That Day, on the Beach (1983) - full transcript

You've just listened to

Beethoven's piano concerto no. 3

With piano performance by our very own

Miss Tan Wei-Ching, who's been
studying abroad in Europe.

As you may also know,

Miss Tan will be playing tomorrow night,
at the Center for the Performing Arts.

She's just returned home today.

We are grateful to have her on the air,
despite her extremely busy schedule,

to chat with our classical music lovers

Hello.
Extension 2681 please.

[Radio]
Hello. And hello to everyone, too.



[Telephone]
Eng Dept, may I speak to Miss Jiang?

Lai-ching, this is Jia-li.

I'm trying to find someone's whereabouts.

it's a pianist just returning home.

Tan Wei-Ching

[Radio] After tomorrow night's concert
I will leave for Tokyo the morning after

How many years since you left the country?

- 13 years
- Wow, 13 years

- This is the first time returning?
- Yes, it is

It's been so many years, you must be very busy?

Um, I've been in school, practicing full time.

Then I competed around Europe.

Every year there are competitions,

One after another.



I continued to gain experience.

Later my performances were also non-stop.
[dialogue fading]

Can you work on this for me?
The touch is a little loose

Of course. But it'll take time

Can't you make it if you start now?

Certainly. I'll start right away

That thing about the room is settled

They found the luggage. It's in your room now

This was at the reception,
it's for you.

- What happened?
- Nothing, nothing at all.

My sister's bringing me clean clothes
How come she's not here yet?

- She's in Taipei?
- Just moved up

That's right. High school starts a week
earlier than we do

Look at that dummy!

Jia-Li, over here...

This is Ching-ching, Tan Wei-ching

Hello

Cat got your tongue? Introduce yourself!

Jia ... My name is Lin Jia-li

Is something wrong?

Just a little tired.
I think I'll go back to my room

The press conference is at three.
The limouse will be at the hotel

at five-thirty. Then to dinner
and the concert hall by seven

There's a cocktail party in your honor
after the performance

We must leave no later than
nine in the morning.....

Cathay Pacific Flight 450 leaves
for Tokyo at 10.15

Don't forget, the press conference at 3pm.

Birgit, could you come here a moment?

- Auntie.
- You are home?

- Father.
- Hmm... good.

How's the weather in Taipei?

It seems so much hotter
than usual this year

That's at a competition when I was a kid.

- Is that you?
- Yup.

And that's Jia-Sen, he was the champion!

And this?

I ... don't remember.

- Jia-sen looks like mother
- Yup

Everyone says I look more like my dad.

I think so too.

I didn't do badly in pathology and chemistry

But when it comes to dissection

I always feel so tentative.

Don't worry, I'll give you a little
practice during the vacation

But you must force yourself
to watch during surgery

Once you are used to it, you'll do just fine.
Understand?

Yes

How do you like it?

What'd you say?

Our home. What do you think of it?

It's fine. Just smells a
little like a hospital

Yes?

Can we cancel this afternoon's
press conference?

I'll see what I can do

But why?

There's someone I want to go and see

It's that hotel message, isn't it?

I don't know if I should go or not

I think you should

But remember,

There's nothing more
disappointing than a pianist

whose performance lacks concentration

To put your mind at ease I'll
take care of the press conference

How did you find me?

Through a journalist friend

Hot coffee

How long has it been?

Thirteen years

You left in such a hurry.

I'm not even sure what day you left

The French scholarship was a surprise

School was starting,
I had to leave right away

I guess a lot of water has
passed under the bridge

But there are one or two things,
I think you ought to know

I tried more than once
to get in touch with you

I really wanted to tell you

Is Ching-ching home, Mrs. Tan?

No, she's not in

- When will she be back?
- I'm not sure

She's been getting in very late lately

It was only later I heard
you'd gone to Europe

Remember the summer before
my college freshman year?

Come on. Pick one. Call
it my graduation gift.

Go ahead, dummy! My paycheck can take it

It's from Ching-ching

What now, don't want to go home?

