Novels like Host, Don’t Be So Cruel. The Male Lead and the Villain Are Supposed to Turn Evil
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Host, Don’t Be So Cruel. The Male Lead and the Villain Are Supposed to Turn Evil, best match first.
- 51 Day and Night Under the Watch of the Unhinged Campus Heartthrob 被疯批校草盯上的日日夜夜 [Transmigrated into a book + obsessive and possessive love interest + coercive romance + groveling redemption + mutual first loves] A dark, obsessive, dangerously unhinged young man VS a quirky, lively girl who's sweet and feisty Ji Yuyan transmigrates into a book as the wicked supporting female character. In the story, she is a scheming character who keeps sabotaging the romance between the hero and heroine. But in the end, she dies miserably at the hands of the villain, who adores the heroine 1.4kReads6.5Score13814d adds
- 52 The River Moon Shines on the Early Years 江月照初年 Seven years of devotion and giving still couldn't compete with half a month after his first love came back... Heartbroken, Jiang Yan resolves to leave, and Su Jingyao, who is obsessed with her first love, begins to panic... Only when her first love's true, ugly nature is revealed does she wake up and realize how badly she's messed up... By the time she understands how much she loves Jiang Yan, it's too late... The man who once loved her for seven years has left her forever... [Winning Him Back] 2.4kReads8.1Score10114d adds
- 53 When We Divorced, I Made Her Kneel and Pay Me Back 离婚时，我让她跪着还 When We Divorced, I Made Her Kneel to Pay Me Back 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 54 The Phoenix's Call 平凰引 [Empress]+[Female-Centered]+[Both Die, but a Happy Ending!]+[Feel-Good and Angst]+[Devoted Male Love Interest]+[Pure Romance] Heartbreaking angst, the kind that leaves you sobbing and torn to pieces! Good news! There’s a little sweetness among the shards of glass. Bad news! Once you understand that sweetness, it hurts even more. Packed with foreshadowing and hints, this may be a romance, but it has real depth. Since she’s an empress, expect a woman tormenting a man! Female awakening, an all-fema 32Reads—Score—14d adds
- 55 All for Life 尽予生 [Cool-Headed, Resilient Journalist × Devoted, Aristocratic Young Master] [Mending a Broken Relationship + Long-Awaited Reunion + Mutual Healing + Sweet Romance, Happy Ending] In 2007, at the freshman welcome party, Shen Jinwan sang “Fuji Mountain” in a lilting voice. The spotlight fell on her lovely profile, bright and captivating. Amid the dazzling night, he crushed the cool moonlight beneath his feet, but all he managed to catch in the darkness was a trace of gardenia fragrance. Across the noi 175Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 56 Everyone Thinks I'm Shen Qingyan's Weakness 所有人都以为我是沈青砚的软肋 Everyone Thinks I'm Shen Qingyan's Weakness 2.4kReads—Score—14d adds
- 57 Shorting My Best Friend at 30X Leverage, My Ex-Girlfriend at 60X 30倍杠杆做空闺蜜，我60倍杠杆做空前女友 I shorted my best friend with 30x leverage. I shorted my ex-girlfriend with 60x leverage. 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 58 My Wife Is the Protagonist of a Female-Led Novel 我家娘子是大女主文里的主角 [Angst for the Male Lead + Reunited Lovers + Woman Torments Man + He Chases Her After the Breakup] Mo Qingyu, the young madam of the Qi family, was chosen by the Strong Female Lead System. After Qi Heyun, the young master of the Qi family, humiliated her and threw her out of the Qi residence for the sake of his favored concubine, she relied on her own intelligence to become the Great Zhou Kingdom’s foremost female merchant. She supplied porcelain to the royal family and the lands beyond, and eve 297Reads—Score—14d adds
- 59 Take Her to Register the Marriage! The Abstinent CEO Begs Her for Affection, Eyes Red 拉她领证！禁欲霸总红着眼求她宠 [Male lead gets hurt + angst + reunion after years apart + rekindled love + love grows over time + painful romance + happy ending] A deeply devoted, self-effacing, love-struck male lead vs. a cold, stubborn, fiercely independent female lead Young Master Qi, a famous CEO in the business world, was strikingly handsome and came from a distinguished family. Five years ago, he knelt humbly for love, causing a sensation across the city. On the day of his engagement, he was cruelly dumped. She joined f 480Reads5.3Score—14d adds
