Seeking a Scheming Heroine Who Uses Every Means to Climb to the Top 跪求女主心机 靠手段一步一步上位 有手段

1. 201 娘 The Empress Is Sweet and Alluring, Winning Favor and Rising to Power 娘娘娇软妩媚，一路争宠上位 Bell Meow铃铛喵Ancient Romance1.2M WordsCompleted (A pure palace-intrigue story, not a one-on-one romance, and not a mutually faithful pairing. Proceed with caution!) Bai Ruotang is the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the Right Chancellor’s household. At fifteen, just after coming of age, she is sent into the palace to bear a child for her legitimate elder sister and help her secure the emperor’s favor. Unwilling to be reduced to someone else’s pawn, from the moment she steps through the palace gates, she decides she will carve out 10.5kReads8.9Score1k14d adds
2. 202 人 Life Is a Play, and the Empress Is All About Her Acting Skills 人生如戏，娘娘她纯拼演技 Hot Hot烫烫Ancient Romance1.1M WordsCompleted [Palace intrigue + witty banter + sweet, delicate beauty + calculated mind games] The leads are not each other’s only partners. If that bothers you, don’t read. Be prepared for suspicion in the early chapters, followed by affection later. The pacing is slow, so proceed with caution if you prefer fast-paced wish-fulfillment stories. As a double award-winning actress and a seasoned star of palace intrigue dramas, how could Shi Yan possibly lose her nerve after transmigrating into the imperial hare 5kReads9.3Score53214d adds
3. 203 万 A Beloved Little Darling? She's a Calamity-Class Evil Ghost 万人迷小可怜？她是天灾级恶鬼 Perhaps Occasionally Obedient或许偶尔乖顺Modern Romance108k WordsOngoing [No CP] [Everyone's Favorite] [One Woman, Multiple Men] [Villainess] [Secret Identity] [Everyone's Groveling Arc] [Love Triangle] [Sweet on the Outside, Dark Within] #Pity is only a disguise. Devouring is her true nature.# #She's not crying. She's reading the menu.# Shen Zhiwei has a secret. She's not human. Yes, she means that literally: she's an evil ghost who eats people. She's best at donning a fragile secret identity, acting all soft and sweet with tears in her eyes as she blends in among a 58Reads—Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   Beautiful! Beautiful!

4. 204 快 Quick Transmigration: The Heart-Stealing Master Begs You to Let Go 快穿之撩心大佬求放过 Avocado and You牛油果与你Modern Romance478k WordsOngoing [A Woman Dotes on Men, Actress Heroine, One-on-One, Both Devoted, Power Couple, Worlds with Social Status Differences] Yuanci, do you even have a heart? Yuanci is a bewitching beauty, gorgeous and cold-hearted. She tramples over countless corpses, her hands stained with blood, as she escapes the hellish lower-level punishment world and takes on one mission after another. That heart-stealing big shot, who has long dwelled beyond the clouds and is admired by all… In a modern wealthy-family world, 501Reads8.4Score10014d adds
5. 205 快 Quick Transmigration: You Said You Didn't Care, So Why Did You Fall for Me? 快穿：说好的不在乎你怎么真香了 Above the Nine Ministers九卿之上Ancient Romance1.1M WordsCompleted Quick transmigration + the love interest falls for her after insisting he won’t + cannon-fodder passerby turns the tables and rises to the top + some arcs feature villainesses + groveling chase + forced love + both are each other’s one and only, 1v1 After falling ill unexpectedly, Shen Yunxi is bound to a quick-transmigration System. The System tells her that she can only recover her health by successfully playing the original story’s cannon-fodder character and completing the plot. What else ca 6.9kReads7.0Score45514d adds
6. 206 重 Reborn in the 1980s: I'm a Heartbreaker, So What? 重生八零，我是渣女我怕谁 One Cat, One Leaf一猫一叶Modern Romance1.4M WordsCompleted [Transmigration to the 1980s] [Cunning Bad Girl] [Powerful Men Bow to Love] [Everyone's Favorite] [Men Are All Stepping Stones] [Ageless Youth Golden Finger] Power and money are a woman's best tonics, a real boost... Zhao Wenwen, a minor celebrity who got her start as an internet influencer, is a polished, self-serving opportunist who moves between men. By a twist of fate, her soul transmigrates to the 1980s. Reborn, she seizes the tailwind of the times and launches her entrepreneurial journey. 245Reads8.9Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   Only a true-to-life background can support the most dazzling dramatic conflicts.

