Stories That Feel Realistic and Aren't Over the Top. Heartbreak Is Fine, Too 贴近现实的小说，不夸张（虐的也行）
Translated by GPT-6 Luna
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Love at Forty 不惑爱情
Xu Anqin, a middle-aged woman, has a life that's a complete mess: a mother with dementia, a selfish older sister, in-laws full of schemes, and a husband who can't see the bigger picture. Everything fuels her anxiety. At the lowest point in her life, her rich and handsome first love reappears. Maybe there's another path she could take, but clearheaded as ever, Xu says, “I'm almost forty. How could I still be some domineering CEO's unattainable first love?” Before her divorce, life had backed her
96Reads—Score—Shelves
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252
I Escaped the Mountains 我逃出了大山
I Escaped the Mountains
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253
Betrayal Beneath the Collarbone 锁骨之下的背叛
Betrayal Beneath the Collarbone
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254
Changing Faces in a Dream 梦里换朱颜
[Fake Soul Transmigration + Wild Imagination + Two Male Leads: An Ultimate Choice About Love and Obsession] ◇ Two Powerful Leads · Substitute Romance · Obsessive Devotion ◇ Fake Soul Transmigration · A Maze of Memories · Winning Back a Lover After a Painful Breakup ◇ An Intense Push and Pull Between Taking and Returning, a Fleeting Moment and Eternity
128Reads9.5Score—Shelves
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255
A Lost Path Through the Ranks 基层仕途迷茫路
“Jiaming,” Third Grandpa said, “I just saw green smoke rising from your family grave. That's a good omen. I reckon Xinghe will grow up to become an official.” A fortune-teller told him, “You can become an official in the southeast.” Chen Xinghe was a grassroots official who spent more than twenty years struggling his way through the political world, constantly making waves on the grand stage of his own life. For a time, his efforts brought him fame and success, and he enjoyed a happy life. He wa
1.2kReads9.5Score—Shelves
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256
Heaven Sent Him Back to That Chair Again 老天爷又让他坐回那把椅子
Wang Mang served as a school principal for five years. During those five years, teachers were beaten, students died suddenly, and a female teacher was forced to kneel. He was left with many regrets. At fifty, he died in a hospital corridor. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing outside Qingping County No. 1 Middle School. It was his first day on the job. This time, he would set things right one by one. He would make the bullies understand: someone was in charge at this school. He change
82Reads6.8Score—Shelves
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257
Born to Follow the Sun 向阳而生
[A new book from a veteran author] [Daily life] [Romance] [A little heartbreak, then overwhelmingly sweet] He Zhicheng gave his son He Shu a perfect demonstration of what a scumbag looked like, leaving He Shu terrified of marriage before he was even an adult. The little tree, withered before it had even grown, was chased by another stubborn little sprout who kept urging him to stand tall. Well, maybe it takes going through all that pain to appreciate the happiness of an ordinary life. Life comes
126.7kReads9.6Score14.7kShelves
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258
Better Late Than Never. There's Still a Long Road Ahead 迟到但无妨，来日且方长
Chu Mingxi thinks of herself as a piece of charcoal and Li Cheng as a spark. Only when she meets Li Cheng does she grow warm and begin to shine. She was late to their promise, but in the days ahead, she’ll make a living from the simple pleasures of life and find love through poetry. She once thought beauty lay in partings and reunions, but in the end, even life’s everyday necessities are poetry.
