Novels like Cleaning Up the City
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Cleaning Up the City, best match first.
- 1 Reborn: The Perfect Life of 1999 重生：1999完美人生 Because of all the regrets and resentment left over from his previous life, this is the story of an ordinary man's rebirth and a nobody's rise to an empire in business and entertainment. This novel has multiple heroines, so readers who prefer a single heroine should stay away. This is fiction, not history; please forgive any changes to certain dates. Everything is entirely fictional, so don't assume it's about anyone in particular. 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 2 The Campus Belle Wants to Kill Me 校花想要杀我 The Campus Belle Wants to Kill Me 52Reads—Score—Shelves
- 3 Qing Fu Divine Physician, Book One: The Dragon Lurks in the Abyss 青蚨天医第一部龙潜在渊 This is the secret history of a young heavenly physician’s rise to becoming an invisible tycoon. [The secrets of wealth + heavenly medicine techniques + outsmarting villains + rising to become a tycoon] A poor young man with nothing to his name, beaten until he was a good-for-nothing, is led by his master into the mysterious Qingfu School of Heavenly Medicine. After enduring countless hardships, he transforms from a fish into a dragon, making his way through the business world, outsmarting the u —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 4 Time Knows I Love You 时光深知我爱你 Just another overworked office drone. Every now and then, a little inspiration strikes, and I write something to give everyone a laugh. Likes, comments, and shares are always welcome! I hope you enjoy my work. I'll keep updating regularly and do my best to finish it soon. 6Reads6.7Score—Shelves
- 5 Now That I've Reborn, Why Go Looking for Trouble? 都重生了谁还去浪 Don't take a job, whatever you do, and don't be a pushover! Reborn with the memories of his previous life, top student Chen Hanwen is determined to make up for every regret and ride the wave of the times. He'll become not only a star entrepreneur and an over-the-top tycoon, but also enjoy a colorful love life. Cherish the good girls, ravish the bad girls, and don't miss out on anyone or let anyone get away! 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 6 The Wicked Commander of the Guochao PR Department 国潮公关部的恶女司令 [Women’s growth + workplace ensemble + team spirit + niche professions + comeback and face-slapping + business warfare] “I’m not fighting tooth and nail to win. I just refuse to accept defeat.” Yan Yue is a formidable career woman known as a “villainess.” She leaves a fashion magazine to become PR director at DOM, a streetwear brand rooted in Chinese culture. Despite the title, she’s actually a one-woman department. She thought she could ride the wave of a new era, but reality turns out to be no 11Reads9.0Score—Shelves
- 7 A Complete Failure! A Young Wife Helps Turn My Luck Around 一败涂地！少妇帮我改财运 [Off-the-Charts Realism] + [Born Under a Lucky Star] + [Comeback Against the Odds] + [Financial Mogul] Zhang Qi, a graduate of a prestigious university, was a rising star in finance. But after a friend swindled him, he shut down the company he had just started, lost all his cash, and put his wife and daughter in danger. He had hit rock bottom. At his lowest point, Li Wanwan appeared. Zhang Qi had helped her for free many years ago, and she was born with a lucky-star constitution. Together, they 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 I Just Got Back from a Business Trip, and My Wife Was Arrested at a Hotel? 刚出差回来，老婆酒店被抓了？ Wang Hao had just returned from a business trip when he got a call telling him to go to a police station in a neighboring city to pay a fine for his wife! But… hadn’t his wife gone on a business trip to Jianghai? Why had she been caught in Hang City during a raid on a prostitution ring? Full of questions, Wang Hao began investigating and gradually uncovered his wife’s hidden true nature… P.S. The protagonist is decisive and ruthless. There’s no getting back together after divorce, and he never g 178Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 9 Welcome to the World Where Girl Bands Reign Supreme 欢迎来到少女乐队为尊的神人世界 Parallel World + Strong Female Lead + Slice of Life + Beautiful Girls Eating, Drinking, and Getting Close + Classic Girls' Band Story. There's a bit too much stitched together, and I like digging myself into holes. I hope I can fill them all in. I don't have much ambition. I wrote this whenever I got an itch at work. Sorry. 21Reads—Score—Shelves
