respectfully disagreeing with that thread that says xiao’s desires are against his duties and quoting his namecard description as a support is just incorrect. rather than against it, xiao is well aware since zhongli has stepped down he is not bound to that contract anymore.
anyways, these are my two cents. as much as i agree venti influences xiao’s longing for freedom, zhongli holds a stronger influence on xiao’s perspectives and choices. after all, zhongli is the god that liberated him and gave him a new name.
tl;dr
xiao’s duties and freedom can coexist together, he doesn’t have to give up one thing for the other because these two are defining traits of his character.