Renowned Hong Kong lyricist Peter Lai Bei-dak is trending on Chinese social media platform Weibo after he disclosed that he helped his 37-year-old son – with whom he has a strained relationship – pay off credit card debt worth hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars.
Many comments shared on Weibo expressed empathy for the 75-year-old single father, with many users lamenting his situation.
Lai also shared with local media platform HK01 that he is currently looking for a soulmate, which sparked fevered discussion in both Hong Kong and mainland China.
He seemed unfazed by the reaction and claimed that if Hong Kong singer and actor Lee Lung-kay could find love at the age of 74, why couldn’t he?
Renowned for crafting the lyrics for classic songs in Hong Kong including “Monica” (sung by Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing) and “Drifter’s Song” (sung by Sam Hui Koon-kit), the outspoken Lai has also long been familiar to mainland audiences thanks to his role as a comedic private tutor in Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s 1993 movie Flirting Scholar.
Although his fame peaked during the 1970s and ’80s, his lyrics continue to resonate deeply among Chinese pop-culture circles.