The Way We Were
Timing and Subtitles Brought to you by the Can We Go Back? Team @ Viki
The Way We Were
Episode 3
Are there any other variables involved?
Many variables can affect the outcome
both before and during the proceedings.
Such as?
Such as evidence being overturned, witnesses backing out of testifying
or even not showing up in court.
It's possible for witnesses to not show up?
Yes, there are many instances of such occurrences.
Let's say, the arresting officer
didn't show up at the hearing.
The case would be missing its key witness.
The case against the suspect would then would be dismissed immediately.
Lawyer Kang, I need a small favor from you.
It has to do with that Highway Patrol officer.
I've already prepared for that.
This is his information. [State Information - Request For Records, Will Schiller]
I only prepared this one hard copy to be safe.
That is smart.
It's nothing.
First, get him out on bail. Let me know when the hearing date is set.
Don't worry.
Also, we'll be seeing each other more often in the future. In front of the two kids...
I don't know who you are.
Sister, I'm here to check up on you.
I'm more concerned about how you're doing.
I slept in the room next door last night.
That's as close as we've ever slept.
Please, tell me how in the world you ended up getting married in secret.
It's just what it looks like.
It's hard to fight some people's oppressive ways.
Who are you calling oppressive?
Are you still in denial?
No one forced you to marry me.
Even if you weren't ecstatic, you were in on it with me.
A deal based on equality and mutual cooperation.
Isn't that what you like to say all the time?
What kind of deal?
See, you hear that? You didn't hear wrong.
Yes, this is just a formal arrangement, like a business deal.
It isn't a real marriage.
What isn't a real marriage? Is a marriage registered with the local government not real?
It's legal under American law.
So which is it, a marriage or a business deal?
- Marriage. - Business Deal.
Who am I suppose to listen to?
She's not wrong either. If you put it together, it's a contract marriage.
She gave me $150,000 to marry her.
She did, why?
Her family encountered some issues getting their investor green cards. She wanted a green card as soon as possible.
So she came up with the idea of marrying me. Then she could get an immigrant green card as my spouse.
So we exchanged money and rings... like in a business marriage.
Chen Ran, how could you accept other people paying you just to get married?
Because... I lack money.
Why do you lack money?
Sister, you don't know that our dad has controlled my finances for a year.
Say, how can anyone believe a rich son
telling them that he's broke?
That's why my business deal-marriage was forced on me by her and by our father.
Dad!
That's right, him, who else could it be.
Dad, why are you here?
W-Whose... Whose Dad?
Your Dad!
Aiyo... Jeez, oh, my god...
My head hurts... It hurts... Aiyo...
Your eyes have recovered very well.
He can be discharged from the hospital.
Come on Doc, I can't be discharged.
Everything is spinning around in front of me. I feel very dizzy.
Are you sure my body doesn't have any internal injuries?
How about you let me stay in the hospital for another few days?
Or let me have an MRI and check me thoroughly.
I'm a 100 percent sure it's not necessary.
You only have minor cuts and bruises.
Come on Doc, double check... please.
You're going to be all right.
Thank you.
Immediately process his discharge.
Jeez, Dad, I really can't get out of this bed. I feel unwell all over and my legs are so weak.
I really can't get up.
Get up by yourself. Or do you need me to do it for you?
Get up!
Come back with us too.
Okay, Dad. I was just thinking of finding the right time to have a talk with you.
Oh, my head hurts. Aiyo.
Oh, my...
You even gave her the keys to our house?
Dad... isn't your house my house?
Chen Ran.
I can't, my head, I'm starting to feel dizzy.
Sir, you're back.
Auntie Ma, yes, I'm back. Just go back to what you're doing.
Yes.
Chen Ran... Where are you going?
I'm going up to lie down for a while.
If you want to lie down, lie over here.
Dad, can we talk some other time? Why must you make things difficult for a patient?
You can dodge faster than me and you call yourself a patient? Come over here!
Oh, my! How come my ears are ringing?!
What did you say?!
If you keep pretending and acting silly with me,
I'll punch you! You hear me?
Come in here!
- Dad, what would you like to drink? - Don't call me Dad!
Uncle, the high-grade Chinese tea sent to me by my father is here in your house. Let me prepare some for you.
Thanks. This is our home. No need for you to entertain anyone.
Sit down.
I have something to ask you guys.
Your name is Jin Lu?
You can call me Luca.
You can call her "green card". It's easier to remember.
Uncle, I'm guessing that you want to see our marriage certificate. I've brought it for you today.
