Male- or Female-Protagonist Stories: Period Settings, Nation-Building, and the Workplace 男主或女主文，年代、基建、职场

1. 1 实 A Pragmatist’s Love 实用主义者的爱情 Meng Zhong De Yi孟中得意Romance468k WordsCompleted The final installment of the print edition of "A Pragmatist’s Love" is now available for preorder, with an additional 8,000-word bonus story. A preview of the bonus story appears at the end. If you’re interested, you can purchase the book from online retailers. To Fei Ni, a house was far more dependable than love. If marriage hadn’t been the only way to get assigned an apartment, Fei Ni would never have married Fang Muyang. Those who didn’t know the full story assumed Fei Ni had chosen Fang M 238.5kFavorites345.8kClicks/ch146.8kGifts

   Curator note

   Its strength lies in the warmth hidden within the ordinary, depicted in the writing.

2. 2 香 Hong Kong Detective [The Nineties] 香江神探[九零] Qing Hou轻侯Romance1.7M WordsCompleted Many years later, when speaking to a cover-story reporter from Time magazine, Yi Jiayi would look back on that distant afternoon when the head of the Major Crimes Unit took her to see a corpse... In that moment, she heard the victim's anguished cries, saw the killer's face, and gained the ability to mentally rewind a crime scene. From then on, Hong Kong had one fewer junior policewoman who drank tea and gossiped at work, then went on dates and went shopping after hours. In her place, it gained 174.9kFavorites302.8kClicks/ch2.2MGifts

   Curator note

   A young policewoman with a cheat code, a Hong Kong detective story. More than solving cases, I prefer the heartwarming moments of family working together to make life better.

3. 3 在 Working as a Companion Maid in Northern Song 在北宋当陪房 Golden Goose金鹅Romance1.1M WordsOngoing [Updates are irregular, but this will definitely be completed. Quality comes first.] Liang Jin suddenly transmigrates into the household of an official in the Northern Song. She isn’t one of the masters, though. She’s the younger daughter of Nanny Diao, the second branch’s wife’s personal maid: a little girl called Second Miss, with her hair in a maid’s bun and wearing only a bellyband. Before dawn, Second Miss Liang, dressed in a pair of brown split-crotch trousers, squats outside the door an 157.4kFavorites247.6kClicks/ch406.3kGifts

   Curator note

   The story of a young maid gradually achieving freedom is not over yet. While the plot doesn't have many dramatic twists and turns, it's far from boring. The female lead is also a very skilled cook.

4. 4 定 [Wu Zhou] Founding the Dynasty [武周]定鼎 River Wind a Thousand Miles Away千里江风Romance2.1M WordsCompleted [Current arc: Wu Zhou] Wu Qingyue never imagined that one moment she’d be grabbing her keyboard to argue with someone that the claim Empress Zhaoyi had murdered her daughter was complete nonsense, and the next she’d be reborn as Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of Tang’s third daughter. In other words... the daughter of Wu Zetian who died before her first birthday. [Good news: You come with a System.] [Bad news: The System has just one function: convert 153.4kFavorites216.6kClicks/ch503kGifts

   Curator note

   He gradually grows in the early stages, helping his mother establish a firm foothold; later, he begins to wage war against all sides. (The story is incomplete.)

5. 5 制 Conquering Hollywood 制霸好莱坞 Yu Jing Peng Xiang御井烹香Romance3.1M WordsCompleted I was reborn. Want to go back? First, help me conquer Hollywood! * The author's knowledge of the entertainment industry at home and abroad comes entirely from reading various reports. In other words, this is mostly wish fulfillment, so please don't take it seriously. * For the sake of the plot, the female lead will of course date someone, but this isn't a [redacted] novel, and her romantic interests will mostly be original characters. * As the title suggests, there will be plenty of scheming 136.8kFavorites267.2kClicks/ch84.1kGifts

   Curator note

   The female protagonist is reborn, moving from China to the United States, from a wealthy wife to a waitress, and ultimately rising from waitress to an international superstar and financial tycoon. The book features both real-life celebrities and original characters, with many power struggles, making it a worthwhile read.

