"Are those the entertainment pages?" "No" "When do you want your haircut?" "It's not that long." "Not that long!" "Is he the one?" "Second from the right?" "Who?" "Sharon's boyfriend!" "Is that true?" "Don't be so bitchy." "How much did it cost, that operation?" "Shut up!" "I didn't tell you anything!" "I've never told anyone!" "You'd better not." "Does Sharon know that you know?" "How should I know?" "She sure doesn't look like she was two months' gone." "Are you coming over to do some downloads?" "Later, when my Ma's workmates arrive." "Okay" "Not picking up?" "Tomorrow sounds good." "Call you later, bye." "Back with us?" "What?" "You were miles away, daydreaming." "Dunno what you're talking about." "Me neither." "Anyhow, I'm with you now, aren't I?" "Let's not think about it any more, okay?" "So, what do we do now?" "Go for tea?" "I mean, what about us?" "You girls always ask me difficult things." "I used to know this girl..." "She was in my class, lived near our grocery store." "She often came by so we could do homework together." "Then one day she asked me..." ""What about us?"" "I don't know, I said." "You girls always... ask about things I can't answer." "Ma didn't like her much." "She wasn't bad, though." "Pretty nice, actually." "Ma thought she was lazy." "Said she'd grow up to be a lazy woman." "She wasn't my girlfriend!" "What took you so long?" "Hatching eggs?" "You know your school report isn't great?" "You have a big exam coming up next year." "Have you thought what you want to do when you finish school?" "We never had to worry about your brother." "He got good marks, he knew what he wanted." "He got that scholarship to study in Melbourne." "I don't want to go to Australia." "You don't have to." "There's plenty of affordable colleges here too." "But you have to start thinking about these things." "Finished your homework yet?" "No" "Then what are you waiting for?" "The soup's getting cold." "Okay" "So?" "She doesn't know what she wants to study yet." "Isn't she interested in Mass Communications?" "It'll be something else next week." "Is the rice ready?" "That stupid cat hasn't caught one rat." "She's a waste of food!" "Stupid cat!" "Stop moving around!" "I don't want to jab you." "You should have washed it better when you took your bath." "No wonder you never listen to what I say." "I always have to raise my voice." "Can you be a big gentler?" "Does it hurt?" "I can't tell if it's swollen inside." "Do you feel feverish?" "Move over here." "Why?" "The light's better!" "You'd better start bathing properly." "That's enough!" "I'm hungry!" "Okay, done!" "Let's eat." "What?" "What have you been saying about Sharon?" "What do you mean?" "What did you say about me?" "Damn loudmouth!" "Don't play dumb, answer me!" "What I do is none of your business." "Why are you gossiping about me?" "Don't play dumb!" "Saying nothing is like admitting it!" "Still playing dumb?" "So it's true!" "Are you going to talk or what?" "What the hell are you looking at?" "I thought you loved to talk!" "Why so quiet now?" "Who I go with is none of your goddam business." "Got a problem?" "Got a problem with Sharon having a boyfriend?" "You listen to me..." "I'm not afraid of you." "Now what?" "You didn't do anything, you fool!" "None of your business." "Why should I tell my dad?" "I have to feed my brother's fish... bye." "Why don't you use the cutters I bought for you?" "I don't know how to." "You could learn." "Lower..." "Wow!" "It's like a movie!" ""The jewel thieves were caught... within two days"" ""Two Thai men and one local man"" "They marched into the mall with grenades and machine guns..." "Robbers now are really something!" "The cops got them?" "Yeah, real quick." "If the cops really want to catch someone, they will." "What?" "Like I said..." "If the cops put their minds to something they can nab any criminals they want." "How much was the cologne?" "What cologne?" "You've been through my things!" "It wasn't really hidden..." "But you went through my things!" "Well, as your mother I've seen all of you there is to see." "You did go through my things!" "Is the girl pretty?" "What girl?" "Not picking up?" "Maybe it's her?" "None of your business." "Then it must be her." "Finished?" "Not yet!" "Ying, what's wrong?" "Sorry..." "Do you usually smoke a lot?" "What's "a lot"?" "My dad used to... smoke a pack a day." "Now he's down to six a day." "You like this top?" "It's okay." "When did you buy it?" "We're actually very much alike." "You're an only child, and so am I." "Come on, you have a brother in Melbourne." "But at home I feel like an only child." "It's still not the same." "How about your dad?" "What about him?" "Just curious." "He ran away with my younger aunt." "Your Ma's elder sister?" "What do you think?" "My Ma's younger sister!" "How did your Ma feel about it?" "What do you think?" "She wanted