Ch Ch, I Want a Tragic Story Ch ch，想要刀子文

1. 51 愿 May You Be Safe, Wherever You Go 愿万里无恙 Li Yu梨瑜Modern Romance900k WordsOngoing A historical novel, no romance, no female lead. They were chosen by history to become the keepers of “time.” They must forcibly twist the ancient, cyclical, slow “time of dynasties” into the linear, urgent “modern time” that presses ever forward. Every five-year plan is an attempt to “reset the clock” on the fate of the nation. At the bottom of Wang Renlin's camphorwood chest lie three things: a yellowed imperial examination paper, a commemorative medal from the Wuchang Uprising, and a letter fr 12Reads—Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   Besides these two, I'd also like to recommend my own game, *Fruit Puree: Mechanical Awakening*.

2. 52 疯 The Mad God Sleeps Forever 疯神永眠 Lin Mengyun a霖梦云aFantastical Romance47k WordsOngoing When five lunatics discover they're fragments of a god, they choose to tear up the rules and lose themselves to madness for all eternity. Ye Ci, Mei Weili, Si Li, Ying Lan, and Xilika: five “players” from different walks of life, all equally mad, are thrown into an endless cycle of games. In the toy house, they are shrunk into dolls, and Xilika becomes the “little girl” who crushes them. In the candy world, the rainbow candy Mei Weili bites into turns to rotten flesh, while blood seeps throug 152Reads—Score—Shelves
3. 53 规 The Rules Descend: Strange Tales of the Five Permanent Members 规则降临：五常异闻录 Entropy Scale熵鱗Mystery526k WordsOngoing The Rules Descend: Strange Tales of the Five Permanent Members [Fictional civilization + ensemble mystery + historical puzzles] When unknown “laws” quietly change the world, history is remade into a trial ground filled with riddles Huaxia, the embodiment of a civilization spanning millennia, awakens amid strange “rifts in the rules.” Together with the personifications of civilizations such as America and Russia, it will seek the traces of civilization hidden in temporal mysteries like the flames 75Reads6.5Score—Shelves
4. 54 异 Another World? But This Is Earth 异世界？可这里是地球 River and City江水与城Eastern Fantasy145k WordsOngoing [Male-oriented] [No-brain power fantasy] [No System] A mysterious force creates a portal on Earth leading to another world. The other world discovers it first and launches an attack on Huaxia. After enduring the baptism of the Great Wall's defenses, peace is restored. But things may not be as peaceful as they seem. Unknown dangers lurk on a continent in the other world. The five permanent members join forces to defend Earth and give the other world a taste of the shock and awe of modern Earth. 10Reads—Score—Shelves
5. 55 异 Another World: Witnessing the Miracle of the World with Luo Tianyi 异世界：与洛天依一起见证世奇迹 Heavenly Patrol, Clear Melody天巡清音Anime Fanfiction473k WordsCompleted Eternal Harmony Mo Qingze transmigrates to the Starfall Continent with an English ball, where he meets the songstress Luo Tianyi and together they form “Eternal Harmony.” When the fizz of cola and the ring of a bicycle bell shatter the otherworld's quiet, the songs of Vocaloid and the powers of the Nation Balls resonate and bloom. Yet the shadow of the “Era Reform Society” quietly spreads, as the “Strings of Paradox,” which twist the rules, and ancient “Beacons” appear one after another. From a 52Reads—Score—Shelves
6. 56 碎 Broken Sea, Flying South 碎海南飞 Lin Mengyun a霖梦云aTwo Male Leads188k WordsCompleted Lin Ci thought he was a time traveler. For five years, he wandered through thousands of parallel worlds, watching himself and Meijia meet and part along different paths in life. Sometimes they were childhood sweethearts; sometimes they met again as strangers. Sometimes they stayed together until old age; sometimes they went their separate ways halfway through. Like a tenacious observer, he searched through countless “what ifs” for a chance at happiness for them both, but could never find a perfe 10Reads—Score—Shelves
7. 57 观 Watching the World: Another Me 观影：世界上的另一个我 Wispy Clouds, Fading Dreams纤云残梦Anime Fanfiction87k WordsOngoing 579Reads—Score101Shelves
8. 58 无 Infinite Frenzy 无限疯劫 Lin Mengyun a霖梦云aMystery872k WordsOngoing “Whoever kills the Creator inherits the Eternal Throne.” This is a game designed for madmen. They soon discover that this game is more than a simple fight for survival. The Creator has grown weary of eternity and is waiting for a replacement mad enough to take its place. The instances are memories of a god, clearing them means devouring divinity, and their teammates... may be more dangerous than the bosses. When the reflection of a blood-red clock tower appears in every world, and the System sta 143Reads6.8Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   Both are fine.

