Novels like After Getting Into Grad School, I Won Over the Academic Heartthrob
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as After Getting Into Grad School, I Won Over the Academic Heartthrob, best match first.
- 101 Summer Has Its Dusk 夏日有暮 A young girl’s quiet crush was hardly a grand affair. The gardenias by the corner of the school grounds bloomed and faded, but the way he dazzled me lasted far longer than a single summer. That summer, Ji Xia fell for a boy. She was lucky enough to be in the same class as him in high school. He was the school’s adored prodigy, and she worked hard to catch up with him. At their graduation dinner, everyone was celebrating. The girl had a glass of fruit-flavored wine and quietly rested to one side. 1.4kReads8.8Score15414d adds
- 102 A Soft Spring Rain 春日绵雨 A touch to the heart, warmth still burning. She was the secret love he could never hide. A midsummer night. He secretly kissed her lips. At last, his hidden love stepped into the light. (The leads have always loved each other, and both pursue one another.) 805Reads9.1Score10514d adds
- 103 Better Late Than Never. There's Still a Long Road Ahead 迟到但无妨，来日且方长 Chu Mingxi thinks of herself as a piece of charcoal and Li Cheng as a spark. Only when she meets Li Cheng does she grow warm and begin to shine. She was late to their promise, but in the days ahead, she’ll make a living from the simple pleasures of life and find love through poetry. She once thought beauty lay in partings and reunions, but in the end, even life’s everyday necessities are poetry. 506Reads9.4Score—14d adds
- 104 I Escaped the Mountains 我逃出了大山 I Escaped the Mountains 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 105 A Blind Date with My Secret Crush 相亲相到暗恋对象 [Marriage First, Love Later + Secret Crush Comes True + Reunion After Years Apart] If you can't forget someone, you'll meet again. What do you do when you run into your old high school crush on a blind date? Zhou Zhouzhou stayed happily single until she was twenty-eight, but in the end, even she couldn't escape being set up on a date. Who could have imagined she'd end up sitting across from her high school crush at the blind date corner, trading lines back and forth like it was a proper date? 2.7kReads9.1Score26114d adds
- 106 Secret Tastes, Special Favor 私尝偏宠 [Flirty, heart-fluttering romance + The second male lead's groveling pursuit of his ex + Long-planned scheme + Devoted couple] Chi Zhiyan and Fu Xichen were childhood friends, promised to each other in an arranged marriage from a young age. Then, a sudden turn of events led the Chi and Fu families to announce that the engagement was off. Chi Zhiyan became the laughingstock of the entire capital. After decisively walking away, she met the man everyone spoke of as a god. Xie Jingyan, heir to the 1.3kReads9.0Score15614d adds
- 107 The Heat of Midsummer 盛夏热潮 Sweet and gentle x Handsome, roguish flirt [Unrequited Love Comes True + Fake Playboy + Sweet Romance + Both Each Other’s First] Xie Jinyan, the most famous guy at Jing University, was known as a playboy. His prestigious family and godlike looks made everyone overlook what a jerk he was. One day, Xie Jinyan started spending more and more time with Lin Chushuang, the beauty of the Chinese department, breaking the young heir’s rule against dating anyone from his own university. - Lin Chushuang had 5.7kReads8.8Score56514d adds
- 108 I Went Home to Meet a Match, But My Match Asked Me to Fake-Date Her to Handle Her Family's Marriage Pressure 回老家相亲，相亲对象拉我搭伙演戏应付全家催婚 I went back to my hometown for a blind date, and my date asked me to pretend we were dating to fend off our families’ matchmaking pressure. 42Reads—Score—14d adds
- 109 A Thousand Suns Could Never Outshine You 朝阳万丈不及你 ⚠️ A new book is now underway. Head over to the one next door ➡️ (The unruly school bully × the insecure, sensitive nobody) (The male lead is violent and domineering at first, and is into everything from smoking and drinking to fighting. Later, he turns into a perfectly obedient puppy who’ll go east if told, never west.) Lu Xiaowan finally mustered the courage to transfer to Beicheng, following the boy she had a crush on. But she never expected the warm-hearted boy she remembered to have turne 2.9kReads8.7Score28014d adds
