by Amy Cheung
“It’s not charity. It’s what I deserve. But marrying him is different. We’d have to spend the rest of our lives together. If I felt like I was getting charity all that time, that’d be painful.”
“Why don’t you give him another chance? This is the first time he’s ever cheated.”
Yau Ying set down her cup and said, “Some people like it when there’s three competitors and only two winners. Me, I like a guaranteed victory.”
“You’re the strongest woman I know.”
“Even though I’m only a 32A, I’m as staunch as a 36FF,” Yau Ying said, laughing.
“Is Daihoi going to move out?”
“Yeah, he’s going to look for a new place.” Yau Ying stood up. “I have to go to work.”
To my surprise, Daihoi came to see me the next day. He was usually immaculately dressed and coiffed, but when he showed up this time, his hair was slightly disheveled and he looked haggard. Yau Ying had appeared rational and detached by comparison.
“Did you find an apartment yet?” I asked him as we walked to a nearby café.
“I’m staying with Tou Lei for the time being.”
“Yau Ying is deeply hurt.”
“She’s the one who wanted to break up.”
“Men are so unwilling to take responsibility! You’re the one who cheated. And now you’re moving in with that woman?” I scolded him.
“I’m not getting love from anyone!” he told me dejectedly.
“You have two women, and yet you say that no one loves you?” I shook my head.
“I’ve never felt like Yau Ying loved me. Maybe she does, but she doesn’t need me,” Daihoi said.
The situation suddenly struck me as funny. It seemed as if Daihoi and Yau Ying had somehow switched roles. He’d become the woman, and she’d become the man. Usually it was women who needed to be told constantly that they were loved and needed.
“She loves you. She loves you a great deal, in fact,” I said. “She needs you.”
“She’s never told me that before.”
“Have you ever told her? You’ve never told her, either, have you?”
“The night before last, I told her, but she didn’t believe me.”
“It was too late,” I said.
“Right. It was too late.”
“How long has this been going on with this other woman?” I asked him.
“About a month!” He’d given up seven years of love for a monthlong fling. I could understand why Yau Ying was so hurt—those seven years obviously meant nothing to him.
Daihoi moved out three days later. Those seven years of love took only three days to bring to an end.
Three weeks later, Yau Ying secretly went to the courthouse to hear the case he was working on. It was her way of saying good-bye.
The case was a personal dispute. A couple had been living together for fourteen years, and their relationship had fallen apart. They had bought an apartment together. The man had provided the down payment, but only the woman’s name was on the deed. After they split up, the man wanted to sell the apartment for a profit, but the woman insisted that the apartment belonged to her. Their disagreement had escalated, and Daihoi was representing the man in the case.
Daihoi was completely unaware of the fact that Yau Ying was in the room, seated just a few rows behind him. Weeks earlier Daihoi had told her that his client had no chance of winning the case. Daihoi had already discussed the matter with the legal team for the opposing side, and they’d agreed to ask the two parties to settle the case out of court. But each appeared to be intent on destroying the other.
Yau Ying watched the man. He was wearing a suit and gold wire-frame glasses and looked rather intelligent. The woman had lovely features. They both looked highly educated. Yet they were headed into a duel to the death over $300,000.
There was only a handful of people in the courtroom, among them two court reporters taking endless notes.
When it was Daihoi’s turn to take the floor, he stood up and said, “Your Honor, as the counsel for the plaintiff, I feel rather conflicted. This couple has lived together for fourteen years. They once loved each other deeply, and suddenly, they had a falling out. If money could be exchanged for fourteen years of love, I’m sure that most people would much rather have love. The fact that it’s fourteen years makes no difference. Even half of fourteen years is a long time. For a person to throw away such a thing is a sad state of affairs indeed. I believe that the party who readily provided the down payment for a home to be jointly owned by the couple is the one who loved more deeply. But it seems that both my client and the defendant have failed to love deeply enough . . .”
For the first time since their breakup, Yau Ying shed a tear. For Daihoi to speak of half of fourteen years of love—the seven years that he and Yau Ying had been together—was more touching than anything he’d ever said before.
