novelraw Chapter 56 focuses on boxed lunch reviews and foxtail grass as core competitive advantages.
Chapter 56 focuses on boxed lunch reviews and foxtail grass as core competitive advantages.
There is a physical education class tomorrow morning.
In the physical education class, there was Mr. Du, a strict, fair, and highly professional man who kept his distance from female students but showed no mercy to his students.
The last time Shen Li was taught to walk by Teacher Du's "professional hands" pressing on her hips, the soreness was still unforgettable.
Skipping class? Teacher Du's eyes are sharper than an eagle's.
He could tell immediately if someone was missing. Besides, physical education classes are taught in small groups, so skipping class was tantamount to suicide.
If I don't lift it? ...Then that 180 yuan will be wasted.
Shen Li tapped her fingers on the screen, her brows furrowing in hesitation.
Then scroll down to see how other people in the group reacted.
Wow, this announcement was posted less than ten seconds ago and there are already seven or eight replies below.
1. Materials will be sent privately.
"1".
"Brother Chen, it's me! Old Zhang! The one who played your doctor last time!"
"1. Bring your own suit, no problem."
Shen Li noticed that those who replied with "1" instantly were all "star extras" in the group... familiar faces, the kind that the group leaders were eager to use. Moreover, their replies were clean and concise, not a single word more, making them seem particularly professional.
Those who typed long messages like "Brother Chen, look at me," "Brother Chen, I can act in anything," and "Brother Chen, I've sent you my information" were ignored.
"This is the 'head effect'!" Shen Li clicked her tongue. "The familiar faces get the meat, the new faces get the soup, and those who can't even get the soup can only squat in the group as the atmosphere group."
He didn't reply immediately, but continued scrolling down. He saw a few more interesting comments.
A user with the ID "Afei" replied: "Brother Chen, do you have any work tomorrow? The director praised my death scene in that period drama I did last time."
Chen replied with a grinning emoji: "You little rascal, you're the professional corpse actor, right? There's a Qing Dynasty drama tomorrow that needs you to play a corpse, are you in?"
"Come on, come on! You have to come!"
Shen Li chuckled. A professional corpse actor? This guy's got some talent.
However, to be fair, being able to earn a "label" in the group, even if it's just being a "professional corpse player," is still better than being an "unknown cannon fodder" with no label at all.
At least the group leader remembers that when there's this kind of job, you're the first person they think of.
Scrolling down further, I discovered another interesting phenomenon.
There's a girl in the group with the ID "Sister Dong" whose profile picture is a foxtail grass stuck in a half-eaten lunchbox.
She specifically posted notices for female extras, but the responses were completely different from those elsewhere.
"Sister Dong! What's in the lunchbox today? I'll grab it if there's braised pork!"
"Sister Dong, you said the sweet and sour pork ribs at that place were amazing last time, I've been craving them for days, do you have them tomorrow? [Drooling]"
"Sister Dong, shouldn't you replace the foxtail grass? I saw a particularly fresh one by the roadside this morning, I saved it for you!"
It was so lively and down-to-earth, a real group of foodies surrounding the cafeteria lady.
Shen Li clicked on "Sister Dong's" profile picture and browsed through her Moments.
Goodness, she's completely different from that Sister Hua from before.
Sister Hua has a "fake queen" style, with heavy makeup, bright red, and she seems to want every photo to say "I'm the most beautiful".
What about this Sister Dong? Her WeChat Moments are only visible for three days, and the few posts she has are all reviews of the film crew's boxed lunches.
"Today's lunchbox: The braised pork was too dry, minus points. The garlic broccoli was okay, passable. The tomato and egg soup was bland as water, bad review."
The accompanying picture is of a half-eaten boxed lunch, with her signboard next to it... and a blade of grass that looks like it came from somewhere.
Yes, Dong Jie's signature item is a foxtail grass.
She has this blade of grass in every photo, either holding it in her mouth, tucking it behind her ear, or sticking it next to her lunchbox as a decoration.
Shen Li scrolled through more than a dozen posts but couldn't find a single selfie of hers.
The only photo with her is of her squatting in a corner of the set, eating a watermelon. Watermelon juice is dripping down her chin. She's grinning from ear to ear, holding up a blade of grass. The caption reads: "The watermelon is so sweet, the director is so stingy."
Shen Li was dumbfounded.
This Ms. Dong's WeChat Moments posts are like something out of a rural drama, not at all like a "Queen of Group Chats".
But he noticed a detail... Under each of Dong Jie's WeChat Moments posts, the people who liked and commented were all the "top extras" from the group.
It's not the kind of perfunctory "like-and-share acquaintances," but genuine interaction.
"Sister Dong, will there be twice-cooked pork in the boxed lunches tomorrow?"
"Sister Dong, that sweet and sour pork ribs you made last time were amazing! Which TV show was it from? Can you recommend it?"
"Shouldn't we replace the foxtail grass? This one's almost wilted."
Sister Dong replied to each question in a very down-to-earth tone, just like a gossiping older sister in an alley.
Shen Li found it more and more interesting the more she looked at it.
Sister Hua takes the "visual intimidation" route, relying on her aura to overwhelm people; Sister Dong takes the "emotional binding" route, relying on... boxed lunches and foxtail grass?
He looked through the announcements that Sister Dong had posted in the group and discovered something even more subtle.
When Sister Hua posted the announcement, the replies were all "Sister Hua, look at me!" and "Sister Hua, I sent the information!" They were so eager, it was like a concubine vying for the emperor's favor.
Where is the announcement issued by Ms. Dong? The replies below are like this:
"Sister Dong, you said that braised pork at that restaurant was delicious last time, and I went there today—it was absolutely amazing!"
"Sister Dong, I have a bag of spicy strips here, would you like me to take it over?"
"Sister Dong, have you replaced the foxtail grass? I saw a particularly healthy one by the roadside this morning, so I saved it for you."
Shen Li: "???"
Is this a group of extras or a group of foodies? Are they fighting over casting calls or trying to find buddies?
He continued scrolling down and finally found a proper announcement posted by Sister Dong:
"Tomorrow morning, we need 8 female extras for a period fantasy drama, playing maids/fairies/passersby. Requirements: good looks and figure, bring your own flesh-colored undershirt. Meet at 7 am in Area B of the film studio. Daily pay 150 RMB, lunch provided (today's lunch was sweet and sour pork ribs + garlic broccoli + rice, soup was seaweed and egg drop soup, I tasted it, it's acceptable). By the way, does anyone have a throat lozenge for me? My throat is sore from calling people all day."
A bunch of replies followed:
1. Can it come with candy? Is Jin Sang Zi (a throat lozenge) okay?
"1. I have some loquat syrup here, Sister Dong, would you like some?"
"1. Information sent privately. By the way, Sister Dong, which restaurant makes the sweet and sour pork ribs? Please give me spoilers!"
Shen Li's lips twitched as she watched.
This Ms. Dong has turned the group of extras into a "food exchange group + mutual aid group".
Her prestige wasn't built on putting on airs, but on her words and the simple things she could say.
This kind of person is a true master.
Sister Hua's "queen-like" demeanor might intimidate newcomers, but when things really get tough, who's going to open up to you? Sister Dong, on the other hand, is down-to-earth and wins people's hearts.
Shen Li quietly updated Dong Jie's tags:
"Sister Dong, the 'food blogger' in the group chat, uses boxed lunch reviews and foxtail grass as her core competencies. She takes an emotional connection approach and has a strong following."
The appropriate strategy for dealing with this person should be...