to kill both of them!" "Is your aunt better looking than your Ma?" "Of course not!" "So, do you hate your dad?" "Not like that!" "That's cheating!" "If you inhale properly, smoke will come through your nose." "Am I cool or what?" "Okay, one more for you to guess." "There was a Chinese emperor, real famous." "Even westerners know him." "And he was blind." "He was what?" "Blind!" "Real famous, even Americans know him." "Was he into politics?" "He was emperor, you idiot!" "Pu Yi?" "No" "He was blind." "Was there a blind emperor?" "Think about it." "Even the Americans know him." "Emperor Kang Xi!" "Kang Xi..." "Cannot see!" "I said that the clue's not mandarin." "Kang Xi..." "Cannot see!" "Even westerners know him." "Think in English." "You wanna drink?" "Wake up!" "I'll give you a lift home." "Mind your own business!" "Is she going to puke?" "How should I know?" "She'd better not, or I'll charge you extra." "Go rob someone else, then!" "You don't have to talk like that..." "I'm only a hired hand, I don't own the car." "If she pukes, I have to clean it up myself." "She hasn't puked!" "All right, then." "No need, I'm awake." "Suit yourself." "Too spicy!" "You gonna shower?" "Or I'll go first." "In those old movie classics the men are usually kind of boring." "The women give the stories their point." "If there are no women the story seems to go nowhere and the men end up looking impotent." "The life of a woman her struggles, her hopes, her quests is ruled by her belief in love." "But she relies on men to sustain this belief." "And men are always men!" "For instance, in one black-and-white movie..." "Who was that guy?" "You've met him before." "When Yuen won the numbers, he was at the dinner." "Never seen him before." "Then what are you angry about?" "I'm not." "Really?" "I'm not angry." "Really?" "I'm not!" "Who was it?" "The third one from the third row sharon, sharon deng." "The second one from the same row" "Janet Wong, out." "Who else?" "The one at the back." "Follow me!" "Thank you, Mrs Jamilah." "Why didn't you tell me?" "Your mother still doesn't know." "I don't know how to tell her." "Did you say those things or not?" "Never mind..." "Those girls will be lucky not to be expelled." "If Wan hadn't told Mrs Tan, we'd never have known about it." "Sometimes I don't know what's going on in your head!" "How could you say nothing about something so serious?" "That was kind of you..." "If you hadn't told, no one would ever have known." "But they beat you up!" "Yeah, thanks a lot!" "Here, keep these hidden." "Where did you get them?" "A pharmacy... it was easy." "How much?" "I'll always help you if I can." "I shouldn't have run away." "I owed you one." "Don't say that!" "Now I owe you back." "It's okay, you can pay me back later" "Sharon screwed up because she didn't use these!" "You've been coming home late..." "I don't want anything to happen to you." "I'm 23 years old..." "Twenty-three!" "Anyhow, you're still my son." "Happy now?" "Yes, I'm happy." "Hey, where are you going?" "Who's the boy?" "Will you tell us?" "My daughter isn't even 16 yet." "She's in fourth year, her exam is next year." "I know" "I'm sorry." "Go back to your room." "Your daughter is pretty." "Come straight to the point with them, why don't you?" "I think we'd better go to court to settle this." "That's serious..." "What future would my son have if this went to court?" "So it's all about your son..." "What about our daughter?" "She's not 16 yet..." "Your son is guilty of statutory rape." "If he goes to court, he'll appear in the paper..." "What about your daughter?" "If this comes out in public, how will she look?" "It won't appear in the paper." "I don't want to go to jail." "Quiet!" "This isn't why you asked us to come, right?" "It's not just about prosecuting him, is it?" "Isn't there another way we can resolve this?" "There's no need to blow it all up out of proportion, right?" "Please..." "We're wasting our time." "Let's put this in the hands of our lawyer." "What kind of mother are you?" "How have you raised your child?" "Don't insult my Ma!" "You have no right to speak here!" "Tuck Chai..." "Tom." "Wanna ride it?" "Sure" "My friend's brother." "What does he do?" "Not sure, a bit of this, a bit of that." "Maybe helps his dad run the hardware store." "You really want to sell the bike?" "I need the money." "Think carefully" "I've thought enough!" "Ma!" "Ma!" "Susie..." "Where were you?" "I didn't sell my bike." "When they called me to meet them..." "I knew it wasn't just about prosecuting you." "It's all about money" "I'll find the money." "If we pay, they won't prosecute." "They promised, right?" "We'll find the money, for sure." "Ma..." "I don't want to go to jail." "You won't go to jail." "I'll find the money." "Nothing's going to happen to you." "Nothing's going to happen to you." "You're here." "You look much