Novels like The World’s Wayward Son
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The World’s Wayward Son, best match first.
- 1 My Beijing Girl 我的北京姑娘 If you love someone, take them to Beijing. It is the heart of the country, where they can see all the splendor the world has to offer... If you hate someone, leave them in Beijing. That city is cold enough for them to hide every burden in their heart… I reveled in the city's splendor at night, never understanding why anyone would stay in Beijing. After seven years, my relationship fell apart, and only then did I begin to see that I had nothing. Her arrival saved me. She was the kindest girl 524Reads7.7Score10114d adds
- 2 Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fades 春花秋逝 (Not a wish-fulfillment story, no transmigration, realistic, about an ordinary person struggling to survive in the cracks. Don’t read if that’s not your thing.) Since you all want to kill me, I’ll start by eloping with your daughters!! 561Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 3 I Want So Badly to Love This World 好想爱这个世界 (The style of The Tenants + urban tragic romance + realism + multiple female love interests + ensemble cast + bad ending + open ending) Life and death to the left, parting to the right. Gu Bei met several girls in his life. One clutched a marble for eight years, then crouched by a barbecue stall and grinned at him. “I was afraid you’d be lonely.” One left him a book before the train pulled away and said, “If one day you don’t want to wait anymore, you can come find me.” One stayed by his sid 30Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 Chongqing, the Youth I Left Behind 重庆，我留下的青春 Five years of love shattered like porcelain, and my career plummeted along with it. Just when my life was at its darkest, a ray of light shone in, dazzling beyond belief. In this harsh, realistic world, can I still stay true to myself?… 1.7kReads8.7Score12014d adds
- 5 A Diao 阿刁 My name is A Diao. I have no parents, and I don't know when I was born. I depend on the blind Lin Aiyun, and in my life she plays the role of a mother. But she never lets me call her Mom. Because when I came into her life, she had already lost her husband, and then she lost her son too... 36Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 6 Loving You More and More 越来越爱 Goodbye may mean never seeing you again. In my dreams of endless years of war, I always see you, alone on the cliff; Half of it is longing, half of it is love, and the more I long, the more I love. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed. Everything has changed, and I have returned… [Lucky to have met you, grateful our paths crossed, and thankful for your companionship all this way.] 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 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
- 8 Wine and Beauty Are Irresistible 酒色撩人 Urban Life + Romance + Flirtation + Ex-Girlfriend Regrets It + One Female Lead (Not a wish-fulfillment story. No formulaic tropes, plot-focused, and slow-paced. Read with caution if that’s not your thing!) Money gives a man courage, and only a man with courage dares to chase women. A poor young man has a one-night stand and unexpectedly becomes a father. He then falls in love with a rich heiress. And so begins a hilarious, heartwarming tale! 372Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 9 My Love, from Chongqing to Shenzhen 我的爱从重庆到深圳 One heroine, multiple supporting female characters A sugary-sweet romance + sunny outlook + everyday love + plenty of affection On the train home for the New Year, the male lead, Ma Xuan, meets a stunning beauty. He never expects that a devastating snowstorm will bring them together, leaving their train stranded on the tracks for three or four days. The story begins in the train car where he and the beauty are traveling. Though the two outstanding young people love each other, they must both f 56Reads9.1Score—14d adds
- 10 From Bar Singer to Godfather of Music! 从酒吧驻唱，我成了音乐教父！ [Heartbreaking + Comeback + Super Sweet + Entertainment Industry + Rich Beauty + Face-Slapping] A beautiful CEO who returned from overseas and a famous singer fall for me, a bar singer in Lanzhou? I write a legend with my music, creating music with “roots,” and eventually become the ultimate godfather of the music scene. See how I make my comeback, all in "From Bar Singer to Godfather of Music!" 46Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 Sleepless Tonight 今晚无眠 I woke up to find myself married, with a beautiful wife and two daughters. But then my wife made me this request... 92Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 12 A Windfall Makes a Life 横财成就人生 One lucky blow brings him a windfall. The real problem is how to launder it into legitimate personal income. It's like telling one lie and needing a hundred more to cover it: the problems just keep snowballing. Watch how the protagonist gets himself out of this mess. 445Reads6.1Score—14d adds
- 13 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
- 14 Love Affairs in the Big City 大城情事 After my girlfriend and my best friend gave me a spectacular set of horns, I gritted my teeth and left my small town to make it in the big city. But as soon as I arrived at my new company, my coworkers started ostracizing me and setting me up... The big city is no paradise! It's a world of its own, full of all kinds of people and endless deception! As a nobody, I had to start out as a lowly network administrator, stumbling along until I finally built a small business of my own! But she was an ex 1.4kReads8.3Score13314d adds
