The Ultimatum (2009): Season 1, Episode 3 - Episode #1.3 - full transcript

Roxy is unhappy she lost her alimony because Songqiao caused Ben to be sent to prison.

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION.

RESEMBLANCE TO REAL EVENTS
IS COINCIDENTAL.

EPISODE 3

You're making a cake at this hour?

Haven't you adapted to the time zone?

Good, you're back. Try my new creation.

You're making me your guinea pig again?

It's delicious.

I didn't get my reputation for nothing.

You're doing so well for yourself.
It makes me feel ashamed.

I've been a lawyer for so many years,
yet I have nothing to show for it.



You have joy and satisfaction,
which money can't buy.

Do you think I'm silly?

I had a job with a bright future
at a big legal firm,

but I quit to set up my own practice.

Are you beginning to have second thoughts?

In the past, whenever you had to defend
a client whom you knew was guilty,

you would be very unhappy.

Even when you had won the case,
you would come home with a frown.

But it's different now.

You're genuinely happy
when you win a case.

That's something money can't buy.

That's right.

I became a lawyer
because I wanted to help people.

If I betray my conscience
for fame and fortune,



my work will lose its meaning.

That's the spirit.

What matters is that you know
what you're thinking and doing.

That's what you taught me.

So, it doesn't matter if I remain
just a small-time lawyer all my life.

You're strong and noble in my eyes.

You're home late.
Have you been working on a big case?

I wouldn't call it big,
but it's quite challenging.

It's a molestation case.
The accused is Song-nian's son.

Why do you bother about his son?

Mom.

It's Song-nian
that I want you to go after.

Have you been looking
for evidence against him?

Mom, he hasn't committed any crime.
There's nothing to look for.

Admit that you're incompetent.
Don't make excuses.

I don't need you anymore.
I'll do it on my own.

Mom!

Sure.

All right. Don't worry.

Okay. Bye.

Mr. Xu is after us for the rent again.

He's too much. We're only a few days late.

Here's the fees from the last case.
It should cover the rent.

See, there are paid cases
which you can take.

But you prefer to do pro bono work.

I will accept paid cases, but not
at the expense of helping people.

Song-qiao, I demand compensation!

Roxy, what happened?

My husband had offered
to settle out of court with me,

but you advised me to sue him
for using violence on me instead.

Now, he's in jail
and won't even pay me alimony.

I end up not getting a cent.

This is all your fault.
You have to compensate me.

I have helped you fight
and win alimony from him.

As for his abusiveness,
I have already explained

that legal recourse is the only way
to deter him and help him change.

If you won't pay me, I'll sue you
for breach of confidentiality.

When did I breach confidentiality?

You promised me
you would only mention in court

that he burned my chest
with a cigarette and left a scar.

But you even told the court he had passed
his sexually transmitted disease to me.

Now, the whole world knows I have STD.

According to a lawyer I talked to,

I can sue you for breach
of confidentiality just for that.

You didn't tell me
to keep the information confidential.

I did!

That's what you claim.

I don't care.
Are you going to compensate me?

I don't think I did anything wrong.

If you insist on suing me,
I have nothing to say.

You will hear from my lawyer.

Are you going to persuade me to drop
the charge against Ren-de again?

I wanted to show my sincerity.

This check should be able
to cover your rent for a year.

I can still afford my rent.

It can at least take care
of that lady's demand.

Don't waste your time.

No amount of money
will make me change my mind.

You have your own problem.

Why do you still insist on
going ahead with it?

A person who sticks to his principles
will not live in regret.

I'm convinced there's no one in this world
whom money can't buy.

Please leave.

I admire your spirit.

But you're holding out for more
by saying no, am I right?

Very well. I will double my offer.

I will also arrange for Anqi
to be given a promotion and a raise.

It's a win-win solution.
Isn't that better for both parties?

I'm curious.

How much will I have to offer you
before you cave in?

I'm sorry.

I won't be bought even
if you offer me your entire fortune.

Shen, send her out.

Ms. Ye, this way.

Feng Zhang!