The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff. The apartment was to be sold, and the profits were to be divided equally between the plaintiff and the defendant. Daihoi had won the case.
Yau Ying left the courtroom immediately after hearing the verdict. She didn’t want Daihoi to know that she was there. When Daihoi first agreed to take on the case, Yau Ying had asked him what he’d do if the same thing happened to them. Laughing, Daihoi had told her, “That man’s a fool. The deed had her name on it. Our deed has both of our names on it. Everyone gets 50 percent. If everyone gets half, there’s no fighting.”
Now he was leaving the apartment to her. He’d just said that the party who readily provided the down payment for a home to be jointly owned by the couple was the one who’d loved more deeply. If he really was the one who’d loved more deeply, why did he go out and get involved with another woman? Was it because the depth of that love wasn’t mutual?
Yau Ying told me all of this when I was at her apartment that night.
“It’s hard to tell if he left those clothes on purpose,” I said, looking at a pile of clothes that Daihoi had left behind. “That way, he can come back anytime to pick them up.”
“He’s not going to. He’s already handed in his letter of resignation,” Yau Ying said.
“He’s quitting his job?”
“Because I said I’m quitting, so he decided to quit first. We can’t work together. I’d never be able to handle it.”
“Daihoi said the party who readily provided the down payment for a home to be jointly owned was the one who loved more deeply. And now he’s renouncing two things—this apartment and his job,” I said.
“He’s the one who stopped being faithful. Now it looks like I’m the one who’s heartless.”
“I sold the apartment and Sam still hasn’t cashed the check. We both loved deeply.” I lay on the bed contentedly.
Yau Ying stood up and said, “I wish I had the courage to renounce something.”
Someone knocked on the door.
“It’s not Daihoi, is it?” I asked.
Yau Ying went to answer it and found Chui Yuk and Yu Mogwo.
“I’m just dropping her off. I won’t be taking part in this gathering you ladies are having,” Yu Mogwo said.
“Why don’t you have a seat—if you don’t mind the scent of heartbreak, that is.” Yau Ying poured two glasses of cold water.
“How are things going with your publishing house?” I asked Yu Mogwo.
“Great. We already bought the rights to a few Japanese manga titles. And it’s all thanks to the money that you and Yau Ying lent us,” Yu Mogwo said.
Chui Yuk winked at me.
“Yu Mogwo’s new book is coming out next month,” Chui Yuk said. “He wrote it in a week.”
“That fast?”
“This book went a lot faster. In any case, I’m going to head out. I have to meet someone,” Yu Mogwo said.
“Are you done shooting that video?” I asked Chui Yuk.
“We wrapped up yesterday.” She let out a deep sigh.
“Congratulations,” Yau Ying said.
; I couldn’t bring myself to congratulate her. When all was said and done, she’d sold her self-respect in order to help her man succeed.
“I found a job,” Chui Yuk said.
“What kind of job?” I asked her.
“It’s at a modeling agency. I’m going to handle recruitment. Since I haven’t had a proper job these past few years, it’s time for me to settle down. At the end of the day, modeling isn’t a long-term gig.”
“It seems like you’ve matured,” I barely managed to say.
“I have! And it’s all because of that video,” Chui Yuk said.
“What do you mean?” Yau Ying asked.
“I suddenly felt old,” Chui Yuk said with a pained laugh.
Though she didn’t say it in so many words, the process of shooting that video had clearly taken a serious toll on her.
Yu Mogwo’s latest novel, The Magic Clock, was well received. I saw quite a few people reading it on the train. Chui Yuk gave me a copy, and it was the first time I’d ever read an entire science-fiction novel from cover to cover. All of a sudden, Yu Mogwo became a huge success. His book went into multiple printings, and his previous books started to sell well as a result. He was interviewed by several magazines that recognized him as a singular talent among a new generation of science-fiction writers. Chui Yuk felt that it had been worth all the struggle.
Yu Mogwo invited Yau Ying and me to dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant. He said he wanted to thank us since he would never have been able to start his publishing house or finish writing his book if we hadn’t lent him the money.
