COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya - Chapter 174: The Gambler

Ji Qingqing was at the end of her rope. When she was on the brink of wretched poverty, she received a system. The system told her; Lu Lixing came from a family that was rolling in money, but he was coming to the end of his allotted lifespan. If she married him, she would gain his enormous inheritance.

Lu Lixing was seriously ill. Just as he was about to die, he gained a system. The system told him: Ji Qingqing was young and beautiful. She was rich in vitality. If he married her, he could continue living.

Ji Qingqing happily came to Lu Lixing’s sickbed.

And then, Lu Lixing woke up.

***

Lu Lixing’s friends discovered that after Lu Lixing woke up, not only did this person that had always kept his distance from women gotten married, he spent every day being super clingy towards his wife.

Young Lu, can you be a little less embarrassing and act your age? Will you die if you take one step away from your wife?

Lu Lixing clutched his chest. His little heart had almost stopped beating because Ji Qingqing had left him for half an hour. He weakly waved his hand. He couldn’t be separated from her, not for the rest of his life. She was his life.

- Description from Novelupdates

Tang was cheated by her husband who got another woman pregnant. Tricked by the mistress and mother-in-law, she had been criticized by the public and kicked out of her husband’s family. Then, there comes Su, who showed up like a saviour for her, prevented her from all the difficulties that her ex’s family made to her. He held her in his arms, haughtily said to them, ‘It will only be me that can bully my girl! Anyone who dares to bully her is opposing me!’ She was shocked. And her mother-in-law said she was a wanton woman. After that, he was always protecting her, treated her preciously. He made her realized that even the second marriage could also make her so happy!

- Description from Novelupdates

With a father as strong as the highest heavens themselves, Gravis wasn't required to step into the cold and ruthless world of cultivation. But when Heaven used him in a scheme to get back at his father, Gravis realized that he needed strength to gain true freedom.

As long as he remained his weak self, he would always remain beneath Heaven’s oppression. Only true power brings true freedom. To gain strength, Gravis ventured into the lower worlds to start his cultivation under true life and death tempering.

Only a strong will, which had been forged in striving for every resource available, would allow him to reach the peak. Heaven’s strongest weapon was Lightning of Divine Punishment, and only if he made this weapon his, would he have a chance.

So, to overthrow Heaven,

Lightning Is the Only Way!

Yet, the path to power is painful.

Not everyone reaches the peak.

But Gravis will!

No matter how much pain he feels along the way!

I watch him, his green eyes brimming with concern as he gently massages my scarred leg. The sensation is both soothing and a stark reminder of my own inadequacy. The once-feared Crimson General, a symbol of power and invincibility, is now nothing but a frail shadow of his former self. I’ve been abandoned, left to decay in this forsaken place, my family and comrades long forgotten. Darkness had become my only solace, and I had resigned myself to it.Then he arrived, a beacon of light in my endless night. His presence, his care—it’s more than I ever deserved. Yet, I find myself clinging to him with an intensity that borders on madness. I hate that I need him so desperately, that his every action and word have become my lifeline. It consumes me, a torment I can't escape.“You don't have to do this. Please, don’t do this. I’m nothing. You deserve better. Leave. Please,” I beg, my voice trembling with raw anguish, the very words tearing me apart.He continues his work, seemingly unaffected by my pleas.“Why are you here? Look at me! I’m nothing.”Desperation and anger swell within me, mixing into a maelstrom of anxiety. I can’t comprehend the emotions coursing through me.“You're my alpha, where else would I be?” he responds softly, his gaze unwavering, as if my pleas were mere background noise.My heart races, torn between overwhelming relief and paralyzing dread. In that moment, I realize the truth: you would have to tear him from my cold, lifeless arms. I’m never letting go.General Thorne, betrayed and broken, finds new life and love with Omega Noelle, who nurses him back to health. Their deepening bond reveals Thorne’s softer side, offering a chance at happiness. Unfortunately, Thorne’s past soon catches up with them, threatening their newfound peace.