Taiwanese actress Joe Chen gets birthday bonanza from Malaysian boyfriend

Despite being kept apart by travel restrictions due to the global pandemic, Taiwanese actress Joe Chen's Malaysian boyfriend Alan Chen managed to surprise her with 41 gifts on her 41st birthday.

Joe said she was stunned to find 41 birthday presents waiting for her when she got back to her room after work.

“From zero (day of birth) to the 41st, they were all there. I was so surprised that my tears almost fell, ” the actress wrote on a social media post which was accompanied by a three-minute-long video.

Joe turned 41 on April 4, and on April 5, she posted a video of her unboxing all 41 of her gifts that Alan prepared for every year that he missed celebrating her birthday.

Her birthday wish was for the whole world to have peace and good health, with hopes that the global pandemic will end quickly.

Alan is a Malaysian abstract painter and entrepreneur with investments in the health food business.

Joe met Alan, 32, last year on a Chinese dating show called Meeting Mr Right S2 (known in Mandarin as Nu Er Men De Lian Ai).

The two hit it off straight away, although fans had misgivings about how their nine-year age gap would affect their relationship.

Meeting Mr Right S2 revolves around female celebrities’ dating lives and invites their fathers to comment on their relationships. Joe was the only singleton on the show which aired in China 2019.

The workaholic actress has been dubbed the most eligible bachelorette as she had not dated in six years before meeting her Malaysian beau.

On the show, she expressed her gratitude to the organisers of the programme for having arranged for such a responsible and easygoing fellow to be with her.

“He has brought me a lot of happiness, and It is all because of Meeting Mr Right S2, ” said Joe, who was charmed by Alan’s warm and gentle personality.

Joe’s father was featured on the show, tearing up with happiness, upon learning that his daughter had finally found love with a decent young man.

By December 2019, Joe had already gone public with her relationship with Alan, with pictures of them dating in Malaysia.

​They spent their first Valentine’s day together in 2020, and even took a trip to Maldives for a luxurious vacation.

Known as the Queen Of Idol Dramas, Joe is best loved for her roles in rom-coms such as Fated To Love You (2008), Destined To Love You (2015), Stay With Me (2016), Love Actually (2017) and Hello, My Shining Love (2020).