Novels like The Trade Route
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Trade Route, best match first.
- 101 Rookie 新秀 A look at post-90s female workplace professionals: uncovering the consulting industry, exploring the world of corporate executives, and watching a workplace newcomer become a truly outstanding professional! A new novel from fiction writer Luo Jia, adapted from her own experience in the industry! By the Huangpu River stands Luoshen, a world-leading consulting firm. Its magnificent, gold-bright eightieth-floor banquet hall has welcomed another group of newcomers from China’s most prestigious unive 442Reads9.4Score110Shelves
- 102 Waves of Fortune in the Business World 商海风云 One summer night, he rescued his beautiful boss while she was asleep. He thought it would be the start of a fateful romance, but instead he landed himself in a world of trouble. Worse still, he fell into a carefully laid trap and found himself facing an unprecedented crisis... With no connections, no backing, no network, and no resources, this migrant worker from the countryside climbs step by step to the pinnacle of success. 13.3kReads9.2Score1.7kShelves
- 103 Under the Influence of Dopamine 多巴胺作祟 [Mutual pining + reunion after years apart] Sweet, with a little angst, moving moments, warmth, and plenty to relate to. "Sweet, gentle, restless small-town exam ace" vs. "handsome, gentlemanly, brooding ABC" Everyone says Liu Yuqiu is the ideal man. Only Zhou Lingwei knows just how bad he can be. Everyone thinks Zhou Lingwei is harmless. Only Liu Yuqiu knows how ruthless she is. Where’s the love in the CBD? Where’s the romance? It’s all a contest between "bad guys" and "ruthless women." A thou 766Reads8.9Score107Shelves
- 104 Fortune’s Cry 禄鸣 I'm Shen Lu, the most expensive fortune teller in Rongzhou. I have one quirk, though: I only take clients with old-money style. Then one day, an old man in flip-flops walked in and said, “Tell me, when will my son, that high-ranking official, be transferred back?” I cleaned up the official circles and took over a business empire. It wasn't until I met him that I realized I didn't understand fate at all... And now an even bigger conspiracy is drawing near. If anyone dares to tamper with the desti 12Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 105 Little Tricks for the Workplace 职场小聪明 This is just a story about starting a job and working your way up to department manager by the age of thirty, haha. Blame-shifting, workplace bullying, and factional infighting are everywhere in the office. Ordinary people keep their heads down and work hard, yet repeatedly end up as scapegoats. Treating others sincerely only gets them mistaken for easy targets who can be pushed around. The protagonist has no powerful connections, and has no interest in playing dirty. Caught in a complicated o 82Reads—Score—Shelves
- 106 The Secret of a Warm Winter 温暖冬天的秘密 He is refined and wise, a man who always keeps his word. She is cool-headed and rational, with a mysterious past. When they first meet, she is young and inexperienced but brave, while he is mature yet warm. Hand in hand, they weather the ups and downs of the business world, endure countless hardships, save each other, and gradually fall in love. It is neither love at first sight nor a romance born of familiarity. As they save each other again and again, two independent and rational souls draw cl 541Reads8.9Score—Shelves
- 107 Light at Dawn 晨曦予光 [Love at first sight + angst before sweetness + a long road to winning her back + marriage by contract] [Heroine: sweet and docile early on + moderately darkens later + independent and strong-willed + a powerful female lead] [Hero: poor young man + self-made entrepreneur + gentle and refined + upright gentleman + secretly passionate + shrewd] The hero is a self-made entrepreneur, and the heroine transforms from a meek lamb into a strong woman. The hero is the heroine's colleague, and he falls fo 42Reads—Score—Shelves
- 108 The Rules of Urban Women 都市女人法则 Mi Lier never imagined that the manuscript she'd spent two years pouring her heart into would be deleted with a single click by her scumbag ex, with not even a backup left. With nowhere to turn for justice, she hid in an old Western-style house on Qiqi Street in Dalian and broke down sobbing. Her three roommates immediately gathered around her. Lin Zimu, a cool-headed producer with a warm heart, kept everyone at arm's length with her survival manual, yet found her own heart in disarray over Chen 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 109 The Climb of a Bank Executive 银行高管爬升记 The rules of politics, the cutthroat workplace, the ups and downs of love... Finance, real estate, technology... From human weakness to rising desire, from career growth to family conflict, from glory to ruin, from caution to madness, from the summit to the abyss... He started out as a low-level employee, determined to climb the ladder. At last, he seized an opportunity and received help from a powerful patron, gradually entering the inner circle, only to become a pawn at the same time... Was it 201Reads—Score—Shelves
