Novels like The Number One Brother
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Number One Brother, best match first.
- 51 The Underworld’s Final Ballad 黑道绝响 (Original title: Black Road, Final Echo) What is the underworld? Is it really not about fighting and killing, but about the ways of human relationships? Wrong. Only those who can still stand after all the fighting and killing have the right to talk about human relationships. My name is Luo Ping. I witnessed the so-called underworld in a corner of the southwest go from its golden age to its decline, until at last its echoes faded away. This is my story, and a glimpse into one corner of the underw 51.1kReads9.4Score5.6kShelves
- 52 Sons and Daughters of the Jianghu: That Midnight Sun 江湖儿女：那一轮午夜的太阳 The rules of midnight are a way of life much like the law of the jungle. At midnight, what you see may be the moon, but in their eyes, it is their sun. Set against the real-life underworld of the 1990s, this story follows Zhou Shenghua's life in the jianghu. 21Reads—Score—Shelves
- 53 The Pinnacle of Flame City 焰城顶点 Underworld fiction, urban setting. Beneath the plane trees at Yancheng No. 4 High School, more eyes were watching than there were cicadas singing. Some stared at Chen Shun's dazzling blond hair, as if checking whether a certain rumor was true. Some remembered the pale pink scar at Li Huafeng's temple, as though it still held a trace of his unspent fury. Guo Qiang's silent bulk was like a moving wall wherever he went, blocking out the sunlight and the prying eyes alike. No one knew that these few 34Reads6.5Score—Shelves
- 54 Jianghu Dragon: Underworld Storm in the Northeast 江湖枭龙：东北黑道风云 Three years in prison, and everything had changed. After his release, Lu Tao found himself at a crossroads in life. The snowstorm that year was so fierce it bent Lu Tao’s back. The friendship that year was so warm it helped him emerge reborn and fight his way upstream. Watch as a close-knit group of friends stand shoulder to shoulder, stride through a turbulent era, and build something magnificent! 19.7kReads9.1Score1.1kShelves
- 55 I'm No Little Punk: The Shorties' Hero Squad 我不是小混混之矮子英雄队 I'm determined not to become a hoodlum. Even a short person can stand tall. Not every hero is tall, but every passionate heart deserves to be seen. I won't go along with the ways of the world. I'll walk my own path through the jianghu. The road is long, so may we meet again at the summit... 67Reads—Score—Shelves
- 56 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 806Reads8.7Score103Shelves
- 57 The Bloody Underworld: Thirty Years of Organized Crime in North China 血色江湖：华北黑道三十年 [Underworld + First Person + Period Setting] What is the underworld? It’s a place where even if you win in the end, you still feel like you’ve lost. No matter how much you gain, it can never make up for what you’ve lost. My name is Jiang Qiyao. I witnessed thirty years of the underworld’s rise and fall across North China, watching one boss after another rise to power, then fall. After thirty years in that world, I can’t call myself a good person, but at least I haven’t become completely rotten. 3.1kReads6.7Score149Shelves
- 58 The Golden Age of the Gangland: A Blood-Red Underworld 黑帮盛世：血色江湖 (Not a mindless power fantasy. Underworld, urban setting, no invincible hero, first person, tight logic, humorous writing. Read with caution if that’s not your thing!) A cursed, tragic fate. A life in the underworld that cannot be escaped. A band of brothers who stand together through life and death, and a dark life longing for redemption. You’ve never endured years of hardship, so of course you can’t understand the underworld in my heart. My story begins after I get out of prison in Ice Cit 108kReads9.3Score8.1kShelves
- 59 I’m No Punk: Three of Us Together 我不是小混混之三人行 Determined not to become a thug, he knows that those who walk different paths cannot work together. Brotherhood, and the revival of the Eight Gates of the underworld. Is a sinister force behind it all, or is something far worse on the horizon...? 307Reads—Score—Shelves
- 60 The Endless Underworld 黑道无尽 (Period setting, underworld, gritty realism, high-octane) A savage era. An unconventional underworld boss. A story of the jianghu written in blood and tears. So much happened in those years. You can only see it clearly through blood-tinted glasses... 2.8kReads7.7Score283Shelves
