chapter 150: white doves

[Wong Family House]

It was midnight by the time Joey (Bernice Liu) returned home. She anticipated that the living room would be empty, but instead, her father was sitting on the couch and the television was on. However, "The Walk of Dispassion" still saw no viewers and had put Wong Sheung (Lau Dan) to sleep. Joey smiles looking at him sleep. She quietly tiptoes over to turn off the TV.

The moment the television was turned off, Wong Sheung jumps up. Joey is startled by the sudden jerk and jumps back. "Daddy! Are you okay?"

"What are you doing? I was watching that!" he scolds her.

"Please. No one watches 'The Walk of Dispassion' even though TVB put millions into it. That's why it's aired at midnight... it helps people to fall asleep," Joey teases. She sits herself down next to Wong Sheung and asks, "How come you're not in your bedroom?"

"I just got back from a hot date!" Wong Sheung answers.

Joey looks at him knowingly. "You're in your pajamas. What kind of date was it?" She playfully teases, "Don't tell me that my father has resorted to the 'sleeping' dates."

"All right, all right... I fold," he says. "I was waiting for you to come back."

"I'm a big girl. You don't have to worry about me."

Wong Sheung looks at his daughter seriously. "I know what happened."

Joey gives him a puzzled look. "Huh? What happened?"

"Are you okay?"

"Daddy... I'm fine."

He frowns at her. "The 'Ka Yan' employees talk. I know about the murder at 'White Dreams' last night."

"Oh." Joey frowns slightly. She had wanted to conceal the information about her being at "White Dreams" last night when Ah Hoi was murdered so that her father wouldn't worry, but leave it to the gossipy "Ka Yan" employees to let all of Hong Kong know.

"Come on, daughter, talk to me."

"It's okay, really!" Joey insists. Seeing that her father wasn't satisfied with her answer, she continues, "I'm sorry that you had to find out about it from other people. I didn't want you to worry, so I tried to keep it from you."

"I was so surprised when I heard the employees talking today. When your name came up, I couldn't believe it. Could such a thing happen to my own daughter and I didn't even know about it? It's so ridiculous."

"It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Daughter, it was a traumatic event! People can suffer mental disorders from such things."

"Your daughter isn't crazy!" Joey says.

All of a sudden, Wong Sheung gives Joey a tight hug. "I could never forgive myself if something ever happened to you. After your mother left, you were the only thing that kept me focused in life. I can't lose you. I know I'm not a very good father. I'm so wrapped up in my own life that I don't care for you. I'm sorry."

"That's nonsense! You're the best father to me. Heck, you could replace Paul Chun and star in 'Family Man!'" Joey smiles. She continues, "Besides, nothing happened to me last night. I was unconscious during the whole murder. I don't know what happened..." Her father had learned about her presence at the crime scene, but Joey didn't feel it was necessary to tell him about the gory details that Ah Mun (Nancy Wu) had made clear to her that night.

Wong Sheung looks at his daughter unconvinced, but nevertheless he says, "It's so good that nothing happened."

Joey grins widely. "Of course nothing will happen to me! Mommy is up in heaven looking after me. She won't let anything happen."

Upon the mention of Joey's mom, there's a look of unpleasantness on Wong Sheung's face. He seems irritated almost.

"Daddy? What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing... Yes, I'm sure your mommy is looking after you." Almost as if he was eager to not talk about her mother, Wong Sheung changes the subject and says, "7th sister told me that you went out on a date tonight."

"Um..."

"There's no denying it. Look at you all dressed up!"

"All right, I confess. I did have a dinner at 'La-Go-Go' tonight, but it's not what you think."

"Was it with a boy?"

Joey nods her head slowly.

"Then it was a date." Wong Sheung says simply.

"Daddy! Your thinking is so old-fashioned. Can't a guy and girl just have dinner and be only friends?"

"If so, you wouldn't have gotten dressed up."

"It's a fancy place!" Joey defends herself. "You don't want your daughter to embarrass you at such a place, right?"

"Who is he?"

"It's nothing serious, daddy. If it were, I would tell you, but it's not."

"Since when was my daughter such a player?"