Feng Zhang!

Feng Zhang!

Feng Zhang!

Feng Zhang!

Feng Zhang!

Feng Zhang!

Feng Zhang!

MACAU

I'm sorry.

Here I come!

WORLD POKER CHAMPIONSHIP

I'll see you.

Show your hand.

Hold it.

You don't have to call.

The two cards you want

are with me.

How do you do? I'm Feng Zhang.

Feng Zhang.

How do I look?

On our wedding day,

you're going to be
the loveliest bride in the world.

I'll go and change the dress. Wait for me.

Feng Zhang?

Feng Zhang.

Where on earth are you?

Hey, over here.

Look at him. Hurry up!

We have your clothes. Come on! Hurry!

What are you doing?

Jogging.

Jogging? Don't you mean streaking?

I'm not streaking.

Look!

I have clothes on.

I got caught once.
I wouldn't dare do it again.

I haven't broken the law this time.
Have I, officers?

That was close! It's a good thing
that I'm prepared.

You said you would run naked if you lost.
So, why do you have your clothes on?

I didn't have any on just now.

All right, you win.

This will teach you not to be
such a compulsive gambler.

I feel miserable if I stop gambling
for a day.

The law isn't going to deter me.

How about another game of 21? $10?

You're on. This time you're going
to lose your underpants!

You might as well remove your pants now.

If I get Blackjack or Five Dragon,

you'll have to pay me in double.

Check your cards.

Small numbered cards.

Five Dragon.

Five Dragon.

Five Dragon.

I'll turn you into a one-eared dragon.

It's not that I've got
my Five Dragon before.

Zhi-da Zhou!

You're supposed to go for a job interview.

You're making me feel so annoyed.

It's not my fault,
the job doesn't suit me.

If people find out that I'm a cleaner,
I will completely lose my pride.

I want you to go.

Some other day.

I want you to go now!

No!

I'll kill myself.

I'll do it right in front of your eyes.

Where is she going?

She's going to kill herself.

Kill herself?

I bet $10 that she will really do it.

You're nuts to bet on your wife's life!

I say she'll kill herself
but you say otherwise.

Shall we bet $10?

Look up there!

My dear!

Take it easy! Don't jump just yet!

Zhi-da Zhou!

I'll kill myself if you don't go
to the job interview!

Don't jump just yet!

Give me $10!

Go and stop her!

Hurry up! She's really going to jump!

Don't jump!

My $10!

Here, take the money! You win!

My dear, I'll go to the job interview.

Get down!

Thank you!

What are you good at?

Gambling.

Poker, mahjong, baccarat, roulette.

You name it and I know
how to play them all.

My nickname is Dr. Zhou.

I don't think that
this is the right job for you.

Sir, Zhi-da was just kidding.
He's actually very hardworking.

He's good at sweeping floors,
cleaning toilets, wiping tables and so on.

Is that so?
I bet he won't last three days.

You're on!

If I can't last three days,
you can fire me.

But if I pass the three days, I'll quit!

Be serious.

I'm sorry, Bao-ying.
Let's just forget about it.

-Well, I'm off.
-Wait.

Sir, please give him a chance for my sake.

All right.

I don't need him to give me a chance.

That's it then. He'll report for work.

Zhi-da Zhou, stay right there.

I had a hard time getting you this job.

If you won't take it, I'll...

You'll kill yourself, right?
I have heard that umpteen times.

Let's have a game instead.

If I lose, I'll do as you say.

If you lose, you'll stop bothering me.

Let's do it.

That's the spirit.

What shall we play?

We'll each draw a card.

Great!

There's no way I'll lose.

One card, right?

I'll beat you for sure.

Go ahead.

I'll draw first.

It's a King!

Although the King is on my side,
you'll lose for sure.

Your turn.

I agreed to gamble with you
because I know you're born a loser.

Report for work right away.

I even have to wear an apron.

Welcome. Have a seat.

What can I get you, ladies?

Is the Prince of Cake here?

He's not back yet.

Does he have a girlfriend?

I don't know.

