BaiTao

Baitao is the het ship between Baizhu and Hu Tao from the Genshin Impact fandom.

Canon
Baizhu is the owner of Bubu Pharmacy while Hu Tao is the director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. In Baizhu's fourth character story, it is stated that the employees of these two establishments have been close friends for many years, due to how closely their duties are intertwined. When a patient receiving treatment at Bubu Pharmacy dies, they will then be entrusted to Wangsheng for their funeral rites. In this way, these two parties have worked together over the years to lay the departed to rest.

However, Baizhu and Hu Tao do not have a purely friendly relationship, due to Baizhu's interest in achieving immortality. Conversely, Hu Tao believes the concept of immortality to be not only bad for her business, but also unnatural. Their rivalry can be seen clearest in their dealings with Qiqi, a zombie who works for Baizhu. Upon meeting Qiqi, Baizhu took Qiqi in with the ulterior motive of studying her existence to further his own understanding of immortality. On the other hand, Hu Tao, who believes strongly in the importance of laying the departed to rest, saw Qiqi's existence as an "act of defiance" against the natural order of things. Because of this, Hu Tao attempted to kidnap Qiqi numerous times in order to lay her to rest, but was foiled each time by Baizhu's interventions.

On matters of opinion where they differ, it is stated that Hu Tao will invite Baizhu over for dinner, where they will have time to debate these topics in detail. However, it is further revealed that only where their duties overlap can they truly communicate heart-to-heart.

Lagenaria
In Baizhu's story quest, Hu Tao runs into Baizhu while the latter is out searching for a patient of his, Jialiang. When Baizhu intends to bring Jialiang back to Bubu Pharmacy, Hu Tao expresses her dismay, sensing that Jialiang's situation is unusually dangerous. She suspects that Baizhu desires to treat Jialiang for his own selfish reasons; however, Baizhu invokes his late master's will in order to persuade Hu Tao to let him go. Later, Hu Tao tells the Traveler that Baizhu's master was her great-uncle, i.e. her grandfather's younger brother. The two brothers were both involved in the family business for a time, yet they parted ways after visiting Chenyu Vale together. Hu Tao's grandfather believed that the practices learned by his brother at Chenyu Vale were unnatural, which parallels Hu Tao's own stance towards Baizhu's practices. Moreover, Hu Tao admits that neither her nor her grandfather knew much about these mysterious practices, implying that both Baizhu and her great-uncle guarded their knowledge quite secretively.

The following day, Hu Tao appears at Bubu Pharmacy to check on Jialiang's condition. She does this upon Baizhu's invitation, though Hu Tao remarks that normally he would not allow her to step foot inside his establishment. Upon witnessing Jialiang's cured condition, Hu Tao is astonished and asks how Baizhu managed it. He does not tell her, stating that it is a trade secret, and further remarks that he also cannot provide reimbursement for stealing potential business away from her. Even after witnessing Jialiang's recovered state, Hu Tao continues to monitor the situation secretly, suspecting that Baizhu's method for curing Jialiang is not all what it appears to be.

Eventually, it is revealed that Jialiang had a terminal illness and was only being kept alive at his wife's expense. Though Jialiang chooses to give up his life in order to save his wife, Baizhu revives him temporarily in order to give him the chance to say goodbye to his family. Hu Tao reappears at Bubu Pharmacy to witness Jialiang's undead condition for herself, stating her disbelief that Baizhu was able to create an elixir of immortality behind her back. She expresses her regret over there now being an additional zombie to her knowledge. However, Baizhu reveals that he knew about Hu Tao's secret instructions to Jialiang, which ultimately lead them to his wife's whereabouts in time — thus, Hu Tao actually helped to bring about Jialiang's revival. Hu Tao leaves after joking that she should have just brought Jialiang to Wangsheng upon meeting him.

Quotes
"Baizhu? Ugh, that guy..."

- Hu Tao's voiceline, "About Baizhu"

"We have some differences in ideology, that's all. I don't harbor any ill-will toward Director Hu. If anything, I think she's more wary of me."

- Baizhu's voiceline, "About Hu Tao: Different Approach"

"As the saying goes, neighbors are like relatives and friends, and Bubu Pharmacy and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor have had many interactions over the years, and both parties greet each other with a smile when their paths cross in the street. As for those questions of life and death, death and life, the opinion of the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Hu Tao is as follows: If the matter cannot be explained or settled in a couple words, it's better to have Baizhu over for dinner! And as for a sensible person like Baizhu? Of course one should attend the banquet! Season after season, year after year, without going into too much detail, the two households with very different views have spent many a day together, and could be considered close friends, albeit with each keeping their secrets."

- Baizhu's fourth character story

"Hu Tao: My, my, who do we have here? Mm-hmm! It's (Traveler) and Paimon! And... Ugh. My worst nightmare. Changsheng: Hah. I see she still hasn't warmed to you."

- Lagenaria Chapter: Act I - The Heart of Healing

"Baizhu: Director Hu, do you have any further reservations about Jialiang's condition? Hu Tao: ...Hmm, it seems like the evil presence is gone after all. You really did manage to suppress it, huh... But how did you accomplish this in a single night? Baizhu: Hahaha, that would be a trade secret, I'm afraid. If that gives you any cause for concern, you may continue to monitor Jialiang for as long as you wish. Though I regret to say that Bubu Pharmacy cannot offer to reimburse Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for any revenue lost in the meantime. Hu Tao: ...Oh, come on, Baizhu. I'm not THAT unreasonable."

- Lagenaria Chapter: Act I - The Heart of Healing

Fanon
Baitao is a very small ship in the Genshin Impact fandom. This could be due to the fact that Baizhu became a playable character only recently, and his story quest has also been released for only a short time. Supporting this theory is the fact that Baizhu does not have many ships in general. As for Hu Tao, despite being a very popular character, she is not often shipped with other characters in fanworks.

Even so, fans of this ship may enjoy the dynamic that these two have with each other. While Baizhu is mellow and calm, Hu Tao is energetic and lively — an iteration of the popular "opposites attract" trope. Others may find their shared history interesting, as it seems to stretch back far beyond their own generation. Not only have their respective establishments shared a strong working relationship over the years, but Hu Tao and Baizhu are connected further by the fact that Baizhu's master was Hu Tao's grandfather. Adding to this is the interesting element that Baizhu seeks immortality, which goes against Hu Tao's principles and everything she believes in as director of Wangsheng.

Fandom
FAN FICTION