Flora successfully picked up the block this time.
Next was to keep moving forward.
In front of them was a row of pillars parallel to the ground. Below was the flat ground of the first level; if they fell, they would have to jump back up from the stairs and start over.
“I’ll move forward, you jump,” Xueli’s voice was steady.
“Okay.”
The first jump—Flora pressed the button too lightly.
The small character traced a short arc and fell straight down.
*Pop.*
The screen darkened for a moment, and the character landed back at the very bottom. Now they had to jump back up again.
“Waah, how did I fall…?” Flora looked at the fallen character, feeling a deep sense of “grief” in her heart.
“Let’s just jump back up.” Unexpectedly, Xueli’s voice lacked any tone of blame. Instead, it felt like a nudge of encouragement to try again.
Xueli moved the character back to the starting stairs.
Flora stole a glance at her. Xueli’s profile remained calm, her eyelashes drooping slightly as she appeared fully concentrated.
They quickly jumped back up and faced the second obstacle once more.
‘I absolutely cannot fall this time. Absolutely not!’
“Fufu, hold the button a bit longer this time so you can jump further,” Xueli gently reminded her.
“Okay.”
“Three, two, one.”
The character successfully jumped, and then…
Landed perfectly on the first pillar!
Success! They made it across.
Moving steadily and cautiously, they successfully carried the block to the second stable platform.
They found the designated spot for the block and set it down, causing a path forward to appear.
Soon, they cleared many stages and reached the final one, which was also the most difficult.
Flora examined the stage. She realized this level required moving forward while simultaneously curving around an obstacle.
There was a barrier between two small platforms, so they had to perform a spin around the pillar while jumping to land on the platform ahead.
‘Isn’t this just a spin jump?’
Now, she not only had to control the jump, but also the camera rotation, which had to be synchronized with Xueli’s movement.
No matter how she thought about it, it seemed incredibly difficult.
She turned her head to look at Xueli sitting beside her. Xueli was rarely seen frowning, but her expression now looked quite serious.
This reflected the fact that this stage was by no means simple.
“This…” Flora murmured.
“It’s hard.”
However, there was no retreat in Xueli’s voice. Instead, there was a sense of earnestness from being challenged.
“This platform isn’t small. Should we… practice on this big platform first?” Flora suggested. “To get a feel for the spinning landing.”
“Okay.”
They didn’t rush to clear the stage. Instead, like two true partners, they tested jumps, adjusted, and discussed in the safe zone over and over.
“Pull the camera back a little.”
“A bit faster when moving forward.”
“How about this?”
“That works.”
On the screen, the small character leaped, spun, and landed repeatedly. If it wasn’t right, they restarted; if it still wasn’t right, they restarted again.
But there was no irritability in the air, only a focused, almost rhythmic sound of breathing.
Over the next few minutes, they repeated the same movement on the safe platform. After failing more than a dozen times, they finally found the rhythm.
“It’s ready. Let’s start,” Xueli said.
The character they controlled returned to the starting point of the stage.
The atmosphere naturally grew quiet.
The first few platforms went more smoothly than expected. They reached the last two jumping points without falling even once.
Xueli’s fingers rested lightly on the keys, her gaze calm.
“Are you ready?”
“Mhm.” Flora held her breath.
Jump, spin, and land.
The character wobbled for a moment, almost falling, but managed to stand firm.
Only one last jump remained.
Flora felt her heart racing. It wasn’t fear now, but a form of tension—the nervousness of not knowing if they would succeed.
The noise of the whole world seemed to gradually fade away, leaving only the character on the screen and the cool keys beneath her fingertips.
Xueli took a soft breath.
“Go!”
The character leaped out with all its might.
The moment Flora pressed the jump button, she rotated the camera. The character traced a long arc through the air.
Time seemed to slow down, and the scenery moved slower and slower.
The finish line was getting closer.
3 meters.
She didn’t even dare to breathe.
2 meters…
She quickly glanced at Xueli. Her gaze was solemn and unmoving, her left hand clenched into a fist.
Flora hurriedly turned her head back to the screen.
1 meter…
*Thud.*
A light landing sound echoed.
The character swayed twice before standing firmly in the center of the platform.
Brilliant colored lights immediately exploded across the screen.
**[Stage Clear!]**
Flora stared blankly at the words, only realizing what happened after several seconds.
They made it across.
Clear time: 14 minutes 50 seconds.
At that moment, the store owner walked over.
“Wow! You two girls actually cleared it so fast, and under 15 minutes at that!”
“We… we cleared it!” Flora jumped up happily, her arms raised high and straight. Her face glowed brilliantly.
“You girls are truly impressive. You’ve reached the time required for the First Prize, which is under 15 minutes. Even though it was only by 10 seconds, no one has been able to get the First Prize yet this year. This shows your coordination is truly excellent.”
Xueli also stood up.
“I didn’t expect our coordination to be this good,” Xueli remarked with her usual objective evaluation.
“Here, these are for you. This is the First Prize.” The store owner took two rings out of a box behind him.
After Flora and Xueli took the two rings, they stood there dazed for a moment before examining them closely.
The two rings were indeed two separate rings, but they were quite unusual.
The rings were clearly a set, and a single one was incomplete; only when put together were they whole.
“Yes, that’s it. The two rings are only complete when joined together. It symbolizes the result of your cooperation, where neither person is dispensable. These rings are one-of-a-kind and a symbol of your status,” the store owner said with a grin.
“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Xueli gave a meaningful look.
Flora and Xueli each put a ring on their finger, then brought their hands together to join the rings as one.
The two rings featured patterns of two kittens. The closer they were, the brighter the kittens’ eyes would glow. When pressed together, the two pairs of eyes were at their brightest.
The kitten on Flora’s ring looked lazy. Its small paws were crossed under its head, and its little legs were tucked under its belly.
The kitten on Xueli’s ring had a sharp gaze, its eyes wide and round, standing straight on all four limbs. Its mouth was open, and its head was thrust forward, clearly in the middle of hissing.
When the two kittens were placed together—one lazy, one majestic—it possessed a peculiar kind of aesthetic beauty.
“Xiao Xue, your ring is so interesting.” Flora couldn’t help but admire the hissing kitten ring on Xueli’s finger.
“Yours is also very cute,” Xueli offered her usual objective assessment.