The four-month anniversary is a tricky thing. For most, it's actually not much of a thing at all, but who's to say which relationship milestones deserve a celebration? For Ariel Winter and her newish beau Levi Meaden, though, the occasion meant it was time to head to China.
According to Instagram evidence, the 19-year-old Modern Family star joined her 29-year-old actor boyfriend in Qingdao, Shandong this weekend. Meaden, 29, is in China shooting Pacific Rim: Uprising, the sequel to Guillermo Del Toro's 2013 film Pacific Rim. To celebrate their 16 weeks together, Winter shared an Instagram of the two on the streets in China with a simple emoji caption. She wrote the numbers 1-4 followed by a checkmark as if to say, "Hey, I counted the months that we've been together, and I guess it's been four months! Rock on!" The couple has been Instagram official since December 2016. (This puts the couple at four months — if our calculations are correct.)
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This is the first major display of coupledom from the somewhat new pair. Winter was last linked to model Laurent Claude Gaudette. As of May 2016, it seemed all was well with those two. But, come June, it looked like Winter was single. As with most things celebrity romance-related, this info was gleaned via subtle Instagram cues. First, Winter and Gaudette unfollowed each other on the social media platform. For those who don't happen to have Instagram, know this: That's the first thing you do after a breakup. Then, the then high school senior attended prom by herself. Which, by the way, is utterly her prerogative. The media started speculating about Winter's relationship status, and then, because Ariel Winter isn't one to be coy, she posted what amounts to an official notice of singledom.
"Hi there, press people!" she writes in the caption. The "press people" then decided: Ariel Winter was officially flying solo. Some five months later, it seems Meaden received this dispatch. He first appeared on her Instagram feed in a photo from a Trevor Project gala. Winter added a heart emoji and a bunny in the caption. (Which, I suppose, means they're dating...like bunnies?)
Then, in a more official post, Winter declared Meaden her "#mcm" — Man Crush Monday. Man Crush Monday, for those who don't know, is a weekly opportunity for everyone to remind the internet of their relationship status.
More Instagram canoodling followed, and the message was clear: Winter isn't single anymore. These days, the two seem to be enjoying that sweet couple life. Winter, who deferred her acceptance to UCLA and will begin college in fall of 2017, has visited Meaden in China twice. The first time, just three weeks ago, the two went to the Tarong Zoo, where they made a slithery friend.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, they follow each other on Instagram.