9. 59 念 Longing Unanswered 念念不忘，再无回响 Yan Jiujing宴九京Two Male Leads605k WordsCompleted [Two Male Leads \ ABO \ Angst Novel \ Substitute \ Chasing His Wife to the Crematorium] Important warning ❤️ The main love interest gets a bad ending; the second male lead ends up with him~ Yu Moyi had a white moonlight in his heart, but they couldn’t be together because their pheromones were naturally incompatible. So he found an Omega who looked a lot like his white moonlight: Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan was obedient and devoted to him. No matter how badly Yu Moyi treated him, he never got angry. Yu 5.9kReads9.2Score507Shelves

   Reader note

   Highly recommend! [Evil grin]

10. 60 臣 Submit, Young Master! 臣服吧，少爷！ Yawn Bro哈欠兄Two Male Leads868k WordsCompleted He trampled him underfoot, looking down on him and mocking him because he was a rich young master who stood high above the rest, while the other man was just a bodyguard he had hired, a nobody whose life was worth nothing. Four years later, after many twists and turns, they met again. He had become an obscure commoner struggling to make ends meet, while the man he had once looked down on most stood at the height of power! “You... could you be...?” “Young master, do you know how long I've been lo 271Reads8.2Score—Shelves
11. 61 宠 Darling [Xie Yan] 宠儿【谢宴】 Zhierba稚饵丷Two Male Leads516k WordsOngoing I went mad, craving the love of someone powerful and influential. [World-weary, gloomy, affection-starved bottom × aloof, proud crown prince top] With no father to care for me and no mother to raise me, I scraped by for over a decade before finally meeting the one who treated me well. Just when I thought everything would end happily, I was framed and forced to marry the crown prince. The prince’s heart belongs to my enemy. He despises me, ignores me, and keeps me imprisoned in the Eastern Palace 923Reads8.9Score100Shelves
12. 62 别 Stop Chasing Me, I’m Out of Breath 别追了，跑不动 Lu Zhi录之Two Male Leads362k WordsCompleted Traits: A beautiful, unstable, utterly hypocritical top × a clear-headed, stubborn, patient and unyielding bottom Warning: coercion, scheming, wealthy family feuds, corruption, and a relationship that can't be mended after it's broken One last sentence from her grandmother blows Chen Yuan's peaceful life to pieces! Forced to live with the wealthy Jing family, he clashes fiercely with his “younger brother,” Gan Cizhou. They can't stand each other! After a year together, just as the ice begins to 275Reads6.4Score—Shelves
13. 63 少 After the Young Master Faked His Death, Lord Jiang Searched the Whole World for Him 少爷假死后，蒋爷疯狂找遍全世界 White Kitty Tuan Tuan白喵团团Two Male Leads347k WordsCompleted [The husband-chasing crematorium + adorable child] Su Chen loves Jiang Yi'an with all his heart. He can tolerate the existence of Jiang Yi'an's first love and endure the pain of being disfigured, but none of it wins Jiang Yi'an's love. Su Chen dies, leaving Jiang Yi'an only a cold tombstone. Jiang Yi'an goes mad and has to undergo therapy, until he meets Tong Yu, a top student at their university and a talented young director. Jiang Yi'an: “Su Chen, where have you been all these years?” Tong Yu: 1.1kReads9.0Score101Shelves
14. 64 爱 Love and Jealousy 爱与嫉妒 Writing an Outline Is Hard大纲不好写Two Male Leads402k WordsCompleted Lin Xun always thought that as long as he behaved and stayed within bounds, he could remain by Shen Yu's side forever. It wasn't until he was thrown out of the house that he finally realized he should never have dreamed of winning Shen Yu's love… “You don't know what high society is like. Wealth lets people live on an entirely different level.” When his friend rose to power and said those words to him with contempt, he finally understood what he truly deserved… A friendly reminder: Feel free to 43Reads6.1Score—Shelves
15. 65 潇 The Late Sound of Drizzling Rain 潇潇雨声迟 Meng Zhiwan孟栀晚Modern Romance120k WordsCompleted Years after graduation, a gossip post begins circulating on the message board for City Experimental School. The school's 2011 beauty, Ye Xiao, and its most handsome boy from the same year, Ruan Yusheng, are a couple. Their classmates, who know them well, rush over to set the record straight: it's pure rumor. There was never any spark between the two of them. Ye Xiao's profile even says, “Person I hate most: Ruan Yusheng.” People in the know go so far as to say, “Ye Xiao feels nothing but hatred 81.1kReads9.7Score14.1kShelves
16. 66 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 74.8kReads9.4Score6.8kShelves
17. 67 暗 The Sad Little Thing Called Unrequited Love 暗恋这件难过的小事 Meng Zhiwan孟栀晚Modern Romance122k WordsCompleted Lin Xu has a crush on the popular boy Ye Feng, and she remembers countless little details about him. Every day, Lin Xu times her departure down to the second, getting dressed and putting on her shoes in a hurry, all for the chance to catch a fleeting glimpse of his back. The music playing during the long break outside her classroom is Xu Song’s “Moon over Luzhou.” Lin Xu knows it’s the favorite song of Ye Feng, the school radio station’s announcer. Lin Xu has even stayed up all night organizing 77.1kReads9.7Score13.5kShelves
18. 68 规 Rule Horror: It Begins at the Haunted Zoo 规则怪谈：从动物园怪谈开始 Seriously Ill病得不轻Mystery569k WordsCompleted [Rule-Based Horror + Deduction + Livestreaming + National Fortune System + No Heroine] The supernatural has returned, and rule-based horror has descended. As a chosen player, Jiang Yi represents the Dragon Nation in the horror scenarios. Successfully clearing an instance earns national fortune points. After four consecutive failures, the Dragon Nation can’t afford another one. If he wins, the Dragon Nation wins! If he loses, the Dragon Nation falls! As it happens, the very first scenario Jiang Y 14.5kReads9.0Score2.1kShelves