- 10 Shadows of the City: Ling Dongyang 都市暗影之凌冬阳 This novel explores the undercurrents lurking beneath modern urban life and the growth of an individual. With its suspenseful plot, complex relationships, and keen social insight, it portrays an ordinary person's struggles and perseverance in the city, as well as his journey to find hope in the darkness. Through Ling Dongyang's eyes, readers will gradually uncover the truth and experience a battle of courage, wisdom, and humanity. The protagonist, Ling Dongyang, is a young man who has been throu —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 A Workplace Beauty: Lin Qian’s Brilliant Journey 职场丽影：林浅的璀璨征途 [Women's Fiction + Personal Growth + Comeback + Healing + Inspirational + Realistic + Everyday Urban Life + Bittersweet, Then Sweet] Lin Qian is 33 this year. Though she was born into an ordinary family, her determined nature helped her overcome every obstacle and establish herself in a top-tier city. She has a respectable job, a sensible son, and a husband with whom she gets along well enough. She thought life would continue steadily along like this, but she never expected fate's wheels to quie —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 12 The Nightclub Exit 夜场出口 This book can fulfill every man’s dream. The mastermind behind the nightlife scene turns out to be the young lord of the Wind and Clouds Palace from 1,800 years ago! The clues are woven together like a snake in the grass, with threads reaching a thousand miles. Our protagonist has lived two lives. Watch as he faces beauty and money and lives a life beyond the expectations of others! 70Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 Who Says You’re Destined for an Ordinary Life? 谁说你此生注定平凡 [Younger man + healing + mutual secret crush] [Not a wish-fulfillment story + design industry + cozy everyday life] [Simple, straightforward older single woman × sincere, clear-eyed fresh graduate] [At the breaking point in her career, almost driven mad × spirited and boundless] [A perfect complement + helping each other succeed] Xu Shan may be getting on in years, but she’s simple and straightforward, not a schemer, a little goofy, and rather rough around the edges. Liang Yao is new to the worl 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 14 He Is Perfectly Content 他怡然自得 [Coming-of-Age Inspiration + Contemporary Romance + Realistic Fiction + Slow Burn + Heartwarming + Comedy] Chen Yiran, an older young woman who has lost both her job and her boyfriend, works hard and successfully gets into graduate school. One day, she turns into a “dessert-drenched mess” and meets the “father and daughter” of the Xiao family. Sent by the dean to tutor the Xiao family, she later finds a job after graduating and becomes an employee at one of their companies. As she helps Xiao Ji 36Reads—Score—Shelves
- 15 I Teach Chinese in Thailand 我在泰国教汉语 Hey, students, want to teach Chinese abroad? Want to chat with foreign girls? Come study Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language and see how Cheng Qingzhou spreads knowledge and answers questions in Thailand. Cheng Qingzhou frowned and said sternly, “Don’t get the wrong idea! I came to Thailand to teach Chinese. My main goal is to share China’s brilliant culture: writing Chinese characters, speaking Chinese, teaching kung fu, and making red-braised pork. Those are the right priorities. As for cha 69Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 16 A Small-Town Story at Full Speed 小城故事一路狂奔 Having grown up without a father's love, he once had a happy family and a steady career. Then, out of nowhere, he got divorced, lost his job, and was plagued by nightmares. His life hit rock bottom. At his lowest point, he chose to start a business and met her while she was working a part-time job. Fate had other plans: after a change in her mother's identity came to light, she became a wealthy heiress. He raced toward love, never wavering in his devotion despite repeated romantic setbacks. On —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 Reborn: My Childhood Friend Is Hard to Win Over 重生：我这个青梅竹马不太好追 Xiao Yihan was reborn, returning to the humble age of eighteen, when he used to be a lovesick doormat. But with a second chance at life, everything is destined to change! A childhood sweetheart, a gentle campus beauty, a glamorous and alluring female teacher... With beauties everywhere, how will Xiao Yihan choose...? 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 18 She Uses AI to Take Down Workplace Deadbeats 她靠AI：手撕职场老赖 Urban workplace + empowering female lead + AI golden finger + workplace comeback + taking down deadbeat debtors + working-class underdog makes good + light comedy + workplace survival guide Duan Xiaomo clutched her crumpled 500 yuan and stared at the expired pickled vegetables HR manager Wang Meili had thrown at her. She was close to tears with rage. After two years of overtime and taking the blame countless times, was this all her severance was worth? And they still wanted her to sign a trap of —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 19 Men and Women in Seclusion 隐居男女 Florist Xiao Xue is making her own way in the city. Life is sometimes sweet and sometimes a complete melodrama. As she gets older, the dream deep in her heart grows stronger: to find a soulmate and build a secret garden for the two of them in the countryside or the mountains, where they can live in seclusion. It has been Xiao Xue’s dream since childhood. Before long, she meets Mu Tong, a musician. Can they find happiness in a secluded life together? 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 20 A Mindless Farce Between a Doctor and a Security Guard 大博士和小保安的无脑之戏 With the Lunar New Year approaching, the annual matchmaking pressure arrived right on schedule. Su Qingyi, a PhD graduate from a prestigious university, was hounded by her family to get married. She was over thirty and still single. On the campus of Jinghua University, she ran into Lu Yuan, a fellow hometown native and former soldier who now worked as a security guard. They were around the same age and in similar situations, both overwhelmed by their families’ pressure to marry. To appease their 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 21 The Hunter Game: A Game Within a Game 猎人游戏：局中之局 They’re used to treating others as prey. But what happens when the tables turn? Everyone has something they want to protect, but once they’re caught in a game called “profit,” can anyone truly stay out of it? This is a story about headhunters, but it’s about much more than that. Cross-border mergers and acquisitions, IPO turmoil, power succession, staged accidents... Every move is controlled from behind the scenes. The moment a pawn realizes it is a pawn, the counterattack begins! (A modern work 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 22 A Heartfelt Deal 心动交易 [Sweet romance with angst + healing] [Exclusive devotion, a polished but depraved top lawyer × a money-loving junior lawyer] Jiang Ran met Gu Shencheng because he casually pointed her out from a line of beauties. She wanted his money; he wanted her body. Once she was through her rough patch, Jiang Ran pulled up her pants and acted like nothing had happened. “Attorney Gu, let’s not keep in touch from now on.” Gu Shencheng gripped her chin. “Jiang Ran, you used me and now you’re tossing me aside?” 97Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 23 The Desperate Wife 绝望的妻子 Housewife Li Wenqing had been living a comfortable, affluent life. She had an adorable son and got along well with her stepdaughter. But on the eve of their seventh wedding anniversary, Li Wenqing discovered that her husband was having an affair. Longing for a whole and happy family, she endured a painful inner struggle and hoped her husband would see the error of his ways and return to the family. Instead, he went down a path of no return. Betrayed by her husband and stabbed in the back by her 179Reads7.2Score—Shelves
- 24 The Perfect Lover 最合适的爱人 At first, Qiao’s father seems like he’s not very bright, but he’s actually the real hidden powerhouse, the mastermind behind every event. People call him the modern-day Yue Buqun. Many readers wonder why a tycoon worth hundreds of billions seems so clueless. It’s all foreshadowing for later in the story. 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 25 My Five Years as a Drifter in Guangzhou 广漂的那五年 A detailed look at the five years after college graduation, spent struggling to make a living in the bustling city of Guangzhou. How did a complete novice gradually grow stronger, step by step? As we make our way along the paths of love and career, each of us has a story to tell... After five years of weathering life's hardships, we'll grow stronger at last! It's time to turn the tables!!! A new author with a new book: My Five Years Drifting in Guangzhou. I've got a story. 211Reads8.5Score—Shelves
- 26 After Our Wedding Night, My Wife Asked for a Divorce 新婚夜后，老婆提出离婚 After Our Wedding Night, My Wife Asked for a Divorce 4.3kReads—Score104Shelves
- 27 My Wife Tricked Me Into Getting a Vasectomy 老婆骗我去结扎 My Wife Tricked Me into Getting a Vasectomy 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 28 The Microexpression Queen 微表情女王 The protagonist is Lin Hui, a young woman from the countryside. She has the innate ability to read microexpressions, and her frank, optimistic nature is sure to make you laugh. Follow her journey from a migrant worker in Shanghai to founding a company and taking it public. She uses her microexpression-reading ability to power her way to success at work, while navigating hilarious life as a migrant in Shanghai, a push-and-pull romance with an aloof CEO, and the challenges of founding her own comp —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 My Beijing Girl 我的北京女孩 A young man with nothing going for him can't move on after a breakup. When he accompanies a friend to Beijing, he encounters new things and new people... His life quietly changes course. What kind of love story will he find as he sets out to reclaim his dream? 135Reads—Score—Shelves
- 30 That Year, Because of the Campus Belle, I Ran Off to Guangdong to Become a Handsome Lad 那年因为校花，我跑路广东当靓仔 [Jianghu]+ [Workplace]+ [Romance]+ [No System]+ [Not reborn] [Based on the author’s real experiences working in Guangdong, this is a story about migrant workers in cities like Dongguan and Shenzhen. This is not a wish-fulfillment novel, so don’t read it if that’s not your thing!] In 1997, Zhang Zaiye, Li Yaocong, Jiang Xinyue, and others met while working summer jobs in Guangdong, and formed a deep friendship. At the time, Dongguan’s economy was growing at a breakneck pace. Workers poured in fr 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 Mrs. Song's Dilemma 左右为难的宋太太 [Elite Families + Adorable Kids + Workplace + A Long Road Out of a Wealthy Family + Daily Life Seamlessly Switching Between Rich Wife and Corporate Drone] [An engineering PhD who married into a wealthy family by luck but can't live the wealthy life * The youngest son of a wealthy family, who became the heir through his own merits but can't keep his marriage together] [Being Mrs. Song is a fine title. The only person it lets down is herself.] In their eighth year of marriage, Cheng Zhi mailed the 109Reads—Score110Shelves
- 32 I Found a Girl from the Future and Became a God With Black Tech 捡到未来少女，我靠黑科技封神 Lan Tian, a young man struggling to make it in Beijing, is worn down by the outrageous twists and turns of his life until he can barely breathe. By chance, he meets Lin Xingyao, a girl who has transmigrated from a thousand years in the future. With technology a millennium ahead of its time, Lin Xingyao helps Lan Tian defy fate, escape his predicament, and embark on a life of effortless success. Where will the turning wheels of fate take him? 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 33 A Lonely Guest Outside Gusu City 姑苏城外客愁新 There are no thrilling lives of transmigration or rebirth here, only the naked cruelty of the real world. There is no boundless magic from fantasy or immortal heroes, only the helplessness and sorrow of ordinary people struggling at the bottom. There is no romantic love between princesses and princes, only the unreachable fantasies and longings of ordinary nobodies. There are no glorious achievements by kings, nobles, generals, or ministers, only the desperate struggles and cries of common folk —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 34 In Search of Happiness 寻找幸福 This story follows three close friends and the ups and downs of their marriages and family lives. No matter what hardships they face, they keep searching for happiness in their own ways. How will each of their stories end? 6Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 35 There Was No Underworld in the Nineties 九十年代没有江湖 Years later, workers renovating Qinghe's old town unearthed a moldy ledger beneath an abandoned factory housing complex. The ledger listed laid-off workers, families of miners killed in accidents, women from dance halls, and several lines of numbers blurred by water. On the last page, there were only three words: Chen Qingshan. Some said he was the most loyal man in Qinghe. Some said he was the man who most deserved to die. Others said that if not for the times he lived in, Chen Qingshan mig 43Reads—Score—Shelves
- 36 Fan Xuan’s World for Two 凡轩的二人世界 [Workplace + Marriage and Romance + Relationships + Female-Oriented + Modern Romance] Fan has always run a coffee shop called Yifan Coffee. The shop isn't large, with two floors: booth seating on the first floor and a bar on the second. Its decor is simple and elegant, and business is pretty good. Most of its customers are office ladies and office gentlemen from the nearby buildings. Some come in with their laptops and stay all day. Fan is warm, kind, a good communicator, and attentive to her cu 8Reads8.5Score—Shelves
- 37 A History of the Death of Idealism 理想主义消亡史 [No transmigration], [No cheats or System], [Realistic], [No feel-good wish fulfillment], [Deep-dive into the inside story], [Scheming] Medical investment is an obscure industry with a lot of hidden complexities. Yan Hui is a professional in the field, as well as an idealist. But as time goes by and circumstances change, his life and work gradually slip beyond his control. (A song will be included in the author’s notes for each chapter. It will relate to the chapter, directly or indirectly, obje 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 38 The Million-Yuan Lottery 百万彩票记 What would an ordinary wage earner with a stable job do after suddenly winning five million? A simple, everyday experience, criticized for reading like a ledger. After going around in circles, he’s still alone. 25Reads—Score—Shelves
- 39 The Talent Show Power Broker: From Backroom Battles to Stardom 选秀操盘手：从暗战到封神 Lin Rui, Starshine TV’s award-winning director, takes over the S+-rank talent show New Voices of Huaxia. He thinks he’s holding all the winning cards, but soon finds himself beset by underhanded schemes from within the network. The head of the Arts Department wants to claim the credit, the head of Advertising wants to cash in, and the head of Technology is determined to put obstacles in his way. Facing schemes from every side, Lin Rui uses technical innovation with one hand and navigates the com 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 40 The Perfume Mask 香水假面 Independent, driven female lead vs. cool, calculating heir to a corporate empire (IP-focused) Three men and one woman, a beautiful-but-tragic couple, women supporting women, no rivalry between women A family-arranged blind date between two equally formidable people. An intense push and pull disguised as a deal, as they see through each other’s masks and uncover the secrets beneath... “Between