- 110 Half Making Do, Half Living Well 一半将就，一半美好 [The print edition is now available] Fear of marriage is the last thing on Ou Xiaolin’s mind. She and Xie Tao have been happily dating for five years, and their families get along well too. She assumes everything will fall into place and they’ll live happily ever after. Who could have guessed that the moment the families start discussing the bride price, one conflict after another would erupt? Lowbrow provocations come at her from every direction. Do they really think she’s that easy to push ar 13.6kReads9.3Score1.3k14d adds
- 111 My Unrequited Love Is My Direct Boss 白月光他是顶头上司 [Both Pure + Reunited After Years Apart + Broken Hearts Made Whole Again] He waits for a romantic moment, waits for his moon to return. She found her rainbow, and then it was always you. A stunning translator who seems calm and alluring but is actually afraid of phone calls VS a general manager with a heart broad enough to hold the world, whose very skin cells are full of narcissism [Blurb] Yan Nian moved from Lingyun City back to Lincheng City, where her parents arranged for her to work as a wr 5.1kReads9.2Score47914d adds
- 112 She Couldn’t Be More Obedient 她乖得不行 [A cocky, charming flirt x a conflicted, soft-hearted girl] [Secret crush becomes real + bittersweet sweetness + a glimpse of school life + both leads are virgins] Song Xi had a secret crush on Jiang Yubai, and she hid it so well that she thought her love would quietly fade over the countless days to come. She had no idea his eyes had already been drawn to her time and again. * Physics was the subject Song Xi struggled with most. Stuck on a problem, she banged her forehead against the test pa 1.1kReads8.8Score12114d adds
- 113 Her Walled-In World 她的围城 This book is based on a true story. It's not a wish-fulfillment novel, and it is slow-paced. In the 1990s, Jing An gets married. Unsure yet hopeful about marriage, she endures her in-laws' schemes and her sister-in-law's attempts to drive a wedge between her and her husband. At last, she and Jiuguang make it through their difficult adjustment period, and she thinks a brighter future is finally within reach. But that light is stolen by another woman. And so begins a battle of schemes and rivalr 29kReads9.2Score79114d adds
- 114 The Great Menopause Battle 绝经大作战 The dutiful Zhao Weilan is on the verge of menopause. Her mother loses her mind, she loses hers, and the whole family gradually follows suit. She escapes her troubles by taking a temporary assignment at the group, where she accidentally takes Cheng Xian, her medicinal catalyst. Together, they experience healing, struggle, self-doubt, and the courage to keep moving forward. With her lover’s help, she ultimately rises to the top of her life. 3.4kReads9.2Score40114d adds
- 115 I Know You Like Me 你的喜欢我知道 When Yuan Han was young, she fell in love with someone. He was handsome, smart, came from a good family, and had impeccable manners. He was perfect in every way, except that he didn't love her. The boy was named Cheng Zhao, Zhao as in “bright as day.” Whenever she saw him or heard his voice, Yuan Han thought of every beautiful thing in the world. Sunshine, a gentle breeze, flowers, morning dew... Nothing seemed to compare to him. Then, an unexpected separation sent them to opposite ends of the e 2kReads9.2Score20514d adds
- 116 Sinking Into the Sunset 沉溺于落日 On the first day of high school, the sensitive and insecure Lin Yuexi fell in love at first sight with Zhou Yanchen, a boy in her class. Though they seemed to have nothing in common, a twist of fate made them deskmates. After graduating, Zhou Yanchen went abroad to study. They thought they were parallel lines that would never cross, until an unexpected reunion years later brought them back into each other’s lives. At last, her secret crush could step into the light. When we were young, you were 398Reads8.9Score10414d adds
- 117 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
- 118 Qi, Are You Really Giving Up on Pursuing Me? 祁同学，真的不继续追了吗 An utterly unremarkable boy writes the girl he's secretly loved for three years into an essay for a mock exam, letting everyone know how much he favors her. But in real life, he's never had the courage to say a single word to her. He's too ordinary, while she's far too outstanding. Years later, at a blind date arranged by his friends, his heart recognizes her before he does. But when a sudden crisis hits his family, his insecurity and sensitivity make him avoid her at every turn. Yet she's like 4.4kReads8.9Score54414d adds
- 119 An Yu's Wall 安屿的墙 (Slow-burn romance / Secret Crush + Regret + Modern Romance + Long-Distance Love + Youth) Tang Yu'an and Su Yan, a love that missed its chance for four years. When Su Yan had a secret crush on Tang Yu'an, another man entered her life, and Tang Yu'an learned how to use people through that man. In the end, fate gave them another chance, only for everything to fall apart again the morning after a tender night together. Will Su Yan and Tang Yu'an ever make it to the end together? No one knows. 50Reads—Score—14d adds
- 120 Clear Night and Flame 清宵与焰 Title: Clear Nights and Flames, also known as: Close Enough [Secret crush + six-year age gap + healing romance + obsessive possessiveness] The first time Li Yan met Ran Qingxiao was in the warm spring of March. Li Yan had never cared for romance and never imagined she would fall for anyone. But once she did, he occupied the most beautiful three years of her youth. The second time they met was in the golden autumn of September. He was the youngest history professor at Linhai University, an absti 433Reads9.0Score10114d adds
- 121 Lingering Scent 余腥 Yu Jiaxi spent ten years with Li Jin. She had no ambition, no aspirations, no dreams, no house, no car, no savings, and a mountain of debt. She thought love meant weathering hardship together. At least, enduring hardship was what she was best at. Duan Yan called her pathetic. Only later did she understand: someone who didn’t love her could bear to make her suffer, but someone who loved her couldn’t even stand to see her in pain. 3kReads8.2Score30014d adds
- 122 My Beloved Has Waited So Long 良人久候 [Marriage before love + whirlwind marriage + sweet mutual devotion + everyday life + romance and marriage + love that grows over time] (The leads aren’t exceptional prodigies, princes, or princesses. They’re ordinary working stiffs: no wish fulfillment, no grand romance, just a realistic story.) A sweet romance that starts bitter and ends sweet. After setbacks at work leave Bai Zhanying physically and emotionally exhausted, she returns to her hometown, only to face her parents’ relentless pres 13.8kReads9.0Score1.7k14d adds
- 123 The Girl Who Saw the Stars (Complete in Two Volumes) 照见星星的她（全两册） [Sweet romance + healing + devoted love] Thank you for shining so brightly and becoming the brilliant star in my otherwise ordinary days. A sweet, heartwarming romance by bestselling author Sui Houzhu, a hugely popular novel that topped charts across the board and earned a glowing recommendation from suspense-romance author Ding Mo! A talkative, dramatic documentary director versus a cool, celibate oncologist. When loneliness and passion intertwine, they become the most perfectly matched soulmat 4.1kReads9.6Score66114d adds
- 124 Mrs. Gu, Let Me Lure You In 顾太太，诱你入怀 [Mutually devoted, one-on-one romance + Mutual pining + Choosing each other + Healing each other + Sweet romance + A slow, steady love] [Bright, confident lawyer x devoted, single-minded CEO] [Daddy-type big bad wolf x innocent little white rabbit] [Supporting characters have their own romances] When Gu Chenchuan was sixteen, he rescued Lin Nianxuan from being bullied. He fell for her at first sight. From then on, she became the only little sun in his bleak world. When Lin Nianxuan was sixteen, 146Reads—Score—14d adds