7. 207 偏 The Obsessive Powerbroker and the Ambitious Beauty 偏执权贵与野心美人 Pitter-Patter Rain咔咔咔的雨Modern Romance459k WordsOngoing [Everyone's a villain, scheming gold-digging heroine x refined scoundrel hero, coercive seduction, the powerful one bows his head, showbiz, intense push and pull] More than anything, Hua Chu hates poverty and loves to scheme. To climb the social ladder, she personally transforms her poor boyfriend, He Wen, into the perfect son-in-law and sends him into the Wang family's top-tier mansion. She stays behind the scenes as his strategist, carefully plotting to drain the Wang family's resources. She 13.1kReads8.1Score1.4k14d adds

   Reader note

   In this book, the female lead is cunning, resourceful, and highly independent, with virtually no internal conflicts and a strong moral compass. She's a career-driven, somewhat ruthless woman.

8. 208 缚 The Bonds That Bind the Heart 缚心之绊 A Lovestruck Egg Yolk Pastry春心荡漾的蛋黄酥Modern Romance182k WordsCompleted [Love at first sight] [Forced love] [Old-school high-ranking family romance] [Forced childbirth] Shi Yien is a small-town girl and a hardworking academic, studying clinical medicine for eight years at Beijing's top medical school. Lang Zheng is a child of an elite military family, the youngest lieutenant colonel, who has devoted his youth to serving on the border. When Shi Yien visits her fiancé, Zheng Bijian, Lang Zheng falls in love with her at first sight. He keeps her confined in his home fo 607Reads—Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   I recommend reading another novel by this author, *The Self-Cultivation of a Gold Digger*! The female protagonist isn't love-struck.

9. 209 落 Fallen Leaves Adrift 落叶浮沉 Leng LianL冷怜LModern Romance300k WordsCompleted Strong Female Lead + Villain Protagonist + Female Criminal + No Golden Finger + No Stupid Characters + Large Ensemble Cast I had the worst possible start, born in a village that “eats people.” Where I come from, good people don't live long. Only the wicked survive. The day I fled to the city, I had no education, no connections, and no way back. But I had brains. I climbed on whoever could be useful, and took out whoever stood in my way. Everyone was a stepping stone. Some say I climbed over a mo 119Reads—Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   From an infant who could be thrown into the Tower of Baby Girls at any moment, to a top courtesan in a nightclub, and then climbing up step by step...

10. 210 快 In Quick Transmigration, She Always Comes Out on Top 快穿之她是人生大赢家 Lone Walker Xia独行夏Ancient Romance340k WordsCompleted Follow Shen Ruoli as she reaches the pinnacle of life in different worlds. (The heroine's personality varies from one world to another. Some stories feature devoted couples, while others don't!) World One: The Scheming Concubine Rises to Power World Two: A Sweetheart in the 1970s World Three: The Poor School Beauty's Rise to the Top World Four: The Young Lady Cousin, a Supporting Character in Ancient Times World Five: In Republican-Era China, I Want a Divorce (Feel free to skip any worlds yo 465Reads5.5Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    These are all [cool]