Or can't bear leaving Ching-Ching?

Dr. Chen is inviting us to a dinner.

Still trying to set you up with his daughter?

Dr. Chen and dad were at medical
school together in Japan

They grew up together. Chen's
practice is as well-known as Dad's

- Does school start in July, Mori (Jia-sen)?
- [shakes head]

So it's settled

You'll exchange rings with
Wan-jen in early July

and we'll set the wedding
for the Mid-Autum Festival

Or should we wait another month
until Confucius' Birthday?

When everyone has a day or two off?

How does that sound to you?

No? Very well.

And Tetso can attend his sister's wedding
before he goes overseas

At this rate, you'll have your Ph.D.
in four years, Tetso

Jia-li will also be out of school,

I'll be out of another wedding gift!

I hardly even know Wan-jen

And no one gives a second
thought for Ching-ching

It's just not fair

What's going to happen?

As you always know. Mori (Jia-sen) has
always been a very sensible kid

Jia-sen

Jia-sen!

He sure knows his ways to release his anger

No, I shouldn't have said that

Even at our age, we still can't
get away from honor and face

It's all so superficial

Sometimes my hypocrisy scares me

We put up a facade whenever we need to protect ourselves

Like a chameleon

To tell the truth, I had
no desire to go to Austria

All I ever wanted was to make
a little money teaching piano

and wait for your brother to graduate

But we broke up. Everything changed

All that was left was the music

I just wanted to leave

I know you came looking for me

but what's the point of seeing you?

We could not have changed a thing

- Is Ching-ching home, Mrs. Tan?
- No, she's not in

Will she be back soon?

I'm not sure. She has
been getting in very late

Please pass this letter on to her

- Certainly
- Thank you

Good bye

This is for you

I hadn't the courage to
see you to this very day

Married?

Your parents' arranged?

What're you having?

It's Ah-tsai. Ah-tsai! Over here!

Sit here!

I'm Ah-tsai. This is Cheng De-wei.
And you are?

She's Lin Jia-li, Western languages.

What's up?

Oh, not much

Sure, ok!

And then?

This dump is mine, now.
Everything you see is mine

So noisy!

My old man picked up the mortgage

when a friend of his lost everything

Now the old man's passing it on to me

No power?

Nor water. Fucker couldn't pay.
They cut it off eons ago.

So when do you move in?

Who knows

My old man might have to
mortgage it himself next week!

Creep!

He's a bit of a child, this De-wei

But he's a simple guy
and that has its advantages

At least he won't leave you.
Unless you break up first

Take a chance

You can always find someone else

If you're not satisfied

And he'll always be around if
you can't find anything better

De-wei'll be training all summer
What about you? Going home?

Let's get together before you go

- Bye
- Bye

Are you all done with your finals?

One more to go

Ah-tsai stole his Dad's
money to play the market

His old man caught him, now
he's afraid to go home

I'm leaving for the army tomorrow

I know

Your family never interfered?

Father was a little more tactful with me

He just rented out the Taipei
house as soon as I graduated

I had no choice but to move back home

It was only with De-wei gone off to the army

that I missed his presence

The whole time, I was in a daze

I couldn't believe four years of
college were over just like that

So like everyone else,

I applied for grad schools overseas,

really just for the heck of it

De-wei wrote me often during his service

He expressed himself poorly in his letters

but his letters gave me

a sense of contentment

Finally, I waited until he's discharged

and he often asked me to meet him in Taipei

Come on out a minute, Jia-li

In just four and half years in the US, Tetso

got his Ph.D in Electrical Engineering

That is truly impressive

Your father has always hoped
that you would marry such a man

You should keep that in mind

and think a little of your future

It's hard to imagine a more
satisfying day in my whole life

Dr. Chen and I have agreed

on a mid-August engagement

They can then leave together,
just in time for Jia-li's grad school

My son, my daughter,

Both of their future settled!

That's a great weight off my mind

Since I left school

My idoelogy has changed a lot

People say I've matured

I think it's more a question

of the way we'd idealize things then

and the extent of our ambition.

