PUBLISHED ONJanuary 18, 2023 11:11 AMByKhoo Yi-HangShe was adamant she wouldn't cry but Malaysian singer Joey Chua couldn't prevent the proverbial dam from overflowing when she finally hugged her mother.
In a vlog uploaded to her Xiaohongshu account last Saturday (Jan 14), the 28-year-old documented her trip back to Johor Bahru (JB) with her Taiwanese actor boyfriend Darren Wang.
"I've not been back to Malaysia for four years," she said, adding that she was very happy to spend the Lunar New Year at home and that it felt "almost like a dream" to be heading back.
Her sentiment didn't change upon arrival in Malaysia. "We're here, we're here," she repeatedly chimed.
But as the group waited for Joey's brother to come pick her up, she was struck by a Southeast Asian speciality — the humid heat.
She complained: "It's too hot! From a single-digit temperature in Shanghai to the 30-something degree Celsius heat here, it's too hot!"
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Darren, 31, quipped: "Aren't you also getting pretty heated up [to head home]?"
But it wasn't just the thought of heading home that was getting her excited — she revealed while on the road that she never told her mother about her plans to return to JB.
"My mother doesn't know that I'm going home," she shared. "My brother and my sister lied to her and said that I wouldn't be coming back this year — I hope to give her a surprise!"
Reflecting on her time away from Malaysia, she also felt a hint of unfamiliarity with her surroundings and a bit of nervousness.
"I don't know how my mum and dad will react when they see me," she admitted.
As they approached her home, Joey could barely contain her exhilaration.
"We're almost there!" she said with palpable excitement.
Grasping her head, she added, addressing the viewers: "I didn't see my mum for four years — I'm telling you, it's not because I'm unfilial!"
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Darren then posited a question: Would she cry?
Joey confidently replied: "I won't cry! I'm so excited, enthused and nervous, I won't cry!"
However, it was a different story once she reached home and made her grand appearance at the doorstep of her home.
Joey's mother sat in her seat, stunned as she stared at Joey before clapping her hands in surprise and bursting out into a smile.
The two hugged tightly amid laughter, both parties struggling to hold back tears.
The camera then panned over to Joey's father, who was also on the verge of tears. He then joined in the hug as Joey's mother buried her face in his chest to hide her crying face.
"I'm dreaming," her mother said in disbelief, and a woman behind the camera, likely Joey's sister, went up to pinch her cheeks.
After the touching reunion, Joey introduced Darren to her parents. Joey's mother also made a startling revelation.
"Did you know, I had a premonition! I had a premonition that you would be back. I told your father I had a feeling you would be back, and [your sister] also told me to prepare lotus root soup," she said.
Curious, Joey asked if they had guessed she would be back on that exact day, to which her mother gave a firm nod.
"We hoped to have this pleasant surprise, so we kept waiting and waiting for the whole day," Joey's mother happily said.
In mock outrage, Joey glared at the camera and exclaimed: "So they were already waiting for me! I guess I really can't lie to my own mother!"
khooyihang@asiaone.com
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