Novels like Fishermen’s Lights on the River, Keeping Me Awake with Sorrow
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Fishermen’s Lights on the River, Keeping Me Awake with Sorrow, best match first.
- 1 A Cool Breeze Rises 萧萧凉风生 I love the wind! The wind is free, boundless, and unfettered. It can turn the leaves, lift a skirt, and travel the world. But I’m trapped in my own endless darkness, locked inside a prison of my own making. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 The Phoenix’s Summer 不死鸟的夏 The gardenias bloomed, but the person watching them with me wasn't the boy who had dazzled my youth that summer long ago. He had gone to protect another girl for the rest of his life. I love white magnolias in summer. They usually bloom during the season, and their fragrance, like that of orchids, evokes an image of pure, jade-like beauty. After meeting Xu Yue, I fell in love with gardenias. They bloom every year around the summer solstice, their petals a pure white that symbolizes a promise to 27Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 3 A Lifetime of Regrets, A Heart Still Unable to Let Go 负尽流年意难平 In a world of ice and snow, a bridal procession stretches for miles. The ruler of Dongli marries a new queen, and the whole nation celebrates. But the new queen is nothing more than a substitute. Everyone knows that Xiao Zhan, to honor the late Princess Li, has gathered women from across the land who resemble her and keeps them in the inner palace. I am the only exception. Is it coincidence, or conspiracy? As the truths deliberately buried begin to surface, layer by layer, and the feuds between 23Reads6.1Score—14d adds
- 4 Letting Go 割愛 [Short tragic ending + obsessive male lead] After my mother remarried, my stepbrother, who shared neither parent with me, was always finding new ways to bully me. But after our parents died, he changed completely. He stopped bullying me and instead stayed by my side, taking care of me without ever giving up on me. It was as if he’d become a different person. 62Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 5 Goodbye, With Tears in Our Eyes 再见只能红着眼 [A Tearjerker of the Highest Quality] He was a poor student who fell for a well-behaved girl with perfect grades. To give her a happy life, he worked hard at his studies. He tried, and he struggled, but in the end, the happiness he had fought for was forced into someone else's hands. When the two lovers met again, they should have blushed, but all they could do was look at each other with tear-filled eyes. Standing by the roadside, he cried like a child, more like a madman: “I don't want anythin —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 You Are the Only Light in My Life 你是我生命里唯一的光 You are the only light in my life 37Reads5.1Score—14d adds
- 7 Youth Is a Grand Illusion 青春是一场盛大的幻梦 Youth is a magnificent dream. Those first meetings, growing closer, and keeping one another company shimmered like stars, drawing us into the dream called youth. Looking back, the once-burning promises have scattered on the wind, and those deep, tender feelings have become regrets too painful to touch. On quiet nights, when memories drift through our minds like smoke, we may smile or we may cry, because that was our youth, true and unvarnished. [A Dream of Youth: My Twelve Years with Him] Cheng 41Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 When the Golden Rain Trees Bloom 栾树花开 Campus tragedy × mutual healing An ordinary girl with heart disease × a dazzling young artist In 2014, during high school, an ordinary girl who had been abandoned by her parents and suffered from heart disease since childhood met Li Yi’an beneath a golden rain tree at a bus stop. He was eighteen, full of youthful spirit, and dazzling with his sketchpad. After all our twists and turns, you had already taken root and blossomed in my life, 95Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 158,000: The Most Expensive Lesson My Daughter Will Ever Learn 十五万八，是我女儿这辈子最贵的一堂课 158,000 yuan: the most expensive lesson my daughter will ever learn. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 After I Died, Everyone Was Left to Regret It 我死后，全员火葬场 After I Died, Everyone Held a Cremation for Me 40Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 The Camellia Tree 山茶花树 “A Huai, the camellias on the mountain back home are blooming. I really wish you could go see them with me again.” “The camellias on the mountain bloom and wither, then bloom again, but the camellia in my heart will never fade.” 89Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 Brother, I’m Done Getting Treatment 哥哥，我不治了 Big Brother, I’m Done with Treatment 1.4kReads—Score7614d adds
