男人之苦

Tin Yam is a professional engineer. His wife died when their son, Sai Hei, was eight years old. He then married Tak Kiu, who is a teacher. Yam thought he found a good mother for Hei but then he later realised that he had shouldered onto himself the responsibility of taking care of Kiu’s family! Time flew and ten years have now passed. Yam organises a birthday banquet for his father-in-law, Kai Cheong. He asks his colleagues to attend the dinner and Hei invites a sexy showgirl to join and add fun to the event. However, Kiu’s sister, Tak Lan, mistakenly thinks they are having an affair. Yam’s new boss, Chung, is the son of the big boss. He wants Yam to privately take on old building renovation jobs. Kiu is worried that she will be laid off as she scores low on her language aptitude test. She is in a bad mood and thinks that Yam no longer loves her. Hei follows Yam to see if he is having an affair and finds that he isn’t.… ...

Lan is shocked to learn that Kiu has not had sex with Yam for six months and she believes that Yam must have been seeing someone else. She is determined to find proof with the help of their youngest sister, Wai. Hei defends Yam as he once followed him and knows that he is really busy with work. However, shortly afterward, Hei discovers that Yam frequently hangs out in nightclubs and then Hei regrets that he defended him. Hei uses an AIDS prevention promotion leaflet to remind Yam to behave. But Yam thinks Hei is infected with the deadly disease. After clarification, Hei discovers that Yam is suffering from a pain that any man would keep to himself… Kiu is finally done with her language aptitude test. With the help of Lan and Wai, she plans for a romantic night with Yam. Hei, in order to save his father, proposes an idea…

Hei leaves behind the AIDS prevention promotion leaflet at the house where he is delivering some takeaway. Fu, a talented high school student, thinks that he is infected with AIDS. Hei nearly makes Fun miss her exams. Fortunately, she finally makes it to the exam centre. Hei is cleared for not having AIDS and his boss allows him to resume work. However, he resigns since he is not happy with his boss. Yam wants to scold Hei but Cheong comes to his rescue. He asks Hei to go out with him to play. Cheong meets an old friend and lends him a huge sum of money when he knows he is in need. Lan is furious and Cheung is angry at her overreaction. He then disappears. Luckily, Yam guesses where he goes and brings him back. Yam places a bet with Hei and loses. He is forced to stop going to nightclubs to work off his stress…

Hei goes to work at the Japanese restaurant owned by Chi and Man. He comes across Fun there. He invites Fun to join him at a street party and they have fun together. Kiu begins to lose her faith in teaching as the parents of the school children keep complaining. She is even more worried as she finds that Hei is not working. Yam decides to join Chung’s team, though he doesn’t like him. In order to work off his stress, he secretly goes to nightclubs again. Hei feels bad when he sees that Kiu is upset with Yam’s indifference to her and he cannot tell her the truth. He tries his best to comfort her. He volunteers to join a counselling camp with her to offer help. He is not aware that Fun is also one of the volunteers at the camp…

Yam seeks help from Lei and she reasons that the root of his problem is due to some mental stress and proposes to help him solve his problem at a hotel. However, Lan and her friends follow them and ask them to explain… Fun and Hei find shelter from the heavy rain and spend the night in a deserted house. They are attracted to each other and sleep together. However, Fun is lost as she is not sure about her relationship with Hei and she doesn’t know how to face her family for she is afraid she will get pregnant. Yam continues to seek help from Lei and from their conversation, he finally realises the reason for Kiu’s recent crazy shopping and knows Kiu is still suspicious of him meeting with Lei at the hotel…

Kiu finds Fun’s pregnancy test result but Yam mistakenly thinks she is cheating on him. Kiu clarifies and finds out that Hei is responsible for Fun’s pregnancy. Kiu and Yam feel bad as they think they had not taught Hei properly. Tin and Chi deliver the report to Fun and bump into Lung and Fun’s father, Wai. When they learn that Fun is pregnant by Hei, they are so furious that they nearly kill Yam. Yam sends Fun and Hei back home to take shelter and then goes back to work. He doesn’t know Wai is following him. Wai is so upset that he messes around in Yam’s company and hits Chung. Chung faints, while Yam and Wai are hurt. They are sent to the hospital. Yam is asked to go and convince Fun to give up the baby. However, Fun and Hei decide to get married. Yam is thought to be too selfish.