    Reader note

    Kids, guess which one is the knife? [Smile]

19. 69 让 Beneath the Wasteland: Sending a Group of Consciousnesses into Dungeon Runs 【废土之下】让一群意识体闯副本 Sixty-Nine Words六十九个单词Two Male Leads292k WordsCompleted Instanced games, the law of the jungle, the strong devouring the weak: that is what defines horror games, where only the fittest survive. But what if I told you that a group of nonhuman consciousnesses who can't die or lose were joining the game? A perfect ending! Who says an ensemble cast has to end with everyone dying, dying, and dying again? Stay tuned! 301Reads7.1Score—Shelves
20. 70 老 Teacher, Is Your Teaching Certificate Made of Cream Soup? 老师你的教资是奶油浓汤吗 Speak Record Toilet说记厕Two Male Leads128k WordsOngoing My new work is out! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 507Reads7.5Score122Shelves
21. 71 大 The Tragedy of a Great Power: The Causes and Consequences of the Soviet Union’s Dissolution 大国悲剧：苏联解体的前因后果 Nikolai Ivanovich Ryzhkov尼古拉·伊万诺维奇·雷日科夫Historical375k WordsCompleted The Soviet Union, a superpower with a glorious history spanning 70 years, suddenly collapsed, stunning the world and prompting endless reflection. This book cuts through the mists of time to recount in detail, vividly and comprehensively, the entire process of the Soviet Union's dissolution and the collapse of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, a historic event that shook the world. From a unique perspective, it analyzes the underlying logic of the event as a whole, reveals the causes and 612Reads9.5Score168Shelves

    Reader note

    They're all great, especially the first one.

22. 72 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 48.6kReads9.7Score7.1kShelves
23. 73 蚀 A Love That Cuts to the Bone: One Last Time, I’ll Love You 蚀骨虐爱，最后一次爱你 An Jin Liang Liang安瑾凉凉Modern Romance166k WordsCompleted (Angst-filled story, nothing but angst, obsessive male lead, secret identity + the male lead desperately chasing his wife) Her own sister’s betrayal and her parents’ indifference dragged her from the human world into hell. Gong Minghan / If I told you I was the girl you were looking for, would you stop treating me this way? An Rounuan, I have never loved you. Do you want my love? Do you deserve it? My girl must be so lonely up in heaven. You should go to hell with her. The loss of her baby and t 363Reads6.5Score—Shelves
24. 74 困 Imprisoned by Love 困爱成囚 Flowers Along the Way一路笙花Modern Romance1.1M WordsCompleted Rumor has it that Gu Yansheng, the adopted daughter of the Gu family, had loved the Ninth Master of the Lu family in the imperial capital for years. He couldn't stand her, and for the sake of the woman he cherished, he sent her to prison and had her tortured for five whole years. But no one expected that when the Ninth Master eventually married, his bride would be none other than Gu Yansheng, the woman with a prison record! Everyone eagerly awaited the spectacle, expecting to see how the Ninth M 15.2kReads9.0Score1.5kShelves
25. 75 错 I Let Her Slip Away, and Now I Regret It 错过了她，后悔了 Two Little Flowers两小花12k WordsCompleted I Missed Her, and Now I Regret It 5Reads—Score—Shelves
26. 76 厉 President Li, Your Wife Is Waiting at the Crematorium to Collect Your Body 厉总，夫人在火葬场等您收尸 Nan Yi168南燚168Modern Romance6k WordsCompleted President Li, your wife is waiting for you at the crematorium to collect your remains 2Reads—Score—Shelves
27. 77 别 Don’t Frown 别皱眉 Yu Lin妤慬12k WordsCompleted The day I was officially diagnosed with cancer, I did three things: First, I signed an organ donation consent form. Second, I bought my cold and distant husband a clingy puppy. Third, I went to find his one true love. 432Reads—Score—Shelves
28. 78 梦 Dreams of Tears 梦啼泪 Three Sorrows of Romance三悲浪漫Ancient Romance636k WordsOngoing If I could start over, I’d rather wander from place to place than set foot in this ancient garden of petty schemes and waste my life... I’d rather live like the walking dead than have met you that day, only to silently watch the two of you together, my heart torn apart with no way to escape... 1.8kReads—Score123Shelves
29. 79 记 The Memory Trial: The Moment the Nation Wept for Him 记忆审判：那一刻，全国为他痛哭 Big Fish, Ah大鱼呀Urban1.7M WordsCompleted [Narcotics Police] [Anti-Drug Campaign] [Narcotics Officer] [Sacrifice] A scarecrow stands in the wilderness, shielding the endless expanse behind it. In early autumn, ten years after he left home, he asked someone to place his final wish in your hands. The fire he lit never went out. Only the one who kept watch has gone. The national emblem on his cap is like his name: “Please bury it with me.” Birds sweep across the blank spaces of time, like a long story waking from beneath the dust. His eyes 5.1kReads9.2Score700Shelves

    Reader note

    Both are memory-based judgment novels; the first masterpiece.