329Reads9.4Score—Shelves
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259
A Dangerous Obsession 极限纠缠
[Mutually devoted, one-on-one romance, older man, happy ending] The push and pull between a seasoned IPO lawyer and a newcomer in the workplace My name is Chen Yin, and his name is Wang Cheng'an. We’re nine years apart. When I met him, I was a 21-year-old college senior, while he was already 30. He wasn’t married, but he had a twelve-year-old son. My family said he was my undoing, but to me, he seemed more like my salvation. “No,” he said. “You’re my salvation.” Some people called him a pervert,
2.1kReads6.4Score254Shelves
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My Blind Date Is a Construction Contractor 我的相亲对象是个包工头
At their first matchmaking meeting, the fierce, ugly-looking He Feng scared the sweet-natured He Lin so badly that she refused to see him again. But He Feng had already taken a liking to her. What was he supposed to do? He Feng said that, aside from looking fierce and ugly, he was good at sweet-talking and tricking people. He Lin never imagined that, as someone who was a sucker for a good voice, she’d fall for it. How could someone have such a lovely voice and such a fierce, ugly face? And hadn’
7kReads8.1Score588Shelves
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261
A Human Cage 人间囚笼
[Not a wish-fulfillment story + extremely dark + oppressive and suffocating. Don’t read if you’re faint of heart.] When you’re nearing the end of your life, you can actually feel it coming. Just like right now. The closer that moment gets, the more you want to leave something behind in this world. But what should I leave? Assets lose value, and houses change hands. Nothing material can last forever. So perhaps I should tell everyone my story instead. I’m no good person. I just occasionally feel
114.4kReads9.5Score16.3kShelves
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Meeting Xin Again 亦见倾芯
[Love at First Sight + Mutual Devotion + One Couple Only + Sweet Romance] Their first two meetings were accidental. Every coincidence after that was part of his carefully laid plan. When Jiang Yi Shen met Tang Xin, he fell for her at first sight. He quietly set his plans in motion, and the two got to know each other, fell in love, and walked hand in hand into marriage, sharing the warm everyday moments of life from the first flush of romance to raising children. Side story one: Xu Man thought sh
2kReads8.7Score148Shelves
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263
Never Forget What You’ve Seen 过目不妄
[Older Woman, Younger Man + Redemption + Realistic Romance] Three-year age gap. [Secret Love Becomes Mutual, from the Male Lead’s Perspective; Marriage First, Love Later, from the Female Lead’s Perspective] Everyone is level-headed and clear-minded. The woman Zhou Wang had kept in his heart for three years. He thought there could never be anything between them and was ready to give up, but then he unexpectedly learned what she had been through. His heart ached for her, and at the same time, he f
1.1kReads8.2Score110Shelves
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Urban Temptations: Love, Intoxicating as Poison 都市诱惑，人间中毒
Urban temptation, intoxicated by life.
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Don’t Be Foolish, He Only Likes 18-Year-Old Girls 别傻了，他只喜欢18岁小妹妹
“Ran, how long does it take to train like you?” Chen Nan asked curiously. His eyes shone with admiration and envy for Xiao Ran’s strength. Xiao Ran smiled faintly and replied with conviction, “I’m at Level Five of the Beginner Martial Arts rank now. I’ve been training for three whole years.” At that number, Chen Nan’s eyes widened in surprise. He murmured to himself, “It takes that long...” He seemed to feel a little pressure about the training that lay ahead.
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Claiming an Island as King in a Time of Chaos 乱世占岛为王
"General, you're finally awake!" A soft, melodious voice reached Chen Nan's ears. He slowly opened his eyes and, through his blurry vision, saw a stunning woman sitting beside the bed, gazing at him with delight. The woman wore a pale blue gauzy dress. Her figure was graceful, and her lovely face was as radiant as a flower in full bloom. Joy sparkled in her beautiful eyes as she watched Chen Nan with concern. Chen Nan's throat felt unbearably dry, and his lips were cracked. He struggled to move
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267
A Small-Time Official, at the Peak of Power! 官场小人物，权势巅峰！
[Reborn, political infighting, schemes, debates, rural disputes, human trafficking, undercover agents, female agents, drug enforcement, law] After being reborn, Liu Haotian becomes the leader of a criminal investigation squad in Henghai City. To avenge the wrongs he suffered in his previous life, he takes on the massive "924" case. Armed with memories from his past life, Shaolin martial arts, disguise skills, and other extraordinary abilities, he joins forces with the provincial task force in a
28Reads—Score—Shelves
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268
Sinister Deals in Northern Myanmar: Every Step a Nightmare! 缅北罪恶交易，步步惊魂！
Tags: urban, northern Myanmar, thriller, horror, romance, special agents, suspense, betrayal in love, ruthless action, gambling city, beautiful female agents, villains, calculating characters. A one-of-a-kind chronicle of northern Myanmar, a brutal dossier on the organ trade, the dangerous years of special agents, and the struggle between good and evil. Enemies become friends, friends become enemies, a warlord's daughter who once seemed impossible to reconcile with becomes a battle-hardened love
633Reads8.5Score101Shelves
