Novels like Starting Over in Midlife
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Starting Over in Midlife, best match first.
- 101 Siheyuan: The Third Master Has Arrived 四合院：三大爷来了 I really transmigrated! Just imagine, a handsome 185-centimeter man like me turned into a shriveled old geezer who’s only 165 centimeters tall. My heart aches! Then I saw the person beside me in bed, and it ached even more! And there’s a whole bunch of hungry kids to feed, none of them mine! Now it aches even more! 3.2kReads8.6Score10614d adds
- 102 A Man at Forty 男人四十 If it hadn’t been for a spur-of-the-moment paternity test, Fang Hao would have gone on believing he was the happiest man in the world. His wife was Jiangdong City’s most beautiful woman, they had a pair of fraternal twins, a car and a house, and he was a resident doctor at the People’s Hospital. But the paternity test revealed that the twins had two different fathers: one was him, and the other was another man. 266Reads7.6Score10014d adds
- 103 A Review of This Life 复盘今生 Wang Yuhan once had a happy family. He and his wife, Yu Meixia, were both teachers. They excelled at their jobs, had a son and a daughter, and were the envy of everyone. But then, one day, it all vanished. If you were the protagonist, how would you react? How would you face betrayal by the person you love and trust most? Drawing on a deep understanding of life, the author tells a moving, vivid story of love and loss, life and death, and tangled passions in plain, flowing prose. The story also ra 750Reads8.8Score10114d adds
- 104 Sixty-Year-Old Lovers: The Past of Maitreya 60岁恋人：弥勒往事 At the age of sixty, he jumped into a shallow pool where the water barely reached his thighs. The water was shallow, but he didn't know that. Just as he didn't know that this jump would bring him together with a thirty-seven-year-old divorced woman, that they would have a child, and that he would pursue her from Hefei to Nanjing, then on to Shenzhen. Later, someone asked him, "Why jump when the water was so shallow?" He said, "Because that person was about to fall in." What matters isn't how d 1.1kReads—Score10314d adds
- 105 After Three Years in Retirement Back in the Village, I Lost but Was Not Defeated 退休回村三年，我输了但没有败 After retiring, I was sent back to my hometown to serve as the village's First Secretary. I had barely reached the village entrance when someone smashed a jar at me: “Huai Shu Village doesn't welcome you!” An old flame brought me a bowl of fish soup, with a letter at the bottom that had never been sent, forty years ago. Someone sent an anonymous report to the disciplinary inspection committee, accusing me of misconduct. Three months on the clock. Nobody believes me. Three years later, the person 95Reads—Score—14d adds
- 106 Ten Years of Marriage: Only Now Do I Understand My Wife 结婚十年：才明白妻子那点事 Zhang Xixi works late into the night and comes home drunk. Ye Feng discovers that she is wearing… Was she cheating, or was there another reason? As Ye Feng investigates, he discovers something astonishing about his wife during their ten years of marriage…! 1.9kReads—Score11514d adds
- 107 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 508Reads6.8Score6614d adds
- 108 My Wife's Secret Past 妻子的秘密往事 Zhang Xixi, the wife of Chen Sijie, worked late into the night, then came home drunk with a hickey on her back. Was she cheating, or was there another explanation? As Chen Sijie investigated, he uncovered a shocking secret… 5.1kReads8.6Score31814d adds
- 109 Shangguan Wan’er: Courtly Intrigue in the Tang Dynasty 唐朝上官婉儿宫廷风云 Shangguan Wan'er was the daughter of a convicted official, yet she became Wu Zetian's right-hand woman. When Emperor Zhongzong of Tang was restored to the throne, she was named Zhaorong and continued overseeing official edicts for both the inner court and the outer government. Later, she attached herself to Princess Taiping. After Emperor Zhongzong's sudden death, Shangguan Wan'er and Princess Taiping drafted an imperial edict naming Li Chongmao crown prince, with Prince Xiang, Li Dan, as regent 3.1kReads7.5Score19414d adds