30. 80 记 Memory Judgment: She Doesn't Want You Anymore 记忆审判：她不要你们了 Xing Yan66星衍66Modern Romance693k WordsCompleted [Everyone's redemption arc + lightning-fast face-slapping + no forgiveness + satisfying angst] After an attempted murder, Jiang Liuying goes viral across every major platform. In the end, everyone votes her onto the national list of the most evil people of the 22nd century. Rumor has it that when she was four, she abandoned her eldest brother, ran off, and left him in a kidnapper's car. After returning to the Jiang family, she framed the adoptive parents who had raised her for ten years and show 4.7kReads8.7Score592Shelves
31. 81 支 Teaching in the Countryside: My Students Sentenced Me to Death, and the Whole Nation Wept! 支教：学生审判我死刑，全国痛哭！ Ye Wudao叶无道Urban589k WordsOngoing [Memory trial + livestream] Zhang Baijia, the brightest genius in Great Xia, gives up a promising future at Qingbei University to teach in the countryside! He personally nurtures his students into pillars of the nation! But who could have guessed that the first thing they do after making it is take him to court and sentence him to death! He gave everything for his students, even his life! Yet they call him a beast of a teacher and hate him to the bone! As the students inject poison into Zhang Ba 15Reads—Score—Shelves
32. 82 记 Memory Trial: The Moment the Whole Nation Wept for Him 记忆审判：那一刻，全国为他落泪 Imperial Dust皇尘Urban245k WordsCompleted A top-tier talent betrays his country, then returns years later to face a public trial. Under the gaze of the entire nation, the crimes of Yan Nation's traitor are laid bare one by one, with all the evidence presented. Is he truly a despicable traitor, or a sword-bearer who endured humiliation for the greater good? 576Reads—Score—Shelves
33. 83 我 I'm Put on Trial in a Livestream, and All of China Is in Tears 我被直播审判，全华夏泪崩了 Winter11冬日11Urban1.3M WordsCompleted Lin Xuan was framed and driven into a desperate situation. To appease the public, the authorities decide to broadcast his trial. Meanwhile, a machine capable of retrieving memories is invented, and all of Lin Xuan’s memories are played back. Lin Xuan’s younger sister, Lin Yu, a goddess of her generation, watches her own brother’s broadcast. She wants to know why the good brother she once knew turned into this kind of person! When his memories are brought to light, the entire nation breaks down i 666Reads5.6Score—Shelves
34. 84 退 Unsubscribe 退订 Lemon Deuterium柠檬氘Two Male Leads130k WordsOngoing [Multiple couples] [Infinite Flow] A System called “Unsubscribe” lets participants experience an entirely new life. Inside the System, they forget who they once were and live through the full span of a human life, experiencing birth, aging, sickness, death, love, hate, and everything in between. They remain there until their life ends and they exit the System. Rules: 1. Multiple people may enter the System together. 2. Likewise, if you exit the System, you will forget everything that just happ 142Reads7.6Score117Shelves

    Reader note

    Highly recommended! It's also on my own "Shattered Dreams and Broken Mirrors" homepage.

35. 85 困 Trapped in Adversity 困逆 An Mu桉霂Modern Romance89k WordsCompleted This is a story about redemption. The synopsis will have to wait until the story is finished~ What traps me is a cage. All I want is to turn back time, or better yet, tear open a rift in space and time. Remember: the ending is the best conclusion! [Transmigration] + [Bad Ending] + [Redemption] + [Fantasy] 59Reads—Score106Shelves

    Reader note

    Of these few books, the first one was fine, then suddenly a knife appeared out of the blue [crying].

36. 86 重 Reborn as a Concubine in the Su Household 重生之我在苏府当小妾 Shangguan Loves to Drink Water上官爱喝水Ancient Romance377k WordsCompleted Nontraditional rebirth + women's self-rescue + psychological healing + original poetry + metafiction Don't let the title fool you. The original title was Dawn's Clear Light. Rebirth is the ultimate act of self-rescue. A profound story that is both heartbreaking and healing. Zheng Ming awoke after transmigrating, only to become the concubine of a powerful minister. She navigated the storms of political rivalries and stirred the winds of change across the realm, believing she was carefully plan 241Reads8.8Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    This book has a particularly strong aftertaste. The title suggests a satisfying rebirth and revenge story, but inside it's a tragedy that slowly crushes everything beautiful. The protagonist, Zheng Ming, schemes and plots her way through the inner workings of a powerful family. You might think she's fighting for favor and power, but in the end, you realize she's only fighting for survival. What I thought was a happy ending might just be the beginning of another abyss. I was completely stunned by the last few chapters. If you can handle truly angsty stories and accept that the protagonist may not get what she wants, give this a try; it's incredibly powerful.