- 60 After Miss Wen Thrives on Her Own, the Scumbag CEO and His Son Regret Everything 温小姐独美后，渣总父子彻底后悔了 Wen Xiu has no idea how to be a stepmother, and she has no desire to become one. Yet Min Jing Bai forced his way into her life, making her the Mrs. Min in name only and the stepmother of the Min family’s young heir. Min Jing Bai doesn’t love Wen Xiu. In his eyes, looking like his unattainable first love is the greatest stroke of luck Wen Xiu could ever have. His willingness to marry her properly is an enormous favor. So, for the past two years, Wen Xiu has taken care of Min Jing Bai and his firs 12Reads—Score—14d adds
- 61 After Losing My Job, I Left with Nothing. Now My Ex-Wife Begs Me to Remarry Her 失业后，我净身出户，前妻跪求复婚 After Losing My Job, I Left With Nothing, and My Ex-Wife Begged Me to Remarry Her 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 62 Longing for Our Reunion Day After Day, Forgetting Each Other Year After Year 朝朝盼重逢，念念总相忘 [Angst, angst, angst! Extremely angsty, proceed with caution!] Five years ago The golden boy Ji Lingchuan knelt on the ground, desperately begging Xia Zhiyi not to leave him. But she coldly told him to get lost, then turned around and married someone else. Five years later The bar hostess Xia Zhiyi knelt before the untouchable Mr. Ji, fawning over him. He shoved her away, saying she was filthy. He hated her, bullied her, and was consumed by the desire to take revenge on her. But when he saw a li 710Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 63 After I Transmigrated into a Book, the Male Lead Who Couldn’t Have the One He Loved Went Mad 穿书后，爱而不得的男主成了疯批 [Transmigrate into a book + tormenting the male lead + genuinely mentally ill + obsessive and twisted] Female lead's perspective: A car accident sends Chao An into a brainless CEO romance novel, where she becomes an insignificant substitute cannon-fodder character who dies after ten chapters. To survive, she throws herself into the role, climbing higher and higher by leveraging the male lead. Just as she’s about to kick him to the curb, she loses her memory. Mu Chuan falls in love with a heartle 959Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 64 I Want to Live Well 我想好好的活着 I had never met a boy like him before. His features were delicate, and his pale complexion seemed almost unreal. His long, curled lashes lowered over deep eyes that looked as if they held countless stories. Anyone who saw him couldn’t help taking a second look. He was a transfer student. From the day he stepped into our classroom, the girls went wild, and even the boys were scrambling to be his friend. The nightmare began the day I met him. On graduation day, I clenched my fists, worked up my ne 33Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 Soft Fishbone 软鱼刺 Yu Wen is the envied Mrs. Sheng, admired by everyone in their social circle. She plays the part of a devoted wife, living in perfect harmony with Sheng Wen. Little do they know, there is someone she has loved all her life but can never have. 2.1kReads8.6Score12514d adds
- 66 My Wife Torments Me a Hundred Times Over, Yet I Love Her Like It's Our First Time 夫人虐我千百遍，我待夫人如初恋 [Marriage Before Love] [Female lead torments male lead] [Physical and emotional torment] Gu Zhijing knew that Lu Yao didn't like him. He had planned to watch from afar and wish her a lifetime of happiness with the person she loved, but fate had other plans. A series of twists and turns forced them into an arranged marriage, leaving Lu Yao to hate and resent him as they tormented each other. 603Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 67 Moonlight as a Prison: The Cold Young Lady Brings Her Bodyguard to Tears 折月为囚：清冷小姐虐哭暗卫 (The male lead suffers a lot. Read with caution if you're sensitive to angst.) (This is a fictional story set in an imaginary world.) Main couple: Xu Ruyan, a cool and ruthless daughter of the prime minister, and Song Zhiyu, a humble, devoted hidden guard. Secondary couple: Zhao Zhaoning, a beautiful and unpredictable princess, and Xu Qingfeng, a carefree young general. Xu Ruyan, the prime minister's legitimate daughter, grew up in a household rife with power struggles. She became cold and ruthl 1.4kReads8.2Score10014d adds
