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.
- 101 A Second New Beginning 二次新生 [No System] [Not Reborn] [Realistic Urban Life] [Restaurant Startup] [Slice of Life] It wasn’t until the day I got divorced that I understood: closing the noodle shop wasn’t the hardest part. The hardest part was watching my ex-wife get into someone else’s car, then having to smile as I served the last pot of bone broth to my summer customers. Later, I won a bet to take over a restaurant. I thought my life was finally turning around. Until I realized that every step I took was a square on someon 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 102 The Comeback: From Wage Slave to CEO 逆袭！从打工仔到总裁 This book tells the story of Lin Qiang, an 18-year-old from a rural village in northwest China. When his family was struck by sudden hardship, with his father seriously ill and debts piling up, he had no choice but to give up his place at a prestigious university. With just 200 yuan in his pocket, he set off alone for the prosperous coastal city of Donghai to make a living. He started out hauling bricks at construction sites, then seized opportunities to learn new skills and struggle through the 13Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 103 Middle-Aged and Alone, With No One to Lean On 人到中年，无人可依 A middle-aged couple have no sex life and barely communicate. With elderly parents to care for and children to raise, they hit a dead end at work and struggle through a life full of endless chores. Then suddenly, an unforeseen and terrifying crisis sweeps them into a storm. What should they do next? Can they keep going? How can they turn things around? 240Reads7.4Score12914d adds
- 104 Silver Flame and the Dreamless 银焰与无梦者 Silver Flame and the Dreamless —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 105 A Motherless Child, Cared for by His Sister-in-Law 没妈的孩子，嫂子疼 [Period drama + No System or storage space] After my adoptive parents died in a car accident, my older brother Zhang Dakui and I depended on each other. Ever since Dakui brought my sister-in-law Liu Chunmei home, our lives changed. And so did my life... 98Reads6.2Score11214d adds
- 106 After My Sister-in-Law Tricked Me into Going to Northern Myanmar, I Found a Way to Survive 被嫂子骗进缅北后，我绝处逢生 754Reads8.7Score10414d adds
- 107 My Work Diary in the City 都市之我的打工日记 System novel, one female lead, focused on family life He stumbled upon a die. He rolled it. Congratulations! You’ve earned an eightfold bonus on today’s income! He rolled again. Congratulations! You’ve received a worker’s skill set! Boosted by luck: Mine for top-grade jade, or fish for top-grade seafood! Ever heard of anyone escaping a midlife crisis by playing aeroplane chess? 1.8kReads8.1Score10214d adds
- 108 The Playboy and the Five Golden Flowers 风流之子与五朵金花 [Completed] If you happened to click on this, please read a few more pages, or even a few dozen, and help boost my stats. Thanks for your support! This is the story of a group of people who came from elsewhere to work and put down roots in Zhuhai. They fall in love, get married, buy homes, and have children. The first half covers their lives up to marriage. The second half explores marriage, human nature, changes in society, and growing up in middle age. This novel has a calm and gentle tone, pe 87Reads—Score—14d adds
- 109 Sixty-Year-Old Lovers: The Past of Maitreya 60岁恋人：弥勒往事 At the age of sixty, he jumped into a shallow pool where the water barely reached his thighs. The water was shallow, but he didn't know that. Just as he didn't know that this jump would bring him together with a thirty-seven-year-old divorced woman, that they would have a child, and that he would pursue her from Hefei to Nanjing, then on to Shenzhen. Later, someone asked him, "Why jump when the water was so shallow?" He said, "Because that person was about to fall in." What matters isn't how d 1.1kReads—Score10314d adds
- 110 The Awakening of a Housewife 一个家庭主妇的觉醒 When the heroine, Song Xiaoying, discovers that her daughter is planning to kill herself, she follows the clues and uncovers her husband Zhou Yang's affair. This sets off a battle of interests between the wife and the mistress, husband and wife, and parents-in-law and daughter-in-law, laying bare the calculations and compromises, darkness and ugliness of human nature. It's a rare and compelling work of realistic relationship fiction. 24.2kReads9.2Score1.9k14d adds
- 111 After Three Years in Retirement Back in the Village, I Lost but Was Not Defeated 退休回村三年，我输了但没有败 After retiring, I was sent back to my hometown to serve as the village's First Secretary. I had barely reached the village entrance when someone smashed a jar at me: “Huai Shu Village doesn't welcome you!” An old flame brought me a bowl of fish soup, with a letter at the bottom that had never been sent, forty years ago. Someone sent an anonymous report to the disciplinary inspection committee, accusing me of misconduct. Three months on the clock. Nobody believes me. Three years later, the person 95Reads—Score—14d adds
