Novels like Cleaning Up the City
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Cleaning Up the City, best match first.
- 51 The City Mender 修补城池的人 A wealthy young woman who seems love-struck is actually ruthless, while a sharp-tongued working-class boy who seems scheming is actually perceptive and knows how to read people. Two people from completely different social backgrounds meet, fall in love, and come to understand each other. Many readers have asked why the male lead secretly paid for his ex-girlfriend's mother's medical treatment, saying it makes no sense. The answer will come later, so just be patient and keep reading. You'll disco 165Reads7.0Score—Shelves
- 52 Urban Hunter 都市猎人 After saving a girl who was about to jump, he embarked on a road of no return... Even if things get a little angsty early on, you can rest assured and read to the end. It absolutely has a happy ending for everyone! Keep reading, and you'll discover a different kind of excitement. 881Reads8.6Score100Shelves
- 53 My Husband Cheated, and a Man Said He’d Loved Me for Ten Thousand Years 老公出轨，有个男人说爱我一万年 (May every scumbag and mistress end up dead, eating shit, eating maggots, in jail, or disfigured. You can't afford to go easy on people like that…) The heroine, Xiang Zhenzhu, is 29 and loves her husband Zheng Hao with all her heart, working herself to the bone for his family! Little does she know that for the past seven years, her husband and mother-in-law have treated her like a servant, while her husband has been a serial cheater. When she finally decides to divorce him, she discovers t 28Reads—Score—Shelves
- 54 A Collection of Modern Shanghai Stories 上海现代故事集 Volume Two: A New Shanghai Mom. She has a second child, a son and a daughter, though her daughter’s troubles in middle school already have her at her wits’ end. She used to think she’d be happy as long as she had a modestly comfortable life, and at least she could count on her husband. But then her deranged sister-in-law shows up and turns both families’ lives into a complete mess! Volume One: An only daughter who has been abroad for twenty years rushes back to Shanghai to claim her grandmother 208Reads—Score—Shelves
- 55 The Watcher in the Wheat Fields 麦苗田里的守望者 I'll never forget that rainy summer night. The rain had turned the village's dirt roads to mud. One step could sink you in up to your calves. Clutching half a candle, I hurried home, stumbling through the muck, my heart pounding like I had a rabid rabbit inside me. Mom had promised she'd be home before dark, but it was already nine o'clock. 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 56 Reborn in the Cultivation World: Mastering the Art of Showing Off 重生之修仙界，练装逼神功 Reborn in the Cultivation World: Mastering the Art of Showing Off —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 57 The City’s Masked Man: Go Ahead, I’m Watching You Act 城市假面人，演，我看着你演 An ordinary person acts so convincingly that he could win an Oscar, living behind a mask as marriage, family, and career all deal him blow after blow. Like a cockroach, he is reborn against all odds. See how he copes with the chaos of everyday life and becomes a master of life's many skills! 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 58 Beyond the Walls, Where Do We Go? 围墙之外，何去何从 [No fixed couples, and readers with strong moral qualms should stay away! This novel loves pairing people in unexpected ways, and the ex-husband eventually becomes the son-in-law!] [All kinds of tangled relationships, mutual scheming, love and hate, but in the end everyone gets a happy ending!] [Everyone’s status gets reshuffled, and each person finds their own path to happiness! Hahaha~~] She watches her husband give her the green hat, then returns the favor in kind. Life is this thrilling, and 33Reads—Score—Shelves
- 59 Fallen into the Mortal World 坠落红尘间 His father is critically ill, and she can’t scrape together the money to save him. A poor college girl grits her teeth and steps into the late-night world of KTV! She masks her youth with cigarettes and alcohol, trading her dignity for medical bills. Can she make it to the end of this road? Will she succumb to the temptations of the neon lights? 78Reads—Score—Shelves
- 60 A Man’s Backbone 男人的脊梁 On the eve of the college entrance exam, senior student Zhou Yangfan's world came crashing down: his father broke his leg and was bedridden, while his overworked mother was suddenly hospitalized. He could stay in school and pursue his dream of going to university, but with both parents ill and a mountain of debt hanging over the family, they could barely afford even his basic living expenses. How could he concentrate? If he went home to care for his parents and share their burden, he would have 3.6kReads9.2Score431Shelves