37. 87 乖 The Good Girl Becomes Everyone's Darling and Gets Revenge on Her Childhood Friend Who Dumped Her 乖乖女要变万人迷，报复甩她的竹马 Tangerine Sand桔沙8k WordsCompleted The Good Girl Wants to Become Everyone's Crush and Get Revenge on the Childhood Friend Who Dumped Her 532Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    A sadomasochistic love story unfolds. The seemingly innocent girl, a seemingly harmless but actually cunning woman, kisses another man right in front of him, making him jealous without any real connection. Dumped by her childhood sweetheart, she returns from studying abroad to seek revenge, transforming from a good girl into a wicked one. She becomes a womanizer, indulging in promiscuity, smoking, and drinking, and every substitute she finds resembles him. In a dream, he asks her if she loves him, but she wakes up to find him lying beside her. Hitting him becomes a reward. Her best friend asks if she remembers him. She says she doesn't, but her friend says she hasn't revealed who that other man was. Yes, when you love someone, even the shadows of their substitutes surround you. Even during her time studying abroad, she still thinks of him. How can one forget the one they love most? How long does it take for a devoted person to turn into a heartless woman? Just the moment he dumps her. She changes, but her transformation is only superficial. He still takes her virginity. She says she wants to kiss a male model. So he can be jealous too. Where was he before? Did he love her? She doesn't know. If he loved her, why did he dump her so cruelly back then? The seven-year itch is something no one can escape, right? His childhood sweetheart became a CEO, and he begged her to have their child to tie her down. Could a person be so cruel? He didn't want to use a child to bind her; he tried to keep her by his side forever, unaware that she had changed. She had nightmares about him abandoning her, yet he held her and said he wouldn't leave. Upon waking, her instinctive reaction was to slap him. Was it that being too greedy meant she could never have the one she loved most? Little did she know, she called him crazy, but he said he wouldn't be crazy if it weren't for her. He grabbed her neck, asking if she had been with someone else abroad. She felt his jealousy, which gave her a sense of triumph. He smashed the phone her mother had bought as a keepsake. Having missed her mother's funeral, she began to hate him. She replaced his male assistant and secretary with his stand-ins, provoked him by having unofficial relationships with them, and even kissed them in front of him. He was furious and extremely jealous. Their relationship was never officially announced, yet she was consumed by jealousy over their lack of recognition. Watching him be jealous, she felt a strange sense of vengeful pleasure, but she used foreign etiquette to provoke him. He had nowhere to vent his anger. He said he wanted to kiss like that abroad too, but she said enemies don't need to kiss. He was enraged... His face turned green as he forbade office romances, implying that only he and she were permitted to have one—a double standard. She skipped work to meet her younger self at a party hosted by the school's most popular male model, but secretly hoped he'd catch her. She kept wondering why he hadn't arrived yet. Finally, he came, but as she tried to open the door, she regretted that he had prevented her from seeing her mother one last time. Some hatred, in the face of love, only brings pain and distortion. Torn between two people she loved most—her beloved mother and the man she loved most—she agonized over the regret of not seeing her mother one last time; the dead cannot be brought back to life. He was alive, so she had no regrets. But her mother couldn't live, and she couldn't forgive him. Even when the male assistant wanted him dead, she hesitated and agreed. He said she was heartless, unaware that he was even more heartless when he dumped her. She was merely repeating the actions she had taken when dumping him. The male assistant also smashed the wine glass her mother had left behind, yet she didn't see him as an enemy, only heartache and hatred. This made her resolve to join forces with the male assistant to kill him, but love made her hesitate about telling him the truth about his impending death. She bitterly thought, wasn't this the best opportunity for revenge? Yet, she felt he didn't deserve to die. People are always caught in a dilemma when making choices; the contradiction seemed to make either choice unhappy. But she didn't understand what the male assistant meant by what he said. Wasn't he clearly dumped her because he didn't love her? Why were his words so light and so heavy?

38. 88 雪 Xue Wutong 雪梧桐 Xun Bai荀柏710k WordsCompleted [Republican-era ensemble cast + love of country + two powerful leads + older man/younger woman + sweet romance + pursuit of love + powerful man bows his head + heartbreaking angst + bad ending] In the Republican era, Nanjing was home to two renowned romantics. I do not believe in Buddha, but I would kneel at every temple in Nanjing if only Heaven would give me back my wife. Zhou Qingshi, courtesy name Changyu, was the eldest son and eldest grandson of the Zhou family, and ninth in birth order. 374Reads8.6Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    A faint smile

