Miss Hong Kong 2021 nominee Kirsten Li (利爱安) made waves when she supposedly passed the first interview round for the competition. The announcement was made by her supposed nominator Lin Zuo (林作). However, that turned out to be the least surprising news.
During an interview with Hong Kong News, Kirsten revealed Lin Zuo was not her nominator. She added that she didn’t know him. Lin Zuo stated he may not know her, but he hoped to meet her someday. As it turns out, he got his wish!
Previously, Kirsten negated Lin Zuo’s announcement by stating she had not made it to the second round of interviews. The “Buddha Belle” was disappointed but grateful she had the chance to participate in Miss Hong Kong anyway. However, ‘nominator’ Lin Zuo made an Instagram post asking Hong Kong citizens to pool 1 million yuan to get her back in the competition.
Kirsten later spoke up about Lin Zuo during her interview with Hong Kong News. She explained he was not her nominator, her brother Lenar was, and that she had never met Lin Zuo before. The ex-candidate also stated she did not like others using her name to cheat people of their money.
Lin Zuo clarified that his statement on the crowd-fund was meant as a joke. According to the self-proclaimed nominator, he was trolling and was merely trying to support Kirsten sincerely. Kirsten mentioned she was not angry with him and thanked him for his support.
On 26th June, the duo finally met each other in a bar called Tapa Room. They were seen having amiable conversations with the two smiling in several pictures. Lin Zuo captioned the photos as “I’m (with) my friend!” Kirsten responded on her Instagram story with a “Hello” and a heart emoji. They also did a “Buddha pose” to pay homage to Kirsten’s “Buddha Belle” nickname.
Lin Zuo’s odd way of publicising Kirsten has certainly paid off. The “Buddha Belle” has gathered quite a following as proven by the number of followers on her Instagram account.
Lin Zuo certainly wasn’t wrong when he credited Kirsten’s popularity to his efforts. However, he has stated he will not be apologising for the matter, as everything turned out well in the end.
Sources: Oriental Daily, Instagram (1)(2)(3)
