Novels like The Principal's Secret
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Principal's Secret, best match first.
- 1 Deep in the Dust and Smoke 尘烟深处 I was twelve that year. My family lived in a mud-brick house at the west end of the village. My mother was famous for her beauty in all the surrounding villages. Even in patched clothes, her delicate features shone through. In the autumn of the third year after my father was killed in a mining accident, a village loafer kicked down our wooden door. I grabbed the axe we used for chopping wood and was about to charge in when I heard my mother pleading with the man who had come to help her: “Don’t 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 The Age of Catastrophic Losses 爆雷时代 That night, Wen Han's mind was in turmoil. His family's misfortunes and his experiences in prison came together, filling in the scattered gaps in his memories. All the beautiful things his father had expressed in his letters dissolved into tears of weakness in the face of reality. Amid Wen Han's chaotic thoughts, familiar faces kept flashing by, like slides passing before his eyes. Some belonged to people he loved, some to people he admired, and some to people he hated… Memories from his ma —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 Live, and Never Bow Your Head 活着，不低头 In the shifting urban landscape, the rat race surges like a tide. Degrees lose their value, people worry about their status, incomes are unstable, and relationships become emotionally draining. Reality is harsh, ideals are lofty, and every step is a struggle against life. Some grit their teeth and work overtime until they become machines; some lie awake at midnight, lamenting how hard life is; others set off elsewhere in pursuit of their dreams, trying to find themselves amid the endless hustle. 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 The Summer We First Met 那年夏天初相识 [A free-spirited young writer and a home-loving Chinese teacher find meaning in life because they meet each other.] “Shen Ye, do you love me?” “I do.” “How much?” “Enough to want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Shen Ye returned to his empty home alone. Waiting for him was still only the light he had switched on before leaving. He lay on the bed, worn out, and gradually drifted off to sleep. That night, he had a dream. He dreamed he was back at the entrance to the vocational school from y —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 A Joyful Face in the Distance 远方的欢颜 Yi Fei and Wen Lai are literary and poetry enthusiasts who met online. Their souls are a 99 percent match. This book follows the development of their extramarital relationship, the obstacles posed by real life, and the experiences of two other couples caught in affairs. Where will their relationships lead? Can they overcome the obstacles of reality and finally end up together? 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 When Breast Cancer Swept Through Our Marriage 当乳癌席卷了我们的婚姻 (A long-form writing exercise) She says she has lived twice: the first time when she was born, and the second after her mastectomy. On the day of her second wedding anniversary, Peishan discovers she is pregnant and is diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer. Her doctor urges her to terminate the pregnancy and undergo a mastectomy as soon as possible. Six months after surgery, her marriage finally collapses after struggling to survive. Her husband’s disdain, her in-laws’ meddling, betrayal in lo —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 At the Foot of Mount Pangu 盘古山下 Set in a rural village at the foot of Pangu Mountain, this novel tells the story of Qingshan, a young villager who failed the college entrance exams in the late 1970s. Because his family was too poor to afford a bride price, he married into the Tian family. The story offers a glimpse into rural marriage at the time. 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 The Seven-Year Itch: Falling in Love 七年之痒之坠入情网 Zhou Wei and Huang Mocheng had been married for seven years. As the passion slowly faded, Huang Mocheng succumbed to temptation and had an affair with a subordinate. Zhou Wei worked at the grassroots level of the government. When she learned the truth, the betrayal hit her hard, so she devoted herself to climbing the career ladder. Along the way, she met all kinds of men, some with moral failings, others trapped by life’s harsh realities... In her loneliness, Zhou Wei fell in love. Huang Mocheng 13Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 9 The Code of the Jianghu 江湖底线 My life in the martial world began when I fell in with a gang of thieves. I had no heaven-defying powers or powerful connections. I was just an ordinary man from the streets, struggling against the tide in a society awash with material temptation... 171Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 10 Tales of Xishan 西山往事 Tags: Contemporary romance + urban life + angst + everyday city life + love that grows over time + yandere + ensemble cast + family + period setting. A poor young woman from the countryside studies hard, earns top marks in the imperial examinations, and makes her way out of rural poverty. But afterward, she endures a string of blows: divorce and remarriage, her mother-in-law's dementia, quitting her job, her husband's car accident, her son going missing, crushing debt, and cancer. She plans to f 68Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 11 Twenty Years of Marriage 结婚20年 The familiar hurts of marriage, the casual disdain, indifference, and manipulation... They have the power to wear away even stone, drop by drop... Watch as three middle-aged couples, Chen Zhu and Fang Wenqing, Hong Chunying and Ji Changhua, and Ren Yan and Yu Bin, fight their way out of their emotional dead ends... 865Reads8.1Score10314d adds
- 12 I Am the Sword Hanging Over the Powerful 我是权贵头上的一柄剑 Xie Bi'an, an entrepreneur in Jingzhou, Daxia, is caught up in an acquisition scheme carefully laid by powerful aristocratic families. It exposes a gripping struggle for power both within and beyond the halls of government. What he thought was a ploy by the powerful to seize wealth turns out to conceal a battle for power. What he thought was a struggle for power reveals a surging conspiracy to usurp the nation. Every step is fraught with danger, revealing both the warmth and coldness of everyday —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 Shadows of the City: Ling Dongyang 都市暗影之凌冬阳 This novel explores the undercurrents lurking beneath modern urban life and the growth of an individual. With its suspenseful plot, complex relationships, and keen social insight, it portrays an ordinary person's struggles and perseverance in the city, as well as his journey to find hope in the darkness. Through Ling Dongyang's eyes, readers will gradually uncover the truth and experience a battle of courage, wisdom, and humanity. The protagonist, Ling Dongyang, is a young man who has been throu —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 A Kitten's Diary 1 小猫的日记1 An Der and An Der Ah are the same person. For certain reasons, I lost access to my old account, so I started a new one to write this book, A Kitten's Diary. A cow cat accidentally saves a short-legged orange cat. The two cats rely on each other as they wander the streets, then, through a twist of fate, are adopted by humans together and meet a big golden retriever. From then on, the two cats and one dog live happily ever after. (Not really.) 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 15 My Mother Was Kidnapped 我那被拐来的母亲 Every woman abducted by human traffickers is denied the freedom to choose her own husband. They can only do as they are told and marry a man they have met just once. Whatever his circumstances, they have no choice. And so, my mother and father became a family. 1.7kReads8.9Score10114d adds
- 16 A Few Stories from Life on the Factory Floor 工厂打工男女之间的三两事 [Rural life in the 1980s and 1990s, migrant workers, city life, flirtation, love, growing up, everyday life, the little things, not a power fantasy, realistic] Do you remember working in Shenzhen twenty years ago? Everyone wore the most innocent smiles. Nobody on the streets was glued to a phone. Even though people earned only a few hundred yuan a month, they were remarkably happy and content. Now, even with several thousand yuan a month, or even a business of your own, you can never go back to 288Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 Crimson Haze 血色朦胧 Cops and criminals + tragic romance + fate. This is the first installment of the "Silence" trilogy, a tender yet sorrowful story. It follows the fates of two generations of police officers, Qin Dongzheng and Qu Jingsi, who set out to uncover the truth behind the 817 tragedy, only for one to die and the other to disappear. They are tall and handsome, in the prime of their lives, and steadfast in their convictions, yet their endings are tragic. Like the author, they are ordinary people. This is a 22Reads—Score—14d adds
- 18 My First Love Took Her Own Life. Her Last Words Were Disturbingly Unhinged 白月光自杀，遗言有点癫 The White Moonlight Killed Herself, and Her Last Words Were a Little Unhinged 469Reads—Score414d adds
