Xian Lim finally addressed the endless comments of netizens following the “switching of partners” that happened since he joined A Love to Last almost two weeks ago.

Netizens poked fun at the fact that Xian is now paired with Bea Alonzo in the soap while his erstwhile onscreen (and seemingly off-screen) partner Kim Chiu is being paired with her ex-boyfriend Gerald Anderson who is Bea’s constant days nowadays.

Bea and Gerald are currently seeing each other while Kim and Xian have been rumored to be an item for years now.

Xian admitted that the “setup” didn’t even cross his mind upon accepting his role as Totoy.

“Wala naman. I don’t think that's important at this point,' he said during a recent blogger’s conference.

“Aside from all that, I think they should focus more on the story,” he stressed.

But Xian didn’t dismiss the fact that some people probably consider the “setup” as something “entertaining.”

“Pero, it’s the casting. We’re playing characters. I think they should see the character more than yung [personal],” Xian explained.

Kim battled an online backlash when news of her reunion project with Gerald went public. Turns out that Xian wasn’t spared from the harsh words as well.

“If there’s negative stuff online, don’t pay attention to it. There’s no message to the bashers,” Xian said.

Although they get to spend time off-cam, Xian confessed that he misses working with his perennial leading lady. The two last worked on the primetime soap The Story of Us.

But Xian was quick to reiterate that he and Kim have a clear idea of their priorities.

“It’s part of our job to grow. And it’s part of our job na makita kami ng audience namin in different projects. At the same time, huwag sila mawalan ng pag-asa… yung mga gusto kaming makita together onscreen,” he said.

In the end, he assured fans that everything is just as solid between him and Kim off-cam.

“Ever since before... Yung trabaho namin and lahat ng ginagawa namin on a personal basis, it doesn’t really affect what we do,” he said. “So we’re very supportive of each other.”