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.
- 51 Hello, Mr. Doraemon 你好,哆啦A梦先生 I had only wanted to live an easy, carefree life as an ordinary person. But when my childhood sweetheart and first CEO girlfriend married someone else for the sake of profit, and my beautiful second girlfriend, a painter, sacrificed herself for power, I realized I couldn't keep being a pushover. I had to fight back! When I finally stood at the top of the pyramid, I gave life a resounding shout... 1.8kReads8.7Score19714d adds
- 52 Women on the Career Ladder 职场路上的女人们 Amid the shifting tides of the crowded world, people are always boarding ships and leaving them behind. When they came riding the waves, they carried unspoken obsessions. When they turned away, the hems of their robes swept up the stars, while the warmth frozen in their palms seeped forever into the course of the voyage. 859Reads7.1Score10414d adds
- 53 A Love Triangle in Marriage 婚姻里的三角恋 [Contemporary realistic fiction + the married life of ordinary people in Beijing + love triangles in marriage + real struggles] Bai Xue and Wang Yang are a young married couple living in Beijing. Wang Yang is a typical “phoenix man,” a country boy who made it big in the city. After ten years of marriage, he cheats on her. After they divorce, Bai Xue meets another man, and her new life begins… What makes this book special: A woman faces betrayal in her marriage, but after the hardship comes 1.6kReads8.8Score15414d adds
- 54 I'll Wait for You Amid Wine, Women, and Moonlit Nights 我在风花雪月中等你 After a night of partying, he accidentally answered the campus belle's call, and she latched onto him as her boyfriend... Just then, his ex-girlfriend, who had been abroad for years, came looking for him again in a Maybach... And that's not all. The professional female gamer who dominates onstage turns out to be a socially anxious introvert in private, and she's even willing to give up her career for me... The editor who knows me best actually suggested that we elope together... What should I do 748Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 55 Those Who Came and Went Through My Life 生命里来回过的人 There’s always a book whose every word strikes a chord. The moment you open it, people from the past and long-buried events slowly surface through its pages, like a long-overdue reunion. The joys and regrets, heartaches and lingering goodbyes hidden away in the years gently unfold between the lines. Before long, your eyes are brimming with tears. It turns out some memories have never really gone away. For: Everyone who has passed through my life 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 56 No Mercy for the World 不赦人间 For the first twenty years of her life, Chen Qingxing lived by one rule: never count on a miracle. When someone else took the spot she had earned as a student in need, and her part-time wages were withheld, she signed a harsh sponsorship agreement. Her benefactor would pay for her to finish college, and after graduation, she would repay the debt with a marriage of convenience. There was no romance involved. It was a deal with a clearly marked price. She relied on careful calculations to plan eve 23Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 Two Abnormal Humans and a Motorcycle 两个非正常人类与摩托车 Love that defies social norms has often been seen as a symbol of courage and freedom, admired and celebrated. This is the one kind of love people will always despise. This is not a novel, just a story from real life. There are no thrills, no climaxes, no pacing, only despair and oppression. It might be of some small help to people who truly love motorcycles, but be prepared to be mocked. This story has an unconventional outlook on life, values, and the world, and portrays a world of abnormal peo 2.2kReads—Score38114d adds
- 58 My Girl from Lhasa 我的拉萨姑娘 [Roommate Vibes] [Pure Love, Bad Ending] [Urban Coming of Age] [Multiple Heroines] [Folk Guitar] [Lhasa, Tibet] [Idealism] [Realistic] After his childhood friend dies in a fire, Xia Tian takes his friend's ashes to Lhasa. By chance, he meets a group of idealistic young people... They open bars and inns in Lhasa, planting the ideals in their hearts deep into every inch of Tibetan soil. Facing the sky and earth, they cry out, "Long live ideals! Long live youth!" This is an urban romance novel abo 273Reads—Score—14d adds