- 19 After Kissing a Rich Young Master, the Village Teacher Is in Turmoil kiss富少后，山村教师心乱如麻 After kissing a rich young master, the village teacher is thrown into turmoil. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 20 I'm in Tears! The Top-Ranked Civil Service Job Vanished into Thin Air 哭死，第一名的编制，不翼而飞了 I’m devastated! The permanent position I ranked first for has vanished without a trace. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 The Runaway Housewife 逃跑的家庭主妇 At forty, Su Meng was manipulated by her husband into having a second child. Her younger daughter’s birth was an impulsive decision, and the start of a nightmarish life. Standing on the balcony of her home on the eighteenth floor, she suddenly thought that jumping might be the only way to find true release… The loneliness, helplessness, pessimism, despair, and weariness with everything made her realize she was ill, seriously ill. And the only thing that might cure her was to run away… Escape, ge 1kReads—Score10214d adds
- 22 The Maid in the Presidential Suite 总统套房的女佣 Born into poverty, a young woman heads south to the city to support her family. She takes a job as a room attendant at a five-star hotel, making beds, cleaning toilets, and vacuuming every day. Along the way, she gets entangled with several male guests and attracts their attention. Naive and inexperienced, she tries to change her fate, but gradually loses her way in the city of desire... 247Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 23 A Midnight Romance 深夜情缘 Fang Nan's girlfriend of two years was pregnant with another man's child. Furious, he got into a car accident on a rainy night and crossed paths with a beautiful senior executive at a company. From then on, he was caught up in an utterly unbelievable tangle of love and revenge… 152Reads7.2Score10314d adds
- 24 Her Game 她的局 She left Beijing with her child and began living apart from her husband. She thought her in-laws back in their hometown would lend a hand, but her overbearing father-in-law pressured her to have another baby because he wanted a grandson. Her mother-in-law had spent her whole life obeying him and hardly dared to resist. After living apart for so long, her husband became infatuated with his beautiful boss. What was she supposed to do... Her parents were disabled. Her mother had risked her life to 354Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 You Are a Good Person 你是好人 No matter what life throws at us, meeting a good person who can give us hope in our darkest moments and support us when we’re at our lowest can change the course of our lives... —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 26 Who Hasn’t Dated a Jerk or Two? Growing Up 谁不经历几个渣男：长大成人 Who doesn’t have to go through a few jerks on the way to growing up? This book explores women’s emotional growth. Drawing mostly on the author’s own experiences and reflections on love, and shaped with literary embellishment, it presents five stages of women’s emotional growth in the hope of offering a little guidance to women who feel lost. 124Reads—Score—14d adds
- 27 A Collection of Modern Shanghai Stories 上海现代故事集 Volume Two: A New Shanghai Mom. She has a second child, a son and a daughter, though her daughter’s troubles in middle school already have her at her wits’ end. She used to think she’d be happy as long as she had a modestly comfortable life, and at least she could count on her husband. But then her deranged sister-in-law shows up and turns both families’ lives into a complete mess! Volume One: An only daughter who has been abroad for twenty years rushes back to Shanghai to claim her grandmother 204Reads—Score—14d adds
- 28 A Little Story About Buying a House 买房的小故事 Among almost everyone I know, apart from only daughters whose parents help them buy a home, daughters in families with both sons and daughters have to work toward buying a home on their own. Many parents even stand in their way. And when a daughter gets married after buying a home, they may throw all kinds of obstacles in her path, hoping she will transfer the property to her brother. They believe a daughter’s home should belong to her parents’ family. This book tells four short stories about wo 93Reads—Score—14d adds
- 29 Reborn in 2015: I Became a Top Analyst 重生2015：我成了金牌分析师 Office worker Guan Mingjiu loses everything in the stock market. His heartbroken wife leaves him, and both his work and his life are a complete mess. Then, on a rainy night, he is struck by a bolt of lightning... When he opens his eyes, he is back in 2015, with a chance to start his life over... What should he do when he meets his wife from his previous life again? How should he use the bull-market secrets he has in hand? Is becoming a top analyst and making a name for himself a blessing or a cu 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 30 An Eighteen-Degree Evening Breeze 十八度晚风 Meng Lan once believed that even if every man in the world made a mistake, Shen Ke would never betray her. This novel follows three families with children taking the college entrance exam, revealing the bitterness and helplessness of middle age, as well as the pain, confusion, and growth of middle-aged women after losing the protection of marriage. 5.1kReads9.3Score62514d adds
