In a Reading Slump, Any Book Will Do, as Long as It's Angsty 书荒，什么书都可以但要虐

1. 1 误 Imprisoned by a Mistaken Favor 误恩囚 The Deer and the Rabbit鹿与兔Two Male Leads1.1M WordsCompleted [Two Male Leads + Mutual Devotion + Angsty Romance + Physical Abuse + Alternate World + Unequal Status + Happy Ending] [Not for Bottom-Leading Fans] Synopsis: After an accident, Ning Huairu, the young lady of Wangyue Manor, saves Wen Jinchuan, who has been poisoned. When he wakes, however, he mistakenly believes that Shiqi (Ning Huaizhi) saved him. And so he begins to indulge and favor Shiqi. He forgives Shiqi's methods, his cruelty, and his selfishness. Having never received such affection befo 4.7kReads9.1Score32014d adds

   Reader note

   1. Two male leads + angst 2. Fanfiction, I personally have some reservations about it, but it's still angst.

2. 2 墨 Mo Ran: Go Easy on the Punishment, Master! I Know I Was Wrong! 墨燃：师父轻点罚！我知错了！ Fei Wanyin Xi非晚音希Two Male Leads333k WordsCompleted [Loyal, tough-as-nails little prince vs. strict, domineering master + angst first, then sweet pampering; reborn + redemption + fanfiction with some changes to the characters, apologies if that bothers you] A Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun fanfic! When he found Mo Ran, who had been abandoned among the common people, he thought he would become a wise ruler who brought peace and prosperity. He never imagined that in his previous life, he had been blind! But he really is so obedient~ “Master, 638Reads6.3Score10114d adds
3. 3 小 That Little Trouble-Maker Is Absolutely Unhinged 小作精他超疯的 Lemon and Cola柠檬加可乐Two Male Leads249k WordsCompleted [Male-male romance + rekindled love + entertainment industry + happy ending] A volatile, depressed, troublesome, sickly bottom in public and in private, A top who is emotionally impaired but an outstanding actor. Jiang Li is a madman. During a sugar-baby arrangement, he was the first to fall in love and become obsessed. He knew Yi Zhen didn't love him, yet he kept clinging to him, his body covered in wounds. He said, “I supported you for two years. Now it's your turn to support me for two years! 10.8kReads9.3Score84914d adds

   Reader note

   This book is incredibly heart-wrenching, and other books by the same author are also quite angsty.

4. 4 十EN Ten Days to the End 十日终焉 Pest Control Team Member杀虫队队员Mystery3.2M WordsCompleted 2024 Tomato Novel Annual Peak Rankings TOP 1 | 2024 China Online Literature Influence List | 2024 China Good Novel Award | Over 2 million copies sold (No harem, no formulaic tropes, no invincibility, no System, no mindless antics, no wish fulfillment. Read with caution if these bother you.) Just when I thought it was an ordinary day, I discovered I had been captured and taken to the End. Just when I thought I could escape by continually taking part in death games, people began awakening supernat 1.7MReads9.9Score206.4k14d adds

   Reader note

   It starts off well, and it always ends happily, but there are no living people throughout. Large groups of ghosts are constantly being annihilated, their souls scattered. Finally, the protagonist experiences "eternity," changing everything.

5. 5 传EN Legend Management Bureau 传说管理局 Pest Control Team Member杀虫队队员Eastern Fantasy1.4M WordsCompleted (No harem, no formulaic plot, no invincibility, no System, no brainless decisions, and no wish fulfillment. Read with caution if any of that bothers you.) Du Yu dies an untimely death right at the beginning of the story. Hoping to secure a better spot in his next life, he takes a job with the Bureau of Legendary Tales. His job is to return to legends that have gone off course and put their plots back on track. He never expected that the first mission assigned to an ordinary mortal like him would 168.1kReads9.6Score21.5k14d adds
6. 6 宠EN Favoring a Concubine and Disgracing Your Wife? I Quit as the Marquisate's Matriarch! 宠妾灭妻？这侯门主母我不当了！ Li Wu礼午Ancient Romance598k WordsCompleted [Annual Top-Rated Novel Ranking] Voting has begun! Search for “Annual Top-Rated Novel Ranking” to vote for this book, A Return to the Boudoir. Thank you! [Traditional historical romance + inner-courtyard drama + reborn revenge and face-slapping + a prince pursues his wife] Lin Yunwan was the legitimate daughter of the prestigious Lin clan. When her Marquis household was on the verge of losing its title, she married Lu Zhengliu, the heir to the marquisate. On their wedding day, her husband coldly 53.2kReads9.3Score7.3k14d adds

   Reader note

   The female lead is neglected and betrayed, but she is reborn (and has brains). She lets go of the past and paves the way for herself and her son. The second male lead comes on stage. The plot is compact and the length is not long.