- 112 Kisses on a Beijing Night 京夜有吻 The rating was just posted, so don't worry about it! [Unrequited Love | Mutual Pining After Reunion | Powerful Family Background] Xiao Ning had received praise her whole life. She came from a good family, did well in school, had a successful career, and had the face of everyone's first love. With her parents' protection and support, as well as her own hard work, she rose higher and higher, with nothing but smooth sailing ahead. The one place she hit a wall was marriage, which plunged her into de 11.3kReads8.9Score1k14d adds
- 113 My Heart Fluttered, So I Made a Move! 心动了，行动了！ Title: My Heart’s Racing, So I’m Making a Move! Also known as Adult Love: Flirting with Passion and Desire. [Urban life + Workplace + Contemporary romance + Sweet romance + Mutual devotion + Happy ending + Strong female lead + Two powerful leads] Starting from nothing, she grew from a saleswoman into a domineering CEO. Rising from humble beginnings, a bar singer became a legendary singer and award-winning actor. They met when they had nothing. After one passionate night, she ran away. Ten years 1.2kReads9.0Score11914d adds
- 114 The Absolute Man 绝对男人 [Traditional] [Realistic + hardship + inspirational] [Some angst] His mother died, his father was paralyzed, his stepmother suffered a mental breakdown, his older siblings kept running into trouble, and his younger siblings were still minors. At just sixteen, this outstanding student had no choice but to become the family’s sole support, shoulder his father’s enormous debts, and endure all kinds of unfairness and setbacks. Still, he refused to give up... This isn’t a wish-fulfillment story. Ther 22kReads9.2Score2.2k14d adds
- 115 The Underworld of a Small Town 小镇江湖 Summer, 1997. Chengxiang Town, Sichuan. Chen Dong, a young hoodlum, guarantees a loan for someone and ends up owing thirty thousand yuan, unaware that it is all a trap set by Bai Laosan. What Bai Laosan wants is the storefront his family owns in the heart of the old-town redevelopment zone. Lawyers, police officers, and thugs armed with paint take turns showing up at his door... With nowhere left to turn, Chen Dong clings to one stubborn belief: the shop is the last spark he can give Ye Qiong, a 41Reads—Score10614d adds
- 116 The Freezer 冰柜 In today's restless society, people's innate kindness can easily be lost amid rampant materialism. Sometimes, love and devotion are repaid with betrayal, or even death. Based on real cases, this book warns readers that the dark side of human nature is always present, and that desire and dissatisfaction can corrode even the deepest bonds. 44Reads—Score—14d adds
- 117 Gray Sky 灰空 He was a passionate young man, a promising journalist with a bright future, and his life was going splendidly. His supervisor was just about to promote him when, in a moment of impulsiveness, he made a mistake, and his life took a different course. Misfortune and fortune go hand in hand, and this marked the beginning of an entirely different life. 4.8kReads8.9Score58414d adds
- 118 No Lamps, No Moon, So What? 无灯无月又何妨 If two hearts understand each other, what need have they for lamps or moonlight? If one day we’re caught in the same snow, then we’ll have shared a lifetime of gray hair. Even if we lived together in perfect harmony, there would still be regrets! May you weather every storm and still keep the light in your eyes, never straying from your original purpose. 35Reads7.6Score—14d adds
- 119 The Night Is Hungry, and There’s No Escaping His Possessiveness 夜色贪婪，逃不开他的占有 After her fiancé and best friend joined forces to take everything from her, Su Xiaoran fell from the clouds into the mud. In her moment of despair, she stumbled into Gu Haifeng's arms. The man gripped her chin and said in a low voice, “From today on, you're mine.” The scumbag and the bitch? She'll make sure they lose everything and end up disgraced! As for this powerful tycoon? Su Xiaoran only wants to run, but he pins her in a corner, possessiveness overflowing. “Running? Where do you think you 614Reads—Score—14d adds
- 120 One Glance, A Lifetime of Love 一次回眸，一世情 [Workplace Romance] + [Modern Romance] + [Family] + [Love at First Sight] + [Secret Crush] This is a tangled love story between one woman and three men. Ouyang Bo, a top student from a prestigious university, gives up his promising future to follow her to a remote mountain village and continue a love they both chose. Cheng Xi, the city’s top official, remains true to his first love for twenty years, letting the feelings sparked by their first meeting deepen into a profound love. Rich and handso 1.7kReads9.4Score21714d adds
