Hongkong singer-actor Ekin Cheng and his wife, former TVB actress Yoyo Mung, are one of those celeb couples who prefers to keep their relationship under the radar. While they don’t totally shy away from talking about each other in interviews, they are seldom snapped in public together and they certainly aren’t in the habit of being all lovey dovey on their respective socials.

A few days ago, paparazzi from Hongkong’s Apple Daily caught a rare sighting of the pair walking to a restaurant near their home in Repulse Bay, where they met up with six friends. Although they adhered to the eight people per gathering restriction, it was pointed out that neither Ekin nor Yoyo wore a mask the whole time.

However, another detail that bothered the media and netizens more was Yoyo’s seemingly “bloated” appearance. While some attributed it to the fact that everyone’s been stuck at home all day during the coronavirus outbreak, others surmised that it was due to her easy-going lifestyle (the 46-year-old has significantly lightened her workload in recent years).

Then there are those who reminded everyone that Yoyo once revealed that she got into a skiing accident years ago, leaving her with no choice but to stay home and recuperate. As she could not do strenuous exercises, she inevitably gained quite a bit of weight.

Fortunately, she had Ekin by her side, who was there to take good care of her. Thus, another possible reason for Yoyo’s supposed “bloating” was ‘cos her hubby has been doting on her.

In other words, she has put on “happiness fat”, a Chinese term used to suggest that someone has gained weight ‘cos they’re so content in a blissful relationship. Not bad for a couple who has been married for seven years.

This isn’t the first time people have been talking about Yoyo's weight. In 2016, she made a public appearance at an event and sparked pregnancy rumours — even though she and Ekin have publicly said they don’t want kids — as she’d put on 9kg after a holiday.

When Ekin was asked about this, he laughed and said that the weight gain is a good thing. “She used to be too thin, but I like her no matter what her weight is. The most important thing is that she’s healthy.”

Photos: Apple Daily, Yoyo Mung/Weibo, PBE Media