t you find that pitiful?”

“Ridiculous! Who would beat her up?”

“Do you think she purposely lost all of her identification? Do you think she purposely wanted to be beaten so she would miscarry?” Nim Chi demands.

“We lost our twins!” Ying Gei cries.

“Yes, but it’s not second daughter-in-law’s fault!” Nim Chi insists.

“Even so, we’re tired of being in that family! Everyone is selfish and only thinks about themselves. We’ve been gone for so long, but has anyone come to beg us back? Obviously our position in your mafia is not important.”

“No one begged? Ah Gam, stop being childish! Grow up and admit your mistake. Admit it was a misunderstanding and come home!”

“We won’t!”

Gam and Ying Gei refused to come home. Despite her disappointment, Nim Chi pressed on in her quest. She visited Ah Yat (Joyce Chen) and Ah Hong (Johnny Tang) at TVB.

“Ma Chi? What are you doing here?” Ah Yat asks.

“If I don’t come here, do you think I’ll see your face?” Nim Chi questions rhetorically.

Ah Yat was silent.

“You just moved next door but it’s like you moved to another country. Why is that?”

“I’m busy with work! Ah Hong and I have to go on dates. We want to enjoy our ‘two people world’ as long as we can! I want to learn how to cook from auntie! I just-”

“Excuses! You just don’t want to come home to see your second brother and second sister-in-law.”

“If you know then why do you have to ask?”

“Ah Yat, how old do you think you are? Grow up!”

“Second brother hurt my good sister too much! How can I face a brother who’s so heartless? How can I face a second sister-in-law who should have been my good sister?”

“Ah Mei chose to leave! It was her decision!”

“Second brother forced her to make that decision! If he truly loved her, he wouldn’t have let her go. He would have run after her. He broke her heart. Because of him she has to live a life of loneliness now! I cannot bring myself to face someone so cruel!”

“Do you think your second brother is the only man alive? Ah Mei isn’t going to die without Ah Yuet!”

“Ma Chi, you know as well as I do that Ah Mei only loves second brother. Do you think she can move on and love someone else?”

“Ah Yat, this isn’t your business! This is between your second brother and Ah Mei!”

“Ah Mei is my good sister! I always support her! She should have happiness!”

“So for the rest of your life you’re going to hate your second brother over this?”

Ah Yat didn’t answer.

“Ah Yat, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoiled you so much. You’re the baby of the family so since you were little you always got everything that you wanted. You always had to have everything your way. You always stuck your nose into other people’s business and treat it as your own. I should have corrected you… It’s my fault.” Nim Chi was crying.

“Ma Chi! Don’t say that!”

“Well, isn’t it true? You can’t always have your way! Furthermore, you cannot hate your second brother over something like this. Has he hurt you? Has he done something wrong to you? What about your second sister-in-law? What has she done? We all thought she died! Even you cried when you thought she died! You said you missed her and regretted ‘cursing’ her. What happened? Yes, Ah Mei is pitiful and deserves love and happiness… but don’t your second brother and second sister-in-law deserve the same?”

“Second brother could have been equally happy being with Ah Mei! I cannot forgive him! Ah Mei did so much for him. He set her up for disappointment. He paid her love with ungratefulness and pain. I cannot accept a second brother like that. Even more, I do not want to see second brother and second sister-in-law together.”

Nim Chi sighs loudly as she shakes her head. Ah Yat was as stubborn as ever. She simply would not listen to anyone but herself. She only cared about her logics and feelings.

Nim Chi waited at home for Ah Yuet (Michael Tse) and Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu).

“Ma Chi, what are you doing waiting there?” Ah Yuet asks.

“Ah Yuet, why do you have to move?”

“Ma Chi, we already told you. Our family is too big. Ah Lo and I are parents to four kids! We have to learn how to be independent. We have to raise our kids on our own. We feel like bad parents because we always ‘dump’ our kids on other people. It’s time for us to move on. We have to grow up.”

“Is that really the reason? Or is it because you want to avoid Ah Yat?”

“Ma Chi! How can you suggest that?”

“You really want to tell me that this decision was carefully and thoroughly thought through?”

“Yes!”

“I don’t believe it. How are you two going to handle it all? There are lots of bills and expenses for a house of your own! I’m not even mentioning the living expenses for your family yet. What about cooking and cleaning? Don’t forget you have to take care of your kids too. How can you two work?”

“If other people can handle it, we can too.”

“Ah Yuet, the economy is bad. You may have a job today, but what about tomorrow?”

“In any case we have to do this.”

No one listened to her.

Disheartened, Nim Chi went into Ah Ting’s room to find her. Instead, she found a letter.

“Dear Auntie Chi,

When you read this letter, I will be long gone.

The first thing that I have to say to you is, ‘I’m sorry’.

I’m not a good and innocent girl like you always believe me to be. Actually… I have a lot of dark secrets.

Because of this, I was threatened by ‘Ka Yan’ company’s Man Gwai Fei and used by her to break up your family. I’m so sorry.

I don’t hope that you will forgive me, but I just want you to know the truth. Actually everything that happened in your family — all of the conflicts, heartaches, and drama — in the past few months has been plotted by Miss Man.

I’m sorry,
Ah Ting”

Nim Chi was shocked. She could not believe the content of Ah Ting’s letter. Nim Chi was going to run to everyone and tell them the truth that she just learned from Ah Ting, hoping that it would persuade them to clear up the misunderstandings when she faints on the floor of her apartment. Luckily Sa Sa (Kingdom Yuen) happened to stop by the apartment at that time. She took Nim Chi to the hospital.

Sa Sa called everyone to the hospital. Ah Nin (Frankie Lam), Joey (Bernice Liu), Ah Yuet, Ah Lo, Ah Yat, Ah Hong, Gam, and Ying Gei all came.

Sa Sa yelled at everyone, “What are you guys doing? I leave this family and it falls apart? What’s with all of the misunderstandings?”

“Our family always misunderstands, isn’t that right?” Gam asks as he rolls his eyes.

“What’s with all of the hate? Why is everyone leaving?”

“Auntie, we’re not leaving,” Ah Yuet answers.

“Do you know how heartbroken your mom is? Do you know how much she loves this family? She took on this family because she loved her husband, your father. You guys aren’t even her kids! This isn’t even supposed to be her family… but she took on this big burden and all of the responsibilities. She loves you guys and everyone who has touched her life. She sacrificed her life to bring everyone up and she worries about everyone’s happiness. Who worries about her happiness? She tried to bring back this family… but no one would listen. She’s so unhappy and weak…” Sa Sa was at the brim of tears. “She tries so hard… She didn’t look after her own health. It came to this state because of this…” Sa Sa looks at everyone long and hard before shouting, “Do you know that she has cancer?!”

Ah Ting (Leila Tong) was a selfish and vain pretty woman who only cared for money and herself.

However, she was not evil. Her heart was black, but it wasn’t cold-blooded.

In the past the men that she cheated were all scumbags. They were cheating married businessmen who only thought of themselves. They did not care about their wives or families. In a way Ah Ting was “heaven’s retribution” to them. She did not feel bad about playing their feelings and sucking them dry one bit. In that sense Ah Ting never believed she was a “bad” girl. She was just surviving. Her life as an orphan in the mainland taught her that one has to know how to survive in order to live.

Ah Ting cared for money and herself, but she didn’t care to hurt people. In the past it didn’t matter to her because the people she hurt didn’t affect her. However, with the Kam family — who fell apart because of Man Gwai Fei’s (Stephanie Che) evil plans — it was a whole different story. She was hurting people who were good to her. She was ruining lives. She didn’t like that feeling.

The Kam family — as weird, crazy, annoying, and nonsensical as they were — didn’t deserve the pain. They were innocent people.

It didn’t hit Ah Ting how much she was hurting these people until she saw Joey’s (Bernice Liu) miscarriage and then listened to Nim Chi’s (Nancy Sit) sorrows about her broken family and her yearning for them.

Ah Ting couldn’t handle it anymore. She could not continue hurting these people.

Ah Ting wanted money. She did not want broken hearts. Her conscience was being weighed down upon.

Wanting to end her pain and clear her mind, Ah Ting went to see Gwai Fei.

“Ah Ting? What are you doing here?” Gwai Fei was surprised to find Ah Ting at her apartment. She was peeling an apple in her living room. “You should be at the stupid Kams’ apartment throwing salt into their wounds! Our plans are going so well. They’re officially broken up.”

“Our plans? They’re your plans!”

“Ah Ting, dear, we’re in the same boat.”

“We’re not! Miss Man, I came because I can’t do this anymore.”

“Wah! Little Miss Katy wants to make a comeback?” Gwai Fei taunts.

“I’m not scared of you,” Ah Ting glares at Gwai Fei.

Gwai Fei laughs as if she was just told a hilarious joke.

“I have more dirt on you than you have on me,” Ah Ting smirks. “If anything, you should be scared.”

“What?”

