Novels like The Number One Brother
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Number One Brother, best match first.
- 1 A Song for the Underworld 混子的挽歌 [Raise our cups and toast the rugged road through the underworld.] [Through blood and fury, a brotherhood that lasts a lifetime.] A naive, timid young man, to keep from losing the brothers at his side again, chooses to take up a three-foot steel blade and step into a world stained red with blood. Behind the brotherly bravado and drunken revelry of the underworld, the only things that never change are ruthless exploitation and cold reality. The people he meets make him sick. And little by little, 2.4kReads7.3Score237Shelves
- 2 After Prison, I Just Want to Live a Quiet Life 出狱后，我只想平平安安过日子 [The world is too deep for me. I just want to make something of myself.] My name is Ma Tengfei. I had just finished the college entrance exams when I got into a fight and was sent to prison for three years, missing my chance to go to college. A death-row inmate named Uncle Ming told me there were three kinds of people in this world: those above everyone else, courted by the masses and living lives others envy; those in the middle, scurrying around like ants and fighting one another just to survi 6.4kReads7.5Score443Shelves
- 3 My First Half of Life: A Bloody Underworld 我的前半生：血色江湖 [The rating just came in and it’ll keep rising, so don’t let it scare you off! This book is entirely handcrafted, and writing it isn’t easy. Hope you enjoy it!] Eight years in the army, decorated for valor, only to have his future stolen by a substitute! He moves to the city for work and tries to keep his head down, but is forced into a dead end! His brother goes to prison, and his sworn brother dies a tragic death. Good people have no way out, while the wicked run rampant! He abandons the strai 1.4kReads8.4Score129Shelves
- 4 Dongguan, I Am King! 莞市，我为王！ What kind of legendary path will Li Feng carve out after leaving martial arts school and arriving in Dongguan? In the bright days of youth, ride proud and true. Make the most of your time, and know where you’re headed. May you roam the world for half your life, then return still young at heart... (The original cast of strongmen who rose from vocational school reunites. A new story, a fresh start!) 381Reads7.3Score—Shelves
- 5 Black Shark 黑鲨 I can’t stand you, so I’ll beat you up! You made me unhappy, so I’ll make you pay! White can be black, and black can become white, because even under the brightest lights, shadows are always there. Blunt and revealing, but not judgmental. This may not be the pinnacle of crime fiction, but it is absolutely a trailblazer in the genre! Just wait and see! 557Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 6 Jianghu of Snow City, 1986 雪城江湖之1986 What? Young men shouldn’t get too cocky? If you’re not cocky, what kind of young man are you? A story set in the gritty underworld of Northeast China. The moment you pick up a gun or a blade and step into the gangland, you’re destined to become ruthless. If you’re going to live this life, you have to be vicious, cruel, and wild! A veteran returns home from the Vietnam War. To survive and protect his friends, he becomes a blood-soaked, ruthless weapon, wielding blades, guns, and cannons. It’s a w 8.7kReads9.0Score681Shelves
- 7 After Getting Fired, I Became the Strongest Bodyguard to a Mafia Heiress 我被开除后成黑道千金的最强打手 The rating just came in, so it’ll go up later. [For adults only. No one under 18 may read this.] [Urban + underworld + multiple heroines + all-powerful protagonist + brotherhood] Lu Fei was expelled from middle school for fighting and spent four years guarding his village... At last, he came of age! Newly 18, Lu Fei hadn’t even had time to establish his own gang in the village before the aunt he lived with kicked him out and sent him to the big city to stay with her daughter. After arriving in 55Reads6.7Score—Shelves
- 8 Dark Glory: Twenty Years in the Underworld of Northeast China 黑暗荣耀：东北江湖二十年 1.3kReads8.8Score109Shelves