39. 89 蝶 Butterfly Shadows Return to Dust: Sold into Prostitution by My Mother-in-Law, My Ex-Husband Searched for Me for Ten Years 蝶影归尘：被婆母卖入风尘，前夫寻了我整整十年 Ni Ah Ni Ge Ni氼啊氼个氼55k WordsCompleted The Butterfly’s Shadow Returns to Dust: Sold into a Life of Vice by My Mother-in-Law, My Ex-Husband Searched for Me for Ten Years 319Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Both books share the classic formula of Republican-era tragic romance novels: chaotic times + unrequited love + identity confusion + separation by death. In *Old Dreams 1913*, Fu Lanjun is an innocent and carefree daughter of an official, while Gu Lingyu is a deeply affectionate and reserved soldier. Their relationship evolves from mutual affection to misunderstandings, ultimately ending with one dying and the other searching desperately—similar to the "time difference" in the relationship between Die'er and Zhang Zhiming. Both works shatter the "I could have" into "I can never go back," leaving readers heartbroken. However, beneath this similarity, the narrative ambitions and emotional cores of the two works actually follow completely different paths. --- Two Types of Tragedy: The Narrow Path of Love vs. The Labyrinth of Fate. The tragedy in *Old Dreams 1913* is a straight path to the end. The relationship between Fu Lanjun and Gu Lingyu is like a crystal ball shattered from the inside—all the cracks stem from the two of them: his silence, her disbelief, and a misunderstanding that could have been clarified but was never. The sense of destiny lies in "If only I had believed you then" and "If only you had told me then." It portrays love to its extreme, pure and intense, like a knife cutting in only one direction. The main stage of the story is always their marital relationship; even with the backdrop of national turmoil, the emotional focus never strays from that marriage. The brilliance of this writing lies in—it makes you believe that if those words were spoken, everything would be different. And then it never lets those words be spoken. The heartbreak of *Butterfly Enters the Dust* is an outward-expanding vortex. The misunderstandings between Die'er and Zhang Zhiming—Bing'er's child, the test of taking a concubine, Ping'er's marriage—are merely the outermost shell. What truly tears them apart is the betrayal of her mother-in-law, Xiao Qihao's imprisonment, the shifting identities amidst war, and the heavy burden of national duty. Their tragedy cannot be averted by simply saying "I'll tell you the truth," because what separates them is not a misunderstanding, but an entire cannibalistic era. To illustrate: *Old Dreams 1913* is like accidentally shattering a piece of porcelain—unexpected, scattering shards, each still carrying the warmth of love. *Butterfly in the Dust*, on the other hand, is like watching the porcelain being washed away by flowing water for decades, ground into a handful of fine sand—not destroyed by a single event, but worn down inch by inch by time. This difference directly leads to the different emotional impact of the two works. After reading *Old Dreams 1913*, you remember the person—Gu Lingyu's lonely figure, the unspoken words; after reading *Butterfly in the Dust*, you remember the net—all the characters struggling within it, while the mesh tightens ever more. --- Beyond Love: A Symphony of Fate Supported by a Group Narrative The narrative focus of *Old Dreams 1913* is almost entirely on the male and female protagonists; other characters serve as functional roles in the main plot. This is a duet—there can be many people on stage, but the spotlight shines only on two places. *Butterfly in the Dust* is different. It weaves a complete web of characters, each supporting character with their own independent arc of fate, intertwined and mutually influencing each other, ultimately converging into a web that binds everyone's destiny: * Zhang's mother is not a stereotypical evil mother-in-law. She raised her son after many years of widowhood, having him study the *Tao Te Ching* from a young age to become a highly moral businessman—not because she revered morality, but because in the chaotic Republic of China era, those with strong morals were more trustworthy and easier to do business with. Her hatred for Die'er is essentially jealousy of Die'er's birth into the stability she had worked so hard for, a complete collapse of her controlling nature in the face of a disobedient daughter-in-law. * Xiao Qihao is the most complex antagonist in the entire book. He is both scholarly and martial, yet his status as an "illegitimate child" condemns him to the bottom of society. His jealousy of Zhang Zhiming is not just about competing for a woman, but also a hatred of "legitimate status." He ruined Die'er, yet truly loved her; he imprisoned her to bear her child, yet died unaware that it was Zhang Zhiming's offspring; he ruined the Zhang family, yet when the nation was in peril, he poured all the connections and resources he had secretly cultivated into the front lines of the War of Resistance. He was not purely evil, but a tragic figure twisted by resentment and desire, who achieved self-redemption amidst the torrent of history. Die'er's death transformed him from a plunderer into a repentant one. Bing'er's character is particularly ingenious. She was originally a pawn arranged by Zhang Zhiming to test Die'er's sincerity, but her very existence triggered Die'er's deepest misunderstanding. After Die'er's disappearance, she knelt in the Buddhist hall every day to pray for Die'er, blaming herself for Die'er's departure, and on the day she left, she said, "I have no face to wait for the young mistress to return." She was a pawn in the misunderstanding, yet also a victim whose fate was intertwined in the chaos of war. • Qiao'er's perspective in the pavilion scene is arguably the most poignant—an ordinary woman kneeling before the stunningly beautiful Die'er, not fighting for herself, but simply saying on behalf of the man she loved her entire life, "He cannot live without you." Her love is purer than Die'er's, yet she is destined to live only in Die'er's shadow. Her appearance is not to advance the plot, but to provide an external perspective on this love—allowing the reader to truly see for the first time how heavy Zhang Zhiming's love for Die'er appears in the eyes of an outsider. • Ping'er and Yi'an form the most hidden tragic thread in the entire work. When Die'er was sold, Yi'an was still an infant; she died without ever knowing what her son looked like, while Zhang Zhiming, holding the child in the Xiao family mansion, only felt "something gently bump against his heart," never knowing that it was his own flesh and blood. This "passing by without realizing it" setting extends the regret from the dimension of love to the dimension of family affection—the separation of mother and son, the father and son meeting but not recognizing each other, the triple regrets make the tragedy more three-dimensional. Yang Yanchen's deep affection was the most restrained. He picked up Die'er from the mud, taught her Japanese and espionage skills, and gave her a new identity and a reason to live. He loved her but never said it aloud because she was his "sister," a "pawn," and part of the greater national cause. He lived as her shadow—always standing behind her, never side by side. In the pavilion, he said, "There are too many heartless women in the world," ostensibly criticizing Zhang Zhiming, but actually severing the hopes of two men: one for Zhang Zhiming, and the other for himself. The tension in him lies in this: a man who shoulders the greater national cause, yet hides his deepest feelings in the darkest corner of his heart. The Lin family's parents and eldest brother have few scenes, but they form the starting point of Die'er's fate. Her eldest brother, who doted on her the most, was also the first to shatter her