Novels like Middle Age: City of Desire
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Middle Age: City of Desire, best match first.
- 51 What's There to Fear About Divorce at 40? My First Love Has My Back 40岁离婚怕什么，还有初恋兜底 [A levelheaded housewife who knows when to retreat and when to advance + an icy doctor who advances by retreating] [Midlife struggles + parent-child relationships + redemption + mutual healing] Her husband is having an affair with his boss. Her son is a high school senior and has started dating. Zhu Yi, who quit her job three years ago, feels as if her world is collapsing. Then she unexpectedly runs into Yang Yiqing, her first love, whom she had lost touch with years ago. Suddenly, time speeds 111Reads—Score—14d adds
- 52 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
- 53 Fate Is a Sunny Day 缘是晴天 Memories of youth, growing up, and heartbreak, buried by time and kept close to the heart. May the love shared by Xie Qiyuan and Jiang Ziqing touch your heart. Because they loved each other so deeply back then, their love turned into countless tears. Even so, at a fork in the road with no hope in sight, they would keep waiting for him to come. 22Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 54 The Chinese Bodyguard 国产保镖 54Reads6.3Score87714d adds
- 55 Shenzhen Stories: Sister Ji 深圳往事霁姐 You resent that I was born too soon; I resent that you were born too late. Though we could not live at the same time, we can still share a grave. Mo Chou happens to meet Wu Zhiji, a beautiful, kind-hearted young widow ten years her senior. Was it that love came too early, before she knew how to cherish it, or that by the time she learned to love, they had become strangers? Disclaimer: The locations, people, companies, and events in this book are unrelated to real life! 56Reads6.3Score—14d adds
- 56 The Shoe Factory Worker Holds Forth, and She Knows So Much! 鞋厂女工论道，她知道那么多！ [Urban slice of life + romance] The heroine is beautiful and works at a factory. She takes care of looking lovely while the hero works hard to get ahead. He climbs the factory's management ranks and even puts in time on the production line, all so the two of them can tie the knot and enjoy a long, happy life together. But things aren't that simple... 137Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 The Sins of Love: The Past Is but Smoke 情罪：往事不如烟 A work of realistic fiction about life in a Shenzhen factory. After celebrating his birthday in a faraway city, the protagonist, Qing Sheng, encounters all kinds of lives and comes to understand more deeply that the world is not simply black and white. Many people are searching for a third bank of the river. 198Reads9.0Score10114d adds
- 58 My Beautiful Girlfriend in Dongguan 东莞漂亮女友 #Multiple Heroines #Illustrated #Rags-to-Riches Comeback #Mature Women #Jianghu Thrills #Streetwise Romance #Urban Love, Body and Soul In a village in Guangdong Province in the 1990s, Liu Zhenhui, a naive young man who has failed his college entrance exams, hits rock bottom. By chance, he glimpses the hidden charms of the stunning Sister Fang, who shamelessly teases him and gets him all worked up. Just as a scandal erupts in the village, he and his childhood friend set off for Dongguan in the de 1.6kReads—Score11114d adds
- 59 Thirty and Ferocious 三十如虎 Qin Nan was working hard away from home when his wife suddenly called. Strange sounds came from the other end. Suspicious, Qin Nan began investigating, only to discover another side of his wife. From then on, his life fell apart. At thirty, he still had the heart of a tiger. After enduring hardship after hardship, Qin Nan returned as a king, determined to make those who had bullied him pay dearly! 324Reads8.5Score16914d adds
- 60 The Awakening of a Middle-Aged Woman 一个中年女人的觉醒 [Family of Origin vs. the Fortress of Marriage] Chen Qingchen, an only child, is madly in love. She steals her household register and marries Lin Jiaxin, a man from a poor family who has made it on his own, unaware of what awaits her: a sharp-tongued mother-in-law who makes her life difficult, her father’s sudden death, her mother being forced out of the home, and underhanded attacks at work. When she hits rock bottom, two women become her lifelines. Her tough mother stands firmly behind her, wh 7.8kReads8.5Score75014d adds
- 61 An Ill-Matched Marriage 不般配的婚姻 After Cheng Ruojia, a small-town girl, married her boss, Tang Yixuan, she spent the next ten years as a housewife, looking after Tang Yixuan and their daughter, Tang Qi. But as Tang Yixuan's business grew and his handsome looks drew attention, a marital crisis crept closer and closer... 646Reads5.8Score—14d adds
- 62 Breaking the Bottom Line 打破底线 In the eyes of others, he has it all: an executive title at a branch company and a happy family. But he also has plenty of secrets he can’t let see the light of day… A routine audit at the head office becomes the turning point in his fate… 14.1kReads8.2Score68914d adds