you and me... is this really just a deal, or...” “Be my woman, and I can take you out like this every da —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 Fate’s Echo in a Sea of Blossoms 逆袭繁花里的宿命回响 When her entrepreneurial dream crashes against the iron wall of reality, Lin Wan is determined to fight against the odds. She starts out in a rented room barely ten square meters wide, races all over the city to win orders, and gives up every shred of pride to raise money. Just as success in landing a contract seems within reach, a rival’s malicious scheme strikes without warning. A client is stolen, the whole internet turns against her, and her reputation is ruined. Overnight, all her hard work 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 Looking Back at That Sea 回首，那片海 [One female lead Campus belle Older woman-younger man romance Childhood friends Campus story] [Everyday urban life Not a power fantasy, no face-slapping plotlines, no System] I'm a prospective university student who just finished the national college entrance exam. Yet my childhood-friend big sister schemed to get me into the university she attends. I have no idea what she's thinking. Every day, she works me to the bone, even though I'm a freshman who just came of age. “Zheng Chu! Are you ev 15Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 43 Loving You More and More 越来越爱 Goodbye may mean never seeing you again. In my dreams of endless years of war, I always see you, alone on the cliff; Half of it is longing, half of it is love, and the more I long, the more I love. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed. Everything has changed, and I have returned… [Lucky to have met you, grateful our paths crossed, and thankful for your companionship all this way.] 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 Lives Left Behind in Nanjing 那些离开南京的生活 Truthfully, I never thought of leaving this city. Those moments of unspeakable loneliness, the people who left, the girl with the high ponytail, all the memories have kept me trapped here. Perhaps I should live a different way. Hello, Nanjing. Goodbye, Nanjing. 1.3kReads8.4Score100Shelves
- 45 From the Start, I Sold Beer, and a Goddess Undercover Agent Took Out the Hitmen 开局卖啤酒，女神卧底坑杀手 Volume One: How Many Undercover Agents Are There? (Realistic Arc) [Undercover agents + goddess + no saintly heroine or simping + realism + values + intelligence] [No simps, white lotuses, self-righteous do-gooders, or scheming green-tea girls] [No sugary romance or obsessive romance fantasies, and no white-porridge sisters or cake sisters] (Read the realistic arc first, then the wild-imagination arc. It's funny and fun!) A major city in the south is a city that never sleeps. At ten at night, the 22Reads—Score—Shelves
- 46 From Involution to Lying Flat: A Corporate Drone’s Path to Enlightenment 从内卷到躺平：大厂社畜修行记 This is a story with a healing touch. From overwork to lying flat: A tale of a corporate drone’s journey at a major internet company, chronicling the endless grind of modern laid-off tech workers! Will you choose a cat-like approach to finding a job, a dog-like approach to working, or a Buddhist approach and lie flat? Between striving to get ahead and simply showing up to work, what will you choose? Join the cool and aloof Chi Mai as she explores modern city life and the path to healing yourself 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 47 Xiaotong, I’m Here for You 晓彤，我在你身边 The protagonist is an investor who failed abroad and returns to his home country to start over. But at home, he has another identity: a rich second-generation heir. By chance, he meets the woman he loves. After overcoming a thousand hardships, the two come to understand and support each other, eventually getting together and living a happy, sweet life. 42Reads—Score—Shelves
- 48 Rewriting Myth: Helping Zhao Gao Turn the Tide 改写神话：助赵高逆转乾坤 Rewriting Mythology: Helping Zhao Gao Turn the Tide 9Reads—Score—Shelves
- 49 Underworld Lust and Sin: The Twisted Life After My Fall 黑道孽欲：黑化后的妖孽人生 (Urban slice of life + lives consumed by desire + grounded and down-to-earth + multiple heroines + no brainless decisions + no melodrama + no cultivation + no System) What did an ordinary person at the bottom of society go through to end up on a one-way road into the underworld? If someone picks a fight, hit back. Life and death are no big deal! The plot is full of twists and turns, and relentlessly probes the human condition! So good it’ll make you pound your bed in a frenzy! If you love this k 35Reads—Score—Shelves
- 50 A Heron in the Mist 一鹭尘烟 [Urban + City Life + Workplace + One Female Lead + Romantic Tension + Domineering Female CEO + Poor Nobody's Rise to Success + No System + Xiamen Attractions and Food + Both Leads Are Each Other's First] Zhao Tianyi was born destined to be a poor nobody. He drifts aimlessly through the workplace and mingles with countless women, all in the hope of finding a beauty to fulfill his lifelong dream... Why has Lin Linglin, a stunning and icy-cold female CEO, fallen hopelessly in love? —Reads—Score—Shelves
