Stories About the Underworld in the 1980s and 1990s, No Made-Up Distortions of Real People 八九十年代混社会的书，不要歪曲现实人物瞎编的

1. 51 虎 The Tiger Roars Across the Central Plains 虎啸中州 Beautiful Mongolian美美的蒙人Urban158k WordsCompleted Three cups of wine for the mortal world, one pot of tea for a legacy that lasts a thousand years. What does it mean to truly live? Let me tell you what it means to unleash a ferocious tiger. Some ride horses, some sit in sedan chairs, while others push carts and shoulder their loads. I’ve never admitted defeat. You can beat me a thousand times, but I still won’t cry!!! 187Reads—Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   Too old, let's stick with this one.

2. 52 黑 Black, White, and Gray? How Can You Get Ahead Without Getting Your Hands Dirty? 黑白灰？不涉灰怎么出人头地 Little Anjing小安静Urban343k WordsOngoing Brotherhood + slow-burn ensemble cast + one female lead + not overpowered + first-person perspective Some people say black is black and white is white, and anyone who falls into the underworld is a bad person. I wanted to be a good person. I never wanted to fall into the underworld. But does being a good person mean being looked down on? Does it mean being powerless when trouble strikes? Only later did I realize that society isn’t simply black or white. The world’s true colors are black, white, 22Reads—Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   A slow-paced martial arts novel, not mindless at all, worth listening to or reading when you have some free time.

3. 53 救 I Saved a Stunning Beauty, and She Tried to Hack Me with a Knife by the Bed 救了绝色美女，她在床边拿刀砍我 Meticulous to the Last Word一字不苟Urban644k WordsCompleted Chu Lingtian is a legendary man known as the "Grim Reaper Wolf King." He returns to the city for a top-secret mission, never imagining that on his very first day back, he will spend the night with a beautiful woman named Liu Bingxue. Afterward, Liu Bingxue takes him home and passes him off as her boyfriend. But it turns out she has a twin sister, Liu Huohuo. The older sister is cold and aloof, while the younger is uninhibited. Sharing a room with these twin beauties is certainly thrilling. After 11.5kReads8.7Score1k14d adds

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   [Class beauty, I'm out of prison! You must pay for this in blood!] Framed by his beloved class beauty, Wang Erchui was unjustly imprisoned for three years. The harsh realities of prison transformed the once-resolute young man. Only after his release and revenge did he gradually discover a terrifying truth. It turned out that what ruined his life wasn't this love affair, but a meticulously woven, vast web of darkness. His enemies had already risen to power, while the hidden hand still lurked in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to eliminate them completely. He unravels the scheme step by step, tearing apart layers of conspiracy, uncovering the mastermind hidden in the darkness, and vowing to make all his enemies die without a burial place! (Note: Not an invincible story, plot-driven, a coming-of-age tale, not a typical wish-fulfillment novel.)

4. 54 非 Irrational Choice 非理性选择 Jie Xi芥夕Modern Romance445k WordsOngoing [Hong Kong Tycoon Romance] [Reunion After Years Apart] [Flash Marriage with a Child] [A Battle of Equals] [Cold, ruthless power broker x sweet, scheming genius heiress] Handcrafted newcomers + writing for love + a long-running hidden plot Five years ago, Chen Yanchuan took in a girl with nowhere to go. She stayed in his old house, ate his late-night snacks, and couldn't bring herself to buy a necklace that cost just over six hundred yuan. Three months later, she left without a word, leaving beh 280Reads—Score16114d adds

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   Southeast Asian mafia and organized crime in the 1980s and 90s

5. 55 黑 The Allure of Darkness 黑色之诱惑 Qiu Zimo秋子末Urban442k WordsCompleted By chance, Xia Xue’er steps into a casino and catches a fleeting glimpse of Chen Feng, the underworld boss. It proves to be a trap laid by fate. From then on, she is seized by the demon of gambling and takes one step after another toward the abyss of crime. The curtain rises on her tragic life… 11.7kReads9.4Score99414d adds

   Reader note

   In the 1990s, casinos were a place of temptations and unknowns.