7. 7 快 Quick Transmigration: My Scumbag Ex Cries as He Eats My Ashes 快穿修罗场：渣男哭着吃我骨灰 Meat Sauce Eater吃肉酱Modern Romance1.0M WordsCompleted The comic adaptation is out! [Conquest + Shura Fields + No CP + Abusing Scum + Everyone's Favorite] Yu Ai is the best task-taker across all of time and space, a beauty blessed with both talent and looks. Hearing that men are always looking for trouble, she teams up with System 001 to teach them a lesson. She's the original green tea, a master of acting, and she's ready to fight back online. * The scheming CEO pins a woman beneath him. "Woman, behave. You're only allowed to be my caged bird." The 10.1kReads9.4Score1k14d adds

   Reader note

   This is a quick transmigration novel where the female protagonist takes revenge on scumbag men; all endings are tragic. The plot is tightly woven, and the female protagonist, with her sharp mind, psychologically breaks down the scumbag men's defenses to punish them.

8. 8 深 A Deeply Devoted Temptation 深情诱引 Bird Pine Rice鸟松米Modern Romance676k WordsCompleted A novel in the Niaosongmi Universe: Deep Affection and Allure. The short drama The Height of Summer, a special story about the eldest brother and sister-in-law, is now online. [Love after an arranged marriage, a regretful husband’s pursuit of his wife, one-on-one romance, both devoted only to each other] [Gentle, cool-headed ophthalmologist vs. devoted, wayward young master] Lin Yuxi used to think Zhou Yanjing was a carefree playboy with a fickle heart. Only after they married did she learn just 90.9kReads9.2Score7.8k14d adds

   Reader note

   It's good (♥∀♥), a story of angst followed by sweetness. The domineering CEO falls in love with me.

9. 9 只 I Only Make Money, Never Romance: I'm the Best Professional Simp! 只赚钱不谈情，职业舔狗我最行！ A Long Sigh长叹一声Urban3.9M WordsOngoing (Succubus + winning back the husband + lighthearted comedy + everyday campus life + no System + not reborn + sweet and angsty) A gambling-addicted dad, an alcoholic mom, a sick little sister, and a broken-hearted him. To make money, Lu Xing chose to provide emotional support instead of doing either brainwork or manual labor. Everyone knows Lu Xing is the humble pursuer of the aloof campus beauty Wei Qingyu. He loves her to his very core and takes care of her in every possible way! Wei Q 263kReads9.5Score19.5k14d adds

   Reader note

   This book is excellent; it will also unexpectedly strike you with painful memories.

10. 10 以 I Offer My Devotion to the Passing Years 以我深情祭岁月 Er Qiao二乔Modern Romance324k WordsCompleted [The physical book with the same title is now available] “I hesitated once. I turned back to face the slightest glimmer of hope, yet no one cared.” “Later, a thick fog rolled in. You said you loved me so much, but why was your love thinner than the fog, so faint I could barely see it?” Shen Nian 74.3kReads9.4Score6.7k14d adds

    Reader note

    These are all so heartbreaking, so incredibly painful, and so tear-jerking.

