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In a candid and emotional YouTube video featuring a Q&A session with her parents, local influencer Naomi Neo revealed that she was adopted.
The video, which has been viewed almost 200,000 times since it was uploaded on Jan 25, begins with the mother of two announcing that she has just learnt that she was adopted, and that the “truth is out”.
Neo, 26, said the first time she "really, really suspected" that she was adopted was during a health check-up in school when she was the only one among her friends who did not know her blood type.
"And why I didn't know was because it wasn't in my health booklet. But when I asked my parents, they were uncertain about it," she added.
Her place of birth being China on identification documents was another giveaway, and Neo said her parents' answers would always differ whenever she broached the topic.
She also realised once that there were no baby photos of her – her parents only had pictures of her from the age of three.
Neo said "the suspicion went on" and she started questioning her parents again years later when she was expecting her first child, as her mother seemed "very unaware of how a pregnancy should go".
Things came to a head when the topic of blood types resurfaced following a check-up. Neo made separate calls to her mother and father, both of whom gave different answers.
She said, "At that moment, I knew something was wrong. And I guess from there, they also knew that, 'Oh no, I can't hide it any further.'"
In the video, Neo asks her parents why they adopted her and the reason they chose adoption in the first place.
Neo's parents then opened up about her adoption process, which took around three to four months.
Her father said: "From the first day, we have always treated you as our very own," while her mother added, "I forbade anyone (to) mention the word 'adopted'."
Her mother admitted that she had wanted to keep the adoption a secret forever, telling Neo, "And I'm so afraid that once I tell you, you will leave the house and not come back anymore."
During the session, Neo shared her feelings of loneliness, guilt and resentment. She also apologised for not spending enough time with her parents.
She said, "You all raised me to who I am today. You all never expected anything in return.”
Neo's video has been met with positive reception from netizens, many of whom praised her bravery and raw honesty.
Some said the interview made them cry, while a few longtime fans also noted how much Neo has grown since her teenage years.