- 61 I Started High School as a Good Girl and Became a Crime Boss 上了高中，我从乖乖女变成黑老大 When I started high school, I went from a good girl to a crime boss. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 62 The Hidden Dragon of the Righteous Path 正道潜龙 One of Wei Jie’s four-part series A shooting case. An undercover agent lies dead in the street. An investigator once swore an oath beneath the solemn national emblem. At a crossroads of fate, a twin brother makes a dramatic entrance, leading to a lonely yet passionate story... Back to 1998! Our brotherhood is still here, our youth is still here. From this point, we set sail once more and forge the next great triumph! 38.9kReads9.5Score4.6kShelves
- 63 Day One of College: I Start Running with the Underworld! 大学第一天，从混黑道开始！ A powerful underworld boss is reborn as a college student. With the System’s help, he rises once more to the pinnacle of the underworld. [Feel-Good Revenge + Urban + Underworld + Boss + School] Starting out as a college student, the male lead Lin Ao works his way to the top of the underworld, dominating both the criminal and legitimate worlds. He has powerful backing and influence that reaches everywhere. Dear readers, please be patient as you read. The story starts off ordinary, but the excitin 898Reads6.9Score102Shelves
- 64 Underworld Saga: My Big Sister in the Capital 黑道风云：我的京城姐姐 [Not for Young Readers] [Hot-Blooded Underworld] [Brutal Underworld Battles] [The Many Faces of Officialdom] [Face-Slapping Comeback] [Clever, Satisfying Read] He began cultivating at nine and went to prison at thirteen. In jail, Chu He mastered an arsenal of extraordinary skills. With nowhere to turn after his release, he headed for the capital and entered the underworld, winning the support of the capital's most captivating women. With ruthless methods, Chu He outmaneuvered every faction. Sta 4.6kReads7.9Score515Shelves
- 65 The Gangster Tycoon Who Rose from the Hutongs 胡同里杀出来的流氓大亨 Previously published under the titles Dragon City Years and Thirty Years in a Bloodstained Underworld. This is a lawless age where every corner is ruled by a big shot. This is the story of a naive young man who turns into a bloodthirsty beast just to survive. This is an underworld tale full of thrills and passion! Welcome to the 1980s… 40.4kReads9.2Score3.8kShelves
- 66 I Am the King 我为王 Betrayed by everyone, I was wounded by those closest to me! I cut off a finger to survive, then lay low for six years before emerging again. Through the grudges and warmth of the martial world, I’ve seen it all. I am the king! 1.7kReads8.4Score122Shelves
- 67 King of the Underworld 江湖枭雄 An ordinary-looking confrontation pushes a callow young man to a crossroads in life. Faced with fate’s mockery and the crushing weight of life, he chooses to stand tall and fight back. 30.7kReads9.1Score2.6kShelves
- 68 The Bad Guys: The Storm Rises Again 2 坏蛋之风云再起2 [People have names, and trees have shadows. Who is Xie Wendong? Everyone knows.] As the scorching sun slowly sinks away and the half moon hangs high, as neon lights begin to flicker and night descends, what can we use to prove that we exist? 12.5kReads9.0Score818Shelves
- 69 Be the Fiercest One 做最凶的那个 Lin Yu had always been troubled by a question: Why must good people endure eighty-one trials to become Buddhas, while bad people only need to lay down their butcher's knives? Fairness has never been something the poor get to talk about. If you want fairness, there's only one way: make yourself strong enough to create it. This world has both light and darkness. It won't treat you well just because you're kind. His father was unable to repay his debts and eventually took his own life. The creditor 778Reads6.3Score—Shelves
- 70 Dirty Cop 黑警 “I gave my heart to the moon, but the moon shines on the ditch.” As a people's police officer, it is my duty to defend the country, maintain social order, and protect the lives and property of the people. But there are always people who operate in the gray areas, acting with abandon and flouting the law. I have no choice but to step in and wipe them all out... 3.9kReads7.9Score275Shelves
- 71 The Underworld: The Jianghu Big Shots I Brought to Heel Over the Years 黑道：我那些年收服的江湖大佬 The underworld is a road of no return. It's a last chance for those with nowhere else to turn to make a comeback. Win, and you reach the height of power and become fabulously wealthy. Lose, and at best you die; at worst, you become a cripple. This road takes three parts vision, six parts luck, and one part relying on yourself. By some stroke of luck, I won. When I got out of prison, I didn't have a penny to my name. Now I'm surrounded by beautiful women and rule this whole territory. This road w 6.8kReads8.6Score563Shelves
