‘Let’s write the next chapter together’: Chen Xi proposes to non-celeb Japanese girlfriend

They started as penpals and are now engaged.

Local actor Chen Xi took to Instagram yesterday (May 5) to announce that he has proposed to his non-celebrity Japanese girlfriend of four years

“From the land of the rising sun, across the seas, and all the way to England – thank you for being my anchor, my compass, and my home away from home,” wrote the 32-year-old who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in London.

“I know it wasn’t easy making the decision 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 a constant.”

He ended the post with a line in Japanese: “Thank you so much for being there for me. I love you so much. Let’s write the next chapter together.”

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, Chen Xi revealed that his girlfriend, nicknamed Mimi, works in IT and they met four years ago through an online language exchange course. At the time, it was during the pandemic and Mimi, who is of similar age as him, was working in Vietnam and they became online pen pals.

He told the Chinese daily that Mimi also moved to London with him and he decided to propose to her in a 16th century church in the UK.

“I bought a wedding ring a long time ago, but I hadn’t been able to find the right place. It felt right in that church… I proposed to her in Japanese. My cousin, his girlfriend and my girlfriend all cried, and I just kept shaking all the time because I was worried about getting the wrong pronunciation,” he laughed.

He added that he has met Mimi’s parents in Japan and he hopes to tie the knot with her in a year or two.

Chen Xi’s parents, local actors Edmund Chen and Xiang Yun, showed their support in the comments section of his Instagram post, with the former acknowledging Mimi: “Welcome to our clan.”

His sister, actress Chen Yixin, expressed her love: “You only deserve the best. Love you so much kor kor (older brother)!”

Local actors like Zhang Zetong, Dennis Chew, Felicia Chin, Pan Lingling, Hong Huifang, Priscelia Chan and more also congratulated Chen Xi.

Chen Xi said to Zaobao that he initially told Mimi he’s an artist and she only found out he’s also an actor when she came to work in Singapore after the pandemic.

“She saw the movie Wonder Boy which I acted in on the plane and asked if it was me,” he shared.

According to Xiang Yun, Mimi is a “very traditional Japanese girl” and hardworking and takes good care of Chen Xi.

In an interview with the Chinese daily, Xiang Yun said she’s trying to improve her English and for now, she relies on technology when she chats with Mimi.

“We use Google to translate Chinese and Japanese. Although we don’t understand each other 100 per cent, Mimi respects me very much and treats me very well. We get along great,” she shared.

Chen Xi plans to hold a traditional Japanese wedding in a shrine at Mimi’s hometown Kyushu.

He said: “She is now actively learning English and Chinese so that it’s more convenient communicating with me and my family. I’m trying to learn Japanese well!”