Just as she announced her number and before she could finish complaining to Zhou Wen about her terrible luck, the host announced, "Please welcome contestant number 1, Comrade Wen Ruan, to the stage."
Wen Ruan quickly stood up, straightened her clothes (which didn't actually have wrinkles), and calmly went on stage.
"Hello teachers and students, I am contestant number 1, Wen Ruan, from Tsinghua University..." Wen Ruan quickly finished her self-introduction.
She glanced at the judges' expressions and felt they seemed to be doing well. The other two were talking to Lin Qingyou, who had a slight smile on her face.
The other participants in the selection process suddenly tensed up. They hadn't expected the first person to go on stage to be so strong, with such an impressive resume. Some who were unsure of themselves, thinking that Wen Ruan's level was just average among the students, became even more nervous...
Wen Ruan quickly drew the topic for her speech, which contained only two words: "opera".
A minute passed quickly, and Wen Ruan picked up the microphone and spoke fluently in French: "Distinguished judges, the keyword I drew is 'traditional opera.' Traditional opera is a unique theatrical culture created by the Chinese nation. It is both ancient and young... a cultural gene deeply rooted in the blood of the Chinese nation. With just a dance move or a line of lyrics, we can understand each other implicitly and be moved in unison... a flick of a water sleeve can express anger and sorrow, and a grand curtain can conceal the heavens and the earth..."
Since Wen Ruan chose to speak in French, and the delegation also included French members, she added some history of the Avignon Festival and an explanation of the interesting connections between theater and opera to her presentation...
When Wen Ruan finished her three-minute speech, not only the judges in the audience, but also the other students who participated in the selection sitting in their seats couldn't help but exclaim in amazement and burst into thunderous applause. Lin Qingyou was even more satisfied, and the two judges looked at Wen Ruan with smiles in their eyes.
After stepping down from the stage, Wen Ruan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; this hurdle was finally over.
Back at my seat, I saw Zhou Wen still preparing diligently. Before we arrived, no one knew exactly what the selection process would be like, but once we found out, our hearts sank, fearing that we would draw a question we didn't know.
Seeing this, Wen Ruan didn't dare to disturb her and just let her prepare quietly. The number she drew was 23, so it would probably be a long time before she could leave. Wen Ruan couldn't leave after she finished, as she wanted to see how the others performed and wait for the final result.
Time flew by, and a total of sixty students from various universities in Beijing finished their presentations. Zhou Wen performed well, and after watching the whole thing, Wen Ruan estimated that she would have no major problems.
Sure enough, when Lin Qingyou went on stage to announce the final list of ten selected people, Wen Ruan and Zhou Wen were both among them. Both of them were very happy. Zhou Wen was so excited that she seemed to shed tears. The pressure she had been under for so long was finally released.
After the selection was over, everyone in the auditorium prepared to leave. Wen Ruan and Zhou Wen had just stepped out of the auditorium when they heard someone calling Wen Ruan's name.
"Comrade Wen Ruan? Hello, I am Mu Min, a third-year student at Yuda University. I wonder if Zhao Xiaoyan has mentioned me to you?" A well-dressed girl in a dark-colored long dress walked out and asked.
After thinking for a while, Wen Ruan remembered that this person seemed to be the senior student Zhao Xiaoyan had mentioned before, the one who hired her to be a tutor. She also seemed to have been on the list of participants in the exchange meeting.
A hint of doubt flickered in his eyes, wondering why she had suddenly contacted him. He asked with some skepticism, "Hello, I'm Wen Ruan. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Comrade Wen Ruan, do you have time to talk to me privately now?"
Wen Ruan and Zhou Wen exchanged a glance, nodded to her, and Zhou Wen told her to go back to the dormitory and wait for her before leaving.
Mu Min originally wanted to find a quiet place to have a good chat with Wen Ruan, but she was really unfamiliar with the Tsinghua University environment. In the end, Wen Ruan took the initiative to lead her to the second floor of the Tsinghua University cafeteria.
Wen Ruan rarely comes up here either. The food on the second floor is much more expensive than on the first floor. Since the whole dormitory eats together, considering that Zhao Xiaoyan and Zhou Wen's families are not well-off, they will take the initiative to go to the first floor.
So going to the second floor of the cafeteria for a meal was Wen Ruan's second time coming up. The first time was when she had just entered school, when Song Yan brought her and her mother.
The second floor serves stir-fries, which are quite expensive. Mu Min wanted to order some rice and dishes to treat Wen Ruan to a meal.
Wen Ruan politely declined, stating that she wanted to go back to her dormitory and be with her roommates.
The main reason was that the two were not familiar with each other, and had never even met before. She didn't know why Mu Min had contacted her and suddenly asked her to have dinner, so she was definitely going to refuse.
When Mu Min saw that Wen Ruan refused, she didn't press the matter and said directly, "Comrade Wen, Xiao Yan came to our tutoring class before and she said that it was your encouragement and help that made us very grateful. You have added a capable member to our tutoring class!"
“Xiaoyan often mentioned her roommate, Wen Ruan, to us before. She spoke highly of you and also gave us some advice on the future prospects of tutoring classes. I found it very inspiring.”
"I feel that Comrade Wen Ruan is a very thoughtful comrade with a good vision for future development. In addition, your performance on stage just now has made me even more certain of my previous thoughts."
"So I'd like to invite you to join our tutoring class as a tutor. What do you think?" Mu Min didn't beat around the bush and said it directly.
Wen Ruan was somewhat surprised, as she had never considered looking for a part-time job before. Zhao Xiaoyan had previously hinted that she wanted to join her.
So that's why...
After hearing this, Wen Ruan waved her hand and said, "Comrade Mou, thank you for your kindness, but I have no plans to look for part-time work at this stage. I'm really sorry."
Mu Min tried to persuade him to stay: "Comrade Wen, if you become a tutor, your salary will definitely be different from others. It'll be five yuan per class, or even paid per student. As the top scorer in the college entrance examination, many people will definitely come to you because of your reputation... Don't worry about the tuition fee."
At this stage, Wen Ruan only wants to focus on her studies and shine in her field of knowledge, rather than spending her time elsewhere.
Wen Ruan greatly admired this kind of insightful and thoughtful girl, but unfortunately, time was really limited, and she couldn't participate in or take care of everything, so she had to politely decline.
Mu Min was very generous after hearing this, and did not mind Wen Ruan's refusal at all. Instead, she extended an invitation to become friends with her. Wen Ruan was very happy to accept. Who wouldn't like such a bright, generous, independent, and successful woman?
The two later agreed to go shopping together sometime. Wen Ruan escorted her to the entrance of Tsinghua University, waved goodbye, and left...
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