- 63 Two Abnormal Humans and a Motorcycle 两个非正常人类与摩托车 Love that defies social norms has often been seen as a symbol of courage and freedom, admired and celebrated. This is the one kind of love people will always despise. This is not a novel, just a story from real life. There are no thrills, no climaxes, no pacing, only despair and oppression. It might be of some small help to people who truly love motorcycles, but be prepared to be mocked. This story has an unconventional outlook on life, values, and the world, and portrays a world of abnormal peo 2.2kReads—Score38114d adds
- 64 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… 3.9kReads8.7Score30714d adds
- 65 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
- 66 A Romance at a Shenzhen Factory 深圳工厂情缘 My new story is here! You’re welcome to 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! 3kReads8.9Score22514d adds
- 67 A Common Man’s Reborn Years 平凡人的重生岁月 [Everyday Urban Life + Campus Youth + Making Up for Regrets + Believable Logic] A portrayal of youth as it really was: no posturing, no face-slapping. This is simply the everyday life of an ordinary person after being reborn. People remain consistent; being reborn doesn't suddenly make someone all-powerful. Their old flaws are still there. They simply get to live their lives over again with their memories and life experience intact. Everyone has a limit to how far they can go, so if you're looki 4.3kReads6.2Score16214d adds
- 68 Searching for Love in the Mortal World 尘世寻爱 At the end of the twentieth century, Momo always looked at the reasonable and unreasonable aspects of the world from the perspective of a bystander, living carelessly like a rogue. It wasn't until she met Li Fan, a married woman, and Duoduo that she truly entered the real world. But the cruelty of reality, and the enormous gulf between it and her inner world, made it impossible for her to adapt... 4.8kReads—Score20714d adds
- 69 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—14d adds
- 70 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—14d adds
- 71 The Family's Hidden Guards 家族暗卫 A story about rural revitalization, bringing a family back together and creating an ideal life. Before the Spring Festival in 2025, my second uncle asked me to return to the village to meet him. He handed me a black stone passed down through our family and told me to inherit the duty of the family’s secret guards, protecting our family’s development from the shadows. I also inherited a fortune passed down through the family, along with the friendship of eight families who had been close to o 7.8kReads—Score1k14d adds
- 72 The Country Bumpkin's Immortal Path Defying Heaven 乡村傻子逆天仙途 After Jiang Dongming was pushed off a cliff by his best friend and spent three years in a daze, he wakes to find himself with a paralyzed factory-director wife and a quirky sister-in-law who spends all day causing trouble. With nothing but bare walls at home and his parents suffering humiliation, he is fortunate enough to inherit an immortal art. From then on, he soars to success and rules the city. 6.8kReads8.9Score92814d adds
- 73 I Became a Billionaire, but They Sent Me to a Mental Hospital 成了亿万富翁，我却被送进精神病 In the early 1980s, Dugu Feng's father lost his iron rice bowl, and the family was so poor they could barely put food on the table. With no other choice, Dugu Feng gritted his teeth and took his whole family out to do backbreaking labor, starting by taking on the small construction jobs no one else wanted from contractors. He was an honest man who never cut corners, and his work was excellent. Little by little, he made a name for himself in the trade. From a small-time contractor to founding a 269Reads7.7Score13814d adds
- 74 My Five Sisters Raised Me, So I Bought Each of Them a House 五个姐姐养大我，我送每人一套房 When I was seven, Mom and Dad were gone. My five older sisters took turns raising me. The eldest dropped out of school to work a sewing machine. The second scavenged rotten vegetables at the market. The third earned money competing in tournaments. The fourth never had an entry labeled “for herself” in her ledger. The fifth cut off her long braids and sold them for eight yuan to pay my tuition. Chen Zi'en lived next door. He was the school bully, feared by everyone. He'd never lost a fight, but 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 75 She Went to Heal Her Broken Heart, but Came Back with a Huge Surprise? 女生疗情伤，疗出个大雷？ On the eve of her wedding, bank supervisor Li Xiaoqi catches her fiancé cheating with her best friend. The next day, nude photos of her go viral across the internet. They were taken when online lenders coerced her into posing for them in college so she could pay her tuition. Pregnant with the cheating man's child, she flees to Huazhai, deep in the Dabie Mountains. Her neighbor, Wanxia, who cannot have children, promises, “You give birth to the baby, and I'll raise it.” During her pregnancy, she 47Reads—Score—14d adds
