User:Polentasoup/Once Upon an Ordinary Girl

Once Upon an Ordinary Girl (Chinese 儂本多情）is a television drama produced by Ng Ho (吳昊). It was originally broadcast on Hong Kong Television Video Broadcast (TVB) with 10 episodes.

The drama stars Leslie Cheung from Asia Television Limited. It was the first drama series of his after changing studios to TVB. Actress Kiki Sheung (商天娥) played the lead role.

On July 7, 2009 it appeared on TVB Classic under the banner "Our Sandra Ng" (吳君如). It played two consecutive episodes on Saturday and Sunday nights.

On March 19, 2023 Once Upon an Ordinary Girl appeared on TVB Jade under the banner of "We will Forever Love Leslie Cheung." It was broadcast on Saturday and Sunday nights.

It has been pointed out that the plot may have been copied from Eileen Chang's (張愛玲) story, Love after Love. However, many years after initial release, lead actress Kiki Sheung stated in a radio interview it was not. She said that the director of The Deer and the Cauldron 鹿鼎記, Wu Hao 吳昊, informed her the show was an adaptation from an Eileen Chang TV show.

Synopsis
Hong Kong 1940, having just graduated from Junior High School Xiao-Nong learns that her parents died in Chongqing during Japanese air raids. She suddenly loses her financial support. In order to fulfill her hope of going to University, Xiao-Nong has no choice but to rely on her aunt Tang-Ying for support. Her Aunt Tang is a famous courtesan in Hong Kong. Mixing with high society in Hong Kong, Xiao-Nong meets the rich and handsome Chan Shi-Yu (played by Leslie Cheung 張國榮). After the young and beautiful Xiao-Nong visits Shi-Yu's, she becomes an object of his desire. Aunt Tang wants to use Xiao-Nong to as a social butterfly. Instead, she becomes an instrument for her aunt to make friends with celebrities. Xiao-Nong is dissatisfied with her situation and plans to leave Hong Kong.

Xiao-Nong and Shi-Yu find a mutual attraction; however, her Aunt wants her to remain under her influence. Xiao-Nong and Shi-Yu marry in secret. Not long after the marriage Xiao-Nong learns that Aunt Tang-Ying helped to arrange the marriage. The misunderstanding of the marriage creates tension between Aunt Tang-Ying and Xiao-Nong. Shi-Yu, doubting if Xiao-Nong really loves him waits to get revenge on Aunt Tang-Ying. During this time, Shi-Yu's father dies and leaves him a run down house. Shi-Yu has no choice but to take care of family matters, alone. Things do not look good for Shi-Yu. Returning to Aunt Tang-Ying's house, Xiao-Nong becomes a bit of a celebrity. Shi-Yu feels insulted. Shi-Yu taunts Xiao-Nong for her behavior. She refuses to end their relationship and they both torment each other.

Xiao-Nong's Classmate's father Qin Jian-Fu had been with Aunt Tang-Ying in a relationship many years previously. Their relationship caused Jian-Fu, a wealthy businessman, to get divorced. Xiao-Nong wants revenge on Aunt Tang Ying after discovering this unconventional relationship. She sets a trap using Jian-Fu's daughter's High School classmate as bait. When he was drunk, Jian-Fu had revealed he secretly loved his daughter's classmate, Yan Su-Qing. Xiao-Nong took Su-Qing to Jian-Fu's residence to seduce Jian-Fu. Jian-Fu was not fooled or seduced; however, Aunt Tang-Ying believed he was guilty all the same. All goes badly. Jian-Fu, heartbroken, drives off in his car. Fate cruelly has him drive off the edge of a cliff to his death. After Shi-Yu discovered Xiao-Nong's actions, he is very disgusted with her, and friends of Xiao-Nong also realize the poisonous tricks that Xiao-Nong has played on them for many years. Xiao-Nong promises to break up with Shi-Yu. The two divorce and all is empty for Xiao-Nong.

At this time, the Japanese army attacked Hong Kong, and Kowloon falls. Xiao-Nong isolated and suicidal, drinks poisoned wine. Due to the landing of the Japanese army, Shi-Yu is forced to return to Hong Kong, and upon returning home, he finds that Xiao-Nong has drank poison. In the final scene, Shi-Yu holds Xiao-Nong and looks at the sunset through a window, waiting for the bombing of the Japanese fighters. All the built up hatred from the past dissipates with the afterglow of the sunset.

Cast

 * Leslie Cheung Shi-Yu
 * Kiki Sheung Mo Xiao-Nong
 * Susanna Kwan Tang-Ying
 * Lau Siu Ming Qin Jian-Fu
 * Elaine Chow Qin Xiao-Man
 * Felix Wang He Qi-Mei
 * Ye Li Xia Zou Su-Qing
 * Li Guo Lin Xu Yuan-Meng
 * 蔣慶龍 飾 張醒亞
 * 黃偉良 飾 紀曉男
 * Sandra Ng 飾 張　欣
 * Yan Pak
 * Chen Guo-Quan Yang Yue-Lou
 * 秦覺燕
 * 陳榮輝
 * Francis Ng
 * 池佩芬
 * 關灼元
 * Yu Miu-Lin 飾 大妹姐
 * Carrie Ng Zhou-Ying
 * 黃素媚
 * 王凱筠
 * 吳業光 飾 童吉安
 * 曹　濟
 * 梅　蘭
 * 馮　國
 * 張志強
 * 連偉健 (Teddy Lin Wai Kin)
 * 胡美儀 飾 靜　芝
 * 李建川
 * 白　蘭
 * 黃靜儀 (Gary Ho Kwai-Lam)
 * 何貴林