Kindred_Spirit

Synopsis

This very very very long family drama (1128 episodes) aired for several years in HK and the cast became part of the viewers’ everyday life. Kindred Spirit is a warm simple loving series that a whole family can enjoy. The show contains a main core family with Cha Siu Bing (Lau Dan) and Seen Yee as husband and wife. Since this is such a long series, I cannot possibly write down everything so I will mainly summarize the main storylines.

Ah Hoi/Chong Yiu/Seong Seong
Ah Hoi (Ben Wong) has had a crush on Chong Yiu (Angie Cheung) ever since they were teenagers. Chong Yiu was a wild child who ran away from home to be with the man she loved. Only to find that he was a big time loser who cares nothing for her or their baby. She was relieved when he died so she can start a new life with her daughter. Since Chong Yiu lived by herself with her daughter, she always has Ah Hoi come over to help fix things around the house. Soon, Ah Hoi’s feelings became clear to her and with the encouragement from her daughter, Chong Yiu decided to take a chance on Ah Hoi. They fell in love and were planning to get marry when she found out that she has cancer. Instead of sharing the bad news with Ah Hoi and trying to work things out, she opted to run away. Chong Yiu left her daughter with Ah Hoi and left for America without telling anybody the reason why.

In the meantime, Seong Seong (Ho Yee’s daughter played by Law Lam) arrived from China as a bride. Ah Hoi was at the wedding banquet and saw Seong Seong take all the jewelry and left the groom, thus thinking she was a money-hungry cheating woman. Imagine his shock when he saw her at home the next day when the family introduced her as Ho Yee’s daughter. Of course the truth came out and it appeared that she was sold to an older man for money so she really wasn’t what Ah Hoi thought she was. Seong Seong and Ah Hoi grew closer and with no words from Chong Yiu (whom the family thought was dead…all except her brother Cha Siu Bing). With some encouragement from Seen Yee, they began to date.

Just when everything seemed ok again and Ah Hoi and Seong Seong had built a steady relationship, Chong Yiu came back declaring she was cured. Ah Hoi was happy and sad; happy that the love of his life came back alive and healthy, sad because he was now between a rock and a hard place. Who will he choose?

Well, he decided to have both. In Malaysia (where Ah Hoi’s real family is from), a man can have up to four wives so Seong Seong agreed to become the second wife while Chong Yiu would be the head wife. An over zealous Hoi got drunk with happiness and slept with Seong Seong the night before they were to leave for Malaysia. The next morning, Seong Seong reveled that she could never share the man she loves with another woman and ended the relationship. She left for China wishing Ah Hoi and Chong Yiu a lifetime of happiness.

A few months later, Seong Seong came back to Hong Kong with a much older gentleman in tow. He was her new fiancé that Ho Yee found for her. The reason why Seong Seong needed to get married? She was pregnant with Ah Hoi’s child but didn’t tell Ah Hoi about it (Ah Hoi thought the baby is Seong Seong’s new husband’s). Ironically, Chong Yiu was also pregnant around the same time (a difference of a couple months I think). During her pregnancy, Chong Yiu found out that her cancer was back. In order to save her life, her doctor advised her to have surgery to take the cancer out, thus terminating the baby but Chong Yiu refused to sacrifice the baby and postponed the surgery by taking medication for the pain. Chong Yiu succeeded in prolonging her baby’s life by a few months (so now the baby is about 6 or 7 months old) so they can safely take the baby out and Chong Yiu can have her surgery. Well, Seong Seong went into labor the same time as Chong Yiu’s surgery so both babies were born around the same time (in a matter of minutes). Chong Yiu’s baby died within a few minutes of being born (it was probably because of all those medication she took) while Seong Seong had a healthy baby boy.

When Seong Seong found out that Chong Yiu lost her baby, she made the ultimate sacrifice. She switched their babies around so it seemed like her baby died while Chong Yiu had a healthy baby boy. Unable to bare the pain of seeing Ah Hoi and her baby, Seong Seong moved to New York permanently to start a new life. Ah Hoi, Chong Yiu, and Seen Yee found out the truth later and tried to get Seong Seong to admit it as well, but she refused and said she has a new life now and they should all leave the past behind.