- 110 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 2.6kReads—Score18414d adds
- 111 Love at Forty 不惑爱情 Xu Anqin, a middle-aged woman, has a life that's a complete mess: a mother with dementia, a selfish older sister, in-laws who are always scheming, and a husband who never gets a clue. Everything gives her anxiety. At the lowest point in her life, her rich, handsome first love reappears. Maybe she has another path to choose, but Xu is clear-headed: "I'm almost forty. How could I still be some domineering CEO's unattainable first love?" Before the divorce, life backed her into a corner with no way 181Reads—Score—14d adds
- 112 Thirty and Radiant 三十而骊 [Women’s Fiction + Personal Growth + Comeback + Healing + Inspirational + Strong Female Lead + Married Life] At thirty, she’s done with her sham marriage. Time to become a bold, dazzling queen of the single life! When a freak accident tore the wrapping off her seemingly perfect marriage overnight, Mi Xiaobai, who had always seemed blessed by fortune, hit the first major setback of her life behind the walls of marriage: A mother-in-law with a knife behind her smile, a two-faced husband, a critica 17.8kReads9.6Score2.6k14d adds
- 113 The Blue Butterfly of Vengeance Can Carry Souls 复仇之蓝蝴蝶可以承载灵魂 [Abusive Stepmother + Heroine Plays the Pig to Eat the Tiger + Academic Prodigy + Wealthy Heiress + Revenge] Liu Tingting casually reached toward the bedside, roughly yanked away the warm covers, and grabbed Xiao Yue, who was still fast asleep. Startled by the sudden movement, Xiao Yue burst into tears and kept shouting, “Bad woman, let me go...” “Oh, really? Then I'll show you what a truly bad woman is...” She dragged Xiao Yue to the table, opened a drawer, and rummaged inside until she found a 648Reads8.9Score10014d adds
- 114 Midnight Smoke Rings' Sixth Book 午夜的烟圈的第6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! 73Reads7.3Score—14d adds
- 115 Those Years Working in Lingnan 岭南打工那些年 This work is a realistic urban novel based on my own experience of heading south to Guangdong for work in the late 1980s. It might be more accurate to call it a memoir of migrant work than a novel. The characters are all based on my colleagues, fellow villagers, and friends I knew well! I chose to write in the first person so that everyone in these pages would feel vivid and real, with a soul of their own. I hope readers will find the voice warm and familiar as they read or listen in their spare 18.7kReads9.3Score1.7k14d adds
- 116 I Transmigrated Into a Book and Became the Stepfather of Five Villainous Big Shots 穿书，我成了五个反派大佬的继父 Chen Liyang had spent half his life achieving nothing. Then he woke up to find he had transmigrated into a book, and become the deadbeat father of five major villains! They’re going to kill me when they grow up. What should I do, everyone? Please reply fast, I’m freaking out! The eldest, Zhou Chengdong: a martial arts prodigy who built his own mercenary army, with at least three thousand deaths to his name. The second, Zhou Chengnan: a master physician revered throughout the medical world, savin 428Reads9.2Score10314d adds
- 117 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. 116Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 118 After My Wife Died, My Life Soared Against the Odds 老婆去世后，我的人生逆风飞扬 My name is Shu Shuang. Shu as in “comfortable,” and Shuang as in “refreshing.” I was twelve when both my parents died, and Cheng Yexiang raised me. When I was twenty-one, Cheng Yexiang’s eldest daughter, Cheng Ke, who was the same age as me, married me. After Cheng Ke and I got married, we opened a small shop in the city called Keshuang Supermarket. Three months later, she died in a tragic car accident. I felt as though the sky had fallen. Life no longer seemed worth living. Cheng Yexiang had lo 12.5kReads8.8Score1.1k14d adds