- 13 After He Called Off the Engagement, He Became Someone I Could Never Hope to Marry 退婚后，他成了我的高攀不起 After Our Engagement Was Called Off, He Became Someone I Could Never Hope to Reach —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 Half a Letter in Winter 冬天的半封信 They met in winter, grew close, parted ways, and found each other again. “See you in winter.” I’ll see you in winter. It turned out to mean goodbye until winter comes again. 71Reads—Score—14d adds
- 15 August Wutong 八月梧桐 [Childhood friends + unrequited love + tragic BE] She was his childhood friend, the girl he had loved since they were children, and the light of his life. Luo Yutong's notebook was filled with traces of her, but An Zishu never knew. Later, when An Zishu learned of his love, he had already left. Perhaps he had waited too long without ever hearing her say, “I love you.” He said, “An Zishu, in my next life, I’ll confess my feelings sooner.” He said, “I bet you’ll never know that I love you.” He sai 66Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 16 We’re All Supporting Characters in This Story 故事里面的我们都是配角 The first time she noticed him, his eyes were lowered, a smile playing on his lips as he said in a low voice, “Little girl.” The second time, he gave her a note that read, “A full stomach leads to lust.” He gave her a knowing smile and asked what she thought of the phrase. “Sounds good,” she said. … And what happened next? Well, her secret crush came true, and they rekindled their love, but in the end, it still couldn’t withstand the cruel joke fate played on them… A short angst story about un 59Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 17 I Once Loved the Stars Above 也曾属意漫天星辰 He led his troops into battle and returned victorious, but came back with a woman in his arms. She never fought back or fought for attention, yet people kept framing her at every turn. “We promised to be each other's only one for life, but you broke your word.” “I don't love you anymore. Let me go.” 59Reads5.0Score—14d adds
- 18 The Boy from the Mountain City 山城少年 In the mountain city, there are not only young men, but also big sisters. We were once each other's salvation. Watching the young man shine so brightly, I couldn't selfishly keep him trapped by my side. Without Big Sister in this world, that young man would be gone too. 48Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 19 Turns Out Every Ending Is Filled with Longing 原来结尾都相思 How do you hurt someone who loves you until they’re utterly broken? Perhaps you throw their love on the ground and trample it again and again, until it’s shattered, until it’s gone. 125Reads6.2Score—14d adds
- 20 One Last Rainfall Before We Part 最后一阵诉别雨 [Mutual pining | A little campus romance | Short BE | Male lead dies, female lead finds peace] The sky waits for the rain, and I wait for you. Song Ting'an never got to see his rain. From that song by Jay Chou, with lyrics by Vincent Fang. “The sky waits for the rain, and I wait for you.” He listened to it again and again. Song Tianqing, the character in Song Ting'an's book, got to meet his Yue Yuyu. But Song Ting'an never got to meet his Li Yanyu. His chance of survival was only twenty perc 377Reads8.0Score11914d adds
- 21 The Year I Loved You Most 最爱你的那一年 A short childhood-sweethearts campus tragedy Song Xiyuan has been sickly since childhood, but she takes life in stride and sees things clearly. Then one day, she, who has never worn makeup, starts learning how. Duan Jingchen has always been the kind of child other parents wish they had: smart, hardworking, and good at school. Then one day, the person who has always been by his side disappears. The sun was shining brightly that day, yet Song Xiyuan said something completely out of the blue: “Duan —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 22 A Marriage at a Crossroads 婚途陌路 Strangers on the Road to Marriage 55Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 One Fleeting Glance, and I Knew Love Had Faded 蓦然一顾知阑珊 She married him without hesitation in the prime of her life, but couldn't escape the seven-year itch. As her life entered its final countdown, she could no longer find the young man who had once loved her so deeply. She devoted her entire life to him, and only at the very end did he finally realize what he had lost... 57Reads5.6Score—14d adds
