Chen Yixin didn't have a boyfriend and many friends in school because parents and older brother were very protective

When most teenagers would probably have had a brush with romance at 21, second-generation star Chen Yixin revealed that she hasn't.

Speaking to 8world about her new English show Teenage Textbook The Series, she said that when she was still in school, she didn't have many friends, let alone a boyfriend, because her family — dad Edmund Chen, mum Xiang Yun, and brother Yixi — were very protective.

The Singapore Polytechnic alumnus said: "My parents, especially my father, were very protective of me. In addition, my brother is nine years older than me so it feels like there are three 'parents' who take care of me at home.

"I have been close to my family since young and I spend most of the time with them. I didn't have many friends, let alone a boyfriend. It wasn't until I started attending polytechnic that my father began to let go slowly and little by little."

The starlet shared that her schoolmates assumed she received some kind of special treatment just because she's the daughter of celebrities.

Yixin said: "Some students thought I had priority, or received special treatment and benefits, when in fact, I didn't. In order to prove this, I would deliberately treat everyone well and was very cautious in everything I did as I was scared that doing something wrong would affect my parents.

"I lost myself for a while, but then I learnt how to deal with public opinion and accept that which I couldn't change."

ALSO READ: Chen Yixin: Any mistake I make will affect the reputation of my parents Xiang Yun and Edmund Chen

The young actress also said that her parents support her by watching Teenage Textbook but she feels "stressed and shy" whenever they do.

And despite having parents in showbiz, she normally doesn't seek advice on acting from them, unless they discuss acting techniques and the director's shooting styles after watching her show together.

She explained: "I don't know how to describe it, but it just feels weird. I am not used to it. I don't even let my parents help me with my preparations. Every time someone tell me, 'How could you not know how to act? Aren't your parents actors?', I really don't know how to respond."

Teenage Textbook The Series is currently showing on meWATCH and also on Channel 5 every Tuesday at 9.30pm. 

bryanlim@asiaone.com