- 61 A Windfall Makes a Life 横财成就人生 One lucky blow brings him a windfall. The real problem is how to launder it into legitimate personal income. It's like telling one lie and needing a hundred more to cover it: the problems just keep snowballing. Watch how the protagonist gets himself out of this mess. 451Reads6.1Score—Shelves
- 62 Xing Tianman 星天满 [Mature man and woman / lust before love / reunion after time apart / both clear-eyed] Black-haired, wavy-haired tattoo artist vs. close-cropped director of a jewelry company The first night, she slipped away in secret. The second time they met, she disappeared without a word again. Until they meet once more. He looks at the woman he's longed for day and night and offers his hand. “Hello, I'm Ke Yiming.” She takes his hand. “Hello, I'm Nan Jiawen.” Every time I think of you, a flower blooms. T 311Reads8.7Score103Shelves
- 63 Lost in Marriage: The Stranger in My Bed 婚姻迷途，枕边的陌生人 It had started out as an ordinary day. After finishing his work at the office, he came home early. His wedding anniversary with his wife was just a few days away, and he planned to buy her some gifts and surprise her. Hehe... 158Reads5.8Score—Shelves
- 64 Whoa! Transmigrating to 2016 Is the Best 我去！穿越到2016真的爽翻了 The male lead took first place in the entire grade during his first semester, then grew complacent. During a class in his first year of high school in 2006, he fell fast asleep and accidentally transmigrated ten years into the future, to 2016. When he woke up, everything around him was utterly unfamiliar, as if he had slept through the past ten years without experiencing any of them. The people and things around him had all become strangers. He didn't even recognize his best college classmate an 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 65 Borrow Your Way to the Top 贷你高飞 Finance: what a high-end term. It represents wealth, professionalism, and legitimacy. Is that really the case? That's what happens when you watch too much television. They make it seem far more glamorous than it is, attracting countless ambitious young people who all want to make money here and live comfortable, respectable lives from then on. Everything has two sides. Where there's high-end, there's low-end; where there's legitimacy, there's gray area. The glittering nightlife and lavish indulg 88Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 66 The Leisurely Life After Financial Freedom 财富自由后的悠闲生活 [No System + Urban Entrepreneurship + Traditional] In the spring of 2010, Lu Dalang, a senior at an agricultural university, was about to graduate. His girlfriend, Qian Mei, wanted to return to her hometown, where her parents had already arranged a job for her and she had familiar connections. Lu Dalang, determined to pursue his own future, angrily headed to the provincial capital. His girlfriend left him with one condition: “Buy a house, and come get me so we can live in the provincial capital. 3.9kReads8.2Score146Shelves
- 67 A Cigarette 一支烟 I stood up and staggered toward the exit. I struggled to push away each person who came to help me. I didn't take the elevator. Step by step, I climbed the stairs to the rooftop. When I pushed open the rooftop door, a hint of late autumn's cool breeze brushed my face. The light was so bright that I had to squint. I could clearly see her. Across the rooftop stood a long-haired girl. She said, “Could I have a cigarette?” If you're willing, I'll love you forever. If you're not, I'll choose to pine 88Reads—Score—Shelves
- 68 My Small-Town Girlfriend 我的小城女友 No matter how long people live in a big city, they eventually return to a small town. Xiyang, a genius who made his fortune through stock trading, finds his life going nowhere after his girlfriend cheats on him and his career hits a wall. He leaves Chengdu, a city full of memories, and returns to his hometown, where he meets the girl who will become his small-town girlfriend. This is an ordinary book, but the small-town life it tells of is anything but ordinary. 69Reads—Score—Shelves
- 69 The Bankruptcy Runaway’s Guide to Paying Off Debt 破产跑路还债记 His debts came crashing down, leaving him with just 20,000 yuan. He wanted to turn his life around, but his desperation only dragged him deeper into trouble. [Debt + Entrepreneurship] [Realistic style] A different story of debt, running away, and paying it all back for today's younger generation. 5.7kReads8.9Score550Shelves
- 70 Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fades 春花秋逝 (Not a wish-fulfillment story, no transmigration, realistic, about an ordinary person struggling to survive in the cracks. Don’t read if that’s not your thing.) Since you all want to kill me, I’ll start by eloping with your daughters!! 588Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 71 A Glimmer of Light on a Dark Path, Breaking Free Like a Butterfly 暗途微光破茧成蝶 What do you think is the worst thing that can happen in life: losing your job or having your marriage fall apart? For me, Lin Yue, both came crashing down at the same time. I used to be the chief assembly engineer at an electronics factory, but the wave of layoffs swept me away. Then my husband cheated, and his mistress moved right into our home. My marriage was left in pieces. After the divorce, I was left to raise my thirteen-year-old daughter, Xiao Longnu, on my own. The weight of life’s pres 4Reads9.4Score—Shelves