- 110 A Golden Radiance, Book 21 金辉万丈第21本书 My new work is out! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you'll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! —Reads6.7Score—Shelves
- 111 Intern from the Start: Making the Heiress of a Top Family Chase After Me 开局实习生：让顶豪千金倒追我 The day her family sent her to the bottom rung of the company as an intern supervisor, Gu Zhaotang spotted her prey in the employee cafeteria. The future tech mogul who would drive a rival company into bankruptcy was now hunched over a cold steamed bun, fixing bugs. With a crape myrtle flower in her hair, she sat down in front of him. “Work for me, and I’ll get you onto the industry’s Hall of Fame within three years.” The crowd scoffed. “What’s an intern doing, pretending to be some big-shot CEO 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 112 Breaking the Bottom Line 打破底线 In the eyes of others, he has it all: an executive title at a branch company and a happy family. But he also has plenty of secrets he can’t let see the light of day… A routine audit at the head office becomes the turning point in his fate… 14.1kReads8.2Score678Shelves
- 113 The Billionaire Who Rose from a Sea of Women 女人堆里走出的亿万富翁 A contemporary setting, lighthearted humor, laugh-out-loud everyday life, playful banter, heartwarming inspiration, and no harem. He's penniless, yet popular with women. He's sincere, yet works in the most hypocritical industry. He's handsome, talented, and witty, and could have led a life of endless romantic conquests, but… Set in Shenzhen, Guangdong, in 2008, the story follows the remarkable career and business journey of Li Zhe, a young man from a farming family who rises steadily to success 2kReads5.9Score118Shelves
- 114 When the Time Is Right, We Fall in Love 水到渠成时，我们相爱 Doctor × Journalist: Rekindled love, angst first and sweetness later. Read without worry. We were in love for six years, apart for three. Now that we’ve met again, I still love you, but do you still love me? I was the one who walked away first. What right do I have to ask if you still have feelings for me? Movie star × Gallery worker: A love that goes unnoticed, taking the long way around. Through all the ups and downs of the entertainment industry, my unrequited love went nowhere. Once everythi 31Reads—Score—Shelves
- 115 I’m Just a Temp Programmer, and You Want Me to Save the Company? 试用期码农，你让我拯救公司？ Wang Ji was in the hospital receiving an IV when he woke up one day and discovered that he had gained a special ability. Once he understood something well enough, he could spot its flaws. Whether it was an IV needle in the hospital or the underwear of a pretty nurse... Or anything related to his work as a programmer... Software code, hard drives, servers, network switches, and even houses, appliances, furniture, clothes, batteries, and door locks... Unbreakable encryption keys, material 3.7kReads8.2Score329Shelves
- 116 Rising to the Top in Midlife 人到中年之青云直上 Xiao Yi was middle-aged when he was sentenced to prison for an illegal loan. Three years later, when he walked out of the prison gates, everything he had once owned was gone. His career, family, and wife had all left him. Then one phone call completely changed his fate. He returned to his old workplace and carefully worked his way up, earning promotion after promotion. From then on, his fortunes turned around. He rode against the current and lived life on his own terms! 4.9kReads9.1Score611Shelves
- 117 Meeting the Saintly Young Lady 遇见圣心大小姐 A down-and-out laborer from the bottom of society seizes his chance and makes a stunning comeback, becoming a ruthless business tycoon! Not a son-in-law who marries into the family, this is a gritty, realistic story with female allies, scheming family rivalries, business intrigues, and characters who are all wonderfully unhinged! Computer prodigy Lin Bin is oppressed and ostracized at work from the start, so he angrily walks out! But he repeatedly fails to find another job. By chance, he meets S 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 118 My Coworker Spread Rumors That My Side Hustle Was Shady, but He Didn’t Know My Patron Was My Own Uncle 同事造谣我兼职不正经，可他不知道金主是我亲叔叔 A coworker spread rumors that my side job was shady, but he has no idea my sugar daddy is my own uncle. 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 119 My Sister-in-Law from Chongqing 我的重庆嫂子 Love in the City of Fog. A taste of spice. The story of me and my sister-in-law. It begins with the first spicy hot pot that brings tears to our eyes. And from then on, we're bound to swallow each other's redemption amid the prickling pain of Sichuan pepper numbing our tongues. 117Reads—Score—Shelves