[Marriage Certificate]
What kind of marriage certificate is this? There's not even a photograph on it.
US marriage certificates are like that.
On it is my name, Chen Ran's name, and the stamp of the local government.
This doesn't look formal at all. How come it looks fake?
That is real.
Our marriage is recognized by US law.
How did you two... meet?
Who suggested to have a marriage deal?
We were introduced by a friend at a party around October of last year.
I'm the one who suggested the marriage deal. But the two of us clicked on first meeting. No one forced anyone.
Ms. Jin. . .
There are a lot of routes to immigration.
Why must you choose a marriage deal?
My parents actually applied to migrate here as investors, but they met with some problems and temporarily couldn't proceed.
I completely wouldn't pass as an immigrant with skills.
Only immigration by marriage is the fastest route.
But let me ask you first.
$150,000 is several times higher than the usual going rate.
Why did you accept that amount?
I'm quite willing to give that much money.
Honestly, Uncle, I really don't need to get that green card.
My family has already bought a house here.
I will come here on a tourist visa and stay for several months every year. Eat, play, and shop.
I can stay here or return as I want. I'm very free to do anything.
So I don't really care about some immigrant green card.
If not for meeting Chen Ran, I would never do such a lowly act like a contract marriage.
You already had an evil ulterior motive upon meeting me, is that it?
Dad, did you hear that? I got tricked.
I indeed tricked you, but you could have refused.
Not only did you not refuse, you continued to cooperate with me.
I understand it now.
Your motive wasn't a green card. It was Chen Ran.
Yes, Uncle. It's because I like him.
I married him because of love.
Chen Ran. Did the two of you get married because of love or a business transaction?
- Love. - Business transaction.
A business transaction is also love. There is no contradiction between those two.
How can it not be a contradiction? Since it's a business deal, don't inject any love into it.
Dad, she is misleading you.
Based on the American law, how long will it take for her to get a green card?
The interview at USCIS is in two months. Once I pass the interview, I will get a green card very soon. (US Citizenship and Immigration Services)
This means the both of you can get a divorce after two months.
We cannot!
Why not?
Getting the green card is part of the conditions.
If I get a divorce within two years, my green card will be cancelled. We need to be married for two years
so that I can replace it with a ten year long-term green card.
Chen Ran, is this the American law?
- Yes. - Yes?!
You can't get a divorce for two years and you still dared to accept this business transaction?
Anyway, it won't affect me. It's unlikely that I would marry anyone else within these two years anyway.
You still say that it wouldn't affect you?
How old are you, idiot?
Once you are divorced, you are considered a divorcee.
This won't happen, Uncle. I guarantee that I won't divorce him after two years.
We need to get a divorce! We have it in black and white.
I'm telling you. If we don't get a divorce, I will go to the Immigration Department and report you.
I will let your green card become invalid.
I don't care if you cause it to be invalid. Even if you report me, I won't divorce you!
That's called fraud, do you know that?
Chen Ran, look at this absurd thing you have done.
Aren't you ashamed or not?
Doing a business transaction for money. Do you really lack money?
I do.
What do you lack? Didn't I give you living expenses?
Dad, you have been controlling my finances for a whole year.
Do you know how I have lived for the past year? I was just like a zombie.
I gave you $10,000 a month for living expenses and you lived just like a zombie?
$10,000? That's vastly different from the past.
From the past? You still don't feel bad talking about this?
By the way, if you knew what he was like in the past,
you wouldn't have still dared to marry him! Talk about what rotten things you did in the past.
- During high school? - That's right.
I used my own means to play shares. What's wrong with that?
What kind of shares did you play with? Huh?
What did you invest in?... Huh?
Cannabis.
You bought cannabis?
I bought in at a low price. I'm an investor.
I had a black student brother who was selling cannabis at school. It was extremely lucrative.
I gave him the funds. When he made a profit, he returned the money to me at a high interest.
So, you are considered a high-interest personal loan lender.
Dad, did you hear that? She understood it in an instant.
I was doing business as a personal loan lender.
You don't know crap. If I had continued to give you that same sum of money,
in less than two years, you would have become a major drug dealer in the States!
Uncle, I'm definitely on your side regarding this.
Thank you very much for not giving him money to spend.
(San Francisco)
You are very noisy. We were sleeping!
Sorry.
Do you need to be so loud when you are cleaning? You are too much.
Frankly, you can just tidy up here and there.
We have a housekeeper who comes in during the weekend to do the major cleaning.