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The South Wind Knows My Heart, and I’ll Never Walk Alone Again 南风知我意，从此不孤行
Some people say dandelion seeds look like pretty little parachutes, drifting lightly in the breeze, utterly romantic. But Xu Nanfeng thinks they look more like homeless children, wandering everywhere with nowhere to settle. Just like her: no real kin, no true friends, arriving without a ripple and leaving without a sound. There's an old saying: you reap what you sow. But I, Xu Nanfeng, refuse to believe it. I'll grow into the very person you all thought I could never become! Nanfeng knows my hea
1.7kReads9.3Score224Shelves
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270
Blue Sea of Sin 蓝海沉罪
At the entrance to a club, he found his fallen-out-of-grace first love. On a stormy night, drenched and struggling awkwardly with Qin Shu in the alley behind a karaoke bar, I ran into Shao Moyan. He held a black umbrella, dressed in an immaculate suit, and looked at me as if I were a joke. Just like three years ago, when his father had my foster father killed, he’d looked at me and asked if I needed his “charity.” Shao Moyan, between family and love, which will you choose? Rising starlet x a
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271
Tang Tiantian Meets the Third Young Master of the Mo Family 糖甜甜遇莫家三郎
When she was five, her mother died by suicide after battling cancer and depression. When he was ten, his parents divorced because of their troubled relationship. At twenty-two, after graduating from college, he was dumped by his girlfriend when he proposed. He then shut himself away in S City and spent six years writing online novels. At twenty-two, after graduating from college, she became a high school teacher in S City, only to be driven out of her home by her stepmother. Two people from trou
86Reads8.0Score—Shelves
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272
The Husband Rules 老公最大
The campus belle, the top student, and the domineering CEO. This is the love story of Li Luoluo and He Kuang. Li Luoluo runs into He Kuang at her best friend's home, where a drunk He Kuang forcibly steals her first kiss. That unexpected encounter brings them together, taking them from bickering enemies to lovers. Their relationship begins by chance, caught between society's prejudice and the relentless advances of rivals, while danger and intrigue swirl through the business world. Li Luoluo does
588Reads6.7Score—Shelves
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273
My Wife Comes First 老婆最最大
Fang Jianqiao never imagined that his first time would change his life so dramatically, all because of a married woman. What shattered him even more was that after just one brief lapse, the woman became pregnant with his child! From then on, the wheels of fate spun wildly. Su Jiaoru entwined herself around his life like a vine, pressuring her husband to divorce her at any cost and stubbornly demanding that Fang Jianqiao marry her, dragging him into a storm of emotions and moral conflict. This s
311Reads—Score102Shelves
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274
The Missing Lover 消失的情人
Qin Guan is a successful, accomplished lawyer and, on the surface, the perfect husband who loves his wife, daughter, and family. But behind their backs, he is having an affair with an assistant at his law firm. During one secret rendezvous, in the heat of their passionate game, he accidentally strangles his lover to death... His lover disappears. Then his nightmare begins. What will he encounter? What does the past he is trying to hide and escape from hold? And who is pulling the strings behind
10.1kReads9.1Score1.2kShelves
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275
My Girl, You Made Me Hear the World Again After an Accident Left Me Deaf 我的女孩，让意外失聪的我又听到了这个世界
My Girl: You Made Me Hear the World Again After I Suddenly Lost My Hearing
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276
I Don’t Need You: My Stubborn Self and His Persistence 我不要你管—别扭的我和执着的他
I Don't Need You to Worry About Me: The Stubborn Me and the Persistent Him
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Fortunes Rise in Macau, but the Road to Wealth Is a Little Rocky 风起澳门，暴富的道路有点坑
I was doing all right in the human world. Then, out of nowhere, I was dragged up to heaven, only to be kicked straight down into hell. Now I'm in hell, but my heart is in heaven. Going back to the human world is nothing but a distant dream... Gamblers want to win, but casinos don't want to lose either. In this vast world, people of every kind are busy, all scheming and calculating. A mountain is a mountain, and water is water. Then a mountain is no longer a mountain, and water is no longer water
6kReads8.9Score367Shelves
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278
Chunfen 春芬
Ni Chunfen had known since she was little that her parents were different from other children’s parents. They both spoke with sign language. But they lived a happy life. After Ni Chunfen graduated from college, her parents told her a secret: she was adopted. Now that she was grown up and looking for a job and a boyfriend, they decided to tell her. They didn’t want their daughter to become romantically involved with one of their biological sons. If she ever got serious about a boyfriend, she had
80Reads—Score—Shelves
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279
If You Love Me, Say It 爱我请说出来
At thirty, Hao Linghan has never had a girlfriend because of his family circumstances. After meeting Ye Qiqi, an orphan, he wants to date her. But Ye Qiqi's background isn't as simple as his investigation led him to believe. Hope you enjoy this new book.