- 76 Summer Tangerine Through the Seasons 夏橘的春夏秋冬 On a bright morning, a girl named Xia Ju transferred to a new school. Teacher: “Gu Bei, she’ll be your new deskmate from now on.” The boy nodded. Xia Ju looked at him. He was an exceptionally handsome boy. From that day on, the two of them were never apart again. A sweet romance from school days to the wedding aisle. 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 77 My Nearly Forty CEO Wife 我的奔四总裁小娇妻 The second volume is out now. Come back for more! Follow the author's page and add the book to your library so you won't lose track of it!!! I'm Ma Ming, male, 21, and currently a university student. I can do 600 push-ups in one go. I can do 500 sit-ups in one go. I run every day to stay fit, and I'm good at both singing and dancing. I can down five large glasses of beer, eight glasses of red wine, and three glasses of whiskey in one sitting... “Let's not get sidetracked. Here's the deal: I have 4kReads9.4Score25114d adds
- 78 She Works as a Maid for a Shenzhen Tycoon 她在深圳豪门做保姆 After her husband divorces her, a nurse from a small county town heads south to Shenzhen to support her child and put her younger brother through school. After losing her job, she is hired as a nanny by Miss Chen, a wealthy heiress. She goes through being framed, misunderstood, dismissed, earning her first savings, suffering a miscarriage after being beaten, and heartbreak. In the end, she marries a local bachelor and becomes the leading lady of a wealthy family. As Miss Chen’s nanny, she witnes 6kReads9.2Score72314d adds
- 79 Village Blossoms 小村花事 A lot of things that shattered our worldview happened in our village. A lot of strange events that science couldn’t explain happened, too. Our village once had seventy-two temples, and every single one had an unbelievable story of its own. [This book is extremely shocking. Read with caution.] 42.4kReads9.0Score3.3k14d adds
- 80 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
- 81 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
- 82 A Good Match Has Yet to Be Found 良辰未许人 On her thirty-second birthday, Liang Chen met Chen Qian in person after chatting online for three days. She expected another case of someone looking better in photos, but her ideal type was sitting right across from her: a year younger, tall and handsome, romantic and funny. Even the curve of his smile was exactly to her taste. They fell passionately in love in no time. But amid all the sweetness, they both found themselves wondering: One of us is beautiful and clever, the other is gentle and ha 52Reads—Score—14d adds
- 83 Restless Youth: My 18 Online Girlfriends 躁动青春，我的18个女网友 Youth is a time of passion and endless possibilities. Every heroine has a colorful story to tell! A female boss who is hesitant yet brave, a bold but helpless female colleague, a mysterious and caring older woman… 3kReads6.9Score22414d adds
- 84 The Great Physician's Fool's Dream 大医的黄粱美梦 First traditional Chinese medicine, then officialdom, and finally, where will it all lead? Read on and find out. The sections on traditional Chinese medicine are highly technical, so readers without a grounding in the subject may want to skip them. The officialdom storyline is realistic and focuses on the lessons of life. You're sure to take something away from it. Those who understand will see the many sides of life. Those who don't will only see… No one is perfect, and we're all ordinary p 8.7kReads9.1Score86014d adds
- 85 True Love Can’t Stand the Light, So She Married a Fool 真爱见光死，她嫁给傻子 At nineteen, He Yang met Chen Mo for the first time. Her card got swallowed, and she grabbed him by the sleeve. The restraint of a middle-aged man and the recklessness of a young woman threw everything into chaos from that day on. She married a fool as a cover, just so she could stay by his side. Years later, when she had everything, she finally realized that the person she loved had never been him. It was the respectable life that man represented, a life beyond her reach. Amusingly, the fool wh 76Reads—Score—14d adds
- 86 My Hilarious Daily Life With Doubao 我和豆包的逗比日常 My Hilarious Everyday Life with Doubao 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 87 A Temporary Romance at the Factory! 工厂里的临时爱情！ Wang Dali had just left his rural hometown to find work in the city. After his night shift, he returned to his rented room. As he snapped the key in the lock, he heard a woman's cries from inside. From that day on, life opened up an entirely new world for him. Every day that followed was an adventure. 297Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 88 The Wife at Thirty 三十之妻 “Dad... Dad, a bad man is hitting Mom... Waaaah...” His three-year-old daughter called him, sobbing. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. Where are you?” Chen Fei was frantic with worry. “We’re at home. Dad, hurry and save Mom!” His daughter was crying her heart out. Just as Chen Fei was about to ask more, he heard screams coming through the phone... 303Reads8.0Score13314d adds