You work here, how can you not know?

Please tell us does he have a girlfriend?

I honestly don't know.

Please call me when you're ready to order.

They're looking for the prince?

Prince of Cake!

Prince of Cake! This is for you.

It's not my birthday.
I can't accept your gift.

But it's my birthday.
You must accept it, please.

-Isn't that right?
-That's right. Please accept the gift.

All right. Thank you.

Could you make me
a very special birthday cake?

Sure.

Can I take a photo with you?

All right.

Hurry.

Go stand next to him.

Get ready, smile.

One, two, three.

Next is my turn. Hurry!

Get ready.

-One, two...
-So what if he's good at making cakes.

Big deal. You should take a photo
with this future gambling king instead.

You should wash all the dishes.

Got it.

Song-qing, I forgot to introduce you.

This is my husband, Zhi-da.

Hello.

Clean the table when he has
finished baking. Is that clear?

Yes.

He looks so pale.
I doubt he has much luck.

I bet I can beat him at gambling.

You're Song-qing, right? How do you do?

Shall we have a game together since
this is the first time we're meeting?

I mean, let's have a game of chance.

I'm sorry, I don't gamble.

Come on, be a sport.

I'm sorry, I'm busy right now.

It won't take much time.

If I lose, I will get out of your sight
and stop bothering you.

If I win, you'll pay me $10.

-All right.
-Okay!

Let's bet on the number of eggs
there are here.

I win if it's even number
and I lose if it's odd.

Two.

Four.

Six.

Eight.

Ten.

Twelve.

Fourteen, and that's an even number.
So, I win.

My $10, please.

Fifteen is an odd number.

You know what to do, don't you?

You win. I'll get out of your sight.

Song-nian.

Have some bird's nest soup.

Leave it on the table.

I have bought you a calligraphy set.

Su-zhen.

You have bought Song-nian
a calligraphy set?

Let me have a look.

It's a very valuable and expensive set.

I paid over $3,000 for it.

Over $3,000?

Su-zhen, you got cheated.

It's worth $200 at most.

Is that so?
Why don't you get me 10 sets then?

I'm not lying to you.

It requires 72 procedures
to produce a truly good writing brush.

See, the hair of this brush
is already beginning to fall.

It's obviously a fake.

Leave us.

Song-nian finds
the bird's nest soup too sweet.

He asked me to make him another serving.

I added just a little rock sugar.
How can it be too sweet?

Song-nian's taste has changed
over the years.

Perhaps you're unaware of it.

Next time, check with me.

You have enjoyed status
and prestige all these years.

What more do you want?

I don't know what you mean.

Remember what you told me
when you first came?

You said,

"Su-zhen, thank you for your kindness
and for letting me stay.

From now on, I will look up to you
as my big sister."

I was only in my 20s
when Song-nian took me in.

I did regard you as my big sister.

What about now?

You have come up in the world.

Song-nian lets you run the company.

He listens to you about everything.

You no longer show me any respect.

Su-zhen,

mind what you say.

Song-nian treats me well because I have
what it takes to please him.

You have only yourself to blame.

Would Song-nian treat me this way
if it weren't because of you?

Don't keep blaming others.

Ask yourself whether your own stupidity
is to be blamed.

If I were you, I would hide in my room

instead of barking like a mad dog here.

It's disgusting.

Mom.

Your mom is in a temper.
Make her some tea to cool her down.

Mom, what happened?

That woman is going too far.

She has no respect for me at all.

Mom, that's the way Aunt Ruo-lin is.
There's no point in quarreling with her.

I get more upset the more
I think about it.

When Ren-zhong was kidnapped,

if she hadn't kept urging me to do it,
I wouldn't have called the police.

Why was I so foolish?

Hello?

Song-nian, listen carefully.
Ren-zhong Ye is in our hands.

How much do you want?

I want a million.

What? A million?

I want to hear my son's voice.

Dad, save me!

Ren-zhong, are you all right?

Don't call the police
if you want your son alive.

Okay, I won't call them.

You will hear from me again.