- 119 The Bank President’s Daughter-in-Law from the Countryside 银行行长家的农村儿媳妇 Brother-and-sister dynamic + Urban romance + Marriage first, love later + Childhood sweethearts + Female growth The wealthy male lead and the rural female lead were born in neighboring hospital beds, just one day apart. The female lead is stunning and attracts admirers wherever she goes, yet she’s gentle and well-behaved. The male lead is a roguishly handsome man of the world, considerate and capable, a born CEO and the king of jealousy. Though their values and upbringings are worlds apart, fate 2.9kReads8.7Score29914d adds
- 120 You Divorced Me for Your Dream Girl. So Why Are You Crying Now? 为了白月光跟我离婚，我走你哭啥 After three years of marriage, Chen Qian learned that his wife had always carried her one true love in her heart. Wanting to be with him, she was the one who asked for a divorce. But just as Chen Qian decided to let her go, she regretted it. 3kReads6.9Score14214d adds
- 121 At the Source of the Peach Blossom Spring 桃花源头 As Old Zhou Nian lay dying, he took Zhou Liye by the hand and told him, “Xiaoye, it's up to you to carry on the Zhou family line. If you trace our family back far enough, we go all the way to the Zhou dynasty, to King Wen of Zhou, King Wu of Zhou, Ji Chang, and Ji Fa. Our ancestors were once members of the imperial family, and our original surname was Ji. It was only after the dynasties changed that our family took the surname Zhou! Here's our ancestral genealogy and the family heirloom, this ja 103.5kReads7.8Score9.4k14d adds
- 122 He Came from the Apocalypse and Became the Strongest in the New World 他来自末世，在新世界修成第一人 Transmigration + urban superpowers + cases + exploration + intelligent characters + ensemble cast Ding Yuanyi, a superpowered individual from the apocalyptic Blue Star, transmigrates to Kelanna, a mid-sized power on Mi Star. In this peaceful new world of abundance, Ding Yuanyi's power surpasses the highest level he reached in his previous life. Together with his companions, he investigates cases and explores mysteries in search of the truth and resources: the shrewd and cunning bureaucrat Gu Che 1.3kReads9.1Score10214d adds
- 123 The 1970s: The Big Guy Holds His Beloved Little Stepmom Close Day and Night 七零小后妈：大叔日夜抱在怀里宠 [Period Setting + Real Stepmother + Military Marriage + Devoted Husband + Sweet Romance + Age Gap + Transmigration + Pocket Dimension + Love at First Sight + One-and-Only Devotion + 1v1 + Cozy, No Toxic Characters] In short, this is a story about a woman who has everything she could want in the 1970s and gets addicted to living! Her transmigration comes out of nowhere, her pocket dimension is only there sometimes, she finds a husband she’s completely satisfied with, takes to being a stepmother l 7.7kReads9.0Score41514d adds
- 124 A Single Man Is a Flower at Fifty-One 单身男人五十一枝花 In middle age, Ding Changsheng unexpectedly discovered that his wife, whom he had loved dearly for nearly thirty years, had stayed in touch with her first love all along. Though she hadn’t cheated on him, he still decisively chose to divorce her. From then on, he began a very different life… This novel has been adapted into a short drama. Please check it out. 2.4kReads6.9Score13614d adds
- 125 I’m a 62-Year-Old Landlord 我是62岁男房东 [Urban] [Everyday Life] [Lighthearted] [Fun] A womanizing playboy transmigrates into the body of a 62-year-old man. He has a million yuan in savings and four properties. Three stunning female tenants live around him. The catch is, he also has advanced-stage diabetes, severe cerebral thrombosis, and terminal cancer. With every debuff stacked against him, he has only fourteen days left to live. Just as he falls into despair... [Ding!] [System successfully activated] [As long as you surprise your t 29.9kReads9.0Score1.8k14d adds
- 126 The Art of Imperial Politics: The Jiajing Era 帝王心术：嘉靖时代 This novel offers a profound look at Jiajing’s transformation from an energetic reformer into an emperor obsessed with Daoism. Daoist priests such as Shao Yuanjie and Tao Zhongwen used mysticism to manipulate his inner world; Yan Song and his son won favor with Daoist prayers and monopolized power for twenty years; Xu Jie bided his time before finally bringing down the treacherous ministers; and Hai Rui risked his life to submit a memorial condemning the ills of the age. Together, these vivid ch 1.2kReads6.9Score11414d adds