And now?

I try not to think about the future

I also try not to expect too much

What I look for now really

is the simple pleasures in life

Like letters from my old teammates

or a piece of good music

Really, what rights do I have to
tell you what to do?

What can I possibly tell you?

I just wanted to know: Are you happy?

Tell me first though: What is happiness?

With all that education

you should know what happiness is

Please sit

Will you and De-wei come
to my conert tonight?

I'll leave two VIP tickets for you

No, I can't make it tonight

[deep sigh]

I... let me put it this way

Something happened three years ago

I remember clearly,

The morning seemed so full of promise

I walked in the fresh air

For the first time in my life I felt

a simple contentment

I could almost smell the
greenness of the leaves

I walked all the way home,

I hadn't felt this good in ages

But the moment I got home

The maid told me that,

the police had called

That...

They found De-wei on some beach

Drowned

The patrol officer went to the coast guard

They are searching for your husband's body

It will be a while before he returns

How did it happen?

I'm not sure what to tell you

But this is what we know...

Yesterday around sunset

I'd packed up my net to head home

I saw this tall, skinny city guy, very
clearly, sitting there and frowning

I saw him too. It was completely dark then

So I thought it was strange

Wanting to go swimming at this hour

So I kept turning and looking at him.

Later, after dinner,
must've been after eight

When the tide was high...

We were down on the beach at dawn today

when we found your husband's belongings

This medicine bottle I found
had your husband's name on it

It was...Cheng...De-wei, right?

The patrol officer looked forever
to find clinic's phone number

The clinic's called...

Something Luo's Clinic, right?

But I don't remember my husband
going to this clinic

Do you think it might be
some other Cheng De-wei?

That... I'm not really sure

I don't know. You should ask the officer

Wait here. He's coming now.

- Take care of this, will you?
- Okay

I took a look at your translation, Lin Jia-li

Not quite what I expected from
a foreign language major like you

I don't want to tell you how to do your job

You'll be translating

all these stacks here
and those there

If you can't even do this piece,
what am I going to do with you?

De-wei

You see?

Let's go!

Hello?

What is it?

About De-wei?

Where are you now?

Slow down. What the hell's happened?

Ah-tsai announced his
marriage around this time

The eternal playboy, Ah-tsai

with four or five girls
forever in tow, marrying!

It all made sense later, when we found out

that he'd married the eldest daughter
of some major financier

It came as no surprise soon then

He became the chairman of an investment
firm owned by his father-in-law

Right away he strengthened his position

by gathering a loyal group
of old buddies around him

To expand the business

De-wei and Ah-tsai had grown up together

And were close
in class and as teammates

They understand each other
without uttering a word

They were even stationed in
the same army service unit

So it was only natural that De-wei
became Ah-tsai's general manager

Rise and shine, Mr. GM.

Aren't you the one who's always saying

late managers get late workers?

Just another five minutes

My head's killing me

Look who's complaining

It's not all dinner and dancing, you know

There's so much you can't even imagine

Every day's the same

I seem to arrive at the
office, take off my coat,

and the day's already done

So I come home with this strange anxiety

that I've left so much undone

Do you think staying home
or working in office is better?

I don't have my feet up
all day either, you know

Even with a maid, there's a
lot I take care of myself

Shopping, cleaning, pressing your clothes

In the office you work for others

I much prefer working for ourselves

I've been thinking of taking
a class in flower arranging

This is so, so unfair

I have to get up so early every
morning, while you sleep in

Next time you entertain clients,
at least give me a call

Pay attention, now

Fix the stem about one-third
of the way in, like so

Then at two-thirds point

With the chrysanthemums at an
angle of forty-five degrees

Be careful. Now go ahead!

Hsin-hsin!

Jia-li!

How old is your child?

Come on over. I live nearby

Not today. De-wei will
be off any minute now

So you did marry De-wei!

He's hardly ever home for dinner
he's working very hard

So I want to be there for him tonight

Promise to come and see me

in a day or two

There's so much I want to tell you!

