[The Way We Were]
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The Way We Were
Episode 8
[Departing from: San Francisco]
[Arriving in: Beijing]
(Old He calling)
[Call canceled]
[Slide to switch off]
Professor. I'm here to say goodbye.
I asked the international student office for leave.
I will fly back to China, two days after tomorrow.
Leave so soon? Not going to apply for suspension right now?
I already submitted my application.
I'll send the hospital document from China.
Why not ask your family to get the documents and send it to you?
So you can leave the US with a suspension certificate?
Are you so anxious to see your mother?
I saw my mother lying in an ICU in a video call.
I can't wait one more minute.
I want to go back as soon as possible.
Xiao. I completely understand your feelings.
Don't be too sad.
Take good care of your mother.
And I wish her to get well soon.
Thank you.
Professor Anderson.
Nora, you can come back later this afternoon.
No problem. Sorry for disturbing you two.
Xiao. I hope you can come back to continue your study here
as soon as possible. Once your mother is getting better,
try not to drop out, ok?
Standord is my dream. I won't give it up. I promise.
That's a deal.
Thank you, professor Anderson.
- Goodbye. - Goodbye.
[Old He]
[End call]
[Call ended]
(Block contact)
Monica. I will check out early.
Can you give me back the rest of the rent?
Why are you moving out?
You can't just move in with a boyfriend so soon.
I am not in a relationship.
Something happened in my family. I have to go back.
I am leaving in two days.
You don't have to move out just because you're going back to China.
Are you not coming back?
It's a possibility.
So something big happened in your family?
My parents got in a car accident. Even though their lives are not in danger now,
the recovery will be a long process.
My god. Xiao Qing.
I don't know what to say.
I'm so sorry.
It should be me who says sorry.
At this time, I should tell my parents I'm sorry.
My parents are diligent working class.
My father's job...
...can be called a government employee.
Salary is not much. But he has the power to control other people's life and death,
he receives a lot of offers for grey income.
You have no idea how many times I witnessed my father shut them out.
But I didn't understand when I was little.
One time, someone sent something to us. I liked it and I wanted it.
I grabbed it and wouldn't let go.
After the guests left, my father beat me up.
I hated him for a long time after that.
I couldn't understand why something was given to us and I liked it,
I don't steal or rob, why couldn't I have it?
I didn't realise until I grew up...
...that I should be thankful to my father.
Our family gets to live in peace and conscience for so many years,
because he insisted to reject the bribes.
My mother is the main breadwinner in our family.
All of the tuition and allowances for my study...
was paid with the money my mother made on the side by tutoring music students.
The money I spend now was all made through class after class.
Sometimes, she had to work for 8 straight hours.
My parents are like the two important parts of my vehicle.
One is the steering wheel,
and the other is the engine.
I was confident.
I thought I was good enough, because I worked hard enough.
But this accident made me see something.
My superiority has always been my parents' burden.
My opportunities were based on their sacrifices.
I thought I climbed up the ladder by myself.
But every step I took,
there was my parents cheering me on and helping me out.
At this time, if I still only think about myself,
I'm just too selfish.
I can't let them not enjoy themselves for me.
They can't travel. They can't take a break.
They can't even get sick.
Before I leave, I will pack my things and store them with you.
If I decide to drop out, I have to ask you to mail them to me.
No problem.
Thank you, Monica.
Xiao Qing, actually, you can look at it this way.
Actually, with parents like yours,
with a family like yours.
And you get to think about and care about them. It's lucky.
But it's so far away.
I am so anxious. Is this still lucky?
You can relax, if you don't worry about anyone...
and you don't worry about anyone. Try it.
Like me. Good thing I have booze and pretty boys.
Excuse me, where is the elevator?
just behinds you, take the corridor. Okay, thank you
My pleasure
Shu Che
Hi Shu Che
Did you arrive at the apartment yet?
Not yet
What? You did not go visit my mom?
I have to do something in school so I'm unable to leave.
If I end early, I will go visit your mom
It's okay, take your time.
Don't let this get in your way.
Last night call, you said that your mom was upset
What happened?