- 9 The Man Who Reached the Top of the Underworld 黑道触顶之徒 The underworld is shallow waters teeming with big shots. Thousands shout my name: Brother Tian. Xia Tian, a young man from the bottom of society in Northeast China, gets caught up by chance in the feud between two underworld bosses. From then on, he sets out to climb to the top of the criminal world. Benefactors, moles, bandits, desperados… all sorts of characters take the stage, and the action is heart-pounding. Watch as he leads his brothers from small-time nobodies to become the biggest kin 3.8kReads8.8Score258Shelves
- 10 Are You Crazy? You Dare Mess with Brother Long? 你疯了，敢惹龙哥？ The underworld is rife with temptations of money, profit, power, and women. It’s not just about fighting and killing, but also about the ways of the world. But human hearts are treacherous, and the ways of the world are ever-changing! After getting out of prison, Li Hailong uses his bloodstained hands to carve out a world of his own and become a fearsome dragon of the underworld! 280Reads7.4Score—Shelves
- 11 1980: A New Order in the Underworld 一九八零：江湖新秩序 What is the martial world? Wherever there are people, there will be conflict! The strong survive, and the weak perish. That is the martial world! Relive the 1980s and pay tribute to a youth long gone! This is the story of Han Yue, and how he rose from the bottom to the top of the provincial capital, only to fall again! The road through the martial world is treacherous. Everyone survives by their own wits! Hold on, and you can make something of yourself. Give up, and you're out... (This book is p 4.5kReads8.7Score286Shelves
- 12 The Thirteen Hawks of the Underworld 黑道十三鹰 He was once a shining star in the military, rising to prominence through his fearlessness. But fate took a sudden turn during a brutal battle with drug traffickers. In the midst of a fight to the death, he had no choice but to kill a captured drug lord, a decision that forced him to leave the military. From then on, he entered the underworld, burying his former glory and sense of duty deep within. Like a lone wolf, he roamed the world of darkness and began a life in the criminal underworld that 829Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 Southwest Storm: Turmoil on the Black Sea 西南风云：黑海沉浮 When I was eighteen, I met someone who led me down a certain path. Some describe this path with the idealistic word “jianghu.” But the jianghu you actually find yourself in is better summed up by a rather funny saying: “After all this time, I’ve made no friends, only learned lessons.” My name is Lin Dongxia, and I’ve learned my fair share of lessons. 33.2kReads9.3Score3.2kShelves
- 14 Who Rules the Changing Tides of the Martial World? 江湖之谁主浮沉 “Northeastern Gangland,” “No Mindless Shenanigans,” “Based on Real Cases” A group of young people, driven by a moment of recklessness, set out on a path unlike any they had taken before... From Xiao Yao's days of loafing around to gradually growing up and setting off down the point of no return, making a living in the underworld... Family, friendship, and love all become entangled... Some die... some go to prison... and others... A new story, a new beginning. Come witness the rise of a true crim 218Reads—Score—Shelves
- 15 Tales of the Southern Underworld 南方黑道往事 A highly realistic and utterly authentic autobiographical story about the underworld. Many readers who have started reading have already been drawn deep into it. Open this book, and you'll see a real underworld: helplessness and betrayal, a deeply immersive world of bloodshed and brotherhood. 5.8kReads8.9Score461Shelves
- 16 The Bad Guys 坏家伙们 When the jianghu is no longer traditional, it’s bound to become driven by self-interest! After the turn of the millennium, a new generation of “bad guys,” born in the eighties and nineties, began to take the stage in their own jianghu! These newcomers no longer revered the spirit of chivalry. They let money clear the way and put profit above all else! To carve out a place for themselves in this treacherous jianghu, they had to stop at nothing and plan every move! The great waves sift the sand! M 5.3kReads8.9Score308Shelves
