For the next period of time, Wen Ruan was very busy. On the one hand, she was busy with various matters related to the exchange meeting, and on the other hand, Professor Lin specially trained the ten selected students, including various aspects of handling emergencies and exchanging ideas on national art history.

On the other hand, Wen Ruan was busy studying for the entire first year of university, and she had an idea in mind to complete her credits and graduate early.

During the class meeting at the beginning of the semester, the student management handbook distributed by the counselor stated that as long as students complete all required credits in advance, finish their graduation thesis, and successfully defend their thesis, they can graduate from their undergraduate program.

Wen Ruan wanted to give it a try and see if she could complete it, without needing to plan ahead too far in advance—a year would suffice.

Since making this decision, Wen Ruan feels like she doesn't have enough time every day, keeping herself extremely busy. They say, "Time is like water in a sponge; you have to squeeze it out..."

But Wen Ruan felt like she was about to be squeezed dry, and she even started reading diligently on her way to class and while eating in the cafeteria.

Everyone in the dormitory was stunned. They didn't know what had suddenly triggered Wen Ruan to work so hard. Logically speaking, this would be normal if it happened to Zhou Wen or Dong Ya, but it felt strange to think about it coming from Wen Ruan.

At first, everyone thought that Wen Ruan's ability to become the top scorer in the college entrance examination, and her ability to answer every question the teacher asked in class, was the result of her hard work. However, as her roommates, they knew very well that Wen Ruan was definitely not that hardworking.

When it comes to effort, if you were to rank the six people in the dorm, Wen Ruan would almost be at the bottom. In her words, "I balance work and rest..."

But you have to admit, she still has the best grades.

Gradually, everyone realized that she was born with a brilliant mind, which no one could compare to. Every time people said this to her, Wen Ruan didn't want to admit it.

When it comes to quick wit, Song Yan is the one with the photographic memory, a golden finger that I've always dreamed of.

Wen Ruan had almost forgotten what her carefree life of eating and lying down was like in her previous life. Now, she was filled with all sorts of things every day. Before, she was leisurely but empty. Now, she was busy but fulfilled. Wen Ruan was somewhat satisfied with her current state.

When the people in the dormitory heard that Wen Ruan wanted to finish her credits and graduate early, they were intrigued, especially Zhou Wen and Dong Ya, who responded enthusiastically and wanted to accompany Wen Ruan.

But he didn't persist for long before gradually giving up. The curriculum for the International Relations major at Tsinghua University was too extensive, and there were too many books to read. He simply couldn't finish them all.

In the end, only Wen Ruan was left persisting.

......

After a period of intensive training lasting half a month, the art exchange delegations from the Soviet Union and France arrived in Beijing one after the other. Wen Ruan and Zhou Wen also took a week of leave from their respective mentors to participate in the preparations.

According to the schedule, Wen Ruan served as the translator for the French art exchange delegation, while Zhou Wen was responsible for arranging and guiding the delegation's itinerary.

Because of their different group assignments, the two separated after arriving at the conference hall, the venue for the event, and began their respective tasks.

After everything was arranged properly, the exchange delegations from both countries finally arrived amidst everyone's anticipation. Wen Ruan and another language university student followed Lin Qingyou and leaders at all levels to the entrance to greet them. The girl was in charge of the translation work for the Soviet exchange delegation.

The exchange began quickly. Wen Ruan looked at the program in her hand. The Soviet Union showcased its national characteristics with ballet, and its principal dancer also participated in the exchange.

France will be performing Shakespeare's classic opera, Hamlet.

Wen Ruan sat in the audience, watching with great interest, occasionally listening to the exchanges between the French exchange personnel, and sometimes acting as a "bridge" for exchanges with the Soviet Union.

Soon the performances by the exchange participants from both countries came to an end. Wen Ruan had never experienced such a strong artistic atmosphere before, which was overwhelming her and made her feel very satisfied. She couldn't help but look forward to the performance by China next.

Hua Guo performed the ballet "The White-Haired Girl." In Wen Ruan's memory, this was a "model opera." She had only seen illustrations in textbooks back then, but had never had the opportunity to see the complete performance of this play, which was printed in history textbooks and has been passed down for a long time.

Although I had researched the dance drama before coming, I was still not as impressed as seeing it in person.

The curtain slowly rises, revealing a dimly lit stage with a sense of swirling dark clouds and biting wind. A woman wearing a headscarf and patched coarse cloth walks with heavy steps, carrying the grain she earned with her blood and sweat to pay rent to the Huang family.

Suddenly, the poor peasant woman collapsed to the ground. Wen Ruan couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, and looked at the actor playing the henchman of the Huang family, raising his whip to strike him.

The oppressed farmhands and peasant women danced angrily to denounce the Huang family's crimes. Suddenly, the background music blared: "Look at the world, which piece of land didn't we cultivate? Which forest didn't we plant? Which house didn't we build? Which crop wasn't irrigated with our blood and sweat..."

Wen Ruan's emotions, like the music, fluctuated. Meanwhile, Xi'er, at home, happily awaited her father's return from hiding from debt collectors for the New Year. She held up her exquisite paper-cut window decoration and began a joyful solo dance...

When I saw Yang Bailao, who had suffered oppression all his life, facing the vast expanse of white snow, as if a knife were sweeping across his face, holding a carrying pole, standing against the wind, trudging along the rugged mountain path to his doorstep, and pulling out the red ribbon he had bought with the little money he had in his pocket, I couldn't help but burst into tears...

Her once black hair eventually turned to snow. Xi'er fought against the wind, snow, and wild beasts in the mountains. After many years, her black hair turned white... She waited even more bravely for the opportunity to take revenge.

Finally, in the later stages, many years later, Xi'er returned to her hometown and saw her relatives: "A thousand-year-old hatred must be avenged, and a ten-thousand-year-old injustice must be redressed." Xi'er denounced Huang Shiren's crimes to the Eighth Route Army, and the masses also rose up to denounce him, demanding severe punishment for the traitor and tyrant Huang Shiren...

The villain finally bowed his head, and the audience erupted in thunderous applause.

After watching it, Wen Ruan felt that the dance was somewhat different from the information she had researched before. It contained many ballet movements, combining the elegance and nobility of ballet with the boldness and passion of folk dance.

Through exquisite choreography and music, it closely connects the struggle between Xi'er and Huang Shiren, the love between Xi'er and Dachun, and the fate of the entire village, showcasing the heroic struggle and indomitable spirit of the people in the War of Resistance Against Japan.

Putting aside her own experience, the expressions of the entire exchange group were also quite awe-inspiring.

The leader of the French exchange group, Anatole, was visibly excited. He grabbed Wen Ruan's hand, wanting her to help introduce him to "The White-Haired Girl," praising her endlessly and looking on with amazement...