Novels like Dongguan: My Years as a Migrant Worker
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Dongguan: My Years as a Migrant Worker, best match first.
- 101 Zhidan's Ninth Book 纸淡的第9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! 14Reads5.2Score—14d adds
- 102 Reborn, I Make My Ex-Wife Beg for My Love 重生后，让前妻当舔狗 The male lead, Fang Yuan, falls in love with An Yinuo, the heiress to a wealthy family, and marries her. He thinks they can live happily ever after. But their marriage lasts only ten years before Fang Yuan is kicked out of the house and left with nothing. In their sleep, they are reborn and return to their high school days in 2008. In this life, Fang Yuan just wants to live as he pleases: play basketball, play games, start a business and become rich, set foot on the moon, research controlled nuc 71Reads5.4Score—14d adds
- 103 The Women Who Walked Beside Me Through the Years 那些陪我走过红尘岁月的女人 This book is also known as My Twenty-Six-Year-Old Boss. How does a country boy rise up from the very bottom as a wage laborer? Step by step, he makes his way through Guangdong, battles it out in Shanghai, and heads to northern Myanmar. The road is perilous, the struggles fierce, but beauty blooms along the way. With charming women by his side, he ultimately reaches the pinnacle of life! That day, in that year, as my young self boarded the train south with the girl I loved, I knew that an unknown 952Reads8.7Score12014d adds
- 104 A Poor Kid's Rise to Billionaire at Thirty-Five 穷小子逆袭三十五岁成亿万富豪 (Slow-burn setup in the early chapters; urban life, emotions, sweet and heartwarming everyday moments + one female lead + 1v1 + mutual devotion + office life + romance + childhood friends and first love) This book mainly follows the many ups and downs in Zhu Zilong's life, and the warmth and harshness of the world around him. After succeeding as an entrepreneur and changing his fate, he grows more mature and dependable. Yet even after achieving success in his career, he remains single. He can't 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 105 The Gray Trade 灰色行业 For a man, whether he's working the edges of the law or investing, success means happiness for the whole family, while failure is his burden alone. There are no gamblers, just poor kids trying to turn their lives around. 528Reads—Score10614d adds
- 106 My Ex-Wife Vs. My Ex-Girlfriend: I Sit Back and Drink 前妻PK前女友，我在一旁喝大酒 [Urban] [Multiple Heroines] [Lighthearted Comedy] [Entirely Handmade] My name is Hao Qilai. My ex-girlfriend burned funeral offerings for me, and my ex-wife made me spend two years as a carrot inspector. Recently, I became a lifeguard at a seaside bathing beach, selling balloons on the side while collecting rent. I thought this was all life had in store for me, until the day I rescued my landlady and my ex-girlfriend. My ex-wife was there too. And things got even crazier: in the game I play, the 46Reads6.0Score—14d adds
- 107 My Girlfriend, the Capitalist Tycoon 我的资本巨鳄女友 A crush is a momentary surrender; love is an obsession that lasts a lifetime. 26Reads—Score—14d adds
- 108 Please Give Me One Last Cigarette Tonight 请给我今晚的最后一支烟 [Everyday life, down-to-earth, romance.] “I used to think my life would just stay this way. I figured I might as well give up and let everything fall apart. But after falling apart for long enough, I realized I really am a complete wreck.” “Actually, no one is a lost cause. And neither are you.” 1.4kReads8.8Score10014d adds
- 109 Intern from the Start: Making the Heiress of a Top Family Chase After Me 开局实习生：让顶豪千金倒追我 The day her family sent her to the bottom rung of the company as an intern supervisor, Gu Zhaotang spotted her prey in the employee cafeteria. The future tech mogul who would drive a rival company into bankruptcy was now hunched over a cold steamed bun, fixing bugs. With a crape myrtle flower in her hair, she sat down in front of him. “Work for me, and I’ll get you onto the industry’s Hall of Fame within three years.” The crowd scoffed. “What’s an intern doing, pretending to be some big-shot CEO 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 110 Peeping: The Butterfly Effect 偷窥之蝴蝶效应 The male lead is a complete loser. By chance, he discovers a female colleague's secret, turning his work and personal life upside down. Two mature adults with sharp minds and social skills engage in an intense game of push and pull. Love begins for reasons unknown and grows deeper with every passing day: they love and are loved, hurt and are hurt, grow through their pain, then fade from one another's memories. This is also the story of an ordinary worker's growth. 472Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 111 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. 4kReads8.2Score15014d adds