- 15 Peeping: The Butterfly Effect 偷窥之蝴蝶效应 The male lead is a complete loser. By chance, he discovers a female colleague's secret, turning his work and personal life upside down. Two mature adults with sharp minds and social skills engage in an intense game of push and pull. Love begins for reasons unknown and grows deeper with every passing day: they love and are loved, hurt and are hurt, grow through their pain, then fade from one another's memories. This is also the story of an ordinary worker's growth. 578Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 16 Marriage Partners 婚姻合伙人 I have a very beautiful wife. In the eyes of everyone around us, she’s the perfect wife, a dutiful daughter-in-law, and my ideal match. Her career is even going better than mine. By all conventional wisdom, anyone would be more than content with a wife like her, but I can’t stop thinking about divorcing her… 3kReads8.7Score25014d adds
- 17 A Book That Continues the Spring and Autumn Annals 续写春秋的一本书 A new work is out! You can read my stories on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy them. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 10.7kReads9.2Score90214d adds
- 18 The Promise Between Me and the Goddess 我和女神有个约定 Also known as: "My Number 14 Pet Shop" A stubborn woman barged into my life. She could have stayed a goddess, but instead she insisted on living under the same roof as me... I love listening to G.E.M.’s song “Bubble.” Whenever it comes on, I listen closely to every word she sings. Bubbles in the sunlight are colorful, just like how I was happy even as I was being deceived. Why dwell on right and wrong in your lies, when you still love me? Beautiful bubbles, though they flare up for only an insta 1.2kReads8.3Score10814d adds
- 19 Tibet: I Fell in Love with the Wind of Namcha Barwa 西藏：我爱上了南迦巴瓦的风 [Roommate-style story] + [Childhood Friends] + [Heiress] + [Beautiful Ex-Girlfriend] + [Love Rival Showdown] Male-oriented, male-oriented, male-oriented "Wang Dong, clear out your desk and go take care of your resignation paperwork." After working for five years, Wang Dong was fired by his unscrupulous boss. He had been praised by everyone to the highest heights, only to be hurled down hard. That night, he came across a video of Tibet. "Screw this company, I'm going to Tibet!" In Tibet, his chil 2.1kReads—Score23614d adds
- 20 My 26-Year-Old Rich Woman 我的26岁富婆 “Everyday realism” + “A small-town underdog’s rise” + “A wealthy woman’s tangled past” This story follows Qi Lan, a down-on-his-luck young man from a small town, and the strange experiences he shares with Chen Cheng, a wealthy 26-year-old woman. My name is Qi Lan. I never imagined that I’d get rich overnight. A cold, wealthy woman has somehow moved into my house. What am I supposed to do? What’s more, I’m a pure-hearted virgin. Surely I can’t be expected to offer myself to her? As an upstanding 1.2kReads8.9Score11114d adds
- 21 My Utopian Girl 我的乌托邦女孩 Original title: My Utopian Girl [Workplace business rivalry + tearjerker + close to everyday life + everyday comedy] A love story between a penniless male protagonist and a stunning female CEO. What is love? It's the answer we've always been searching for. From fearing that his poverty would keep him from reaching her heart to transforming himself and holding her tight, what exactly did Xinyi go through... 173Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 22 May the Sun Always Shine Bright 希望阳光永远都炽热 A castoff banished by his corporation to the Western District has a one-night stand, only to be relentlessly pursued by a beauty. Then, through a bizarre twist of fate, he even ends up at the police station. Ever since he got involved with this woman, not a single day has gone smoothly! "I'll pay you. Can you just leave?" "No!" Is it really so hard for me to be a true believer in pure love? 235Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 My Spoiled, Bossy Female CEO 我的刁蛮女总裁 He doesn't know what love is. When one relationship after another comes his way unexpectedly, he decides to choose one and love wholeheartedly. Yet whenever he feels happiness is just around the corner, he discovers that it's nothing more than a cruel joke played by fate. Swept along by destiny, he wanders through a life of hardship before returning to where he began, only to find that nothing has changed. The confusion of being human, the anguish of loving someone you cannot have: perhaps life 57Reads9.0Score—14d adds
- 24 My Small-Town Girlfriend 我的小城女友 No matter how long people live in a big city, they eventually return to a small town. Xiyang, a genius who made his fortune through stock trading, finds his life going nowhere after his girlfriend cheats on him and his career hits a wall. He leaves Chengdu, a city full of memories, and returns to his hometown, where he meets the girl who will become his small-town girlfriend. This is an ordinary book, but the small-town life it tells of is anything but ordinary. 66Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 My Miss Tulip 我的郁金香小姐 She and I were both residents near this stretch of Tulip Road. We breathed the same air, loved the season when the tulips bloomed, and hated the dust kicked up by the dry summer weather. Though we had never once said “hello” or “goodbye” to each other, we had truly shared joy and sorrow here. At last, one day, I called her Miss Tulip, and she called me Mr. Badou... 260Reads9.5Score—14d adds