You're kidding! They are auditioning!

Oh. The wife's back...

That's too heavy. Let me help you

We'll have to move fast

De-wei'll be home any minute

First, get a vase for the flowers

Then put the fruit in the fridge

Have her wait a moment

Hello. Yes speaking.

Yes. Okay.

The Hong Wei account is ours!

We did it!

We really did it! A new account!

Let's go out! Tonight we paint
the town red. Come on...

Still here?

I'll look at your account tomorrow

Right now, join our celebration!

De-wei! Let's go

De-wei! Let's go!

It didn't even cross your mind.
Tonight is our third anniversary

The apartment's my mother's

After working all these years

I can't even afford to own a place!

Hush, too hot to sleep?

Shhh... Grandma will fan you

The only thing I own now
is that fatherless kid

Remember that visiting professor?

I wasted two whole years
with that bastard

waiting for him to take
me along to the States

before I found out he'd already married

Next it was a businessman...

Ah-tsai might even know the guy

He was big till he dropped a
bundle on the stock exchange

Ran out on us all--including that

Don't know what possessed me
to keep the little bastard

How does De-wei treat you?

De-wei's always been a naive guy

Remember back in college

How I'd always be telling you
this and showing you that

I wish there was someone who
could teach me a thing or two

That's beautiful. You're
really making progress!

You have such lively color and line

I hope you will do even
more beautiful work at home

Thank you!

- Hello?
- It's me. I can't come home tonight

I have to go to Taichung first thing in the
morning to look at some property

I'll drive down there tonight. Don't wait up

All right

Ah-De, your wife!

Go home man, your wife's waiting!
[giggle]

De-wei!

De-wei!

Do you hear me? I'm talking to you!

What is that supposed to mean?

Are you trying to punish me?

Do you think I want to
snoop on you like this?

It's been two years of business
trips and entertaining

And not once have I questioned
you, or doubted what you've done

because I know you wouldn't tolerate it

But you're gone from
morning till late at night

without even a phone call sometimes

How should I know where you are?
Or who you're with?

I wouldn't even know if
something'd happened to you

All I can do is sit at
home nursing my fears

Maybe that's all you'll ever nurse!

How often have I told you to stop worrying
and stay out of my workspace

What did you want at the site?

To make a fool of me? Well, you did!

I work all day, then I work all night

Where am I? How, for Christ's sake,
don't you know? I'm at work!

For us. I'm working for us

What do you know anyway,
except how to wait for me?

What can you do?

Flower arranging!

Do you think I enjoy all this entertaining?

Do you know what happens when I drink?

I throw up! All the next
day, my head aches!

I always have to measure
up to your standards

Now I see just how selfish you are!

Selfish!?

If I came home every night for
dinner, would it make you happy?

Would I be less selfish? What about you!

With your demands to come
home to keep you company

You don't call that selfish?

De-wei, is there no chance
to get back what we were?

Don't you have even a little
time to share with me

to bring a little warmth back to our home?

With all that I've given you

I just don't know what more you want

Yes

Still tied-up?

Will you be off soon?

Still angry with me?

No, not really

What's going on?

The old woman's spot-checking?
Keep her in line, man!

Catch you tonight, the usual place!

Don't come over... I'll pick you up

Where are you?

Got it

Can I help you?

Nothing, just wanted to let you know I moved

Here's my new number

I'll be getting my own place uptown

as soon as this deal comes through

Call me!

Have you been getting enough sleep?

Where have you been eating?

Been anywhere in particular?

What are you trying to prove? I'm
just showing a little concern!

You wouldn't be afraid if you trusted me

Jia-li!

Jia-li!

Should we eat, Mrs. Cheng?

Mr. Cheng came home but went out again

I'm surprised you are here already,

You're just in time to identify these

Then sign your name here

Is there anything else?

You mean they're not your husband's?

I'm not sure. I can't be certain

You should at least recognize this.
It has his name on it

We found all these along with
the rest on the beach

Who else's could it be?