- 112 My Tenth Year as a Simp 我当舔狗的第十年 Mo Ziyan screamed because Yang Dun had knocked her to the ground, and the fall hurt. Yang Dun screamed because he had accidentally pressed his hand against Mo Ziyan’s chest... Embarrassed, Yang Dun quickly scrambled to his feet, then awkwardly helped Mo Ziyan up. But Mo Ziyan thought Yang Dun had knocked her down on purpose. “Team Leader Yang, how could you be so naughty? You told me to stand right here and not move, but it turns out you were lining me up so you could knock me over!?” —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 113 Stories from the Construction Site 工地上的那些事儿 [No System, entirely hand-written. Men and women on a construction site, struggling to survive in the workplace.] They say construction sites are chaotic, women are scarce, and beautiful women are even rarer. After graduating from college, I started working at a construction site. On my very first day, I met Sister Xiaoya, who was already married, and accidentally offended the site boss. It turned out that the construction site held more than just men and women. There were also stories few peopl 10.9kReads7.6Score81814d adds
- 114 Gray Industries: On the Fringes of the City 灰色产业：游走于都市边缘 In 2005, the college entrance exam took me from the countryside to the city. I thought that if I worked hard enough, I could make a life for myself there. But reality taught me that in the face of power and money, hard work counted for nothing. For people like me, born with nothing, making something of ourselves means taking a road less traveled. First-person narration, no cheat powers, no over-the-top melodrama. My values are more respectable than my looks. Come give it a try. 102.2kReads9.1Score10.8k14d adds
- 115 Never Turning Back 誓不回头 Also titled: The Ideal Life Is One Where You Can Soar Without Cheats. This is an amusing story with a touch of melancholy. Fresh out of school, Ma Yiming feels lost. “What's a life plan? Adults make plan after plan, but in the end, all they get is a measly paycheck?” His friend Chen Guangxu is just as lost. “...Four of us were sent to intern at the fitness center, and I was the only guy they assigned to sell memberships. I'm a boxing major. What am I doing selling memberships? Damn it, all the 3.7kReads9.1Score40814d adds
- 116 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. 5.4kReads8.9Score51814d adds
- 117 Piercing Through Time: The Old Era, Stealing Fire, No Return 刺穿异时光：旧纪元，盗火，无归 Earth is dead. From the Solar System to Laniakea, this corner of the universe has finally found peace. Lin Qi’s legendary life begins in its final ten chapters. Only then will his little universe erupt. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 118 Until We Meet Again 不見不散 [Reunion after years apart + bickering couple + modern romance + second chance at love + heartwarming healing story] The hero and heroine meet in middle school. When they go off to different universities, their immature, youthful personalities gradually drive them apart. Years later, they reunite and rekindle their relationship. It's a little story about finding their way back to each other. For a relationship to blossom and bear fruit, the right people must meet at the right time in the right f 61Reads—Score—14d adds