- 68 Snow over Donglin: The Phoenix's Lingering Dream 东临雪·凤仪遗梦 Snow over Donglin: The Lost Dream of Fengyi 1.6kReads—Score2114d adds
- 69 He Is a Rose in the Wasteland 他是荒芜的玫瑰 [Gentle, devoted male lead + groveling-to-win-her-back arc + he never wins her back, a true groveling arc] Top male escort vs. healing female doctor (new heroine takes the lead) (If you only read stories where both leads are each other's first, please proceed with caution.) Wen Chun mistakenly believes Rong Sijue is a heartless scumbag who abandoned her when she was gravely ill. When they meet again, all she wants is to make him pay. Rong Sijue loved Wen Chun until he was covered in wounds, giv 490Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 70 The Frail Movie Star's Career Collapsed, and He Had Little Time Left. She Regretted It 病弱影帝塌房后命不久矣她后悔了 [Angsty romance, male lead is ill and injured, misunderstood by everyone, never had a single good day, over-the-top melodrama, angst for angst's sake, niche story, please stop reading if it's not for you. Thanks.] Three years ago. A fatal car accident took the two people closest to Ling Qianran: the ones she loved most. Her father, who loved her dearly. Shen Ziyan, whom she loved. All the evidence pointed to the man she loved, accusing him of taking her father's life. Three years later. The “mur 1kReads—Score—14d adds
- 71 A Love That Cuts to the Bone: The Emperor’s Billion-Dollar Lover 蚀骨危情：帝少的亿万情人 His deep-set eyes were sharp and wild as he said, “One transaction in exchange for his life.” The Yu family went bankrupt, and her father killed himself after racking up enormous debts. To pay them off, she was forced to sell herself to the shadowy owner of the Taihua City Club, becoming a canary for him to toy with at will. He was immensely powerful, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. One dance from her was all it took to begin his nightly obsession with her, from which he could not let go. He kissed 520Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 72 The Loyal Hound Among the Stars: A Collection of Sweet and Angsty Historical Fantasies 星河忠犬录：古言幻想甜虐集 Classic historical fantasy | Devoted male leads | Angst for him, sweetness for you | A happy ending in every story Across a boundless sea of stars, only the devoted never fail to return your love. There is no mundane world here, only immortals, demons, gods, and devils, along with power struggles, fated destinies, and the most intense romance. He is the White Snake Immortal Lord, who bears the lightning tribulation for her and endures a thousand years without regret; He is the Fox Sovereign of 86Reads—Score—14d adds
- 73 I Regret Studying Abroad 出国留学我后悔了 I Regretted Studying Abroad 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 74 Cherishing the Gloomy Cat-Beast Boy 疼爱那个阴戾的猫兽少年 [Female-led romance, male lead gets put through the wringer, healing, male lead has a secret crush, abandoned-cat syndrome, both are each other’s first, stand-in] A sweet-looking, scheming little princess with a dark heart × a volatile, possessive, gloomy cat-beast boy At seventeen, Wen Nian received a text message from the future. To save her future self, she took matters into her own hands. Stay away from scumbags and live an honest, respectable life. Following the messages’ instructions, she 59Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 75 Female-Dominant Quick Transmigration: Blazing Beauty Across the Nine Heavens 女尊快穿之灼华九霄 This is a very angsty story… This is a very angsty story about a matriarchal world… This is a very angsty quick-transmigration story about a matriarchal world… This is a very angsty quick-transmigration story about a matriarchal world, where the male and female leads both transmigrate… Reject her now, then chase her through the flames of hell! Choose carefully. If you enter the wrong pit, all that's left is tragedy! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 76 After Tormenting My Husband, I Cried, and He Ran Off With Our Child! 虐完夫君我哭了，他带着崽跑了！ [Angst for both body and heart. For readers who love tragic stories. Female-led abuse of a man, gender-bender romance, mutually devoted, happy ending!] Seven years ago, she was a prodigy of the immortal path, but the person she loved pushed her into the abyss with his own hands, turning her into a demon lord! Seven years later, she returned with a boundless grudge, vowing to make that lofty Divine Sun Crow Prince pay for his crimes in blood! They signed a blood pact, and her former lover became 5kReads8.8Score42914d adds
- 77 Falling Blossoms Sink into the Starry River: A Song of the Nine Heavens’ Endless Night 落红沉星河：九重天阙长夜歌 [Xianxia romance with angst + a husband-chasing-after-the-funeral story] Immortals and demons cannot coexist, yet the one the Heavenly Queen Yun Zhao has always loved is the Demon Lord Mo Zhuo. As long as she is by his side, he is willing to do anything for her, and considers it a joy. But when he risks death to bear her daughter, Yun Zhao is at another man’s side. Holding their daughter, Su Yan keeps watch beside the iron tree that has not bloomed in ten thousand years. At last, he understands 1.3kReads—Score10214d adds
- 78 Mianmian 绵绵 [Gentle, steadfast Chen Mianmian × proud, aloof heir Cheng Jiaye] [Modern romance + premium novel + one-on-one romance + happy ending + secret crush + school life + winning back his wife + poetic] Chen Mianmian first met Cheng Jiaye in a private room. Sitting stiffly across from him, she darted her eyes around, her palms sweating as she stumbled through her introduction. The boy in the black hoodie sat at the center of the crowd. He glanced up, looking utterly uninterested. His eyes were as dark 897Reads9.0Score11314d adds
- 79 Love, Beyond Control 爱，无法克制 Love, Beyond Control 66Reads—Score—14d adds
- 80 Princess, Disaster! The Top Scholar Has Run from His Wedding Again! 公主不好了，状元郎又逃婚了！ [1v1 + fictional setting + angst for the pleasure of it] Angst! Angst! Angst! If you want sweet romance, proceed with caution!!! [Brash, domineering ninth princess vs. refined, resourceful top scholar] Chu Yanyan was the most precious ninth princess of Tianyao, adored by everyone, but she just had to meet the greatest rival of her life: the newly crowned top scholar, Gui Zimu. As the top scholar rode through the streets, one glance was all it took for Chu Yanyan to fall in love. Among the flower 175Reads—Score—14d adds
- 81 Love Warmed the Chilling Boy 是爱暖了少年凉 July 7, clear, Wednesday This is the most desolate and helpless day in my memory, a day that leaves me trembling with fear. Today marks ten years since you began hating me. How should I celebrate it with you, Lin Luo? On this summer night, you and I finally went our separate ways for good. Perhaps this sorrow was destined from the start: when I was abandoned on the Ferris wheel at seven, when I was adopted by your family, and when your mother’s blood stained the hatred in your eyes. Back then, I —Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 82 Mr. Qi, Loving You Is a Living Hell 祁先生，爱你是人间炼狱 The story begins with the words, “This woman is yours.” Then Jiang Zhiyu is framed by Qi Han’s fiancée, who hires an assassin to kill him. Because of this, Qi Han destroys the Jiang family and sends her brother to prison. In the end, does he love her, or does he just feel guilty? Let’s find out. 178Reads6.1Score—14d adds
- 83 My Ex-Wife Is a Yoga Teacher 我的前妻是瑜伽老师 My Ex-Wife Is a Yoga Instructor 41Reads—Score—14d adds
