• Xiaowen <3

A guy in a warm sweatshirt the color of the grimy walls stared dejectedly at his gadget's display. He tried to read the posts, but his thoughts were jumbled, and his temples throbbed. He was exhausted by the endless hate directed at his ex—people poured out tons of dirt, seemingly oblivious to their own shortcomings.

Xiao, a well-known gaming streamer, was now creating almost no content. He no longer knew who he considered himself. Time had become a blur—he couldn't even remember how many days or weeks he'd been taking his insomnia medication, and it was terrifying.

A dark gray lump of softness—Tishka the kitten—jumped onto the bed. He settled onto his owner's chest and began to purr softly. Xiao sighed and put his phone down. He caught himself thinking that he'd almost stopped enjoying even the presence of his pet, and this worried him: he desperately wanted to learn to feel warmth again for something simple and kind.

"Why did you come back again?" the words escaped him, though Xiao didn't mean to be rude. He ran his hand over the soft fur. The aching pain didn't go away, but the soft purring seemed to soften the sharp edges of fatigue.

Returning to the public pages, Xiao was once again immersed in a stream of toxic comments. He didn't want to sleep or eat. He didn't want to die either—there were still people worth hanging on for. He still couldn't understand how he'd ended up in this quagmire: after all, someone had once sworn eternal love to him, whispered sweet words, and he'd sincerely believed them.

A new message popped up. Written by... Venti?

barbatos (03:19):

• Hello, Xiao.
• Sorry if I woke you up.
• Do you want to go for a walk tomorrow?
  Xiao was taken aback, rereading the messages a couple of times. He knew Venti from the fantastic, usually well-received vlogs he made with friends. The guy told stories from his life and interacted closely with his audience. He often played guitar on live streams and, oh my god, his singing was simply incredible. The young man loved rewatching his videos, beloved for their atmosphere and warmth.

Xiao erased the short "I don't want to." He wanted to express how heavy his heart was, but he was used to not complaining.

Xiao is a slender, short man with pale skin. He has dark green hair pulled back into a high ponytail and distinctive golden-amber eyes with slit pupils. There are several feather-like markings on his face, and dark patterns resembling tattoos are visible on his neck and arms.

A famous video game reviewer, Xiao previously dated Eater, who cheated on him. After a difficult breakup, Xiao fell into depression, and his audience began slinging mud at his ex.

He is gloomy, distrustful, lazy, wary, but at heart he is a loving and sweet little man.

Has a dark gray kitten named Tishka.
Father: Zhong Li
Mother: Zhong Gui
Sister: Zhong Tao

Sometimes communicates with his sister.