- 119 You're the One I Love Most 你是我最爱的那个人 [Series: 1. You Are the Person I Love Most] [Series: 2. Moonlight at Our Desk, Scattered Across Two Cities] [Urban]+ [School life]+ [Romance]+ [First-person narration]+ [Semi-autobiographical] Chen He is me, and I am Chen He. During their noisy high school years, filled with the cries of cicadas, Chen He and Xiao Yao spend three years as deskmates, together every day. The strands of hair that fall across her face as she bends over her homework, the bright smile in her eyes when she shares snacks 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 120 I Sat at the Wrong Table on a Blind Date and Ended Up Marrying a Cool CEO at First Sight 相亲坐错桌，我闪婚了冷艳女总裁 [Marriage First, Love Later + Sweet Romance + Devoted Husband + Male Lead Plays the Pig to Eat the Tiger] She sat at the wrong table on a blind date, and the beautiful woman immediately named her price. “Thirty thousand for one night?” The beautiful woman replied, “Thirty thousand a month, as a trial. If you satisfy me, I’ll pay you three hundred thousand a month.” “Miss, you’re tempting me to commit a crime!” “If you think you’re up to it, we can get right to the point and go register our marri 679Reads6.5Score10714d adds
- 121 Our Long River of Years 我们的岁月长河 Our Long River of Years is divided into three parts. Following the ordinary lives of three generations of Zhao Jiafu’s family, railway workers, it spans from the 1950s to the 2020s. It recounts the joys and sorrows, happiness and heartbreak, and everyday troubles experienced by the three generations of the Zhao family and the ordinary people around them over the long river of time. It depicts the turbulent lives of ordinary people as the times change and society develops. Time flows like a river 180Reads—Score—14d adds
- 122 Marriage Partners 婚姻合伙人 I have a very beautiful wife. In the eyes of everyone around us, she’s the perfect wife, a dutiful daughter-in-law, and my ideal match. Her career is even going better than mine. By all conventional wisdom, anyone would be more than content with a wife like her, but I can’t stop thinking about divorcing her… 3kReads8.7Score25014d adds
- 123 Power and Ambition in the Underworld: The Road to a Comeback 权欲江湖：逆袭之路 He Yu Hui started out as nothing more than a humble doctor. What opportunities did he encounter? What did he do? How much did he accomplish for the people? How high did he rise in government? What kind of story did he live as a man? This heartfelt work will show you one man’s path to growth and the rise of an honest official! [Grounded + Beauty + Political Career + Smart Protagonist] The early chapters are a bit cautious, but the later ones are incredibly satisfying. A must-read gem from Tomato 30Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 124 A Working Girl’s Life Through Wind and Rain 打工女孩的风雨人生路 In the 1990s, a wave of migrant workers swept across the country, and countless young people left their hometowns for the big cities. The dazzling neon lights of the metropolis conjured one fantasy after another, while burying the youth of so many. Longing for a fresh start, the naive young Zhou Jie joined the great wave heading south. From getting a factory job to running away, from falling on hard times to fighting her way forward, she had to tread carefully at every step. She thought that a 259Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 125 Those Years I Was the Big Brother 我当的哥那些年 Yang Rui, a struggling online novelist, applied to become a Didi rideshare driver so he could make ends meet and stop sponging off his parents. He thought it would just be a way to earn some extra money, but he never imagined that over the years he spent behind the wheel, he'd enjoy one stroke of good luck after another and meet benefactors who would help him rise... 192Reads9.3Score—14d adds
- 126 Overnight, the Uncle's Life Bounced Back from Rock Bottom 一夜之间，大叔的生活触底反弹 Gao Weiguo, a middle-aged man born in the 1970s, had thought he would retire from his insurance company in quiet mediocrity. Little did he know that an opportunity that suddenly came his way would completely change his life… 3.9kReads8.7Score30614d adds
- 127 Men’s Forbidden Zone 男人禁区 A wisp of fragrance brushed gently across Zhang Yijin's face. “Ah, where am I?” A beautiful young woman lay in Zhang Yijin's arms, smiling at him. “Brother Jin, we're in a hotel room.” “What? No way. How did we end up together?” Looking at his ex-wife's best friend, Zhang Yijin was completely bewildered. “You got drunk, so I brought you to the hotel!” As she spoke, the beauty leaned close to Zhang Yijin's ear and whispered softly. Suddenly, Zhang Yijin remembered his situation: he had cancer, hi 16Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 128 Life Is but a Dream 人生如梦 After his business failed, all the people around him kicked him while he was down. Even his wife did something that enraged him. From then on, he worked tirelessly to grow stronger, build a thriving business, and make a name for himself. 27.3kReads8.5Score1k14d adds