- 24 The Wind Will Remember Him for Me 风会替我记住他 [School life + mutual crushes + healing + Be] Don't look at my embarrassing past. Don't make me beg you. “Gentle and sensitive” Qi Zhiyou x “sunny and outgoing” Cheng Weizhui Ten years after Qi Zhiyou died, Cheng Weizhui learned of her death. He spent a year in a daze before finally taking his own life. Scenes from his life replayed in his mind. Early autumn. When they first met, he had smiled and asked her, “What are you doing here?” Later, at a temple, he had sincerely prayed, “May my girl liv 55Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 25 Love That Came Too Late 迟来的痴爱 Yan Xizhi had always loved someone, keeping her feelings locked away in her heart. She didn't dare reveal them. She thought the two of them could never be together and would never cross paths, but she never expected one incident to bring them together and make her his wife. He was cold and indifferent toward her, and even resented her. Later, a checkup revealed that she had terminal cancer. His first love happened to return from abroad around the same time, so she chose to divorce him. After the 126Reads5.4Score—14d adds
- 26 The Day the Wind Blew 风吹过的那天 He Lin, congratulations on your wedding. On the day you got married, the wind blew. I thought I was finally ready to let go. 205Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 27 Sinful Love 罪爱 Chen Lin loves her. That is Ye Zhiqiu's only leverage for taking revenge on him. Making Chen Lin watch her die day by day is Ye Zhiqiu's way of getting even. Chen Lin: “Can you live for me?” Ye Zhiqiu: “No.” 164Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 28 Summer in Xiachuan Town 下川镇的夏天 Summer in Xiachuan Town was a passionate, heartfelt regret. I never had him, yet it felt as if I’d lost him a thousand times over. A bus approached from afar. Jiang Yihuan couldn’t tell if it was the right one. She looked up through the window and saw Li Chengze’s face. He was standing by the bus door. As soon as the bus stopped and the doors opened, he rushed down and pulled Jiang Yihuan into his arms. “Jiang Yihuan, I’ve missed you so much.” Li Chengze rested his head on her shoulder and spoke 81Reads—Score—14d adds
- 29 Keep Moving Forward, Don't Look Back 向前走，别回头 At 18, Zhao Xingyang fell in love with someone. To her, the boy was a ray of light in her life, the best gift heaven had ever given her. He was brilliant and flamboyant, carefree and unrestrained. Unfortunately, he didn't know she existed, and she was too much of a coward... Perhaps because she'd met someone so dazzling in her youth, it took her a full ten years to let go. At 28, Zhao Xingyang told herself: “Keep moving forward. Don't look back.” 146Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 30 I Only Hope We Won't Know Each Other in the Next Life 惟愿来生不相识 On the seventh day after her father's death, she learned she had terminal stomach cancer. Seven months pregnant, she begged him not to make her donate blood to his first love, but he cruelly shoved her to the ground anyway. She would never forget the icy look in his eyes... He thought the document she sent him would be divorce papers. He never imagined it would be her last letter... 82Reads5.8Score—14d adds
- 31 The Wind Kisses the White Rose 风吻白玫瑰 A cheerful girl with depression vs. a lonely, gentle top student Chen Yan meets a strange person at the hospital. That day, he sees many sides of her. One moment she is chatting away, the next she is silently crying. Since high school, she has called herself “Young Master Xiao Jiang” and become everyone’s mood-maker. Everyone thinks that is just who she is, but Chen Yan is the only one who has seen the side she keeps hidden. So he says, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to save you.” He has seen her at 79Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 32 Forgive Me, This World Has No Fairy Tales 原谅这世上没童话 [“I can no longer tell whether you're a friend or the love I let slip away.”] [Forgive me, from south to north; forgive me, as the ending I face turns to ash...] After ten years of living meekly, she had long since stopped expecting fairness from reality. At seventeen, she traveled alone to a small northern city, thinking nothing could pull her out of the gloom. Then a radiant boy shook her resolve. At first she resisted him, but gradually, something subtle changed between them. With him protect 54Reads9.3Score—14d adds
