HONG KONG - Pop star Leon Lai, 51, is entering his second spring. On Monday, he confirmed tabloid reports that he and his assistant, Wing Chan, 32, are expecting a baby, though he did not mention plans to marry the divorcee.

According to Apple Daily, the couple began dating last year and their baby is due in May. Chan is rumoured to have been promoted to sales manager in Lai's record label, AMusic, and to have moved into his 6,000 sq ft detached house in Sheung Shui, a remote suburb near the border between Hong Kong and China, said Ming Pao Daily News.

The singer, who split up with model Gaile Lok in 2012, said on Facebook: "When two people who have experienced divorce have a chance to get together, it's already a kind of fate. Having a little life, I will become a father and it will take me to another phase of life."

"As a father, I must protect my family members, I'm even more reluctant for them to get exposure and I believe that parents feel the same," he added. "As for our future, we'll let time prove everything."

Lai, the ambassador for Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, had attended the launch of the event on Monday, but declined interviews, said Ming Pao. He made his personal announcement on his official Facebook page only after he went home.

Chan first joined AMusic as actor Aarif Lee's assistant, said Hong Kong newspapers, and rumour has it she ended her marriage for him. But he left the company and she became Lai's favoured employee, taking care of media queries on his work in recent years, said Ming Pao.

She has been uncontactable following recent reports on their romance, however. Lai will be the last of Hong Kong pop's four Heavenly Kings to become a father. All the others - Jacky Cheung, 56; Andy Lau, 56; and Aaron Kwok, 52 - are married with daughters.