Kiu asks Lei out to talk about things. Yam tries to solve the misunderstanding. He does not know that Lei hasn’t told Kiu anything. He, however, makes things more complicated when he discloses that he once betrayed Kiu ten years ago. Hei behaves immaturely and causes small arguments between him and Fun. Luckily, Yam is there to help him. He is upset to know that the relationship between his father and mother got worse and he walks out on Fun when they are having their wedding pictures taken. Fun is angry. Hei arranges for Yam and Kiu to join a marriage counselling camp to try to save their marriage. Yam and Kiu, in order not to disappoint Hei, pretends to be very loving in front of others. Hei, knowing about their pretence, is very worried and upset. Yam suddenly faints during the competition and ironically, is mistaken as being a caring and loving husband. He and Kiu are awarded a prize. Yam tries to patch things up.… ...

Fun is upset as Hei does not understand her and sacrifices time not on their wedding, but on patching up his parents’ relationship. She then loses her jade and decides to run away from the wedding. Fortunately, Hei realises he is wrong and helps her find her jade. He even brings her to Thailand for their honeymoon. Kiu is still worried about Yam and Lei. She then bumps into Lei. Lei pays for Kiu’s meal as Kiu had forgotten to bring her wallet. Lei persuades Yam to get treatment. Kiu arranges for him to see a psychologist and somehow, they end up in a fight. Kiu is upset as she is only trying to help. But Yam does not understand her. Hei returns from Thailand and marries Fun. Yam’s secret is finally made known to the rest of the family and everyone is concerned. They try to give him different food to help his impotency. Yam feels shameful after his secret leaks out and quarrels again with Kiu and asks for a divorce.

Kiu is disappointed that Yam cannot bring himself to face reality; their relationship worsens, as Yam is upset for losing face in front of his friends and relatives. Cheong and Hei try to help, but in vain. Yam and Kiu eventually sign the papers for their divorce. Kiu changes job and becomes a private tutor at Tseung’s school. She is very popular and becomes a completely different woman, glowing with glamour. Hei works at the construction site during the day to earn more and takes classes at an evening school. He finally passes his exams and receives an authorised professional designation. Fun is delighted to see him working so hard for their baby and is touched. A few months pass, Kiu has become a famous tutor and her popularity is increasingly on the rise. On the contrary, Yam is still heartbroken. Feeling lonely, he gets drunk.… ...

Yan is unhappy with Hei and assigns him to work dangerously at the construction site. Hei nearly gets hurt, but luckily, Chi helps him out. The work at the construction site has been delayed and Chung is angry and gives Hei a hard time. Chi quickly calls his friends to help, but since he cannot offer much, no one really wants to do the job. Kiu hit Yam when she was driving carelessly. Yam asks her to take care of him as his hands are injured. However, Kiu discovers that his hands are fine as he can go nightclubs to have fun. Kiu is so angry that she takes their divorce to court. She is prepared to use Yam’s impotency as reason for her divorce and Yam, on the other hand, is ready to counteract. He asks his doctor to prove he is normal and the report helps him win the case. He then uses the report to sue Kiu for causing him long-term mental stress during their marriage.

Yam is determined to sue Kiu and Kiu knows she has a slim chance of winning. Though reluctant, she must agree to Yam’s irrational requests. Cheong and Man appear to be a loving couple. However, Man is always busy at work. Feeling lonely, Cheong invites Wai to fly with him in his jet plane. Hei asks his father-in-law the secret to building a loving and happy family. He learns to cook dishes that Fun loves to eat, but unfortunately fails. Hei is getting increasingly tense as the baby is about to arrive. He is worried about the huge expenses after the baby is born, and he is getting sick. Wan pressures Chung due to the work delay. Chung then discovers that Wan is the person who broke him up with his girlfriend. At the same time, he also receives a wedding invitation from this ex-girlfriend. He asks Hei to attend the wedding party for him and give a gift to the bride…

Instead, Chung finally decides to go to the church himself. However, when he arrives, the ceremony is over. Hei then brings him to the martial arts centre to work out his frustrations. When Chung returns to the construction site, he announces that he will no longer renovate the old buildings for which he is responsible. When Yam learns about this, he is devastated as Chung has ruined his reputation, one that he has worked hard to build. Yam then seeks Yan out for help and he must take care of his staff. However, Yan makes fun of him without offering any help. Yan is distressed. He sits on the edge of the balcony and gets drunk. Kiu thinks he wants to kill himself and tries to talk him out of it. Accidentally, she injures him again. Cheong and Wai get along very well. Wai loses her watch and Cheong wants to buy her a new one. However, Man nearly finds out.… ...

Yam finally chooses Kiu to help him and Li leaves in anger. Afterwards, Kiu feels lost. On the other side, Chung volunteers to participate in a martial arts match and gets bruised. He also let Wan mistake him for having an affair with Hei. Cheong finally gets the courage to tell Wai his feelings for her, but Wai does not seem to care. She behaves as if nothing has happened, even in front of Man. Cheong is embarrassed. When Wan comes to Wai’s beauty centre for a facial, Wai takes the opportunity to tell her the reason behind Chung’s dissatisfaction with her. She also encourages Chung and Wan to talk things out. Wan and Chung finally forgive each other and come to good terms. This in turn helps free Yam from being their centre of friction. Yam can finally focus on his career and improve things. He returns home for dinner, announcing that he plans to marry Kiu again. However, he is surprised to find disagreement.… ...

Hei and his friends go to a street party as usual and come across Chung and Wai. Chung tells Hei that Wai helped him improve his relationship with his mother. Yam, on the other side, asks Li to help him pretend to be angry at Kiu. However, Li refuses and tells Yam that she has given up hope on him. Yam is speechless. Li also tells him that he has been very selfish. Kiu, on the other hand, also tells Yam that she no longer loves him. Both Li and Kiu chose to be on their own. Yam feels very sorry. Yam’s car breaks down and Kiu, when passing by, offers him a ride. However, that accidentally leads to a disagreement between Yam and Ben. Yam wants to take revenge on Ben and when Hei finds out, he scolds Yam for being immature. Wai learns from Chung that Cheong has done something wrong, decides to put him to a test, and finally discovers the truth. Fun is angry that she is being looked down on, thus studies even harder.… ...

Fun moves back home and faces Lan’s sarcasm. To save face, Yam goes to Fun’s school and takes her home. Wai is not happy and tries to interfere. Suddenly, Fun does not feel well and delivers the baby early. Upset about the baby’s premature birth, Hei is angry about his father. Fun is worried about the baby and Hei tries his best to comfort her. At the same time, he also must find diapers specially made for premature babies. Yam asks Kiu to pass the diapers he bought for the baby to Hei to avoid confrontation with him. Kiu tells Hei that Yam bought the diapers, but Hei is still angry with him. Wai is worried that the relationship between Man and Cheong is getting worse, so she comes up with an idea. Kiu wants to buy a baby car for Hei’s baby and in the process, she realises that Ben is not what she wants as a husband. Then, her carelessness nearly causes her another accident. Luckily, Hak saves her.… ...

Yam goes home alone after visiting his baby grandson. He is having his birthday and no one celebrates with him. Hei remembers the past when he sees the gold medal, decides to forgive his father and celebrates with him. Fun is still angry with Yam and refuses to move back to live with him. Yam asks a fortune-teller to find a good name for his baby grandson. Everyone loves the name, even Fun’s parents. Fun later learns from the doctor that her baby’s premature birth has nothing to do with Yam. She apologises to Yam. Kiu invites everyone to her house to celebrate the baby reaching one month old. However, Kiu and Hak make one of the dishes. When Cheong sees that Man is standing dangerously on a high place, he quickly moves forward to get her down. This is actually planned by Wai – the plan is to help Man overcome her fear of heights on the one hand, and to patch up her relationship with Cheong on the other hand.… ...