But contrary to what I had expected, Yu Mogwo didn’t look excited at all. Chui Yuk was the one who was excited.
“I’ve read this book ten times. It just keeps getting better every time,” Chui Yuk said.
“I’ve recommended it to lots of my colleagues. They all say it’s good. I’m helping you promote it!” Yau Ying quipped.
“When’s the next one coming out?” I asked Yu Mogwo.
“I haven’t decided what it’s going to be about yet,” Yu Mogwo said.
Clutching Yu Mogwo’s hand, Chui Yuk told us, “There’s a film production company that wants to make The Magic Clock into a movie!”
Yu Mogwo didn’t even look terribly excited about that. Maybe he’d struggled for too long, and success wasn’t going to change him overnight. Perhaps that was a good thing—at least he wouldn’t cheat on Chui Yuk just because he got famous.
“I don’t think it’ll be long before I can pay you two back,” Yu Mogwo said.
“Good! I look forwards to getting it back,” I said, laughing.
Yau Ying chimed in. “Me, too!”
Chui Yuk cast a quick glance in my direction.
If the timing had been a little better, Yu Mogwo would’ve been able to finish writing The Magic Clock a little sooner, and Chui Yuk wouldn’t have had to bare all. Even if they did have money now, they could never buy back that video.
A few days later, Yu Mogwo went to a friend’s place, where he watched a video starring Chui Yuk. It finally dawned on him where the $300,000 had come from.
Chui Yuk denied that it was her, but she couldn’t fool Yu Mogwo. He packed up his things and left. Chui Yuk bawled her eyes out. She called me and said she wanted to kill herself. I went over to see her right away.
“I’ll go explain things to him,” I said. “After all, you did it for him.”
“He won’t believe you,” Chui Yuk said, sobbing.
“Where do you think he is? I’ll go find him.”
“I don’t know.”
I called Yau Ying and asked her to come over and take care of Chui Yuk. Then I went to the publishing firm’s office to find Yu Mogwo.
The door was locked. I rang the buzzer. Inside, the lights were turned off. Just as I was about to leave, I heard a pager going off inside.
“Yu Mogwo, I know you’re in there. Chui Yuk just threatened to kill herself. If you’re a man, open the door. Now.”
I was so angry that I kicked the door with all of my might.
“Yu Mogwo, come out!”
Yu Mogwo remained inside, cold and indifferent. Unable to restrain myself any longer, I shouted at the door. “You think that just because your girlfriend took off her clothes for a video, that you’re the one who lost face, isn’t that right? Why’d she even have to do it in the first place? Who’d she do it for? Isn’t it because you needed $300,000 to start your publishing house? Do you know how humiliating it is for a woman to have to strip naked? If she didn’t love you so much, she never would’ve been able to do it! But you, you’re selfish to the bone. You only care about yourself. You just keep fantasizing while your poor girlfriend keeps picking up the tab to help you realize your precious little dreams . . .”
Yu Mogwo just ignored me, so I had no choice but to leave. I didn’t know what I’d tell Chui Yuk, but I had to go back and explain.
Yau Ying opened the door for me.
“Did you find him?” she asked.
Chui Yuk looked at me expectantly, but I didn’t know what to say.
“Well? Was he there?” Yau Ying questioned me.
I nodded.
“He won’t forgive me. How many men do you know who could handle it if their girlfriends did something like this?” Chui Yuk sobbed.
“If he’s not coming back, you shouldn’t love him,” Yau Ying said. “How many women would do something like that for their men?”
“Right. If he doesn’t come back, then he’s not worthy of your love,” I said.
“I’m going to go see him.” Chui Yuk stood up and went to the bathroom to wash her face.
“We’re coming with you,” Yau Ying said.
“You don’t have to. It’s my problem. I’ll take care of it myself.”
Chui Yuk took off alone and stood outside Yu Mogwo’s office all night. Eventually, Yu Mogwo opened the door, and they embraced and cried.
