Baby Bonus (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Baby Bonus is a Singaporean Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 drama which was telecasted on Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

's free-to-air channel, MediaCorp Channel 8. It made its debut on 30 September 2009 and ended on 30 October 2009. This drama serial consists of 23 episodes, and was screened on every weekday night at 9:00 pm.

Main cast

  • Felicia Chin
    Felicia Chin
    Felicia Chin Foon Ling , also known by her Chinese stage name Chen Jingxuan, is a Singaporean television actress.-Biography:...

     陈靓瑄 as 黄丽萍 Huang Li Ping
  • Tay Ping Hui
    Tay Ping Hui
    Tay Ping Hui is a Singaporean Chinese MediaCorp television and film actor. Tay is best known for acting in many Chinese language TV drama series on Channel 8 and has made appearances in the films Summer Holidays and Infernal Affairs II .-Early life:Tay Ping Hui attended Catholic High School and...

     郑斌辉 as 李家成 Li Jia Cheng
  • Jesseca Liu
    Jesseca Liu
    Jesseca Liu Zhi Xuan is a Malaysian actress and model working in Singapore.-Early life:Jesseca Liu was born in Langkawi, Malaysia. She began modeling after graduating from Saito Academy in 2001. Languages often spoken by Liu are Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Bahasa Melayu. First known as Lao...

     刘芷绚 as 郑晓阳 Zheng Xiao Yang
  • Darren Lim 林明伦 as 郑国安 Zheng Guo An
  • Tay Kui Hong as Olympic

Supporting Cast

  • Apple Hong
    Apple Hong
    Apple Hong is an entertainer from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her career in show-business started when she was awarded first-runner up in the Malaysian Star Search 1999, and was then known as ‘Malaysian Shu Qi’ due to her slight resemblance to the Hong Kong actress...

     洪乙心 as Angeline
  • Terence Cao
    Terence Cao
    Terence Cao is a Singaporean Chinese MediaCorp television actor.-Biography:Cao was educated at Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore. Prior to joining SBC in 1989, Cao worked as a flight attendant...

     曹国辉 as Simon Koh 许晴光
  • Xiang Yun
    Xiang Yun
    Xiang Yun ) is a Singaporean actress from MediaCorp. She is considered as one of the veteran actresses in MediaCorp with 27 years of her career in the Singaporean entertainment industry. She is also deemed as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" ....

     向云 as 黄美玲 Huang Mei Ling
  • Zhu Houren
    Zhu Houren
    Zhu Houren is a Singaporean MediaCorp actor, most notable for his role in Wok of Life.In 2003, Zhu directed and acted in After School.In the recent Star Awards 2010, Zhu won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as Sgt...

     朱厚任 as 郑发材 Zheng Fa Cai
  • Lin Meijiao
    Lin Meijiao
    Lin Meijiao 林梅娇 is a Singaporean television actress.-Bio:Lin is a consummate artiste who has acted in many drama serials. This thespian was also awarded the Best Supporting Actress at the 1995 Shanghai International Film Festival for her role in the drama serial Silk Of Love.Her congenial and...

     林梅娇 as 龙宝音 Long Bao Yin
  • Jerry Yeo as Ah Xiang

Sypnosis

As the boss of a flourishing furniture shop, Zheng Fa Cai (Zhu Hou Ren) is known to be a businessman who built up his business from scratch. He leads a blissful and peaceful life with his wife, Long Bao Yin (Lin Mei Jiao), and two children, Guo An (Darren Lim) and Xiao Yang (Jesseca Liu
Jesseca Liu
Jesseca Liu Zhi Xuan is a Malaysian actress and model working in Singapore.-Early life:Jesseca Liu was born in Langkawi, Malaysia. She began modeling after graduating from Saito Academy in 2001. Languages often spoken by Liu are Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Bahasa Melayu. First known as Lao...

).

On the contrary to the Zhengs, life has not been smooth-sailing for Huang Mei Ling (Xiang Yun
Xiang Yun
Xiang Yun ) is a Singaporean actress from MediaCorp. She is considered as one of the veteran actresses in MediaCorp with 27 years of her career in the Singaporean entertainment industry. She is also deemed as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" ....

) and her family. Her good-for-nothing husband, Ah Nan (Richard Low) constantly badgers her for more money and often beats up both mother and daughter. Sick and tired of this nonsense, Huang finally decides to escape from home with her daughter Li Ping (Felicia Chin
Felicia Chin
Felicia Chin Foon Ling , also known by her Chinese stage name Chen Jingxuan, is a Singaporean television actress.-Biography:...

) to be free from Ah Nan’s clutches.

Due to a lack of proper upbringing, a brash Li Ping gave up on her studies and became an unwed mother. She lost all focus in life and idles her time away. With no proper job, Li Ping mixes around with bad company and can be often found at the pool parlour. To support her malingerer daughter and grandson, Mei Ling takes up two jobs and becomes the sole breadwinner of the family.

