Gu Sheng’s voice echoed through the GDCA awards ceremony.

The venue instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.

“Hahaha, I never thought Sam would have a day like this!”

“I hope more games like this come out in the future so Old Thief can experience what it feels like for players to break their defenses.”

“Man, I really love this game. I have to play it once with my friends before watching the stream again!”

“I sincerely hope every streamer I follow who likes showing off their relationships gets one of these!”

“This is the real litmus test for true feelings...”

“To think that one day, I’d see Sam’s defenses broken too hahaha...”

“But honestly, this level’s difficulty is a bit intense—”

“....”

The audience was completely hyped.

At the same time, inside the motion-sensing pod, Gu Sheng also realized the issue—

The difficulty of this level in the pod had skyrocketed.

In truth, if this level were played on the PC platform, the two players could communicate and solve the animal selection problem by watching each other’s perspectives.

If they were in perfect sync, they wouldn’t even need to communicate verbally. The player stepping on the mechanisms could select animal icons according to the obstacles the wire-walking player encountered, and the wire-walking player just needed to focus on which obstacle was opened to leap through.

But the motion-sensing pod was different.

Because the players’ views were first-person and subjective, everything they saw was independent and unique to them.

Thus, the only communication method was verbal; there was no way to judge the next path by looking at the other’s perspective.

However!

Although the difficulty rose steeply, surprisingly, this design made communication between the two players even more frequent, achieving a true “It Takes Two” experience.

Just like in life, responsibilities should be shared equally between two people.

Two people joined together should never let one’s stronger ability carry the other forever, because over time, “It Takes Two” would devolve into one person forcing it alone, eventually leading to a split path.

We face problems together, share the burden, and solve the problems.

This is the right way to get through life together, and it is the core meaning of this game.

Life’s road is hard and long; “It Takes Two” is the way two lovers coexist.

“...Lion!”

“Lion!”

“Little Lamb and Little Bear!”

“Bear! Bear! Bear!”

“OK! Mouse! I remember you have a mouse!”

“Stepped on it! Next is the pig, I’ve memorized it!”

“Woohoo! Awesome, my future fiancée! Made it! Now it’s my turn to help you step...”

As the two passed the zipline section, a huge clothes hanger cable car carried them into a brand-new level.

In this level, they had to pass three challenges in a classroom.

They were connection, memory, and calculation.

Connection was easier: both had to lift a big pencil together and trace dots numbered on a drawing paper, ultimately forming a cat’s face.

Memory was harder: they had seven chances to match twelve cards in pairs, each card showing a fruit pattern that needed to be remembered.

The final calculation challenge was even tougher: they had to solve simple math problems on the blackboard, like “? + ? = 9” or “? - ? = 5,” by selecting the correct number cards from a table full of digits.

Theoretically, addition and subtraction within ten were easy for Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao, but the problem was that for the cards numbered 1-9, multiple correct pairs could satisfy the equation!

4 + 5 equals 9, and so does 3 + 6.

9 - 4 equals 5, and so does 8 - 3.

So, the flustered two created hilarious illiterate moments like “4 + 6 = 9” and “9 - 3 = 5.”

Amid all the players’ laughter, this moment felt like the game was mirroring real life.

The zipline with different animal icons represented the differences of opinion in life; although we have small conflicts because of them, love ultimately leads us to the same destination.

Drawing together while holding the pencil symbolized sketching the blueprint for our future; it was our shared goal that required mutual effort.

Matching the cards was like our way of living with each other by seeking common ground while preserving differences; I strive to remember your preferences, and you care for my dreams in return.

The math problems were the little joys in life; even if our thinking wasn’t completely aligned, our interesting souls fit perfectly.

Life is full of complexities; along the way, we might argue and clash, but in the end, the small quarrels wouldn’t affect our love.

No matter how winding the road is, as long as we love each other, the journey—neither long nor short—will be filled with flowers from our hand-in-hand walk.