I can't just do it like that.
Xiao Qing, what did you do?
You touched my stuff, didn't you?
I saw that it was a bit messy and I organized it.
Where is my head band?
It's here.
Where is the saline solution for my lenses?
These are your cosmetic products?
Proya. I brought them over from China.
A brand from the mainland. Are they good products?
The ingredients are from the ocean. They are good products. Do you want to try it?
Seems like the results aren't bad.
So clean. Look at how shiny the tap is.
Xiao Qing, you are amazing. This is more like a place where women live.
What do you mean? Are you looking for a fight?
Are you complaining that Monica and I are dirty? We don't do any cleaning and she is the only one who does?
Don't misunderstand. What I meant is that
it's rare to find a girl like her nowadays.
She is obsessive about cleanliness, it's a disorder.
She will give us great stress. Don't you get it?
As for you, don't touch my stuff in the future.
There is a system to where I place my stuff. Every single item is within my easy reach.
Don't force your obsessive cleanliness on me. I didn't ask you to help me tidy up. Okay?
I'm sorry. I won't touch your stuff again in the future.
Thank you.
You are welcome to tidy up my stuff. I don't mind at all.
It's not Sunday today. Why is it so clean? Was there a cleaner here today?
This is a cleaner we hired.
Xiao Qing cleaned up in the morning and disturbed my sleep.
I didn't expect this. She has a lot of potential.
What do you mean?
The potential to be a cleaning lady.
Is there any big supermarkets near here?
The best would be one that carries everything and the prices are low too.
You know the prices are higher here, right?
The one that Benjamin and I patronize is not too bad.
Anyway, the prices there are just right for me.
I don't know whether it will suit you.
Is it far from here?
It's about five to six stops away by bus. There aren't any really big supermarkets near here. You need to take a cab to go there.
We are going there this afternoon. Do you want to ride in our car?
Can you take me?
Yes, but you need to share the cost for gas.
How much should I pay?
The public bus is $3 one way and $6 round trip.
If you call Uber, it's probably more than $10.
If you take our car, it's faster than the public transport.
It's also more comfortable and not as expensive as taking a cab.
I will give you a discount and collect the $10 from you. What do you think? It's fair, right?
Katrina has a head for business.
Almost everything becomes a business deal and they are fair too.
If I let you ride in my car for free, you would think that you were asking me for a favor.
A supermarket is a place where you will go frequently. Don't tell me you will keep asking for a favor each time.
Even if others are willing, you will begin to feel burdened by it too.
Look, you are the only who has this opinion.
Also, if you want to ride in our car every time,
why don't you pay more and turn it into a monthly or a season pass?
You'll save and it's just loose change.
I need a pass to ride in the car too?
Wow. This creative idea is really very new. You are really becoming more awesome.
Let me do the calculations for you. You need to go to the supermarket once a week.
You probably need to go four or five times a month. That's about fifteen times in a season.
I will charge you $9 for a monthly pass and $8 for a season pass.
It's even cheaper for a year's pass. It's $6 a trip.
It's much better than taking the public transport.
Forget about the yearly pass.What if Xiao Qing moves out or buys a car?
I'll still need to refund her the money. It's such a hassle.
So, Xiao Qing, which type of card would you like? A monthly or season pass?
I... I think let's just forget about this.
Katrina, please write down the address of the supermarket for me later.
I will just take public transportation.
Fine. Do whatever you want.
Does your wound still hurt?
It's okay. It doesn't hurt anymore.
The doctor came to check it just now. I want to be discharged tomorrow.
Why are you in such a hurry to be discharged?
Stay for two more days till your wound has healed before you discharge yourself from the hospital.
Are you worried about Shu Che?
I know this very well in my heart. Don't worry.
These two kids of mine. One tells me not to worry
and the other is breaking my heart. Take a seat.
How's the discussion, between you, Chen Ran, and that young girl, go yesterday?
What else could it go?
I planned to make a clean cut. I didn't expect to meet a sharper blade.
It won't be easy to handle that problem this round.
This younger brother of yours. From young till now, he's always up to no good,
from China all the way to here overseas.
We were able to solve those problems for him in the past
until we met that fat girl today.
It's really hard to solve this one. She has fallen in love with your younger brother.
Anyway, I think she is not after his money.
It would be easier to handle if she was after his money.
If money can't solve the problem, it's a major problem then.
As for Chen Ran... I really shouldn't have insisted on asking for his custody rights from your mother.
I should have left both you and him under the care of your mother.