Young and wild, Li Ping finds her son, Olympic, a burden and often leaves him in the care of her neighbour, Lee Jia Cheng (Tay Ping Hui
Tay Ping Hui
Tay Ping Hui is a Singaporean Chinese MediaCorp television and film actor. Tay is best known for acting in many Chinese language TV drama series on Channel 8 and has made appearances in the films Summer Holidays and Infernal Affairs II .-Early life:Tay Ping Hui attended Catholic High School and...

). He helps them with the responsibility of caring for baby Olympic and lessens the heavy burden of the Huang women.

When Li Ping discovered that Fa Cai used to be her mother’s first love, she begins to make use of his soft-hearted nature for her own benefit. She lands herself in hot soup and chalks up a debt. With nobody to turn to, she looks Fa Cai up and attempts to sell Olympic to him to solve her money woes.

Fa Cai mistakes Li Ping to be his daughter and cannot bear to see his grandson in the hands of other people. He arranges for Olympic to be adopted by Guo An but was initially rejected by the latter. Upon knowing that Olympic is his father’s grandson, Guo An decides to adopt the baby despite objections from his wife, Angelina (Apple Hong
Apple Hong
Apple Hong is an entertainer from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her career in show-business started when she was awarded first-runner up in the Malaysian Star Search 1999, and was then known as ‘Malaysian Shu Qi’ due to her slight resemblance to the Hong Kong actress...

). Unwilling to comply, Angelina decides to walk out on the family, putting the couple’s relationship to a test.

Due to his haphazard working habits, Guo An starts to face difficulties at work. He is unhappy with his father’s trust in Jia Cheng and both father and son start to clash against one another, causing a crack in their harmonious familial relationship.

Jia Cheng has been working at Fa Cai’s furniture shop since he was 16 years old and has been carrying a torch for Xiao Yang. Due to his low financial status and inferior education background, he feels incompatible and does not dare to confess his feelings for her. Unlike Jia Cheng, Xiao Yang looks upon him as a brother and does not harbour any special feelings for him.

Xiao Yang runs a restaurant together with her boyfriend, Simon (Terence Cao). Unknown to Xiao Yang, Simon is also the restaurant’s landlord and she is shocked when she discovered that he has been trying to raise the rent of the restaurant. Simon maintains that they should keep their love life out of work matters and rationalizes his actions. Disappointed in his backhanded ways, Xiao Yang decides to part ways with him and focuses all attention on her business instead.

Unwilling to let Xiao Yang’s efforts go down the drain, Jia Cheng sells his house and buys over the shop space for her restaurant. Unable to see Jia Cheng lead a life in the doldrums, Li Ping stands up for him and informs Xiao Yang of everything Jia Cheng has done for her.

Touched by his feelings for her, Xiao Yang decides to try and date Jia Cheng. Despite his success in winning her over, Jia Cheng discovers that Xiao Yang is still deeply in love with Simon and rejects her good intentions. Both Mei Ling and Jia Cheng found out that Li Ping sold Olympic to the Zhengs. Both of them were sorely disappointed and with her actions and decide to give her the cold shoulder. In a bid to get closer to her grandson, Mei Ling becomes Olympic’s nanny in the Zheng household.

Guo An forces Angelina to take a break from work after the latter sustains an injury. During her rest, Angelina discovers that she is not indispensable to the company and realises that life is not all about working. With their newfound perspective on life, the couple reconciles back together again. Together with Angelina’s support and help, Guo An gains a deeper insight to his father’s actions and intentions, and mellows down. Upon seeing a change in his son’s mentality and attitude, Fa Cai decides to leave the company in his care.

Ignored by her own mother, Li Ping starts to regret for her actions after Bao Yin bars her from visiting Olympic. She decides to turn over a new leaf and begins taking on odd jobs to earn her own keep in hopes to redeem Olympic from the Zhengs with her own money.

After Bao Yin discovers Mei Ling’s past with Fa Cai, she leaves home in a fit. Ah Nan gets wind of the entire matter and thought that he’s being made a cuckold. He holds Olympic hostage and demands money from Bao Yin and Fa Cai while threatening Li Ping. Unwilling to put up with his demanding requests, Li Ping informs the police who eventually arrests Ah Nan. Mei Ling takes the opportunity to personally explain her part of the story to Bao Yin and proved to her that Li Ping is not Fa Cai’s daughter.

Although the misunderstanding has been cleared, Fa Cai can’t help but feel a sense of loss upon discovering that Olympic is not his grandson. At that moment, Angelina announces her pregnancy to the family, adding much cheer and joy to everyone’s surprise.

Best Supporting Actress nomination

  • Xiang Yun
    Xiang Yun
    Xiang Yun ) is a Singaporean actress from MediaCorp. She is considered as one of the veteran actresses in MediaCorp with 27 years of her career in the Singaporean entertainment industry. She is also deemed as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" ....

     was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress award but lost to Constance Song in The Ultimatum
    The Ultimatum
    The Ultimatum is a Singaporean Chinese drama which was telecasted on Singapore's free-to-air channel, MediaCorp Channel 8. It made its debut on 27 May 2009 and ended on 7 July 2009...

    .
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK