Novels like The Crooked Path
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Crooked Path, best match first.
- 101 The Hidden Dragon of the Righteous Path 正道潜龙 One of Wei Jie’s four-part series A shooting case. An undercover agent lies dead in the street. An investigator once swore an oath beneath the solemn national emblem. At a crossroads of fate, a twin brother makes a dramatic entrance, leading to a lonely yet passionate story... Back to 1998! Our brotherhood is still here, our youth is still here. From this point, we set sail once more and forge the next great triumph! 38.9kReads9.5Score4.6kShelves
- 102 The Youth of Two Generations 两代人的青春 My name is Li Sunan, and I'm a complete... bastard. Please take a moment, settle in, and let me tell you the whole story. From my godfather, Li Zhen, to my second uncle, Cui Lijun, and then to my own dark life. From 1990 to 2020. Thirty tumultuous years in a small city in Northeast China. One act ends, and another begins. Two generations rise and fall, knowing both glory and disgrace. There are no all-powerful crime bosses here. Just a bunch of little people struggling at the bottom... The road 2.2kReads6.9Score103Shelves
- 103 The Secret Histories of the Four Great Beauties 四大美人秘史 [The Four Beauties, classical historical romances, complete uncensored public-domain editions, stories of celebrated women in history, ancient tales] This complete collection contains the original, unabridged texts of The Romance of Xishi, The Romance of Wang Zhaojun, The Romance of Yang Guifei, and The Romance of Diaochan. It recounts the turbulent lives of the Four Beauties, whose beauty was said to make fish forget to swim, geese forget to fly, the moon hide, and flowers blush. Together, thes 476Reads9.2Score100Shelves
- 104 Picking Up a Wife on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway: My Story with a Budget Traveler 川藏线捡媳妇：我和穷游女的故事 I’m well into my thirties, out of work, and my wife has left me. I watched outdoor vloggers on short-video apps making money while cuddling up to women, and slapped my thigh: Why shouldn’t I be able to do that? I gritted my teeth and bought a secondhand camper van. I called it chasing poetry and distant horizons, then hit National Highway 318. Really, I just wanted to see if I could find myself a wife along the Sichuan-Tibet route. Who would have thought I’d find all kinds of stories instead 9.8kReads7.0Score773Shelves
- 105 After the Divorce 离婚之后 [An animated series based on this book is coming soon. If you enjoy Qiuqiu's work, please keep an eye out for it!] This story tackles a subject close to real life, one I've always wanted to write about but never dared to. After writing a few feel-good power fantasies, I found myself returning to this subject, with an even stronger urge to express what I wanted to say. And so this book was born… Yang Zhixuan was a full-time homemaker who was divorced after fifteen years of marriage. On a snowy ni 10.5kReads9.2Score1.2kShelves
- 106 Young and Promising 年少有为 How deeply does one's family shape them? Some grow up insecure, timid, and lacking confidence; others become violent and end up behind bars; still others see their marriages torn apart, losing their spouses and children. After countless heartbreaking realizations, some people spend their whole lives healing from childhood, while others are healed for life by their childhood. 21.1kReads9.0Score2.8kShelves
- 107 The Dashing Gambler 风流赌神 Synopsis: [Not a System novel, please don't complain if it's not for you] [High-stakes gambling] [Stories from the bathhouse] [Everyday scams and fraud] [Male lead grows from weak to strong + gives back to society] Chen Zhongchuan is an abandoned orphan, raised by his grandfather from childhood. When he boards the train to Nanshan, his grandfather tells him the truth... This book explores gambling and the many scams found in real life, warning readers to stay away from gambling. At best, it can 3kReads8.8Score242Shelves
- 108 The Dongguan Years 东莞岁月 Set in the late 1990s and early 2000s, this novel tells the story of migrant workers represented by a group of young men and women from the countryside in southwestern Henan. It paints a sweeping picture of their arduous struggle to make a living in the unfamiliar city of Dongguan, vividly recreating the bitterness and sweetness, hardships and joys, love and heartbreak experienced by young factory workers during that fiery era. 2.2kReads7.7Score171Shelves
- 109 The Gangster Tycoon Who Rose from the Hutongs 胡同里杀出来的流氓大亨 Previously published under the titles Dragon City Years and Thirty Years in a Bloodstained Underworld. This is a lawless age where every corner is ruled by a big shot. This is the story of a naive young man who turns into a bloodthirsty beast just to survive. This is an underworld tale full of thrills and passion! Welcome to the 1980s… 40.4kReads9.2Score3.8kShelves
- 110 The Art of Reading People 观人有道 The Daoist Five Arts are Mountain, Medicine, Destiny, Physiognomy, and Divination, representing Heaven, Earth, Humanity, Ghosts, and Immortals respectively. The Immortal Way is Mountain: focusing on cultivation, talismans, martial arts, geography, and feng shui. The Human Way is Medicine: focusing on healing, Daoist medicine, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, pulse diagnosis, and prescriptions. The Divine Way is Destiny: focusing on fortune-telling, the Eight Characters, Zi Wei astrology, and more. 13.6kReads9.0Score1.9kShelves
- 111 EN Don’t Read This Book, or You Might Defy Fate and Change Your Destiny 别看这本书我怕你逆天改命 This is nothing more than an ordinary online novel. It is nowhere near as miraculous as fellow readers claim! The only reason you can click to read it is that your luck has already begun to change. When you start from the first chapter and read carefully, the gears of your destiny may already have begun to turn. 386.6kReads9.4Score60.7kShelves
- 112 Thunderous Crackdown on Black Crime in the Political Arena 官场之雷霆扫黑 The chessboard of power, every move calculated, every step taken on thin ice. No matter how cautious you are, you can never guard against everything. Li Yan, a community officer at a local police station, starts from the very bottom. He refuses to buckle under pressure and fears no powerful figures. With thunderous force, he uproots every criminal gang and underworld faction. Step by step, he rises to the pinnacle of power! 89.1kReads8.1Score6.7kShelves
- 113 After My Son Changed the Name on the Deed, I Left Him Homeless 房产证名字被改后，我让儿子无家可归 After My Son Changed the Name on the Property Deed, I Left Him Homeless 319Reads—Score—Shelves
- 114 Tomb Raiding Tales from Western Henan 豫西倒斗往事 [Tomb Raiding] [Appraisal] [Period Piece] [Supernatural Mystery] [Feng Shui Secrets] My name is Jin Hai. My grandfather was one of the most skilled tomb raiders of the Republic of China era. While he was alive, he repeatedly warned me never to get involved in tomb raiding. But after he died, I had no choice and ended up taking that path anyway. In the early 1990s, I went against his dying wish and followed in his footsteps, bringing along my childhood friend Wang Ping. Our Luoyang spade plunged 6.5kReads8.6Score421Shelves
- 115 The Golden Age of the Gangland: A Blood-Red Underworld 黑帮盛世：血色江湖 (Not a mindless power fantasy. Underworld, urban setting, no invincible hero, first person, tight logic, humorous writing. Read with caution if that’s not your thing!) A cursed, tragic fate. A life in the underworld that cannot be escaped. A band of brothers who stand together through life and death, and a dark life longing for redemption. You’ve never endured years of hardship, so of course you can’t understand the underworld in my heart. My story begins after I get out of prison in Ice Cit 108kReads9.3Score8.1kShelves
- 116 A Female Feng Shui Master's Work Diary 一个女风水师的工作日志 The author met a feng shui master and exchanged contact information with her. After seeing her work journal, the author found some of its contents worth reading. They also carry on traditional culture, so the author is sharing them here with her permission. 434Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 117 Kunming: Who Will You Forget Tonight? 昆明：今夜你将谁遗忘 We shared so many beautiful firsts; But we couldn’t escape The last time, long foretold by fate... If I never get the chance to start over, I still wouldn’t want to miss you! 11kReads9.3Score1.3kShelves
- 118 Shadows All Around 暗影重重 [Criminal Investigation] [Mystery and Deduction] [Murder-Mystery Game] [Romantic Suspense] [Strong Leads Clash] [Social Realism] [A Cross-Section of Humanity] Some lose the love of their life. Some commit murder in a fit of passion to protect the person they love. Some hurt everyone around them in the name of love. Some are willing to give up everything in pursuit of a little light and warmth! This is a tribute to Keigo Higashino. The writing is delicate, the emotions profound! The plot is tight 691Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 119 The Rise and Fall of Boss Fan 范老板的沉浮人生 This story follows 1980s entrepreneur Fan Chenhui through the ups and downs of the business world in Shenzhen. It explores real-world issues including financial crises, family conflicts, workplace rivalries, and tangled relationships, portraying human nature and the changes of the times in vivid detail. 119Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 120 Reborn at the Pinnacle of Power 重生官场之权力巅峰 Jiang Zhenbang spent thirty years rising and falling in the political arena. Just as he was about to take charge of a region and reach the peak of his career, he died saving someone and returned to 1995, to the summer just after graduating from university. With his foreknowledge of the future, he used a county-level economic research report far ahead of its time as his calling card. He boldly put himself forward and won the favor of his leaders, entering government service at the rank of section 3.6kReads9.2Score252Shelves
- 121 The Antiquities Restorer 做旧师 [Entirely handmade, with no AI whatsoever + Behind-the-scenes industry secrets + Authentic antique identification with images and text + National vendettas and family feuds] If you want to truly understand the antiques trade, start by making fake antiques! Start by learning to age forgeries! My name is Mei Jiu. I was just a temporary odd-jobber on a film crew, but after I helped them repair a broken bowl, I was promoted to assistant prop master. I fix props, so why are they asking me to make fak 40.5kReads9.2Score4.8kShelves
- 122 My Brother Is Calling for Help, but Grandpa Says Never to Look Back 弟弟在求救，祖父却说千万别回头 My younger brother was calling for help, but Grandfather said, "Whatever you do, don't look back." 14Reads—Score—Shelves
- 123 A Complete Guide to Bazi 八字通晓 Eight Characters Made Clear is really just two names put together. Whose names are they? Tan Bazi, a man, and Jiang Tongxiao, a woman. At Tangfeng Cave, Guan Jixu and Fang Zhinan received the true teachings of Immortal Masters Xu and Guan, among others. They founded the Taihua East Peak School of Destiny Studies, enthroning as its patriarch and as deputy patriarch. From then on, Tangfeng Cave and Taihua East Peak became two important forums for destiny studies. The st 972Reads8.1Score207Shelves
- 124 My Fatal Charmer 我的红颜祸水 On the night the 2015 college entrance exam results became available, the whole family gathered around the computer to wait for the scores. We’d agreed that whoever scored higher, my younger sister or me, would go to college. The other would go with our father to find odd jobs at construction sites and earn money. My mother, stepfather, half-sister, and I all watched the screen. My sister scored 612, and I scored 540. But no one knew that I’d gotten zero on the Chinese exam. I’d turned in a blan 18.6kReads9.2Score1.8kShelves
- 125 A Brief History of Christmas 圣诞简史 In December, the thing people look forward to most, besides snow, is of course the holidays. At this time of year, you can see the whole city come alive with festive cheer. Christmas trees and lights are everywhere, white-bearded old men appear on the streets, Christmas songs play in shopping malls, and all kinds of gift boxes announce that Christmas is on its way! Christmas comes around every year, but how much do you know about the holiday? Christmas, also known as the Feast of the Nativity, i 11Reads9.1Score—Shelves
- 126 The Female Bureau Chief: Storms in the Crackdown on Organized Crime 女局长：扫黑风云 A gritty novel based on real events: criminal investigations, officialdom, deals, and power plays. Justice comes at the cost of blood, and the true enemy is always hidden in the deepest fog. 196Reads7.0Score138Shelves
- 127 A Final Wish 临终之愿 [Not for everyone: a niche novel with no harem, no formulaic tropes, no invincible hero, and no wish fulfillment. The storytelling is detailed, but the pacing is a little slow.] [Why I write: I'm not after money. I don't have much, but I have enough. What I hope for is understanding, and I sincerely look forward to thoughtful readers.] [Keywords: hard science fiction, rigorous logic, wit and humor, critical thinking, and knowledge from seventeen academic disciplines to broaden your perspective] 184Reads—Score102Shelves
- 128 A Deadly Romance 致命情缘 In the 1990s, a stream of villagers headed south to find work on construction sites. The pain of leaving home, the hardship of being alone in a strange place, and the tangled ways of the human heart were all crammed into tiny workers’ sheds. Li Guixiang escaped after her husband used her to pay off a debt, while Chen Jianjun left his family and everything he owned behind to earn a living. Two people, each burdened by their own troubles, met and kept each other company, thinking they were only of 2.5kReads—Score178Shelves
- 129 Secret Feng Shui Tales from the Entertainment Industry 娱乐圈风水秘闻 From the big-eyed actress who sacrifices her children for wealth and status, to the martial-arts superstar who uses metaphysics to prolong his life; from the steel-cannon director who turns to metaphysics to conceive a child, to the wealthy actress whom tycoons treat like a human Pixiu, bringing her into the entertainment industry to attract wealth. Few people know how many sordid, dark truths lie beneath the entertainment world’s glittering facade! As a feng shui agent who has spent twenty year 307.8kReads9.3Score40.1kShelves
