Following the divorce of Yang Mi and Hawick Lau, their daughter, Little Sticky Rice, went to live with her paternal family. On the morning of November 8, Chinese media outlet 163 unexpectedly published a report revealing details about the 12-year-old girl’s current life. According to the report, Lau Dan, Yang Mi’s former father-in-law, and actress Helen Ma recently attended a public event together. During an interview, a reporter unexpectedly asked Lau Dan about Hawick Lau’s romantic relationship with his new girlfriend, model Lai Kei Kwan. Hong Kong media representatives were also curious about how Little Sticky Rice had reacted to the dating news.
Faced with the difficult question, Lau Dan carefully considered his words and appeared determined to give a diplomatic response. However, while the veteran actor was still struggling to find an answer, Helen Ma suddenly interrupted and unintentionally revealed surprising information about Little Sticky Rice: “She’s studying in the UK, so she probably doesn’t know about these things!” It turned out that Yang Mi’s daughter had been sent overseas to study without the public knowing.
As soon as Helen Ma finished speaking, the atmosphere at the press conference became noticeably awkward. Cameras immediately captured Lau Dan’s reaction. The moment Ma revealed the information about Little Sticky Rice, Lau Dan raised his hand to signal her to stop and say nothing further. It was clear that he had not wanted his granddaughter’s overseas education to become public knowledge.
Left with little choice, Lau Dan eventually confirmed that his granddaughter was living abroad and currently attending a boarding school in the UK. He also spoke openly for the first time about Little Sticky Rice’s feelings regarding her father’s new relationship. According to him, although the girl is studying overseas, she has most likely already learned that Hawick Lau is dating Lai Kei Kwan. Lau Dan added that his granddaughter is only 12 but exceptionally understanding and mature, and he is certain she would not object to her father having a new girlfriend. The veteran actor further expressed that her maturity gives him considerable peace of mind.
On online forums, the revelation that Yang Mi’s daughter is studying at a boarding school in the UK has become a hot topic. Many netizens have expressed sympathy for the girl, feeling sorry that at just 12 years old, she has already had to leave her family and the loving embrace of her parents and grandparents to live at a boarding school in a foreign country.
Born in 2014, Little Sticky Rice is the only daughter of Yang Mi and Hawick Lau. From the moment she was born, she attracted considerable media attention because both of her parents are major stars in the Chinese entertainment industry.
After Yang Mi and Hawick Lau divorced, Little Sticky Rice was raised in Hong Kong by her father and paternal family. She previously attended an international school with expensive tuition fees. Her childhood activities revolved around academic studies and extracurricular lessons, including ballet, piano, and painting. Lau Dan once proudly revealed that Little Sticky Rice ranked among the top students at her school and had outstanding artistic talent, having even won second place in a piano competition.
However, unlike many other celebrity families, Yang Mi and Hawick Lau have consistently kept their daughter’s identity and appearance private. Yang Mi once explained that she did not want to disclose any information about her daughter because she did not want Little Sticky Rice to be caught up in the media spotlight. As a result, glimpses of the girl’s childhood have only occasionally emerged through photographs accidentally taken by bystanders or captured by the media. Even after all these years, the public has still never had a clear, front-facing look at Little Sticky Rice. Thanks to her parents’ efforts to protect her privacy, she has enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood without excessive public scrutiny.
Yang Mi and Hawick Lau registered their marriage in late 2013 and held their wedding in early 2014 on the Indonesian island of Bali. However, after just one year of marriage, their relationship became the subject of numerous negative rumors concerning tensions between the actress, best known for Eternal Love, and her husband’s family. The couple was also reportedly experiencing marital difficulties. Some sources suggested that Yang Mi’s increasingly successful career, compared with Hawick Lau’s relatively lower profile, had contributed to frequent disagreements between them.
In 2016, Hawick Lau became embroiled in a cheating scandal involving his co-star Wang Ou, allegedly behind his wife’s back. Paparazzi reportedly caught him entering and leaving the VIP hotel room where Wang Ou was staying on multiple occasions between October 12 and 19, 2016. After the cheating allegations emerged, Hawick Lau denied being unfaithful, explaining that he had only met Wang Ou to discuss and review a script. The screenwriter and director of the drama also confirmed his explanation. Hawick Lau further stated that he would “learn from the experience” and, in the future, would avoid discussing scripts late at night or meeting female co-stars in private hotel rooms. However, neither the public nor many people in the entertainment industry appeared convinced by his explanation.
The scandal reportedly became the final straw for Yang Mi, who decided to end their marriage in 2018 after five years together.
Sources: kenh14