Kim Chiu’s ‘only wish’ after van attack and bf Xian Lim’s reaction

“My only wish is for the two [gunmen] to finally be identified. What will happen to them after, I will leave everything to God.”Thus said actress Kim Chiu shortly after surviving a shooting incident in Quezon City on Wednesday morning. The actress and her two compa­nions—her driver and personal assistant—were unharmed.

“I don’t know why it happened to me. It’s my first time to have experienced a shootout,” she said in the unedited version of the “TV Patrol” report that was uploaded on Youtube on Wednesday night. “I’m thankful to have received over a hundred messages. My cell phone rang endlessly. I’m now safe. Thank you to those who were concerned about how I am doing.”

On the same day, Kim’s boyfriend, actor Xian Lim, posted a “thank you” message on his Instagram account. He said he was thankful to those who “expressed their prayers and concerns. We can never explain why these horrible things happen. Thankfully, there are no casualties. Thank you God for always being by our side.”

Kim’s home network, ABS-CBN, in a statement, said it condemned the shooting incident, adding that it was taking measures to ensure her safety. “Our priority now is attending to their (Kim and her companions’) needs as they cope with this traumatic experience … We are currently working closely with the authorities who are investigating the incident with the hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.”

The shooting happened while the actress was on her way to the taping of her latest soap, “Love Thy Woman,” on ABS-CBN, which has revived her love team with Xian (known as KimXi). The couple last worked together on television in the 2016 drama series “The Story of Us.”

KimXi revived

Kim has likened the state of her on-screen partnership with Xian to leftover adobo.

“It felt like adobo na may pinatulog na (solidified) oil. Before eating it, you first need to put it in the microwave to reheat it. You’ll then be happy to know that the delicious taste has not changed at all,” Kim said, laughing.

What the actress said she meant was that, “We needed to get used to doing scenes together again. Ulitan kami! On the set, we realized that this was very difficult.”

Xian added: “Things felt very different, although the energy and the chemistry were still there. It felt like we were doing it the first time … We have definitely leveled up. Our acting now is more mature. Our roles are actually quite very challenging. I’m so proud, happy and excited to be part of an awesome cast.”

Kim plays Jian Wong, an illegitimate daughter of Adam Wong, a rich Chinese businessman played by Christopher de Leon. Xian, meanwhile, plays David Chao, the husband of Jian’s half-sister, Dana (Yam Concepcion). “Jian is very difficult to embody. This is because, for 13 years, the characters I’ve played were mostly the meek and mild kind. This girl is a fighter,” Kim said. “I would study each and every scene I was part of. I would put notes on my copy of the script so I would have a guide. I would read the script again and again. With the cast members I’m currently working with, I have to make sure I come to the set prepared.”

Aside from Xian, Yam and Christopher, Kim is also working closely with Sunshine Cruz, Eula Valdez, Zsa Zsa Padilla and Ruffa Gutierrez.

When it comes to her love life, however, Kim seemed not the type who would prepare. This was because when asked to share about how serious her relationship with Xian has become, the actress said: “We take one day at a time. We just try to enjoy each other’s company. I don’t know how to describe it. Let’s just see what will happen next. Whatever we have right now, I simply want to cherish it.”

When it was Xian’s turn to answer, his reply was: “We’re different when it’s just the two of us. We don’t talk about work.” He added that the sec­ret to making their relationship work was “letting each other grow as artists. Kim has the freedom to do whatever she wants artistically. She also gives me the freedom for whatever it is that I feel I need to do. That way, we grow together. We don’t make it feel like we’re holding the other by the neck.”

Right now, what they said they love to do as a couple is to travel and explore the world. “You get to know the other person better when you go out of the country together. You discover what he likes,” Kim explained. “You will also learn how she behaves once her patience is tested. You will discover all the things about her that you don’t get to see when she’s simply in her comfort zone,” added Xian.

“I’m more patient than Xian,” Kim interjected. “He easily gets hungry. If you don’t feed him, he would roar! Seriously, though, we respect each other as a person. We don’t mind the times when we have to work with other people, but we also value our time together.”