11. 11 月 Moonlight No Longer Shines on Dreams of the Past 月光不照昔时梦 Xu Zhimeng许织梦Modern Romance189k WordsCompleted [Angst Warning] Qu Zhao: “Are you afraid…” “Afraid of what?” “That someday, your daughter will meet a man like you, just as I did.” Even the sun will one day die. The Milky Way and Andromeda are expected to collide in three billion years. Everything has an end. What about her and Fu Zongxian? Surely this madness would end someday. In his thirty years of life, Fu Zongxian had never asked for anything for himself. But at that moment, gazing at the photograph of his mother, he couldn’t help praying 2.8kReads8.9Score20214d adds
12. 12 他 He Kept Summer Hidden 他藏了夏天 Shi Qingyao十清杳Modern Romance210k WordsCompleted That night, the young man slowly bent down, bracing his hands on his thighs so he could look her in the eye. It was as if he were declaring that they stood as equals in matters of the heart. Keeping his voice low, he asked, “Senior, I like you. Do you like me?” Ji An raised her hand to stroke Xu Linxi’s cheek and softly ordered him, “Close your eyes.” Xu Linxi trembled, then obediently lowered his lashes. Ji An’s lips curved into a smile. She placed both hands on either side of his face, rose on 8.7kReads9.1Score2.1k14d adds
13. 13 窥 Seeing Through 窥破 Yi Jiang一姜Modern Romance201k WordsCompleted [The print edition of Farewell Ceremony is now available on all major platforms.] [Reclusive, cold, troubled girl × possessive, hot-tempered young rogue] Wan Li pressed her fingerprints ten times, and from then on, lost her heart. “Tsk, it's not like you're signing a contract. Don't be nervous.” The young man raised an eyebrow slightly, a smile tugging at his lips. Everyone said Ji Lanzhuo was a dissolute playboy no one could control. Wan Li wasn't afraid. She threw herself in headfirst and fell 2.4kReads9.3Score36014d adds
14. 14 网 Online Game: I Have a Super-God-Tier Talent 网游：我有超神级天赋 Rousing Ape撼动猩Sports4.6M WordsCompleted [Updated through the fusion of Ragnarok and reality] [Traditional VRMMO + Transcendent Talent + Ruthless Protagonist + Plot-Driven + No Female Lead] Reborn before Ragnarok's servers launch, he has the chance to start over. Every regret from his past life will be made right. He never awakened a talent in his previous life, not even after ten years. Now, armed with memories of that life, he obtains a God-Tier Talent Awakening Stone and unlocks a Transcendent Talent! Every normal attack permanently 173.8kReads8.9Score17.2k14d adds

    Reader note

    Want to become the Snow Queen

15. 15 还 I Have Three Months Left to Live, So Let Me Die in Peace 还剩三个月命，请让我从容赴死 Reclining in the North高卧北Urban169k WordsCompleted From childhood onward, Zhuang Zi'ang was the kind of kid everyone called “the child other parents wish they had”: a model student every year and always first in his class. But after his parents divorced and his father started a new family, he became a child neither parent loved. At just eighteen, Zhuang Zi'ang is diagnosed with a terminal illness and given only three months to live. With his final three months, he decides to let out his rebellious, wild side and be truly himself for once. While 168.8kReads9.8Score19.3k14d adds

    Reader note

    The story begins with sweet moments, followed by heartbreak. It's a sweet and innocent campus romance. The male lead was originally a model student, until he was diagnosed with cancer and given only three months to live. He changed his ways, deciding to abandon his so-called "model student" ways, but then he unexpectedly met the female lead, who had traveled through time...

16. 16 重EN Too Many Reborn Heroes? Time to Bring in the Government 重生者太密集？我带国家队下场 Bian Lu边鹿Sci-Fi & Apocalypse758k WordsCompleted (A feel-good power fantasy, with a beautiful, badass heroine who confiscates golden fingers) “Sheng is the boss around here. She's ruthless and doesn't waste words. Cross her, and she'll take you down!” In the year 2323 of the Star Era, the apocalypse is about to begin. Some people awaken their powers early, while reborn people are already making their moves… As the head of a new department, Sheng An is responsible for recruiting and leading all the powered and reborn individuals, preparing for 123.7kReads9.7Score17.5k14d adds

    Reader note

    The beginning was funny and lighthearted, but the end was so heartbreaking, my Qiuyu 🥺🥺🥺🥺

17. 17 嫡 The Legitimate Princess Consort Died Tragically, Then Returned Reborn and Turned to the Dark Side 嫡妃惨死，重生归来黑化了 Jiang Damo姜大沫Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted She was the daughter of a century-old military family, noble in status, yet she was cruelly betrayed by her fiancé and half-sister. Her face was flayed, her identity stolen, and she died miserably, only to be reborn and awaken as the princess consort of her former fiancé's sworn enemy: Qin Wan, a legitimate daughter who had been raised in a mountain village since childhood, timid, weak, and afraid of trouble? Ha! The noble daughter of a military family, reborn with peerless medical skills and ma 66.8kReads8.6Score5.4k14d adds

    Reader note

    This rebirth novel is incredibly heart-wrenching; be prepared to wipe away your tears while reading!

