A Life in Warm Water

Two people, both covered in scars, meet at the edge of an abyss. The painter Wen Xi and the photographer Lu Zhao bind themselves to each other through self-harm and obsession, marrying, having children, and rotting away in the hallucinations of the “Eternal Pact.” This isn't salvation, but a sick symbiosis. They refuse treatment and refuse to let go, until they rot together in warm water.

Content warnings: self-harm, self-injury, schizophrenia, depression, sick symbiosis, bad ending (realistic ending), no healing, extreme emotional dependency

False redemption, soul-crushing fiction

Theme: Don't push away anyone who loves you