- 33 The Bellflower Is Not White 桔梗不白 Every moment spent near him was full of telltale slips. A performance called unrequited love is the hardest one to pull off. - (The male lead doesn't cheat. He appears as a ghost, hoping the heroine will finally give up on him and stop grieving. He also sacrifices his reputation so netizens will stop attacking her. If someone has to be swallowed up by public opinion, he wants it to be him. It's a self-destructive attempt to save her: he gives up his life and his good name, as long as she's all r 122Reads8.1Score10514d adds
- 34 After I Gave Up Loving Him, My CEO Husband Regretted It 我放弃爱他后，总裁老公后悔了 After I Gave Up on Loving Him, My CEO Husband Regretted It 22Reads—Score—14d adds
- 35 Kiss the Breeze 吻清风 The boy standing against the light: Tang Qingxu. I used to write about you. Now, at last, I can write about us. My greatest delusion in this life was that I could try to hold back the wind. *Content warning: This is a tragic ending. The male lead moves on and gets married; the female lead dies the day he lets go. If you can’t handle that ending, feel free to skip this one. 101Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 36 You Said Love Wouldn’t Hurt This Much 你说爱情那么伤 Shen Siting never imagined that Gu Xixi would die. He was furious at her schemes and hated her betrayal. He tortured her like a madman and drove her to flee. He thought all he felt for her was disgust and hatred, but the moment he found her body, his heart felt as if it had been torn apart. Blinded by hatred, he became a prisoner of love. How fortunate Shen Siting was, and yet how tragic; he was hateful, pitiful, and deserving of pity. An Yang said she cursed him to lose the person he loved fore 988Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 37 Fallen Blossoms Still Drift Toward the Jade Steps 乱红犹向玉阶飞 Xiao Seru said to Wen Jinchub: “A Chu, I know you still think of Miss Lu. I'm envious, but I'm not jealous. I don't expect you to truly let her go. I only hope you'll let me stay by your side... I may not be as talented or beautiful as Miss Lu, but my love for you is just as true!” Xiao Seru also said, “A Chu, I'm so happy I can be your wife. A Chu, I like you. I really, truly like you!” But later, Xiao Seru said to Wen Jinchub: “Wen Jinchub, she pushed me!” “Is Lu Liulian's child the only one w 120Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 38 Beautiful Years 景年 [Angst! Angst! Angst! Angst!] My name is Jiang Nian. I was born in the height of summer and died in the depths of winter. Fate was always fleeting, and even meeting you was a blessing. We were destined to meet in this life, but not to be together. May we continue our bond in the next. The debts of this life must be repaid in this life. On the road to the afterlife, don’t look back. May we have a better fate and grow old together in the next life! I still remember the words Lin Anjing said to 511Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 39 May I Caress You Again 愿再轻抚你 Zhou Qiyue of West Wu No. 3 High School was a bona fide school bully. He did everything the school rules forbade. Then one day, a new girl joined the class next door. He called her ugly, yet warned his buddies not to chase after her. He wanted to get close to her, but carefully kept his distance. You are a star I can never reach. Later, rumors about the two of them dating reached the teachers’ office, and the teachers were alarmed. The homeroom teacher pointed at him and said, “A social degene 58Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 40 I’ll Go See You in the Moonlight 替月亮去见你 [Lin Jiu, a girl wounded by her family, vs. the gentle, brilliant student Jiang Shiyue] [School life + reunion after years apart + healing] If someone asked Lin Jiu whether she regretted