Craving, Ding! If Gao Tu Were the Villain, It’d Be So Satisfying

[Lighthearted Lang Tu fan fiction, no angst] [Major OOC] [Bonus chapters can be enjoyed on their own]

System: “Not to put too fine a point on it, but you’re way too timid. You’ve been given a second life, so why not get fired up, make something of yourself, and take on the whole world?”

Gao Tu: “I don’t want to make something of myself, and I don’t want to take on the whole world.”

System: “Sigh! You can’t even get in on the action while it’s still hot!”

Gao Tu asked in confusion, “Why would I eat shit? I don’t like it.”

System: “…You can’t even get your hands on any shit!”

…

“You used to be a little sapling, cute and well-behaved. Now you’re a sturdy tree, with little thorns quietly growing on your trunk. You’ve learned to protect yourself and no longer let people push you around and hurt you.”

“Perhaps after a little more time, when you’ve grown and spread your branches, your crown will bloom with beautiful flowers. And once they fall, you’ll bear fruit that belongs to you alone.”

“But from beginning to end, you’ve always been you. The very same tree. You’ve never changed.”

“I can’t love you only when you’re a little sapling, and I can’t love you only after you’ve grown into a towering tree.”

“No matter what you grow into, I’ll love you.”

“Whether you grow thorns or bloom with flowers, as long as it’s you, I’ll love you.”