- 59 When the Clouds Part, the Moon Appears 云开见月 The protagonist had a miserable childhood. Raised by the whole village, he grew up experiencing firsthand the harsh rule that the weak get bullied. He fought his way through life with his fists, developing a fiercely defiant personality. Later, a benefactor took him under their wing and helped him work hard, and he eventually made something of himself and got into a top university. As an adult, he became lost and insecure in the face of harsh reality. In the end, he settled into an ordinary life 16.2kReads9.4Score1.9k14d adds
- 60 Fate Is a Sunny Day 缘是晴天 Memories of youth, growing up, and heartbreak, buried by time and kept close to the heart. May the love shared by Xie Qiyuan and Jiang Ziqing touch your heart. Because they loved each other so deeply back then, their love turned into countless tears. Even so, at a fork in the road with no hope in sight, they would keep waiting for him to come. 24Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 61 Late at Night, I Fell Under His Spell 深夜,对他着了魔 Their late-night story… It’s thought-provoking, and leaves you filled with regret. Was she too devoted, or was he too heartless? What can you even say about love? 218Reads—Score—14d adds
- 62 After the Divorce, I Fell for My Sister-in-Law 离婚后,爱上了小姨子 [Multiple heroines + urban life + workplace + comeback + twins + mystery of birth] Mu Yan is a live-in son-in-law, but after his business venture fails, the Lan family looks down on him. His wife, Lan Xin, chooses to divorce him, while her twin sister, Lan Rui, reveals her feelings and stands by Mu Yan through everything. They weather storms, endure heartache, clear up misunderstandings, and finally find happiness together. 843Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 63 Her Secret Thoughts: A Young Man’s Hidden Diary in a Small Village 致她的心事:小村青年的隐秘日记 No formulaic plot | Not a wish-fulfillment novel | Realistic fiction | Zhou Zhiqiang grows up amid poverty and chaos in her birth family, with her father instilling in her the survival rule that “you have to please people to survive.” She gets into college and lands a job at a bank. A well-off man, Ke Qingyan, pursues her, but as the truth about her family comes out, she gradually loses her self-respect and her relationship. Later, burdened with debt, she returns to her hometown and, under he 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 64 Those Years I Was the Big Brother 我当的哥那些年 Yang Rui, a struggling online novelist, applied to become a Didi rideshare driver so he could make ends meet and stop sponging off his parents. He thought it would just be a way to earn some extra money, but he never imagined that over the years he spent behind the wheel, he'd enjoy one stroke of good luck after another and meet benefactors who would help him rise... 192Reads9.3Score—14d adds
- 65 Breaking the Bottom Line 打破底线 In the eyes of others, he has it all: an executive title at a branch company and a happy family. But he also has plenty of secrets he can’t let see the light of day… A routine audit at the head office becomes the turning point in his fate… 14.1kReads8.2Score68914d adds
- 66 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. 13.4kReads9.1Score1.7k14d adds
- 67 Aunt Mei 媚姨 Male Lead: Ding Yuan Female Lead: Liu Meiyi No one is reborn, and there is no System. This is an era of struggle belonging to the older generation! That year, Ding Yuan earned top marks in the imperial examinations, only to have his life stolen from him when his stepmother conspired with her family to switch his results. His father, unaware of the truth, set out on a rainy night to sell goods in the mountains and raise money for Ding Yuan to retake the exams. But the tractor overturned in a ravi 5.6kReads8.8Score47914d adds
- 68 Finding True Love Inside and Outside Marriage in Midlife 人到中年婚姻内外寻找真爱 Yang Duo is a flower in full bloom. Though she’s forty, she’s still young and beautiful. A woman in pursuit of true love, she yearns for romance and has spent her life exploring and experiencing it. A passionate love affair that nearly cost her life in her youth, a joyless marriage in middle age, and an unexpected encounter outside her marriage: whenever she falls for someone, she loves with wild abandon and suffers heartbreak that tears her apart. Her three close friends have very different l 638Reads8.7Score10114d adds
