IN HONG KONG'S notoriously scandal-ridden showbiz world, porcelain beauty Myolie Wu is a rarity.
The 31-year-old actress' squeaky clean, girl-next-door reputation sticks out amid the ignominy of her celebrity peers.
Last month, fellow TVB actor Raymond Lam saw his carefully cultivated image as a homely bachelor crushed overnight, when intimate bedroom photos of him and his busty ex-girlfriend, Chinese model Pan Shuangshuang, were leaked in Next Magazine.
Then, another magazine, 3 Weekly, claimed that a promiscuous bisexual male artiste had Aids.
News of his HIV-positive status reportedly brought about an "Aids scare" in the Hong Kong entertainment scene, as the artiste in question was believed to have had more than 100 sexual partners of both genders.
Wu - who was in town on Tuesday to grace a StarHub TV media event that unveiled revamped Asian content and three new Korean channels - was nonchalant when The New Paper quizzed her on the recent spate of scandals.
On Lam's leaked bedroom photos, she leapt to his defence: "Personally, I think it's very normal for a couple to take photos like that.
"They were both single and they weren't in an illicit affair."
Pan has since married a Caucasian man known only as John, reported the Daily Chilli. "Raymond is in his 30s, it'll be weirder if he has never pak tor (Cantonese term for dating) before, " said Wu.
Wu last starred opposite Lam in the 2008 period action drama The Master Of Taichi.
Don't bet on a similar situation happening to her, however.
Wu, who got her big break after emerging second runner-up in 1999's Miss Hong Kong pageant, guards her privacy fiercely.
"Well, in the first place, I don't take such photos," she said firmly.
"Moreover, I'm very careful when I upload personal pictures onto my computer.
"Most of us use digital cameras, so there is no way we can avoid uploading stuff...but I always make sure that whenever I need to get my computer fixed, I go to someone I have complete trust in."
'Aids hoax'
As for the supposed Aids scare, Wu brushed it off as a "hoax".
"To me, it sounds like a fake story," she said.
"I was going through the magazine's detailed description of the male artiste and I just couldn't put a face or name to him."
While other female Hong Kong stars such as Sharon Chan have said they were "worried and scared" by the possibility of shooting intimate scenes with the mystery actor, Wu shrugged it off.
"There is nothing to be fearful about. Besides, I don't think we should discriminate against people with Aids."
She did not bother to hide her disdain for speculative news - even if it paints a glowing picture of herself.
Entertainment web portal Sina reported last month that ever since top TVB actress Charmaine Sheh announced her departure, the station is all set to groom Wu, as well as Linda Chung, Fala Chen and Kate Tsui, as its four new leading ladies.
Wu was even tipped to become Sheh's "successor" as TVB's queen of queens.
"While I'm grateful for the recognition, I'm not happy when I read news like this," she said, cringing slightly.
"I don't like speculation, I just want to quietly do my work, put in my best effort in whatever I do.
"It's not really fair to single out just four of us too...our company (TVB) has other great actresses like Tavia Yeung."
Perhaps the closest Wu has come to being involved in a scandal is her rumoured relationship with 30-year-old TVB actor Bosco Wong.
The two were said to have cosied up on the set of period family comedy War Of In-Laws back in 2004 and have reportedly been in an on-off romance over the last seven years.
While they did not shy away from starring in shows or making public appearances together, Wu has never admitted to the relationship.
That, despite the fact that Wong recently let slip to Hong Kong reporters, when they joked that he doesn't seem keen on keeping his relationship a secret any more: "We no longer mind it as much."
During our interview, Wu displayed her deft art of dodging whenever Wong's name was brought up.
"Don't believe what you read," she snapped, rubbishing reports that the couple have opened a joint bank account.
Marriage and motherhood are also not on her agenda.
"I'm still very young," said Wu.
"To settle down and be a mum, you need to have a lot of patience, it's too self-sacrificing. "I really admire women like (Hong Kong actress) Cecilia Cheung, who always put their kids before themselves...I don't think I would be able to do that right now."
Perhaps, in a move to divert the local media's attention away from her and Wong, she gushed unabashedly about other male celebrities.
During the StarHub TV event, which was also attended by TVB stars Matthew Ko, Sharon Chan and Taiwanese-American balladeer Anthony Neely, Wu showed her admiration for Neely.
"I followed (Taiwanese reality singing competition) One Million Star closely and really loved your interpretation of Damien Rice's The Blower's Daughter," she exclaimed to Neely, who joined the fifth season as a guest challenger.
"Do you think you can sing it on the spot?"
Flashing a wide grin, Neely readily agreed.
Wu, who can currently be seen playing a spoilt rich gal in the TVB series The Rippling Blossom which airs over StarHub Demand TV, also sang praises of her co-star Julian Cheung.
Cheung, 39, is married to actress Anita Yeun.
"Julian is a very spontaneous actor. He likes to improvise, which is very thrilling and exciting for me," she said with a laugh.
"Acting opposite him on The Rippling Blossom is like playing tennis with an expert, it's hard to pre-empt his next move...That's how good he is."
Now, if only she was willing to open up as much about her real-life relationships.
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This article was first published in The New Paper.