11. 211 年 [Quick Transmigration] Playing a Fake White Lotus in a Period Novel 【快穿】年代文里当虚伪黑莲花 Warm Pomelo西柚温温Modern Romance534k WordsCompleted (Complete!) (Please consider adapting this into a short drama!) [Vicious and self-serving + universally adored villainess + dog-training romance + selfish and self-centered + immersive multiple-male-lead romance] [Original title: The Villainess of the Era, with Skin Like Ice and Bones Like Jade] Ye Qiutang is the most beautiful flower of wealth in the mortal world. The ability to bewitch people is innate to her, and her beauty is a weapon that always gets her way. But beneath her pure, saintly f 14.2kReads8.6Score1.2k14d adds
12. 212 快 Quick Transmigration: The Scheming Woman's Comeback Handbook 快穿：心机婊逆袭手册 Ling Shijiu零施酒Modern Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Quick transmigration + no moral compass + self-serving heroine + semi-immersive + no fixed pairing + Mary Sue stories + inexplicable love at first sight] Content warnings are in the author's notes. In countless fictional worlds, there is always a “scheming bitch” side character. She loves the male lead, opposes the heroine, and tries every trick in the book, yet still fails to win the male lead's favor. All she can do is watch the leads end up together. They refuse to accept it. They won't give 21.9kReads8.6Score1.3k14d adds
13. 213 快 Quick Transmigration: The Max-Level Green Tea Is Flirting Online 快穿：满级绿茶在线撩人 White Sugar Cherry Tomato白糖小番茄Ancient Romance1.1M WordsCompleted [Peerlessly beautiful heroine! Sweet romance! Forbidden love and betrayal + possessive pursuit + satisfying face-slapping + immersive romance-focused quick transmigration + all male leads are virgins] Shuduo binds herself to a System and transmigrates into various novel worlds. With a little help from her, the male leads all end up at her feet ① Demonic enchantress vs. righteous young hero Scene: The male lead, who once devoted himself to the righteous path, kneels before her in humble submiss 1.5kReads7.4Score10414d adds
14. 214 快 Quick Transmigration: A Guide to the Green Tea Bitch 快穿之绿茶婊攻略 Today's Wish Is to Get Rich今天的愿望是暴富Modern Romance2.0M WordsCompleted This novel is updated daily. The author also has a completed novel, The Online Life of the Legendary Big Villain. Everyone is welcome to check it out! A third-rate actress dies to the sound of a gunshot. But death isn’t the end. A magical System tells her that if she completes her missions, she may be reborn one day. Since that’s the case, she might as well get to work! 5.6kReads8.6Score27114d adds
15. 215 重 Reborn, the Scheming White Lotus Only Wants to Win the CEO's Heart 重生后，心机白莲花只想攻略总裁 Pigeons Fluttering Away鸽子翩翩飞Modern Romance479k WordsCompleted [Rebirth + Conquest + The Ex-Wife Chase] In her previous life, Lin Luo was Wei Yao's mistress for a year before learning she was nothing more than a substitute. Wei Yao had never liked her. She had simply failed to understand her place and fallen for him. “To bring your mother back to life, you need to earn the favor of Wei Yao, the Chosen One of Fortune.” Lin Luo knew that what you couldn't have was always the most desirable. In this life, before meeting Wei Yao, Lin Luo approached one of his s 785Reads8.7Score10314d adds
16. 216 不 Getting Something for Nothing 不捞而获 Write a Happy Name写乐名字Modern Romance80k WordsOngoing When 36-year-old divorced “ordinary gold digger” Sun Xiao decides to use a zero-cost “karate” playbook to extract resources from worthwhile men, she must remain coldly rational as she carefully screens each target. Otherwise, her six-million-yuan safety net will eventually run dry. Meanwhile, a deadly game far beyond the limits of her understanding is quietly closing in on the everyday life she thinks is safe: a counter-harvest orchestrated by a true high-level predator. 8Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    If you're tired of mindless sweet romance novels, check this out. There's no romantic filter; it's all about the realistic power struggles of adults. The female lead desperately tries to maintain a cold and clear-headed demeanor, fearing she'll run out of savings, but she encounters a high-level opponent she doesn't understand, creating a highly immersive and intense atmosphere.

17. 217 钓 The Seductive Sweetheart Struggles to Survive in a Deadly Love Triangle 钓系娇娇小美人在修罗场求生 Sparkling Little Gold闪闪小金Modern Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Signed for publication] All male leads are devoted to one woman | Ultimate love-triangle showdown | Flirtatious charmer trains men like dogs - [You are a foolish, shallow, and vicious supporting actress, jealous of the talented and universally adored heroine. You set out to target every man connected to her.] [You shoved the aloof villain onto a bed, and the brooding top student is kneeling in punishment in the bathroom.] [You drugged your proud peacock of a childhood friend and stuffed him in 47.2kReads9.4Score5.3k14d adds

    Reader note

    🌈①: Nonsense, she's not a bad woman at all. [Smirk] She's just a shrewd, independent woman who abandoned her childhood sweetheart for vanity, a mere cannon fodder who used her cunning to seduce the male lead. From an unloved young lady to a heartthrob, she's got plenty of tricks up her sleeve. 🌈

18. 218 嘘 Shh, She’s the Girlfriend You Can’t Talk About: A Demon Lover! 嘘，不能说的女朋友：恶魔恋人！ Hidden in the Snow雪上隐Modern Romance1.3M WordsCompleted ❤️Bring the refined, well-mannered, celibate heir of a prestigious family down from his pedestal! The withdrawn, lovesick girl steals her sister’s top-tier boyfriend! Adapted into the short drama The Lingering Warmth of Ashes, also known as At Night, the Top-Tier Brother Walks Into My Room. The print edition is coming soon! ❤️Sweet, innocent girl with a hidden dark side tempts the aloof heartthrob + both leads are virgins + guiding, daddy-type older-brother husband + intense push and pull + all- 10.7kReads9.2Score1k14d adds
19. 219 又 Teasing and Tempting: Five Stoic Tycoons Are Crazy About Her 又撩又刺，五个禁欲大佬馋她入骨 Qu Boluo瞿波罗Modern Romance773k WordsCompleted [A self-serving, drama-loving beauty × a wicked, possessive man / a wild soldier king / an untouchable heartthrob / a sweet-on-the-outside, dark-on-the-inside childhood friend / a younger, gloomy wolf-dog|Revenge and twists + a battle for her affection] Two years ago, Lin Jinghong was betrayed by those closest to her and sold to the Tan family, one of Nancheng’s powerful clans, who sent her to the Golden Triangle. Two years later, she returns, stepping over a sea of shattered bones. She does o 3.4kReads6.4Score19114d adds