6. 56 篡 The Fire Usurper: Ship Without a Shore 篡火者：无岸之舟 Black Ram黑色公羊Urban124k WordsCompleted The flames of war left Chen Hao an orphan. San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1985: a land of chaos and gold. His second uncle took him in and looked after him. But in a foreign land, he endured scorn and humiliation! Should Chinese people really let others walk all over them? No! No! No! Stir up the storm, and turn into a dragon when the waters rise! Witness a Chinese man’s rise to godfather! —Reads—Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   A gangster who only knows how to fight and kill will always be a gangster! Tired of those mindless, feel-good gangster novels? This kind of gangster story, rich in humanity and power struggles, feels much more realistic. Reading this is like reading a Chinese version of The Godfather, giving you a unique and realistic story of how overseas Chinese rose to power in the underworld, a true bible for men! [Thumbs up]

7. 57 都 The Bad Boy of the City 都市坏少年 Sappy Sticky Rice Bun深情的粘豆包Urban594k WordsCompleted “When a righteous bloodline flows through the veins of darkness, how should a person choose their path?” This dark realist novel blends coming-of-age, family ethics, power struggles, and an epic tale of the underworld. Its central conflict is that of a delinquent student who rises to become an underworld king, yet comes from the most righteous of families. The story explores fractured identity, the paradoxes of fate, and the possibility of redemption. At its heart is the coexistence of light and 12Reads—Score—14d adds
8. 58 江 Sons and Daughters of the Jianghu: That Midnight Sun 江湖儿女：那一轮午夜的太阳 Uncle Little Wolf小狼叔叔Urban104k WordsCompleted The rules of midnight are a way of life much like the law of the jungle. At midnight, what you see may be the moon, but in their eyes, it is their sun. Set against the real-life underworld of the 1990s, this story follows Zhou Shenghua's life in the jianghu. 18Reads—Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   Adapted from real-life figures from Guangdong in the 1980s and 90s

9. 59 到 In Another World, I Use Taoist Arts to Empty My Enemy's Warehouse 到了异世，我用道术搬空仇人仓库 Ling Ling Qi Xuan泠泠七炫Modern Romance913k WordsCompleted An alternate history setting. Please do not compare this story with real history! Gou Yunshu, a modern Daoist exorcist, was betrayed by her best friend during an exorcism. She was struck down by heavenly retribution, killed by a bolt of lightning. She transmigrated into the body of a young girl in the Great Xia Kingdom of the Republican era and discovered that her grandfather had been captured by the Japanese army. To rescue him, she took her younger siblings, bought a house, and left Laolongtan 1.3kReads—Score10714d adds

   Reader note

   It's addictive from the first glance; the young Taoist priest enters the city and outwits the traitor.

10. 60 那 The Fire of Our Youthful Years 那些年我们青春的锋芒 Those Days of Rise and Fall浮沉彼时Urban189k WordsOngoing To everyone else, he was an honest man and a spineless loser. His middle school years were a living hell, until one day, a friend his age from the neighboring family transferred back from a school out of town and came to his defense with a commanding presence. The boy, Wu Feng, took the baton handed to him and strode ahead, rising from a meek, honest kid into a powerful figure who radiated authority and revealed his sharp edge. 28Reads—Score214d adds

    Reader note

    The protagonist of this gangster novel is bullied for three years until his best friend returns in his final year of junior high school, and he begins to avenge him and slap the villains in the face. He transforms from a model student, even considered a coward by others, into a chivalrous and ruthless hero, embarking on a journey through the world of chivalry and adventure.

11. 61 七 Seven Days, Half a Month Apart 七天隔半月 Masked Human面具人类Urban485k WordsCompleted The old factory hadn't been demolished, but people's hearts were already in disarray. Some wanted to make a quick buck, some wanted to climb the ladder by stepping on others, and some just wanted to keep their quiet little lives, only to get dragged into all kinds of inexplicable trouble. Threats sounded like jokes, schemes like farces. Everyone thought they were the one moving the pieces, but they all turned out to be pawns in someone else's game, struggling between pressure and desire. One acc 10Reads8.3Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    No tricks, just pure ruthlessness! This life-or-death struggle is fraught with danger; every step is paved with bloodshed! Highly recommended by Yanda.