- 69 Tales of Lijiang 丽江往事 The company went bankrupt, and at the same time we hit the seven-year itch. My wife tricked me into handing over all our assets by pretending we were getting a divorce. As soon as we left the civil affairs bureau, she got into the car of an old friend of mine. The two of them were planning a vacation in Thailand. When I got home, my former in-laws shut me out... 37.9kReads9.3Score4.2k14d adds
- 70 My Proposal Failed, but I Became a Dad 求婚失败喜当爹 (Urban slice of life / one heroine / winning back his wife / adorable child / a touch of angst / rekindled love) Xiao Ran suffered two blows at once: his marriage proposal was rejected, and he caught his girlfriend flirting with her boss. On the night he got drunk in despair, he accidentally hurt the girl who had secretly loved him for years. The girl whose heart he had broken then vanished from his world completely. Xiao Ran thought time would heal everything, until they met again four years la 497Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 71 Foolish Mother 傻娘 My father was dead, my mother had gone mad. The day I came home, I saw someone destroying it... 43.1kReads9.0Score1.3k14d adds
- 72 Middle Age: City of Desire 人到中年:欲望之都 [Urban] + [Everyday Life] + [Special Agent] + [Sound Values] The story begins when the male lead, Li Wujiao, retires from service and comes home late at night, hoping to surprise his wife. Instead, he discovers that his wife, Jiang Zhirou, hasn't come home, and someone is harassing her... What? You say your grandfather was once a big shot in the Magic City? And your father is a financial tycoon there, too? No need to panic... Watch a retired agent prove that retirement hasn't dulled his skills. 6.1kReads9.0Score60514d adds
- 73 Dongguan: My Years as a Migrant Worker 东莞,我的打工岁月 One city, one story, a stretch of youthful days. Who hasn’t felt lost in their youth? Come see the things I experienced in this city, the people I met, and the girls who once crossed paths with me! 4kReads8.9Score36814d adds
- 74 The Negative-Equity Lovers 负资产恋人 (A work of realism. The story starts slowly, but its impact builds.) A middle-class man in his thirties is hit by the property bubble’s collapse. With his assets shrinking and his marriage all but over, I had planned to give up and lie flat in this city. Until one day, Lin Shu, a fragile-looking college girl full of contradictions, barged into my chaotic life under the guise of a mysterious tenant. She’s sensitive and vulnerable, yet has an instinct for influencer culture that runs deep. To put 30Reads—Score—14d adds
- 75 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
- 76 Bloodshed Brothers and the Woman with a Gun 喋血兄弟和带枪的女人 To love one person is fidelity. To love two is cheating. To love three is a tangled affair... To be loved by one person is happiness. To be loved by two is anxiety. To be loved by three is a disaster... 1.6kReads7.1Score16614d adds
- 77 Loving You from Afar 站在远处爱 Liang Qingtong is new to the workplace and deeply admires Lu Chengyang, an industry role model. That exceptional man is her idol, her dream guy. By chance, she becomes his subordinate, and before she knows it, she seems to have fallen for him. He is decisive and efficient at work, but when it comes to love, he has no idea what he’s doing! We’re all just a bunch of unfortunate people: we can’t have the ones we love, we don’t cherish the ones we have, and when we’re together, we suspect each other 74Reads—Score—14d adds
- 78 A 200,000-Yuan Bride Price to Marry a Construction Worker 二十万彩礼,嫁给工地男 [The rating has only just opened and will rise] [Dowry Controversy] + [A Marriage Full of Misery] + [Multiple Male Leads] + [A Tense Push and Pull] + [Desperate, Obsessive Love] (Not reborn, not transmigrated, no golden finger) After more than six years of working, He Sui still hadn't paid off her online loans. Instead, her debt kept growing. Every New Year, her father nagged her about getting married until she was numb to it. Finally, He Sui steeled herself and got married. She had her own litt 110Reads8.1Score10914d adds
- 79 Desire by the Bedside 枕边之欲 On one side, Lang Xi was gently making his feelings known. On the other, Lang Xin was behaving outrageously. The two scenes kept intertwining in my mind, driving me to the brink of madness. What should I do? Call them out directly, or pretend nothing happened? What does the person beside me in bed really want? 2.1kReads8.2Score15914d adds
- 80 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
