It’s no secret that Lin Meijiao, 57, singlehandedly brought up her daughter, Chantalle Ng, who turns 26 today (Jun 17).

The actress filed for divorce from her ex-husband and Chantalle’s father, former actor Huang Yiliang, when Chantalle was just a few months old.

It's even less of a secret that mother and daughter are really, really close. To celebrate Chantalle’s birthday, Meijiao took to Instagram to share this very sweet post dedicated to her girl.

The post also featured a number of adorable pictures of Chantalle as a kid, along with a short recount of a memory Meijiao has of Chantalle when she was just nine years old.

“When you were younger, Mama was busy with work. A memory that I remember vividly was when you were probably in Primary Three. You went with Mama to the market, and you appeared to be very familiar with your surroundings. You knew the names of every stray cat, and would even go forward to pet them. Surprised, Mama asked you why you were so familiar [with the cats].” wrote Meijiao.

You said that every evening, you’d follow your tuition teacher to feed the cats, and that they’re all your friends. After hearing that, Mama felt very guilty. Guilty that I couldn’t spend more time with you. My heart ached [for you], and I was filled with sorrow. I felt sorry that you were so young, and yet, so sensible. You didn’t feel unhappy ‘cos Mama was busy, instead, you chose to live every day to its fullest,” Meijiao went on to add.

Well, it looks like mother and daughter have more than made up for all that lost time. So here's to Meijiao and Chantalle making more happy memories together.

Photos: Lin Meijiao/Instagram