If he were half as good as you are now, I wouldn't have needed to waste so much effort.
Should I thank you then for giving up on the rights to raise me?
I said the wrong thing again. Don't be angry.
Just like what Chen Ran said, about him and you,
I haven't been a good father. I'm a failure as a father.
You surely didn't come here this time just for the two of us, right?
Of course not, I had something to do here.
By saying that, are you angry again?
Why would I be angry?
It's usual for you to say that.
It's very obvious that you are angry.
Frankly speaking. Sometimes, when I face the two of you,
I don't know what I should do as a father.
I don't know how to communicate with the two of you.
Anyway, I'm used to it.
It would be great if your mother is still alive.
[ Universal Bank ]
Are you hiking up a mountain?
Why do I bump into you everywhere? Where did you come from?
This is known as fate. Let me give you a lift.
Forget it. Your wife will appear again and try to punch me.
Don't worry. She won't be here for the next few days.
Are you sure? I don't want to make her angry.
I'm 100 percent sure. Let's go.
I won't feel obliged then.
Didn't your wife poke your eyes yesterday? Why is your forehead injured?
Did your wife beat you up again?
No. I bumped into the door.
Come off it. One look and I can tell that your wife beat you up.
When others fight, they usually hit the person, not the face. Why does your wife love to hit your face instead?
Can you stop talking about my wife?
She is a counterfeit.
There is really such a thing as a counterfeit wife?
Get in the car and I will tell you about it.
Thanks.
Listen to me. I'm in a fake marriage now.
I will be single in two years time.
Are you telling me that you are married but still a single person now?
Yes, that's what I meant. We signed a marriage contract.
Within the rules of this marriage, as long as it doesn't affect her from obtaining a green card,
we are free to date anyone else.
This marriage contract of yours is illegal.
Furthermore, what about your wife—
Stop calling her my wife. Call her Green Card.
I think Luca has no intention of giving you the freedom to love.
I don't need her consent to date whomever I want.
This is not what I think.
This is only the second time we met and you are discussing my freedom to date. Is this appropriate?
Do you think it was appropriate for your wife to think of me as the third party, the first time we met then?
You win.
Let me get it for you.
No need. I can get it on my own. My roommates are in there. Don't come in.
What is there to be afraid of? Are you trying to hide your roommates from me or trying to hide me from them?
What I'm afraid of is you all getting the wrong idea.
Thanks for driving me back. I will treat you to a meal on another day to thank you.
Okay, I will wait for your good news then.
Just to not be a third wheel, I'll take my leave then.
Lawyer Kang, thank you.
Don't mention it. Good luck.
- Thank you. - Don't mention it. Bye.
Have you fully recovered?
Just to get to here, I made sure I recovered before today.
Regarding this meeting, I've thought of so many possibilities, but...
I didn't expect it to turn out like this.
But I'm sure that among those numerous possibilities you've thought about,
none can be made as emotional as this one.
Thank you for paying the bail for me.
Starting from now on, you are my debtor. I guarantee you won't lose a single cent.
Fine. To ensure that I don't lose anything, you are not allowed to leave my side for a single second.
But... there is bad news.
My father is here in the States too. He wants to see you.
Does he also know about what happened to me?
You can't escape from going back with me to meet him this time.
Nothing else is worse than meeting him now.
How are you, Shu Che?
Hello, Uncle Shu. This is the first time we meet.
But this is not the first time I have seen you.
Have we met before?
When did you see him? Why didn't I know?
It was during your second semester when your mom brought you here to stay a few days with me.
That day, you and your classmates had a field trip, right?
When I got back from my morning jog, I saw a youngster running around our villa.
After seeing me, he suddenly jumped into that tree hole of our neighbor.
He was really nimble.
That kid was probably you.
I thought you didn't see me.
You were hiding in the hole of the tree and wouldn't come out. I could only pretend not to see you.
Come, take a seat.
- Sit, Shu Che. - Thank you.
It's here.
- Have some water. - Thank you.
Shu Che. Do you have any plans regarding this case?
I have discussed similar cases to this with Lawyer Kang.
Right now, the only thing I can do
is to try my best to request the restoration of my driver's license
from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Second, is to try hard to
also explain the reason that I was speeding was due to me being in a rush to reach the hospital.
And then ask for the greatest possible forgiveness.
As for the rest... it will depend on my luck then.
Regarding the court's decision, I have already prepared myself for the worst. If I must serve a sentence,
I'm prepared to take a leave of absence from college for the time being.