- 121 Reborn, Yet Still Unable to Resist 重生，依然无法抗拒 [A solemn statement from the author] This is a fictional work set in a bygone era. All characters and events are artistic inventions. Any portrayals of historical figures or events are imaginative, entertainment-oriented speculation based on publicly available information, and do not constitute factual statements. They have no connection to any real people or events. Please do not assume otherwise. 1.7kReads—Score—14d adds
- 122 My Years as a Migrant Worker in Shenzhen 我在深圳打工那些年 Two AI comic adaptations of this book are already online, and a third is in production. In 1997, I was 17, carrying 300 yuan as I left my hometown in Hunan and headed south to Shenzhen alone. With no skills and no temporary residence permit, I was chased by security patrols, turned away by factories, left hungry, and forced to spend nights hiding in a cemetery. I went from a penniless kid to a sewing-machine operator at a handbag factory, then seized the opportunities of the times, opened a shop 18.8kReads8.8Score1.5k14d adds
- 123 Dr. Xie's Prescription Pad Is Filled with Her Name 谢医生的处方笺，写的全是她 Reborn two years earlier, she finds herself in the cardiology waiting area. She remembers everything: her father was murdered, her heart was slowly poisoned, and she eventually died on Xie Linzhou's operating table. The last thing she saw before dying was him letting go of her hand. Her first move after being reborn: cancel her appointment, switch doctors, and stay away from Xie Linzhou. But Xie Linzhou has already locked her file, making it impossible to transfer her case. The consultation room 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 124 Love, Hate, and Old Feuds Between Two Generations 两代人的爱恨情仇恩怨 She is determined to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death, but her stepmother and stepsister frame her, plunging her into danger time and again! She escapes certain doom, and is fortunate to meet business tycoon Qin Haonan, who falls for her at first sight and pursues her… People reveal different sides of themselves when it comes to love and family, and a single thought can lead to heaven or hell! Good and evil both get what they deserve, and fate always comes full circle! Those who commi 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 125 The Texas Underworld 德州江湖 A tale of hooligans in Dezhou, Shandong, China? No. A tale of gangsters in Texas, USA? No. Texas hold 'em? Getting warmer. There are no miraculous gambling skills, no tense showdowns at the poker table, and no underdog comeback story. All there is is a poker table and the assortment of people around it: cops, businessmen, spies, brothers, high-ranking officials, lovers, and lowlifes. The worlds of money, power, loyalty, and love are all deadly. They aren't gambling on cards. They're gambling on 343Reads—Score—14d adds
- 126 Half a Month 月半 (Also known as The Waxing and Waning) Life offers no lucky breaks, and it is never gentle with anyone. Only when we learn to see our flaws can we hold on to wholeness. May we all stand in the sunlight and live surrounded by warmth. This is a slow-paced story grounded in reality. Bring your heart along, and let’s sit down and talk at our own pace. 4.9kReads9.2Score65214d adds
- 127 My Wife's Secret Past 妻子的秘密往事 Zhang Xixi, the wife of Chen Sijie, worked late into the night, then came home drunk with a hickey on her back. Was she cheating, or was there another explanation? As Chen Sijie investigated, he uncovered a shocking secret… 5.1kReads8.6Score31814d adds
- 128 I Brought a Billion Home and Now I'm Lying Flat 我带着十个亿，回老家躺平了 At twenty-eight, Lin Chen hits rock bottom in a single day. His company lays him off, his girlfriend of three years dumps him for being broke, then turns around and gets into a rich second-generation heir’s BMW. Even his landlord throws his belongings out of the rental apartment in the middle of the night. Just as he’s at the end of his rope, a bank text suddenly pops up: [1,000,000,000.00 yuan has been deposited into your account] To hell with 996! To hell with buying a house or a car! Lin Chen 83.4kReads6.4Score2.4k14d adds
- 129 Starting from Scratch: Three Years Flipping Little Boxes Made Me a Millionaire 白手起家，倒腾小盒子三年千万 Selling contraceptives in the dorm from the start gets you mocked? Disciplined? No problem! Make money while teaching in the countryside. After four years of hard work, build a fortune worth over a hundred million, turning ideals, love, and wealth into reality. [No Transmigration + No System + No Pocket Dimension + A Down-to-Earth Story of Striving] 13.2kReads8.1Score91414d adds
- 130 Face Down, with a Stranger Beside Me 正面朝下，陌生的枕边人 A novel about the paradoxes of love in the modern age, exploring the idea of loving deeply while keeping something in reserve. Lu Ming and Lin Yue are two people who habitually lay their phones face down. They recognize something of themselves in each other and fall in love, then move from passion to suspicion. It isn't that they don't love each other: they love with reservations, leaving themselves room to breathe and their relationship a crack to slip through. The phone is still the same, but 54Reads—Score—14d adds