- 127 You Tricked Me into Delivering Takeout by Promising Immortality? 用成仙骗我送外卖？ After achieving fame and success, Song Heqing finds himself in an unfamiliar world, with a divorce agreement lying in front of him. Without a moment's hesitation, he writes his name on it. Then he hears the word “Daddy,” and instantly freezes. Had he just become a father out of the blue? He hadn't wanted to get involved, but the four-year-old girl was simply too adorable. Having a daughter would be one thing, but then an inexplicable “support System” shows up, making things even more ridiculous. 24kReads7.7Score2.4k14d adds
- 128 Villain: Madam, Please Stay 反派：夫人请留步 Xiao Ran transmigrates into a book on Tomato, only to find himself in that dimly lit alley. Whoa, isn’t that the male lead from a Tomato novel? He’s threatening someone again. No way, I have to stop him this time. 913Reads—Score—14d adds
- 129 I'm the Villain's Dad, and the Heroine Calls Me Dad from the Start 我反派他爹，开局女主认我当干爹 [Scheming | Villain | Lighthearted | Hypocritical | Cunning | Dark | All the heroines] Cao Chuan transmigrated into a composite urban-fiction world. He became the father of the story’s villainous rich playboy! Talk about a son who’s going to get his dad into trouble. Son, you’re still young. You can’t handle those heroines, and you’ll only get yourself killed trying… Let Dad take care of it! The butler hurried over. “Boss, the young master got into a fight with someone at a bar. He’s been taken 1.2kReads9.2Score20114d adds
- 130 After Losing My Job, I Took Odd Jobs in Xiaoqi 失业后，在小气打零工 His wife betrays him, and his career hits a dead end. Ye Feng becomes a part-time massage therapist. After his first client arrives, Ye Feng's life takes a strange and unpredictable turn. There is no System in this book...! 8.2kReads6.8Score49814d adds
- 131 My Doctor Lin 我的林医生 [A blend of sweetness and heartbreak + slow burn + delicate prose + a working woman’s growth + episodic format] Radiologist Lin Xiaoya can see every bone in the human body, yet she can’t read the heart of the person in front of her. Other people’s love is a two-way journey, but theirs is a tale of mutual misunderstanding... 108Reads—Score—14d adds
- 132 The Lingering Warmth of the Earthen Bed 土炕上的余温 The quarry in the hills behind Laojing Village buried the men from half the village. All that remained were a village full of widows and children crying from hunger. Thirty migrant miners moved into the workers' barracks, all strapping bachelors. The widows cursed men to their faces, then dug out their floral jackets at night and deliberately walked past the barracks. Each of the three widows had her own reasons: one wanted a protector to help raise her child, one hoped to get some rice and flou 12.7kReads8.9Score78814d adds
- 133 From the Start, I Became the Protagonist's Dad and Fled in Terror That Very Night 开局成了主角他爸被吓得连夜跑路 Ye Bufan transmigrates into a book where villains rule the world, and ends up in the most, most, most, most dangerous profession of all: the protagonist’s parent. A cigarette drops to the ground. Ye Bufan realizes he can’t just sit around waiting to die, so he shakily pulls out his phone and books a flight out of China that night. “Son, don’t blame your dad. I had no choice.” Aboard a passenger plane bound for Country A, Ye Bufan silently recites the Great Compassion Mantra eighty-one times. “Di 1.4kReads8.8Score11514d adds
- 134 The Sinister Village Doctor 村野邪医 Countryside + Miracle Doctor + Making a Fortune + Farming A mysterious ancient corpse appears in a cellar, and Ye Yunzhou inherits an unparalleled legacy. From then on, his medical skills, martial arts, and alchemy reach the pinnacle. An old classmate he hasn't seen in years gently knocks on his door, hoping he can cure her illness... A frosty female tycoon reveals her tender side, hoping he can cure her chronic ailment... Ye Yunzhou: “Wait a minute. Give me a moment to collect myself...” 3.2kReads8.9Score26814d adds