“Betrayal is not something new to me. I don’t mind selling you out. Joey’s miscarriage, Ah Lo being beaten into a coma… I know it all. You’re a criminal. If I tell the cops–”

“Why would you? You’re an accomplice.”

“Am I? I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t push Joey down the escalators. I didn’t hire a hit man to beat Ah Lo up and send her into a coma for six months. It’s all you.” Ah Ting smiles proudly.

“What benefits do you get out of this? The Chung Ka Ting that I know is a selfish and greedy woman who cares about no one but herself. You and I are alike. We just want to look out for ourselves.”

“We’re not alike! Don’t compare you to me! You’re evil!”

“And you’re not? You framed Lam Yuk Fan and gave her the title of a ‘third party’ causing her to leave Hong Kong because of the gossips. You set up your boyfriend so that he would cheat and so you could break up with him and move on to your next ‘gold mine’. Even more… you created your own sex scandal so you could get money. Chung Ka Ting, are you seriously telling me that you have a conscience?”

“I’m not a saint. I never said I was. What I definitely am though is not an evil witch like you. You love pain. You thrive on sadness.”

Gwai Fei cracks up hysterically.

“I’m getting out of this.”

Before Ah Ting could leave the apartment, Gwai Fei grabs the knife that she was using to peel her apple and stabs Ah Ting to death.

“You’re not getting out. There’s no way I’m ever letting you tell the world my secrets.”

Gwai Fei’s hands were soiled with Ah Ting’s red blood.

Even though she discovered that the Kams were not the cause of her “misery” because she was never raped to begin with Gwai Fei still held onto her hatred because it was the only thing that she had. She had gone too far. She could not go back. She could not tell herself to “Stop”. Gwai Fei continued to go forward even though she knew it was wrong. She did not want to admit her mistake. She wanted to hide her errors.

Taking a big “red, white, and blue” bag, Gwai Fei stuffed Ah Ting inside. She dragged the bag downstairs and hailed for a taxi. Lam Sin’s (Yu Yeung) taxi happened to be going by the area at that time so he stopped to pick up his customer. Seeing her big bag, Sin asks if she needed any help.

“No!” Gwai Fei barks. She was not going to let anyone touch the bag and accidentally learn what lay inside.

Sin shrugs his shoulders as he watches Gwai Fei struggle to place the bag into the trunk. After waiting for what seemed to be forever, Gwai Fei managed to put the bag into the trunk. Covered in sweat and panting, she tells Sin to take her to a distant rural area.

When they reached the destination, Sin popped open the trunk for Gwai Fei. Tried as she might, she simply could not lift Ah Ting out of the trunk. Frustrated, Gwai Fei calls for Sin to help her.

“Wow! This bag is heavy! What do you have inside? A dead body?” Sin jokes.

Gwai Fei laughs nervously and says, “You’re funny! No I have a friend who lives around here. I’m just bringing her some things from the city. I only make a trip a month… so that’s why it’s so heavy.”

As Sin watched Gwai Fei drag the “red, white, and blue” bag along and thinking about how heavy the bag was, Sin suddenly recalls a time when a few years back he had placed Fa Kei Sam (Mannor Chan) into a “red, white, and blue” bag. He had drugged her unconscious and was trying to hide her from being found by the world. He laughs remembering how people thought he had killed his wife and was trying to “dispose” the body. He shakes his head and gets back into his taxi, driving off.

Gwai Fei dug a big hole in the middle of the forest and throws Ah Ting inside. After covering the hole, she smiles. Her secrets were being buried again.

Ah San (Steven Ma) opened Ah Lam’s (Linda Chung) eyes and made her realize what a self-righteous and conceited person she had been all along. She always wanted to be in control. She always thought she was right. She never listened to others and placed herself on a pedestal.

Furthermore she had been wrong in the way she was dealing with her relationships. She had been committing an emotional affair for the past year with Ah Sing (Hawick Lau). Instead of seeking her husband, she sought Ah Sing.

Ah Lam did not realize how bad she was until Ah San told her and she lost him.

Wanting to correct herself, she became more humble. She listened to other people. She gave them the time to express their opinions. She took suggestions. The Hung Bak Lam that was feared before and always had the last word was no longer. She still held onto her strong personality and high principles, but she was a noticeably more agreeable, softer, lovelier, and gentler girl.

Now seven-months pregnant, Ah Lam walked around with a huge baby bump.

While Ah Lam worked on improving herself, Ah San worked on improving his business. Due to his heartbreak over Ah Lam’s affair and his consequent decision to divorce her, Ah San occupied himself in work. He often slept in the office. He didn’t want to go home. He didn’t want to face the void in his life. He didn’t want to deal with his pain or sadness. He just wanted to be busy.

Unlike the Kams, the heavens weren’t moved by Ah San and Ah Lam’s broken relationship. The heavens weren’t on their side.

Ah San was at “Sze Corporations” when he received the call that no one ever wants to get.

It was a call from the emergency room.

Ah Lam had gotten into a car accident!

Dropping everything that he was doing, Ah San rushed to the ER.

“We will try our best to save both, but if we cannot, do you want us to save the mother or the child?”

Without thinking, Ah San blurts out, “The mother! Please, you have to save my wife!” His eyes were red and brimming with tears.

Ah San got down on his knees and prayed to the heavens to protect Ah Lam. At that moment he was no longer mad at her. He still loved her a great deal.

The waiting was agonizing for Ah San as he stared at the red “Operating” sign. He didn’t know what was going on inside. He was terrified. He felt shaken and alone. He was afraid that he would lose Ah Lam.

When the nurse came out holding a crying baby, Ah San’s heart sank. His world crashed harder than it had when he found out that Ah Lam had been cheating. “They could only save the child…” Ah San whispers in a broken voice.

It was ironic.

In the past he wanted a baby the most. He desired one day and night. He even went so far as to deceive his wife and trick her into taking fake birth control pills just so that he could have a baby. He disregarded everything for a baby. Now that his baby was here Ah San did not feel happy. It wasn’t worth it.

Without Ah Lam, a baby meant nothing. Without her, he didn’t have a family. He no longer had happiness.

Ah San realized that what he wanted most in the world was not a baby. He only wanted Ah Lam.

The heavens were listening and they took pity on the couple at last.

Ah Lam was rolled out of the operating room with the doctor informing Ah San that the operation had been ideal and that they were able to save both the mother and the child.

“This woman — her fighting spirit was strong. It seems she could not leave you or her child.”

Ah San cried happy tears.

Ah Lam gave birth to a premature 7-month baby girl. She was so tiny, but ever so precious.

“Hi little princess,” Ah San coos to his daughter from the window.

Ah San sat by Ah Lam’s bedside when she came around.

“Ivan?”

“Don’t get up,” Ah San instructs.

Noticing her flat stomach, Ah Lam begins to tear up. “Ivan, I’m so sorry. I’m useless. I couldn’t keep our baby. I couldn’t even give you the one thing you wanted most.”

Ah San’s heart breaks. He smiles at Ah Lam warmly and then kisses her forehead. He assures her, “Our baby isn’t in you anymore… because she made it to this beautiful world. She’s our miracle.”

“Really?”

Ah San nods his head. “I just saw her. I took pictures of her for you to see.” He takes out his iPhone and shows Ah Lam the pictures.

Both smiling and crying, Ah Lam was in love with their daughter.

“She’s so small. I’m afraid I’ll break her.”

“Impossible! We’ll take great care of her.”

“We will…?” Ah Lam opens her mouth agape.

“We will,” Ah San repeats.

“Ivan, I’m so sorry for everything. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to cheat. I didn’t even know I was having an affair! I don’t deserve you. You shouldn’t be so nice to me. You were right about me. I’m not a good person. I-”

Ah San kisses Ah Lam to prevent her from saying anything else.

“Let’s start all over again. You, me, and our baby.”

Ah Lam nods her head eagerly.

Ah San and Ah Lam embrace in a warm hug.

“This time I will value you and love you. I won’t ever let you down again,” Ah Lam promises Ah San.

“You and me both,” Ah San smiles at her.

With renewed love, faith, and vows, Ah San and Ah Lam got back together.

Ah Lam resigned from “Ka Yan” company and started working at “Sze Corporations” with Ah San. The husband and wife ran the company to new grounds. It was like the old days at “Ka Yan” when they used to work together. The big difference was that at “Ka Yan” Ah Lam was the Merchandising Manager and Ah San was an “Office Boy” while at “Sze Corporations” they were partners.

In business and in love, Ah San and Ah Lam were inseparable.

When their baby daughter came home, Ah San and Ah Lam became undividable parents. Both learning new things and teaching one another, they had many happy moments as new parents. They proudly showed off their beautiful baby. The happiness that this family of three had was enviable.

Ah San and Ah Lam came a long way and faced lots of storms and clouds. In the end they were able to find happiness and find each other again because in their hearts, they only had each other.

Fiona (Sherming Yiu) was sitting around having her hair and make-up done early in the morning by her palace maids.

