Look, people still love Edison Chen!

He may be the guy behind one of Asian showbiz’s biggest scandals, but going by the ear-splitting enthusiasm of the crowd that had gathered for a glimpse of him, Edison Chen is well and truly forgiven. If he was even in trouble with his teenage fans at all in the first place.

High school girls, one of them still in uniform, several of whom had been waiting hours in the ridiculous heat and humidity so they could get choice viewing positions when Edison emerged, went berserk when the star finally stepped outside. Screams of “Edison, Edison!” rang out as fans vied for his attention. But that, of course, is to be expected.

A little more unexpected for me was the sight of young boys, one of them in dreadlocks even, shrieking “Edison, Edison!” as loudly as any female counterpart. Perhaps, given the actor’s now-notorious exploits, he has since earned himself a lot more male fans. Or perhaps they simply think he’s good looking.

Oh my god he is so hot, said a colleague who I shall not name. To each her own; I personally thought he looked a little bratty but that, I suppose, is all part of his (boyish) appeal. Which I totally understand.

There is much to learn from Edison’s scandal, not the least of which is this: Don’t take sexually explicit photographs if you’re planning to be a major star – unless you’re Paris Hilton – but if you must, make sure you’re cute so people will forgive you.

Good looking people generally have it a little easier – it’s a widely-known if exceedingly unfair fact of life. And Edison, whether he pushes your buttons or not, is considered good looking, even by my aunties and mother-in-law. Therefore, he is forgiven. Not by everybody, I’m sure, but by the people that will continue to make him famous – his fans. And in showbiz, I guess that’s all that matters.