I spoke with this clinic on the label

about your husband's condition

How else do you think I
got your home number?

His doctor gave it to me

But I really don't recall my
husband seeing this doctor

I suppose he was keeping something from you

Based on all the evidence so far
nothing suggests murder.

Since he was already receiving
this kind of treatment

Do you think he might
have suicidal tendencies?

You'd know better than anyone else

When you saw him yesterday

Was there anything unusual?

I don't know, I haven't seen him for days

She still doesn't know!

Maybe he didn't kill himself

Maybe the medicine made
him drowsy, he lied down

and he got carried off with the tide.
It's possible, don't you think?

Or maybe he swam way out and
couldn't make it back. Maybe

Actually, a lot of things

had changed by now. I knew it

But I had no idea what to do about it

I can't help but feel

Jia-li and I are drifting
further and further apart

You know better than anyone what I...

What we've been through is so
different from anything she knows

The only advice I can give you

Speaking for myself and the boys...

is not to let anything
unrelated to your work

get to you

You and I are basically different

I've lived this way all my life

So I can handle this kind of thing

with one eye closed and one
hand tied behind my back

It's tough out there

For every minute you waste
on your personal life

Someone else gains just that one more
minute on your professional career

I'll be straight with you

Don't think I'll protect you
if you allow personal affairs

to affect company interests

just because you're one
of my right-hand men

Remember that I am responsible for you.

What do you mean happiness in our future?
Are we even happy now?

Why do you keep messing with me?

Why do you always...

Trust me a little, won't you?

Let me make a go of it. Just let me try!

De-wei, everything you say

is just one more excuse

Come off it, Jia-li

I know you're dissatisfied at the moment

Can't you think of tomorrow for a change?

Just be patient and

I promise things will be better

I don't know anymore. You
sound like you're preaching

Praise the lord, and all your sins
will be forgiven

What the hell am I talking about?
What are you talking about?

De-wei, maybe it's all just
too trivial to worry about

Just relax, for God's sake, relax.

But all I've ever prayed for is today

Let's stop all this fighting now, please

I only want to lean on you.
Just rest for a while.

I'm so tired, so tired...

You'll feel a lot better

If you get away for a while

Believe me

I'm going to put you

in charge of all our Asian business.

I think it'll be good for you

What do you think?

Hi! No trouble finding the place?

Are you in a hurry?

No. De-wei went abroad

I'll just finish up in here and we
can get out for a breath of air

When did you move in?

A week or two ago. He's
seven years younger than me

I only knew him for a couple of
weeks when he asked me to move in

Who could have guessed

at my age?

The child?

With my mother

Go wait in the other room,
I'll be with you in a minute

Ping-ping

This is Jia-li

and he's Ping-ping -- my new
guy's best friend

Get to know each other

Hello?

Alright

New hair?

Just an impulse

I liked it better before

I guess it was curiosity

Ping-ping was so different

He said he'd come home to write

though I have no idea what he really did

He'd travelled a lot -- been everywhere

I suppose that's why...

he talked often of his travels

Europe, South America, the
Middle East, India, Nepal...

It's true I get around, but I
haven't a penny to my name

There's no way I could
ever settle down like you

But maybe marriage isn't
just a question of money...

I guess I've always been this way

That's what I like about writing

with one book I can make enough..
if I sell.. to go back on the road

then I travel and collect
more ideas for my book

I have this journal with me
all the time

Like my watch

So I can keep a record of
whatever comes into my head

Like some safe-deposit box

of all those precious moments of life.
Don't you think?

I guess I've never really

thought of things that way

Perhaps not

But do you think you'll always
want things to be so simple?

Why don't you come back with me tonight?

Wait here. I'll get the car.

Father, what's the trouble?

I'm not sure. That's why I came
up to Taipei for a checkup

And?

The lab report is not in yet

How are things at home?