Bo Gong Gong (Liu Kai Chi) was reporting that day’s agendas with the Imperial Court to her. She had a lot of damage to repair. On Gong Gong’s (Bowie Lam) rebellion and the consequent corruption of the Island had hurt it a lot. It was Fiona’s job to restore the prosperity, peace, and prestige that the Island once enjoyed for so long once again.

Being the Island Chief was a scary job full of responsibilities. She constantly had a headache and no one to turn to.

Her heart ached.

After learning that in her husband’s eyes she was nothing but a “third party”, Fiona’s heart was stomped on and then broken into a million pieces. She was hurt more than the time she got set up by her aunt Suet Ching (Rebecca Chan) and misunderstood by her father (Lau Kong) as not being his daughter.

The damage to the Island was fixable, but the damage to Fiona’s soul and heart wasn’t.

Fiona’s heart was un-mendable.

“I have another piece of news…” Bo Gong Gong begins.

“What is it?” Fiona asks after waiting for awhile and hearing only silence.

“I don’t know if you would want to hear this, but I think I have to tell you.”

“Go on.”

“Your Majesty, I have received some news… about a certain someone.”

“Bo Gong Gong, please do not beat around the bush with me. I don’t have the time or patience for such matters. Just tell me.”

“It’s about ‘foo ma’, Your Majesty.”

Hearing Ah Sing’s (Hawick Lau) name again, the pain returned renewed. Her mind told her she shouldn’t ask for more, but her heart begged to know. “What about him?”

“He… has died.”

Hearing those words, Fiona became flustered. She hated Ah Sing but somehow she still cared about him even though she shouldn’t.

“The last words I told him… was that he was dead to me. Now he really is! I told him I never wanted to see him again… now I really can’t anymore!”

Tears streaked Fiona’s cheeks.

“I can’t believe it. Ah Sing is dead! He died… because I cursed him.”

Someone handed Fiona a tissue from behind. “Please wipe your tears, Your Majesty. You shouldn’t cry for such a bastard.”

“Bastard? How dare you call my-” Fiona turns around to look at the bold person. She stands up, shocked.

His head was shaved, his black-framed glasses were gone, and he was dressed up in a “eunuch’s” outfit, but it was Ah Sing!

Very angrily with hot tears falling, Fiona slapped Ah Sing hard. “You want to play me again?”

“Your Majesty, I don’t know what you mean?”

“Lau Ka Sing, you’re a demon! You love to play me. Stop playing with my heart please. Why do you have to do this? Does it give you pleasure to make me so hurt?”

“Your Majesty, you’re mistaken!” Bo Gong Gong steps in. “I know he looks like ‘foo ma’, but this isn’t ‘foo ma’. He’s a new ‘eunuch’ who just came into the palace. His name is Siu Yuen.”

Siu Yuen (Hawick Lau) got down on his knees before Fiona. He slaps himself repeatedly. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I know my face looks like that cheating bastard who broke your heart, but I am not Lau Ka Sing. He’s dead. That person deserved to die. He didn’t appreciate you. He took you and your love for granted. He didn’t know how good he had it. It angers me that he had the audacity to put the blame of his infidelity on you. Don’t cry for him. Don’t mourn for him. This type of person should die. He doesn’t deserve to live. That Lau Ka Sing belongs to Hung Bak Lam. Your Majesty, I, Siu Yuen, belong to you and you only. For the rest of my life, I will always be by your side. I will always protect you. I will always help you. I will always support you. My life is yours. Perhaps it’s because my face is like Lau Ka Sing… so that is why I must repent his grave sins. It is my duty.”

Fiona was moved to tears. She knew the person before her wasn’t Siu Yuen. She knew it was Ah Sing.

Ah Sing “killed” himself to be “reborn” as Siu Yuen.

Ah Sing’s history was too deeply engraved with Ah Lam (Linda Chung) and he had hurt Fiona too much. Furthermore, his relationship with Fiona started out because of his heartbreak from losing Ah Lam. It was wrong and a mistake from the beginning. Ah Sing could never be with Fiona again. He didn’t deserve to be. He couldn’t face her again. He could never make up for all the pain that he caused.

During the time Fiona had gone crazy, she mistook Ah Sing for a “eunuch” and he played along, pretending to be a “eunuch” named Siu Yuen.

That Siu Yuen had been created solely for Fiona. He existed for her. He did everything she requested during the time Fiona was insane.

This Siu Yuen that stood before Fiona was also only for her. He lived and breathed for her. Siu Yuen was Fiona’s and Fiona’s alone.

Fiona clapped her hands. “Very well-said. Siu Yuen, you may rise. Please help me dry these tears. You are right. That Lau Ka Sing is scum. He’s revolting. He makes my skin curl. He makes me want to hurl. It’s a good thing he died… because I wouldn’t mind killing him myself.”

Siu Yuen wiped the tears from Fiona’s face gently and softly.

Fiona held onto his hand and looked deeply into his eyes.

Fiona and Siu Yuen stare at each other for a long time. Their eyes were both filled with emotions and tears.

“Siu Yuen, you definitely must keep your promise. Don’t be like Lau Ka Sing.”

“Your Majesty, you don’t have to worry. I only look like Lau Ka Sing. I am not him,” Siu Yuen assures.

Fiona smiles sweetly.

From that day onwards Ah Sing died.

Siu Yuen stood behind Fiona helping her in any big and small way that he could. He was there when she opened her eyes in the morning. He was there when she closed her eyes at night. If she needed him, he was always there and ready. Every second of Fiona’s life had Siu Yuen in it.

Fiona’s headaches disappeared. The big burden of the Island and being the Island Chief became less. She had someone to share the responsibilities with. She was no longer lonely. Her heartache subsided. Her sorrows came to a halt. Her tears stopped flowing. Her hatred against the person she loved most was released.

She had deemed it irreparable.

She thought it was broken without hope of ever being whole again.

It wasn’t until one person died… and another person came along.

It wasn’t until he — the person she was fated to be with and would spend the rest of her life with — appeared.

With Siu Yuen by her side Fiona mended the Island… and he mended her heart.

Ah Yuet (Michael Tse) and Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu) got back together thanks to Ah Mei’s (Cutie Mui) sacrifice. They mended their feelings. Ah Lo forgave Ah Yuet for marrying Ah Mei because she learned that he actually never moved on and that she was the person that he loves the most.

“Lam Yuk Lo, for the rest of my life, I belong to you,” Ah Yuet tells her.

“You make me sound like a slave owner!” Ah Lo comments.

“I’m happy to be a slave for my wife who I love.”

Ah Yuet and Ah Lo kiss.

Ah Yat (Joyce Chen) was not happy at all about the reconciliation. She was always a supporter of her good sister Ah Mei and wanted her brother to choose her. She disliked Ah Yuet for causing Ah Mei so much pain and seeing Ah Lo back with Ah Yuet was an eyesore for her.

Ah Yat and Ah Hong (Johnny Tang) therefore moved out to the Kams’ apartment and over to the Seks’ apartment with Sa Sa (Kingdom Yuen), 11th brother (Lee Kwok Lun), and their adopted daughter Ling-ling (Jenny Shing), taking over Ah Mei’s old room.

Only Nim Chi (Nancy Sit), Ah Yuet, Ah Lo, their four kids, and Ah Ting (Leila Tong) remained in the 8A apartment.

Joey (Bernice Liu), Wong Hau (Maggie Shiu), and Ah Ting were out shopping for Ah Nin’s (Frankie Lam) six-month wedding anniversary gift when Joey felt unwell. They took her to see the doctor and learned that she was pregnant!

“You don’t need to shop anymore!” Wong Hau beams.

“Why?” Joey asks.

“This baby is the biggest present that you can give your husband!” Wong Hau laughs.

Joey smiles. “That’s true. I want to keep it a surprise for our six-month anniversary, so don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“My lips are sealed!” Wong Hau swears.

“I won’t tell anyone,” Ah Ting assures Joey.

Ah Ting secretly goes to the bathroom and informs Man Gwai Fei (Stephanie Che) of Joey’s pregnancy. Gwai Fei instructs Ah Ting to bring Joey back to the mall. She’d call her again with further instructions later.

Gwai Fei dressed up in a fat suit and wore a bob-cut wig that resembled the “horrendous wig” that TVB likes to make its actresses wear. She put on big sunglasses and wore white gloves. Getting into her car, she speeds over to the shopping mall where Ah Ting had taken Joey and Wong Hau to again.

Once she arrived inside the mall, Gwai Fei called Ah Ting and asked her where they were. She found them and began to tail them.

“Ah Ting, make them go down the escalator. Make sure you stand behind Joey.”

Borrowing a page from Elise’s scheme in “The Coal of Life”, Gwai Fei presses the emergency stop button on the escalator and then runs off giggling. She goes to the bathroom to take off her hideous costume.

The sudden stop caused Joey, Wong Hau, and Ah Ting to slip. They rolled down the escalator.

