After entering Infinity Mall.
Gu Heng began searching for where the clothing section was located. The rare and exotic beasts theme was somewhat interesting, but it was dazzling and confusing. On top of that, the mall was enormous, and walking around was tiring.
It could only be said that the mall’s various flat escalators and mobility vehicles were well designed, including this month’s limited Somersault Cloud, White Dragon Horse mount, White Deer mount, and other mobility vehicles with a strong rare-beast style.
There were many people coming and going in the mall.
Although in the interstellar era technology was advanced and one could view products comprehensively from home, many people still chose to come to the mall in person to shop, to enjoy the pleasure of shopping themselves or to accompany family and strengthen bonds.
It was also the weekend, so many couples, friends, or families had come out shopping.
Couples held hands and leaned against each other as they walked. Friends held drinks while chatting and discussing the Federation’s hottest topics. Families had husbands and wives walking side by side while children played with the cute little animals of the mall’s rare and exotic beasts.
Parents were not very worried about their children running around, because those cute little animals among the rare beasts in the mall were actually simulated household nanny robots that could help look after the children.
These people gave the mall, filled everywhere with rare and exotic beasts, a sense of realism and human presence, as if humans had also become part of this world full of rare beasts.
And because this month’s theme was rare and exotic beasts.
Gu Heng could see that many customers had a rare-beast themed virtual projection AI customer service companion beside them. Some appeared as a talking water buffalo, a two-tailed cat demon, or a giant red-furred rabbit.
These rare-beast AIs were specially used to accompany customers throughout the mall, providing directions and introducing products.
Of course, there were also some handsome and majestic rare-beast virtual AIs, but those required payment. The rarer and more exquisite the virtual AI skin, the more expensive it was.
It had to be said that Infinity Mall was very good at making money.
Most people chose the free AI skins provided by Infinity Mall, but there were still some who chose to spend money to purchase and collect these limited AI skins.
Because purchasing these limited AI skins granted usage rights on the star network, meaning they could use the purchased AI skin as their avatar on various social media accounts, and some star network games allowed login using purchased virtual AI skins.
For example, if someone purchased the nine-tailed fox AI skin, they could log into communities using the nine-tailed fox image to communicate with others, and could also enter games on the market that allowed private virtual AI skin logins using the nine-tailed fox image.
For instance, setting the nine-tailed fox with a narcissistic and delicate personality, then making the nine-tailed fox play a Huaxia farming game, pulling weeds every day, fertilizing, farming, enduring sun and rain, and even being bitten by mosquitoes.
Over time, you would see a sun-darkened nine-tailed fox grumbling and complaining.
Or playing board games like Interstellar Monopoly. The rich AI-simulated expressions would make the nine-tailed fox AI wail loudly when losing and laugh arrogantly when winning.
If one’s technical level was high enough, one could even play war confrontation games like Insectoid Planet Wars, operating the nine-tailed fox AI to pilot a mecha to fight insectoids or boss monsters.
Therefore, some people specifically purchased these virtual AI skins to collect and use for themselves, or to resell to others for profit.
But none of that was the focus of today’s date.
After roughly looking over the mall map and the distribution of areas, Gu Heng asked Zuo Shihuan beside him, “Shihuan, do you want an AI customer service companion? I looked, the clothing section isn’t far from us. It’s only a few minutes’ walk. Do you plan to… Shihuan, what are you doing?”
Halfway through speaking, Gu Heng realized that Zuo Shihuan’s gaze was not on him, but absentmindedly looking at a cluster of mushrooms in a corner of the mall.
Very strange blue mushrooms.
With legs.
No, it was a group of tiny blue people hiding beneath various mushrooms, carrying berries in small baskets and chatting in hushed voices.
Although the blue little people were very small and spoke very softly, Gu Heng still heard them call themselves Smurfs and frantically avoid a wizard named Gargamel.
Gu Heng patiently watched Zuo Shihuan for a moment and noticed that he quite liked these little people. With smiling eyes, he said, “Shihuan, if you really like them, you can buy one to take home.”
Zuo Shihuan coldly glanced at Gu Heng and pressed his lips together. “Having you alone is troublesome enough. I don’t want to raise another little thing.”
Gu Heng curved his dark eyes, smiling as he wrapped his arms around Zuo Shihuan’s waist from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder. “Eh, am I really that troublesome?”
Zuo Shihuan turned his head and tapped Gu Heng’s forehead with his finger, huffing, “Of course. I’ve never seen anyone as troublesome as you.”
Gu Heng frowned and said resentfully, “Shihuan, are you disgusted with me? Oh, I know, I’m just not as cute as these little blue things, right!”
Zuo Shihuan was slightly speechless, not understanding why Gu Heng had suddenly started competing with these Smurfs.
Gu Heng pretended to be jealous and hugged Zuo Shihuan. “Isn’t that so? Shihuan only cares about looking at these little blue dwarfs and won’t even look at me anymore!”
Zuo Shihuan was convinced, Gu Heng could even get jealous over this. Suddenly thinking of something, he lifted the corner of his lips with interest and went along with Gu Heng’s topic. “Right, right, right, I just won’t look at you.”
Gu Heng’s pupils shrank at once. He was truly about to get angry and jealous. Even his arms around Zuo Shihuan tightened as he clung to him and swayed twice, his tone exceptionally resentful.
“I knew it. Shihuan, you’re disgusted with me… Poor me, being toyed with by a half-hearted Shihuan. Compared to that group of blue little dwarfs, where am I lacking?!”