- 135 With So Many Ex-Girlfriends, I Really Was Forced Into This 有那么多前女友，我真的是被迫的 (Lighthearted comedy + satisfying revenge + lots and lots of ex-girlfriends + daily life with multiple ex-girlfriends) “You’re a woman and I’m a man. We’re not compatible. Let’s break up.” “Sorry, I like them big. Let’s break up.” See that stunning policewoman with the perfect figure? I heard her ex-boyfriend dumped her, so she joined the criminal investigation team on the spot, ready to tear the scumbag apart! What? You’re saying you’re that guy? Come on, don’t joke around. Then why aren’t you 4.4kReads8.6Score32914d adds
- 136 Life Support: Starting With One 648-Yuan Gift Every Day 人生辅助：从每天一个648开始 [One Female Lead] + [System] + [Daily Life] + [Enjoying Life] When ordinary office worker Shen Wang hit a low point in life, he got a life-assistance System that started by giving him 648 yuan a day. It’s an ordinary person’s everyday life with cheat-like advantages: no wild ups and downs, just the little things that make life sweet and happy. The most ordinary wishes in life come true here. [Not a story about a tycoon throwing money around] 21.1kReads8.8Score1.3k14d adds
- 137 888 a Day: Plenty to Retire on in a County Town 每日888，县城养老很够花 [Financial Freedom] [Everyday Life] [Multiple Heroines] [Lighthearted, No Angst] At thirty, life treats you worse than a dog. Laid off and utterly disheartened, Bai Ye finally gave in and decided to return to the small county town where he was born and raised. But on the train home, he discovered that he had bound himself to a System called Life Assistant. [With the System at your side, unemployment is nothing to fear! Receive an 888-yuan daily unemployment benefit!] [Worried about your health? 27.8kReads7.8Score1.3k14d adds
- 138 The Charming Village Girl Doesn't Give Her Heart Away 俏村花她不走心 People say that a widow’s doorstep invites trouble, but Chunfang isn’t afraid. She goes out of her way to surround herself with men. After years of struggling in the dirt, she’s seen through it all: you can’t rely on a man’s heart, but you can rely on his money and connections. So she smiles as she plays several men against one another. One helps her come up with the cash, another finds her a market for her goods. The villagers call her shameless. Chunfang sneers. “How much is a reputation worth 21.1kReads8.0Score1.2k14d adds
- 139 The Beautiful First Half of Her Life 美艳的前半生 The story takes place in a rural village in Hebei in 1999. Meiyan has been sweet, beautiful, and clever since childhood, and everyone in the village agrees she's the local beauty. After failing her university entrance exams on her second attempt, she has no choice but to face the path fate has laid out for her. Swept up by Li Gangqiang's relentless pursuit, she gives him everything. But on the very day he steps through the gates of college, he gets together with another woman. Betrayed, Meiyan s 8.9kReads7.1Score18314d adds
- 140 In My Twilight Years, I Reunite with My Son from the Start 人已暮年，开局父子相认 [No Harem: Readers Who Like Womanizers with Lots of Children, Stay Away] [System Novel] [Father-and-Son Story] [Gradually Escalating Thrills] [Behind-the-Scenes Focus] [Pragmatic Self-Interest] [Older Protagonist] As life entered its twilight years, most people waited for their final chapter. Yun Ze was no exception. Just as he thought the curtain was about to fall on his life, he got hit by a truck. The cultivation world was still the same cultivation world, but from that moment on, it looked f 6.7kReads8.2Score30514d adds
- 141 Village Uproar 村闹 Synopsis: [Rural Life + Miracle Doctor + Feel-Good Power Fantasy] Betrayed by someone, Jiang Xiaochuan went to their home for revenge, only to be beaten half to death. By a twist of fate, he gained a mysterious inheritance! From then on, he defied fate, put every doubter in their place, and steadily climbed to the top... 2.8kReads9.0Score40014d adds
- 142 Son, Show Your Dad the Way Forward 儿子，请给爸爸指条明路 In 2001, laid-off worker Chen Weiguo loses his wife, who leaves him with a newborn son. The boy is clever from an early age, and always has... well, a remarkably long-term perspective. Whenever Chen Weiguo is on the verge of running out of options, his son always manages to pull him through at a crucial moment and point him toward a way forward. Then Chen Weiguo finds himself back at square one all over again. They say sons bring trouble to their fathers, but Chen Weiguo, as a father, is always 12.4kReads9.0Score1.1k14d adds