It's difficult to keep the practice going

Younger doctors aren't
interested in private clinics

They're not big enough, and
the equipment's too old

Then there's the long hours

We can't hold a candle to a big hospital

Thank God Jia-sen is about ready to take over

But it's going to be tough on him

Excuse me, Mrs. Cheng?

Could I have a word or two with you?

I'm a colleague of De-wei's

Come in

Thank you

My name is Liu. They call me Hsiao-Hui

What I came to say might startle you a little

but I hope you'll understand

that I bear you no malice

I'm here merely to
straighten the record.

I believe this letter is for you

This is De-wei's writing. It's addressed to you

But the letter inside is for you

I believe you should've received his letter
that's meant for me

No need to check

You can rest assured that the letter
inside is mine

He mixed up the envelopes

With all the married men I've been
with in the past

I took great pains not to intrude
on their family lives

But this time, my hand is forced

I felt obliged to speak to you frankly,
and in person

I sympathesize your predicament.
After all, I am a woman

In fact, I think I can even help you

I'd advise you to soon take care of yourself,
think more for yourself

You must realize as well as I do,

that De-wei isn't all that confident

There's so much he's unsure of

and he has a habit of avoiding issues

I bet this mistake with the letters
was intentional

It's how he deals with problems

On the one hand, he wants you to know
his dilemma right now

On the other hand, he wants me to forgive

his inability to explain things to you

He intentionally mixes up the letters

so by the time he returns

He can decide more easily, based on
our reactions to the letters

From the beginning, I knew that De-wei

was the most naive in the group

Winning him over was my only hope of gaining

access to that tight group of theirs

Perhaps others will say I used him

But I've stood by him

and helped him through many difficulties

Perhaps that's just one more reason

he can't seem to do without me

I should go now

I want to re-iterate that

you no longer need to worry about De-wei and me

We're through

This whole thing has brought me
too much trouble already

And I hate trouble

Just one question. Do you love him?

I can see how you grew up in a
very peaceful, story-book world

How romantic

How I grew up has taught me that
it's a world without love

Perhaps you'll find a moment or two
of passion -- but there's no love

So we've read all the books

and take test after test,

still nobody's taught us

how to handle huge messes like this

In every book, and every movie

It's always the same

They all marry and live happily ever after

But after that?

Nobody told us.

And there's no practice run
or on-the-job training

I haven't slept in days. I can't

I lie down and my mind is full of questions

De-wei will be back in a few days

But I don't know how to face him

These might help

Get a good night's rest.

At least it'll help you forget

Do you think you'll divorce De-wei?

It'd be such a waste to give up just like that

Where is Jia-li?

Where am I? I need to get home.

De-wei wil be home soon. I need to go.

Please lie down, you are still weak.

You must rest.

The doctor was just here.

He left explicit instructions, that
that you must rest

[to nurse] Hsin-hsin, please don't leave me

I won't

You're the only one left

It's like we're back in school again

Done?

You barely touched it

I don't have any appetite

De-wei's here

I didn't know you were coming

I would've done something about
the way I look--I'm a mess

We haven't really talked for ages

Remember how we used to spend
the whole night talking

I often wonder

perhaps we know each other so well now

that there's no more need for words

Or is this what marriage does to people?

Leaving us with nothing to say?
I know.

You spend your days dealing with
problems needing taken care of

Problems you try to forget

And I know the last thing
you want when you come home

is to go through all that hassle again

But, I try... I've tried so hard

to find something else we could discuss

It's hard, harder than any
classes or exams I went through

Our whole society seems designed
to tear husband and wife apart

Men have their male places to go and
women have a world of their own

Sunday is the only time left to be together

But Sunday is your basketball day, you say

So... what day does that leave us?

I know people who say our problem's no kids

But if we can't convince even ourselves

that life means happiness and contentment

How can we ever bring a child into the world?

"Come with me into this world,
I'll bring you happiness"

That would be irresponsible, don't you agree?

These days I've been sleeping heavily

and while I was sleeping

I couldn't stop seeing these years as a dream

Our marriage was yesterday...
just before I slept...

The rest was just a dream,
We forget dreams. Don't we?