That’s what Chui Yuk told me. She happily described it as a test. It showed her just how deeply the two of them loved each other. But things weren’t that simple. While their relationship was being put to the test, another test was on its way. Someone had stepped forward to denounce The Magic Clock, claiming that Yu Mogwo had plagiarized his own novel, and he was now seeking to halt further sales of the book.
“He didn’t plagiarize anyone,” said a worried Chui Yuk.
But this guy named Mak Kingtin had hired a lawyer to bring a copyright infringement suit against Yu Mogwo.
I didn’t believe that Yu Mogwo would plagiarize someone else’s work. But if it weren’t true, why would this person be suing him?
Chui Yuk asked Yau Ying to help them find a lawyer, and Yau Ying recommended someone with experience in copyright-related matters. The legal fees weren’t cheap, and sales of The Magic Clock had been halted. Where was Yu Mogwo going to get the money to hire a lawyer? Was Chui Yuk going to have to bare it all again?
“What did Yu Mogwo say?” I asked her.
“He said he didn’t plagiarize it. He’s so talented—why would he ever do such a thing?” said Chui Yuk, who was upset.
“Our lawyer, Mr. Wan, said the other side has proof. Mak Kingtin submitted his work to the newspaper where Yu Mogwo was working, and his novel is almost identical to Yu Mogwo’s The Magic Clock except for a few parts,” Yau Ying said.
“If he submitted his work last year, why would Yu Mogwo wait until now to plagiarize it? It doesn’t make sense,” Chui Yuk said.
“Mak Kingtin submitted the same book to a publisher in the newspaper group at the beginning of this year. They had no plans to publish it, but the manuscript was sitting there the whole time. They can prove it. In other words, Mak Kingtin’s novel was there before Yu Mogwo’s new book was released,” Yau Ying said.
“Yau Ying, what are you saying? Are you really saying that Yu Mogwo is a plagiarist?” Chui Yuk was indignant.
“That’s not what Yau Ying is saying.” I was trying to be positive.
“What I’m trying to say is that Yu Mogwo might not necessarily win this lawsuit,” Yau Ying said awkwardly.
“Then I’m getting a different lawyer! I’m sorry, but I have to go!” Chui Yuk stormed off.
“Why’d you have to say that?” I snapped at Yau Ying.
“Because if Yu Mogwo really did plagiarize Mak Kingtin, he’s not likely to win the lawsuit. What’s the point in wasting money on legal counsel, then? You and I both know that Chui Yuk is the one footing the bill,” Yau Ying said.
I recalled the letter that Yu Mogwo had sent to Chui Yuk, in which he had written so eloquently about hummingbirds. He was talented. Why would he need to plagiarize?
That evening, I went to see Chui Yuk. I invited her out to dinner, but she didn’t feel like going out.
“Where’s Yu Mogwo?” I asked her.
“He went out.”
“Don’t be mad at Yau Ying,” I said.
“That lawyer, Mr. Wan, shouldn’t have told Yau Ying all of that! We’re thinking of finding a different lawyer.” Chui Yuk clearly wasn’t ready to forgive Yau Ying.
“What did Yu Mogwo say?”
“He’s in a bad place right now. Chow Jeoi, do you believe that Yu Mogwo would plagiarize someone else’s work?”
I didn’t know how to answer. I didn’t think things were that simple.
“Even you don’t believe him?” Chui Yuk was dismayed.
“I believe him.” I didn’t want to see Chui Yuk unhappy.
“No, only I believe him.”
“What are you going to do if there’s proof that Yu Mogwo did it?”
“I’m going to leave him,” Chui Yuk said.
“It’s not that serious, is it?”
“Unless he tells me the truth right now.”
A drunken Yu Mogwo walked in just then.
“Why were you drinking?” Chui Yuk asked, rushing over to help him stand up.
I helped carry Yu Mogwo over to the sofa.
“He never drinks.” Chui Yuk squatted down in front of Yu Mogwo and tenderly caressed his face.
“I’ll go get a wet cloth,” I said.
When I returned, Chui Yuk and Yu Mogwo were locked in a cozy embrace on the sofa. I put the cloth down on the coffee table and snuck out the door.