- 143 Surviving the Ordeal 熬过劫难 First, be certain that you can reach the summit. Then believe this book can rewrite your fate, and believe in the power of belief. By the time you read this book, the identity you have now will already have begun to loosen its grip. The moment you choose to begin, you have already left mediocrity behind. Can my story help you find your own path to salvation? May words reveal the power they truly hold. 63.7kReads9.2Score13.3k14d adds
- 144 A Love Story from Majia Village 马家庄的爱情故事 In a village so ordinary it could not be more ordinary, the hardworking bachelor Li Daqing and his neighbor Er Feng spend every day working in the fields, rising with the sun and resting at sundown. They have no extraordinary talents. With only their hands and their strength, they cultivate the barren land, filling their hardship-filled days with verdant growth in the courtyard and the warmth of everyday life. 9.7kReads8.7Score53514d adds
- 145 All the Fish the CEO Raised Have Run Away 总裁养的鱼都跑了 Years later, a reserved, socially awkward lawyer who has no interest in dating or marriage reunites with a cold, aloof CEO who is a robot and knows nothing about love. They save each other. Two people who are both hopeless with feelings stumble along, bringing warmth to one another. The heroine's former company CEO has always thought of himself as a player. Arrogant and overconfident, he assumed every woman was a fish in his pond, ready for him to pick. But when he finally wants to choose, he di 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 146 The Pinnacle of the Noble Consort 贵妃之巅 “A twisted romance” + “palace intrigue” + “a tragedy of the age.” During the Chenghua reign of the Ming dynasty, palace maid Wan Zhen'er spent ten years bringing Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen, confined in the Cold Palace, back from hell to the world of the living. What began as a desperate act of protection warped, under the influence of power, into a twisted symbiosis. Seventeen years older than him, she was his nursemaid and elder sister, and eventually became his only Noble Consort, as well as hi 600Reads—Score3114d adds
- 147 The Spy's Snow Fox 谍之雪狐 On the evening of the eighth day of the first lunar month in 1945, snow was still falling in Xiangcheng. Inside the Ma Family Shaomai Shop on Second Street, a middle-aged man suddenly collapsed and began convulsing, foam bubbling from his mouth. At the shop entrance, a man wearing a felt hat and a scarf that concealed everything but his eyes hurried inside. He snatched up the fallen man’s briefcase, turned, and left, disappearing into the endless snow. 11.3kReads8.6Score91614d adds
- 148 Good Grief, Mr. Cen! 要命呢！岑先生 Oh, Mr. Cen! 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 149 I Became a Spy in Republican-Era China 我到民国当间谍 Zhang Yunxuan, a team leader in the Criminal Investigation Squad of Xiangcheng Police Bureau, is a spoiled rich kid who spends his days loafing around and making friends. He has a taste for eating, drinking, and gambling. The only thing he doesn't do is visit brothels. But what people don't know is that he is the military intelligence agent Judge, a man despised to the bone by the Japanese and their Chinese collaborators. 6.7kReads8.6Score43714d adds
- 150 I’m a Matchmaker in an Online Game 我在网游当红娘 A powerful hero and heroine + Urban romance + The heroine hides her identity and works as an NPC in a game + Hilariously overpowered friends + Matchmaking for singles. Powerful figures hide their identities and work for the heroine in the game. Our fates are tied, all thanks to your money. If you’re single, the organization can find you a match. A gentle hand ties the red thread, and an unexpected romance begins. A priceless match, a red thread with a price tag. 6Reads—Score—14d adds
