SINGAPORE – Home-grown actor Chen Xi took to Instagram on May 5 to announce his engagement. 

The 32-year-old son of local stars Xiang Yun and Edmund Chen shared the good news, revealing that he proposed to his non-celebrity Japanese girlfriend of four years. 

“From the Land of the Rising Sun, across the seas, and to England, thank you for being my anchor, my compass and my home from home,” wrote Chen, who is  pursuing a master’s degree in arts management in the United Kingdom. 

“I know it wasn’t easy deciding to follow me, and indeed, we’ve faced tumultuous times with constantly changing contexts. Despite the variations and shifting environments, having you by my side has been the constant.”

He also wrote a message in Japanese where he professed his love, adding: “Let’s write the next chapter together.”

He posted several photographs, including one of himself and a back view of his fiancee in an English chapel, and one of an engagement ring and a signet ring that he had designed for his family.

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao on May 5, he said he met his fiancee, nicknamed Mimi, four years ago through an online language exchange course.

Sharing the same interests in drawing and reading, Chen called Mimi his soulmate. He has met her parents in Japan, and his parents have also embraced Mimi as a family member.

He told the Chinese daily that they will hold a traditional Japanese wedding in her home town of Kyushu. 

He added that Mimi is learning Mandarin to better communicate with Xiang Yun, while he is working hard to improve his Japanese.