November 05, 2021, 05:16 PM
Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
Actor Xu Bin has gained recognition since his lead role opposite Chantalle Ng in the hit television series "My Star Bride".
Prior to stardom, the Chinese-born actor had moved to Singapore to pursue his studies when he was 11.
Accompanying him for the first couple of years upon his arrival was his mother.
In the latest episode of Quan Yi Fong's talk show, "Hear U Out", the father of two revealed how he had let his mother down numerous times as a rebellious teenager.
Screen shot via meWATCH.
Sold businesses to bring him to Singapore
The 32-year-old acknowledged his mother's foresight in the move: "If not for her decision back then, I would not have laid down my roots here."
According to Xu, his mother sold off all the businesses she owned and gathered the money to bring him to Singapore for his studies.
Tears well up in his eyes as he admitted to having "many" regrets about his rebellious behaviour in the past that let her down.
Caption translates as, "Teenage rebellion caused his mother to be heartbroken". Screen shot via meWATCH.
Ignored her calls and arrived home at 5am
The first incident Xu shared was a time when he was staying out late and having fun, causing her to call him at around 1am to 2am.
He ignored her calls and eventually switched off his phone, choosing to continue having fun and only returning home at 5am.
Xu reenacting how he tried to sneakily enter his home, only to realise his mother was waiting for him in the living room. Screen shot via meWATCH.
Upon opening the door, he immediately realised that his mother was sitting on the sofa, waiting for him in the living room with the lights switched on.
"She was crying when she approached me to give me a slap because I'd switched off my phone," he told Quan.
Xu showing how he got slapped. Screen shot via meWATCH.
He understood that her reaction stemmed from the fact that it was late and she was worried something might have happened to him, especially since he made it impossible for her to reach him via his phone.
The actor believed that he behaved in such a way because after spending all his time up till then studying, he yearned for a respite, which was encouraged by the friends he made.
Told his mum to use a knife on him
During his secondary school days, Xu's grades slipped, causing him to fall from the Express stream to Normal (Academic) stream.
Xu felt that his mother was harbouring a lot of negative feelings by that time and hit him for "quite a long time" that day.
Using plastic clothes hangers, she had apparently hit him until the whole floor was filled with broken hangers.
He initially only blocked the blows with his hands, until he could no longer bear the beatings any longer.
With red, watery eyes, the actor described how he subsequently went to fetch a knife from the kitchen and told her to use the knife instead of the plastic hangers.
Screen shot via meWATCH.
In response to his outburst, his mother stopped and went to the bedroom.
"Since that incident, she never beat me again," he added.
Squandered S$20,000 to S$30,000 in two months
Before Xu's mother returned to China, she left him a lump sum of money.
Giddy with excitement from gaining his newfound freedom from his mother, he squandered around S$20,000 to S$30,000 within two months.
The money was meant to last him for at least six months to a year, Xu added.
"I did not understand the concept of money. I was still in secondary school," he explained, viewing it as a windfall that allowed him to make merry and treating friends.
When he told his mother about it over the phone, she cried and said she had run out of money.
Phoning his mother to tell her about squandering the money. Screen shot via meWATCH.
After this incident, his parents stopped giving him money. Instead, his aunt was told to give him a basic allowance on a weekly basis.
However, he still did not mend his ways.
Forced to eat unsold bread to survive
It was only when he ran out of money to buy food that he learnt how to manage his finances.
With a few friends, Xu approached a bakery near his home and asked her to sell him the bread that cannot be sold the next day to them at a cheaper price.
For the next few days, they ate only the bread.
Despite the negative experience, the actor felt in hindsight that what his family had done was right.
"I learnt how to manage my money and avoid falling back into such a predicament again."
Caption translates as, "Wising up after a personal experience, learning his lesson". Screen shot via meWATCH.
Top images via meWATCH.
Follow and listen to our podcast here
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.