- 130 I Escaped That Cannibalistic Old Street with Nothing but a Skewer of Candied Hawthorn? 我逃出那条吃人的老街，只靠手里的一串冰糖葫芦？ I escaped that man-eating old street with nothing but a skewer of candied hawthorn berries in my hand? 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 131 Crouching Tiger 卧虎 A hidden dragon rises from the depths and devours all things; a crouching tiger commands the mountains and guards a thousand frontiers! When I was little, the strange older girl next door always asked me to help wash her. When I got a little older, she taught me how to be a real man! Twenty years of flashing blades, eighteen years of changing seasons. The black throne may change hands, but true kingship belongs only to madmen who dare to dance with the devil! 14.6kReads7.7Score2.9kShelves
- 132 The Women I Loved Back Then 那些年，我爱过的女人 After five years together, my girlfriend gets pregnant by her married male boss. Heartbroken, I unexpectedly meet a beautiful CEO. Amid tangled relationships and clashes in the business world, can I learn to believe in love again and turn my life around? 2.7kReads9.1Score333Shelves
- 133 The Underground World (Complete in Four Volumes) 地底世界（全四册） Break through the barriers between reality and illusion, and redefine the limits of human understanding! Deep in a colossal rift lies the City of Four Million Pagodas. Carved by countless storms over ages beyond measure, it has always remained a blind spot beyond human perception. Yet a vast secret lies hidden in that empty darkness. Archaeological teams have ventured there again and again, but not a single person has ever returned alive. But curiosity is human nature, and exploration is instinc 8.9kReads9.4Score1.4kShelves
- 134 Officialdom Is Like a Chess Game 官场如棋 There is no straight road through life, especially when it comes to being an official. Hao Xiaodong spent many years navigating the political arena before gradually understanding its many hidden rules. Now, following his novel The Way to Promotion, a new story is here for readers. Join us as we witness another kind of life in the world of officialdom. 34.1kReads9.2Score4.4kShelves
- 135 A Wife's Revenge 妻子的报复 [Adapted into two short dramas] A torn-open condom wrapper shattered her faith in love and all her romantic illusions. In an instant, the beliefs she had clung to collapsed completely. Li Man discovered that her husband had not only cheated on her, but had also hidden their assets and even planned to frame her so she would leave the marriage with nothing. Faced with her husband's betrayal, Li Man began her relentless revenge! 26kReads9.2Score2.3kShelves
- 136 The Legend Reborn 传奇重现 The four-part series by Wei Jie: We Were All Bad Kids, I Am Legend, Legend Reborn, and Hidden Dragon on the Right Path. A young man, still green, left his hometown in a fit of anger. Four years later, he returned, weathered and bearing the glory of success! In a city built from reinforced concrete, old friends were gone and legends had faded into retirement... Faced with his family’s reproach and his friends’ disdain, he had once wandered at a crossroads, pointing into the dark sky with his 31.7kReads9.4Score3.1kShelves
- 137 I Am the Legend 我就是传奇 I don’t know when it happened, but a bunch of people like this came into my life, even though I’ve always been cold-hearted and a little shameless. When I got dumped, they’d say, “What’s the big deal? Lost your girl? Find another one tomorrow. If you’re really desperate, I’ll lend you myself for the night!” When I felt lost, they were always there with me in our cramped little rooms, shouting, “We give it everything we’ve got, all so we can make something of ourselves!” ... Back then, I couldn’t 19.6kReads9.3Score2kShelves
- 138 Rigid Justice 刻板正义 If you were born to be humanity’s savior, destined to sacrifice yourself, would you accept your mission? [Great Calamities] are extinction-level natural disasters that occur every few years: tsunamis, meteorites, swarms of insects, collapsing stars. Only the most powerful superhuman, known as [Justice], can end them by offering up their life. Against this backdrop, humanity has developed all kinds of unique social systems, and the world’s balance of power and relations between nations have bec 698Reads8.6Score106Shelves
- 139 Duke Zhou's Dream Interpretation 周公解梦 Everyone dreams, but few people know what their dreams truly mean. Even fewer understand that dreams are actually omens, warning us whether the things about to happen in our lives will bring good fortune or disaster! Just as cats and dogs behave strangely before an earthquake, and ants tirelessly move house in the days before a flood, our dreams guide us whenever a major change is about to take place in our lives… 20.5kReads9.0Score2.1kShelves