“Joey! Are you okay?” Wong Hau asks.

Joey winced in pain.

In the parking lot, Gwai Fei ran into the old man (Chung King Fai) that had raped her on her birthday. She recognized his sleazy face the moment she saw him.

“You!” Gwai Fei howls at the man.

“Do I know you?”

“I’m pressing charges against you! Come with me!”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know very well! You did the crime. Now face the consequences.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb! You met me at the bar. You drugged my drink! You raped me at a cheap motel!”

The old man laughs. “Huh? Rape you?”

Gwai Fei was growing increasingly angry.

“Ah! I remember now,” the old man says. “You were wearing that sexy black dress!”

“You admit it! Let’s go to the police station!”

“You think I raped you?” The old man cracks up.

“What’s so funny?” Gwai Fei glares at him.

“I’m gay!”

“What? Impossible! You drugged me! I woke up naked in a cheap motel!”

“Oh honey, you’re mistaken. I only wanted your dress.”

Gwai Fei was stunned.

It turns out that she hadn’t been raped on her birthday. Suddenly her revenge and hatred against the Kams lost all of its meaning.

At the hospital, Joey was sadly told that she had lost her baby.

Wong Hau and Joey hold each other and cry.

“Our baby was supposed to be my six-month wedding anniversary present to Chris… but now…” Joey cries.

Wong Hau comforts her daughter, “You two are still young, it’s okay.”

“Pretty mom, please don’t tell Chris about this. Since he didn’t know I was pregnant, I don’t want him to know I miscarried. He’s already really troubled because of his family. I don’t want to add to his stress or burden him with any more pain.”

“Oh, Joey…”

Wong Hau strokes Joey’s head.

Ah Ting couldn’t help but feel her heart slightly ache watching Joey and Wong Hau.

Ah Ting returned to the Kams’ apartment. It was eerily quiet. Nim Chi was sitting on the couch alone.

“Auntie Chi?”

“Ah Ting. You’re back?”

“Yes.”

Ah Ting joined Nim Chi on the sofa.

In Nim Chi’s hands was a family portrait. Her eyes were visibly wet and tear drops could be seen on the glass picture frame.

“Auntie Chi, are you okay?”

Nim Chi sighs as she places the family portrait on the table. “I don’t understand. How come things ended up like this? My family used to be so happy. I can’t deny it anymore. The happiness is gone. My family is broken up. There’s no one around anymore…” Nim Chi sobs.

“Where are Ah Yuet and Ah Lo and their kids?”

“They told me today that they wanted to move out. They’re looking at apartments right now…”

“What? Why would they move out?”

“They said that it’s time for them to move out since they have their own family now…”

“But Foon Foon, Hei Hei, Fu jai, and Gwai mui have their own room now! We also have another vacant room if they want!” Ah Ting raises up.

“I know… I told them that too. Although they don’t say it, I know it’s because they don’t want to run into Ah Yat across the hall.”

Ah Ting frowns.

“How come everyone is leaving me?”

“Auntie Chi, don’t say that.”

“First it was Sing jai. He’s been gone for so long and I haven’t heard from him… I’m getting worried. Then it was Ah Gam and Ah Gei who ‘broke ties’ with this family. After the whole thing with Ah Mei, Ah Yat and Ah Hong followed… even though they are only across the hall I don’t see them much anymore. They avoid this apartment because they don’t want to see Ah Yuet and Ah Lo. Before I used to have a headache cooking because there were so many people. Before I complained about having to do laundry so often because clothes built up so easily. Before I always had to go shopping because we ran out of things so quickly. Now?” The tears flow endlessly. “This couch… used to be filled with people. We’d sit around talking and laughing. Do you remember the laughter? Oh… the laughter.”

Ah Ting felt her heart breaking listening to Nim Chi and seeing her cry so pitifully. It was a strange feeling. She never felt such emotions before.

Nim Chi gets up and walks around the apartment. Ah Ting follows her.

“This house… was so warm and filled with people before. I will never forget those days.” She runs her hands along the dinner table. “This table… we ate here every single day. There were so many dishes and so many happy discussions as we ate. These chairs… someone always sat in them.”

Nim Chi walks to the bedroom hallway and one-by-one stops and looks inside each of the bedrooms.

The first bedroom was the one in which Ah Ting currently resided. “This bedroom… can be called the ‘visiting’ room,” Nim Chi chuckles to herself. “It has passed through so many people. This used to be Ah Nin’s bedroom for many years. After he left to go to Shanghai and I reunited with Sing jai, it was Sing jai’s bedroom. Not long after that he left to get married. This room was unoccupied for some time and used as storage… until my god-son Ah San came around after his uncle tricked him out of his fortune. He was homeless and had no family so I took him in as a favor to my family’s savior. He of course left this room after he got his fortune back and married Ah Lam… Oh what a state their marriage has gotten into.” Nim Chi frowns. “This room was empty for awhile until Ah Nin came back with Rose. Luckily you’re around to fill this room… otherwise it would be empty again after Ah Nin moved out after marrying Joey.” Nim Chi smiles at Ah Ting.

Ah Yuet and Ah Lo’s bedroom was next. “My second son and second daughter-in-law are still here, but not for long…” She sighs as she looks around their bedroom.

The next bedroom was Ah Yat and Ah Hong’s. “My third daughter… what a baby she is. We spoiled her. Perhaps that’s why she’s so stubborn and haughty. She always talks back and doesn’t like to listen to people. This used to be my baby’s bedroom until she married Ah Hong and he moved in with her. Now… it’s an empty room.”

Foon Foon, Hei Hei, Fu jai, and Gwai mui’s bedroom was across the hall. It used to be Gam (Louis Yuen) and Ying Gei’s (Yvonne Lam). “This used to be Sa Sa’s bedroom. However, due to a mistake, we rented this room out to Ah Gam. We used to hate and avoid this bedroom because we didn’t like Ah Gam. We called him H5N1. It always stunk because he was so dirty! He was the worst tenant imaginable. Who knew he was my kids’ lost uncle? Of course we loved him afterwards. He always jokes, bringing lots of laughter to this family. It wasn’t until he finally married Ah Gei did this bedroom become ‘bearable’. How I miss them…”

They reached Nim Chi’s own bedroom. “My room… I used to share it with Sa Sa because she lost her bedroom to Ah Gam. Now… I don’t see her much anymore after she moved out having married 11th brother. She only helps out at ‘Tung Mat Yuen’ sometimes. Usually she’s busy with her own family. I know that’s the price of marriage and having a family… but I miss her. Foon Foon and Hei Hei used to sleep with me… now I have this bedroom all to myself.”

Nim Chi walks back out to the living room. She stares for a long time at the big family portrait that hung on the wall.

Everyone she loved was in the picture. Somehow they had all moved out and on, away from her. Her family was broken and separated into pieces. Everyone was scattered.

“I worked so hard for over 30 years for this family. I only want a happy and warm home. I only want my family to be together. I only want us to be happy and love each other. Where did I go wrong? What did I do to deserve this?”

Nim Chi falls to the floor and cries.

Ah Ting comforts Nim Chi. She did not know why or how, but for the first time in many years, Ah Ting cried.

Choice Fake Marriage: Lady Flower Fist (1997)
In my mind, 1997’s Lady Flower Fist spun the popular “romantic comedy” plot device of the fake marriage. Kwong Wah and Esther Kwan are the best fake married couple ever! I love their bickering at the beginning and their inevitable falling in love was sweet, humorous, and charming.

Choice Enlightenment (Costume): Love is Beautiful (2001)
2001’s Love is Beautiful is a beautiful, touching, and nicely-written series that focuses on society’s perception and value of “beauty”. What does it mean to be beautiful? How much is beauty worth and at what price are people willing to pay to seek “beauty”?

Choice Enlightenment (Modern): The Awakening Story (2001)
What happens when you wake up from a coma nearly twenty years later? Life has obviously moved on without you… but can you? 2001’s The Awakening Story is a well-written modern drama that focuses on self-discovery.

Choice Jin Yong Drama: Return of Condor Heroes 1995
With no boring moments, 1995’s adaptation of Jin Yong’s classic work Return of Condor Heroes is my absolute favorite. The storyline is very well-written and it is a thoroughly engaging series that’s neatly done. The cast is stellar. Return is my favorite Jin Yong story (Duke of Mount Deer is a close second and is his most creative); who doesn’t love Yeung Gwoh and Siu Lung Lui?

Between Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu) and Ah Mei (Cutie Mui), Ah Yuet (Michael Tse) had no idea who to choose. He loved both of them for different reasons, but he could only have one wife. It was not the Ming dynasty. There could not be a big wife and a small wife. There could only be one person to have the title of Mrs. Kam Yuet.

Ah Mei made the decision for Ah Yuet.

She could not bear to put the person that she loved in pain and make him choose between breaking the heart of one woman over the other, so she chose to break her own heart and put herself in pain. Instead of three people being miserable and prolonging a love triangle, Ah Mei decided to withdraw herself. She knew she could never compare to Ah Lo in Ah Yuet’s heart.