- 89 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…! 2kReads—Score12314d adds
- 90 A Depressed Person's Soliloquy 抑郁者的独白 An inner monologue from someone living with depression. Just as her life was about to wither away, the will to live drove her to break free with all her strength from the invisible chains holding her back. Suddenly, she understood that there are many ways to live. This book can also be seen as the author's own journey of redemption and healing through a life on the road. It also introduces the scenery and local culture of the places she visited. 47Reads—Score—14d adds
- 91 Searching for You in Miancheng 我在木棉城中寻你 That day, the sudden breakup of the girl he secretly loved gave the down-and-out young man new hope. But after waking from a dream, the first novel he had ever written quietly changed the course of his life. Beneath the kapok trees of Guangzhou, a story of youth and love is unfolding. 6.9kReads8.4Score81914d adds
- 92 A 200,000-Yuan Bride Price to Marry a Construction Worker 二十万彩礼，嫁给工地男 [The rating has only just opened and will rise] [Dowry Controversy] + [A Marriage Full of Misery] + [Multiple Male Leads] + [A Tense Push and Pull] + [Desperate, Obsessive Love] (Not reborn, not transmigrated, no golden finger) After more than six years of working, He Sui still hadn't paid off her online loans. Instead, her debt kept growing. Every New Year, her father nagged her about getting married until she was numb to it. Finally, He Sui steeled herself and got married. She had her own litt 110Reads8.1Score10914d adds
- 93 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
- 94 Like a Dream, Like an Order 如梦如令 [Modern romance + powerful leads + urban life + marriage and relationships + workplace + business rivalry] Song Linbi lifted her chin. The breeze kept teasing the wisps of hair on her forehead until they finally gave in to temptation and softly brushed her playful cheek. “Did you have a good time tonight, Professor Song?” Lin Yilai gently brushed away the breeze, which had lingered on her face, captivated by her beauty. His fingertips traced her chin and lips, then he pressed a deep, lingering k 13Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 95 AI Courting the Emperor's Favor: My Harem Is in Chaos AI争宠，朕的后宫不太平啊 AI Competing for Favor, My Harem Is in Chaos 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 96 Wild Lilies of the Mountain Village 山村野百合 An eighteen-year-old village beauty married a thirty-three-year-old simpleton. A month after their wedding, her husband drowned, and she was branded a woman who brought death to her husband… This story offers a true-to-life account of the loves and hatreds, joys and sorrows of ordinary rural people. It faces the ugliness and greed of human nature head-on, while reflecting on the sincerity and warmth found in this world. 272Reads—Score—14d adds
- 97 After the Divorce, I Fell for My Sister-in-Law 离婚后，爱上了小姨子 [Multiple heroines + urban life + workplace + comeback + twins + mystery of birth] Mu Yan is a live-in son-in-law, but after his business venture fails, the Lan family looks down on him. His wife, Lan Xin, chooses to divorce him, while her twin sister, Lan Rui, reveals her feelings and stands by Mu Yan through everything. They weather storms, endure heartache, clear up misunderstandings, and finally find happiness together. 843Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 98 The Wife's Secret 娇妻隐秘 Chen An never imagined he would contract AIDS, and that it would already have progressed to the symptomatic stage. He's an honest, upright man who has never strayed, so he suspects his wife infected him... 16.1kReads8.6Score1.4k14d adds
- 99 The 27-Year-Old Beauty Boss Won’t Leave Me Alone 27岁美女老板赖上我 Wherever there are people, there are rivalries. On my first day at work, I ran into my beautiful 27-year-old boss, Tang Ruoran. We had only just met when she accused me of being the father of her daughter. Heaven knows, it was my first time meeting her! I asked for a paternity test, but the results showed that I really was her daughter's biological father. Watch as I turn the tables, uncover layer upon layer of mystery, and finally discover just how greedy human nature can be... 2.1kReads8.5Score10514d adds
- 100 Wudu, You Embraced My Youth 雾都，你拥抱过我的青春 After ten years of drifting through life, a young man with nothing to his name reunites with his first love and resolves to work hard and turn his life around. But with empty pockets, he can barely scrape by, until the day he meets her… 3.8kReads8.4Score41314d adds