- 31 My Weepy Husband 爱哭的夫君 She picked up a convenient disciple in the mortal realm and made him her lover. Then, busy preparing to marry the Heavenly Emperor, she kicked her disciple to the curb. But on her wedding day, she was stunned... Why did the Heavenly Emperor look exactly like her disciple? “Hey, once a teacher, always a parent. Don’t get any funny ideas.” “Of course, my dear. One day as your teacher, a lifetime sworn to you.” Why did the Heavenly Emperor’s smile look so devious? Yuan Si broke out in cold sweats.. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 The Working World: A Close-Up Look at 10 True Workplace Stories 职人江湖：直击10段真实职场故事 A look at the hidden side of all kinds of modern professions: a restaurant chef’s secrets, a bar hostess’s romance, a down-and-out painter’s means of survival, online scammers’ traps and lies, a tour guide’s life in chains, counterfeit money production, beauty and ugliness beneath the surgeon’s scalpel... Beneath those glossy surfaces may lie a stubborn struggle, covered in mud! Told in the first person, this takes you face-to-face with lives that are both harshly real and fiercely alive. 96Reads9.3Score—14d adds
- 33 How Did Life Get So Stuck? 人生怎么就卡壳了。 Why has my life ground to a halt? —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 34 A Husband’s Punishment 丈夫的惩罚 The heroine was a beautiful, fair-skinned woman from a family of officials, with an outstanding husband. But her husband mistakenly believed she had cheated on him and chose to take revenge. As time passes, they both grow into mature, accomplished people, yet their relationship remains full of twists and turns, with no end in sight. The heroine can never let go of this love. What fate will the two of them ultimately meet… 682Reads5.4Score—14d adds
- 35 Love After Marriage, Day After Day 先婚后爱朝朝暮暮 Marriage Before Love, Sweet Romance After breaking up with her boyfriend of four years, Zhang Tong turned around and got involved with Qin Chuan. At first, she was only looking to have some fun and get back at her ex. Who knew she'd take things too far and get pregnant! After getting pregnant, Zhang Tong somehow ended up marrying Qin Chuan. Then she followed him to live in the countryside, only to discover that it was nothing like the pastoral life she'd dreamed of. There was endless farmwork! T 114Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 A Media Veteran's Career Change in a New Era 传媒老兵降维求职记 If you're looking for a job, about to start looking, or planning to switch jobs, this one's for you! This novel is based on real people's experiences of falling into job-hunting traps. It's practically an online job seeker's guide to spotting scams and avoiding pitfalls. Read Tomato Novel and learn how to protect yourself from fraud. It's fun and useful, a win-win. Dong Shizhang and Zong Jinli's media company is on the verge of collapse, and the online loans they took out are coming due. With no 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 37 A Comeback: The Most Thrilling Lives Belong to Those Who Never Give Up! 逆袭，不服输的人生最精彩！ Hua Feng was on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of his life. But overnight, not only did his beautiful wife run off with a pretty boy, the woman also made off with the millions he had scraped together through countless hardships, leaving nothing but a complete mess... Life’s dramatic ups and downs came far too quickly. He could only start over from scratch! Want to laugh at me? Get lost! What, you want me to back down? Who do you think you are? Keep dreaming! Watch as a man who has hit rock b 117Reads—Score—14d adds
- 38 Black Exclamation Mark 黑色感叹号 Just before Gu Xier decided to die, she suddenly asked me, "Dr. Luo, why do the people in this little town always cruelly devour the kind, obedient little white rabbits, while worshipping the vicious big bad wolves as if they were gods?" I... had no answer...!! 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 Spring Tea Party 春天茶话会 My client lives across the hall, and he even takes out my trash for me. A workplace and daily-life sitcom about city professionals who love and fight each other. A light, easy read that doesn't make you think too hard! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 40 The Pain of Plenty 丰富和丰富的痛苦 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 41 My Wife's Swiss Roll 老婆的瑞士卷 My Wife's Swiss Roll 37Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 A Mindless Farce Between a Doctor and a Security Guard 大博士和小保安的无脑之戏 With the Lunar New Year approaching, the annual matchmaking pressure arrived right on schedule. Su Qingyi, a PhD graduate from a prestigious university, was hounded by her family to get married. She was over thirty and still single. On the campus of Jinghua University, she ran into Lu Yuan, a fellow hometown native and former soldier who now worked as a security guard. They were around the same age and in similar situations, both overwhelmed by their families’ pressure to marry. To appease their 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 When the Music Ends, We Part: Part One 曲终人散第一部 The protagonist, Chongzi, is a terrible person! Because of relevant laws and regulations, I can't fully write about just how terrible he is. So the ending he gets is only to be expected. This is an ordinary, unremarkable story, not a power fantasy and unrelated to transmigration. It's so ordinary you could see something like it happening in everyday life. It might not be very appealing, but the author did their best. This is the best I can do. If you think it's decent, look for the second book, 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 Repayment Countdown 还款倒计时 Countdown to Repayment tells the story of Chen Yizhou, an ordinary man struggling between desire and reality. Chen Yizhou is an average office worker in Jiangcheng, working hard to make ends meet. He and his wife and son squeeze into an old rental apartment, living a simple but warm life. At a class reunion, Zhao Yu, the class heartthrob, paints a startup dream so alluring that Chen Yizhou is drawn in. Trying to raise the investment money, he plunges into the world of online loans. Then Zhao Yu 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 45 A Cigarette 一支烟 I stood up and staggered toward the exit. I struggled to push away each person who came to help me. I didn't take the elevator. Step by step, I climbed the stairs to the rooftop. When I pushed open the rooftop door, a hint of late autumn's cool breeze brushed my face. The light was so bright that I had to squint. I could clearly see her. Across the rooftop stood a long-haired girl. She said, “Could I have a cigarette?” If you're willing, I'll love you forever. If you're not, I'll choose to pine 89Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 My Mother-in-Law Forgot She Was Once a Daughter-in-Law Too 婆婆忘了自己曾经也是媳 The moment a woman marries into her husband’s family, she is sincere and wholehearted in the way she treats her in-laws. Yet some mothers-in-law insist their daughters-in-law go through the same hardships they once endured. They suffered as daughters-in-law themselves, so why make life hard for another woman? In the phrase “mother-in-law and daughter-in-law,” the mother-in-law comes first. If she can’t be a good mother-in-law, how can she expect a good daughter-in-law? Relationships go both ways 94Reads—Score—14d adds
- 47 The Green Leaves Had Become Flowers by the Time They Fell in Love 绿叶恋爱时便成了花 Xu Yunshu has three big wishes: first, to become a teacher, for six years; second, to travel the world, for as long as she feels like it; and third, to have a passionate romance, before she turns thirty. She is twenty-five this year. Her first wish is in the process of coming true, but the other two are still just wishes. Shen Yunqi has spent years living it up. With a handsome, rakish face, he flaunts himself wherever he goes while never letting anyone get too close. After a long search, he mee 448Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 48 The Loves of Women 女人们的爱情 Women’s Love: Family Memories Across Time is a long-form work of documentary fiction by Hen Jiangyin. Based on true stories from the author’s own family and enriched by extensive interviews with local people, it focuses on the Zhang, Xia, and Li families, vividly tracing the lives of the four Li sisters, the six Xia siblings, and the three Zhang brothers. Their stories are full of twists and turns and deeply moving moments, leaving a lasting impression. The women’s love stories are especially st 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 49 Husband and Wife at the Factory 2 工厂里的夫妻2 Sun Dabao is expelled from school after getting into a fight. He sneaks out with a female classmate to work at a factory, without telling his family. She thinks he's a loser and turns to someone else's arms. But then she discovers that his mother is the owner of a huge lingerie factory. Regretting everything, she weeps and begs on her knees to get back together. Will Sun Dabao take her back? 11.2kReads8.7Score53714d adds
- 50 I Own a Resort 我有一个度假村 Life is about more than just getting by today. There are also poetry and faraway places. Youth and love never grow old. Don’t let your youth go to waste, and don’t lose the love in your life. When you’re feeling down, step outside and take a look at this beautiful world. 59Reads—Score—14d adds