Well, Ah Hoi’s and Chong Yiu’s happiness didn’t last long. On a trip to China, the van they were on was robbed and gunshots were fired. Chong Yiu was hit. The family immediately rushed her to a hospital but Chong Yiu was refused admittance unless the family can pay. Since they were all robbed, they had no money and no amount of begging could save Chong Yiu. After beating two rounds of cancer, Chong Yiu bleed to death at the hospital all because of a stupid hospital policy.

Ah Hoi was devastated and he was now a widower with two children to raised.

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Ah Foon/Ah Bong
Ah Foon (Kenix Kwok) returned from US to work as a fashion designer because she was having an affair with her boss (played by Joe Ma) who got transfer back to Hong Kong. She thought she was in love with him and they were going to get marry after he finalized the divorce from his wife. Joe’s wife is Lok Lok’s (Ah Fok and See Kam’s son) teacher so when Seen Yee saw Joe picking up his wife at the school, she realized that Ah Foon was seeing a married man. Pretty soon, the whole neighborhood knew that Ah Foon was destroying another woman’s family. But stubborn as Ah Foon was, she didn’t care and continued to see Joe.

What Ah Foon didn’t know was that Joe had no intention of divorcing his wife, especially when he found out that his wife was pregnant. When the wife suffered stomach cramps after having an argument with Ah Foon, Joe’s real feelings became clear to Ah Foon. At the hospital, Joe shouted to his wife that he loves only her and had never loved Ah Foon. Upon hearing that, Ah Foon finally realized what her mother had been trying to tell her along.

So Ah Foon pulled herself together and found a new job at a smaller design company (Her brother On Jai also works there). Her boss, Helen does business with Ah Bong (Sunny Chan) and at first she didn't like him (plus she now has some issues with trusting men). But slowly she changed her mind about him after she saw that he really is a nice guy and has no bad intentions. Ah Bong used to be a cop but had to quit because a bullet is lodged in his heart. He was married before but his wife left him for that reason (she couldn’t handled the fact that Ah Bong could die at any minute). They have a daughter whom he loves very much. But his wife took his daughter and moved to England so he's very sad and lonely. Ah Bong fell for Ah Foon but was afraid to get involved because of his heart condition. Ah Foon was determined to stand by him and in spite of Seen Yee's meddling, they got together. Ah Bong later had a heart surgery and got the bullet taken out. They married and moved to England so he can be closer to his daughter.

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On Jai/Joanne
On Jai (Hawick Lau) met Joanne (May Kwong) at work. She is a very nice innocent girl who developed a crush on On Jai. They were both stubborn and denied the attraction but this guy started to pursue Joanne and another girl was pursuing On Jai. Each got jealous and finally confronted each other about it. They both realized that they liked each other and started dating. Things were progressing nicely when On Jai developed a crush on another woman. But that didn't last as he realized that he likes Joanne more. They got back together and were happy once again. But when Joanne got involved with an older man (May May’s real father), their relationship fell apart. Joanne became materialistic and wanted more in life than what On Jai has to offer. On Jai was crushed when they couldn’t work things out. Joanne moved to Thailand for work while On Jai began dating around with other girls but Joanne still had a place in his heart.

(More to come about their relationship later)

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May May/Chi Ho/Ah Mun/Ah Nam
Chi Ho (Cheng Chi Sing) first came onto the scene as Tsang Kong’s adopted son. Tsang Kong found him on the streets in China and took him in. At first he was a very nice young man with a very pretty fiancée Ah Mun (Winnie Yeung) whom he met while in college. Ah Mun is from Hong Kong but went to college in China to study Chinese history (or something like that). After Chi Ho arrived in Hong Kong, he slowly began to change. What was at first ambition, soon turned into greed. After saving Yun Yee from a robbery, they discovered that he was in fact her long lost son. Yun Yee happily accepted Chi Ho into the family and proceeded to spoil him rotten. Chi Ho also saved May May’s life and she fell for his heroism. Since May May (Celine Ma) was Latok’s pride and joy, May May was extremely spoiled and had a horrible personality. She was mean to other people and liked to put everyone down. But she was rich and Chi Ho wanted a part of that wealth. He began to date May May on the side and even went as far as marriage.

The sad part is that Chi Ho didn’t bother to tell Ah Mun that he was marring another woman until the day before the wedding. Ah Mun couldn’t believe that Chi Ho would do that to her so she had to see for herself. At the church, Chi Ho humiliated Ah Mun while a gloating May May looks on. Ah Mun ran out of the church in tears with Ah Nam (May May's brother played by Mark Kwok) following to comfort her. A broken-hearted Mun left Hong Kong and went to Malaysia for a new job. Her friendship with Ah Nam began to develop. A jealous Chi Ho (he’s still in love with Ah Mun) looked on helplessly when Ah Nam started to pursue Ah Mun.

May May became pregnant with Chi Ho’s child. Ah Nam and Ah Mun got married with a furious Chi Ho looking on. After losing the love of his life to Ah Nam, Chi Ho determined that money is the most important thing. Chi Ho really believed that Ah Mun married Ah Nam for his money and not because she truly loves him. He was arrogant enough to believe that Ah Mun still has a thing for him. So Chi Ho thought that money equals power and those two things will help him get Ah Mun back. Chi Ho lost a bunch of money in the stock market and when Yun Yee and Ah Hoi refused to lend him any more money, Chi Ho came up with the plan to kidnapped Ah Loi (Latok’s oldest son played by Lui Fong). Chi Ho succeeded in his plan and got the ransom he asked for. Instead of letting Ah Loi go like he was supposed to, he decided that dead man tells no tales. Chi Ho ordered his henchman to dumped Ah Loi into the ocean. While Ah Loi was missing, Chi Ho took over the company and brought out Ah Hoi & Ah Wah’s company with his newfound wealth. Ah Wah went to work for Chi Ho but Ah Hoi refused to be Chi Ho’s slave. But Ah Loi didn’t die. He came back and proved that Chi Ho was the one behind the kidnapping and attempted murder.

During this time, Ah Mun became pregnant with Ah Nam’s baby. When the truth came to be known, Ah Mun tried to reason with Chi Ho into turning himself in. Chi Ho, scared of going to jail, kidnapped Ah Mun and held her hostage. He took her to a deserted place and demanded ransom from Ah Nam. A frantic Ah Nam was willing to do anything to get his wife and child back safe. Meanwhile, due to all the stress and havoc Chi Ho was putting on her, Ah Mun went into early labor and Chi Ho rushed her to a local doctor. The nurse recognized Chi Ho from the wanted poster and called the cops. The cops arrived just as Ah Mun gave birth to a son. Chi Ho held the baby in his arms with the tenderness he has never shown with his own son. Chi Ho begged Ah Mun to run away with him so they can start their lives over again. He promised her that he will love this baby like his own son and they can go back to the ways things were. A very emotional Ah Mun began to cry and told Chi Ho that nothing can ever be the same again. She urged him once again to turn himself in; that she forgave him for the pain he caused her and they can be friends again. Chi Ho sadly shakes his head as her words finally sunk in. Knowing that it’s too late for him, Chi Ho took the baby out to the balcony and threatened to kill him if the police refused to give him a get away car. Alas, things got out of control and Chi Ho was shot. The baby he was holding turned out to be a toy so he basically wanted to die. To Chi Ho that was a better choice than going to jail. Yun Yee was devastated by the death of her son while Ah Nam joyfully reunited with his wife and son.

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Ah King/Ah Loi/Dai Lik
Ah King is Ah Gwei’s best friend and Yun Yee’s real daughter. She first met Ah Loi when he came to Hong Kong after running away from home. Latok tried to force his oldest son into marriage with a Malaysian heiress but Ah Loi refused and ran away to Hong Kong. Ah Loi was homeless with no money so the kindhearted King took him back to Sam Dong (The restaurant Cha Siu Bing & Seen Yee owns). Ah King helped Ah Loi get a job at selling live chicken in the market and their friendship slowly developed. Ah Loi’s dream is to become a musician and Ah King encouraged Ah Loi to realize his dream. What started out as friendship soon turned into love but both were too chicken to make the first move. Ah Loi entered a contest and won a scholarship to study music overseas. A tearful King promised to wait for his return.

Soon after, Dai Lik entered the scene. Like Ah King, Dai Lik is kindhearted with a simple mind. He believed that everyone is good and doesn’t have a mean thought in his bone. He quickly falls for Ah King but Ah King’s heart will always belong to Ah Loi. So Ah Loi settles for friendship and appointed himself the protector of Ah King.