- 72 I Am the Legend 我就是传奇 I don’t know when it happened, but a bunch of people like this came into my life, even though I’ve always been cold-hearted and a little shameless. When I got dumped, they’d say, “What’s the big deal? Lost your girl? Find another one tomorrow. If you’re really desperate, I’ll lend you myself for the night!” When I felt lost, they were always there with me in our cramped little rooms, shouting, “We give it everything we’ve got, all so we can make something of ourselves!” ... Back then, I couldn’t 19.6kReads9.3Score2kShelves
- 73 Number One Under Heaven 天下第一 No money to give you, but you can take my life. I’m the best in the world! Looking at his disheveled reflection in the mirror, Chen Dong slammed a fist into it, his eyes bloodshot. “From today on, no one will ever walk all over you again!” 15.2kReads8.9Score1.2kShelves
- 74 The Youth of Two Generations 两代人的青春 My name is Li Sunan, and I'm a complete... bastard. Please take a moment, settle in, and let me tell you the whole story. From my godfather, Li Zhen, to my second uncle, Cui Lijun, and then to my own dark life. From 1990 to 2020. Thirty tumultuous years in a small city in Northeast China. One act ends, and another begins. Two generations rise and fall, knowing both glory and disgrace. There are no all-powerful crime bosses here. Just a bunch of little people struggling at the bottom... The road 2.2kReads6.9Score103Shelves
- 75 The Drifter's Road Home 混子的归途 With my brothers by my side and guns in our hands, let’s see who gets to call the shots in this underworld! I may stay out of the underworld, but once I step in, I’ll make every thug submit and every boss get out of my way. I’ll become the... king of this underworld! New book: Underworld Boss: Starting as a Veteran. Now serializing to great acclaim! 29.5kReads9.2Score2.2kShelves
- 76 The Blood Dragon of Carnage 狂煞血龙 To find her, he enters this battle for power with a band of beastlike brothers at his side... After she is murdered, he raises his blade and unleashes a massacre that shocks the world... His bloodthirsty nature earns him the fearsome title of the greatest killer emperor in history... With his arrival, the underworld is shrouded in a bloody haze for decades... 1.6kReads8.9Score118Shelves
- 77 Making a Living on the Side in Australia 我在澳洲捞偏门 This story is based on real events. I came to Australia with a dream of studying abroad, only to be driven to the brink by reality. From a lowly street-level smuggler to a force to be reckoned with, commanding the underworld and crossing the world, I paved my way to power with cunning and bloodshed. Only when I stood at the summit and looked back did I realize that the most dangerous gamble of all is the one you make with human nature. This is a road with no turning back, but who knows which cor 35Reads—Score—Shelves
- 78 A Young Man's Years in the Jianghu 少年之江湖岁月 The jianghu is a road with no return, a maze, an abyss. Some manipulate events from the shadows, while others struggle for their lives in the mire. Watch who rises above them all, and who comes crashing down. 19.5kReads9.0Score1.4kShelves
- 79 Storms Over the Northern Frontier 塞北风云 [Underworld Kingpin]+ [Rise to Power]+ [Take Down the Boss and Claim His Wife]+ [Multiple Female Leads]+ [Ensemble Cast]+ [Passionate Underworld Adventures]+ [Scheming and Hilarious] Be an ordinary man: greedy for money and fond of beautiful women. That was one thing I realized after getting out of prison. I used to be an underworld boss who could turn the tide with a flick of my hand. But my brothers were either locked up or gone. I used to be a pushover too, until I met that woman. She changed 42.2kReads9.1Score3.1kShelves
- 80 Destined for a Life in the Underworld from Birth 从出生开始就注定混黑道 No System! No brainless antics! Packed with thrilling, iconic moments from beginning to end! My big brother told me to go to school and protect the campus belle, but I ended up reading her a love letter in front of the whole school? The son of the boss of a rival gang wants to be my underling? A gorgeous, wealthy woman wants me to marry her? It's gotten to the point where I don't even want to run with the gang anymore. I'm surrounded by gorgeous, wealthy women. I really don't want to work hard a 674Reads7.2Score—Shelves
- 81 Evil Emperor: Sinful Inferno 邪皇：罪恶无间 [Black X Evil Emperor]+ [Passionate]+ [Reborn Big Shot] Nine death-row prisons across the country. Thirty-six top death-row fighters are selected to dominate the underworld. Reborn in the world of the Evil Emperor, he faces Blood Eagle and fights Lone Dragon. What has he to fear from the life-taking Azure Darkness? The strongest gladiator in the country, Chen Zui is the one and only! 8.6kReads9.1Score504Shelves