falling in love with Jiang Shiyue, her answer would be no. When she was nineteen, the boy came beneath the moonlight, his eyes filled with countless stars. “Lin Jiu, there’s no moon in the sky tonight, but I’m here behind you. From now on, on every dark night, I’ll come to see you in the moon’s place.” Those wor 6Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 41 Longing for Our Reunion Day After Day, Forgetting Each Other Year After Year 朝朝盼重逢，念念总相忘 [Angst, angst, angst! Extremely angsty, proceed with caution!] Five years ago The golden boy Ji Lingchuan knelt on the ground, desperately begging Xia Zhiyi not to leave him. But she coldly told him to get lost, then turned around and married someone else. Five years later The bar hostess Xia Zhiyi knelt before the untouchable Mr. Ji, fawning over him. He shoved her away, saying she was filthy. He hated her, bullied her, and was consumed by the desire to take revenge on her. But when he saw a li 757Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 42 I Want to Live Well 我想好好的活着 I had never met a boy like him before. His features were delicate, and his pale complexion seemed almost unreal. His long, curled lashes lowered over deep eyes that looked as if they held countless stories. Anyone who saw him couldn’t help taking a second look. He was a transfer student. From the day he stepped into our classroom, the girls went wild, and even the boys were scrambling to be his friend. The nightmare began the day I met him. On graduation day, I clenched my fists, worked up my ne 33Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 If There Is Love in Heaven 如果天堂有爱情 Even though falling in love with Gu Yu was a disaster, Xia Yisheng never regretted it. 36Reads5.5Score—14d adds
- 44 Bloodstained Roses on Our Wedding Anniversary 结婚纪念日的带血玫瑰花 The day I decided to divorce my husband, Gu Yuran, I caused a scene at the Gu family’s old mansion. Right in front of my husband, Gu Yuran, and my mother-in-law, I stuffed a mouthful of raw pig brains into the mouth of Xu Lu, Gu Yuran’s first love, his unattainable dream girl, and his CEO’s assistant. Then I flipped the dining table and, before Gu Yuran could even finish shouting at me, tossed down a divorce agreement. “I’ll leave with nothing. I agree!” 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 45 No Such Person Exists 杳无此人 [Undercover Assassin vs. Narcotics Detective] “Jinchen, after I’m gone, I’m entrusting my sister to you.” “Don’t tell her what happened to me. She cries at the drop of a hat, and if she finds out, she’ll cry her head off.” “Yu Jinyan, you big liar! Now that you’re gone, who’s going to protect me? I have no family left…” The day after Yu Jinyan died, Yu Jinchu vanished without a trace, as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth. Jiang Jinchen searched for her like a madman. Seven years 340Reads—Score12514d adds
- 46 Forget Longing, Forget You 忘了相思忘了你 Qian Rong's love for Jin Hengbei is a conviction that even illness cannot destroy. 112Reads6.2Score—14d adds
- 47 Letters Beneath the Moss 苔痕信札 Anti-narcotics officer × doctor | Realistic tragic romance | Sweetness with a hidden sting The snowy mountains can't hear the world's whispered secrets, and the sea breeze can't hear the promises that were never kept. The gods can hear promises made at the edge of the world, but they won't grant them. “If we ever fight, give me a mint.” “What do you mean?” “It means I've forgiven you.” “What if you're the one in the wrong?” “Give me one, too,” Song Qingye said with a smile. “Then I'll know to a 1.9kReads8.8Score51914d adds
- 48 One-Man Show 独角戏 [Signed for simplified Chinese publication] I wish I were brave, but when it comes to loving you, I always feel so unworthy. 388Reads8.8Score10214d adds
- 49 You Never Once Chose Me 你从不曾偏爱我 Throughout their three years of marriage, she kept hoping he would turn around and look at her. But his heart belonged only to the woman he cherished most. When he caused their child’s death, she turned away in despair. Yet he grabbed her hand and said, “I don’t want a divorce!” 79Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 50 Red Eyes Across the Street, Vermilion Outshines Snow 隔街红眼，朱砂胜雪 Red eyes across the street, cinnabar brighter than snow. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