Finally!

They stopped before a toy with pressing teeth—the kind where players take turns pressing the toy’s teeth to see who gets bitten by the frog.

A childhood memory now turned into a mechanism that required them to jump and stomp to activate it as their bodies had shrunk.

Shen Miaomiao, playful as ever, pulled Gu Sheng into a bold gamble!

Gu Sheng was confident: “Future fiancée, the odds of winning or losing in our bet don’t need me to explain. The only question is—what are we betting on?”

Shen Miaomiao initially wanted to say doing chores since most of their bets in the past were wagers on housework.

But then!

She rolled her eyes and a clever, daring idea suddenly popped into her mind:

“Bet on a demand! A demand we propose afterward that the other party can’t refuse!”

Buzz—

As soon as she said this!

The audience instantly burst into cheers and hoots, with some shouting, “Say yes!” “That’s the bet!” “Accept it!”

The chat barrage was full of laughter—

The guys at the venue were really watching the show without fear of consequences...

“Hahahaha... CEO Ou’s bet is really big. Did she not consider losing?”

“Is CEO Ou someone who’s afraid to lose? Think PUBG! Think TTF! Think Sekiro!”

“Well... Little Yellow’s signature all-in investment style was set by CEO Ou...”

“Let’s see if Old Thief dares to accept!”

“Old Thief better man up! CEO Ou’s already playing!”

“Exactly, exactly...”

In the midst of all the noise, Gu Sheng pondered with interest.

Then he walked over to the frog’s big mouth, gesturing:

“Lady first. I, Gu Sheng, accept this bet.”

Whoa—!!!

The venue erupted with cheers!

All eyes focused on the bet between the two!

Shen Miaomiao didn’t hesitate at all!

She stepped forward, executed a beautiful backflip, and landed hard on a tooth!

Snap!

One tooth of the frog was pressed down, but no mechanism triggered.

Gu Sheng didn’t want to be outdone; he jumped and landed his butt on another tooth.

Click!

Pressed safely, no trigger!

Round one, round two, round three!

The frog had ten teeth total!

But today, the two’s luck seemed extraordinary!

Even after Gu Sheng pressed the sixth tooth, the frog’s mouth stayed wide open!

With only four teeth left, the audience’s hearts clenched!

“Damn... only two rounds left!”

Tension rose; it felt like playing Russian roulette.

“This toy has never made me this nervous!”

“My blood pressure and heart rate are rising. Look, the real-time heart rates of Old Thief and CEO Ou are both spiking!”

“Hahaha, such an unexpectedly intense scene. Didn’t expect a game to make players sweat this much.”

“Here it comes, CEO Ou’s turn first!”

Amid the tension,

Shen Miaomiao’s character, Little Plum, took a deep breath!

Then leapt high and stomped hard!

Click!

Whoosh—!!!

Perfect dodge, no trigger!

A collective sigh of relief echoed, and the pressure shifted to Gu Sheng.

“Pretty lucky...”

Three teeth left!

Even Gu Sheng couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.

The chance of getting bitten was a terrifying 33.33%!

His jump!

Click!

Buzz—!!!

The crowd gasped in even greater tension!

Still no trigger; only two teeth left on the field!

Gu Sheng exhaled deeply and waved his hand:

“Please—!!!”

The venue fell silent, even the livestream chat went quiet.

As Shen Miaomiao stepped to one of the remaining two teeth,

everyone’s hearts hung in the air.

Even the judges at the organizing committee were captivated, furrowing brows, clenching fists!

Shen Miaomiao stepped on that tooth and slowly spoke:

“Old Gu.”

“Hm?”

Gu Sheng was extremely nervous and answered seriously:

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, just don’t get distracted, watch carefully.”

She took a deep breath and said:

“Watch how you lose!”

Whoosh!

With that, Shen Miaomiao stopped hesitating, soared high, then smashed down fiercely!