stubbornness with a slap; her two older sisters, who repeatedly urged her to marry, were also arranged to marry by their families. Die'er was not the first daughter of the Lin family to be sacrificed by marriage; her tragedy was merely another cycle of her sisters' fates. Why does *Butterfly Enters the Dust* achieve this? Because it's not essentially a "romance novel," but a drama of fate centered on love. Its emotional depth comes not only from the tragic love story of Die'er and Zhang Zhiming, but also from the sense of destiny that pervades every character in this intricate network, leaving each with their own regrets. By the end, the reader feels not just pity for the two individuals, but a sigh for the helplessness of everyone in an entire era. --- The Underlying Theme of the Era: Chaos is Not a Setting, But a Driving Force. The era of *Old Dreams 1913* is like a light ink wash painting—chaos is the distant view, revolution, uprising, and war are blurred into a few strokes behind the characters. Its tragedy is highly personal and could be relatable in any other historical context. The era of *Butterfly Enters the Dust*, however, is like a heavy oil painting. Chaos is not a fictional atmosphere, but a concrete force driving every plot twist: Die'er's descent into espionage is not a melodramatic "forced into a corner," but a real necessity of the War of Resistance against Japan. She learns Japanese, impersonates a Japanese person, and walks a tightrope—these plot points are directly embedded in the historical context of the intelligence war during the Republic of China era. Her ability to retain her chastity after being sold into the brothel wasn't due to "protagonist halo," but rather because of the guzheng and pipa she learned from her sisters since childhood—this seemingly casual detail actually reveals a facet of the education of young ladies in the Republic of China: women learning arts, originally for enjoyment, became a lifeline in turbulent times. Zhang Zhiming's business storyline—the Zhang family shop's income declining year after year, and Xiao Qihao tampering with the contracts for a large tea deal—depicts not only family feuds but also serves as a microcosm of the struggles for survival of national industry and commerce in the Republic of China. Even the common trope of "feigned concubine acquisition" in romance novels is given a contemporary rationale: Bing'er's husband enlists in the army and never returns; her unmarried pregnancy leads to her being driven from her home by her clan—a daily occurrence in the war-torn countryside of the Republic of China. Zhang Zhiming took her in not only to test Die'er, but also because in that era of moral decay, it was the simplest act of kindness a person upholding morality could do. Both books depict chaotic times, but in *Old Dreams 1913*, the chaos breeds "too late to say I love you," with history serving as a tool to advance the plot; while in *Butterfly in the Dust*, the chaos breeds "unable to say I love you," with history itself playing a significant role, inextricably linked to the fate of every character. --- Emotional Spectrum: More Than One Color Both books depict a woman deeply loved by two men. The love and hate in *Old Dreams 1913* are very pure. Fu Lanjun's feelings for Gu Lingyu, from love to hate to pain, are all precisely captured on the axis of "love." The existence of the other man, An Jiamian, is more like a functional role that makes Gu Lingyu jealous. The emotional spectrum in *Butterfly in the Dust* is broader and more ambiguous: Die'er's feelings for Zhang Zhiming are youthful infatuation, misunderstandings, and a deep love until death—this is the most complete arc of love. Die'er herself couldn't explain her feelings for Yang Yanchen. It wasn't love, but something far more complex—it was a debt of gratitude for saving her life, a bond of rebirth, a life-or-death entrustment, and a sense of indebtedness that could only be repaid with her life. Therefore, Die'er's dying promise to Yang Yanchen to "be an ordinary couple in the next life" wasn't because she no longer loved Zhang Zhiming, but because "Zhang Zhiming gave me love, Yang Yanchen gave me life. Love is heavy, but life is heavier." This wasn't a traditional either-or choice, but rather two completely different kinds of emotion: one was "I want to be with you," and the other was "I'm willing to repay you in the next life." This ambiguous, multi-faceted relationship is closer to the truth of human nature than pure "unrequited love": throughout one's life, one develops different kinds and weights of feelings for different people—love, gratitude, duty, guilt, pity—these don't necessarily negate each other, nor can they replace each other. This complexity is precisely the territory that *Old Dreams 1913*, which focused solely on the "love story," never touched upon. --- Imagery System: Literary Codes in the Titles The titles of the two works themselves are the best footnotes to their respective aesthetic styles. *Old Dreams of 1913*—The key word is "dream." Dreams are illusory, personal, and belong to the past. "1913" Anchors a specific year, suggesting that this dream is related to that particular era, but the core of "old dream" remains personal memory. After reading the entire book, one may not remember what historical events happened in 1913, but Gu Lingyu and Fu Lanjun's "dream" will remain in their hearts. *Butterfly Enters the Dust*—The key word is "dust." Dust is not a dream; dreams end, but dust does not dissipate. Dust is pervasive, all-encompassing, and omnipresent, perfectly corresponding to the increasingly tighter web of fate in the novel. "Butterfly" is Lin Die'er's name and also the core image of the entire work—· The butterfly is light, beautiful, and yearns for freedom—like the girl Die'er chasing fish on the riverbank. Butterflies are also fragile, fleeting, and increasingly entangled in spiderwebs—like Lin Die'er, imprisoned, sold, and crushed in the torrent of time. The story concludes with Die'er's death, but at the end, Nian Die stands under a gardenia tree holding a crystal ball—one butterfly has fallen into the dust, while another emerges from its cocoon. This imagery loop is planted from the title and concludes with the final line, "The butterfly enters the dust, never to return," creating a cohesive whole. This is not simply a "title stating the theme," but a system of imagery that runs throughout the book—the silver butterfly on the hairpin, the crooked little butterfly on the skirt, the gardenia sealed in the crystal ball, Nian Die's name—every detail weaves this web of imagery. In contrast, the imagery in *Old Dreams 1913* is more subtle and restrained, mostly used as local embellishments rather than a global framework, which aligns with its creative logic of "maximizing emotional intensity"—it doesn't need a complex system of imagery; love itself is everything. --- In conclusion: Two paths, one summit. *Old Dreams of 1913* and *Butterfly Enters the Dust* represent two distinct styles of writing tragic romance novels set in the Republican era: *Old Dreams of 1913* is the epitome of "narrow yet profound." It dissects and dissects every fold of love, allowing readers to experience the most intense emotional impact within a relationship. It's suitable for readers who want their hearts to be pierced by pure love. *Butterfly Enters the Dust* is ambitiously "broad and dense." It weaves a web of characters, an era, and a system of imagery, creating an inescapable labyrinth of fate. It's suitable for readers who want to see not just love, but also all the struggles and compromises people face when crushed by the times. There's no superior or inferior choice; it's simply a matter of which kind of "torture" you prefer: being loved to the extreme and then lost—or being slowly ground down by fate itself, leaving no object for hatred.