slimmer." "What do you think?" "Nice?" "Of course, it's not ready yet." "This will soon look real hip, very youthful." "With the furniture and lighting, it'll be so cool." "Paintings on the wall here." "Just beautiful!" "There, where you are, a nice couch." "Folks can sip tea and read the papers." "There'll even be..." "My sister is paying for all this?" "Let's not talk about that." "Come and see the other room!" "Impressive, or what?" "The big window here makes it way too bright" "I'll need a painting to offset it." "A design..." "Something with an antique feel, yes!" "You feel it?" "C'mon, what do you think?" "You 'feel' it?" "The owner's son is emigrating, so I thought I liked it so much I should grab it." "I'll be serving food, so the kitchen will need better ventilation." "The contractor's great, he's given me a great quote." "Are you all right?" "Does it hurt?" "You called me out of the blue." "You want to borrow a lot of money." "I'd like to help our boy." "But I don't have the resources myself." "Your sister controls the purse strings." "I've never begged you for anything" "I'll pay you back, for sure." "How?" "You leave that to me." "Take a look, please, it hurts here." "Come on!" "What the hell!" "Why are you being so 'cool' with me?" "I'm only asking you to take a look." "You still want to borrow the money?" "Tuck Chai doesn't know about this." "I'll call you." "You think she'll be yours... when you've paid off her family?" "Once you've paid up, it'll be all over." "Scum!" "You're losing anyway, what are you waiting for?" "You're not here to choose a wife!" "Hey, that girl called me..." "What did she want?" "She asked if she was only a sex object to me." "What did you say?" "No, of course!" "Are you crazy?" "She's got a boyfriend already." "She's gone scuba diving with him on Redang Island." "She's a "1 + 1 = 3" type of girl." "What does that mean?" "What's 1 + 1?" "Two!" "Exactly" "She don't add up the usual way..." "complicated!" "So, where do you go from here?" "Where can I go?" "I have to live with it." "I can't follow her to Redang Island, right?" "You just gotta swallow the shit!" "Right, eat the shit yourself..." "Hey, Tuck Chai, that's the way it is!" "You gotta eat your own shit!" "What the hell?" "It's all right, Daniel." "Why don't you shut your mouth?" "What the hell did I say?" "Nothin' better to do than shoot your mouths off?" "So we swap books when you're done?" "Okay, but you'll take longer." "I read faster than you." "Wait for me." "You stopped taking my calls." "My parents won't let me see you." "So?" "So I shouldn't be seeing you." "But you do want to see me, right?" "I don't know." "You do or you don't?" "I don't know." "I'm going to piano class now, bye." "If you don't admit it, there's nothing the lawyer can do." "You stay quiet and there's no lawsuit, right?" "My parents took me to the clinic." "The medical report is with the lawyer, you understand?" "Just do as my parents said, and everything will be fine." "Fuck!" "Susie hasn't come back since last night." "Really?" "Yes, can't find her." "I don't know" "I've deposited the money in their account." "Should be fine." "You don't look too happy." "I'm okay." "That's just the way I am." "Thanks, everyone!" "Sales are well up this month!" "What the hell are you doing?" "You borrowed the money from him!" "Why?" "Who told you?" "I bumped into Aunt." "Who else could I borrow it from?" "His money is hers anyway..." "He has no money!" "I don't want their money!" "You know what she said to me?" "She asked if I was fucked!" "As if we didn't know she was rich!" "Hypocrite!" "You said it yourself..." "He didn't deserve to be your husband." "Didn't deserve to be my father either." "So what do you want to do now?" "Ask your girlfriend's family... for a refund?" "And pay them again when we find money somewhere else?" "One thing at a time." "Did he say anything else when you borrowed from him?" "No" "Don't be nervous." "When you get nervous, your playing loses focus." "It's not nice any more." "You have to practice slowly till your fingers remember it." "Just take it slowly, understand?" "Let's try it with your left hand only." "Take it slowly." "You're as quiet as a ghost!" "What's up?" "They still want to prosecute." "What?" "Didn't we pay them already?" "Yes, we did." "We did pay, right?" "But they still want to prosecute." "They can't do that!" "Liars!" "Did you beg them?" "Did you?" "Did you beg?" "I've nothing to say to you." "It's not possible, I've told you." "I can't come out today." "If it's so important, tell me over the phone." "Why not?" "Tell me over the phone and I'll listen, otherwise forget it!" "I told you, I can't come out." "Are you going to say or not?" "I don't believe..." "Will you stay late at Wan's and... do your homework there?" "Depends" "What?" "Wan, please keep an eye on her for us." "Unlike