Xiao-tong Guan.
Will you be my date?
For dinner tomorrow?
What dinner?
The most important dinner of my life.
With my dad, my mom
and you.
But tomorrow, I have to be--
If you don't say anything...
I'll take it as a yes.
Free your schedule tomorrow.
And...
dress up, okay?
Let's go.
You're too anxious.
You weren't this anxious when you met my parents.
I'm not anxious.
I was just thinking...
They haven't seen each other in a long time.
I'm worried this would be too awkward for them.
Do you think...
it's too soon for them to meet like this?
You already got their consent to go ahead with this, right?
So don't worry. They'll be fine.
Ham hock?
Why is ham hock on the menu? Isn't that too greasy?
That's not good for old people, right?
And the fish...
It's fried.
Wouldn't it be better steamed?
Or--
Stop it.
Don't worry. Everything will be fine.
Jia-wei.
Dad.
Dad, I would like to introduce you to...
This is Xiao-tong Guan.
Hello, Uncle Ji. I'm Xiao-tong Guan.
Has Jia-wei been a pain in the neck?
So far, not too much yet.
I could learn a trick or two from you, Uncle Ji, in handling a certain person.
You got it.
Now watch yourself, okay?
If he doesn't listen to you or if he bullies you,
just tell me, I'll take care of him.
Dad...
Dad, you never stood up for me like this,
even when I lost a fight in school.
Now you're doing it for someone you just met for the first time?
There's a difference. You're my son.
A son has to go through challenges so he'll be somebody someday,
whereas a daughter, she has to be pampered.
So, of course, I have to be nice to my future daughter-in-law.
Jia-wei.
You made it.
Come, sit.
Dad...
This is my treat.
I need to take this call.
I'm going to the washroom.
Don't worry. Jia-wei's here. He won't give me a hard time.
All right. I'll meet up with you later.
Bye-bye.
What?
So you haven't told your son, huh?
Why did you come back?
I missed my son, of course.
- I am his mother, after all-- - But we had an agreement.
You were to go back to your husband and never return.
- And you couldn't come see Jia-wei. - Don't worry.
I won't tell him the truth.
Even though Jia-wei is the result of our adulterous affair,
that doesn't mean I don't miss him.
Don't use your son as an excuse.
Do you think I don't know that your house has been foreclosed?
You're only back
to get a hold of some money, you can bring back with you, aren't you?
Well, we do have some financial issues.
However,
if we can secure a loan, we'll be just fine.
I was thinking that maybe if my son knew his mother needed help,
he would gladly help out.
Don't you ask Jia-wei for money.
How much do you want?
You're willing to do anything for Jia-wei, huh?
But I don't think it's because you're worried
that Jia-wei will find out he's a bastard.
You're worried your good father image will be shattered.
- Enough! How much? - 1.5 million.
You're asking for a lot.
Fine. I'll wire it to you.
When you get the money, go back to the States immediately.
And don't ever come see Jia-wei again.
All right, as soon as I get the money,
our secret will remain a secret forever.
Plus,
before you leave, continue playing the good mother.
Jia-wei, you guys stay and catch up.
I need to go.
Take care.
- Jia-wei, I had a great time. Thank you. - You're welcome.
Well...
- I should get going as well. - Hold on.
This...
This is for you.
I want you to have it,
even though I'm not sure you'll like it.
Anyway...
It's beautiful.
It's so beautiful.
I love it.
I love it. I really do.
I'll always wear it,
no matter where I go.
Son, thank you.
You're welcome...
Mom.
I'll see you later.
Take care.
Let's go home.
Why are you laughing?
Come here.
- Look. - And who's that?
That's my mom.
I taught her how to use Line.
Now she just sent me a sticker. Isn't she great?
I made plans with my mom.
We're going to the park tomorrow, and having ice cream on the beach.
Great, right?
Xiao-tong.
Xiao-tong Guan.
- What's on your mind? - I was just thinking...
I know you're happy Mama Ji is back,
but it has been so long since you've seen each other,
you may not be on the same page anymore.
What do you mean?
What I mean is...
Don't forget, she doesn't really live here.
She will be going back to the States,
so, eventually, you will be apart again.