18. 18 宫 The Willow by the Palace Wall 宫墙柳 Dream Doll梦娃Ancient Romance166k WordsCompleted Why must the imperial consorts compete for the emperor’s favor? A smash-hit, heart-wrenching historical romance that burst onto the scene in 2019! Recommended by countless tearful readers, this unconventional palace-intrigue novel will stay with you long after you finish. In the lightest of styles, it captures everyone’s deepest regrets. In May of the year I turned fourteen, with the pagoda trees in fragrant bloom, I sat in Yong’an Palace, propping up my head as I dozed. The man’s laughter held 48.6kReads9.7Score7.1k14d adds

    Reader note

    This book, about a life trapped within palace walls, is filled with a subtle sadness throughout.

19. 19 玄EN Fantasy: My Sudden Enlightenment of the Chaos Physique 玄幻，我顿悟了混沌体 Ye Dadao叶大刀Eastern Fantasy3.3M WordsCompleted Xiao Yun's System has only one function: epiphany! Ordinary constitution? Have an epiphany and gain the Chaos Body! Cultivation technique too difficult? Have an epiphany and reach perfection! Divine ability too difficult? Have an epiphany and reach perfection! There's nothing an epiphany can't solve. And if there is, then have an epiphany ten times, a hundred times... 65kReads9.1Score8.2k14d adds

    Reader note

    I can have infinite epiphanies

20. 20 本 This King's Sleeve Is Thoroughly Severed 本王这袖，断的彻底 Born Under a Lucky Star八字过硬Two Male Leads562k WordsCompleted [Preorders for The World Cannot Keep What It Loves Most open at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 15. For the first 15 minutes, signed copies are available with no quantity limit; from 16 to 30 minutes, copies personally signed by the author are available with no quantity limit!] [Two male leads + The prince has a bit of a sense of humor] Everyone knew Prince Pu was gay. Even the man on the imperial throne turned a blind eye. Prince Pu had loved many people in his life. A horseman from the frontier 34.7kReads9.6Score5k14d adds
21. 21 在 Living Off Others in a Melodramatic Angsty Novel! 在狗血虐文里软饭硬吃！ Good Medicine Tastes Bitter良口苦药Two Male Leads242k WordsOngoing [Dual male leads + quick-transmigration anthology + top-focused + healing + both leads are each other's only partners + happy ending + bittersweet romance] [Important: Both leads are each other's only partners. Extreme top fans or bottom fans, stay away!!!] They say there are countless melodramatic, angst-filled novels, and half of them feature a contract, a stand-in, or a white moonlight. This story takes place in a special kind of angsty world, where the protagonists and readers suffer, everyo 1.4kReads9.2Score12314d adds
22. 22 薛 Xue Pinggui Fanfiction: Shock! The Male Lead Has Become a Psycho 薛平贵同人：惊！男主变成疯批了 Lin Lin Zi Loves Candy霖霖子爱吃糖Two Male Leads230k WordsCompleted [Two male leads] [Spoiled, delicate villain Wei Bao] [Upright gentleman Xue Pinggui is gradually pushed into darkness] Wei Bao died, then came back to life. Someone claiming to be a System told him that if he played the villain in this world, bullied the protagonist, opposed him at every turn, and spurred him to work hard and become emperor, he could complete his mission, return to the modern world, and be resurrected. Wei Bao was tempted. “So I'm the villain in this story?” The System replied, 1.2kReads8.4Score10214d adds
23. 23 能 Can't You Just Pick One and Fly Solo? 能不能别选，独自飞啊 I'll Snack on Whatever I Want想嗑啥就嗑啥Two Male Leads80k WordsCompleted After Bai Lin self-destructed, he could never bring himself to let go of the mortal world. It was only when the Heavenly Dao opened his eyes that he finally came to his senses. He entered the cycle of reincarnation in the mortal world for two lifetimes and learned that someone who truly cares for the Three Realms does not necessarily have to be without heart or feelings. The Heavenly Dao specially approved his reincarnation, after which he could return to Heaven. Neither of them expected that th 29Reads—Score—14d adds

Other lists with Imprisoned by a Mistaken Favor