Hello?

Ren-zhong has been kidnapped?

Should we call the police?

No!

The moment we call the police,
the kidnappers will kill him.

Listen to me.

On no account must you call the police!

How could such a thing have happened?

The kidnappers are totally ruthless.
I'm worried they'll kill him.

Are you sure they won't?

All they want is money.
Are you sure they won't kill him?

Su-zhen, I think you have to make
the decision for Song-nian.

You mean, I should make a police report?

Police!

Police!

-Where's my son?
-What do you mean?

Where are you holding my son?

I don't know. I have nothing
to do with it!

What do you mean?
You have kidnapped my son!

Kidnapped him? That's a lie!

Let me go!

You mustn't hurt my son!

I've warned you that on no account
must you call the police.

Which of you did it?

Su-zhen was worried
for Ren-zhong's safety.

That's why she called the police.

How could you!

Sir, there's a parcel for you.

Ren-zhong!

You crazy woman!

You killed Ren-zhong!

I will never forgive you
for as long as I live!

Song-nian.

Won't you eat something?

You're a wicked woman.

You got Ren-zhong killed so that I'd make
Ren-yi my heir, didn't you?

That's not true. I didn't mean
to get Ren-zhong killed.

Shut up!

Leave. I never want to see you again!

Dad.

Leave. Get out!

Why was I such a fool?

I let that woman use me
without realizing it,

allowing her to replace me
as mistress of the house.

Aunt Ruo-lin can never replace you.

You are still Dad's legal wife.

I'm his wife on paper only.

She's mistress of the house
in all, except on paper.

I was such a fool.

It has been so many years.
What's the point of talking about it?

You should wrest the position
back from her instead.

Then, you must stop muddling along.

You should work towards becoming the CEO.

Whether or not I can hold
my head high again depends on you.

Don't worry. I will prove my worth to Dad.

Everything that belongs to the family
will be mine one day.

I would like to see Ren-de.

What is it about?

I have a present for him.

He's already left.

That's all right.
I'll just leave it in his office.

I'm sorry, he's already left.
Come back tomorrow.

Please, sir. I won't take a minute.

Ms. Fang!

It's you again.

Hello.

Are you here regarding Ren-de's case?

Here's the thing you wanted.

Thank you.

Think nothing of it.

Why are you willing to let me have
the CCTV recording of the incident?

It's because I have
a strong sense of justice.

You must be wondering why I'm doing this.

Are you willing to enlighten me?

Since you're working on the case,

you must know that Ren-de and I
are not related by blood.

You have told me he's your godbrother.

That's right. Ren-de's mother
is my dad's godsister.

My dad treats him like his own son.

I don't resent Ren-de because
he has no blood relation to me.

His mother spoiled him
since he was a child.

He's an arrogant jerk who doesn't care
about other people's feelings.

I don't approve of his behavior
although he is my godbrother.

He deserves to be punished
for his wrongdoings.

How else will he grow up?

What about your dad?
Doesn't he have control over Ren-de?

My dad spends all his time
on calligraphy these days.

He is no longer in charge.

Doesn't he have a hand
in the running of Fenghuang Corporation?

He's still the CEO.

But he rarely interferes
with the running of the firm.

It's Ren-de's mother, Ruo-lin,
who calls the shots now.

How did your father make his fortune?

Why are you so interested in him?

Who isn't interested
in the CEO of Fenghuang Corporation?

It looks like I can't beat my old man.

That's not true.

Many girls must find your sense
of fairness very attractive.

Does that include you?

Thank you for your help.

Ms. Fang!

Have you won the lottery or something?

What nonsense is this?

Where did you get the money then?

What do you mean?

Mr. Xu told me that you had paid him
six months' rent in advance.

How can I possibly
afford six months' rent?

Exactly.

Not unless you won the lottery.

Mr. Xu, who paid the rent for me?

With this pair of red underpants,
I will win every bet I make for sure.

Let me try it on Pale Face.

Mr. Fang.

Mr. Fang, how about a bet?

Come on, be sporting.

I'm busy.

