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The ribbon on the highest level was indeed the highlight of the competition, as men and women in the same group couldn’t possibly touch even a hint of the ribbon by their heights alone. Therefore, the men either held the women or carried them on their backs.

All attention focused on Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan, the leading team, who were seen with heads bowed, whispering something unknown, while those below, already impatient, began to heckle.

"Hurry up, hurry up, they’re catching up to you!"

"If you can’t reach, lift her up!"

"Carrying her works too, carrying her works too!"

The heckling from the spectators didn’t affect Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan at all; to outsiders, with Lin Yuan looking down demurely and Xia Zheng speaking softly, the two seemed to embody the demeanor of a shy woman and a persuading man.

But only those close by would know that the two were quickly calculating something.

"My height plus your height, plus the height of my arms, I’ve just calculated, can definitely reach the ribbon on the highest level."

Xia Zheng nodded, "However, your height can only account for half. Also, I see that the ribbons above are also of varying heights; could it be that the higher ones present more difficult problems?"

Lin Yuan, however, slowly shook her head, "It shouldn’t be. Following the rules of previous competitions, I think the person who set these rules is a real trickster; he definitely put the simplest question at the highest point and the toughest one at the lowest."

Xia Zheng raised his eyebrows and scoffed, "Now that you mention it, it does seem likely. Those two over there have already solved the riddle; we need to hurry."

Lin Yuan also glanced at the two who were rushing to submit their answer to the young man, smiling and nodding, "Don’t worry, although that man is about as tall as you, that woman clearly seems delicate. Whether they can cooperate successfully or not remains to be seen."

The two exchanged a look and smiled with pursed lips. The moment Xia Zheng bent his legs and leaned forward, Lin Yuan lightly jumped up and landed steadily on his back.

This tacit cooperation immediately drew much praise from the crowd.

Compared to being held, carrying was indeed safer. Lin Yuan adjusted her position, kneeling with her legs on Xia Zheng’s arms, while Xia Zheng steadied her legs to prevent her from falling.

In this position, Lin Yuan was virtually kneeling on Xia Zheng’s back, and stretching her arms straight next was all it took to reach the highest ribbon.

"Hmm, not bad at all!" Cheng Haoxuan chuckled as he popped a grape into his mouth and didn’t forget to offer one to Madam Cheng, whose eyes deepened with indulgence.

As Xia Zheng carried Lin Yuan to the tree, the other male and female team had also submitted their answer and rushed back to the tree. However, upon seeing the high ribbon, the woman’s cheeks turned rosy, and the man also seemed somewhat uneasy.

Just as Xia Zheng and his partner were about to reach for the ribbon, the man gently said something.

The woman’s face flushed deeply, hesitated for a long while, but ultimately shook her head, refusing to give up.

A flash of joy flickered in the man’s eyes, he then mimicked Xia Zheng’s method and carried her up, yet unlike Lin Yuan’s kneeling position, this woman, being more timid, hooked her arms tightly around the man’s neck, terrified of being dropped.

Further egged on by the jeering crowd, she didn’t dare lift her head; after the man carried her to the tree, she hesitated for a long time before finally reaching up and pulling down the lowest ribbon from above.

"Oh! They’ve taken the lead!"

Someone in the audience suddenly exclaimed in disappointment; everyone’s attention was drawn to the upset, urging Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan, who were still struggling with the highest ribbon.

The duo had already unfolded the ribbon and began studying the puzzle, but Lin Yuan, despite stretching her arm, still couldn’t accurately grab the ribbon. No matter what, the seemingly reachable ribbon kept eluding her grasp.

"Damn, where is this wind coming from?" Lin Yuan didn’t know how many times she had touched the edge of the ribbon, but each time her fingertips made contact, the ribbon would eerily sway and ingeniously dodge her fingers.

Xia Zheng, still carrying Lin Yuan, had also realized something was amiss and struggled to lift his head only to see an obscure object fly past each time Lin Yuan’s fingertips touched the ribbon, hitting the branch that held the ribbon and sending it flying to the side.