Chen Yixin studying fashion and creative direction in Paris on scholarship

Chen Yixin surprised her followers in early September when she announced her move to Paris to explore a life somewhere new.

The 26-year-old local actress-model shared an update about her Parisian life in a YouTube video released on Sept 27.

"I'm in Paris because I am attending school...I'm studying fashion and creative direction as well," she shared, adding she would not be disclosing the school she is attending for privacy reasons.

She also revealed she is on a scholarship.

Yixin, who is the daughter of veteran actors Xiang Yun and Edmund Chen, shared that she moved to the City of Light on her own savings and at her own expense.

She also spoke about her living situation, currently a 32sqm apartment.

"Moving to a new city, safety is at the top of my priority. In this current situation, as much as it's way out of my budget, I was also thinking maybe I can just stay here a couple of months, and as I kind of settle in, I can really look for something more long-term."

However, while the furnished apartment she is staying in offers security and a lift for convenience, moving in hadn't been smooth sailing.

Yixin recounted: "When we were doing the inspection, we found out the state of hygiene of this apartment was really, really bad... like the beds were very stained, I saw bugs.

"There was so much hair, just like sprinkled all over the place. I don't know what happened because it was everywhere. It was even coming out of the coffee machine."

The landlord was apologetic and called her housekeeper to clean the place thoroughly, as well as a pest control service to inspect the cushions and beds.

"Good news is there aren't any bed bugs. But he did confirm that there are bugs present in the beds and sofa. He said it won't spread around; it's not serious. It's not as worrisome as how bed bugs would be. But they're still bugs, guys," Yixin shared.

While she felt "blessed" that she is safe, another concern she has is the rent.

She said: "Realistically speaking, I don't think I can afford 2,300 euros (S$3,300) every month for the next two years.

"But it's not easy to find an apartment I know, and I'm very lucky that I have a good landlord, because I've heard of really very scary stories where they are extremely unreasonable. But she's super nice and reasonable so that's a plus point for me to stay."

Yixin believed she needed to realign her expectations and will see how she could move forward, even considering an unfurnished apartment to prevent having bed bugs.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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