- 17 Bad Boy: King of the Streets 坏小子：街道之上，我为王 Li Yizhen was an ordinary student at Jiangchuan No. 1 High School. But the school bully, He Min, singled him out, teasing and tormenting him as she pleased. Too timid to fight back, he endured group beatings and was even forced to eat ice pops mixed with dirt. She also led him astray, getting him to smoke and drink. Day after day, year after year… Then, when Li Yizhen finally confessed his feelings to the school belle, she mocked him in front of the whole class. He Min joined in, too. Overcome w 285Reads—Score—Shelves
- 18 The Days We Spent Running with the Wrong Crowd 那些年混过的日子 Young and reckless, we chased nothing but our ideals. The storms we weathered in those years, the roads we walked together, and the days we spent making our way through life. The old generation's feuds and entanglements, the younger generation's rivalries: an unknown nobody gradually grows stronger, overcoming hardship after hardship without ever giving up. 3.8kReads7.2Score174Shelves
- 19 Lone Wolf of the Underworld: I Came from Hell 黑道孤枭：我从地狱来 Orphaned at eight, I spent eight years keeping my head down. I came from hell, and I came for revenge. When the lone wolf strikes, the underworld runs red with blood. Those who owe me will repay me tenfold. Those who wrong me will be ground to dust! 189Reads—Score—Shelves
- 20 The Boss of the Underworld 江湖话事人 [Not many readers, so the rating just won’t go up] One wrong turn brought me into the jianghu. Watch as I summon storms with one hand and calm them with the other. Starting from nothing, I’ll carve out a path through the jianghu. They say you become what you eat, so if you want to climb higher, there’s only one thing to eat... 2.7kReads7.8Score203Shelves
- 21 Big Brother 大哥 At the end of the last century, before the rules were fully established, all sorts of people emerged in great numbers. They exploited loopholes, ran gray-market businesses, and moved between the worlds of crime and respectability. A young man returned from military service, only to be dragged into the underworld. More than a decade of life on the fringes followed: wine and laughter with friends in spring, late-night talks beneath the lamplight; hardship at first, then glory at last. He had walke 4.1kReads9.0Score302Shelves
- 22 Tales of the Night, Shrouded in Darkness 夜话无明 [5,000 Words Daily] [Collusion Between Officials and Gangsters] [Profit Above All] [Human Nature Is Evil] [Ruthless and Decisive] [No Formulaic Plot] [Not a Power Fantasy] Walk the night roads and knock on the black door. Beyond it lies a dazzling world, but one wrong step could send you into an abyss with no way back. This path has set countless hearts ablaze, and drawn countless others to follow, one after another, eager to risk everything. What sparks will fly when old-school guardians of hon 224Reads9.3Score—Shelves
- 23 The Era After the Martial World 后江湖時代 [Underworld + Passionate + Satisfying + Ensemble Cast + Jianghu + Big Shots + School + Comedy] “After midnight, we call the shots on this land, whether you’re on the right side of the law or the wrong one!” Jiang Nan stood proudly at the summit like a solitary eagle, looking down at the young generation shining like stars across the jianghu below. “The Su District...” “The tragedy from ten years ago will never happen again in our generation!” “I’ll make sure everyone knows that this era belongs 24.8kReads8.9Score1.6kShelves
- 24 Underworld Storm: The Uncrowned King 黑道风云：无冕王侯 (First person, period setting, underworld) A big brother? A big brother isn't some glamorous, all-powerful emperor who does whatever he pleases. A big brother is just the guy who picks up the tab. The underworld? It's brotherly loyalty, deceit and betrayal. It's a place that strips the tenderness from gentle-hearted men and hardens them, and turns green young boys into grizzled old gangsters. My name is Zhao Qingfeng. I've been around the underworld, and I was once a big brother! 37.4kReads9.2Score3.9kShelves
