It is easy to see why Hong Kong actor-singer Edison Chen is a smooth operator with the ladies.

In town for a Carl's Jr event at Grand Hyatt Hotel on Friday, the 29-year-old was calm and composed when he turned up at 8.15pm as reporters, both local and foreign, went into a mini-frenzy to get his attention.

Surrounded by more than 10 bodyguards, the boyish-looking Chen looked happy and smiled while the camera flashes went into overdrive. He waved graciously at the more than 200 screaming teenage fans waiting outside the heavily guarded hotel.

Chen, who flew in from Vancouver on Friday for his first official media appearance since his sex photo scandal last year, looked tired. But he did not show signs of being traumatised by the current court case in Hong Kong over the leaked photos.

The Hong Kong chief magistrate, prosecutor, defence lawyer and four others had flown to Vancouver for a special hearing because Chen refused to testify in Hong Kong.

More than 400 sex photos of him and his partners, including Hong Kong actresses Gillian Chung and Cecilia Cheung, were splashed online last year after he sent his laptop for repair, leading to a backlash and media frenzy.

On Feb 12, Sze Ho Chun, 24, a computer technician accused of stealing the pictures, was charged with the possession and distribution of pornographic materials.

Amid the commotion at the Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong reporters threw Chen questions related to Cheung's recent television interview about the scandal, but he ignored them.

Read the full story in the Sunday Times today.