- 72 The Red and Blue Battlefield 红蓝战场 Of everyone I’ve lost, the person I miss most is myself. In gambling, the scariest thing isn’t winning or losing, but the temptation of desire. A decade of bets, a lifetime in chains. The neon lights of Macau baccarat once illuminated my ambition. The chips at tables back home in Texas built up a false sense of prestige. The “guaranteed win” pitches in online gambling pop-ups ultimately dragged me into a bottomless pit. I thought I had desire under control, but I had long since become a puppet o 2kReads8.0Score106Shelves
- 73 Official Fortune: Soaring to the Top 官运：扶摇职上 When Chen Fu makes a delivery to his wife Luo Yao's shop, he unexpectedly sees something he shouldn't have. After a huge fight with his wife, he decides, for the sake of their marriage, to rethink his career. As he makes his way through the workplace, he gradually discovers a side of his wife he never knew existed... 200Reads5.9Score—Shelves
- 74 The Fire Burns Bright 炉火正红 A person’s life is like a lump of coal. Only by resisting the lure of superficial pleasures, enduring crushing pressure, and quietly growing stronger can you kindle a bright, fiery tomorrow! This book faithfully records the rise of a coal-mining family worth tens of billions, giving readers a glimpse into how the first generation of wealthy entrepreneurs made their fortunes in the 1990s. The title itself is ironic: the wave of private appropriation back then made a great many well-connected peop 641Reads8.9Score100Shelves
- 75 Me, So Ordinary 我，如此普通 I was born ordinary, with an average appearance and an unremarkable family. I have no legendary life filled with dramatic twists, nor any grand, stirring story to tell. Most people in this world are ordinary, living out their days in obscurity. I am no different. I cannot write earth-shattering plots or create dazzling protagonists. I write only of everyday life, recording the meals and seasons of ordinary people, their confusion and struggles, their helplessness and compromises. No filters, 14Reads—Score—Shelves
- 76 With No Hope of Making It, I Flip the Chessboard 上岸无望，我掀翻棋局 This is the era Chen Mo is about to enter once again, an age where hope and anxiety coexist, and order and chaos intertwine. On the surface, everything is thriving, and every road seems to lead to Rome. But each road is crowded with competitors, and behind every door that appears wide open may lie unexpected detours and hurdles. Opportunities flicker like fireflies on a summer night, while traps disguise themselves as steps toward a shortcut. This is an age that magnifies the importance of “choi 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 77 My Intern Girlfriend Is the CEO 我的实习期女友是总裁 Under pressure from his family to get married, Zou Heng is forced to go on a blind date before the Lunar New Year. He meets the bizarre Wang Min, who tells him, “I’ve been married before, and any child we have has to take my daughter’s surname.” Zou Heng promptly pays and leaves, refusing to be a sucker. Wanting his parents to be able to hold their heads high in the village, he rents out one of the company’s inconspicuous interns, Zhao Jing, to go home with him. 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 78 Since I Stopped Putting Up with My Marriage, I've Been Living My Best Life 自从婚姻不再忍着过老娘我爽爆了 Hua Roulan stayed in the big city of Hailing after graduating from university. Her husband, Cheng Chuanhe, had a doctorate and ran a company. “You don't earn as much as I do. What gives you the right to make me do the housework?” Whenever Cheng Chuanhe flew into a rage, he erupted like a landslide, completely hysterical. Arguments between married couples are inevitable, but he resorted to verbal attacks and emotional abuse... She really couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to keep enduri 43Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 79 Reborn: The Difficult Road of Medicine 重生之医路难行 From the start, he possesses fifty years' worth of neurosurgical skills, making him invincible in the operating room. Then he discovers a pair of miraculous eyes, a godsend for a brain surgeon. This time, Zhang Fufeng will defy fate and change his life, not only for himself, but also to make up for the regrets of his friends and family. 74Reads—Score—Shelves