Well, that's okay, her leaving. She can always come back.
We can also go visit her in the States sometime.
We could go there for a vacation.
Well...
Have you thought about asking her
why she left so many years ago?
I plan to ask her all my questions tomorrow
when we're back on that bench.
And then I'll put everything behind me.
You know what?
No matter what she says,
I've already decided to forgive her.
Although I always felt she would come back,
I never imagined...
that we'd get along so well, so naturally.
It's as if she never left.
I never expected that one day,
my dad, my mom...
and you...
the most important people in my life, would all come together.
To you, this is something that happens every day.
But to me,
this is something I could only dream of.
But my dream came true today.
All of this
really happened,
right?
For some reason,
since I met you,
all the impossible things,
they all came true.
It's so odd.
Come here.
What do you think...
our house
will look like?
Don't tell me you never thought of that?
What do you think it'll be like?
Come with me.
First of all, I will redo this space right here.
After what happened today,
I find this dining room very problematic.
First of all,
I will have this removed.
I'll install a lighting fixture here.
Nothing too big. A small one.
But it must have yellow lights.
As for the table, I will cover it with a checkered tablecloth,
and put a pot of flowers right in the middle.
- That's not your style. - No, of course, it isn't.
It's too frumpy. It's your style.
Now it's a huge table,
but it has to be fully covered.
And we will have a huge feast every day.
Step back.
You will sit here.
Polo will sit there.
Polo, time to eat.
And I will sit here.
Do we have to be this far apart when we eat?
It's not that far.
- In fact, you should sit over there. - Why?
So our kids can sit too, of course.
Mommy...
Mommy, carry me.
I'll carry you later. You should eat first.
- Come back here. - Come, time to eat.
- Mommy. - Come back here.
- Let's eat, everyone. - All right.
You go over there.
What do you want to eat?
- Some sausages? - Carry me, Mommy.
- You love sausages, right? - Eat up.
Get him some food.
Come on.
What's the matter?
You don't like that?
It's not that.
I just hope
that all of your dreams come true.
You're being silly.
With you around,
all of my dreams will come true.
MURPHY'S LAW NUMBER TEN:
THINGS AREN'T AS SIMPLE AS THEY APPEAR
Xiao-tong, did you take a shower?
Don't go to bed all dirty.
I'll shower in a minute.
Mom.
Thank you.
The mother Jia-wei Ji finally found
isn't even a mother at all.
If he learns the truth,
his wound, which has finally healed,
will split open again.
Hi.
I want to thank you for finding my mother,
even though I don't understand why you wanted to keep that from me.
This means a lot to me.
It's been really great
having my mother here with me.
So I thought, no matter what,
I have to thank you in person.
I know you've been yearning to see her again.
I told you, I'd make everything up to you in my own way.
I've thought it through.
Let's just pretend that what happened between us
didn't really happen at all.
Starting today,
can you just regard me as one of your newfound friends?
Can we get to know each other again without any preconceived notions?
I just want to start again on equal footing.
Will that be too difficult?
I've always regarded you as a friend.
Then thank you,
my new friend.
For the day's menu, I'll adjust it based on the discussion we had with the chef.
The restaurant will take care of the ingredients and tableware.
And as for the advertising materials, please ask your photographer
and graphic designer to handle that.
I'm sorry.
I had something on my mind.
It must be about Jia-wei Ji
if it made you lose focus on work like that.
How come you always know what's on my mind?
No one else but Jia-wei Ji
can cause you so much trouble.
Is it a lovers' quarrel?
No.
I was just thinking
that honesty and trust
are the most important things in every relationship.
But then, if you become honest about certain things,
you could hurt the person you love.
So during times like that,
should you be honest, or should you be silent?
I don't understand
what you mean by "certain things", so I really don't know how to answer that.
But look over there.
If I were his friend,
I'd tell him, "You're overweight.
You should watch your diet and exercise.
You'll be healthier if you do."
Now look over there.
I don't think any of us would say:
"Hey, old lady, you're too slow.
Please hurry up. You're blocking the way."
What does that have to do with my question?
That there's really no right or wrong answer.
That, sometimes, being honest will hurt.