- 26 My Life Before Thirty 我的30岁以前 My beloved ex-girlfriend got married and had a child, and I didn’t have the courage to slash her tires and crash the wedding. Then, by chance, I rescued two beautiful women, and the tangled threads of fate began to unfold. I refuse to spend my whole life as an ordinary man. I want to take the best grandmother in the world traveling. I want to protect the little sister I care about most. I want to marry the woman who loves me most... I want so much, but I’m just an ordinary person. My name is Jia 1.3kReads8.5Score11714d adds
- 27 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
- 28 Dust in the Wind: The Days of Sharing a Job 生如尘埃：打工搭伙的日子 In a bustling city, how many people shine brightly, and how many struggle just to survive? The two protagonists in this book represent two very different kinds of lives. Only after going from innocence to worldly wisdom and enduring life's hardships can they slowly come to their senses amid the mundane world. 10.8kReads9.1Score88814d adds
- 29 Suzhou, Who Did You Give Your Tenderness To? 苏州，你的温柔给了谁 If not for that company-mandated health checkup, perhaps I would have married her! But it was precisely because of that checkup arranged by the company that I chose to break up with her! 789Reads8.2Score10914d adds
- 30 Let’s Get Married Right After Graduation 毕业就结婚吧 I was still a sophomore in college when, out of nowhere, I ended up with a twenty-year-old fiancée. When she came to my house for the first time, my father asked me to show her around. But as soon as we were alone, she insisted on seeing my bedroom... (This novel is complete at over a million characters, so you can read with confidence.) 1.8kReads7.2Score18914d adds
- 31 The Hidden Wife 隐妻 [The comic adaptation is now available! Tap “Adaptation Theater” in the lower-right corner of any page of this book to watch instantly. The original novel and short drama each have their own appeal. Share it with your friends!] No rebirth, no transmigration, and no System golden finger, just the true golden years of an entire generation! Having fled an arranged marriage, he joins the tide of migrant workers heading south. In a southern metropolis brimming with both opportunity and challenges, he 790Reads6.2Score10014d adds
- 32 Bargaining Chips on the Road to Promotion 升职路上的筹码 Song Minghui is like a spider at the center of a web, maintaining relationships with three women in different ways. A 26-year-old workplace newcomer, a 35-year-old sales director, and a 41-year-old corporate executive: the web is beginning to unravel as its three “bargaining chips” awaken. - The rules of survival in the workplace's dark forest - How the “prey” turns the tables from a male perspective - The growth of three women, from being used to awakening - Emotional manipulation and counterma 2.2kReads6.3Score13014d adds
- 33 I'll Wait for You in Xi'an 我在西安等你 When the male lead, Ling Fei, had nothing to his name, he met two women who made him their whole world. With their help, Ling Fei rose to the pinnacle of the business world. Yet he failed to cherish them, becoming entangled with several other women around him. After all the hardships, will happiness or regret be what awaits him...? That, too, is his own choice. 10.1kReads8.8Score94014d adds
- 34 Power and Ambition in the Underworld: The Road to a Comeback 权欲江湖：逆袭之路 He Yu Hui started out as nothing more than a humble doctor. What opportunities did he encounter? What did he do? How much did he accomplish for the people? How high did he rise in government? What kind of story did he live as a man? This heartfelt work will show you one man’s path to growth and the rise of an honest official! [Grounded + Beauty + Political Career + Smart Protagonist] The early chapters are a bit cautious, but the later ones are incredibly satisfying. A must-read gem from Tomato 30Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 35 My Nanjing Years 我的南京往事 [Older Woman]+ [Rich Heiress]+ [Returnee CEO] What is love? Perhaps it is a past one cannot revisit, or perhaps it is the confusion of struggling and wavering only to end up with nothing. It is not here, and nowhere can it be found. 463Reads6.1Score—14d adds
- 36 The Travelers of My Life 我的人生旅客 He meets a cool, aloof goddess at a hotel, and one misunderstanding leads to a string of hugs and mishaps. A young entrepreneur gets called a hopeless loser by a rich second-generation kid? Don't worry, his gorgeous childhood friend rushes in to back him up. You say he's a legendary kept man? He just picks up his chopsticks and eats. Three women make for quite a show, and this one is a real delight. One man owes three women a debt of love. Their tangled affections make for a romance where love t 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 37 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... 134Reads—Score—14d adds
- 38 Piercing Through Time: The Old Era, Stealing Fire, No Return 刺穿异时光：旧纪元，盗火，无归 Earth is dead. From the Solar System to Laniakea, this corner of the universe has finally found peace. Lin Qi’s legendary life begins in its final ten chapters. Only then will his little universe erupt. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 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