- 125 When Cookie Meets Mousse 曲奇遇上慕斯 [The Redemption Equation of Dark Chocolate and Honey] "Cookies are bitter, mousse is sweet." - "Summer's secret is hidden inside the Black Forest cake." Chen Rongrong's world was bitter like a cookie she'd never tasted, like the faint, salty tang lurking in Black Forest cake. She curled up in the shadows of midsummer, where even the sunlight seemed too glaring. - Liu Jingyi, on the other hand, lived as if he were an endless summer that would never fade. He said, “Girls look prettier when the 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 126 Hello, Mr. Gu 顾先生，你好 Seven years ago, he wrote her a letter ending their friendship with his own hands, then vanished without a trace. Just when she thought they would never meet again in this life, he returned. A deliberately arranged meeting gave them both a chance at a love they couldn't settle for less than. Whenever Cheng Cheng looks back, she still finds it hard to believe. She never imagined that, from the moment she met Gu Qing, no one else would ever be able to enter her world. Back then, they were deskmate 84Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 127 The Whole School Bullied Me as a Fat Pig. Then I Was Reunited with My Rich Family, and the Former School Hunk Tricked Me into Marriage. Now He's Dead for Good 被全校霸凌是肥猪，认回豪门前校草骗婚我，他死透了 The whole school bullied me for being a fat pig. Before I was acknowledged by my wealthy family, the campus heartthrob tricked me into marrying him. He’s dead now. 124Reads—Score—14d adds
- 128 The Ache of a Secret Crush 暗恋刺耳 The rating just came out and will rise later! [College life + sweet romance + love at first sight + secret crush comes true + happy ending] [Sweet, innocent, and oblivious girl × devoted top student with a secret crush] Yuncheng High School had two famous students. One was Yun Zhixia, a top student in the humanities. The other was Chen Shixu, who consistently ranked first in the science track. One excelled in the humanities, the other in science. Their paths could hardly have been more different 9.7kReads8.6Score1.3k14d adds
- 129 An Ill-Matched Marriage 不般配的婚姻 After Cheng Ruojia, a small-town girl, married her boss, Tang Yixuan, she spent the next ten years as a housewife, looking after Tang Yixuan and their daughter, Tang Qi. But as Tang Yixuan's business grew and his handsome looks drew attention, a marital crisis crept closer and closer... 646Reads5.8Score—14d adds
- 130 The Sinkhole Buyer 天坑买手 Miao Tian, a purchasing specialist at a real estate group, is sent to Mountain City on an urgent assignment. Thus begins a tumultuous, high-stakes battle in the real estate business. How will he face the deception, the ambushes, and the relentless pursuit? How will he emerge from the fog and be reborn through the flames? This book gradually unfolds a sweeping portrait of the real estate underworld. Remember: If you can't live the way you want, in the end you'll have to convince yourself to want 105Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 131 Kunlun Hero 昆仑侠 Where there are people, there are martial circles; where there are martial circles, there is crime; and where there is crime, there are heroes. Kunlun Knight is an ancient Chinese title praising heroes of peerless martial skill and boundless righteousness. Liu Kunlun got his name because, the year his parents went to Xinjiang to pick cotton, they gave birth to him at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains along the way. 5.2kReads9.1Score58414d adds
- 132 Dear You: I Once Had a Terrible Deskmate 卿卿如晤：我曾经有个坏同桌 The animated comic is coming soon! Two top students flirting with each other | Steamy and sweet | Small-town romance | No contrived plot, not a power fantasy Chen Qingqing thinks her love story with Lin Jingze is too embarrassing to tell anyone. Other people fall in love by dating. First comes a confession, then fingertips brushing, then lips meeting. But the two of them... went straight to bed. They were former deskmates who hadn't seen each other in years, and on the day they reunited, their f 25.2kReads9.0Score3.2k14d adds