Ah Mei left Hong Kong four years earlier to prevent a love triangle from happening. Four years later when she came back the love triangle happened.

The only way a love triangle can conclude is if one person lets go. There isn’t enough room for three people to walk.

Ah Mei didn’t want to hurt her good sister Ah Lo. She didn’t want to “steal” her position, title, husband, kids, or family.

Very quietly, Ah Mei left Hong Kong to return to England. As abruptly as she had returned, she just as suddenly left.

Ah Mei only left behind two heart-felt letters. One was sent to Ah Yuet while the other was sent to Ah Lo.

Ah Yuet’s letter read as follows:

“Dear Ah Yuet,

Thank you for having loved me and for giving me the chance to love you.

I will always remember the very short but happy time that we spent together. Our pictures may fade, but our memories will always be crystal clear in my head. I will remember every second because every moment that I spent with you were rare and valuable.

Ah Yuet, you will always be in my heart. I will always care about you and love you.

You like that best about me, don’t you? I don’t say much, but I’m always silently there.

I don’t doubt that you love me, but I know that in your heart I cannot compare with Ah Lo. I know that you never truly moved on from her and that she’s your most beloved.

You have true romantic love for her.

You two are meant to be together. You two are the real husband and wife — for now until forever in this lifetime. You two are the parents of your four beautiful children and the perfect family.

I know that for me you mostly have gratitude and appreciation. You feel sorry for me that I suffered so much for you. You wanted to make it up to me. You tried to move on and run away from your sorrows for having lost Ah Lo. You tried to complete a family for your kids. I don’t blame you. Actually… thank you for allowing me to take that spot for awhile. Those were the happiest days of my life.

We are not meant to be.

If we were, we would have gotten together many years ago. It’s not because I didn’t tell you my feelings earlier. It’s simply because we weren’t fated.

I don’t regret loving you.

I will always cherish our memories.

Please do not feel sorry for me or sad that you broke my heart. Actually… you didn’t. I know that you would never want to hurt me and would never want to break my heart.

Don’t feel that you’re to blame for this. I decided to do this. Let me do this. It’s not your fault.

I will always wish you the best.

Always your good friend,
Ah Mei”

The following was Ah Lo’s letter:

“Dear Ah Lo,

I know that I’m the last person you want to hear from, but I have to write you this letter. You have to know the truth.

Do you know that the saddest day in everyone’s lives was when we thought you had died? We were all sitting around ‘Tung Mat Yuen’ waiting to go and pick you up from the airport when we saw the horrifying news on the TV that your plane had crashed. Our hearts just sunk. We couldn’t believe it. How could the heavens be so cruel? How could they take you away from us?

We all didn’t want to believe it… but when the airline told us that a “Lam Yuk Lo” was a passenger on that flight we couldn’t deny it.

We went through so many dark days in the wake of your passing. We were never the same.

Gone was the laughter. Gone were the petty arguments and gossips. Gone was the fun.

Without you, we all seemed to have lost a piece of ourselves. It was a vital piece. We didn’t know how to live without you. We all missed you so much. I will never forget all of the tears that dropped following your death. Everyone loves and cares about you a great deal. Do you know that?

As much as we didn’t want to go on life without you… we had to.

The only person who couldn’t move on? Your husband — Ah Yuet.

Ah Yuet was hit the worst because of your death.

He tried to commit suicide multiple times. He kept telling me that he couldn’t live without you. He didn’t want to. He only wanted to raise a family with you. He lost his strength and his direction. Without you he was lost. I will never forget the sorrows in his eyes. I will never forget the loving look that he has whenever he thought about you.

I’ve never seen Ah Yuet cry so much.

Ah Yuet really loves you tremendously.

Did you know that he had to be on anti-depressants? Actually… he’s still taking them.

He never forgot about you. He never moved on.

I didn’t lie to you when I told you my feelings for Ah Yuet were gone. I thought they were.

However, it turns out that they never died. They were just hidden — or maybe it’s because I purposely tried to bury them.

Seeing Ah Yuet so down, I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t be uncaring about him. I couldn’t let him be. I couldn’t let him die. I had to bring him back to life. I had to encourage him to keep living.

In those first few weeks after you died, I had to follow him closely otherwise I was afraid he might do something silly. It was only after awhile was I able to convince him to continue living. He started to eat again. He started to laugh to ‘Gai Dai Foon Siu’ again. He knew how to tell jokes again. He knew how to interact with people again.

For your sake, he couldn’t let you down. He told me that he had to keep fighting. He had to bring up your kids well. He wanted you to be proud of him.

Over those months… my feelings for Ah Yuet appeared again. I fell in love with him again.

I never intended on taking your spot. I never intended on having my feelings for Ah Yuet requited.

I just wanted to do my part as someone who cared about Ah Yuet and someone who cares about you. I helped to take care of your kids as their god-mother because I knew that’s what you would have wanted me to do. I love Foon Foon, Hei Hei, Fu jai, and Gwai mui. But I know that I’m not their mother. Only you are.

Ah Yuet and I never meant to hurt you.

I’m not going to lie.

I admit it. I was happy when Ah Yuet told me that he loved me. I was ecstatic finally being with him after so long. I was really touched when he proposed to me and in the short time that I was his wife, I was the happiest. I can’t deny it.

When I found out you were still alive, I felt very conflicted.

I knew at that moment that I had lost Ah Yuet.

It’s because I know that the person that Ah Yuet loves most is you.

I was only filling a void in Ah Yuet’s life. It was a temporary spot.

The only person who can be the wife of Kam Yuet in this lifetime is you, Lam Yuk Lo. The only person who can be the mother of Kam Foon, Kam Hei, Kam Fu, and Kam Gwai is you, Lam Yuk Lo. The only second daughter-in-law of Auntie Chi is you, Lam Yuk Lo. You are the rightful owner and the only person suitable to fill those roles.

I am not.

Ah Yuet has true, romantic love with you. He only has gratitude and “responsibility” towards me. He doesn’t love me like he loves you.

Ah Lo, you may think that things have changed and that people have “moved on” or that I have taken your spot but the truth is that they haven’t. We’ve never moved on. We always need you.

The days without Lam Yuk Lo were the most painful and saddest.

I will never forget those days.

I will never forget you, Ah Lo, my good sister.

I would never maliciously ’steal’ any of this from you. I know that these things aren’t mine.

This is your happiness. This is your family.

I only wish you the best now and always.

Always your good sister,
Ah Mei”

Ah Yuet and Ah Lo cried endlessly after reading Ah Mei’s letters.

Ah Mei exchanged her happiness for sorrows so that they could be happy.

Choice Male Drama: Safe Guards (2006)
TVB rarely has a male-dominated series so 2006’s Safe Guards doesn’t have much competition. However, it is by far the best masculine series. The women have little to do in this series as the men dominate the screen and the storyline revolves around manly issues. Deeply thoughtful, truthful, and moving, Safe is an excellent series.

Choice Female Drama: La Femme Desperado (2006)
Provocative, bold, unique, and refreshing, TVB’s 2006 La Femme Desperado was a breakthrough production that focused on many issues that modern women face. It was a surprisingly truthful and realistic female-dominated drama with lots of exciting and intriguing stories.

Choice Suspense Thriller: The Price of Greed (2006)
On the acting front, 2006’s The Price of Greed leaves much to be desired. However, the script is truly excellent. Gripping, nerve-wracking, unpredictable, and exciting, it was a series full of twists and turns that kept the audience at the edge of its seat. Completely addicting and rewarding, it is that rare over-looked and low-budget production that shines above grand productions.

Choice Historical: The Conqueror’s Story (2004)
2004’s The Conqueror’s Story focuses on the time in China’s history when the Han and Chor states were warring. It feels like an authentic recreation of history (although I don’t know how historically accurate it was) and was thoroughly interesting and well presented. Everyone was well-cast and did a great job bringing to life historical figures. Unlike some historical dramas, there was not a boring moment in Conqueror’s.

Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu) learned the dark secret that Ah Yuet (Michael Tse) had married Ah Mei (Cutie Mui) during the time she was in a coma as an unidentified “Jane Doe” in Japan.

“Kam Yuet… you did what?” Ah Lo demands in tears.

Ah Yuet lowers his head in shame.

“Sek Mei… how can you do this to me?” Ah Lo asks.

Ah Mei lowers her head, silent.

Using all of her strength, Ah Lo gets up from her wheelchair and slaps Ah Mei, making her glasses fly across the room.

“Sek Mei, you told me four years ago that you no longer have feelings for Ah Yuet. Now I learn that you married him. Were you waiting for me to die so you can be with him?” Ah Lo shakes her head, hurt. She turns to Ah Yuet. “Kam Yuet, you told me that I didn’t have to worry about you ending up like my dad. You said you would never cheat on me and be with someone else. Not only did you cheat, but you married someone else too. What do you take me as — dead?”