Ah Loi came back from his study and proposed to Ah King. Just when it seemed like they would be together, Ah Loi got kidnapped by Chi Ho and went missing. Once again, Ah King was left waiting for Ah Loi to return to her. When Ah Loi finally found his way back, he swore revenge on Chi Ho. Alas, Chi Ho’s death caused a huge wall between Ah Loi and Ah King since Chi Ho is Ah King’s brother. There was no way Ah King would hurt her mother further by marrying the man who indirectly caused her brother’s death. Ah Loi tried to make Ah King forgive him but Ah King had made her mind up and refused to talk to him. Ah Loi left Hong Kong with a broken heart and immersed himself in his music.

Dai Lik, realizing that he has no chance with Ah King, decided to move to Shanghai to develop his career. He opened up a restaurant and became a successful businessman.

Ah King’s love for Ah Loi never changed and as the years past, her anger at him lessen and with the encouragement of Yun Yee, slowly began to forgive him. Latok, concern for his son’s love life, tested Ah King by setting her up with a young handsome rich businessman. Ah Loi got jealous and returned to Hong Kong to begin actively pursue Ah King again. Ah King proved herself to Latok when she turned down the rich businessman and proclaim her love for Ah Loi. The two finally ends up married and live a happy life together.

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Ah Gwei/Ah Hoi/Ah Nam/Ah Man
After Chong Yiu died, all Ah Hoi would concentrate on were his business and his children. Love was the last thing on his mind. But when he saw Ah Gwei, all that changed. Ah Gwei bumped into Ah Hoi on the street one day and that’s how they met. A shocked Hoi was determine to find out who Ah Gwei really is since she looks exactly like his dead wife except Ah Gwei has a mole on her face. Imagine his surprise and delight when he discovered that Ah Gwei is Ah King’s best friend. The whole family was shocked when they first saw Ah Gwei but they soon got over it and accepted her as one of their own especially when Cha Siu Bing asked Ah Gwei to be his god sister. At first, Ah Hoi thought that because Ah Gwei and Chong Yiu look alike, they would have the same personality, but he was wrong. Ah Gwei was even more wild then Chong Yiu was. Ah Gwei lives life to the fullest and hates responsibilities. Ah Hoi soon changed his mind and begin to dislike Ah Gwei for how she always takes advantage of people.

Ah Gwei was fired from her job and as a result of that, went to work for Ah Hoi. Ah Hoi finally understand that underneath Ah Gwei’s armor lies a kind-hearted person. Of course, Ah Gwei now has feelings for Ah Hoi and vice versa but each denied it under sarcastic bantering. During this time, Ah Nam came onto the scene as Ah Hoi’s client. Ah Nam instantly fell for Ah Gwei. To make Ah Hoi jealous, Ah Gwei went out with Ah Nam. Ah Hoi was jealous but refused to admit it. That is, until one rainy night, and Ah Hoi declared his feeling to an overjoyed Gwei who agrees to break things off with Ah Nam. Alas, Ah Nam and Ah Gwei got into a car accident and Ah Nam got injured trying to save Ah Gwei. Ah Gwei, feeling guilty, agrees to marry Ah Nam if only he would get well. Ah Nam recovers and Ah Gwei felt obligated to marry Ah Nam.   Being the nice guy that he is, Ah Nam released Ah Gwei from her promise and urged her to get together with Ah Hoi. A grateful Gwei thanks Ah Nam for his kindness. Ah Hoi and Ah Gwei ended up married while Ah Nam found his true love in Ah Mun.

Love never runs smooth for Kindred Spirit couples. Ah Gwei and Ah Hoi began to have problems in their marriage. Ah Gwei became pregnant but May May accidentally caused Ah Gwei to lose the baby. After that, everything went downhill. The doctors told Ah Gwei that her chances of becoming pregnant again are slim to none. Ah Gwei became moody and insecure. Especially since she knows how much Ah Hoi’s mother wants a grandson. The pressure increase when Ah Hoi’s real mother came to live with them and found faults in everything Ah Gwei does. Ah Hoi’s mother totally spoiled the children so now they don’t listen to Ah Gwei and no matter what they did wrong, the grandma will defend them. Also, the mother would hint that Ah Hoi could always have more than one wife since Ah Gwei can’t even manage to give him a son. Ah Gwei soon became frustrated with the situation. Ah Hoi tries to help but he’s always away on business, leaving Ah Gwei alone to handle the home front. Ah Gwei and Ah Hoi’s mother continued to fight and Ah Gwei even ran away from home one time but Ah Hoi patched things up between the two and everything was okay for awhile.