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280
Our Five-Year Promise: I'm Sorry, I'm Not Good Enough for You 五年之约：对不起，我配不上你
This story is entirely fictional. Please do not assume it refers to anyone in real life. [No cheating, no rebirth, no golden finger, no powerful connections, one man making his way alone in the world] I worked hard for five years to put my girlfriend through school, only for her to dump me as soon as she graduated. In this world of rampant materialism, where can someone go when the person they love most is gone? Why does the one who got away have such a devastating hold on us? What kind of
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281
Shanghai People Eat Rice Porridge 上海人吃泡饭
In the middle of the night, Wang’s Granny was being beaten so badly she could barely move, and could only call for help. Uncle Huang was still fuming over how she had humiliated him during the day, so angry he couldn’t sleep. He heard what sounded faintly like a cat meowing, but when he listened more closely, he realized it was a cry for help coming from Wang’s Granny’s house. He was about to go save her when his wife grabbed hold of him...
481Reads8.1Score—Shelves
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282
Great-Aunt Xile's Happy Life 姑奶奶喜乐的幸福生活
Home is a sheltered harbor, and family is always there to support you. This is a story about three generations of the Song family living happily in an old building on Tianjin's Five Avenues. It features Tianjin's delicious food, as well as the family's joys and sorrows over the past thirty years.
525Reads9.1Score104Shelves
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283
The End of Ordinary 平凡的尽头
The story began in 2019. It was a turbulent time, and I stopped writing after a hasty 50,000 words. Then, in May 2020, I finished it. At 250,000 words, it is too short to cover all the joys and sorrows of this bustling world through the changing years. It tells only of several years spent wandering through life. The story is based entirely on real events. Freedom, marriage, career, money, family, friendship. As someone born in the 1990s, I have always questioned the world. I hoped to find answer
7Reads—Score—Shelves
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284
No Mercy for the World 不赦人间
For the first twenty years of her life, Chen Qingxing lived by one rule: never count on a miracle. When someone else took the spot she had earned as a student in need, and her part-time wages were withheld, she signed a harsh sponsorship agreement. Her benefactor would pay for her to finish college, and after graduation, she would repay the debt with a marriage of convenience. There was no romance involved. It was a deal with a clearly marked price. She relied on careful calculations to plan eve
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285
To Our Youth: Spring Has Come Again in the Blink of an Eye 致青春：转眼又是一春
To Our Youth: Before We Know It, Spring Has Come Again
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286
True to Myself 本心
No one can live solely for others, but neither can we completely cast aside our responsibilities. In real life, we often waver between “living for others” and “living for ourselves,” all the while judged by moral standards. Family relationships are not static; they change over time. Families that endure hardship may fall apart, rebuild themselves, or eventually go their separate ways, living along parallel paths of their own. As we struggle to survive, how do we come to understand ourselves and
1.8kReads—Score—Shelves
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287
A Child's Grief 亲殇
Yu Jiacheng’s mother was full of energy during the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival, on September 29, and the National Day holiday. Then, on October 4, she suddenly suffered an acute myocardial infarction. She was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, stayed in the UCU until October 23, then moved to a regular ward and remained there until she was discharged on November 3. In all, she spent 31 days in the hospital. During her hospitalization and recovery after discharge, Yu Jiacheng and his olde
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288
The Generation of '90 90的一代
The coming-of-age story of a small-town young man born in the 1990s, a vivid cautionary tale for his younger siblings. Apart from a confidence that defies explanation, he has no family wealth, no education, no life experience, and not even any self-discipline. But one day, he will finally make his way through the fog. The road ahead is like leveling up and fighting monsters, a struggle for survival of the fittest.
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289
The Art of Fortune-Telling by Chinese Characters 测字有术
When I was five, a fortune-teller said I’d be able to read people’s minds when I grew up. My parents thought I was a genius and spent the whole family’s savings to send me to school. But I failed the college entrance exam and became a fried-noodle vendor. That vendor later became a “Walking Encyclopedia,” all thanks to the saying, “In books, there are houses of gold.” You are not just who you are. You can become a different kind of dazzling light. Read a comment on the first page, and you’ll get
164.4kReads9.6Score37.7kShelves
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290
The Sassy Sister and Her Rascally Husband 飒姐，痞夫
A female surgeon and a male psychologist find their way to each other. At their first meeting, he lets himself into her home and says, “You take care of the outside, and I'll take care of the inside.” She is bold and spirited, but carries hidden wounds. He is a roguish ray of sunshine who openly warms and heals her. You head west to conquer, while I rely on Nan; we seem completely mismatched, going in opposite directions. He had loved her for a long time, through all the days no one knew about.