- 120 Refusing to Marry Into a Rich Family: CEO Daddy, Let Me Go 拒当豪门媳：总裁爹地请放手 [Slow-burn romance] + [Love grows over time] + [Workplace romance] No characters lose their intelligence, and no one lets love cloud their judgment. They stay rational and clear-headed, but they must learn to endure loneliness. The heroine is a senior executive at a company. Helping the chairman's heir is one of her key performance targets. If he works hard and strives to improve, her career takes off. If he spends his time chasing cats and dogs, she ends up destitute. But just when she has made 96Reads—Score—Shelves
- 121 Turning Back the Clock to 1998: A Hong Kong Island Beauty in a Storm 逆转1998：港岛风暴俏佳人 [Transmigration and rebirth + business-world comeback + Hong Kong tycoon family + power-couple romance + two sharp minds] In 2025, Ye Yanqing lost her job and her boyfriend, was scammed into a mountain of debt, and, in despair, transmigrated back to Hong Kong in 1998. The financial crisis was sweeping across Asia, but she was overjoyed. This was history she knew by heart! When news broke that the Hang Seng Index had fallen below 7,000 points, she immediately bet her entire fortune on the market 477Reads—Score—Shelves
- 122 After Tearing Up the Marriage Contract, My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Remarry Him 撕下婚书后，前夫跪求我复婚 Pregnant and on the run + regretful pursuit + face-slapping the scumbags! A cold-hearted doctor returns with her genius son. Will her scumbag ex-husband kneel and beg her to remarry him? After five years away, she returns, having endured countless hardships. She is now an internationally renowned doctor, with a genius little boy who looks just like him by her side. Back then, on the operating table, he coldly abandoned her: “Save the baby. Make room for her.” She survived by a hair’s breadth an —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 123 The Legend of the Top Salesperson 销冠传奇 No connections, only a shadow. But competition cannot be stopped. In an age when there are too many people chasing too few opportunities, you have to compete constantly to claim your share of the resources, with no end in sight... 1.2kReads8.9Score107Shelves
- 124 Lucky to Have Met Team Leader Song, My Senior 幸得年上宋组长 Lucky to Have Team Leader Song, Who’s Older Than Me 10Reads—Score—Shelves
- 125 Mistaken for a Scheming Woman, She Makes President Chi Fall Harder the More He Investigates 我被当成心机女，迟总越查越心动 [Face-slapping + workplace mind games + two strong leads locked in a battle of wits + romantic tension while living together + the powerful one learns to yield] On the eve of her wedding, Lin Xiran caught her fiance cheating. After calling off the engagement, she immediately joined a top corporation. She meant to focus on her career, but by sheer coincidence, she ended up living in the home of cold and domineering CEO Chi Yuchen. He suspected she had an ulterior motive, but the more he investiga 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 126 Above My Desk, Beneath My Heart 工位之上，心动之下 Above the Desk, Below the Heartbeat 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 127 Picking Sweetness 摘甜 Urology “plumber” × intern doctor * Yue Qi first met Luo Jingbei at the hospital at two in the morning. He was strikingly handsome, with a refined, comforting face that still held an imposing, heroic air. A chunky platinum chain peeked out at the base of his neck, hinting at his wild, unconstrained nature. She worried that a doctor like him might be... “Not very capable.” Who could have guessed he was a doctor with outstanding ethics and superb skills, a bona fide prodigy? * When Luo Jingbei fir 106Reads8.1Score—Shelves
- 128 A Glimmer in the Heart: A Healer Who Can't Heal Herself 心隅微光：心医难自医 A cool, reserved trauma therapist VS a cold-faced, obsessive criminal police captain Three years ago, his only sister died mysteriously, and she stood by with cold indifference. His former lover became his sworn enemy. He gave up medicine to join the police, and hated her for three whole years. Three years later, they cross paths again during a robbery case, and fate brings them together once more, tearing open a crack in their sealed memories. A scar comes to light. Is she a sinner who stood by —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 129 Stop Competing, Your Position Is Mine Now 别卷了，你的职位归我了 [Career Comeback + Anti-Overwork System + Sweet Romance + Hilarious Comedy] Jiang Wan just wanted to run a cat cafe. This happy-go-lucky woman was shoved into a company full of workaholics by her own mother. On her first day, the System told her to refuse overtime in front of the whole team. She did, and the entire company thought she was an idiot. But no one knew that the less she wanted to work herself to the bone, the more capable she became. While others worked overtime, she worked smarter. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 130 Reborn as an Executive at a Foreign Company 重生之我在外企当高管 Xu Fei is reborn and returns to the time just after graduation. In his previous life, he spent years navigating the workplace, only to be thrown out in middle age. With all his years of experience from his previous life, see how he turns the tables at work this time, climbs to the top, and makes his mark in the business world. 25.7kReads8.9Score2.5kShelves
- 131 After I Quit 辞职之后 I, Lin Zilong, quit my job as the director of a state-owned factory. Before the true coal tycoons emerged, in that great era of surging tides, shifting fortunes, and all manner of people fighting for their place, I became a coal tycoon... 284Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 132 Love at the Turning Point 爱在逆袭时 Couple pairing: Cheerful, determined sunflower VS cold, scheming, profit-minded man At 28, Shi Tong was out of work and out of love. Born into a humble family, she had worked hard to get through school and become an executive, and she'd even found a decent boyfriend. Then, overnight, her company went bankrupt and her boyfriend cheated on her with a rich girl. Down on her luck, she returned to her hometown for a high school reunion. There, Shi Tong struck up a conversation with Ji Ling, the camp 157Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 133 My Heart Fluttered, So I Made a Move! 心动了，行动了！ Title: My Heart’s Racing, So I’m Making a Move! Also known as Adult Love: Flirting with Passion and Desire. [Urban life + Workplace + Contemporary romance + Sweet romance + Mutual devotion + Happy ending + Strong female lead + Two powerful leads] Starting from nothing, she grew from a saleswoman into a domineering CEO. Rising from humble beginnings, a bar singer became a legendary singer and award-winning actor. They met when they had nothing. After one passionate night, she ran away. Ten years 1.2kReads9.0Score118Shelves
- 134 The Bladeless Edge 无锋利刃 In the hidden currents of the world, everyone is both a player moving the pieces and a piece on the board. Reality wears down the sharp edges of our ideals, and principles give way to self-interest, one step at a time. Behind every choice that looks so bright and promising lies a compromise that cannot be spoken aloud. When the scales tip between survival and conscience, we eventually understand: adulthood is nothing more than dancing in chains. There is often no absolute good or evil in this wo 8Reads—Score—Shelves
- 135 Quanman’s Driverless Car 泉漫的无人车 Lin Quanm an happened to meet Ye Bingqin, a charming, shameless, ridiculously wealthy playboy. She went with her boss to meet an investor, only to find that their backers were Ye Bingqin and his friend Guan Che. Guan Che immediately put Lin Quanm an and the others in their place, making them wait for nearly two hours without saying a word. Furious, she walked over to the pool table and smiled sweetly. “Mr. Guan, how about we make a bet? Give me a chance to play a game with you.” Guan Che pointed 1.4kReads9.2Score171Shelves
- 136 A Night of Passion: The CEO Wants to Buy My Family's Company 一晌倾欢：总裁要收购我家公司 [Sleep together first, fall in love later; workplace romance. 1v1, both leads are virgins] [Elegant luxury-group executive with a refined air vs. bright, spirited rising fashion designer] As the daughter of a wealthy family who had spent years studying abroad, Yan Jiasui thought she had broad horizons and could handle anything. But on her very first day back in China, a twist of fate led her to lock eyes with a handsome man at a bar, and they spent one passionate night together. She thought it w 59Reads8.1Score—Shelves
- 137 I Called Off the Wedding and Chose Myself, but the Finance Mogul Took Me Home 退婚独美，却被金融大佬叼回了家 [Workplace fiction + two equally strong leads + sapiosexual romance + both leads are sexually inexperienced + happy ending] This is neither a fast-paced wish-fulfillment story nor a pure romance. The heroine's career and workplace life take center stage, so please don't read if that's not your thing. More than one man falls for her, but this is not a one-woman-many-men story. Lin Shu Qiao is a dynamic, capable venture capital director at Mingsheng Capital, equally skilled with words and action. 374Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 138 First Love? Who Cares! The Chinese Teacher Has Big Plans 初恋算个屁，语文老师要干大事 (No System, no golden finger, no being reborn, just slow growth) After getting back together with her first love, being smacked by a parent, and getting stabbed by her own boyfriend, she lost the ability to have children. Then, after finishing her graduate school entrance exams, her mother died unexpectedly. Xia Shinan decided, “First love can go to hell. Building a career and making big money are what matter most!” Xia Shinan (a pun on “born female”), a 26-year-old woman, comes from a family t 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 139 Reaching the Summit: From Entry-Level Clerk to the Pinnacle of Power 问鼎：从基层科员到权力巅峰 Liang Zhiyuan, a low-ranking government clerk, happens to rescue a mysterious person from drowning, unaware that she is Chen Hailing, the new leader parachuted in from above. Together, they uncover the tangled web of underground dealings in Shiyi County. When the illicit trade comes to light, armed with the favor of the county Party secretary, he navigates the factions around him and fights his way from a sleepy government office into the vortex of power. 904Reads7.8Score207Shelves