Ah Gwei became sick and she went to see a doctor with Seen Yee and Ah King. The nurse told them that Ah Gwei is pregnant but a later phone call revealed that it was all a mistake. But it was too late since they told the family the news already. Seeing how well, Ah Hoi’s mother treats her now, Ah Gwei hid the fact that she’s not really pregnant, even from Ah Hoi. Eventually, Ah Gwei confessed to Ah Hoi and Ah Hoi promised to find a solution. Alas, Hoi’s mother found out the truth and was furious at the both of them for lying to her. The mother soon began to have doubts about Ah Hoi’s loyalty.

Things went from bad to worst when Ah Hoi’s mother accused Ah Gwei of cheating on Ah Hoi with Ah Nam. This caused Ah Hoi to be jealous of Ah Nam and soon, the two friends are no more. Ah Nam tried to help Ah Hoi by telling him not to invest in the lumber industry because he had inside information that the lumber will be controlled by the government and Ah Hoi’s company will not get the lumber that it needs. Ah Hoi refused to listen to him and thought that Ah Nam was out to get him. Turns out that Ah Nam was right and Ah Hoi’s family business is in danger of going bankrupt. Ah Hoi’s brother blames him for this mess (even though he encouraged Ah Hoi) and kicked him out of the family and to keep their mother with him since he no longer wants the responsibility of taking care of her. Ah Hoi sadly returns to Hong Kong.

During this time, Ah Hoi got involved with Ah Man. Ah Man is a brilliant architect who works for her fiancé (another architect) but after discovering that her fiancé is gay, she went to work for Ah Hoi who is slowing rebuilding his company. They grew close…a little too close. With the problems at work and home, Ah Hoi felt that Ah Gwei no longer understands him so he confides in Ah Man.

Ah Man and Ah Hoi went to China for a business trip when an earthquake hit and they’re trap. While they’re trapped in the fallen building, Ah Man and Ah Hoi had a heart-to-heart where Ah Hoi promised to take care of Ah Man. In the meantime, Ah Gwei is frantic in trying to find her husband. She begged and cried, and finally decided to find him herself by digging furiously. Sadly, Ah Gwei found them too late. Their relationship had deepen during this time of crisis and Ah Hoi no longer cares for Ah Gwei as much as he cares for Ah Man. Soon, one thing leads to another and Ah Hoi soon start a relationship with Ah Man.

Ah Gwei eventually found out about Ah Hoi’s relationship with Ah Man and asked for a divorce which Ah Hoi agrees to. Not too long after, Ah Gwei found out she pregnant for sure this time but elected to not tell Ah Hoi. Ah Hoi moves out of the house to live with Ah Man even after he found out that Ah Gwei is carrying his child. Ah Gwei, determined that she can go on without Ah Hoi, took over Ah Kam’s beauty salon so she can be financially independent, and took care of the house and the children.

Ah Hoi’s mother’s illness return causing her to go blind. She decided to return to Malaysia where the older son would take care of her since she doesn’t trust Ah Hoi and Ah Gwei now. Unfortunately for her, the older son and his four wives want nothing to do with her. The four wives threaten to not ask their fathers for money to bail Ah Hoi’s brother out if he keep his mother here. So the mother returns to Hong Kong and asked Ah Hoi to send her to a nursing home. At the nursing home, Ah Gwei tried to take care of her mother-in-law but that stubborn woman refused to see Ah Gwei. In order to take care of her, Ah Gwei disguised herself as a nurse and took care of Ah Hoi’s mother. When the mother discovered that Ah Gwei really is a good daughter-in-law, she felt guilty and asked for Ah Gwei’s forgiveness. She moves back in with Ah Gwei and proceed to yell at Ah Hoi for leaving his wife and shacking it up with his mistress.

Ah Man, feeling the pressure from everyone, craved in and left Ah Hoi. She didn’t want to destroy another woman’s family no matter how much she loves Ah Hoi. She left for France and never came back. Even though Ah Man has left the picture, Ah Gwei can’t forgive Ah Hoi for cheating and refused to take him back. Of course, this super-couple does get back together at the end and Ah Gwei gives Ah Hoi a healthy baby boy and the family moves to Shanghai.

To be continued...