“We all thought you died!” Ah Yuet argues.

“So what you can just move on?”

“Ah Lo, please calm down honey. It’s a long story,” Ah Yuet pleads.

“Excuses! If you loved me, you would not move on. You said you thought I was dead. It’s been six months! Not even a year! Yet you’re already married to someone else. I cannot believe this. I expected to come home… but I have no home to return to. It’s no longer mine. Everything is taken away. My husband is now with another wife. My children love another mom. Maybe it would be better if I was really dead. At least I’d have a place in heaven…”

Ah Lo’s words made everyone really sad.

Fa Kei Sam (Mannor Chan) ran over to her daughter and comforted her, “Come, sweetheart, let’s take you home. You always have a home with us.”

Lam Sin (Yu Yeung), Ah Gong (Lam King Kong), and Kei Sam throw snarling comments at the Kams before taking the crying Ah Lo home.

Ah Mei picks up her broken glasses and then hands Ah Yuet her wedding ring. “Go find Ah Lo,” was all that she said.

“Ah Mei! What are you doing?” Ah Yat (Joyce Chen) demands. “You can’t give up so easily! You’ve been waiting and fighting for twenty years! You finally have my second brother. How can you give him up like that?”

“Ah Yat!” Nim Chi (Nancy Sit) scolds, “This isn’t your business to comment on or interfere with.”

“Ma Chi! It’s so unfair! Don’t you think so? You also supported second brother being with Ah Mei! You always praised Ah Mei as a very sweet and lovely girl. How come you jumped ship?”

“That’s because second daughter-in-law isn’t dead!”

“Your second daughter-in-law is standing right here!” Ah Yat points to Ah Mei.

“You know very well who I’m talking about. Don’t say anymore!” Nim Chi yells.

“Second brother can choose who he wants to be his wife! Foon Foon, Hei Hei, Fu jai, and Gwai mui all love Ah Mei! Our whole family loves her!” Ah Yat declares. “Second brother, you love Ah Mei too! Say something!”

Ah Mei looks at Ah Yuet with wet and hurt eyes.

“I-” Ah Yuet was tongue-tied. He didn’t know what to say to anyone. He didn’t know what to think.

Ah Mei ran away in tears with Ah Yat, Sa Sa (Kingdom Yuen), and Joey (Bernice Liu) running after her to comfort her.

Ah Yuet held two wedding rings in his hands. One was from his marriage with Ah Lo and the other with Ah Mei.

In terms of time, he knew Ah Mei first and longer. She did so much for him for so many years and was always there silently loving and supporting him. However, he had a relationship with Ah Lo for nearly a decade not to mention four kids. He looks at his family portrait with Ah Lo and then at his wedding portrait with Ah Mei. He couldn’t bring himself to hurt either woman. He didn’t know who to choose.

Ah Nin came into Ah Yuet’s bedroom.

“Big brother.”

“How’s it going?”

“Not good…” Ah Yuet sighs. “It’s a big mess.”

“It’s not so great to have two wives, huh?” Ah Nin teases.

“Don’t joke! I would die if I had two wives! Can you imagine the constant jealousy and bickering?”

“You’d have to spend odd nights with one wife and even days with the other. Then Sunday’s would be your day off.” Ah Nin laughs.

“Wah! Do you think we’re in the Ming dynasty? Polygamy is illegal!”

“Unless you’re rich…”

“Please no! I don’t need the family arguments and drama like in ‘Heart of Giving’.”

“Not to mention you’re not rich.”

Ah Yuet and Ah Nin both chuckle.

“I never meant for this to happen,” Ah Yuet says.

“Of course not. We don’t blame you.”

“Ah Lo is right. I shouldn’t have moved on so fast. If I hadn’t none of this would have happen.”

“No one knew that Ah Lo was still alive.”

“I should have tried harder to prove that she wasn’t dead. I shouldn’t have believed she was dead without seeing her body. You know what they say. Until you see the corpse, you always assume the person is alive. Why didn’t I?”

“Ah Yuet, you can’t wonder these things. Take what happened with me and Rose for example. There are many things in life that you simply don’t know and that you can’t predict. There are many twists and turns.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have started with Ah Mei let alone marry her.”

“Do you love her?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t marry her if I didn’t.”

“Then you shouldn’t be saying these words.”

Ah Yuet frowns. “I know.”

“Between Ah Lo and Ah Mei who do you love more?”

“It’s a different type of feeling with both of them. Ah Mei gives me a very sweet and relaxed feeling. With Ah Lo it’s kind of abusive, but I like it. I know she always looks out for me and wants the best for us. Maybe I subconsciously like being dominated by a woman.” Ah Yuet laughs to himself before continuing, “I love both… but it’s a different kind of love for the two of them.”

“How so?” Ah Nin asks.

“With Ah Mei it’s more…”

“Gratefulness?”

“Yes! That’s the word. She has just done so much for me. She brought me back to life after Ah Lo ‘died’. Without her, I wouldn’t be here today. Actually she loved me for over twenty years and has probably done more for me than I know. I can’t be ungrateful. I can’t be unappreciative. I don’t want to wrong her.”

“So you love her to ‘repay’ her?”

“No. I wouldn’t say it like that. We’ve known each other since childhood. We’re like two halves that when put together are complete. We get along so well.”

“So why didn’t you get with Ah Mei from early on?”

“We were like buddies! I couldn’t see her in any other light and I didn’t think she thought of me as more than a friend.”

“What if Ah Mei told you her feelings back then?”

Ah Yuet was stumped. “I don’t know.”

“And Ah Lo?”

“There are times when I feel like she’s my mother more than my wife. There are times when I feel suffocated and don’t have any freedom. She can make me mad… but I really love her. She provides this zest to my life and I really enjoy how we mesh. We bounce off one another. We’re so different and in that way we complete each other. We just ‘get’ one another.”

“You don’t with Ah Mei?”

“We do, but it’s a different kind of meshing. Ah Mei is sweet while Ah Lo is sour.”

“Which do you like to eat more?”

“I don’t know… because sweet and sour chicken is my favorite dish!”

Ah Nin teases Ah Yuet, “In short, you want to have both.”

Ah Yuet sighs.

“Ah Lo or Ah Mei?”

Nim Chi and the others played a “game” to help Ah Yuet decide. Everyone brought up good points and bad points about Ah Lo and Ah Mei and “points” were added or subtracted consequently.

“Second daughter-in-law gave birth to four grandchildren, that’s worth 4000 points!” Nim Chi declares.

“Hold up! Ma Chi, you can’t use that name like that anymore! You have two second daughter-in-laws,” Ah Yat corrects. “If you have to, you can call one big second daughter-in-law and the other one small second daughter-in-law.”

“That’s just silly! Fine. I’ll just call them by their names then. 4000 points for Ah Lo!”

“Isn’t that too much?” Joey asks.

“Pregnancy and labor is hard work! Plus, my grandchildren are priceless! 4000 is already low!” Nim Chi answers.

“Ah Mei met second brother first, so 1000 points for her. We have to subtract 1000 points from Ah Lo for being their ‘third party’,” Ah Yat says.

“What? That’s ridiculous! Ah Lo wasn’t our ‘third party’! Ah Mei and I weren’t dating when I met Ah Lo,” Ah Yuet protests.

“Like you said, you weren’t yet dating. You could have. She interrupted and prevented you two from developing. Did you know that Ah Mei baked you a cake for your birthday back in 2000? But you broke her heart by introducing Ah Lo as your girlfriend with her store-bought cake,” Ah Yat clarifies.

“Then we have to minus 1000 points from May for being the ‘third party’ and preventing Marco and Kelly from reuniting after she came back from the ‘dead’ then,” Joey brings up.

“Unfair! Ah Mei was never the ‘third party’! She didn’t know Ah Lo wasn’t dead. She didn’t break up their marriage or family,” Ah Yat defends Ah Mei.

“Either one can be seen as the ‘third party’, so let’s not count that,” Ah Nin concludes.

The Kams argued back and forth adding and deducting points from Ah Lo and Ah Mei and bringing in every point about the two girls imaginable. In the end they somehow were both tied with each having their own strengths and weaknesses and both offering something unique as Ah Yuet’s wife.

Both Ah Lo and Ah Mei were good candidates for Ah Yuet’s wife, but only one person could take that position. Who would it be?

Ah Mei (Cutie Mui) learned that Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu) was actually not dead but in a coma.

Wanting to keep Ah Yuet (Michael Tse) for one more day, Ah Mei planned their “final date”. It was a romantic and fun-filled day as the newly-wed couple traveled around Japan. Ah Mei took lots of pictures because she knew this day would be the last of her happy memories with Ah Yuet. She held on to him tight. She could only allow herself to be selfish for one day — no more, no less.

Midnight came. Her “selfish day” was over. It had ended before she knew it.

Ah Mei couldn’t help control herself from crying seeing the clock strike 12:00 AM.

“Ah Mei? What’s wrong?” Ah Yuet was concerned.