- 131 After Being Driven Mad, She Took Revenge on Her Whole Family 被逼成疯批后，她报复了全家 [Revenge] [Both Leads Are Each Other's First] [Redemption] [Feel-Good Story] [Happy Ending] To seize the Su family's wealth, Chen Wei, a man who married into the family for money, plotted to kill his father-in-law and mother-in-law, then pushed his wife down the stairs. His daughter, Su Ying, had the surname Su, not Chen. To him, that was a disgrace. Her very existence constantly reminded him of the humiliating days he had spent in the Su family. So he wanted to get rid of her as soon as possibl 7.6kReads8.3Score46814d adds
- 132 The Iron Throne Company 铁王座公司 Iron Throne Corporation 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 133 Husband and Wife at the Factory 工厂里的夫妻 Chen Yishan’s husband, Sun Hai, was good for nothing, leaving her to shoulder the entire financial burden of the family. To improve their circumstances, she decided to leave her six-year-old son, Sun Dabao, in the care of her parents-in-law, then go to Guangdong with her cousin to work in a factory. 7.8kReads9.1Score52514d adds
- 134 A Temporary Romance at the Factory 工厂的临时爱情 Work + Romance + Plot + A Large Supporting Cast Xu Yanhui, a young man from a rural village who has just left the army, comes to the city alone to find work. By chance, he meets his fellow villager Duan Li, who introduces him to a job at a textile factory. There, he witnesses and experiences the joys and sorrows, warmth and cruelty of the lives of working women. Set in the 1990s, this story uses simple prose to tell the stories of ordinary migrant workers. I hope you enjoy it. 12.8kReads8.6Score99114d adds
- 135 The Two Pleasures of Food and Sex 食色二事 In his twenties, Liu Zhu became the man who married a woman with a child. He devoted himself to his family, working himself to the bone for ten whole years. In return, his wife cheated on him with her ex-husband, the scumbag who had once abandoned her and her daughter. After divorcing her, Liu Zhu was utterly distraught, and then he got into a car accident. In his hospital room, he met an old man who had no one to care for him. The old man felt they were fated to meet. On his deathbed, he told L 6.7kReads9.0Score71814d adds
- 136 The Pretty Widow of Peach Blossom Creek, Loved by a Young Man 桃花溪的俏寡妇，小年轻爱上她 The night twenty-two-year-old Li Yuchuan returned to his village, he stumbled upon a woman bathing by Peach Blossom Creek. In the moonlight, her skin glowed white. Water slid from her collarbone to the small of her back. She tipped her head back to toss her hair, then flicked out her tongue to lick a drop of water from the corner of her mouth. That one little movement nearly made his soul fly away. Later, he learned she was the “jinx” everyone in the village talked about. Jiang Yuwei. Thirty-fiv 3kReads—Score17114d adds
- 137 Travel the World in a Custom Camper Van 自改房车行天下 [This book isn’t really a novel. More accurately, it’s a travelogue based on the author’s real experiences, chronicling the entire journey along National Highway 219 by car. If you enjoy traveling, come take a look.] What’s the most important thing about going out for fun? Of course, you have to get out there! What does traveling mean? Some say that traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books. Hu Yonggang believes that the meaning of travel is something you have to dis 1.3kReads9.5Score15514d adds
- 138 Chronicles of Crossing the Sea of Suffering 渡苦纪 A true story, an autobiographical account. Born in the mountains, raised by a single parent, I had a lonely and difficult childhood. A widow and her six children, dropping out of school, sleeping in a pigsty. I left home at fourteen. At fifteen, I was set up and nearly married off to a deaf-mute man of utterly vile character. After the wedding, I raised twins while living in a rabbit hutch. I encountered a demonic ex-husband and endured every kind of hardship over the course of forty years. Afte 149Reads—Score—14d adds
- 139 Life, with Nowhere to Land 人生，无处安放 By middle age, Li Shu's life had become a complete mess. Her marriage had turned cold and distant, her grown son was going down a rebellious path, and her body and mind were steadily wearing down. How could she go on living such a miserable life? 745Reads8.9Score10114d adds
- 140 I Found a Diary Full of Regrets 捡到一本遗憾日记 Jiang Yuan finds a diary of regrets written by someone unknown. It mentions only a few vague events from the future, but as Jiang Yuan waits for them to unfold, he finds himself rising to the pinnacle of success without even realizing it. 12.1kReads8.5Score69614d adds