- 129 She Is the Light I Owe 她是我欠下的一场光 “Now your tears look like the real performance of a personality disorder.” Thirty-year-old Wang Mang was shrewd and self-serving, accustomed to weighing every option. He had a fiancée in name only, yet one night at an ear-cleaning salon, he fell into the clear eyes of nineteen-year-old Jiang Qi. He thought he was in control, replacing companionship with “guidance” and masking indifference with “maturity.” He taught her to be sensible, to be independent, and to keep her composure in a cruel worl 6Reads7.0Score—14d adds
- 130 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 33Reads—Score—14d adds
- 131 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—14d adds
- 132 The Wife’s Mask 妻子的假面 His wife slips out to hotels and bars late at night. After looking into it, he discovers that beneath her gentle, virtuous exterior, she is hiding many secrets. After unmasking his wife, what should he do next... (P.S. No golden finger or supernatural abilities in this book, just the most genuine emotions.) 1.2kReads6.9Score10014d adds
- 133 Aunt Mei 媚姨 Male Lead: Ding Yuan Female Lead: Liu Meiyi No one is reborn, and there is no System. This is an era of struggle belonging to the older generation! That year, Ding Yuan earned top marks in the imperial examinations, only to have his life stolen from him when his stepmother conspired with her family to switch his results. His father, unaware of the truth, set out on a rainy night to sell goods in the mountains and raise money for Ding Yuan to retake the exams. But the tractor overturned in a ravi 5.8kReads8.8Score47714d adds
- 134 We're Reborn, So Of Course We Should Break Up First! 都重生了，当然要先分手！ [Food + cooking + farming + reviving a time-honored brand] [No cultivation] [The System plays a very minor role] [Food, cooking, business, and realism take center stage] Feng Bin is reborn in the 1990s. After breaking up with his wife from his previous life, he chooses to ride the wave of the times and seek his fortune in a big city. By chance, he takes over a time-honored restaurant. It all begins with saving the old establishment. With his superb cooking skills, Feng Bin revives the venerable 1.8kReads8.7Score10714d adds
- 135 The Women Who Love Me 爱我的女人们 After chatting with his wife, Li Bufan closed WeChat and went back to revising his manuscript on the computer. Suddenly, his head buzzed. His vision went black and white, and then he felt himself caught in a gigantic whirlpool, spinning wildly. For a brief moment, it was as if he had entered a faster-than-light tunnel, surrounded by dazzling lights of every color. The miraculous sensation lasted only a moment, and soon he came to his senses. But as Li Bufan gazed at the familiar mahogany desk in 30Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 136 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. 765Reads6.2Score10514d adds
- 137 A Flower in the Dust, Blooming Toward the Sun 尘埃里的花，向阳而生 This story follows Shi Xiaoying, beginning at eighteen when she elopes for love. It traces her marriage through sweetness, betrayal, and endurance, culminating in her awakening. Woven through the story are her children’s perspectives and the kindness of those who watch from the sidelines. It portrays a woman struggling between betrayal and perseverance before finally breaking free and embracing a new life. Exploring responsibility and self-worth in love and marriage, it reveals the resilience th 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 138 Bullied by My Boss, My Aunt Helps Me Fight Back 被上司欺压，阿姨带你去反扑 During a round of layoffs at the company, Xia Zhan was abandoned by the leader he trusted most, something he never saw coming. But Xia Zhan refused to give up. He teamed up with Hou Xiaotian and planned his moves step by step. Watch Xia Zhan enjoy life in the workplace. 377Reads—Score—14d adds
- 139 Confession Game: Eight Seats 坦白局:八个位置 Confession Game: Eight Seats —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 140 Foolish Mother 傻娘 My father was dead, my mother had gone mad. The day I came home, I saw someone destroying it... 43.1kReads9.0Score1.3k14d adds
