C.L.I.F. is back for its fifth season and this time round, the focus turns to the sea where the Police Coast Guard (PCG) work tirelessly to protect Singapore’s territorial waters.

We’re at the press conference for the hugely popular police procedural series and amidst the sea of actors, like Pierre Png and Shane Pow, who are all decked out in their police uniforms, is Guo Liang, who showed up in a business suit. In the drama, Guo Liang, who is also hosting this year's Star Search, plays a shady businessman who isn’t afraid of his policewoman daughter, played by Yingying. In fact, the 50-year-old muses to 8days.sg that his character encourages his daughter to join the force ‘cos that means getting more intel for his questionable business dealings. Ooh, crafty.

When we ask the Shanghai-born actor if any of the scenes with Yingying drew parallels with his relationship with his 20-year-old son, Marcus, he says, “Yingying and I may not have that many scenes together but I felt the connection with her during filming ‘cos they’re around the same age!”

Also, acting in a drama about about our police force strikes a chord with the star because his son is currently serving the nation as well. According to Guo Liang, Marcus is now a medic in the army.

“He’s quite satisfied with his vocation. Oh, he also got accepted into the school of architecture in NUS? I’m really happy for him!” beams Guo Liang.

It now seems like a career in showbiz is really out of question for Marcus, who had starrred in Ch 8 drama While We Are Young back in 2017. But we should have seen it coming as Guo Liang told told us in an interview last year that his son realised “he didn’t really like [acting]” after filming the drama.

“Forget it, acting is too tough,” laughs Guo Liang. “Actually, I just want him to be happy, no matter what career he chooses in the future. He can do anything, as long as it’s not illegal.”

Really? Anything? What if Marcus wants to something that's high risk?

Guo Liang pauses for a moment before saying: “Hmm… That’s a very good question... As a parent, I believe there will be some struggles I have to deal with myself, but if it’s something important to him, I will do my best to support him and respect his decision. I just hope he won’t give himself too much stress ‘cos I just want him to be happy.

“Some parents like to dictate their child’s life, and make some rules about what you have to achieve when you’re at this age. But I told Marcus that it’s impossible to map your life out because everything’s constantly changing and who knows, maybe something you studied may be obsolete 10 years from now,” he adds.

However, giving his son the freedom to choose what he wants to do in the future still comes with a few “rules”.

“You must have some aim in life. You need to be productive and actually do something constructive with your life. I tell him that if he aspires to be an architect, he should probably set a goal for himself to design something that can be used to contribute to the world; something no one has created before. When you go on holidays now, you don’t just eat and enjoy. You have to look at the buildings and see what inspiration you can draw from them for future projects. I mean, that’s how good architects work, right?” says Guo Liang, adding that his wife of 25 years shares his sentiments.

He also laments about how young people should not “be lazy” and “quit” just because of minor inconveniences. “You can’t do that. If you choose something, you’d better work hard at it.”

That being said, has Marcus considered any other career besides being an architect?

“Actually, he did consider freelance photography at one point. Of course, I allowed him to do it. But you need to consider that 10 years from now, when your friends become big businessmen, will you still be struggling to even earn $2,000 a month?” he says. “If you’re okay with that, then sure… Just don’t go around comparing yourself to other people who are living in big houses and driving expensive cars. I can only give him advice, I cannot stop him [from what he wants to do].”

PHOTOS: AIK CHEN

C.L.I.F. 5 is now airing weekdays, 9pm on Ch 8. Click here to watch it on Toggle.