- 141 Professor Lin from a Poor Family 寒门林教授 [No System + No Rebirth + Poor Family + Inspirational + Tearjerker + Passionate + Nostalgic + Suitable for Middle Schoolers] Education is the fairest thing in the world. Lin Dongsheng, a student from a poor family, unexpectedly discovers that he has an extraordinary memory. Though he usually doesn't even dare eat his fill, he changes his fate through his studies, achieving one miracle after another. He wins prize money at all kinds of competitions, eventually gets into Tsinghua University, becom 8.3kReads7.7Score54714d adds
- 142 I 'Bought' an Old Man for Fifty Thousand 我用五万“买”个老头 I “Bought” an Old Man for 50,000 120Reads—Score—14d adds
- 143 Cool Lips 凉唇 [Don't scroll away when you see the rating. There was a problem with the rating system just after launch; it actually deserves five stars across the board. Please give it a rating, and thank you.] [Beautifully written, with plenty of substance. Recommended for readers 30 and up.] [Realistic urban workplace + reunion after years apart + secret love becomes mutual] [Sapiosexual romance + two equally matched leads + strong female lead] For five years, they stood side by side as investment-world ris 4.6kReads6.1Score36014d adds
- 144 The Rules of the Children's Home 儿女家的规矩 To help their children raise the grandchildren, a couple in their sixties were forced to live apart. From the day Zhao Youlin moved to the city to help care for his son's child, he became a “guest” in his son's home. A man from a small town, he couldn't fit into life in the big city. He had to speak softly, keep the TV muted, and even watch his son's expression before giving his grandson a piece of meat... Though Zhao Youlin was careful about everything, he still couldn't avoid falling into conf 11kReads8.6Score53414d adds
- 145 What's Got You So Proud? 你牛什么牛 Also known as The Yueyue’s Terrible Mother-in-Law. Through the story of an unusually strong-willed woman’s life, this novel offers a profound look at the dialectical relationship between personality and fate. From many angles, it examines the rise of extreme feminism in contemporary society. It also gives serious thought to marriage and romance, raising children, and human relationships in the modern world. It offers important guidance for a new generation in the twenty-first century on developi 12Reads—Score—14d adds
- 146 My Stories of Macau's Stormy Underworld 我的澳门风云故事 Once you've been to Macau, it's yours for life! What kind of city is A-Ma-Gau? Why are so many people obsessed with it? What kind of tumultuous life awaits a naive young woman who ventures into Macau alone? Here, stories unfold every day, and miracles happen every day. In these most authentic stories, you'll see human nature at its rawest, the most insatiable desires, and the cheapest emotions. Welcome to my life in Macau. 26kReads8.9Score1.7k14d adds
- 147 Hai Nange's Second Book 海楠哥的第2本书 [Work + romance + plot + personal growth + lighthearted everyday life] Xu Liangfeng had just graduated from high school when he went to the big city to look for work. He ran into setback after setback, but he didn't lose heart and kept working hard. As he changed jobs frequently, he learned plenty of practical skills. Still, at every workplace, his managers both loved and hated him. They loved his competence and his humble, sincere nature, but hated how argumentative he could be. “Liangfeng, can 298Reads—Score—14d adds
- 148 Neither Storm Nor Sunshine! 也无风雨也无晴！ Marriage Before Love, a realistic urban romance about everyday married life! Su Qin and Zhou Xinping marry after being introduced through a matchmaking arrangement, and they bicker constantly. Just as Su Qin feels disappointed and lost, a new dawn arrives. She discovers that her husband truly cares for her, and together they take on a new stage of life! 419Reads—Score—14d adds
- 149 A Way Forward Through Mountains and Rivers 出路之山重水复 [Period setting + Family + Women + Career + Workplace business battles + No romance + Society + An exploration of human nature] No cheat powers, no dramatic comeback. A deep look at the struggles and prospects of 99% of ordinary people! Wish-fulfillment stories are everywhere, but once the excitement fades, only emptiness remains. In the end, we all have to face the grind of daily life and the warmth or coldness of human relationships. This slow-burning work of realism offers no lucky breaks or 2.5kReads9.5Score36214d adds
- 150 A Woman's Journey Through Marriage 女人与婚姻的经历 [Female-Oriented + Modern Romance + Workplace and Marriage + Flash Marriage + Realistic Family Life] [Women, Love, and Marriage | A True Account of Marriage | Women’s Growth | Emotional Resonance] Before the grief of losing her mother had even faded, Xinyang was pressured by her whole family to get married and rushed into a flash marriage. She found her hastily chosen partner through a radio station and gave up the career she loved to throw herself into the daily grind of married life. She thou 39Reads—Score—14d adds