Can't we?

Mrs. Cheng...

De-wei must be busy lately

Jia-li, c'mere!
Come over here!

Mother, don't you feel like

scolding me for my mistakes

when you see me this way?

Mother, have you ever been afraid?

Afraid that father would walk out someday?

That there'd be no one to take care of you?

He's always been just a child.
What is there to be afraid of?

It was I who took care of him!

For once it was me who left him

instead of waiting to be walked out on

Hsiao-jiang's too young

There's so much yet for him to do

I guess I knew all along

nothing much would come of it

Thank God we were reasonably
calm when we broke up

No violence or bloodshed!

De-wei's work pretty much hasn't changed

Even a little busier than
before, and home even less

But I have this... this kind of premonition

that he's going through something

Just last week he took me out for a walk

Who knows where he's gotten himself
off to the last couple of days

I'm slowly beginning to appreciate

just how much pressure he's under

I could almost feel it in my bones,
this time just before he left again

I guess I'm getting used to it

the way he comes and goes

If we can look at it with an open mind

and trust each other enough,
I think we'll pull through

We've found new hope

and a new beginning...

after all these years

My precious!

Awake? Don't wanna sleep?

Look!

What's that...

What's that...

It's a birdie...

Say 'morning to baby, little birdie

When did you last see your husband, Mrs. Cheng?

Can you describe what he was wearing?

Do you know if he was in some kind of trouble?

Do you know who he spent the last few days with?

I really have no idea

Is there a single thing you can say

that we can work on?

It's ok, it's ok! Let's find the body first!
We can talk later

What can I do, she's not helping!

How can I investigate!

Is it really her husband...

How can a wife not know anything?

What are they up to now?

I didn't think you'd come all the way here.

It's off the beaten track, isn't it?

I wanted to talk things over with you

I can't reach you over the phone here

I'd much rather tell you in person anyway

As you know, De-wei and I grew up together

We've played basketball all our lives

Which makes it all the more difficult

I checked the company books

just before I came out here

that the $50 million dollars under
De-wei's account

have disappeared

I also heard rumours

that he's got a huge pile of debt

I'm guessing your house, your cars,

other properties, have all been repossessed

But! It's just a speculation

It's going to take a few days to sort it out

Given my sixth sense, though...

But he's already...

Let me finish. The most important thing

is that he left the country a few days ago

You mean--that's not De-wei out there?

With no evidence so far

we can't jump to hasty conclusions

Wait a minute, who told you all this?

I checked up with a close friend of De-wei

after you called this morning

That "friend" Hsiao-hui?!

Everything went numb

the moment you hung up

That's not something that
happens to me often

Hello? May I speak to your GM?

That beach? I've been there.

Once or twice with De-wei

In fact, we went there last week

just before he left for Japan

What, he went to Japan?

You didn't know?

I thought it was you who'd sent him

What's he doing in Japan?

No wonder I haven't seen him around

He must be back by now

Have they found his body yet?

Not yet

They did find a medicine bottle on the
beach, belonging to De-wei

Jia-li said it was a psychiatrist's prescription

That's also how the police were
able to call up Jia-li

You know, this could easily be the same bottle

that De-wei dropped on the beach last week

Medicine bottle...
too much of a coincidence...

If that's really his game...

What kind of medicine was it?

That doctor prescribed it--
an anti-depressant

You know how De-wei is lately

He's been under a lot of pressure from work

and the way things are at home

Come. Come with me to the beach

We have to let them know about this

You go ahead

I'm not going to be dragged
back into this mess!

How can you refuse to become involved

when a friend is in this kind of trouble?

You've known this about De-wei all along,
haven't you?

But you're not letting on...

In fact, only you know

all the things that's going on
between you and De-wei. Right?

Work at the office isn't so burdensome

to the point that he needs to see
a psychiatrist, take anti-depressants

What other pies have you two
gotten your fingers into?

What concern is it of mine if his
investment on the side went bust?

I'm just helping him out. Is that a crime?

Helping him out, ha!