Joey laughs. "Since I inherited your genes."

Wong Sheung smiles. "It's okay. You've been through a lot with Chris. It's good that you're moving on finally."

She grows silent upon the mention of Ah Nin (Frankie Lam). "Y-yes."

"All right, I won't pry into your business anymore. Why don't we head up for bed?"

"Wait! Daddy, I have something to ask."

"Again? You asked for a favor this morning. Now you want one again tonight? You greedy girl!"

"I am your princess!" Joey smiles. "I need the next few days off."

"What? What's wrong?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing's the matter. I want to go on a trip for a while to get away from Hong Kong."

Wong Sheung frowns. "You're not planning on leaving me again are you? The last time you said that, you were gone for years 'vacationing' in England. You've been back for less than a year. You can't leave so soon."

"No. It's nothing like that. I want to go to Shanghai for a short trip."

He's surprised. "Shanghai? Why would you want to go there again?" He remembers Joey's plead to go to Shanghai five months ago to find Ah Nin.

"You've said it yourself! I just experienced a traumatic event! I need to get away and relax," Joey fibs.

Wong Sheung sighs. He could tell that his daughter was keeping a lot of things from him, but he can do nothing but grant her request. "Okay. But Joey, when and if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

Joey hugs her father. "I know."

[Joey's Bedroom]

That night, Joey had a dream. It was one she had whenever she thought about her situation with Ah Nin.

[Dream]

Joey and her clone sat together on a white park bench.

Clone Joey smiles brightly and declares, "Finally! We can take down Rose (Kenix Kwok)."

Joey nods her head slowly.

"What's the matter with you? You waited all these months and now you have proof against her. Why aren't you happier? You said that you knew there was something fishy going on. The slip up in the bathroom, the strange encounter with Ah Hoi, and yesterday's murder... What more do you need?"

"I know, I know!" Joey barks.

"God. What is wrong with you?"

"I know that I've waited all these months. I know that..."

"So why aren't you celebrating?"

"Because I'm scared!"

"Oh my god. Scared of what?"

"I don't know what to do next..."

"You're going to rip off her fake botoxed face and show Chris who she really is."

"But how?" Joey covers her face and runs her hands through her hair. "I don't know what to do. I waited and prayed... Now that heaven has finally answered and given me the evidence I need to move forward, I find myself not knowing how to move onwards. I don't... I... I can't."

Clone Joey slaps her. "You need to snap out of this. You were indecisive when you didn't know the truth and now that you do know it, you still don't know what to do! I can't believe I'm you. You are such an embarrassment. All you do is wallow around in self-pity."

"It's hard and complicated. You don't know anything!"

Clone Joey grunts. "What do you want?"

"You make it sound so easy. What? I just go and expose Rose and then Chris will believe me and I'll be in his arms again? She's conniving and clever. She won't slip up so easily. It took me five months to get to this point. Do you think she will really expose herself that easily? What if she uses the situation and turns him against me? What if she says I'm framing her? What if this causes Chris to misunderstand me and we grow even further apart?"

"You love contemplating the word 'if,' don't you? That's all you ever do."

"That's how you make a decision. You really don't know anything."

"I am you."

Joey ignores her clone and looks up at the clear blue skies. "If only my world was this clear. I feel so helpless. I don't know what to do."

"You're going to Shanghai, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Then you already have a plan. Stop saying you don't."

"I don't know what to do when I'm there!"

"You do. I know you do. Joey, you need to stop being like this. I told you a million times before. You're not this vulnerable and you're not this weak. You're strong and smart. You can fight. You can overcome the evilness that is Rose."

"How can you just define and label her as evil?"

"She brainwashed Chris. She killed Ah Hoi. Is she still a saint? Those are pretty damning sins to me."

"But we don't know the whole truth."

"You know enough to know she's not good."

"I know. I have to find out what exactly happened. I can't lose Chris for such an unclear reason. I have to know... for my sake and his."

Clone Joey beams. "Yes! This is the fire that you need to keep."

As Joey stands up to stretch, she inhales the fresh air and sees white doves flying over her head through the blues skies.

[End of Dream]