YES, Jeanette Aw admitted, she has had dinner with Joshua Ang at coffee shops and hawker centres.

Andyes, she plays the online game World Of Warcraft, like he does. But she denied secretly dating the former actor as the media has reported.

Local actress Aw, 31, told The New Paper over the phone from Kuala Lumpur, where she is currently filming her new project: "Since we filmed the (Channel 8) drama (New Beginnings) together (early this year), I've treated him (Ang) like a younger brother.

Ang, did, however, admit that she is seeing someone but he is not in showbiz. She declined to reveal more, adding that she wouldn't have mentioned this had it not been for this talk about her and Ang.

"It's so bizarre...I really don't know why these things are being said about us."

On Sunday, Lianhe Wanbao reported that someone claiming to be Ang's friend said the two havebeen dating for a year.

When contacted, the man told us that Ang, 21, best known for his role in Jack Neo's I Not Stupid, had told other people online that he spent $3,000 a month romancing Aw in private rooms in fancy restaurants like Equinox in Swissotel The Stamford.

Ang left showbiz this year to start his own recycling business.

The man also claimed that Ang said he intends to move to Guangzhou next year and that he can date Aw there when she is in China for filming.

Aw clarified: "I am not going to Guangzhou and the Equinox dinners are not true. It's ridiculous. I have the ability to support myself and I don't need someone to spend $3,000 on me."

Local actors The New Paper approached said they were not aware of the alleged romance.

Like Aw, Ang also sounded frustrated when we contacted him.

"This is nonsense...My conscience is clear. I'm 21, I don't earn that much."