Ben teaches Kiu to work out on a treadmill, but she nearly hurts herself as a result. Fortunately, Hak is there to save her again. Ben and Hak express their love for Kiu at the same time at school. Kiu does not know whom to choose. Kiu seeks advice from Yam. Yam shares with her his past experience and finds that their current relationship is even better than when they were married. Ben and Hak fight over Kiu. The situation gets out of control. Yam quickly pretends to be hit by them and faints. The two men then leave. Chi wants to buy a game machine for Pui for her achieving good academic results. However, Lan prevents him. Upset, Chi goes to Tseung’s home. By chance, he learns the reason for Lan’s sudden marriage to him. Lan later discovers Pui going to the street party with Man Chan and Siu Dong. She is furious.

Chung’s ex-girlfriend, who is now married to another man, calls and asks him for help. Wai senses that something is wrong and learns that she wants to cheat Chung for his money. Chung, with Wai’s help, finally sees the true side of his ex-girlfriend. Chung then helps Wai, telling Tseung that they are already lovers. He also praises Wai for her sensitivity and maturity. Wai finally manages to convince Wan to take a physical and finds out that something is wrong with her body. Wan then asks Chung to take care of her business. On the other side, Kiu is torn between Ben and Hak and cannot focus on her work. Suddenly, Yam is told that Kiu has disappeared. Kiu is disturbed and asks Hak to spend the night with her at the peak. Pui’s academic performance is not very good and Lan scolds her for going to the street party. She is upset and dissatisfied with Lan and in anger, she leaves home without a trace…

Wai and Chung come across Chi and Pui. When they learn about what has happened, Chung lends them his boat to stay at temporarily. Chung then expresses his feelings for Wai and they finally become lovers. Lan is desperate when she finds that both Chi and his father are missing. She finally realises her fault when Yam scolds her and slaps her in the face. She hurries to the TV station to join Chi to cheer for Pui, who has joined a street dance competition. Hei and Fun, on the other hand, are busy taking care of their baby. The baby needs so much attention that they are unable to get any sleep. Yam tricks Ben into giving up Kiu and helps Hak change his image to please Kiu. He does not know what Kiu thinks and even volunteers to finalise the divorce arrangements…

Hei panics when he discovers that his baby is missing. Luckily, Tseung is only playing a trick on him. Fun must make a painful choice between her studies and her baby. Hei encourages her to purse her studies. Chung tells Wan that he is seeing Wai. Wan gives her consent, but Chung is disappointed to find that Wai has rejected his proposal. On the other hand, Kiu finds out from Man that Yam thinks she has had sex with Hak, and Yam thinks it is his responsibility and thus agrees to marry her. Kiu does not want Yam to marry her because of this and is distressed. Hei and Fun hold a birthday dinner for their baby. Yam thinks Hak is irresponsible and ends up in a fight with him. Yam, thinking he is helping Kiu, admits in front of everyone else that he is the father of Kiu’s child. He is not aware that he is telling the truth…

Yam tells Kiu his true feelings and Kiu is touched. She tells him the truth and her feelings too. Fun spends a wonderful time with Hei and the baby before she goes abroad for her studies. Hei makes a special “diary of the future” for Kiu, telling her that no matter where she is, the baby will grow up with her. Fun is reluctant to leave them… On the other hand, Yam is too indulged in his affair with Kiu and gives Yan a chance to get back at him. Ben also takes his revenge against Yam, thus causing Yam to be held responsible for serious trouble at the construction site. Yam is suspended from work. Yam, however, learns from this experience and patches up his relationship with Kiu. Chung is happy with his relationship with Wai. Having seen the experiences of Kiu, Lan and Cheong, he decides not to get married. Wai, in the end has to…