her, you're good with your studies." "Get something to eat, and treat Wan too." "Okay, bye." "Can't you keep the damn thing down a bit?" "Why bother seeing him again?" "He's got something to tell me." "Couldn't he tell you over the phone?" "He did." "So?" "I don't know, there's something else." "Guys are all the same." "Like how?" "They don't tell you stuff in one go." "It's like taking a house loan." "You pay back bit by bit..." "Is there... a big reservoir nearby?" ""Voir" what?" "Like a lake, for collecting rain." "What's so great about that?" "It's haunted!" "Says who?" "I've heard." "Don't worry, your fast car can get away from those ghosts!" "You're real cool!" "A hot babe wants to drink with you." "How come you never asked if I loved you?" "It's beautiful here." "You know..." "When we were together, you used to make me laugh." "But now that you say you love me you've gone all serious." "About your family, it's all true." "We've deposited the money..." "But they told my Ma that they still want to prosecute." "I don't know anything about it." "They didn't tell you?" "No" "You've got to help me." "You can tell them..." "No one benefits if it goes to court." "I don't know." "I'd have to go to jail!" "I don't want to go to jail." "It's crazy..." "Charging me with rape for no reason." "I can't even afford a lawyer." "Do you know why they're doing this?" "How would I know?" "I know nothing." "But you could try to persuade them." "They have the money already..." "What else do they want?" "Ma asked me to marry you..." "She likes you, you know?" "And I thought..." "Why not?" "Why don't you talk to your parents about it?" "What are you talking about?" "You're crazy, I'm not going to marry you." "Why didn't you hide those pills?" "It's not my fault." "You should have been more careful." "Now you're bossing me, just like my parents!" "I do what I like..." "Even if I wanted a baby, that would be my choice." "Don't you talk to me like that!" "Let go of me!" "What's this about a baby?" "I was joking, stupid." "What do you mean, joking?" "I want to go home." "I beg you..." "Talk to your parents for me..." "I want to go home." "Don't lie to me." "I don't know what you're talking about." "But you do know..." "You knew they were going to have me prosecuted anyway." "You could have stopped them!" "Why didn't you?" "Why didn't you do so?" "Did they force you?" "I don't know, I want to go home!" "Penguins are short, you know." "You know what a penguin looks like, right?" "They walk like this..." "Its front is white and... its back is black." "You know why that is?" "They wear tuxedos?" "Of course not!" "Then why?" "They have short arms so they can only wash the front, not the back!" "Where's Ying?" "Where is she?" "Tell me!" "What going on?" "She doesn't respond!" "Come and help!" "Let me go!" "She isn't dead!" "Liars!" "You killed her!" "You killed her!" "Let me go!" "She's not dead!" "Shut up!" "Hey, don't fight!" "Don't Fight!" "You saw, she was screaming!" "What was I supposed to do?" "We're fucked!" "Totally fucked!" "We can't hang around here." "Let's take her clothes off." "If we take her clothes off, she won't come back to find us." "So?" "You said you wanted to do it yourself..." "Get a move on!" "Honey!" "Reminds me of when we were young!" "What are you up to?" "The bodies were about 150m apart." "They probably died around the same time." "They were killed here, for sure." "By two or more assailants." "When the gas-station men heard the news they remembered filling up a sports car with two young girls in the back." "Why didn't they bury the bodies?" "I doubt anything was planned." "But they stopped to strip the bodies." "They were probably panicking." "No sign of sexual assault, though." "Then why strip them?" "Have you seen the boy's mother?" "I think she knows something." "She says her son is not a murderer." "Of course she'd say that!" "What mother would admit her son is a murderer?" "She hasn't told us anything we didn't know." "We're working on information from the boy's two friends." "I've sent some men to check his regular hang-outs." "Nothing yet." "You've seen the families of the victims?" "Sure," "I always get stuck with the tough jobs." "An important call for Inspector Lee..." "Your son just called us." "We've caught... his two friends." "They told us they believed the girls would come back as ghosts." "So they stripped the bodies to prevent them from seeking revenge." "Did you pressure him?" "Especially about the girl?" "According to your son if the problem couldn't be talked through he'd have to find another way to deal with it." "Is that right?" "Did you have anything to do... with the deaths of the girls?" "When your son called, he was crying." "We're sure your son was involved in the murders." "So please tell me..." "Where is he?" "You're lying." "My son would never call you"