444Reads8.2Score—Shelves
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291
A Lawyer and His Three Women 一个律师和他的三个女人
Romance + law + workplace Lin Fan entered Xingzhou's top law firm with dreams of upholding the law, unaware that beneath his mentor Zhou Mingli's refined facade lay nothing but dirty dealings. He became mired in a world of lust: Bai Lu, the infatuated receptionist, sacrificed herself to him and turned him into a slave to desire; Zhao Ya, the heiress to a wealthy family, lured him into a life of extravagant pleasures and dragged him into a criminal maelstrom. As he walked the line between money,
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292
Outside the Siege, Inside the Livestream 围城外，直播里
[Urban] + [Marriage Story] + [Putting Scumbags in Their Place] + [Suspense] + [Two Female Leads] + [No Romance] Less than a month after we got married, my husband secretly sold the house my parents left me to pay for his younger brother's wedding! I turned to the livestream chatroom "Sister's Hideout" for help, only to uncover an old case involving a body dumped in the water three years ago. It turned out I wasn't his first wife, nor would I be his last target. He used marriage as bait, laying
7Reads8.8Score—Shelves
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293
Then Stay Trapped in My Arms 那就困在我怀里
Pressed by her family to marry, Shao Qingning meets Xiao Heng through a blind date. Their marriage has barely begun when her first love, Qi Yuanchen, returns from abroad and asks to get back together. For the sake of her own happiness, Shao Qingning decides to be selfish for once and asks Xiao Heng to end their marriage. She thought theirs was an ordinary marriage, never imagining that he would one day wield immense power and unimaginable wealth. “Shao Qingning, when you threw me away like a pie
952Reads8.1Score—Shelves
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294
His Grievance: The Young Gentleman from the Countryside 他的委屈：乡下来的小郎君
A chance encounter one night at a bonfire party led Wu Tingzhou to mistakenly believe that Zheng Xingning wanted to be with him. But when he finally entered her life, he realized that a man with nothing to his name could hardly make things work with a wealthy, headstrong girl. Yet Wu Tingzhou was already in love with her and couldn't bear to part with Zheng Xingning. As a result, he endured one grievance after another, only to receive a single apology from her in the end... After regaining his m
176Reads—Score—Shelves
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295
A Lifetime of Love, Across Lifetimes 生生漫，世世缘
If you ask when falling leaves announce autumn’s arrival, they drift and scatter, keeping company with the wind. The heart follows its desires, longing for someone far away. What do these maple leaves mean, fluttering one by one? They are at the ends of the earth, but where are you? For whom does this foolish devotion burn? Fallen blossoms sever love, while the wind sheds tears. Leaves fly, flowers fade, yet love endures. Life after life, it lingers; every sigh catches in the throat. A bond acro
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296
The Green Apple Falls into the Garden 青苹果落园
Youth is full of dreams, passion, and all kinds of generous yet fleeting impulses. Outside influences can make some of them vanish in an instant, while others endure. Whatever their nature, they are part of growing up. These experiences are all raw and new, and whether joyful or painful, they are hard to forget. Everyone finds their own way to preserve these memories. But will their fates be good or bad? Where will they ultimately lead?
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297
The Candied Hawthorn Skewer Pierces Through 冰糖葫芦竹签儿穿
My new book is out! Everyone is welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. The story is based on real experiences. I'm writing it carefully, and the process has been smooth, without writer's block or made-up details. These experiences are like candied hawthorn skewers: the bamboo sticks pierced my body, yet became the backbone of my life. I hope this honest, heartfelt story brings you joy. Reading brings insight, and I hope you find your own independent perspective along the way.
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298
An Ordinary Person's Unordinary Journey Through Life 平凡人不甘平凡的人生路
An ordinary person’s life has its occasional ups and downs, but where does a life without guidance lead? After three years working in a factory, a twist of fate sends him into real estate brokerage! He grows immensely proud after enjoying some of the real estate boom. But after the tide goes out, how will he face the decline and deal with family, love, and friendship? This is your story, and it’s mine too. So I’ve heard...
7Reads—Score—Shelves
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299
Bandit Love: Her and Him 匪爱：她与他
1v3, realistic, not a wish-fulfillment story, very slow burn, tragic romance + age gap + coercion + bittersweetness + happy ending He is her fiance's younger brother, and she is the childhood sweetheart his brother broke off his engagement with. By a cruel twist of fate, he has become a dangerously addictive sweetness to her, while she is the one and only person he cannot live without. Bound by reality, they cannot be together. Her family arranges blind dates, and she thinks she can escape this
83Reads—Score—Shelves
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300
The Splendor of Bai Xue 白雪芳华
At 29, both my career and my love life have hit rock bottom. What should I do now? Maybe I should take a trip on a whim. I only need to ask myself one question: Did I meet anyone interesting along the way, and did I do the things I wanted to do?
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