40. 90 错 A Displaced Echo 错位的回声 Elegy qw挽歌qwTwo Male Leads336k WordsCompleted [Two Male Leads] [“Sweet Romance”] [Some Redemption] The day we least want to come is tomorrow for those who have died... At least we still have each other. I’m sorry I came so late. “Nan-ge! Don’t walk so fast... I can’t keep up...” I’ll always remember what you liked. All I want is for you to be safe. He loved snow more than anything... Candy melts, but memories don’t. Time can help us heal, but it can’t erase the past. Snow blanketed the city, but it couldn’t smother the warmth of life. “Good 191Reads7.7Score104Shelves

    Reader note

    It was pretty sweet at first, but then it turned angsty, with characters dying one by one.

41. 91 无 Infinite Loop: Conspiracy 无限循环：密谋 Chestnuts Don't Eat Knives板栗不吃刀Mystery120k WordsOngoing [This work is under contract. Copying, piracy, and unauthorized reposting are prohibited. Please contact the author in advance if you wish to promote it, preferably by tagging the author.] [Horror instances] [Multiple couples] [One-on-one romance] [Two powerful leads] “No one can escape. I’ve prepared for so long, all for this moment.” An ethereal male voice rang across the entire Blue Star. No one knew where it came from, and no one knew who was speaking. [ Ding! System binding successful! Hell 13Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Knife wrapper, knife wrapper

42. 92 原 Forgive Me for Growing Up Too Late 原谅我来不及长大 Leng Lili Lili Lili冷璃璃璃璃Two Male Leads24k WordsOngoing A new work is here! You can read my story on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support is what motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 18Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    It's a knife case, you know. [Smile]

43. 93 当 When the Siberian Wind Stood Still 当西伯利亚风停驻 His Excellency the Caribbean Captain加勒比船长大人Two Male Leads151k WordsCompleted [A cool, beautiful photographer with a busy inner monologue × a sunny, golden-retriever-like younger Russian-Chinese mixed-race man whose Chinese is hilariously mangled] [Height difference | Hilarious everyday language barriers | Direct affection melts the ice | A passionate romance at the peak of their sporting careers] After a heartbreak, photographer Lin Yan flees to the snowy mountains. He seems aloof as ice, but his inner monologue never stops. Andrei, a 193-centimeter Russian-Chinese mixe 41Reads7.3Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    [Thumbs up]

44. 94 长 Crossing the Tribulation of Immortality 长生劫渡 Author Wanwan Xinghui作者绾绾星回Eastern Fantasy462k WordsCompleted [Two Male Leads: 1v1: Both Pure:] Countless cultivators shattered the stars in pursuit of immortality, never realizing they had long since become pawns on fate's chessboard. When the Demon Venerable Jun Linyi died in his previous life, his soul scattered and his cultivation vanished. Only then did he discover that the campaigns of his entire life had been an illusion woven by someone else. His fortune had been stolen, his blood had paved another's path to immortality, and the one he loved had be —Reads—Score—Shelves

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