I will tell you in details later when we meet in person.
Are you still in school? In class?
Yeah, we have a break right now and I just came out to call to check things up.
Then if I finished early
I will go see your mom and I'll let you know
See you tonight
Yeah, see you tonight
Bye
Before we discuss Su Che and Miao Ying's marriage...
do you know what I would say first?
I know.
It's my fault. I neglected it when I was dealing with this matter.
I helped out your career.
Yet you're here wrecking my family.
I didn't expect things would escalate like this.
If I knew, I would never let her...
Enough. I don't want to talk about it again.
This time I'm here in the US,
there is one more purpose, aside from the kids stuff.
This was caused by you.
So you need to give me an answer.
No matter how you do it,
you have to take care of this as soon as possible.
Make that woman disappear from my life forever.
Relax. I will stay on top of this.
I can tell Miao Ying that it's too early to get married.
But you want me to object like this in front of Shu Che,
he would suspect our relations and our intentions.
I tried last night. I couldn't convince him.
Because I have no good reasons to object their marriage.
All of us want them to be together soon.
Miao Ying is the daughter in law I had in mind for a long time.
I hope they get married soon too.
We have no other options.
I always have this feeling...
that we would stand in the way of their happiness this time.
Don't think it like that. It's just temporary.
How could we stop them?
There's only one way.
What?
If they can't get married this time,
it can't be because of our objection.
It can only be Miao Ying rejecting Shu Che.
How could Miao Ying turn down Shu Che?
Let her know everything.
You're saying you need to tell her our relations and our plans?
Tell her everything. That way she will know that her relationship with Shu Che will affect the whole situation.
She will know that their marriage is not only their own business.
Is that too risky?
Would Miao Ying tell Shu Che that?
No. I know my daughter well.
All of her life, she tries to put herself in other people's shoes.
She's a good kid who thinks about everyone.
She never puts herself first.
She never...
acted out or be disobedient.
So, I have confidence in what kind of decision Miao Ying would make.
When do you plan on telling her?
When I have to.
Why are you here?
What's going on? Are you really going back?
I heard your roommate say that your mother was in a car accident. Is it serious?
She will live, but she's still in the ICU.
She will have to go through a long recovery process even after she's out of the hospital.
Last time I was here you were crying. Was it because of this?
- When are you leaving? - The day after tomorrow.
What time? I'll drive you.
No need. I will call an Uber.
No problem. I will drive you. What time?
I can look it up even if you don't tell me.
How long are you planning to stay back at home?
I don't know.
- When do you plan to come back? - There's no plan.
So you're thinking about not coming back?
Possibly.
But does your mother need your company when she gets better?
You can come back and continue your study.
I don't want to keep talking about this.
I don't want to turn into someone who complains all the time.
None of your problems look like big deals to me.
Is money an issue for you?
My father said as long as something can be solved with money, it's not a big deal.
Why didn't you ask for our help?
Ask Shu Che to set you up with some work on the campus. I can also introduce you to some part time jobs.
I can loan you money and pay for your tuition.
Are you done?
What did I say? You don't need to be like this even if you don't want to thank me.
I didn't treat you as my friends.
I have no right to ask others to help me.
Friends are not my last straw and not my credit card.
Are you still upset about the car?
That was my fault.
I let you take the blame. I promise I will explain it to my father and give you your innocence back.
No need for that. I'm going back anyway.
It means nothing if I have innocence here or not.
Xiao Qing. You are too uptight about this.
I can't understand your emotions.
My father didn't even ask about it. He forgot about it completely.
Right. This is why we can't be friends.
Your father can just forget about something that quickly.
You can lose something like that in a gamble.
It's just a moral stain that I can't explain.
How is it a stain? Nobody misunderstood you.
Who misunderstood you? I'll go explain to them one by one.
No need for that.
Why are you always rejecting me?
Is it because my family is rich?
Are only poor people allowed to be your friends? Just to defend your precious dignity?
I am rich. Are my good intentions insults to you?
You put individual dignity above everything else.
Are you strong inside or just really weak?
Are you superior just because you're rich?
Your money can solve all the problems. Is your money everything?