- 40 My 26-Year-Old Landlady from Singapore 我的26岁新加坡女房东 (Working and starting a business overseas, period setting, romance, schemes, realism, drama, business warfare) The protagonist works in Lion City. The good news is that his landlady is a beautiful Chinese-British woman, but one piece of bad news follows another... In the middle of the night, he overhears strange noises coming from his landlady's room next door... While fleeing, he is rescued by a nurse who shares his rental... In a foreign country, everything is unknown... Also known as Kicked O 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 41 My Girl from Zhaoqing 我的肇庆姑娘 [Childhood Sweethearts]+ [Older Sister]+ [Girlfriend Appears Out of Nowhere] Most people think Shanghai is an oppressive city because they walk along the Bund or down Nanjing West Road, crowded with foreigners, and see all the glittering bustle around them, yet feel they have no part in it. This is the story of a drifting man who escapes Shanghai and eventually finds his happy ending. 498Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 Fading Lights Upon the Sea 海上灯火阑珊 This is a story about music, dreams, and love. Yang Cheng, a musician who left his hometown of Shanghai for Beijing, staking everything on his dream, was crushed by powerful industry interests, betrayed by his lover, and had his work stolen. His heart completely broken, he slunk back home. After withdrawing from the noise and ruins of the music scene, he couldn't bring himself to return to his family and lived alone in a rented place, sinking into despair. In the apartment he shared with others, 25Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 The Women I Loved Back Then 那些年，我爱过的女人 After five years together, my girlfriend gets pregnant by her married male boss. Heartbroken, I unexpectedly meet a beautiful CEO. Amid tangled relationships and clashes in the business world, can I learn to believe in love again and turn my life around? 2.7kReads9.1Score33314d adds
- 44 A Man's Life 男人活着 From the moment he entered the working world, Yang Zheng embarked on a relentless pursuit of wealth. Amid the tides of the times, a man's grit and perseverance carry him forward through the abyss, undaunted by wind and rain. 12kReads9.1Score97714d adds
- 45 My 26-Year-Old Female Roommate: A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings 我的26岁女房客：蝴蝶振翅 In the original story, Le Yao is the character who leaves readers with the deepest regret, because Zhao Yang never truly saw her. She was pregnant with his child, but had no way to prove it, and so lost her only chance to be seen. The original Zhao Yang wasn't really a scumbag, either. He simply hadn't found his sense of responsibility. Later, Mi Cai gave him the motivation to change, but that motivation came from outside, because he was always chasing after her. To Zhao Yang, Mi Cai was like th 577Reads—Score13214d adds
- 46 You Are the Fireworks of This World 你是人间烟火 One rainy night, while I was out delivering food, a beautiful woman in a luxury car knocked me down. Little did I know, that would be the start of our fateful connection. She was incredibly apologetic: she gave me money, apologized, and left me her contact information. But then, somehow, I ended up getting beaten up because of it. Furious, I swore that if I ever saw her again, I’d demand to know why! But fate had other plans. When we met again, who would have thought it had all been predestined? 20.2kReads8.6Score2.1k14d adds
- 47 My Fatal Charmer 我的红颜祸水 On the night the 2015 college entrance exam results became available, the whole family gathered around the computer to wait for the scores. We’d agreed that whoever scored higher, my younger sister or me, would go to college. The other would go with our father to find odd jobs at construction sites and earn money. My mother, stepfather, half-sister, and I all watched the screen. My sister scored 612, and I scored 540. But no one knew that I’d gotten zero on the Chinese exam. I’d turned in a blan 18.4kReads9.2Score1.8k14d adds
- 48 Bold Pursuit, Secret Indulgence 强撩与暗宠 On one side, his female boss pulls him into an emotional tug-of-war. On the other, the female dean offers him a healing companionship. Caught between them, he doesn't want to give up his stable job, but he can't bear to let go of the peace and comfort she brings, either. Choosing between them becomes his greatest dilemma. 4.7kReads7.1Score42514d adds
- 49 My Rich and Beautiful Girlfriend 我的白富美女友 [Modern city, pure romance] My girlfriend is full of surprises. She’s a beautiful rich heiress, and she seems aloof on the surface, but in private she’s completely different. She loves me dearly, but I don’t think I’m good enough for her, so I’ve tried to leave her again and again. The first time I left, I told her I was going out of town on vacation. She gave me a whole box of origami cranes, a thousand of them in all, each marked with her delicate handwriting: “I love you. I’ll wait for you to 4.6kReads6.2Score53814d adds
- 50 Kunming: Who Will You Forget Tonight? 昆明：今夜你将谁遗忘 We shared so many beautiful firsts; But we couldn’t escape The last time, long foretold by fate... If I never get the chance to start over, I still wouldn’t want to miss you! 11.6kReads9.3Score1.3k14d adds