- 133 When I Returned, Your Love Was Still There 归来时深情有意 After her parents divorce, Song Chiyi moves with her mother back to Jinghang City, where she meets Fu Jisui again, the boy she knew two years ago. She had thought he was a cool, aloof top student, but after getting to know him, she discovers he is domineering, proud, and unruly. Six years after he left without a word, they meet again. Will Song Chiyi and Fu Jisui’s story have a happy ending? They choose each other, with no mountain or sea able to keep them apart. For both of them, it’s love at 2.4kReads9.3Score14014d adds
- 134 Marrying a Twice-Divorced Uncle: Who's the One Marrying Up? 嫁给二婚大叔，谁高攀了谁 When Lu Ming thought the whole world had abandoned her, Cheng Yuting appeared. At thirty-three, Cheng Yuting is divorced with no children, refined and handsome, a perfect gentleman. Most important are the Cheng family's influence and his own abilities. So what if he’s divorced? Single women, and even their parents, would be thrilled to have a man like Cheng Yuting be divorced or widowed. And Cheng Yuting seems to drift from flower to flower, enjoying himself. He seems like a flame that beguiles 2.7kReads9.0Score23214d adds
- 135 Before It’s Too Late 止于未迟 The moment Duan Zhi said, “This is where it ends,” Cheng Weichi suddenly understood her own name. So “Weichi” meant: Even after you’ve stopped, I’m still asking whether it’s too late. From high school to college, she remembered every “someday” he had ever promised. But he was the first to say goodbye. Only later did she understand: Some people have their endings written into their names. One was called “Zhi,” the other “Weichi.” He had already gone so far, while she was still standing where she’ 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 136 Before Him, After You 在他之前，在你之后 “Maybe you think too highly of me,” she said. He looked into her eyes. “No one is loved because they’re that wonderful.” “Then why?” “Because they’re the right fit!” 1.4kReads9.2Score17314d adds
- 137 Waiting for You in the Endless Night 等你在夜未央 An Ning and Min Hang were abducted as children. After they were rescued, they were separated, then reunited as adults. This is a story about a romance between an underworld queen and a younger man. An Ning walks in the daylight, but her heart remains in the night. Min Hang saw her once and loved her, missed her while they were apart, and has only ever had eyes for her. He waits for you in the endless night, just to bring you out into the sunshine. 8.4kReads9.2Score81014d adds
- 138 The Awakening of a Housewife 一个家庭主妇的觉醒 When the heroine, Song Xiaoying, discovers that her daughter is planning to kill herself, she follows the clues and uncovers her husband Zhou Yang's affair. This sets off a battle of interests between the wife and the mistress, husband and wife, and parents-in-law and daughter-in-law, laying bare the calculations and compromises, darkness and ugliness of human nature. It's a rare and compelling work of realistic relationship fiction. 24.2kReads9.2Score1.9k14d adds
- 139 Fallen Stars Gather Into Light 星落凝成光 May every secret crush find its way into the light. A sweet little dream-come-true romance! The story of Shanghai’s fairy-like Song Jiaojiao and Shanghai’s top lawyer, Li Chengxiao. [Secret crush + failed confession + groveling to win her back] A sweet treat, the kind that’ll give you a toothache! On the night Li Chengxiao learned that Song Yun had loved him for five years, he sat downstairs all night with red eyes, smoking cigarette after cigarette, despite being so disciplined that he never sm 1.5kReads9.0Score24614d adds
- 140 A Top-Tier Star Falls in Love with Me 顶流男星爱上我 [Sweet youth romance] [Modern romance] [Entertainment industry] Le Yao saw Wen Li again at the Spring Festival Gala on New Year's Eve. Le Yao was watching on TV, while Wen Li was a hugely famous star beloved by everyone. Le Yao liked Wen Li. More precisely, she had a crush on him for ten whole years, from age seventeen to twenty-seven. No one knew about this all-consuming secret love, not even Wen Li. People say that if you meet someone too dazzling when you're young, everyone who comes along la 4.1kReads9.2Score46614d adds