Money can't solve all the problems.
For instance, it can't solve the problem that I like you!
Wait for me the day after tomorrow.
Even I was touched.
Xiao Qing, you can really keep your cool.
I bet you will come back soon after you leave.
Because someone this rich and is willing to spend money on you...
someone who's so into you...
How can you miss him?
Shu Che. Sorry that I couldn't be there to keep your mother company.
It's ok. After these busy days, you can do it when you have time.
Why do you think she was in a bad mood yesterday?
My mother told me...
that my dad had an affair.
With who?
I don't know.
I feel like my mom knows. She just didn't want to tell me.
Then what?
Nothing.
My mom didn't want to tell me anything. I had to force her to tell me about my dad's affair.
With your father's status,
this kind of negative news is like a nuclear bomb.
What are you going to do? Confront with your father?
I don't know.
I want to wait till after my mom meets your father, and find a quiet place to have a chat.
I need to find out more. I need to know what my mother thinks.
I need to make sure if my dad and that woman are over.
Then I will decide what to do.
Do you think...
your dad's thing...
has anything to do with us getting married?
I can't think of any relations between these two things.
What's your mother's attitude this time...
in regard to our marriage?
What attitude can she have? She only listens to my father.
Objection.
I will discuss with her first.
You are my daughter. Of course I want you to be happy.
I believe Shu Che is the one who will make you happy.
Shu Che's dad is a mayor. You're the shareholder and successor of a big enterprise.
It was destined that you two are not ordinary people.
How can your marriage only the business of the two of you?
From the moment you were born, you were carrying the destiny of the family.
You can't only think about yourself.
You can't do whatever you want.
I don't disapprove your marriage with Shu Che.
I just want you to wait a few years.
My father had an affair.
Mom. Have you met Uncle Cheng before?
No, I haven't.
My father has never met him either?
One is in charge of infrastructure, the other is a famous businessman in the city.
There was never any encounter in any occasions?
I haven't heard about it. I don't think they met before.
It's a major moment for two sides to meet each other for the first time.
Mrs. Shu. It's nice to finally meet you.
Nice to meet you, Mr. Cheng.
I heard the mayor's wife is very graceful.
I finally got to meet you in person.
I am old.
Mr. Cheng, you're in the peak of your charm.
Can you talk in a normal way?
How was I not normal?
You can call each other Shu Che's mom and Miao Ying's dad.
If you guys keep calling each other "Mrs" or "manager" I need to leave.
Look at this kid.
If we count the time we heard of each other,
I have known your mother for a long time.
Yes. I have always wanted to meet Miao Ying's father.
I heard so much about you it's like you're already a friend.
That's really nice.
Don't just stand here.
Let's eat.
Please.
Shu Che. Your mom has been here for a few days. You didn't show her around?
We have very little freedom as students.
We have classes every day. I will see if I can make some time and show her around.
Right. Miao Ying said yesterday that she will ask for some time off to keep my mother company.
Did you go to my apartment yesterday?
I didn't know that.
Auntie. I didn't make it yesterday.
I didn't get the permission to leave. I'll go keep you company some other day, okay?
You're busy with study. I don't need you to take time off.
I will arrange a car and a driver to show you around.
That's fine. I am very easy going. I don't like to go out every single day.
I will make sure you get plenty of rest as well.
Wherever you want to go or whatever you want to eat, just let them know.
Uncle Cheng, mom. Now that you're both here today,
I have something to tell you.
Although my parents thought the timing wasn't exactly right,
Miao Ying and I...
still decide to get married.
We will pick a suitable time to go to the city hall to get the paperwork done.
Then I will narrow down the guest list,
find a group of my best friends and that will count as getting married.
This is the kind of ceremony we want.
Of course, we hope...
we could have your blessing.
Brother. Do you need a wedding mentor?
I got married in the US. I am experienced.
Do you have shame?
I'm sorry. It's just the naughty thing the kid did.
Since you made up your mind, you have my blessing.
Thank you, Uncle Cheng.
Mom. Relax.
Before I get married, I will talk to my dad.
I will ask for his forgiveness. I won't put you in a difficult position.