- 81 Stop Making Excuses 别找借口了 Stop making excuses. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 82 The Little Housekeeper at Lawyer Mao's Home 毛律师家的小保姆 For the sake of the man she loves, who is ill, college student Lü Chenchen gives up her white-collar office job and chooses the better-paying work of a nanny. After a few twists and turns, she ends up in Mao Yuanning’s household. The Mao family has a complicated history. Mao Yuanning’s stepmother isn’t his biological mother, but his maternal aunt. His wife is the daughter of his stepmother’s first love, spoiled into a willful, delicate young woman. After more than ten years of marriage, the coup 4.8kReads9.5Score72514d adds
- 83 Factory Underworld 工厂江湖 Savor the ups and downs of life, and watch its many twists with a smile. Follow Li Mu, a university graduate, as he repeatedly stumbles and gets back up amid the scheming and backstabbing of the workplace, eventually transforming from a clueless rookie into a smooth, savvy winner who can handle anything. 20.9kReads9.5Score2.3k14d adds
- 84 Waves of Fortune in the Business World 商海风云 One summer night, he rescued his beautiful boss while she was asleep. He thought it would be the start of a fateful romance, but instead he landed himself in a world of trouble. Worse still, he fell into a carefully laid trap and found himself facing an unprecedented crisis... With no connections, no backing, no network, and no resources, this migrant worker from the countryside climbs step by step to the pinnacle of success. 13.1kReads9.2Score1.7k14d adds
- 85 A Romance at a Shenzhen Factory 深圳工厂情缘 My new story is here! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 3kReads8.9Score22514d adds
- 86 My 23-Year-Old Landlady 我的23岁女房客 [Multiple heroines + not reborn + no System + urban slice of life + not a power fantasy + slow burn + a little angst + lots of sweetness] After breaking up with my first love, I stayed in one city for six years. Then I ran into the heiress Ye Xin at a bar. On New Year’s Eve, she told me she was pregnant. With my child? What kind of nonsense is that? I, Chen Mo, have always held my liquor well. I’ve never… I looked at everyone with an innocent expression and hurried to explain, “This has nothing 1.9kReads8.1Score13114d adds
- 87 Roommates: I Have Two Months to Live, So Don't Fall for Me 合租:还剩两个月命,不要爱上我 At twenty-six, Xia Xing was diagnosed with a terminal illness in the prime of his life. He had only two months left... After quitting his job, he moved out of the dorm and rented a place elsewhere. His roommate was Qin Ziyue, the beautiful teacher from his university. Under the same roof, the wheels of fate began to turn... A sweet little treat, safe to enjoy. 767Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 88 The Loyalty and Betrayal of Marriage 婚姻的忠诚与背叛 Kang Chuanzong and his wife, Su Miao, were both natives of a city on the southeastern coast. In their county, their families could be called Brahmins. They had countless relatives, and all their aunts, uncles, and cousins were either in business or department heads and directors in various government agencies. So their marriage was practically an alliance. Though they had met through a matchmaking arrangement, their life after marriage was quiet and uneventful. Thanks to the wealth accumulated b 2.5kReads8.2Score13914d adds
- 89 The 27-Year-Old Beauty Boss Won’t Leave Me Alone 27岁美女老板赖上我 Wherever there are people, there are rivalries. On my first day at work, I ran into my beautiful 27-year-old boss, Tang Ruoran. We had only just met when she accused me of being the father of her daughter. Heaven knows, it was my first time meeting her! I asked for a paternity test, but the results showed that I really was her daughter's biological father. Watch as I turn the tables, uncover layer upon layer of mystery, and finally discover just how greedy human nature can be... 2.1kReads8.5Score10514d adds
- 90 My Nearly Forty CEO Wife 我的奔四总裁小娇妻 The second volume is out now. Come back for more! Follow the author's page and add the book to your library so you won't lose track of it!!! I'm Ma Ming, male, 21, and currently a university student. I can do 600 push-ups in one go. I can do 500 sit-ups in one go. I run every day to stay fit, and I'm good at both singing and dancing. I can down five large glasses of beer, eight glasses of red wine, and three glasses of whiskey in one sitting... “Let's not get sidetracked. Here's the deal: I have 4kReads9.4Score25114d adds