You first use De-wei, then through his ties
to me, gain our contracts!

Now you want out, think it'll be so easy?

There's no need to shout

[phone] Hsiao-Lin

I always thought you were the sharpest,
coolest of them all

You say De-wei went to Japan

What's he doing in Japan?

He's not there on any business of mine.
I'm sure of it

I can find out myself. I'm
going back to the office now

But I warn you don't ever cross my path again

Listen sonny, I was cruising my own turf
when you were a toddler

Go on, run along to Mommy now.

It wasn't until I got back to the office

that I learnt about the money.

The truth is, I feel very close to De-wei

Decades of years of friendship and trust

isn't something that returning $50M
will be able to fix

Maybe it all went too
smoothly in the beginning

with business doing so well

Somehow De-wei got it into his head

that making money was a piece of cake

Perhaps it was my fault

I've got to go

On my way down here

I came to some theories

One, it's really he who's drowned

Two, they've got it all wrong

That bottle they found...

It could be the one De-wei
tossed away last week

And who knows, De-wei's probably back
in Taipei, just chilling out

My sixth sense tells me that
both theories are unlikely

But going off to Japan like that

with all that cash in his pocket,

He'd been planning that for some time now

Without any of us knowing

He might even have gotten himself
a South American passport

So you think he's not coming back?

Let me put it this way

If it was me, I wouldn't come back

You get what I mean?

I could be wrong

There could be any number of
possible explanations

Think it over. I have to go

Think of it this way,
regardless what really happened

The end result is pretty much the same to you

Isn't that right?

The power of Time is so overwhelming.
It's frightening

Father died. And the clinic's dying too

The world's left us all behind

Remember the night you ran away?

We were talking here, just like
now, quietly for so long

Do you remember?

I heard things aren't going
too well with you and De-wei

If I had known this is what we'd become

I would never have come so naively
to talk with you that night

With one thing and another,
look at the state of things now

And yet, at last I know now
how to set things right

between De-wei and me

What do you have in mind?

I must give him my complete trust

Do you really trust De-wei?

The best lesson I've learnt in life

is that you must depend only on yourself

Once, I blindly followed someone else...

You should never do that

Jia-li, once I believed too much in Father

Look at me now. Following him

Following all this that the time has left behind

But if you had come to me now like
you did that night you left

I don't think I'd be able to
tell you anything different

I know it was partly my words
that gave you the courage

to leave home. But my real hope

was that you'd learn to be self-reliant

and be able to make decisions on your own

I'm guessing

that you're facing the same
kind of problem now

We were both silent, deep in thoughts,
for a very long time

Jia-li's eyes were fixed, looking
out the window and beyond

She seemed to be quietly surveying
all those distant memories

Or perhaps she just didn't want
to look too directly at me

for fear I'd see how moved she was

Whatever the reason,

I felt it would be simply
cruel to press her

for the rest of the story
of that day on the beach

Or what the investigations found

There was an emergency company
meeting that Jia-li had to attend

So, she had to leave

Only when we were saying goodbye

that I realized I still hadn't
asked about Jia-sen

After all, that was my main reason
for meeting with her

It was only then that I learned

Jia-sen had liver cancer two years ago
and passed away last winter

The Lin clinic became an apartment building

Jia-li told me, during his final days,

Jia-sen woke up from unconsciousness one day

This ... this must be a 2pm sunlight

Its warmth does not feel like winter

Rather, it feels like a sunny day in spring

I think I hear birds chirping

I feel like I'm part of this world again

I yearn to feel everything surrounding me

What a great irony

It's cold everywhere

Yet my heart beats

in such vibrant rhythm, so full of life

I wonder what invisible force

pushes us forward

in this cruel, cold world

But... I feel blessed

No?

My miniscule life that lasted decades

That's a miracle worth treasuring

To this day, I still have no idea

whether it was De-wei who drowned

But that's not important anymore

What really matters is that

the little girl I once knew has
grown into a perfect woman

I truly believe that

her transformation began
that day, on the beach