- 80 The Three Beauties of the Su Family 苏家三美 [Contemporary Urban Fiction + Uplifting + Down-to-Earth] The love stories of three sisters: Marrying up, marrying on equal terms, or marrying down? What does it really take to marry happily? If you've run out of shows to watch lately, come read my book! Reading it is just like binge-watching a TV series. You'll definitely fall in love with the three beautiful Su sisters! Su Yimei marries into a wealthy family. She's a clever, strong female lead, and I'll do her justice! Su Ermei is physically di 1.2kReads8.8Score113Shelves
- 81 The Virus Strikes: I’m the Only Man Left in the World 病毒来袭：我是全世界唯一的男人 A virus that affects men sweeps across the globe, and overnight, every man disappears! Zhang Xiaohu wakes up to discover that he has become the only man left in the entire world! Humanity is on the brink of extinction, and countries everywhere are gripped by panic. Only by finding men can human civilization continue! Zhang San is now humanity’s only hope of carrying on the family line! 271Reads—Score—Shelves
- 82 Campus Chronicles: Burning with Passion 校园风云之热血燃烧 Campus Drama: Passion Ignited 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 83 Words Without Sound 言无声 [Not a feel-good power fantasy] [science fiction] [no System] [school life] In 1995, an outbreak began in Tianfu City after the water supply was accidentally contaminated. Within just a few days, countless animals and humans began to mutate. The infected, who had the ability to regenerate and could not die, lost their minds and attacked ordinary people. The entire city gradually fell. After a fierce battle in which the military suffered heavy casualties, the outbreak was finally contained before 4Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 84 Breaking Free 逃离束缚 Su Yu and Tang Yilan met on a blind date arranged by their university professor. After spending some time together, they both decided they liked each other, so they went to meet each other’s parents. At first, everything seemed to go smoothly, but after they got married, they argued over whether to rent a place of their own. Su Yu also has an older brother, Su Lun, who has been married to Zhao Yanan for years, but still has no children of his own. After finally getting married, Tang Yilan reali 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 85 Us in Xiangyang Lane 向阳里的我们 [#Real life, #warm neighborhood stories, #healing family bonds, #raising a child and turning life around] Delivery worker Wang Xiaojun had a pain he couldn't put into words: his six-year-old son Xiaobao lived in his own world, like a star. One moment of carelessness nearly resulted in Xiaobao getting lost, sending the entire Xingfuli residential community into chaos. The incident tore open the cracks in Wang Xiaojun and his wife Li Xiujuan's strained marriage, while also revealing the troubles 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 86 I Only Wanted My 10,000 Yuan Back 我本来只想要回一万块 I used to be just an ordinary programmer. In 2019, I moved to Chengdu and joined a company that didn’t look like much, but would change the course of my life. At first, I thought I’d simply run into a poorly managed small company that couldn’t keep its promises: my probation period dragged on, my salary was changed, they failed to pay my social insurance, mishandled my housing fund, and kept putting off raises until next month, the second half of the year, year-end, or after the company reforme 10Reads8.5Score—Shelves
- 87 A Conspiracy Within the Marriage 婚内合谋 After the passion fades, the leads settle into a dull married life, paying off their debts and living without intimacy. Then the male lead's best friend cheats, and through a twist of fate, the female lead receives hush money of 300,000 yuan. Her desire to make money suddenly awakens, and she joins forces with her husband to start a business. As they make money hand over fist, they rediscover the passion of their romance. Greed and the desires of love and hate collide in a tangle of human nature 63Reads—Score—Shelves
- 88 The Mangroves and Lychee Fragrance Bay 红树林与荔香湾 [Troubled families + drifting careers + tangled romances + unpredictable personalities + tragedy] [A realist tragedy! Readers looking for feel-good wish fulfillment, stay away.] A group of young people who chose the wrong majors and ended up in the wrong fields! In reality, ideals beckon; in pursuit of ideals, reality pulls you back. How do you reconcile the two? Is a person’s misfortune caused by their circumstances, their personality, or fate? Two young women stood before Wu Yifan. Anxious and 9Reads—Score—Shelves