6. 6 六 Children of a Major Factory in the 1960s 六零年代大厂子弟 Deer Grass鹿子草Romance1.1M WordsCompleted Gorgeous Little Rascal VS Beauty-Obsessed Heiress This novel is also known as: "I Reached the Pinnacle of Life Through My Good Looks," "The Journey from Pop Idol to Mechanical Engineer," and "How to Become a Great Dad" Recently, a huge piece of gossip has been making the rounds in the machinery factory's residential compound. Zhao Xuejun, the "pride of the compound," confessed his feelings to Xia Lu, the "untouchable beauty"! But she actually turned him down!!! And her reason was explosive: Xia 117.2kFavorites298.9kClicks/ch518.4kGifts

   Curator note

   This is a male protagonist novel. The male protagonist is a humorous, intelligent, and capable individual who rises from a petty hoodlum to an academician entirely through his own efforts.

7. 7 寒 The Noble Daughter from a Humble Family 寒门贵女 Dai Shanqing戴山青Romance2.3M WordsCompleted [Main story complete, full text lightly revised, bonus chapters updating] Zhu Xuan was born to an ordinary family in the countryside, with a few acres of poor farmland and a handful of pigs and sheep. She had older siblings above her and younger ones below, and the number of mouths to feed grew by two every three years. Her father spent his days wandering around and shirking his responsibilities. Fortunately, her mother and grandparents worked hard to support the family, and wedged in among the 92.6kFavorites125kClicks/ch363kGifts

   Curator note

   I didn't finish watching this, but it's quite profound, exploring the awakening of self-awareness among women and the poor.

8. 8 在 Those Years as a Sickly Lord in the Three Kingdoms 在三国当病弱主公的那些年 Drunk Among the Flowers醉酒花间No CP1.1M WordsCompleted [Exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City. The author revises obsessively and takes no responsibility for pirated versions on other platforms.] - Blurb - * Yuan Huan transmigrated to the first year of Chuping, just as the campaign against Dong Zhuo was beginning. He crawled out of a pile of corpses and discovered that this body belonged to Yuan Ji, the eldest legitimate son of the illustrious Yuan clan of Runan, a family that had served as high ministers for four generations. Yuan Ji 87.4kFavorites195.7kClicks/ch121.8kGifts

   Curator note

   Historical figures are included one after another, with numerous supporting roles.

9. 9 我 I Study to Cultivate 我靠学习来修仙 The Deer of Lin Calls Softly林鹿呦呦Romance1.1M WordsCompleted Only after her soul left her body did Xie Bing realize she had transmigrated into a book: Her aloof, upright master had long since gone mad from cultivation. He had raised her, a good-for-nothing with a spirit root, only to refine her into medicine and make pills from her. The junior brother she'd raised from childhood had fallen in love with the female lead. To save her, he personally took Xie Bing's core, then casually tossed out, "Senior Sister, you only lost your core, while Xuan Yao lost he 86.7kFavorites332.9kClicks/ch145.9kGifts

   Curator note

   This is a story that starts slowly but improves significantly later on. Many foreshadowing elements are introduced early on, only to be connected and revealed much later. The subplots are cleverly woven in, and the author manages to resolve them all. You definitely need to read to the end. Many characters are imperfect but realistic, and the story is about fighting against fate. It's just that the beginning is a bit frustrating.

10. 10 七 The Women’s Director of the 1970s 七十年代妇女主任 Zhang Jiayin张佳音Romance1.2M WordsCompleted [Going VIP on the 25th, with a 10,000-character update. Thanks for your support.] Zhao Ke was a disgruntled workaholic who traveled back to the 1970s and became remarkably laid-back. After all, once the college entrance exams returned, her future would be bright. Then one day, out of the blue, Zhao Ke realized she was living in a novel set in the past. Everyone in the book was either the male or female lead, or one of the awful people who got humiliated by them. The latter included, but weren' 85kFavorites180.2kClicks/ch220.2kGifts

    Curator note

    This is a female-centric novel with a clearly defined romantic partner but limited romantic scenes. The career storyline is quite strong, primarily focusing on rural revitalization and development.