- 82 The Legend of Lu Laoqi 陆老七传奇 In the province of Rehe during the Republican era, a catchy rhyme circulated through the martial world: “Lu Laoqi, Li Changjiu, undefeated throughout Rehe; the Beggar, Detective, and Master Shang; Dalong, Qingshan, and Zheng the Crooked; the Driver, Drunkard, and Wang Chaojie; Pockmark, Du Wu, and Liu Minghu; the Twin Fiends, Kou Haiyang, and Yu Xingba.” It vividly described the eighteen peerless fighters of Rehe at the time. Ranked first was Lu Yishan, a boy from a poor family in the province. 27Reads—Score—Shelves
- 83 A Life of Dark Desires 黑欲人生 Keep your hands ruthless, your mind sharp, and your nerve strong. The martial world is a place where people devour one another. Talk about honor and reason? You'll end up without a bone left! [Blood-Soaked Martial World] [Love and Hate] [Powerful Background] [All the Right Ingredients] 16kReads8.9Score1.4kShelves
- 84 The Legend Reborn 传奇重现 The four-part series by Wei Jie: We Were All Bad Kids, I Am Legend, Legend Reborn, and Hidden Dragon on the Right Path. A young man, still green, left his hometown in a fit of anger. Four years later, he returned, weathered and bearing the glory of success! In a city built from reinforced concrete, old friends were gone and legends had faded into retirement... Faced with his family’s reproach and his friends’ disdain, he had once wandered at a crossroads, pointing into the dark sky with his 31.7kReads9.4Score3.1kShelves
- 85 The Butcher Who Walked Out of Prison 从监狱中走出的人屠 Being part of the underworld isn’t about fighting and killing. It’s about dealing with people. Su Bai had no connections, no powerful backers, and had just spent ten years in prison. After his release, he was penniless, so his older brother found him a job as a computer lab attendant. Watch him turn his life around and make his way in both the underworld and the legitimate world. In the underworld, he’s a big shot with people ready to answer his call. In the legitimate world, he has powerful fri 28.1kReads8.4Score2.3kShelves
- 86 My Dad's on the Straight and Narrow, I'm in the Underworld 白道爹，黑道我 [Not invincible! Not invincible! Not invincible!] The martial world is a road of no return, and its people are pawns that have crossed the river! Where will the drifting ship in this forbidden zone finally end up? Watch as this wandering youth stirs up a storm! Black side: I've got countless brothers! White side: My backing is powerful beyond belief! Money is just something you can't bring with you when you die! [Entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental!] 100.3kReads9.0Score7.3kShelves
- 87 I'm a Locksmith, and You Want Me to Exorcise Demons and Ferry Souls? 我一个开锁匠，你让我摆妖渡魂？ Guo Cheng is a master locksmith who has never failed. Until one day, he opens a “lock” and unlocks the door to another world. From then on, his clients are no longer limited to people with security doors. They include the demon spirits that wander among the living. He picks locks to “lock” away danger, and ferries spirits so they can depart in peace. In the shadows of the city, demons and ghosts run rampant. Watch as a locksmith uses his skills to forge his own path as a ferryman between the wor 43Reads—Score—Shelves
- 88 When an Honest Man Picks Up a Knife 当老实人拿起刀 This is a straight-up crime-world novel! It does start with the protagonist being reborn, but after that, the story has nothing to do with being reborn! In short, the plot is ruthless, satisfying, and wild... The underworld here is all about fighting and killing, but also about human relationships and social rules! 22.1kReads9.1Score1.8kShelves
- 89 Overseas Turmoil: The Path of a Crime Lord 海外风云之枭雄路途 My name is Lin Feng. I’ve encountered, witnessed, and experienced many industries and incidents that people would rather keep hidden. So many people have been lured overseas by high-paying jobs, only to die. So many have died because their desires could never be satisfied. This synopsis can’t do the story justice. Read the novel to find out more. 8.4kReads9.1Score676Shelves
- 90 The Day I Went to Prison: She Blazed a Trail Alone and Smashed My Shackles 入狱当天：她单枪铺路，为我砸镣 [Not Reborn]+ [No System]+ [One Female Lead] The last big sister of the underworld! The day I went to prison, she broke into the jail and smashed my shackles, clearing a path for me with a gun in hand! If the rest of my life is destined to be without light, at least in this moment, she is by my side! Some even call her the last big sister of Southeast Asia! Truth is, she was just forced to take charge in a crisis, with no other choice! Since we're already fugitives, then let's take our dark love 174Reads7.9Score—Shelves
