It was lunchtime.
Inside the government canteen window.
Little A Yi rolled up her sleeves, her soft, tender white arms looking very striking.
Her small hands wore gloves, and she held a large serving spoon, standing inside the window, serving rice and dishes to everyone who presented a tray.
The canteen in this government unit was relatively old.
It was also a scene the production team had found in Jiangnan City after expending a lot of human resources.
Because in this era, most government unit canteens were very modern, belonging to the self-service buffet type.
There was no need for people to serve food from a window at all.
Such old-fashioned places were already very rare.
Many people were eating lunch.
Everyone, as usual, gathered in twos and threes at the window, chatting with each other while placing their trays on the window.
The food from the large pots was all similar.
Just serve it and that was it.
Two scoops of vegetables, one scoop of rice.
According to the instructions, little A Yi served a lot.
And so, she continuously repeated the same action mechanically.
One or two people were fine.
Ten or eight people could still manage.
But after a long time, it was truly exhausting.
Little A Yi found her arms getting heavier and heavier, as if filled with lead, aching so much they were almost impossible to lift.
Therefore, her serving speed became slower and slower.
She was also panting.
The staff waiting outside to eat slowly noticed something amiss.
The 'Auntie' serving food today looked very young.
And her stamina wasn't good either.
More and more staff gathered, and more and more people looked at her.
After looking for a while, the staff were also stunned.
This young 'Auntie' was so beautiful between her brows and eyes, and she had that somewhat deep-set eye look, like a mixed-race person?
Her eye shape was very beautiful.
Both charming and watery.
Is she new?
Or...
More and more staff began to have questions.
Everyone was asking questions, wanting to inquire about the situation of this little 'Auntie', so the other canteen staff inside the window helped smooth things over.
After a stalemate of three or four minutes, someone finally exclaimed, "No way, she couldn't be little A Yi from 'What is an Actor', could she?"
This voice was like a thunderclap, causing a stir in the canteen.
Then, screams, cheers, and shouts were endless, and the canteen was in complete chaos.
Countless people surged to the window, wanting to catch a glimpse of her.
Inside.
Little A Yi was dumbfounded.
It's over!
She didn't expect to be exposed so quickly.
Before she could even try to remedy the situation, the other canteen staff behind her burst into laughter, abandoning their disguise, and one by one gathered behind little A Yi, embracing her.
Someone directly took off her mask, and someone helped her take off her hat.
Little A Yi's stunning beauty was completely exposed.
And so, little A Yi, with a helpless, bitter smile, had no choice but to wave to everyone outside.
Failure!
...
In the supermarket, behind the customer service counter.
This place was in a secluded corner.
So many staff members would choose to hide here to eat their bento boxes during lunch break.
After eating, they would chat for a while.
Then go back to work in the afternoon.
Yu Zhiwen was also eating her bento box, sitting in the innermost corner.
She actually didn't need to eat; just putting on a show was enough.
Because once her mask was removed, she would easily be recognized.
The task the production team gave them was to blend into the group by pretending to eat. Whoever could last the longest and be discovered the latest would be considered successful.
So, Yu Zhiwen had a bento box in front of her.
She, herself, kept her head down.
Playing on her phone.
At least seven or eight staff members were eating nearby, all chatting while they ate.
When an interesting topic came up, everyone burst into laughter, fully confirming the notion that one woman is equivalent to 500 ducks.
Just like that, the people around her gradually finished eating.
Some left.
Others slowly stopped chatting.
And started looking down at their phones.
No one paid any attention to Yu Zhiwen.
Yu Zhiwen was ecstatic, and at the same time, she gained some insights into the environment of the supermarket.
It seemed that the staff here had very little interaction with each other.
Even if a new staff member arrived, hardly anyone would come over to ask questions or say hello, as if they didn't see you.
Overall, it felt a bit... cold.
So, Yu Zhiwen managed to blend in until the very end.
When the last older woman at the service desk stood up to leave, she patted Yu Zhiwen's shoulder: "Newcomer, hurry and eat. I saw you haven't touched your chopsticks yet. If you're late, someone might scold you. Hurry up."
"Mhm, I know."
Yu Zhiwen quickly nodded.
Then, the old woman also left.
Yu Zhiwen breathed a sigh of relief and then looked around.
For the lunch break assessment, she must have succeeded, right?
...
At the construction site.
In a large open space, at least dozens of migrant workers were eating silently, either standing or sitting.
The scene was quite spectacular.
And bustling with activity.
Some would gather in twos and threes.
They'd have a little drink, eat some peanuts, then heartily wolf down cheap bento boxes, boasting to each other about how well their children had done in school and how promising they were.
Han Tao also started eating.
Although the production team said he didn't have to eat, as long as he blended into the crowd and wasn't discovered, it would be fine.
But Han Tao was truly hungry.
This whole morning, to make his portrayal realistic, he had genuinely done a lot of physical labor.
There was too much material handling work.
Moving bricks, transporting sand, carrying materials.
He was exhausted.
His hands had even developed blisters.
So, by lunchtime, he was famished. How could he resist with a bento box in his hands?
Even though the food in the bento box was the cheapest kind of communal dish, with little oil, and the rice was even hard like undercooked grains.
He still ate it.
Sitting among the crowd, his mask off, covered in dust, he ate in silence.
At this moment, he deeply realized how hard construction workers toiled.
They were truly exchanging blood and sweat for money.
But these workers lacked specialized skills and couldn't find decent jobs in society to earn money and support their families, ultimately having to sell their labor.
At one point.
Someone next to him leaned over and patted his shoulder: "Young man, you seemed to be working hard this morning. Come on, have a couple of sips of this wine to warm yourself up, so you can continue this afternoon."
Han Tao looked up.
A middle-aged man with half-white hair, his face weathered by the elements, looked at him with a simple, honest smile.
A bottle of Erguotou was handed over.
On the other side, two people also turned around: "Come on, eat together. I still have some shepherd's purse dumplings from home."
"This young man, are you just eating that little bit of bento? Here, have another steamed bun."
"Have some wine, come on. It'll warm you up and give you strength."
In a short while, five or six people gathered around him.
They were all rough and ready men.
Han Tao was both amused and helpless.
His face and head were covered in dust now; he looked unkempt, but it also cleverly concealed his true appearance.
Plus, these rough construction workers didn't watch variety shows at all, which meant they didn't recognize him.
So, Han Tao simply cast everything aside and joined them.
Northeasterners inherently possess a certain passion and forthrightness, so in this setting, it allowed him to fully utilize his natural advantages.
Eating and drinking, while bragging.
At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He must have passed the test, right?