Chantalle Ng uses social media to track down childhood friend, Homerun actor Xiao Li Yuan
Actress Chantalle Ng harnessed the power of social media and managed to find her long-lost friend, child actor Xiao Li Yuan, after just two days.
Ng first posted on Instagram Stories on Monday (June 13), asking her followers if they remembered Xiao, who had appeared in Jack Neo's hit movie Homerun (2003), as well as Royston Tan's second movie 4:30 (2005).
The 26-year-old actress got to know him on the set of 2007 drama, Let It Shine, and had been looking for him for 15 years. The drama starred Felicia Chin, who had also been searching for Xiao since then, and Ng's mother Lin Meijiao.
On Wednesday (June 15), Ng posted an update, with photos of her with Xiao and Chin meeting for brunch.
She wrote: "Li Yuan and I met as kids, when I followed my mum on set. I remember feeling so sad when we lost contact, losing a friend as a kid was unbearable (especially since I didn't have many friends to begin with)."
Ng remembered fondly that they used to play hide-and-seek on the set.
"When I started filming in my teens, I asked people who worked with him. Artistes, directors, casting directors, but everyone didn't seem to have his contact."
She said a friend of his had put them in touch after her initial post.
He reportedly did not have any social media accounts and preferred to keep a low profile, so she did not reveal too many details about the 30-year-old besides saying he worked in the corporate sector.
In an interview with The Straits Times in 2006, Xiao, who was born in China and studied in Singapore, said he started acting when he was seven when he was talent-spotted by a director.
Ng spoke to entertainment portal 8days on Wednesday about the heartwarming reunion and said Xiao left acting to concentrate on his studies and now has a masters degree.
Ng's mother wrote in the comment section of the post: "You finally found Situ Bi (his character's name in Let It Shine). He's grown more and more handsome."
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