- 25 Underworld Tales: One Hand Shrouds the Heavens 黑道往事之只手遮天 [Realistic, not overpowered, no harem, no System, not reborn] A novel about the southern underworld, telling the story of several young men who avenge their brother and gradually rise to become crime bosses. Whether it is the underworld or organized crime, it is all just a game of chess, a set of rules, fraught with danger and human cunning, and driven by power and desire. Behind the bustling city lies a shadowy underworld filled with darkness and desire, where power and money intertwine, and te 412Reads8.6Score—Shelves
- 26 Underworld: Blue Skies 黑道：青天 At a class reunion, I kept a low profile and was mocked and sneered at by my former classmates and teachers. Just as I was about to leave, the class beauty from back then suddenly stood up to defend me. 23Reads—Score—Shelves
- 27 The Pawn Who Crosses the River: Beyond Forgiveness 过河卒：罪无可恕 People who make money through shady dealings need to learn to burn incense and pray to Buddha. Those who move in the underworld have to believe that good things come to those who wait. After the turn of the millennium, Jiang Xinze was kicked off the police force for saving someone. He led his brothers into a world of guns and blades, with blood on their military daggers, riding the winds of a turbulent era to forge a dazzling legacy. If you’ve got a score to settle, settle it. If you won’t back 10.6kReads8.5Score904Shelves
- 28 Bloodshed in the Black Abyss 黑渊血戮 (Realistic + Period Setting + Underworld + Political Battles) What is the underworld? It is an endless abyss. Once you take a single step into it, you’ll be trapped forever, with no way out. To make a name for yourself in the underworld, you have to be ready to end up dead in the street or locked away for life at any moment. Now, let me take you back to the late 1980s and show you how the son of a worker gets dragged into this dark abyss and rises step by step to become a crime boss of his era. 886Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 The Fire of Our Youthful Years 那些年我们青春的锋芒 To everyone else, he was an honest man and a spineless loser. His middle school years were a living hell, until one day, a friend his age from the neighboring family transferred back from a school out of town and came to his defense with a commanding presence. The boy, Wu Feng, took the baton handed to him and strode ahead, rising from a meek, honest kid into a powerful figure who radiated authority and revealed his sharp edge. 21Reads—Score—Shelves
- 30 [The Underworld: The Storm Rises Again] 【黑道，风云再起】 “Once you’ve drawn the bow, there’s no turning back.” “When I chose the path of the underworld,” “I’d already passed the point of no return.” “Then I’ll stand at the very top of the underworld,” “so the world can only look up to me, and everyone will know my name: Lin Mo...” 162Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 Tales of the Northeast: The Turbulent Nineties 东北往事之九零风云 (Hot-blooded) (Brotherhood) (Youth) (Fast-paced, no dragging things out) The law-abiding worry all day, while the mighty sing all night. Those who harm others for their own gain ride in comfort, while the honest and fair go hungry. Those who build bridges and mend roads go blind, while those who kill and set fires have plenty of sons. I went to the Western Heaven to ask Buddha. Buddha said, “There's nothing I can do either.” This novel tells the blood-and-tears story of Shen Congwen, a great und 6.7kReads8.9Score428Shelves
- 32 Tiger Husband 虎夫 [Born to be somebody, just going through a rough patch for now!!!] 3.9kReads8.8Score279Shelves
- 33 The Peerless Young Master 公子无双 Lin Qi seems like an ordinary delivery driver, but in this city, whether they are business tycoons, renowned doctors, or underworld bosses, everyone treats him with the utmost respect and calls him, "Young Master!" 334Reads9.1Score—Shelves
- 34 Wang Hao, the Inverse Scale King 逆鳞王皓 A comeback, a defiance of fate. Bullied for years because of his weight, he finally reaches his breaking point and vows never to be weak again. He fights back, step by step descending into hell, and soon dominates the campus... 121Reads—Score—Shelves