11. 11 今 Where Is Home Now? 今安在 Only the Blade Can Banish a Hundred唯刀百辟Romance641k WordsCompleted Apple trees bear wisdom Beneath laurel branches, a monument to love's history is buried And romance and thought make the perfect pair Love makes you tender, science makes you pure Open your heart with a carefree rush This life and that truth are equally precious Like a sword's edge and a flower's stamen Equally beautiful Your Daishan In tribute to Zhang Ailing Theme: 66.9kFavorites167.8kClicks/ch48kGifts

    Curator note

    The female lead's journey from a bullied little girl to a physicist is the main reason for the low rating; the female lead's character seems quite frustrated in the early and middle stages.

12. 12 重 Reborn at the Start of My Career 重生回到刚就业时 Glutinous Rice Crystal Cake糯米水晶糕Romance2.5M WordsCompleted After waking from a deep sleep, Lu Nan finds herself back at the moment she has just received her college diploma. Exhausted by all the striving in her previous life, she decides to buy a house as soon as possible. Looking at the email telling her she passed the interview, Lu Nan decides to slack off and take it easy. Unexpectedly, with a mindset and life experience so different from before, she still finds herself getting caught up in the rat race without realizing it, setting out on the path t 63.3kFavorites114.5kClicks/ch582.1kGifts

    Curator note

    This is a female protagonist story. In the early stages, she is reborn and uses the workplace skills she acquired in her previous life to gradually plan her career. Later, she grows again and heals the emotional wounds from her previous life. The writing is excellent, the author has a wealth of workplace knowledge, there's very little room for romance, and the career storyline is incredibly satisfying yet feels believable.

13. 13 造 Everyday Rebellion 造反小日常 Yan Ju闫桔Romance859k WordsCompleted Liang Ying, a modern rich young woman, transmigrates. The good news is that she becomes a princess of a nation. The bad news is that the nation has fallen! To preserve the honor of the royal women, the old emperor personally sent his concubines and unmarried daughters one by one to their deaths. Just as Liang Ying was being strangled half to death with a white silk cord, Heaven finally showed mercy. The rebel army stormed into the palace, the old emperor died, and she survived by collapsing, bar 59.4kFavorites121.8kClicks/ch47.2kGifts

    Curator note

    A runaway princess encounters bandits, forms an alliance, and gradually expands her territory, eventually unifying the land. The female lead is deeply influenced by modern education, and her actions in each place she visits have a hint of fighting against local tyrants. However, due to realistic factors, she still relies heavily on the male lead's martial prowess.

14. 14 寒 A Scholar from a Humble Family [Imperial Exams] 寒门之士[科举] Far Up the Tianshan Mountains远上天山Romance888k WordsCompleted She transmigrates to the Ming dynasty. Her father is away, and her mother is frail. Liu He has to figure things out on her own. In the Great Ming, everything is inferior to studying. Liu He has no choice but to focus on the imperial examinations, starting with the exam to become a licentiate. The imperial examinations can change your fate. Completed works: Back to the Year of the Gaokao and Let’s Win an Olympic Gold Medal [Track and Field] Theme: Read ten thousand books. 59.4kFavorites119.5kClicks/ch96.5kGifts

    Curator note

    My favorite story among the imperial examination novels. The male protagonist is resilient and principled, and his teacher-student relationship with his mentor and his understanding of his teacher are very touching. In the end, he truly realizes the ideals of himself and his teacher.

15. 15 别 Don’t Ask Me Who’s the Disco King [The 1980s] 别问我谁是迪斯科[八零] Deer Grass鹿子草Romance1.6M WordsCompleted [Please add my upcoming novel, "The Military Industry Compound in the 1950s", to your reading list!] As a handsome university student with bright prospects in the 1980s, Di Sike had nothing to worry about except being broke. Then he discovered that he was living inside a book called "The Pink Tycoon: Love Can’t Escape Me". The heroine was destined to become a tycoon in the entertainment industry, while he was the short-lived unrequited love she remembered fondly! According to the plot, Di Sike 57.4kFavorites104.3kClicks/ch347.5kGifts

    Curator note

    It's by the same author as "The Children of Big Factory Owners in the 1960s," and it's a male protagonist story. Because it's set in the 1980s, the overall atmosphere is more relaxed and lively, but personally, I felt it wasn't as appealing as "The Children of Big Factory Owners" in the beginning.