- 89 Roaming the Martial World with Sword in Hand 仗剑江湖行 Wielding a sword, he roams the martial world. 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 90 My Angel Investor Is My Adorable Husband 天使投资人是我的小娇夫 Told from the heroine's perspective, this story follows her journey from an innocent, inexperienced newcomer to the working world to a successful professional woman. Fang Yuwei and the hero, Lin Peifeng, meet on campus. He falls for her at first sight and takes care of her and stays by her side, but Lin Peifeng's identity is not so simple. As the heroine makes her way through the workplace, she encounters all kinds of unwritten rules, both obvious and hidden. She changes jobs several times and m 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 91 He Hid in the Years, Loving Me for So Long 他藏在时光里，爱了我很多年 My name is Guo Yaoze. When I was six, a little girl moved in next door. She wore two tiny pigtails and had dimples when she smiled. She gave me her only lollipop. “Brother Xiaoze, I don’t like sweets.” It was twenty years before I learned she’d been lying to me. When I was nine, my family moved away. She cried downstairs, and I cried in the car. At fifteen, I transferred back and she became my desk mate, but she didn’t remember me. At seventeen, after the college entrance exams, my mother sent 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 92 The Distance of Love Is Just Right 爱的距离刚刚好 Yu Kai saw the morning light streaming through the skylight fall across Qi Ji's face. Her eyes lowered slightly, and her long lashes veiled them like a mist. Her smooth forehead, straight, graceful nose, and faintly upturned lips formed a delicate, alluring profile in the sunlight. With her gaze lowered yet oblivious to everyone around her, she walked briskly past Yu Kai toward the South District office, her steps light but purposeful. A breeze followed in her wake, lifting her shoulder-length s 15Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 93 I Found My Nemesis as a Roommate, and Our Quarrels Turned into Love 合租遇冤家，吵着吵着动心了 I became roommates with my nemesis, and all our bickering made us fall for each other —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 94 My Life After Escaping to Lijiang 我逃离到丽江的生活 A disillusioned young man at the lowest point in his life drifts from city to city, enduring one hardship after another. At last, he and a friend embark on a journey of redemption. When they reach the dreamlike city of Lijiang, he encounters a curious connection spanning three thousand kilometers and meets all kinds of fascinating people. His ordinary life takes a turn, and a story of love and hate quietly begins to unfold. 302Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 95 Together Beneath the Clock Flowers 时钟花的相伴 [No System, No Rebirth] + [Everyday Cohabitation] + [One Female Lead] + [Childhood Sweethearts] + [Multiple Perspectives, Ensemble Cast, and Romance] + [Grounded in Reality] Related by blood? Sure, we're a little close, but the Marriage Law allows it!!! Xiang Gu turned twenty-two, and the very next day, on Tong Mengmeng's twenty-second birthday, they got their marriage licenses. Love between childhood sweethearts isn't a matter of falling for each other over time. It's love at first sight, with 13Reads8.8Score—Shelves
- 96 I Never Meant to Become a Landlord 我真没想当房东 [Slow Burn + No Idiocy + No System + Realistic] Five years of waiting ended with the other person saying, “Let's break up.” Then a girl suddenly showed up at my house, asking to rent a room. And she was beautiful, too. I hadn't wanted to say yes, but the girl was so pushy. 765Reads6.2Score105Shelves
- 97 A Love Triangle in Marriage 婚姻里的三角恋 [Contemporary realistic fiction + the married life of ordinary people in Beijing + love triangles in marriage + real struggles] Bai Xue and Wang Yang are a young married couple living in Beijing. Wang Yang is a typical “phoenix man,” a country boy who made it big in the city. After ten years of marriage, he cheats on her. After they divorce, Bai Xue meets another man, and her new life begins… What makes this book special: A woman faces betrayal in her marriage, but after the hardship comes 1.4kReads8.8Score139Shelves
- 98 A Drifter's Rise Begins with a Dream 盲流小子的崛起，从梦开始 A vivid memory, born from an accident during an experiment, streaked into the sky as a flash of blue light and landed in the mind of a young man with the same name in a parallel world, a cosmic reflection of our own. It slowly began to influence and change his life, as well as the lives of his family and friends. Literary luminaries: Such a gifted young talent. It’s a shame he has a mouth on him. Students: His poetry and essays are excellent, but he’s a real jerk! Famous songwriter: That kid doe 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 99 The Jianghu: I Am the Kingpin 江湖：我即为枭 [Underworld] [Brothers United] [Mind-Bending] [Passionate and Thrilling] Three years in prison couldn't dull my edge. My name is Wang Xiao. I spent three years behind bars for offending a powerful figure. After my release, I returned to my old stomping grounds with my brothers and the skills my master taught me. Some want to trample me underfoot. Some want to stab me in the back. And my enemies, lurking in the shadows, are watching me like hawks. But my life is no longer something just anyone ca 98Reads—Score—Shelves
- 100 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
