The passion in a long-term relationship usually starts to fizzle after the lovey-dovey stage.
Not for Taiwan-based actress Tiffany Hsu though, who has been dating Taiwanese heart-throb Ethan Ruan for the past six years.
The 28-year-old porcelain beauty of Italian- Taiwanese descent was in Singapore to promote her new four-part microfilm series, Cupid's World of Happiness.
She told reporters yesterday that she is the type who'd strive to "keep the passion alive" in a relationship that's no longer new.
"Many people feel that romance will inevitably fade with time, but I think that no matter what, it's always important to have the feeling that you're in love," she said in Mandarin.
Is it harder to do so, with both Ruan and her being in showbiz and coping with lots of travel and hectic schedules?
With a laugh, Hsu said: "Oh, on the contrary, it's actually easier to create romance when the other party is flying around.
"You can prepare your stuff first and give him a surprise when he's back."
Ruan, 30, a Golden Horse Best Actor winner for his role in gangster hit Monga (2010), told Chinese reporters on a recent trip to Beijing that he has plans to "enrol in the Beijing Film Academy" later this year, to improve his acting skills.
Cupid's World of Happiness, which costars China-based local actor Leon Jay Williams and cherubic Taiwanese child star Xiao Xiao Bin, is a collaboration between Chinese travel web portal Qunar.com and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).
The romantic drama sees the trio playing strangers whose paths cross by a twist of fate and they embark on an adventure at RWS.
It premieres on Sept 6 on rwsmovie.com and youku.com. Each episode lasts 10 minutes and will be released weekly.
Hsu also took the opportunity to refute rumours that she has been urging Ruan to tie the knot.
A few days ago, she posted a picture on her Sina Weibo microblog of a Puss In Boots mascot going down on one knee and kissing her hand, with the suggestive caption: "...I might just agree!"
The picture was taken at RWS' Universal Studios Singapore earlier this week.
It immediately sparked talk that she was dropping "hints".
"Nothing of the sort," said Hsu.
On a more serious note, she added: "When I was in secondary school, I did want to get married early. I envisioned getting hitched at 27 and having kids by 30.
"Now, my mindset has changed somewhat.
I think it doesn't really matter if I get married or not."
Her co-star for Cupid's World of Happiness, Singaporean Williams, is also in a long-term relationship - the 36-year-old has been dating a Taiwanese graphic designer girlfriend for eight years.
He told local reporters that while their relationship was smooth - they enjoyed a holiday in the Maldives together last month - marriage was "not on the cards".
Raise kids in S'pore
"If I get married one day, I hope to be based in Singapore as I want to raise our kids here. The education system here is so much better," he said.
But he did admit that such a move may affect his career.
One reason for delaying marriage is that his career will soon take another giant leap.
Williams, who spends most of his time shuttling between China and Taiwan, said he has just signed on with Frenchbased artiste management agency, ECI.
The move will allow him to make inroads into the Western film markets, including Hollywood.
He hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow Asian male stars Godfrey Gao and Wang Lee Hom, who are making their debut in Hollywood flicks The Mortal Instruments:
City Of Bones and Cyber.
"Heading West would mean starting from zero again, but I'm all prepared for it," he said.
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