They had been going steady for less than half a year when tragedy struck.
It all started with a tiff over a pair of chopsticks, but then 19-year-old Tan Teck Soon thought girlfriend Chong Kar Yin wanted to break up with him.
Agitated, he pushed her off 12 storeys and then jumped down to follow her in death. Although seriously injured, he survived the plunge and was originally charged with her murder.
However, in court earlier today, Tan escaped the gallows after the charge was amended to culpable homicide, reported Shin Min Daily News and Lianhe Wanbao. Both Malaysians worked in Singapore.
What happened]
Details revealed in court mentioned that the tragedy happened on March 7 in 2009 at 1.53 am along the 12th-storey corridor of Block 565 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.
Tan, a welder, met then 20-year-old Chong through a friend, Cai Weilun. After a month's acquaintance, the couple went steady.
On the evening of the tragedy, the couple met at a Bedok hawker centre at about 11.30pm. Ms Chong ordered a bowl of fishballs and asked her boyfriend to bring her a pair of chopsticks. Tan, however, refused to help her and Ms Chong was unhappy.
They had a tiff over this and ignored each other. However, they made up later when Tan fed Ms Chong the fishballs and she got over her anger.
During the meal, Ms Chong was constantly on her mobile talking and texting, which irritated Tan.
They left soon after and Tan took Ms Chong home on his motorcycle.
After they parked at the carpark of Block 565 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, the couple's chat degenerated into a quarrel when they started to talk about the incident at the Bedok hawker centre.
Ms Chong evetually suggested they go upstairs to resolve the unhappiness and they continued quarrelling when they reached the 12th storey corridor.
It was then that Ms Chong told Tan that they would never be able to change their quick temper.
Tan, however, though Ms Chong wanted to break up and decided to die with Ms Chong. He used both hands and pushed Ms Chong until she toppled over the wall and fell to her death.
Then Tan took a few steps back and rushed towards the wall and fell over it to plunge down the flat.
However, the flat was undergoing some upgrading and his fall was broken by the scaffolding. Although he landed near Ms Chong, he survived.
From Asiaone, "Woman died over a pair of chopsticks".