Zuo Shihuan steadied his swaying body. When he opened his mouth to speak, he couldn’t help bursting into laughter. “Gu Heng, you’re so heavy, hahaha!”
Gu Heng said resentfully, “Fine! Now you disgusted me for being heavy too. I’m just not as light as that group of blue little dwarfs, alright!”
Zuo Shihuan let out a soft laugh. “You really are a troublesome one.”
The moment he heard Zuo Shihuan’s words, Gu Heng truly became resentful and almost angry. He looked toward the Smurfs hiding under the mushrooms from afar, his half-narrowed black eyes looking slightly ominous.
But the next second…
Zuo Shihuan gently kissed Gu Heng. His light brown eyes flowed with a warm and moving glow like spring sunlight. Pressing his lips together in a light smile, he said, “You’re my one and only trouble. Just this one is enough. Gu Heng, you don’t need to compare yourself with anyone.”
When Gu Heng looked at Zuo Shihuan’s smiling face, he froze for a moment, absentminded, not knowing what he was thinking. He simply revealed a smile of genuine joy, his eyes shining brightly.
“Shihuan, as long as you don’t detest me for being your trouble.”
Gu Heng lowered his head into the crook of Zuo Shihuan’s neck, breathing in the faint, warm apple wine pheromones from his body. It was as if he could also feel an apple tree bathing in sunlight, giving off a faint, familiar, reassuring rich apple fragrance.
Even his heart felt as though it were basking in the sun, comfortable and warm.
But Zuo Shihuan’s sly eyes shifted, and he continued teasing, “What if… I disgusted you?”
Gu Heng’s black eyes instantly darkened. Then, full of fighting spirit, he smiled at Zuo Shihuan and said, “Even if you detest me, it’s useless. Shihuan, you can’t shake me off!”
“Alright, alright, can’t shake you off.”
Held so tightly by Gu Heng that he couldn’t walk, Zuo Shihuan helplessly patted Gu Heng’s arm and smiled dotingly and gently. “Who could shake you off? So heavy and so clingy.”
Gu Heng lowered his eyes slightly annoyed and clung to Zuo Shihuan even more, humming, “So Shihuan, just give up. I’m exactly this kind of heavy and clingy trouble!”
Zuo Shihuan sensed that Gu Heng was a little emotional. He immediately leaned back against Gu Heng’s chest and looked up at his resentful, gloomy black eyes, unable to stop himself from smiling even more relaxed and cheerful.
“Alright now. It’s just a little heavy and clingy. I never said I truly disgusted you. Is that expression necessary?”
Gu Heng lowered his head and lightly bit Zuo Shihuan’s lips in annoyance. After being bitten, Zuo Shihuan still squinted his eyes and burst into laughter.
As if mocking him for making a fuss over nothing.
It didn’t make Gu Heng feel any relief at all. Instead, he looked at Zuo Shihuan even more resentfully and annoyed.
In the end, Zuo Shihuan had no intention of continuing to coax this troublesome fellow. He patted Gu Heng’s arm, signaling him to let go.
Without much thought, Gu Heng released him.
But then he saw Zuo Shihuan quickly run into the small forest of mushroom clusters. At some unknown time, the Smurfs were frantically running around, as if hiding from something.
Gu Heng narrowed his black eyes slightly, feeling it was not good. He folded his arms and coldly looked at the short Smurfs, not caring at all about what they were fleeing from.
But when Zuo Shihuan noticed that Gu Heng hadn’t followed, he immediately turned around to look at Gu Heng still standing in place, wearing a proud, stinky expression.
Even though he had put on a disguise and changed his appearance, Gu Heng’s standoffish, don’t-come-near expression, and that little temper, had not changed at all.
Aggressive and imposing.
Just by standing at the intersection inside the mall, arms crossed, wearing a cold, stinky face, Gu Heng frightened the surrounding visitors so much that they didn’t dare approach.
Even though the walkway was extremely wide, wide enough for ten people to walk side by side,
Many visitors timidly stopped in their tracks, their helpless gazes all directed at Gu Heng, who was standing right in the middle of the intersection, very much in the way.
Zuo Shihuan couldn’t help laughing and waved at Gu Heng with a smile. “Gu Heng, come here quickly.”
Conveniently rescuing the other visitors who couldn’t pass.
Hearing Zuo Shihuan call him, Gu Heng unconsciously curled the corner of his lips, though on the surface he still wore a stinky face and said, “What?”
Zuo Shihuan said mysteriously, “Just come here first.”
Then, Gu Heng, seemingly unwilling, strode over with his long legs toward Zuo Shihuan, feeling a tiny bit of curiosity and anticipation about what Zuo Shihuan wanted him for.
When he got close, Zuo Shihuan picked up an orange cat from who-knows-where. It looked a bit ugly, dragged out a hoarse meowing sound, and placed it into Gu Heng’s arms, whose face was still stinky.
Then he looked at Gu Heng’s stinky face, and at the equally stinky-faced orange cat in his arms.
Zuo Shihuan’s eyes immediately lit up. He clapped his hands and said with a laugh, “It’s too similar–”
Gu Heng’s face instantly darkened. He lowered his head to glance at the orange fat cat with the hoarse, unpleasant cry, its nose short and black, and its looks somewhat ugly.
He couldn’t help but let out an indignant, aggrieved shout.
“How is it similar?!”
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