    Reader note

    After her family was destroyed, the female protagonist returned from the Golden Triangle, changed her name and face, and ruthlessly sought revenge (no rebirth, no system, no superpowers, not a saint or a coward, the main theme is fighting to the death in this life!).

20. 220 高 The Untouchable Beauty? He Still Bows and Obeys Me 高岭之花？还不是对我俯首称臣 Cold Blows of Cinnamon Fragrance Under the Lemon Moon柠月桂冷吹香雪Ancient Romance372k WordsCompleted [Scheming, Alluring Beauty + Rivals Fighting for Her + Irresistible Heroine + The Hero’s Long Road to Winning Her Back] After being reborn, Cui Wu learns that she is the disposable supporting female character in a story, destined to be pushed into ruin by her aunt and die horribly in a mass grave. When she opens her eyes again, she sets her sights on the most unattainable moon in all of Shengjing: Chu Guanzhi, heir to the Duke of Dingguo. He is the lofty beauty praised as snow among the cloud 382Reads6.1Score10614d adds

    Reader note

    This book is amazing! It's so good!

21. 221 钓 The Alluring Beauty Is Cool and Detached, Yet Caught in a Daily Love Triangle 钓系美人清心寡欲每天都在修罗场 Tea September茶九月Modern Romance329k WordsCompleted [Everyone's Favorite + Heroine Can Be Strong or Sweet + Multiple Male Leads + Male Leads Adore Her + Love-Rival Battlefield + Male Rivalry + Heroine Has a Clean Slate, All Men Are Virgins + Flirtatious] Ye Zhen is cold and indifferent, and in her eyes, making money is the only thing that matters. She's an S-rank top-tier mission-taker, and all she cares about are her targets and money. She approaches them for a reason and leaves without a backward glance once the mission is complete... Huo Y 1.5kReads8.4Score20814d adds

    Reader note

    She didn't intentionally attract attention, yet she always unintentionally exuded a fatal attraction. Her profile when focused on her work, the occasional glimpse of vulnerability, all became irresistible charm in the eyes of others.

22. 222 女 Three Years After Her Daughter's Death, She Returns to Seduce Him 女儿死后第三年，她归来深情引诱 Two Crescent Moons二弯月Modern Romance142k WordsOngoing [The Ex-Wife's Revenge + A Carefully Planned Revenge + Black Lotus Heroine] Three years after her daughter died, Lin Wei began taking revenge on the man responsible. Back then, He Yuheng had pretended to be deeply in love and married Lin Wei, locking her in a cage of a wealthy household. Only after giving birth to their daughter did she learn it had all been a scheme. He was still in love with his first love, and had married Lin Wei to spite his elders. Their daughter was burning with a high fe —Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    The female lead is very scheming, deliberately hiding her intentions and seducing the male lead step by step.

23. 223 重EN After My Rebirth, My Cold, Cocky Archrival Loved Being Kissed by Me 重生后，冷拽死对头被我亲爽了 Taro Pastry青芋酥Modern Romance550k WordsCompleted [Sunny girl × aloof, cocky heir | university campus + living together + System + rivals] Lu Xiaoxiao was poisoned and killed in her senior year of college. When she opened her eyes again, she had been reborn in her freshman year and was forced to bind herself to a System. She had to complete 100 humiliating, socially mortifying tasks with her nemesis, Shao Enci, before she could come back to life for good. [Task 1: When the basketball game ends, kiss him in front of everyone.] Lu Xiaoxiao: ...He 49.3kReads9.0Score7.1k14d adds
24. 224 娘 The Empress Is Sweet and Innocent, and the Emperor Raises Her to the Top 娘娘单纯娇媚，陛下捧她上位 Sleepy Snail爱睡觉的蜗蜗Ancient Romance631k WordsCompleted [A native heroine who's been good at acting since childhood] As the legitimate daughter of the Chancellor's household, Bai Ruoli had always gotten everything she wanted. But when the palace selection came, she was destined to enter the palace as a concubine. The palace had not only the Empress Dowager and the emperor, but also the empress, and then the emperor's favored consorts below her. Bai Ruoli wasn't intimidated. Her family background was excellent. As long as the emperor wasn't a devoted 5.6kReads8.4Score70514d adds