Shu Che's mom. We should give our blessing to these two kids.
Shu Che, Miao Ying.
I hope your love...
will never be held back by money or benefits.
Don't give in to temptations.
No matter what happened and what kind of misunderstandings between you two,
please believe you love each other.
Never part ways, ever.
I give you my blessing.
Thank you, uncle. We will.
Mother, I didn't give you a heads-up today.
I made the announcement without your permission.
Don't blame me.
How could I blame you?
I just hope that you don't blame us when you think about now, in the future.
Why would I blame you guys?
Mom.
I still want to talk about my dad.
What about your dad?
About the affair.
That was in the past.
There's nothing left to talk about.
But when you mentioned this a few days ago,
you were still not over it.
That doesn't seem to be in the past.
I was out of control that night.
It was just bad mood because of the jet lag.
That wasn't me.
I hope you don't take what I said that night too seriously.
I shouldn't have told you about it.
Really?
Really. It was in the past.
Your dad promised he would cut it off.
Now he goes to work and comes home regularly.
It was just like before. It was all over.
Don't talk about this with your dad.
Don't reveal any details to anyone.
Pretend that this never happened.
I will leave this box here with you.
Leave it in this room.
I should put it in the storage room so it doesn't get in the way of other tenants.
There's no new tenant. Leave it here.
Aren't you going to keep renting this place?
Leave it. I'll wait for you to come back.
I can't promise I would come back.
Then we will talk about it when you're certain you're not coming back.
Thank you Monica.
Thank me for what?
Thank you for letting me know that happiness is all temporary.
Sorry I wasn't being inspirational enough.
That's not true. Because misery is also temporary.
Ok. You know dialectics.
These are all yours.
All mine?
This is a good set. Sea minerals. I brought a lot from China.
Give it a try.
I will keep it then.
It must be the one who swore he would show up.
I will check it out.
Professor Anderson?
Xiao. I thought you and your parents had discussed your plan to take an absence leave from school.
But it was just your own idea.
My dad doesn't want me to go back.
He doesn't agree with the absence.
That's why you blocked him?
How did you know that?
The way you did this...
was simple and unthoughtful.
It was a disgrace to your own major.
Who told you that I blocked him?
Of course he himself.
He contacted you?
He had to. Since he couldn't reach you.
He called and hoped I could stop you from going back to China.
I don't know if I can be successful but here I am.
I want to reach a consensus between all of us.
And now, it's the time for you to talk.
[Mr. He]
Running away is not a good way to communicate.
Qing'er. Where are you now?
I am about to leave for the airport.
Qing'er. I know you will think about any decision you make.
I know it's hard to change how you think once you made a decision.
But before you make the ultimate decision, can you listen to what your mother might think?
My mother? She can speak now?
Not yet. But she made a breakthrough today.
Not only is she awake, she can also write.
I will show you.
[ I ]
This is not simply drawing strokes.
Every character your mother writes is a big step forward for our family.
"Let's fight this together"
"I am fine. Let's fight this together."
credit
♫ Love and Hate's margin ♫
♫ Gathering and dispersing ♫
♫ Asking why do you care ♫
♫ Until now, I'm still longing ♫
♫ And I'll still go back to you ♫
♫ I rely on you ♫
♫ Separated but the heart comes back ♫
♫ Remember this love, we understand ♫
♫ That this just is love ♫
♫ Whenever I feel hurt ♫
♫ Do not leave and go far away ♫
♫ How long and how far does it take to heal? ♫
♫ Why don't you just return to the place you fell in love? ♫
♫ Did not say goodbye and silently left ♫
♫ The room is cold and no longer has the warm sun ♫
♫ How much I want to keep the time of you and me ♫
♫ Never forgetting and longing for the love to come back ♫
♫ Love and Hate's margin ♫
♫ Gathering and dispersing ♫
♫ Asking why do you care ♫
♫ Until now, I'm still longing ♫
♫ And I'll still go back to you ♫
♫ I rely on you ♫
♫ Separated but the heart comes back ♫
♫ Remember this love, we understand ♫
♫ That this is just love ♫