Nicholas Tse’s showbiz start has always been the subject of scrutiny as the 40-year-old actor joined industry giant Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG) at the tender age of 16.

At the time, industry observers believed that this was his way of helping dad Patrick Tse repay the HK$10mil (S$1.7mil) he owed Albert Yeung, chairman of the Emperor Group, for a failed property investment. Albert has refuted this rumour in the past, saying, “Patrick works for me but he doesn’t owe me money.” Despite the clarification, the rumour still persists in some quarters.