    Reader note

    I guess so [shy]

25. 225 黑 The Black Lotus's Guide to Revenge 黑莲花的复仇指南 Li Yuzhi李与知Modern Romance132k WordsOngoing [One-on-One Romance + Both Pure + Equals in Strength + Revenge + Extreme Twists] To take revenge, she turned herself and her child into pawns and married Gu Wei, a man with immense power. But no one knew that the person who should have been by her side on their wedding night was never supposed to be him. At the wedding, her stepson Gu Yanbai smiled as he raised his glass. The luxury watch on his wrist caught the light with a cold gleam. It matched perfectly with the fragment left beside the bed —Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    The female lead is incredibly intelligent!!

26. 226 穿 I Ran Away Pregnant After Becoming His Bedchamber Maid 穿成通房后我带球跑 Yun Wanshang云挽裳Ancient Romance692k WordsCompleted [Transmigrate into a book + green tea schemer + white lotus + stand-in for his beloved + palace intrigue + power struggles + satisfying wish fulfillment] A novelist who had never been in a relationship transmigrated into the Great Zhou Dynasty, becoming Chu Wuhen, Prince Qi's bedchamber maid. Every day, she struggled to stay alive. The original owner was the illegitimate daughter of a mistress. After her family fell into ruin, she was sold to Prince Qi's manor to warm his bed. Su Wanqing was jea 299Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    The female lead is a scheming maidservant who is actually a manipulative and cunning woman.

27. 227 恶 The Villainess Becomes the Legitimate Daughter: I'm Just Pretending, Don't Get Too Attached 恶女成嫡：我装的，你们别太爱了 Peach Blossoms Reflected in Wine桃花映酒Ancient Romance617k WordsCompleted (Print edition goes on sale at 7 p.m. on September 19 / Several short animated adaptations are now streaming) [Wicked Villainess Transmigrates into a Book + Total Control + “Training Dogs” Romance + Male Rivals in a Shura Field + Exes Begging for Her Back + Face-Slapping and Scumbag Punishment] [The heroine is a true villainess: a stunning, calculating temptress who never hesitates to manipulate others] Jiang Chuji, the legitimate daughter of the prime minister, was an ill-fated girl sent to a t 58.7kReads9.4Score7.8k14d adds

    Reader note

    I'm going to start watching, ahhh!

28. 228 诱 Luring Him into Power 诱他上位 Only Interacts with Good Dogs只跟修狗互动Ancient Romance251k WordsOngoing [A commoner woman rising to power + palace and household intrigue + faithful to each other + devoted husband + calculating green-tea schemer] Born into humble circumstances and enduring hardship at every turn, Chi Qingqian is determined to break the chains of fate. She plans each step carefully, using herself as bait to lure him to power. He is the stepping stone beneath her feet, the ladder that carries her to the clouds. She helps him out of tight spots, and also lays traps for him, feigning t —Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    Chi Qingqian, born of humble origins, is determined to break free from the shackles of fate. She schemes step by step, using Prince Xiao Yuheng as a stepping stone. What began as mutual manipulation unexpectedly blossoms into a story of unwavering love for the prince – a sweet and heartwarming tale with no angst!

29. 229 县 A County Town Girl's Downfall 县城女孩堕落记 Is the Fox Asleep Yet?狐狸睡了吗Modern Romance511k WordsCompleted They say your teens are the best years of a girl's life. They say a wild sparrow becoming a superstar is already a gift from fate. They say girls share the truest friendships. It was supposed to be a simple, ordinary story about taking a little shortcut. But fate was like a cruise ship on the high seas, gently beckoning to you in the dead of night. “Chi Mohe...” She knew it was dangerous, but still wanted to draw closer. 34Reads8.9Score—14d adds
30. 230 陷 Fallen Rose: The Dark Moon and Her Counterattack 陷落玫瑰：黑月光与她的反杀局 Light-Sugar Jinjin微糖金金Modern Romance508k WordsCompleted [Revenge Against Scum] [Forced Possession] [Awakening to Her True Identity] [Rivalry for Her Affections] [One Woman, Four Men] [Sweet on the Outside, Dark and Scheming on the Inside, a Seductive Strategist × Her Possessive Adoptive Brother / Abstinent CEO / Gentle Young Nobleman / Capitalist Predator] ▲ Her true identity awakens, and a bloody revenge begins Abandoned at an orphanage as a child, she was later molded by the Song family into a tool for a marriage alliance. She bides her time, turni 318Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    She doesn't imitate others, but sets a benchmark. While everyone else chases trends, she defines a new style.

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