16. 16 退 After Leaving the Imperial Exams, I Won a Marquisate Through Farming 退出科举后我靠种田封侯 Ru Ren孺人Romance759k WordsCompleted Lin Liwen graduated from an agricultural university, then returned to his hometown to lease farmland and practice modern farming. One day, he opened his eyes and found himself in the body of the male lead's cousin, a contrast character in an imperial-examination novel. In the original story, the body’s former owner relied on being the eldest grandson of the main branch of the family, leeching off his relatives. Jealous of his talented younger cousin, he poisoned the cousin's food, finally maki 54.5kFavorites135kClicks/ch40.3kGifts

    Curator note

    Farming novel

17. 17 冒 The Fake County Magistrate Is Forced to Take the Throne 冒牌县令，被迫登基 Red Leaves Like Fire红叶似火Romance1.1M WordsCompleted After transmigrating into the body of a newly appointed top scholar who had been demoted, Chen Yunzhou worked diligently for three years before suddenly receiving a letter: Big Brother, you've had it rough all these years. Tonight, distract the guards at the treasury, and once we pull off this big score, we'll quit for good! Damn it! I can't keep doing this job. Just as Chen Yunzhou was planning to run for it, chaos erupted across the land and war broke out everywhere. He could only hole up in 53.6kFavorites95.2kClicks/ch76.4kGifts

    Curator note

    The story begins with a bandit impersonating a county magistrate, and then the magistrate building a great empire – it has a bit of an infrastructure construction feel to it.

18. 18 全 After the Whole Family Moved to Hong Kong 全家迁居港城之后 Nine-Colored Brocade九色锦Romance3.4M WordsCompleted The title has changed. The original title was “An Ordinary Family Relocates to Hong Kong.” Blurb: They thought the day the Martyrs' Affairs Office brought their family a death notice was the most painful day the Guo family would ever face. Surely things couldn't get any worse. But it turned out that the future held nothing but disaster for the whole family. They couldn't just wait to die, so the Guo family once again set off to leave their home behind. Notes: 1. This is slice-of-life, slow-pace 43.4kFavorites93.2kClicks/ch109.2kGifts

    Curator note

    The family moved to the port city to avoid trouble. With initial capital, they were considered moderately wealthy middle class. They gradually expanded their business, and the family was reunited, but life was somewhat mundane and uneventful.

19. 19 咸 The Lazy Fish Only Wants to Farm 咸鱼只想种田 Yan Ju闫桔Romance962k WordsCompleted Qin Wanru died from overwork while doing scientific research in her previous life. After death, she transmigrated and became the third daughter of a low-ranking seventh-grade official. Qin Wanru ate and drank, stroked cats and teased birds, and happily settled into a life of lazy contentment. Until she was about to come of age, when the System forcibly activated a mission for its Host. If she didn't complete it, she would grow ugly and develop a face full of pockmarks. Qin Wanru: "..." Fine. Th 14.6kFavorites47.8kClicks/ch13kGifts

    Curator note

    The story of the lazy and good-for-nothing third daughter who inherited the mantle of the Weaver Girl, developed Huang Daopo's skills, and eventually became the richest woman.

20. 20 少 A Young Man's Journey 少年行 I Want to Eat Meat我想吃肉Romance567k WordsCompleted This story involves transmigration. Bai Zhi made one careless mistake and ended up in someone else's body. When she woke up, her head was still throbbing. Apparently, the girl had gotten blackout drunk last night, just like she had. The girl's one strength was that all her skill points had gone into being born lucky: she had a good father. Unfortunately, her father had disappeared. Her weaknesses... were too numerous to count, including alcoholism, poor scholarship, always taking the opposite si 11.7kFavorites47.3kClicks/ch17.8kGifts

    Curator note

    The novel *The Legend of the Dragon Slayer* has a good sense of youthful martial arts spirit, but the romance is terrible, haha. The author initially set up a romantic pairing, but then it became a no-romance story, which felt disjointed.

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