So to say, you are prepared to take the punishment?
I definitely made a mistake.
Shu Che. Can we work harder in another area?
Something which you possibly haven't thought of yet.
Uncle, what are you referring to?
Based on intuition, I feel that this case still has room for getting a reversal.
After all, there is still some time before the court hearing starts.
Have you sought out your mother's views about this?
I didn't tell my father either and also forbid the lawyer from reporting it to them.
Why?
I'm already an adult. I don't need them to worry about me again.
But Shu Che... I can understand your stand on only reporting the good but not the bad news to your family.
But a parent's social experiences are naturally more than what you have.
Perhaps, your parents can help you settle this matter.
When I left for overseas, I had already decided to make my own decisions.
I understand.
Timing and Subtitles Brought to you by the Can We Go Back? Team @ Viki
You may speak.
Shu Che is out on a bail today and he came to my home.
How is his situation now?
His mood was fine. After getting locked up for several days, he didn't make any complaints at all.
Regarding the trial, have you talked to him about it? What is his stance?
It was just what you expected.
After mentioning you, he was very hesitant. He insisted on not to let his parents know about it.
Since that car accident here in the country, he has always been contradicting me.
I wanted to get him a house. He didn't want it.
He declined any opportunity for me to contact him.
Anyway, as long as I'm the one who arranged it, he refuses to accept it.
It's as if I'm not helping him, but harming him. He's totally unappreciative.
He told me about the worse case scenario result of the judgment.
What's the worst case scenario?
There's a possibility for a short-term prison sentence.
Impossible. Definitely, not.
There can't even be one trace of a criminal record.
Of course, that is our goal.
But after meeting him today,
I've decided to handle this matter secretly. I can't let him know too much.
When his cooperation is ready to be needed,
I'll let Lawyer Kang talk to him.
Do you already have any plans on how to handle it?
The police officer at the scene and the girl who rode in the car are crucial.
I'm currently still investigating the situation with both sides.
We surely will find an entry point.
You must handle this matter properly. You must not leak any info to him.
Don't let him discover that I know about this.
If not, no matter how you want to help him, he will decline it.
I understand.
I will be in the background and let him think that Lawyer Kang is doing all the work.
Good, thank you.
Don't mention it. I will keep you posted.
[Grooming]
Dear members of Stender community, welcome to you all.
I am DJ Martin. Today is a sunny day.
Brand new song from a band for everyone.
Hopefully everyone has a good start at the new semester.
Twenty.
Hello, I'm looking for a part-time job on campus, do you have any openings?
Sorry, we don't have. You can check in another cafeteria.
Thank you.
Hi. Where is Miao Ying?
She's processing her admission papers in the College of Business. You're done with the College of Law?
Yes, it's done.
You are looking for a part-time job?
There is no opening here. I plan to check the cafeteria and the library.
Do you have an F1 visa?
Yes.
If you have an F1 visa and want to work part-time, you need an SSN. Do you have one?
What is an SSN?
SSN is a social security number in the States. You need this to have a part-time job.
This is basic knowledge. Didn't you do your homework?
I only had the idea of working part-time a few days ago.
I didn't have time to learn all the basics yet.
You can apply for an SSN on the college's internet. When you receive your application info back,
if there are any vacant job positions, they will then assign you there.
Thank you for your guidance.
Oh, right. There is a line for getting any job. You should apply early.
I don't know what to say to you.
For the past few days, I have been feeling uneasy.
You didn't do anything wrong. You don't need to feel uneasy.
Shu Che.
I'm very happy to have met you and Miao Ying here in the States.
A traffic officer...
has been offered $10,000 and he hasn't budged.
It's a serious offense for public officials to receive bribes in the States. It could be that he's afraid of being discovered.
Not only will he be fired, he will lose his post, and be jailed too.
If we can't convince this officer,
everything can't be changed anyway.
Are you sure this intermediary didn't leak anything about us to the police officer?
I'm 100 percent sure. 200 percent sure.
I have already said this many times.
To ensure that there would be no risk,
I have never met him personally.
I channelled everything through friends of my friends and made many detours.
The other party will never be able to trace it back to us.
Come in.
President Chen, Lawyer Kang is here.
- Invite him in. - Yes.
- Lawyer Kang. - President Chen.
- Thank you for your help for these past few days. - It's part of my job.
- Have a seat. - Okay.
I made a breakthrough in the development today.
Timing and Subtitles Brought to you by the Can We Go Back? Team @ Viki
♫ 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 ♫
♫ 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 ♫