- 35 Underworld Storms: Qiao Si's Strategists, Xiao Ke and Wang Wei Fan 黑道风云之乔四军师小克王伟范 He was Qiao Siye’s strategist, known as the Brains. Only five-foot-three, he had an exceptionally quick mind, earning him the nicknames Little Zhuge and Ghost Six among the underworld. He wasn’t known for violence, but for his sense of honor and loyalty. Born into poverty, he started out as a bathhouse scrubber and worked his way up to become one of the Three Musketeers of Bingcheng, even driving the city’s first Mercedes-Benz 560. Follow the turbulent life of Wei Wan, the Little Master of Bingc 166.5kReads8.7Score9kShelves
- 36 The Jianghu: What Is It, Really? 江湖，到底是什么？ [Pure Underworld] [The Jianghu of the 1980s] Where there are people, there are grudges; where there are grudges, there is a jianghu; people are the jianghu! It used to be called the jianghu, but now it's called society! When the storms had passed, Lang Aowen knelt once more before the sacred image of Guan Yu, holding three sticks of incense high above his head. Only one question remained in his heart: The jianghu, what exactly is it? [Serious Warning: The characters and plot in this book are 1.8kReads—Score109Shelves
- 37 My Years as a Gangster 我当混子的那些年 The underworld is an endless wilderness, and every gang member is a man prepared to die! The underworld is a narrow path, and every gang member risks his life just to make it through! The underworld is a pure arena of beasts: the winners become kings, and the losers are crushed! Forced onto this path, the young Jiang Liang must now show how he can rule the world with one hand! 111Reads—Score—Shelves
- 38 The Charismatic Hero 枭雄 The goddess who looked down on me back then now wants to partner with a company under my name… A golden-scaled carp is no mere pond fish. When its destined moment comes, it transforms into a dragon. I’m going to become a ruthless tycoon and make everyone who looked down on me regret ever crossing me. 594Reads8.5Score101Shelves
- 39 Underworld Storms: Zhang Yue 黑道风云之张岳 He is the staunchest believer in the code of the underworld, fiercely loyal to his brothers to the point of obsession; he believes most in repaying every blow, dealing with his enemies with ruthless finality; he holds fast to his fighting spirit, staying true to himself to the very end. He is Zhang Yue, the underworld boss known as the Pale-Faced Scholar. 11kReads8.1Score605Shelves
- 40 Tales of Liangzhou: Underworld Turmoil 梁州往事之黑道风云 The jianghu has never been just about fighting. It is about navigating human relationships and weighing the pros and cons. After years moving through the gray areas, I have seen the warmth and coldness of human nature, and witnessed betrayal and scheming time and again. With no one to rely on in my youth, I endured a bitter, hard life. Some took a wrong turn and ended up behind bars, their lives ruined before they were halfway through. I clawed my way up from the very bottom of society, swallowi 141Reads6.3Score—Shelves
- 41 Searching the Underworld for My Missing Son, I Clean Up Crime and Clear My Father's Name 失子入江湖扫黑恶，父冤得伸 (Passionate urban action, a comeback! Multiple female leads!) Also known as "Lost Son Enters the Underworld to Fight Crime, Father’s Wrongful Conviction Finally Overturned" I am the son of a soldier. After getting lost during a sorrowful journey, I was raised to adulthood by a kind rural couple surnamed Ye. I thought it was pure chance that my master taught me peerless martial arts. From then on, I became the greatest martial artist in Nan Yue! Later, to improve my family’s financial situation, 5.9kReads8.8Score379Shelves
- 42 Northeast China: The Tragic End of the Underworld 东北往事黑道悲情大结局 This is a fanfiction inspired by the tragic underworld saga Black Morality. It tells of the people who appeared and the events that took place in the four years after Wang Luoguo's death and before Zhao Hongbing's crew burst onto the scene. Readers of Northeast Tales Prequel: Black Morality 1, Northeast Tales Prequel: Black Morality 2, and Northeast Tales: Twenty Years of Underworld Turmoil may have wondered what happened during those four years between Black Morality and Twenty Years of Underwo 4.8kReads6.9Score270Shelves