- 140 Conflict and Choice 矛盾与抉择 Leng Yan was an attractive, capable, energetic woman with a master’s degree. Thanks to her looks and abilities, she became the office director at the Commercial Bureau of District X before she turned forty. By chance, she met Gao Jian, a fitness trainer. Over time, a special bond developed between them. One day, her husband, Li Mo, learned of their intimacy, and their marriage of many years came to an end. Just then, Leng Yan’s career was beset by one crisis after another, leaving her barely abl 358Reads—Score—Shelves
- 141 The Years I Spent Curing People's Poverty 我给人治穷病那些年 Not one thing here is true. I made it all up. I don’t understand economics or psychology. I don’t understand anything. I imagine that I’m an economic consultant who has met far too many people trapped in difficult circumstances, and knows that there is always a reason people remain poor for so long. Wealth and status have never been predestined, nor are they simply a matter of luck. More often, people find themselves constrained at every turn and unable to escape poverty because of mistaken perc 19Reads—Score—Shelves
- 142 Zhao Weidong’s Career Climb 赵卫东职场升迁记 It was only after his older cousin Zheng Xiaoqiang went inside that Zhao Weidong began to feel the harsh reality of society. Thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Zhao Weidong happened to find a book called Spirit Mediumship. With the support of his female supervisor, Li Na, his career began its dramatic turnaround! 25Reads—Score—Shelves
- 143 Palaces Above the Clouds: Lincheng Never Sleeps 云上宫阙之林城不夜 Foot baths, clubs, comic antics, and tangled love affairs: Cloud Palace in the Sky is no ordinary romance. It is something more mysterious than soulmates: twin flames, the two yin-and-yang halves split from a single energy being. There is only one such person in each lifetime, and the bond usually takes the form of romantic love. They reincarnate over many lifetimes in search of each other, only to face the separation anxiety and grief that intensify once they meet. Only one person's steadfast d 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 144 The Day I Dropped Dead, I Sent My Boss Trending 猝死当天，我把老板送上热搜 The Day I Dropped Dead, I Sent My Boss Trending 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 145 They Tried to Lay Me Off, Then the Entire Industry Blacklisted Me 裁员不成反被全行业封杀 They Failed to Lay Him Off, Then the Entire Industry Blacklisted Him 37Reads—Score—Shelves
- 146 I'm a Product Manager in the Underworld 我在阴间当产品经理 I’m a Product Manager in the Underworld 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 147 After My Royal Bride Search Crashed and Burned, I Eloped with My Childhood Sweetheart 选妃翻车后，我和竹马闪婚了 [Marriage Before Love] [Childhood Friends to Secret Crush] [Funny and Sweet Romance] [A Straightforward Girl Learns About Love] My name is Xia Chuhe, a renowned lawyer in Jinghai City. I've never lost a case, but I've never won at love, either. The day my mother gave me an ultimatum, I did three things: 1. Went to a bar to pick out male models (but failed to find one I liked) 2. Got caught in the act by my childhood friend, Gu Chen (there was something strange in the way he looked at me) 3. Lost 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 148 A Veteran Reborn to Protect the Beautiful Women Around Him 退伍重生之护我美女如云 If you could live your life over, who would you choose to save? When Shen Chan woke up, she found herself back at four in the morning on that day in 2014. Bao Shulin, this time, I will make sure you survive even if I have to stand against the whole world. 59Reads—Score—Shelves
- 149 Carefree in the Workplace 职场逍遥 His career is going nowhere, his wife has betrayed him, and his family is in trouble. As Li Henshui, whose past is shrouded in mystery, faces the darkest moment of his life, see how an ordinary man turns the tables, thrives at work, and finds love by his side. 1.9kReads9.3Score364Shelves
- 150 The Rose-Colored Slope 玫瑰的斜坡 The second book in the three-part series about life in government service. [A workplace novel about township officials, not a domineering-CEO power fantasy] [Zhou Zezhen, Xie Jiuyang] Before Xie Jiuyang took that knife for Zhou Zezhen, she already knew: He loved power more than he loved her. During the Yanshan Valley incident, both she and Shen Zhixi were suffering from hypothermia, but he went to Shen Zhixi. She knew then that it was finally over between them. She took that knife for him, r 173Reads6.0Score—Shelves
