Faye Wong celebrates 50th birthday without boyfriend Nicholas Tse in sight

Is there trouble in paradise for Hong Kong couple Faye Wong and Nicholas Tse?

It’s a question that is often asked about the celebrity couple who had an on-off relationship since they began their high-profile romance in 2000.

The good news is they have been going strong since they rekindled their romance in 2014.

The rumours of the couple’s relationship being rocky recently started when a photo from Wong’s 50th birthday celebration surfaced online.

Wong can be seen cosying with two male friends in the photo but her lover, Hong Kong actor turned chef Nicholas Tse was not seen.

Wong’s friend posted the photo on 8 August and was accompanied by a post in which he wished her a happy birthday.

One of the men in the photo is a friend of Chinese actor Li Yapeng (Wong’s ex-husband).

While that may add fuel to the rumour mill, Yapeng has seemingly moved on.

It was reported that 38-year-old Tse did not attend the birthday celebration because he was working in Shanghai.

However he was seen having a relaxing post-work dinner with friends and even posing for photos with staff at the restaurant.

The romance between Wong and Tse began in June 2000 when Wong arrived at Hong Kong actor Tony Leung’s party with Tse in two.

Wong confirmed dating rumours by holding Tse’s hand and it caused an uproar.

Two years later, they went their separate ways after speculation that Tse was cheating on Wong with Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung.

Wong married Yapeng in 2005 before splitting in 2013.

The couple have a 12-year-old daughter, Li Yan.

Tse also moved on and married Cecilia in a secret ceremony in 2006 before parting ways in 2012.

It would be a good 11 years after their reported break up before the lovers reconciled in 2014, when Chinese media spotted the pair canoodling in Faye’s apartment.

Since then, their relationship has been smooth-sailing, with Nicholas even dismissing rumours that he was dating Chinese actress Yang Mi in March.

At a publicity appearance in May for his new shop, Chef Nic, the actor-chef even admitted that long-time girlfriend Faye was one of the lucky few to taste his dishes.

Could Nicholas’ absence just be a coincidence?

In this tumultuous time for celebrity pairings, only time will tell.