- 43 The Strongest Man to Emerge from Vocational School 从职校走出的强者 When Li Feng stepped into vocational school, his life began to change... Youth is meant to be lived boldly and without restraint! A legend is about to unfold! May you roam far and wide, then return still young at heart... 163Reads9.4Score—Shelves
- 44 Tales of the Northeast: Fortune Is in Heaven's Hands 东北往事之富贵在天 [Underworld] [Not Mindless] [Ensemble Cast] [Realistic] [Passionate] [Not a Feel-Good Power Fantasy] After spending three years in prison for injuring someone while collecting a debt, Chen Yang’s first move after getting out is to track down the lousy bastard who reported him and got him arrested, then demand forty thousand yuan. But that incident sets off a chain of events that once again leaves Chen Yang at a crossroads, just when he had hoped to settle down. So... will he accept the hand fate 127.2kReads9.1Score11.6kShelves
- 45 The Underworld: My Dongguan Girlfriend 黑道：我的东莞女友 At the turn of the millennium, I headed south to Dongguan with just 800 yuan in my pocket. Someone stole my wallet on the train, and I staggered into town after going hungry for three meals. I planned to keep my head down and work on an assembly line, but on my very first day, the team leader told me to take off my pants. I beat him up. Then I beat up the fourteen guys who came after me with machetes. Then I took on the whole street. The female owner of a nightclub handed me a gun and a stack of 611Reads6.3Score109Shelves
- 46 I'll Write My Own Youth 青春我来写 Synopsis: When I was very, very young, I had a beautiful older sister. My parents were always incredibly busy and often had to leave home to work in other places. So one day, they brought home an older sister they had adopted for me. She treated me wonderfully and took care of me in every way. But Dad was exceptionally cruel to her. Then one day in middle school, my sister left. I studied as hard as I could, and by the time I reached high school, I finally got into a school in the city and foun 234Reads—Score—Shelves
- 47 The Storms of Beicheng 北城风云 Synopsis: (This story is entirely fictional. Its original title was Northern City’s Turmoil.) What is the jianghu? Wherever there are people, there is a jianghu, and wherever there is a jianghu, there is conflict! The jianghu is about fighting, killing, and the law of the jungle, but it’s also about human relationships and social conventions. This book will take you back to the jianghu of the 1980s and 1990s, where you’ll witness the extraordinary path of Chen Yanan, a generation’s ruthless hero 12.7kReads9.4Score1.1kShelves
- 48 The Pinnacle of Nowhere 1 无人之巅1 I went into the underworld because I didn’t want to be bullied... I stepped into the darkness so I’d never have to turn my back on it again. I cast aside my conscience and sharpened my claws, trampling underfoot each person who had once humiliated me. 274Reads—Score—Shelves
- 49 Who Cares About Being Young and Reckless? Only the Victor Reigns Supreme 什么年少轻狂？我只知道胜者为王 [Campus Drama]+ [Street Toughs]+ [School Beauty]+ [Underworld]+ [No System]+ [One Heroine]+ [Not a wish-fulfillment story] Original title: Those Wild Years of Youth at School My name is Chen Qing. I never thought I’d end up going down this road after all… Disclaimer: This story is entirely fictional and is not intended to encourage anything improper. Please do not relate it to real life! Reproduction without permission is prohibited and will be prosecuted. New book: "After Getting Out of Prison, 5.7kReads8.4Score375Shelves
- 50 Reborn: Forcing My Underworld Boss Dad to Go Straight! 重生：逼着黑道老爸金盆洗手！ [Reborn] [Underworld] [Turning over a new leaf] [Leaving the life behind] In his previous life, Qin Ye and Qin Su were the top leaders of the Fierce Dragon Gang. They had done so much evil that they were executed by firing squad. When Qin Ye opens his eyes again, he has returned to twenty years earlier. In this life, the Fierce Dragon Gang, led by Qin Su, has only just started down the path of organized crime. Everything can still be put right! Qin Su: “Son, we’re already this rich. It’d be a wa 431Reads7.5Score109Shelves
![[The Underworld: The Storm Rises Again]](https://p3-novel.byteimg.com/novel-pic/0cae1de5c88ccd2e877db8cc30ae3440~tplv-resize:120:0.jpeg)