“Ah Yuet… I’ve been keeping a secret from you.”

“Of course you have! You’ve been secretly loving me for the last 20-something years!” Ah Yuet teases. “To make it up, let me love you some more-”

Ah Mei pushes Ah Yuet away. She shakes her head. “I… I found Ah Lo.”

“What? What are you saying?”

“Ah Lo isn’t dead.”

Ah Yuet feels Ah Mei’s forehead. “Are you sick? How come you’re speaking like a crazy person?”

“Ah Lo is in a coma at the hospital!”

Ah Yuet was stunned.

Ah Mei took Ah Yuet to the hospital to find Ah Lo. Ah Yuet broke down in tears seeing the wife he thought was dead in the hospital bed.

“Honey! Honey!” Ah Yuet wrapped his body around Ah Lo.

Ah Mei stood to the side, crying silently. She knew she lost Ah Yuet, but she couldn’t selfishly keep him by her side. She had to let him know the truth. She could not lie to the person that she loved.

Ah Yuet excitedly called home to tell Nim Chi (Nancy Sit) and the others the good news that Ah Lo didn’t board the airplane that fateful day many months back. Instead, for some reason she was beaten up badly and sent into a coma for the last few months. Everyone was shocked by the news because they all thought that Ah Lo had died. No one could come up with an explanation on what had happened to her. Why did she get attacked? Where did all of her identification and paperwork go? Who would be so cruel to beat a pregnant woman into a coma?

There were many unanswered questions and the mystery regarding Ah Lo’s accident was big, but everyone was happy to learn that Ah Lo was still alive — even if she was in a coma.

“Ah Lo… you have to wake up! You definitely have to wake up. We all miss you and we’re all waiting for you,” Ah Yuet says as he presses her hands against his face. His tears fall from his eyes.

Ah Yuet’s tears hit Ah Lo’s hand. He felt her fingers twitch.

“Ah Lo? Ah Lo?!”

Ah Mei rushed out to get the doctor.

After being in a coma for half-a-year as an unidentified “Jane Doe”, Ah Lo had woken up at last. Her movements and speech were slow and her eyes dull, but she was back. Ah Yuet could not stop crying because he was so happy.

“Honey! Honey!”

Ah Lo smiles at Ah Yuet weakly. She holds onto his face. “Ah Yuet. I thought I would never see you again.” Tears flow out of her eyes.

Ah Lo notices Ah Mei standing to the side.

“Ah Mei?”

Ah Mei walks over to Ah Lo’s side. She could only smile weakly while sobbing.

Ah Yuet had been so caught up in the wake of Ah Lo’s awakening that he had forgotten about Ah Mei — his newly married wife. He realized he was in for a headache. He was caught in a tough and sticky situation. Married to two women, what was he going to do? His heart ached. He couldn’t bring himself to hurt either woman.

Ah Yuet and Ah Mei did not speak about their marriage or what the future meant for them now that Ah Lo was back. They just focused on Ah Lo’s recovery and her rehabilitation. Ah Mei took off her wedding ring and hid it beneath her luggage.

Once Ah Lo got strong enough to board the plane, the three of them went back to Hong Kong. Ah Yuet instructed Nim Chi and the others to move Ah Mei’s things back to her bedroom in the Seks’ apartment and hide any “couple” pictures they had taken. He also told them to tell everyone not to mention anything about his marriage with Ah Mei.

“I’m finally coming home…” Ah Lo smiles. “I thought I’d never see home again. I thought I’d never see my family again.” She cries again.

Ah Yuet takes Ah Lo’s hand inside of his and tells her, “Don’t be silly. Of course you can come home.”

“It was so scary,” Ah Lo recounts, “I boarded a taxi after I got robbed wanting to go to the police station to report my missing information and purse but after we drove around for awhile, I could feel something was not right. The taxi driver took me to a rural area. I tried to get out and screamed for help, but no one heard me. He beat me. I felt so helpless. I was bleeding… then… I blacked out. I thought I died. I was so sad. I couldn’t die. I couldn’t leave you and our kids.”

Ah Yuet holds the crying Ah Lo. “It’s okay now. It’s all over.”

Ah Mei looks out of the airplane’s window with wet eyes.

Lam Sin (Yu Yeung), Fa Kei Sam (Mannor Chan), Ah Gong (Lam King Kong), Nim Chi, Sa Sa (Kingdom Yuen), 11th brother (Lee Kwok Lun), Ah Nin (Frankie Lam), Joey (Bernice Liu), Ah Yat (Joyce Chen), Ah Hong (Johnny Tang), and Ah Ting (Leila Tong) all came to the airport to greet Ah Lo. Hugs, kisses, and tears filled the airport as the person they all thought had died miraculously hadn’t.

Ah Lo noticed Ah Sing (Hawick Lau), Gam (Louis Yuen), and Ying Gei (Yvonne Lam) were missing. “Where are they?”

“It’s a long story…” Ah Yuet tells her.

“Fu jai! Gwai mui! Let mommy hold you.”

Fu jai and Gwai mui cried when Ah Lo took the babies from Ah Mei though.

“That’s weird…” Ah Lo observes.

“Babies forget easily and are afraid of strangers. Just give them time,” Ah Mei assures.

Ah Lo frowns. She turns to Foon Foon and Hei Hei and asks, “Did you two miss mommy?” She kisses her toddlers.

Foon Foon and Hei Hei dart behind Ah Mei.

“Do I look really bad now or something?” Ah Lo feels her short hair and touches her wheelchair.

“No, honey, it’s just that they haven’t seen you for so long… and I told them you were in heaven with their grandpa… we just need to explain to them,” Ah Yuet explains.

Ah Lo felt disheartened. Her children didn’t embrace her like she imagined they would. They all clung to Ah Mei.

“Well, thank you for taking care of my family while I was gone, Ah Mei.” Ah Lo smiles at Ah Mei.

Ah Mei just nods her head shyly.

“She sure did. She took care of your husband too!” Kei Sam snarls.

“In-law!” Nim Chi hisses.

“I can’t take it anymore! I can’t put up a show of charades! I can’t act! I’m not going to lie to my daughter! Ah Lo, your ‘good sister’ was so good to you that she took your place while you were gone-”

Nim Chi tries to cover up Kei Sam’s mouth.

“Second daughter-in-law, don’t listen to her!” Nim Chi urges.

“She married your husband!” Kei Sam shouts.

“What?!”

Ah Lo looks at Ah Yuet and Ah Mei, stunned.

Choice Grand Production: Heart of Greed (2007)

I’m usually not a fan of TVB’s grand productions because they often end up disappointing. The hype usually ruins the series. I don’t think TVB knew that it had such a hit on its hand with 2007’s Heart of Greed. TVB wasn’t really promoting it and its ratings were lukewarm for the first half of the series. When the drama exploded on the screen, the ratings shot up and Heart became the most massively successful and popular TVB series in years. Heart lacks intrigue and a compelling storyline, but it is the only grand production that I truly love. The main cast contains all of my favorite stars and the drama from episodes 21-40 was great. It was a nice balance of heated family arguments and struggles and a heart-breaking and moving love story. It contained lots of powerful and memorable scenes and wonderful, strong performances.

Choice Shanghai Drama: The Bund (1980)

Hui Man Keung (Chow Yun Fat) is one of the most memorable characters in TVB’s history. 1980’s The Bund is timeless. It is classic TVB at its best and is arguably the most famous TVB series (everyone can recognize the beautiful themesong by Frances Yip). Despite being filmed in Hong Kong, Bund captures the “feel” of 1930’s Shanghai perfectly. The storyline was exquisite and it is a flawless, gripping series.

Choice Country Drama: Country Spirit (2001)

2001’s Country Spirit was my first exposure to the “country” genre and my first introduction to TVB’s “Plain Love” trilogy. This explains why it holds the highest place in my heart in terms of country-themed dramas. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful (gorgeous cinematography) and stunning. The storyline is equally beautiful and touching. It was a very heart-felt series.

Choice Fantasy: A Step into the Past (2001)

Combining history and very creative fiction, 2001’s A Step into the Past based on Huang Yi’s novel of the same name is a prime example of TVB’s greatness. The time-traveling storyline which brought history of the “Seven Warring States” to life for a modern audience was refreshing, unique, and engaging. The cast was great and the series was entertaining from beginning to end.

Chan Kiu (Helen Ma) and Sek Dai Chuen (Johnny Ngan) were not happy when Ah Mei (Cutie Mui) told them that she was getting married with Ah Yuet (Michael Tse).

They exaggeratedly started to pretend like they were crying and in much grievance.

“I’m so disappointed in our children, Stupid Woman!” Dai Chuen whines.

“Me too, Stupid Man! Our son left us to go to the mainland for a vixen! Our daughter is going to be a ’second wife’!” Kiu wails.

“Is our fate so bad that our children suffer so much?” Dai Chuen asks.

“Are the heavens punishing us by punishing our children?” Kiu questions.