- 140 Zeng Guofan: A Distinguished Statesman Who Revived the Late Qing 曾国藩：晚清中兴名臣 Written in an accessible style, this book recounts the remarkable life of Zeng Guofan, the foremost statesman of the late Qing revival. It begins with a baby's cries in a farming household in Xiangxiang in 1811, then follows his grueling path through the imperial examinations. He fails four times but keeps studying until, at twenty-seven, he finally enters the Hanlin Academy. As a capital official, he adheres to the principles of self-cultivation and holds fast to his convictions amid court intr 8.5kReads7.9Score371Shelves
- 141 My Father Pretended to Be Mute, and My Boyfriend Lied to Me 装哑的父亲和骗我的男友 A father who pretends to be mute and a boyfriend who deceives me 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 142 I Am Immortal and Undying, with Unlimited Possession 我，不死不灭，无限夺舍 As the paranormal rises, Chen Xin gains the ability to possess others without limit. His targets are all people who have just died, with powerful mental strength and deep, unfulfilled obsessions. Chen Xin begins an endless cycle of possession and rebirth, traveling from Earth to parallel worlds and awakening on different timelines. Sometimes in the past, sometimes in the present, sometimes in the future. As long as Chen Xin helps them fulfill their final wishes, he can merge their souls with his 2.3kReads8.9Score244Shelves
- 143 Shenzhen, Beguiling After Dark 深圳，夜色迷人 A tale of business rivalries and political intrigue set against the backdrop of Shenzhen, following Chen Binnan’s remarkable journey south in pursuit of success. This story is dedicated to all the brothers who have headed south, north, or east to make their way in the world! 52.2kReads9.6Score6.2kShelves
- 144 Yet the Way Seems Ordinary 却道寻常 [A web-novel master picks up his pen again: a monumental xianxia epic twenty years in the making] He walked out of the Inverted Sky, climbed to the fourteenth floor, and shouldered the whole mortal world. Barely twenty and dressed in blue, he dares to seal the heavens! 196Reads8.5Score—Shelves
- 145 Jade of Passion 艳玉 In the 1980s, Qiu Yuyu, a beautiful young woman from a mountain village, entered city life by chance and embarked on a career in government. But she soon became trapped in a mire of worldly entanglements and twisted romances, unable to pull herself free… The men and women in this story are not bad at heart, and they all had their original ideals. But they could not resist the temptations of worldly desires, and strayed further and further from their paths. In the end, none could avoid the danger 1.1kReads6.8Score153Shelves
- 146 Destiny Opens the Door to Wisdom 命运开启智慧之门 Miner Lin Haiyang has a chance encounter that introduces him to the divination arts of the Book of Changes. Through persistence and selfless, tireless study, he unravels one age-old mystery after another, opens the door to wisdom, and embarks on a life enlightened by it. 15.4kReads9.0Score1.4kShelves
- 147 Adopted Son, Part Two 过继二 [Wealth + power plays] [Reality + perseverance] [Life + passion] [Love + living] A man must be as tough as iron, but also as resilient as steel. Only then can he face the harshness of reality and the twists of fate, and rise to meet new challenges. I'm Zhao Erhai, and here's my story... 4kReads9.3Score474Shelves
- 148 Agent Yi Leng 特工易冷 (Originally titled Agent Yi Leng) Huang Pi Hu, the cook at Yumei Restaurant, is a greasy, lecherous middle-aged man who likes to drink, smoke, and fiddle with his beads. He also often follows female students around. No one knows his true identity: retired agent Yi Leng, a godlike heartthrob to countless beautiful women. He has hidden himself among ordinary people only to quietly protect his daughter, who no longer recognizes him. 25.9kReads9.4Score3.1kShelves
- 149 Spring Winds in Winter 冬季有春风 [Female Growth] [Childhood Sweethearts] [Turning the Tables Against the Odds] [Realistic] A girl battered by her dysfunctional family wants nothing more than to save the naive young boy who loves her. Life in the cramped alleyways is always the same, while the surging tide of the times takes everyone by surprise. In the winter at the end of the century, the gears of Xu Chunfeng's fate quietly began to turn. 3kReads8.0Score127Shelves
- 150 Lu Ban's Secret Art of Feng Shui 鲁班风水秘术 Carpenters revere Lu Ban as their patriarch. He left behind the Lu Ban Book, divided into two parts. The first contains carpentry techniques, while the second is a collection of secret spells, never to be shared with outsiders. The patriarch also left a curse: anyone who learns the spells in the second part must suffer one of the fates of being widowed, orphaned, childless, or disabled. That is why later generations called the second part of the Lu Ban Book the “Missing One.” In the old days, mo 5.9kReads9.1Score832Shelves
