A woman who has been accused by former actor Edmund Chen of causing trouble for his career and family is claiming that she is innocent, and says that she is not afraid to step forward to give her side of the story.
According to Lianhe Wanbao, the woman, identified as “Miss H” by the Chinese evening daily, also stressed that she was never goddaughter to Chen and wife, actress Xiang Yun.
Lianhe Wanbao had reported that Miss H had also become close with Chen’s family, used his name to approach business contacts, and had also wanted Chen to pay for her to go to Hong Kong with him and his daughter. Chen had also given his story in two Facebook posts on Monday and Tuesday (Apr 10 and 11).
But in a phone interview Wanbao, Miss H rebutted a number of Chen’s accusations. She added that she had been in contact with her lawyer and was considering taking legal action to protect the interests of her partners and clients.
Read also: Edmund Chen, Xiang Yun cheated of over $10,000 by ‘goddaughter’
1. She never used his money to go to Hong Kong
Miss H denied ever asking Chen to pay for her flight and hotel in Hong Kong, saying that such a claim had made her seem like a “prostitute”.
“I never did that. I went over to Hong Kong for work, and I used my own money on the flight and accommodation,” she said, adding that she would be able to give proof of this.
She also explained that she had been invited by the territory’s tourism department to discuss Chen’s new illustrated book, which has “cities” as the theme.
2. She was not Chen and Xiang Yun’s goddaughter
Miss H also explained that the issue of Xiang Yun taking her as a goddaughter came about when she attended a media event with the veteran actress.
She added that when she was in Hong Kong, Xiang Yun’s daughter had also recommended that she continue using such an identification.
However, she said that she was not Chen and Xiang Yun’s actual goddaughter, and had never recognised Chen as her godfather either. “Every time I contacted him, I would either call him ‘boss’ or Edmund,” she said.
3. She never used Edmund Chen’s name to take on jobs
On Chen’s claim that she had approached business contacts in his name after their working relationship ended, Miss H vigorously denied doing so.
She said that she had even sent an e-mail out to inform clients that she had left his company in February this year, and had not accepted any work on his behalf after that.
4. She never disappeared and it was Chen who could not be contacted
Miss H also rebutted Chen’s claim that she had become uncontactable, claiming instead that it was him who could not be contacted.
She said that she had been unable to contact Chen over the past month about honouring commitments made in previous work contracts, adding: “Some clients even considered going through the media to get to him.”
5. She did not sow discord between Chen’s children
In a Facebook post on the issue, Chen also accused Miss H of sowing discord between his son and daughter, causing the two siblings to enter a “cold war” situation. However, Miss H denied ever doing so.
She revealed that the family had once been displeased when Chen’s son had introduced his girlfriend to them. “The sister had some opinions, and would sometimes look for me to confide in me,” she explained.
Chen: She invited me to nightclubs
After the story emerged, many netizens have speculated that Miss H may have had ulterior motives in getting close to Chen.
According to Wanbao, Chen acknowledged that the woman had previously invited him to her birthday party, and had also asked him to accompany him to nightclubs.
But he never once accepted any of her invitations, saying: “I never gave her the chance.”
Chen also said that he always arranged to meet Miss H in a public environment, and would even bring along his daughter for their meetings.
seanyap@sph.com.sg