So I guess a good gauge would be
if the matter in question could be changed by your honesty.
Only then will being honest be worth it.
On the other hand,
if nothing will come out if it,
why bother being honest?
I guess that's true.
- You're right. - Let's go.
Mr. Wang, your bill is settled.
- Thank you for staying with us. - Good.
- Thanks. - Thank you.
What about our taxi?
The taxi is waiting outside to take you to the airport.
- Thanks. - Thank you.
- Okay. Let's go, honey. - Come on.
What's the matter? Xiao-tong!
Isn't Mama Ji meeting Jia-wei Ji today?
What happened?
What is it? Do you know them?
What should we do? I think they're leaving.
- Wait here. I'll get the car. - All right.
I think I should call Jia-wei Ji.
But we had an agreement.
You were to go back to your husband and never return.
- And you couldn't come see Jia-wei. - Don't worry. I won't tell him the truth.
Even though Jia-wei is the result of our adulterous affair,
that doesn't mean I don't miss him.
Let's go.
I think I'm too early.
This is your favorite ice cream flavor, right?
- Yes. - I remembered.
- Don't tell your dad when we get home. - I won't.
Come on, get changed.
Remember, this is your line.
After he delivers his line, you stand up.
All right.
Ms. Zhi-yu, your water. And your cell phone.
I just need to make a call.
Mama Ji, this is Zhi-yu. I received your text.
We agreed I'd wire you the money tomorrow, right?
Don't you want it anymore?
No, I'm all right now, so I'm going back to the States.
Why so sudden?
Didn't you promise to spend two weeks in Taiwan with Jia-wei?
How can you just leave?
I'm on my way to the airport now,
so I don't have time to chat, but do keep in touch.
- Bye-bye. - Hello, Mama Ji!
- Ms. Zhi-yu, where are you going? - I have to go, it's an emergency.
No! Everyone here is counting on you. You can't just leave.
Jia-wei, what happened between you and Mama Ji?
What do you mean?
I just got a call from Mama Ji.
She said she's on her way to the airport. She's leaving Taiwan.
What did you say?
- Be careful! - All right.
- Well, it's about time. - Yeah.
Mama Ji!
What are you doing here?
You go ahead. I'll just look for you in there.
Honey, we're running late.
Don't worry. Go ahead, I'll be right behind you.
Mama Ji...
Why are you...?
Where are you going?
I'm going back to the States.
Did you even tell Jia-wei? Didn't you make plans with him today?
If I spend any more time with him,
I will just be more upset when I leave.
Since I've accomplished everything I needed to,
I shouldn't stay any longer.
So is it true?
You're only back because of the money?
Didn't you come back
because you missed your son as well?
Even just a little?
So you know everything.
That's right.
I only came back because I needed help,
because I was desperate.
Shou-zheng doesn't want me to have anything more to do with Jia-wei.
So just let me leave quietly.
Saying goodbye
isn't really difficult to do.
But for some unknown reason,
everyone important to me
have all disappeared without saying goodbye.
Mama Ji!
Please!
At least...
take the time to say goodbye to him.
He's been calling me for the past 30 minutes.
If I answer, he will surely ask about the past.
I'm afraid it will hurt him even more if he learns about the truth.
Do you know how happy he is to have you back in his life?
Just say goodbye to him, that's all.
If he doesn't mean anything to you,
then why are you wearing the brooch he gave you?
I'm sorry.
Here, please give this back to Jia-wei for me.
Mama Ji!
Mom!
Your call has been forwarded to voicemail.
Please leave a message after the tone.
Jia-wei Ji.
What's going on?
Why did my mom suddenly leave?
And you saw her off, right?
Well, Mama Ji...
She has an emergency to take care of and...
So...
She just didn't have time to tell you.
Why do you have her brooch?
Why didn't she take it with her?
I don't know why...
What did she say to you?
You know what?
Her leaving this time...
I might never see her again.
- What did she say to you? - Jia-wei Ji!
Calm down!
What are you doing here?
Xiao-tong and I saw Mama Ji leaving the hotel.
So we followed her all the way here.
Xiao-tong did everything she could,
so you shouldn't yell at her.
It's okay.
Xiao-tong...
It's okay.