- 91 Better Never to Have Met in This Life 此生不如不见 This is a novel about love and hate intertwined. There is no transmigration, cultivation, or System, just ordinary human nature in the real world. Through a twist of fate, the protagonist, Wang Zhicheng, meets his fiancée's identical twin sister, and a love that no one will accept begins to unfold. The many hardships of the real world push the two people who love each other toward the abyss, costing them their lives. When you look back on your youth, this novel may make you feel like you've been 1.1kReads6.7Score10714d adds
- 92 The Plains' True Colors 平原底色 Beginning in the twenty-first century, this novel follows Fang Lizhu, a child of the post-80s generation growing up in the rural Jianghan Plain of central China. Through Fang Lizhu's education, work, and the many people he meets and events he experiences, the novel portrays how life has changed for people across the plains since the start of the new century. It also depicts the many ways ordinary people respond to sweeping changes in a new era and a shifting social landscape: the choices they ma 17Reads—Score11414d adds
- 93 Those Years Working in Lingnan 岭南打工那些年 This work is a realistic urban novel based on my own experience of heading south to Guangdong for work in the late 1980s. It might be more accurate to call it a memoir of migrant work than a novel. The characters are all based on my colleagues, fellow villagers, and friends I knew well! I chose to write in the first person so that everyone in these pages would feel vivid and real, with a soul of their own. I hope readers will find the voice warm and familiar as they read or listen in their spare 18.7kReads9.3Score1.7k14d adds
- 94 I Became a Billionaire, but They Sent Me to a Mental Hospital 成了亿万富翁,我却被送进精神病 In the early 1980s, Dugu Feng's father lost his iron rice bowl, and the family was so poor they could barely put food on the table. With no other choice, Dugu Feng gritted his teeth and took his whole family out to do backbreaking labor, starting by taking on the small construction jobs no one else wanted from contractors. He was an honest man who never cut corners, and his work was excellent. Little by little, he made a name for himself in the trade. From a small-time contractor to founding a 253Reads7.7Score12414d adds
- 95 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
- 96 Young and Promising 年少有为 How deeply does one's family shape them? Some grow up insecure, timid, and lacking confidence; others become violent and end up behind bars; still others see their marriages torn apart, losing their spouses and children. After countless heartbreaking realizations, some people spend their whole lives healing from childhood, while others are healed for life by their childhood. 21.3kReads9.0Score2.8k14d adds
- 97 Life at Thirty 人生三十 My career went bankrupt, and my beloved wife betrayed me! There’s no such thing as an easy life for adults. No transmigrating, no being reborn. No wishful fantasies, just reality. Keeping my feet on the ground, taking one step at a time, I’ll turn things around against the odds and rise to the top! This one’s for readers born in the ’80s. If you’re thin-skinned or haven’t been battered by life, read at your own risk! Better not read it! 21.9kReads8.8Score1.5k14d adds
- 98 Fated Homecoming 2 宿命归途2 After graduating from a university in Xi’an, Zhang Botao moved to Beijing and fell in love with Yao Yufei while working at an investment company. Unable to afford housing prices in Beijing, he and Yao broke up after her family introduced her to a new boyfriend who owned an apartment. Downhearted, Zhang Botao ran into his classmate Lu Xiaofan and Lin Qiong, the owner of a trading company, at a bar. They exchanged contact information. Later, Zhang visited Sister Qiong, and the two fell deeply in —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 99 The Allure of Painted Lips 艳唇之惑 A romantic encounter. Most handsome men have had one, but for someone obsessed with beautiful lips, it's like discovering an ancient treasure... Xi Mengyao, the heiress and CEO of one of Yanjing's top families, is the finest pair of lips of them all. The surprising thing is, when Shu Muyan, a retired special forces king, rescues her, he steals the first kiss from the most coveted lips of all. And so the story begins... 108Reads—Score—14d adds
- 100 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

















