- 91 The Way of Heaven Is Strong 天行健 In his early thirties, he was betrayed by his wife and left his hometown in a rage. After enduring the hardships of survival and facing the harsh realities of society, he made a comeback and became a legendary business magnate. Through countless rises and falls, love and heartbreak, he ultimately became a king who could shape the course of the world. 13.2kReads9.1Score1.6kShelves
- 92 Tales of Shanghai’s Underworld 沪上黑道往事 My new novel is here! You’re welcome to read my work 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! The male lead of this book loses his father at a young age and depends on his mother. To avenge his father, he goes up a mountain to study martial arts under a master. After completing his training, he comes down and succeeds in taking revenge. To escape the authorities’ pursuit, he brings his mother to Shanghai. By chance —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 93 Reborn in the Great Heist, the Black Gold Tycoon Strikes Back 重生大劫案，黑金大佬逆袭记 [Urban rebirth + System + underworld boss + ruthless + scheming] A down-and-out middle-aged man unexpectedly reborn 28 years into the past. Caught in a shocking bank heist, he activates the “Black Gold System.” “Go ahead and make more money. It'll all become my fortune sooner or later anyway. Hahaha!” … Notorious bandit Ye Zhihuan: “Who's tougher than me in the underworld? Lin Dong? Never mind, then.” King of Thieves Zhang Ziqiang: “I once stole 1.2 billion from Li, the richest man in the coun 11.2kReads7.9Score528Shelves
- 94 Wolves and Brothers 狼与兄弟 The wolf may look cold and ruthless, but beneath that exterior lies boundless tenderness. He is willing to sacrifice himself for his family and brothers! Just like Wang Ying, the protagonist, his heart isn't cold. It's the way he looks down on worldly conventions that makes him seem that way! Like a wolf king, he can become the heart of any team, leading his brothers through life-or-death trials, never abandoning them! From the awkwardness of college days to the hardships of entering the working 7.4kReads9.3Score490Shelves
- 95 After Holding My Big Sister-in-Law, Are You Going to Start Building a Crime Empire? 抱着大嫂后，你要开始黑道发家？ 3.8kReads8.3Score315Shelves
- 96 Crouching Tiger 卧虎 A hidden dragon rises from the depths and devours all things; a crouching tiger commands the mountains and guards a thousand frontiers! When I was little, the strange older girl next door always asked me to help wash her. When I got a little older, she taught me how to be a real man! Twenty years of flashing blades, eighteen years of changing seasons. The black throne may change hands, but true kingship belongs only to madmen who dare to dance with the devil! 14.6kReads7.7Score2.9kShelves
- 97 My Years in the Gang 我混社团那些年 The internet’s most authentic account of Hong Kong’s criminal gangs in the 1960s: Kowloon Walled City, the Four Great Detectives, the four major gang families, the Eighteen Tigers of Kowloon, the Twelve Beauties of Mong Kok, and the rise of influential bosses such as Crippled Ho and Fatty Kun, all revealed one by one! This story is adapted from the oral account of a senior member of a Hong Kong and Macau gang. As he is now over eighty, I recorded and adapted his story myself! For special reasons 20.6kReads9.1Score2.1kShelves
- 98 Black Desires of Youth 黑欲青春 (Not a wish-fulfillment story, and the hero isn't invincible. Enter at your own risk.) A youth stained with blood, vows made without regret, inexperienced love, sincere friendship, the cruelty of society, and the complexity of human nature. An unforgettable, turbulent era! A piece of underworld lore passed down to this day! A band of brothers who shared honor and disgrace, life and death! An unmatched era, with a flag-bearer standing at its peak! Laughing as we watch the tides of fortune, marchi 47.6kReads9.4Score4.2kShelves
- 99 Setting the Trap 做局 A mastermind uses the martial world as a game board and people as pawns. Those drawn into the game are at their mercy. My grandfather was a Feng Shui master and a master schemer, yet he died after a charlatan set him up. My father was killed, my mother took her own life after being humiliated, and I ended up in prison. To avenge my family, I joined the Golden Sect and became a charlatan myself, rising to become a master strategist. I’ve set countless schemes in my life. Living schemes and deadly 16.9kReads9.1Score1.8kShelves
- 100 The Underworld Heiress Makes a Fierce Bodyguard 黑道千金猛保镖 [Underworld] + [Urban] + [Multiple Female Leads] + [Power Fantasy] [Not for readers under 18] Wang Meng rose from bodyguard to godfather of the underworld, unifying both the criminal and legitimate worlds. His was a life of power and grandeur. 2Reads—Score—Shelves