“You useless daughter! When you came back looking so pretty I thought we hit the jackpot. I thought you would meet someone rich! But now…” Dai Chuen starts.

“You’re back to your ‘ugly’ self and you’re so cheap to be a ’second wife’!” Kiu sobs. “Do you have no morals?”

“If you’re going to be a ’second wife’, at least be a ’second wife’ to someone rich and old!” Dai Chuen states.

Ah Mei stares at her parents in disbelief. “Mom, dad, I am not going to be a ’second wife’! Ah Yuet isn’t married right now.”

“Exactly. He was married! He had a wife before you and four kids! Four kids! Are you stupid? Why would you want to take on such responsibilities? It’s going to be nothing but troubles for you!” Kiu scolds.

“I love Ah Yuet,” Ah Mei states frankly.

Dai Chuen and Kiu hold each other and cry loudly. Ah Biu (Raymond Lam) was with Ah Fan (Tavia Yeung) in the mainland leaving them alone while Ah Mei was going to be a “second wife” to Ah Yuet.

Ah Mei shakes her head at her parents.

Dai Chuen and Kiu’s grievances soon ended after they discussed marital money with Nim Chi (Nancy Sit). Pleased with the “price” and realizing that they would become in-laws with their boss and thus earn lots of benefits, they did not mind Ah Mei being a “second wife”. They happily kissed Ah Yuet from both cheeks, warmly embracing this son-in-law.

“I always knew my Ah Mei had good eyes!” Kiu brags.

“She only loves one person and that is you!” Dai Chuen declares to Ah Yuet.

“We’re so happy you two can be together!” Kiu beams.

“We’re so proud of our daughter for choosing such a good husband and family!”

Ah Mei shakes her head at her parents and silently chuckles.

Sa Sa (Kingdom Yuen), Nim Chi, Ah Yat (Joyce Chen), and Ah Ting (Leila Tong) went with Ah Mei to shop for bridal dresses. They were awed to see Ah Mei come out in her beautiful white wedding dress.

“Second sister-in-law, you’re so pretty!” Ah Yat praises.

“Calling me second sister-in-law already?” Ah Mei asks.

“The heavens decided!” Ah Yat winks.

“That’s true… it was written in the clouds — literally,” Ah Mei laughs.

Nim Chi was pleased with this new daughter-in-law.

Sa Sa frowns. “You’re leaving us!”

“She’s just going to be next door!” Ah Ting smiles.

“True… but next door can feel like the next country!”

Ah Yat nods her head, “That’s true. Ever since auntie married 11th brother and moved out, we haven’t seen her!”

“Your house is too crowded! We wouldn’t fit!” Sa Sa teases.

“Nonsense! There’s always room for you three!” Nim Chi smiles.

Ah Ting agrees, “Especially since H5N1 and sister OK moved out…”

Everyone grows quiet.

Ah Ting lowers her head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Ah Ting,” Nim Chi assures, “We tried all that we can to convince them it’s their imagination running wild… but they won’t listen.”

Ah Mei frowns. “It would be so fun if sister OK could be a bridesmaid too.”

Ah Yat sighs. “In the past we were so happy. But now…”

“It’s like the heavens have it against our family or something!” Sa Sa comments. “First Ah Lo, then Ah Sing, now H5N1 and Ying Gei.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Nim Chi scolds, “There’s no such thing! Our family is still happy. Very soon I’ll have a very sweet daughter-in-law.”

Ah Mei grins at Nim Chi.

“Ah Mei, do you remember when you bought that raffle ticket from me?” Ah Ting asks.

“Yes. I lost didn’t I?”

“No! Actually you won first prize!”

Ah Mei was shocked. “Are you serious?”

Ah Ting nods her head. “You and Ah Yuet get to celebrate your honeymoon in Japan!”

“Wah! Second sister-in-law, you’re really lucky!” Ah Yat smiles.

Ah Mei couldn’t believe how lucky she was in the last few weeks. Her love for Ah Yuet was requited and now she was going to marry him. To make matters even better, they wouldn’t have to worry about paying for the honeymoon. They could enjoy Japan for free.

“There’s going to be a personal tour guide and everything!” Ah Ting says.

Ah Yuet and Ah Mei’s wedding was a simple and small ceremony. They didn’t want the wedding to be too big because Ah Mei wanted to save money for Foon Foon, Hei Hei, Fu jai, and Gwai mui’s futures.

After over 20 years of waiting, Ah Mei became Mrs. Kam Yuet.

After moving her things into Ah Yuet’s bedroom, Ah Mei and Ah Yuet left to go on their honeymoon to Japan.

Man Gwai Fei (Stephanie Che) smiles after hearing from Ah Ting that Ah Mei and Ah Yuet just left.

“Marco… how unfaithful you are to your poor wife. Do you know the pitiful Kelly is actually still alive and in a coma for the last six months? It doesn’t matter. You will know soon. May… what a cheap ‘third party’ you are for breaking other people’s marriage and becoming a ’second wife’. Well… your punishment will come soon enough.”

Gwai Fei laughs menacingly.

Ah Yuet and Ah Mei arrived in Japan and were greeted by the “tour guide”, who was actually someone paid by Gwai Fei to lead Ah Mei to Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu). They were in the same city Ah Lo had been when she met the fake client that Gwai Fei had set up and where she currently laid in a coma.

While at the temple, Ah Mei made a sincere wish, “May Ah Yuet and the rest of his family always have happiness. I don’t mind giving all of my happiness to him as long as he can be happy. I already feel content knowing that he is happy and healthy.”

Ah Yuet makes his wish, “May my family always be blessed and happy. May my children grow up to be successful so that their mother in heaven can be proud. May Ah Lo rest in peace and watch over this family.”

Ah Yuet and Ah Mei smile at each other.

“What did you wish for?” Ah Mei asks.

“What everyone wishes for!” Ah Yuet answers.

“Kam Yuet, your answer is like you haven’t answered!” Ah Mei teases.

That evening Ah Mei received a mysterious text message while she was in the bathroom of a restaurant. “Your ‘big sister’ is in the hospital. If you want to find her, ask the tour guide where to find the hospital.”

“My sister?” Ah Mei was puzzled. She recognized the name of the hospital as being in Japan.

Another text message came and attached was a picture of Ah Lo.

“Ah Lo?”

Ah Mei had no idea who sent her the messages and thought that it might be a joke, but if it had something to do with Ah Lo, she wanted to get down to the bottom of it. She made Ah Yuet go back to the hotel and then asked the tour guide to take her to the hospital. When she was at the hospital, another text message came with a hospital room number.

Ah Mei’s heart was pounding as she was led to the hospital room.

“This patient has been unidentified and in a coma for the past six months. I’m so glad we can finally know who this ‘Jane Doe’ is. She was very badly beaten when she came in. She was pregnant at that time and miscarried as a result… It’s really a shame,” the nurse was telling her.

She could not believe her eyes, but lying in the hospital bed with tubes attached was indeed Ah Lo.

Tears flow down Ah Mei’s cheeks as she runs over to Ah Lo’s bed and cries.

“Ah Lo! Ah Lo!”

Ah Mei had found Ah Lo, but would she lose Ah Yuet? If she told Ah Yuet that Ah Lo was still alive but in a coma, he might leave her. If she never tells him, he would never know and she could remain with him.

Her heart ached. Ah Mei was very troubled and conflicted. The tears continued to fall. She wasn’t sure if she was crying from happiness having found Ah Lo and learning that she wasn’t dead or crying from her own pending sorrows.

Choice Feel-Good Series: Family Man (2002)

I was charmed by TVB’s 2002 Family Man the moment I watched it. The cast was great and the series was very fun and heartwarming. It was very sweet and enjoyable to watch. It is such a relaxing series and leaves you with a good feeling.

Choice Romance: Time Before Time (1997)

You know a series is romantic when you can feel the chemistry/love between the leading male character and a dog (because he thinks that the dog is the leading female character). The love story between Siu Fu Yung (Kathy Chow) & Luk Wan Kwong/Hui Dai Kwong (Gordon Lam) in TVB’s 1997 Time Before Time was very touching. I could feel the love between them that transcended time and space throughout the whole series. My favorite part of the series is the ending when they finally get to be together.

Choice Comedy: Old Time Buddy (1997)

TVB’s 1997 Old Time Buddy is an extremely witty and hilarious series that satirizes Hong Kong cinema in the 1960’s. With an extraordinary cast led by Gallen Lo, Francis Ng, Jessica Hsuan, and Maggie Cheung, Buddy is laugh-out-loud funny. The acting is amazing and the humor is charming and ingenious.

Choice Intrigue: War and Beauty (2004)

TVB’s 2004 War and Beauty is simply the most compelling and intriguing series in TVB’s history. It is a masterpiece with its dark, unpredictable, and exciting storyline. Unlike most other TVB series, War has many layers and offers a lot for the audience to dig through. It makes the viewer think about many issues and examine different things about life.