12. 62 指 Fingertip Fate Reversal Begins with Ren Xue 指尖逆命从壬雪开始 Fan Huo番火Urban106k WordsOngoing [Coming-of-Age Main Story · Multiple Realistic Heroines · Real Cases and Social Backdrop · No Formulaic Tropes · No Mindless Wish Fulfillment] Wu De narrowly escapes death and returns to the 1980s. He has just one mission: stop the unfortunate girls of that era from turning to crime. Ren Xue, Tao Jing, Bi Limei… Some are driven to desperate ends by hatred, while others take the blame for someone they love… With nothing but nimble fingers, Wu De can fool the eye and turn the tables. He can make b —Reads—Score—14d adds
13. 63 我 Making a Living on the Side in Australia 我在澳洲捞偏门 Autumn Hidden in Shallow Bamboo浅竹藏秋Urban537k WordsCompleted This story is based on real events. I came to Australia with a dream of studying abroad, only to be driven to the brink by reality. From a lowly street-level smuggler to a force to be reckoned with, commanding the underworld and crossing the world, I paved my way to power with cunning and bloodshed. Only when I stood at the summit and looked back did I realize that the most dangerous gamble of all is the one you make with human nature. This is a road with no turning back, but who knows which cor 28Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    Those of you living abroad, don't you take a look?

14. 64 热 The Hot-Blooded Hunter: God’s Assault 热血猎人神之袭击 Riding a Bull to Find You骑牛找你Historical1.3M WordsOngoing [Survival] [Hunting] [Fighting the Japanese invaders and looting their gear] [Cultivation] Wang Fei has just entered the world of cultivation when he's forced into becoming a live-in son-in-law. One blow shatters his dantian, setting him on a long road from staying alive to rising to greatness. Though he has lost his cultivation, he takes countless disciples. This novel was not written by AI. Every word was painstakingly typed out by the author, who only hopes readers will enjoy the story in its 27.5kReads9.0Score2.5k14d adds

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    [OK][Thumbs up][Thumbs up][Thumbs up][KISS]

15. 65 黑EN Death God of the Night 黑夜杀神 Riding a Bull to Find You骑牛找你Eastern Fantasy509k WordsCompleted Hunted from the start, I barely escaped with my life. I fought to defy fate, launching attacks and taking down countless powerful opponents. Born with a beautiful face... I hope you enjoy the story. Your support motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 2.9kReads8.8Score21414d adds
16. 66 剑 The Sword Immortal Rises 剑仙崛起了 Xuan Chen悬沉Eastern Fantasy1.7M WordsCompleted The story follows Mo Wuchen, a once-gifted genius whose talents are crippled. Rising from the bottom, he defeats everyone who stands in his way and eventually becomes the ruler of an entire continent. 549Reads—Score—14d adds
17. 67 情 City of Heartbreak 情伤都市 Riding a Bull to Find You骑牛找你Urban215k WordsCompleted My new work is out! Come read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you'll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 1.1kReads—Score—14d adds
18. 68 中 Chinese Criminal Investigations: True Major Cases 中国刑侦：那些真实大案 Eastern Dragon Sword东方龙剑Mystery128k WordsCompleted Since the founding of the country, ruthless criminals have crisscrossed the provinces from south to north, committing crimes with savage methods and vanishing without a trace. Some spent years on the run, hiding in obscurity. Some worked alone for years without being detected. Others disappeared without a trace after committing shocking massacres. This book covers more than ten long-unsolved cases, each of which once shook the entire country. Some cold cases were finally solved after years of si 140Reads—Score11014d adds

    Reader note

    This book is filled with real cases.

19. 69 白 The Gray-Eyed White Cat 白猫传灰瞳 Mr. TT白先生Urban107k WordsOngoing The young heir of a crime family is forced to become a beggar. With nothing but a bowl from the start, he becomes the Zhu Yuanzhang of the underworld. Fresh twists and airtight logic. Italian mixed-race, ruthless, cruel, and realistic. He kills decisively, with every punch landing hard, every blade striking true, and every bullet finding its mark. A slow burn. Trust me, it only gets better as it goes. (No saintly heroine, no System, no harem, pure underworld fiction.) —Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    This story features a third-generation mafia family, a ruthless and cunning godfather, who isn't a saint. He's of Italian descent, and the plot is brutal, with every punch and slash a critical hit, and every shot a headshot.

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