Work is so hectic for local actor Terence Cao that he claims he has no time for his own child.

The 46-year-old has not visited his 2½-year-old daughter in Shanghai since April, when he spent three days with her, and will not do so till mid-next year.

To date, he has met her only thrice in person.

Cao, who was promoting his upcoming Channel 8 blockbuster drama The Journey: A Voyage, told The New Paper: "I am filming back-to-back shows till March next year. There are no plans to visit her in Shanghai yet. I'll plan again after March."

He added: "But I chat with her via webcam weekly whenever I have time (off from filming)."

Cao was caught in a media maelstrom last October, when a 26-yearold Shanghainese woman, Miss Shi Mei, arrived in Singapore and claimed that her then 19-month-old daughter was fathered by Cao.

The pair apparently had a one-night stand after meeting at a party in Shanghai.

After a paternity test confirmed that he was the dad, Cao and Miss Shi settled on a $600 monthly sum for child support.

Since then, he has laid low and avoided talking about his daughter Shi En in front of the media. During the interview, Cao looked slightly uncomfortable when asked about her, but obliged with a few answers.

He said: "My daughter always whines and says that she wants to see me... I hope she will understand me when she grows up in the future, and know that my job can be very hectic."

As for whether accidental fatherhood has changed him, he said: "I still carry on with my life as per normal, but every day, I will think quite a bit about my daughter and the well-being of her and her mother. Perhaps because of that, the people around me will feel that I've changed in a subtle way."

Focus On Career

However, the currently single long-time bachelor is not looking for love any time soon - especially after the scandal. He said that at this stage of his life now, he wants to focus more on his career and spend time with his parents.

Loosening up a little, he smiled and joked: "I haven't thought of having a new girlfriend yet. Where will I find the time? Sometimes, you can't have everything in this world. Maybe I'll take one step at a time."

His latest role sees him as a wealthy and lecherous businessman in period drama The Journey: A Voyage, which tells of the struggles faced by different groups of people in Singapore in the early 20th century.

The show will premiere on Nov 25 at 9pm.

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