- 141 I've Secretly Loved You for Years 偷偷喜欢你很多年 [Complete] [Mutual secret crush + devoted to each other + eight-year age gap + extremely sweet romance + growing up together] Tsundere, celibate CEO uncle VS beautiful young jewelry designer (1) The first time they met, she was six months old and he was eight. She cried and drew a map on his pants. From then on, a little girl kept clinging to him. (2) Fu Jin's story: They realized their feelings when she was sixteen and he was twenty-four. He wanted to make that girl his and his alone. The love 5.8kReads9.1Score26814d adds
- 142 Qin Zheng 秦峥 He loves her. She is the eternal sun in his heart. For a long time, he was too insecure to look directly at her dazzling light. When the sun finally shone on him, he hesitated and wavered, but in the end, he couldn’t resist the love in his heart. He drew her into his arms. At last, she became the sun that shone for him alone. 3.2kReads9.3Score24614d adds
- 143 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
- 144 Great-Aunt Xile's Happy Life 姑奶奶喜乐的幸福生活 Home is a sheltered harbor, and family is always there to support you. This is a story about three generations of the Song family living happily in an old building on Tianjin's Five Avenues. It features Tianjin's delicious food, as well as the family's joys and sorrows over the past thirty years. 730Reads9.1Score10414d adds
- 145 Let Me Build You a Home 我来给你装个家 Who would lose the house they worked so hard to earn just because they fell in love? Jiang Ning. Who would scrimp on everything, from food and clothes to housing and travel, just because they fell in love? Yang Wu. They were both willing to do it for each other. The road may have been hard, but together they were always happy. In the end, they found a home and a life together, sharing three meals a day through all four seasons. 1.5kReads9.4Score14914d adds
- 146 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
- 147 After Being Driven Mad, She Took Revenge on Her Whole Family 被逼成疯批后，她报复了全家 [Revenge] [Both Leads Are Each Other's First] [Redemption] [Feel-Good Story] [Happy Ending] To seize the Su family's wealth, Chen Wei, a man who married into the family for money, plotted to kill his father-in-law and mother-in-law, then pushed his wife down the stairs. His daughter, Su Ying, had the surname Su, not Chen. To him, that was a disgrace. Her very existence constantly reminded him of the humiliating days he had spent in the Su family. So he wanted to get rid of her as soon as possibl 7.6kReads8.3Score46814d adds
- 148 I’m the One Who’s Secretly in Love with You 暗恋你的人是我 This book is based on my own life. Once I finish writing it, I can finally let go. Su Xiaoxiao is insecure, sensitive, timid, a poor student, and painfully meek. When she meets He Chi, she does her best to get closer to him, but all she can do is run after him from behind. Why does Su Xiaoxiao work so hard to get into First High School, only to transfer out later? Su Xiaoxiao will never measure up to Xia Mo, and she can never catch up to He Chi. But Wang Bo is always behind her, and she forget 126Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 149 Secretly in Love with You in Midsummer 在盛夏暗恋你 [Well-Behaved, Hardworking Girl x Sincere, Gentle Boy] [One-on-One, Both Pure + First Love + School Romance + Unrequited Love Becomes Mutual + Reunion After Years Apart + Female Lead’s Perspective + Extra Sweet + Happy Ending] This is a little story about a secret crush. Lin Simian has a secret: after the high school entrance exams, she fell for a boy she had met only once. Her three years of unrequited love in high school were like fizzy soda, bittersweet and bubbling nonstop. Gu Jingyu was an 6.2kReads8.8Score79114d adds
- 150 When My Secret Crush Was Exposed, He Stopped Pretending to Be Sweet 暗恋被拆穿，他也就不装乖了 [Mature, steady, restrained top x beautiful, brooding bottom who pretends to be well-behaved] Unrequited love + both pure + flirtation + HE + bittersweet angst + imaginative premise Chi Wanyan had been secretly in love with his older brother's friend for eight whole years. When he learned the man had returned from abroad, he was overjoyed. He would go on being the sweet, considerate little brother who followed him around, just as he had before. Chi Wanyan was content with that, still putting on 4.7kReads9.0Score66614d adds