Thwack!

Instantly!

The venue fell silent for half a second.

Then, like a crashing wave,

Boom!!!

Cheers and screams exploded, almost tearing off the roof!

Everyone thought Shen Miaomiao had landed safely on the pressed tooth, posing heroically to accept the crowd’s applause!

The outcome was clear!

That last remaining tooth was Gu Sheng’s death trap!

What the hell?!

Not only was the audience stunned, even Gu Sheng was shocked!

What kind of luck was this?!

With a one-in-two chance, Little Nezha landed safely?

And why was she so confident she dared to pose before the leap? Was she not afraid of getting snapped?

Gu Sheng couldn’t understand.

But it didn’t matter.

Because at this moment, the entire audience was chanting “Step! Step! Step!”

Shen Miaomiao laughed heartily, her tone brimming with pride:

“President Gu! Anything you want to say to everyone?”

Gu Sheng: ....

Flustered, he stepped on the last frog tooth and said:

“Alright, then I declare,”

“This live gameplay demonstration of ‘It Takes Two’ ends here,”

“The official game will be released early next month. The full experience will be even more exciting and richer than this demo, with many more strange and wonderful surprises awaiting everyone.”

“See you then,”

“Thank you all,”

“Bye!”

With that, Gu Sheng took a big leap and sat down hard on the tooth!

Boom!!!

The frog’s big mouth snapped shut instantly, and the screen faded to black,

while the ‘It Takes Two’ logo reappeared on the screen.

Whoa—!!!

Thunderous applause and cheers broke out!

As the spotlights lit up,

Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao exited the motion-sensing pods on opposite sides of the stage, walked toward each other, and held hands to bow before all the live audience and media.

A perfect live demonstration!

An exciting game showcase!

Novel, fun, colorful, and entertaining!

The audience whispered excitedly, the chat barrage viewers lamented they couldn’t survive the month without this game, and the media furiously typed articles, racing to seize the news.

No doubt!

Tonight’s GDCA was a massive success for Golden Wind, undoubtedly the star of the awards ceremony!

Not only did they sweep four awards single-handedly,

but they also grabbed the gaming world’s attention with a flawless new game preview!

Backstage, Gu Sheng kept waving at the nonstop applause from the crowd!

One could say,

Tonight, Gu Sheng had led the trend all evening.

If anyone could outshine him and attract even more attention and coverage, it would surely be the winner of the ceremony’s ultimate prize—the GDCA Game of the Year Award.

Gu Sheng took off his jacket.

Enough.

He had been the center of attention all night, with four awards and a game reveal—already the highlight of the event.

GDCA wasn’t run by them, nor sponsored by Shen Capital. The final Game of the Year award was unlikely to go to him.

After all, he had already taken the so-called “Death List” Best Online Game award; what else was there to want?

At this moment, discussions about who would win the final grand prize heated up in the chat barrage—

“Who do you think will win this year’s Game of the Year?”

“Probably Komera’s Night Owl. It’s got a lot of votes and good quality, plus it won Best Action Game, so it should be nominated.”

“Nuyan’s Furious F1 has no chance? That game is awesome...”

“Racing games... just like Peak Kingdom, kind of awkward...”

“Probably just a nomination. Winning Game of the Year is tough.”

“I think the Eastern European dark horse, Arnoldi Games, could win. Their WWII FPS was good and won Best Shooter this year.”

“Of the six nominees, I personally favor Night Owl the most.”

“Ah, what a pity Sekiro didn’t get nominated because of release timing. If it had, this grand prize would be a no-brainer.”

“Night Owl’s descendants are lucky then.”

“Hey, tonight’s pretty good. Little Yellow won four awards, Nuyan one award and one nomination, Zhenting got two nominations, Huaguo’s game teams did well.”

“Let’s just see who wins the final Game of the Year...”

As players debated,

the host stepped onto the stage!

Game of the Year Award!

About to be announced—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com