She's got the looks...
Together they make a hot combination in Taiwanese drama Love Contract
By Wendy Teo
teowyw@sph.com.sg
IT WAS the desire for a computer that started it all.
When actress Lin Yichen filled in an application form for a beauty contest organised by the Taiwan subway company two years ago, she didn't realise what it would be leading her to.
She had been attracted by the top prize of NT$60,000 ($3,000) in cash and vouchers as she wanted to buy a computer for her younger brother.
Yichen, 22, went on to win the contest - much to her surprise.
She joked: 'I guess I have a face that older people tend to like.
'That's why even though my scores were not very high in the public vote category, I scored very highly in the judges' vote category.'
The outspoken beauty went on to star in a slew of music videos by singers David Tao, Power Station, Jay Chou and Sandy Lam.
But it was her appearance in Vic Chou's Make A Wish that kickstarted her career.
Playing the object of his affections in the music video may have earned her hate mail from fans, but it sure made people sit up and take notice of her.
Several teen dramas later, Yichen got her big break when her role in the movie Kungfu Girls earned her a nomination for Best Actress in this year's Golden Horse Awards. [note: this is false - she was nominated for a movie called "Love Me If You Can"]
She didn't win, but Yichen is now the most sought-after actress for idol dramas.
In Love Contract, she plays feisty Xiao Feng who refuses to allow herself to fall in love because of a secret condition she has.
In real life, Yichen has just as much spunk.
On the furore sparked off by the Make A Wish video, Yichen said: 'I didn't bother reading all the nasty stuff that people said about me, even though the headlines shocked my mother. I refuse to let myself be affected by criticism.'
ALOOFNESS PUTS OFF MEN
And despite attracting much attention from boys in her school because of her looks, Yichen's aloofness usually scares them away after a while.
'I'm a practical person. If I'm not interested, I don't see the point in wasting each other's time.
'I'm a frank person by nature, but I won't offend anyone intentionally. And I'm also quite protective of myself in front of strangers.'
She revealed she loved 'keeping rubbish'.
Among the weird things in her collection are her umbilical cord, a 1m-long lock of her own hair, and the fur of her late pet dog.
She also has a habit of collecting packets of McDonald's tomato ketchup.
Her explanation: 'I like ketchup! And the ones at McDonald's just taste better!'
Love Contract debuts over TVBS Asia (StarHub Ch 54) on Aug 13 at 9pm.
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He's got the lips
Taiwanese teen-idol Mike He has seven kissing scenes in love drama
HE has been in the business for hardly a year.
But Mike He Junxiang is already an expert when it comes to locking lips with female co-stars onscreen.
The 21-year-old made his showbiz debut in Li Sinje's music video Love Wrongly, where he shared a sizzling kiss with the Malaysia-born actress-singer.
He then went on to smooch singer Landy Wen in her music video Wish Me A Happy Birthday.
And in the idol drama Love Contract, Mike shares no less than seven kisses with his leading lady Lin Yichen.
He plays Yichen's love interest Ken, a reticent guy who is afraid to fall in love.
Tease him about his good fortune, and Mike blushes.
He said: 'It's actually very stressful to do kissing scenes! I don't dare to NG (no-good takes) too many times, because you don't want your co-star to think you are taking advantage.
'And if you NG too much, you will also lose the 'feel' of the kiss, and it will look very stiff on screen.'
He was discovered by talent scouts on the streets of Taipei a year ago and soon gained attention thanks to his good looks.
Mike, who also hosts Entertainment News with Lin Youwei, claims that he hadn't had much experience in kissing, since he had only one relationship before.
He is rather grateful to his 'first woman' Sin-je, who helped him get into the groove.
'She is a Best Actress after all, and she was very cool before our kissing scene. She just told me to treat her like a girlfriend, and she also took the lead in the kiss, so I felt very relaxed.'
NERVOUS
But when it came to Yichen, whom he has worked with before on other serials, Mike was more callous than nervous.
Recalling one of the scenes in Love Contract where the pair had to kiss underwater in a marine park, Mike joked that he was more worried about getting enough air than his co-star's safety.
He said cheekily: 'Yichen has better stamina than me. So the moment the director yelled cut, I just broke away from her to resurface and left her underwater. My life is more important!'
The kiss wasn't romantic for both of them either, because 'the water was salty, smelly and full of fish poo!'
And despite their on-screen chemistry, Mike flatly denies any romance.
He said: 'Her looks do fit my ideals, but we are actually not that familiar with each other yet. Anyway, I am not looking for love now.'
This post has been edited by debfu42: 14 October 2004 - 10:52 AM