- 141 What a Masterful Trick, Auntie Is on Her Knees for You 千术真高，阿姨给你跪了 After my parents divorced, I went to live with my father. But when I was twenty-five, the mother who had abandoned me sixteen years earlier suddenly showed up, wanting to claim me as her child. My mother is the head of a top-tier company, with powerful forces backing her. Faced with my mother’s attempt to make amends, what should I do? 407Reads7.1Score13614d adds
- 142 Rising to the Top of the Jianghu in '95 九五江湖上位 Night falls, and the lights of Victoria Harbour come on one by one, dyeing the water a shimmering gold. But deep inside Kowloon Walled City, there isn’t a single proper streetlamp. Zhou Quan squats in a cramped stairwell, clutching half a stale pineapple bun and washing it down with a bottle of flat Vita Soy for dinner. The corridor reeks of a mixture of damp, mold, and the bitter Chinese herbs simmering next door. Together, these smells make up the air he has known for eighteen years, so famili 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 143 Her Secret Thoughts: A Young Man’s Hidden Diary in a Small Village 致她的心事：小村青年的隐秘日记 No formulaic plot | Not a wish-fulfillment novel | Realistic fiction | Zhou Zhiqiang grows up amid poverty and chaos in her birth family, with her father instilling in her the survival rule that “you have to please people to survive.” She gets into college and lands a job at a bank. A well-off man, Ke Qingyan, pursues her, but as the truth about her family comes out, she gradually loses her self-respect and her relationship. Later, burdened with debt, she returns to her hometown and, under he 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 144 They Stole My Credit, So I Slacked Off and Made the Whole Industry Panic 抢我功绩？我摆烂后卷哭全行业 When your boss takes credit for your work, when the results of your all-nighters become someone else's reward, what do you do? Lin Zhou's answer: he slacks off on the spot! He refuses 996 work schedules and empty promises, and vanishes the moment quitting time comes. Everyone thinks he's washed up, but little do they know that the instant he smashes the sign proclaiming him a "workaholic," he awakens the [Anti-Grind God-Tier System]! The harder he slacks off, the bigger the rewards! He uses a te —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 145 My Girl from Zhaoqing 我的肇庆姑娘 [Childhood Sweethearts]+ [Older Sister]+ [Girlfriend Appears Out of Nowhere] Most people think Shanghai is an oppressive city because they walk along the Bund or down Nanjing West Road, crowded with foreigners, and see all the glittering bustle around them, yet feel they have no part in it. This is the story of a drifting man who escapes Shanghai and eventually finds his happy ending. 525Reads—Score—14d adds
- 146 A Middle-Aged Woman's Reckless Years 中年荒唐的女人 The story is about Yang Liu, an ordinary woman from the bottom of society. Hardworking and capable, she refuses to settle for an ordinary life, but ends up making a complete mess of things, surrounded by chaos and constant commotion... 2.7kReads8.6Score22414d adds
- 147 From Abandoned Baby to CEO 从弃婴到总裁 [Inspirational] [Youth] [Contemporary romance grounded in reality] [Modern urban fiction] Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but Sun Xue was abandoned by her parents at birth. Heaven showed her no mercy because of the circumstances of her birth. Her relatives died one after another. Poverty, bullying, injustice, career setbacks, and betrayal by her lover... One blow after another overwhelmed her. Desperate, dejected, and depressed, she even thought about ending her life. A 14.6kReads9.2Score1.3k14d adds
- 148 Dongguan: I Don't Believe in Love 东莞：不相信爱情 Fast-food romance, a story as common as dirt, a future that seems out of reach, and a life full of struggle. Beneath the neon lights, not a single rose can escape the assembly line's blades. There are always a few women waiting in the alleys of the urban village. P.S. I'll teach you how to pursue a rich woman. 12.2kReads8.1Score61614d adds
- 149 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 775Reads8.9Score10714d adds
- 150 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 3.6kReads9.2Score43114d adds