Come on, help me out. I feel miserable
if I stop gambling for a day.

Let's have one bet. Just one.

It won't take much time.

If you win, I'll give this back to you.

If you lose, you'll pay me $10.

What do you want to bet on?

Let's bet on the gender
of the next customer that walks in.

I say it's a man.

You want to gamble on that?

There's nothing we can't gamble on.

We have got a customer. It's a man.

A girl?

Hey!

She's your sister? It doesn't count.

You said it was a man.

I don't care. It doesn't count
since she's your relative.

Help me.

I'll gamble with you.
Leave my brother alone.

That's even better.

I'm Zhi-da and my nickname is Dr. Zhou.

What's your name?

I'm Song-qiao.

Song-qiao?

If you lose, I'll take you
to Grandma's bridge.

Come on, let's not waste any time.

What's the bet?

If I win, you'll pay me $10.

If you win, I'll do anything you want.

If you lose, you'll get back to work
and stop bothering my brother.

No problem.

You can count on me to keep my word.

Let's bet on the gender
of the next customer that walks in.

I say it's a man.

It's two girls.

Two?

How did you guess?

Those two girls come here
every Wednesday morning at 11.

You knew they were coming?
That doesn't count.

Who just said that his word
could be counted on?

If you break your word on the bet,
Ms. Fang might take you to court.

I bet you she won't do that.

Quit talking. The light bulb
at the entrance needs to be changed.

Quit talking while you're at it.

Okay.

We'll have another bet later.

Hi.

Sit down.

Why did you ask to see me?

I want to return this check to you.

I appreciate your kindness.

I was just trying to help.

If you think I can be bought
like everybody else,

you're going to be disappointed.

I know I may have offended you,

but I'm sure you're aware
of the pros and cons of the matter.

If you take Ren-de to court,

the maximum sentence he might face are
a fine and a few months' probation.

That means nothing to him.

Whatever the punishment may be,

the offender deserves
to be taught a lesson.

You worry about your rent every month.

You may also be charged
for violating legal ethics codes.

Why do you still bother
to pursue such a minor case?

That's my problem, not yours.

If you cooperate with me, I will take care
of these problems for you.

We can even be friends.

Even if you add three zeros to the check,

I will still take Ren-de to court.

Nothing in life is absolute.

Dr. Zhou. You're working here
as a cleaner?

The work is a good exercise.

Gambling trains the mind
while exercise keeps the body fit.

Whatever.

You're not going to gamble?

I want to, but I'm waiting
for my luck to come.

I've known you
since you came over from Macau.

Luck has never been with you.

Things are different today.

I'm wearing a pair of red underpants.

Have a bet with me
if you don't believe it.

You're on. What's the bet going to be?

We'll bet on this.

I win if it's even number
and I lose if it's odd.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

I have lost again.

The loser must pay the price.

What are you going to do?

Put this on.

You want me to lose my face?

You're such a loser.
You have no face left to lose.

You look so handsome.

You have to leave it on for an hour.

You're wicked.

I'm sorry.

That's all right.

Have you got nothing better to do?

I lost a bet.

Give it back to me.
I don't want to break my word.

The banker takes all!

Place your bets!

Place your bets.

I'm going to deal the cards. No more bets.

I'm sorry about this.

The banker takes all.

When you win some, you'll lose some.

-Mr. Hu.
-Well done.

I can't.

Take it.

I'm grateful enough that you let me try
to be a dealer.

I will definitely hire you next time.

The dealer in the first room
is on a losing streak. Go relieve him.

Okay.

Please, let me have a picture card.
Please make it a picture card.

God of Gamblers!

You're the famous God of Gamblers!

You're crazy! I don't know you.

Where have you been all these years?
Why did you disappear?

Go away and leave me alone!

Police!

Stop!

Go away!

Go after them!

God of Gamblers!

God of Gamblers! It really is you!

Where have you been all these years?

You're crazy!
Why do you keep following me?

You're my idol.
I've worshiped you since I was a child.

Subtitle translation by Alyaa Zakariah