- 84 Everyone but Me 除我之外 Shang Miao had been with Sheng Yu since she was eighteen. She was full of confidence, always believing she was special to him. Until one day, Sheng Yu brought home a girl who was soft and sweet, so much like the girl she herself had been back then. 842Reads5.5Score33914d adds
- 85 A Lovesick Playboy Meets a Heartless Good Girl 痴情浪子遇见绝情乖乖女 A Lovestruck Rogue Meets an Ice-Cold Good Girl 3.9kReads—Score7914d adds
- 86 A Marriage at a Crossroads 婚途陌路 Strangers on the Road to Marriage 49Reads—Score714d adds
- 87 Reporting, Madam: Mr. Mo Is Really Dead This Time 报告夫人，墨总他这次真死了 [Chasing her husband to win him back + heartbreak + reborn + male lead abuses female lead] “Mo Yunchen, go to hell!” She drove a dagger into his chest and walked away with a smile. He had late-stage lung cancer, yet cut off his own leg for her. She said, “I'll love you only when you're dead.” She watched as her own beloved, the man she had always cherished, had his bone marrow extracted, his fingers broken, and was whipped, before being thrown alive into a snake pit to be devoured. Tears of regr 119Reads5.5Score—14d adds
- 88 After His Reborn Yandere Wife Returns, the Obsessive CEO Gets on His Knees to Spoil Her 病娇妻子重生后，偏执总裁跪地宠 The tangled love and hate between two crazy people? Maybe don’t read this... [Sickly beauty painter heroine VS puppy-like\unhinged double-faced CEO hero] [Both reborn + two obsessive lovers + devoted to each other + satisfying face-slapping + hero grovels + hero suffers + happy ending] * Qu Qingqing was reborn. In her previous life, she and her obsessive husband had tortured each other for five years as she tried to get a divorce. Only as she lay dying did she learn that it had all been a scheme 741Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 89 The Eighteenth Time I Wanted a Divorce 第十八次想离婚 The Eighteenth Time I Wanted a Divorce 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 90 I Know You Came to Use Me, Yet I'm Still Willing to Take the Bait 明知你来利用我，我还愿意上钩 The Gao Group is plunged into a cash-flow crisis after an overseas project fails, and its chairman, Gao Zhenxiong, collapses from a heart attack. His eldest son, Gao Tingyu, takes charge of the wreckage, only to realize that the sole person who can save the company is Shu Hancheng, founder of Hanhai Capital: a shrewd capital hunter who built his fortune from scratch. But Shu Hancheng remains cool toward the Gao Group’s overtures. Gao Tingyu comes up with a bargaining chip: his younger sister, Ga 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 91 After Mr. Zhou Spoiled His Canary Rotten 金丝雀被周先生惯坏以后 [Bittersweet Pursuit | Love Amidst Hatred | Angst Before Love | The Powerful One Gets on His Knees] At eighteen, Ye Yutang knocked on Zhou Zhenglin’s car window to pay off gambling debts. The craziest man in Hong Kong City became her sugar daddy. He gave her money and crushed every bit of defiance in her. She eloped with the driver, but their train was stopped as soon as it left Hong Kong City. Right in front of her, he broke two of the driver’s fingers, then wiped away her tears with a bloodsta 1.1kReads—Score11514d adds
- 92 His Love Is Fierce Yet Tender 他的爱，是铁血柔情 His love is tender as steel. 33Reads—Score—14d adds
- 93 Forced Love: She's Incredibly Beautiful 强制囚爱：她过分美丽 For the sake of her family business and her friend Zhou Miao, Lin Ran had no choice but to give in to Cheng Yao and agree to go back with him. But Jiang Cheng showed up at their engagement party. “Come with me!” he said, and Lin Ran left everything behind to run with Jiang Cheng. They just kept running and running. But as soon as they reached the main road, blinding headlights lit up in front of them. Cheng Yao emerged from the shadows with a faint smile. “Xiao Ran, you’re being disobedient agai 826Reads—Score—14d adds
- 94 Madam, Stop Torturing Him. President Sheng Is Your True White Moonlight 夫人别虐了，盛总才是你的白月光 [Main story complete] [Male lead suffers] [They don’t get back together] [The husband’s pursuit of his wife after losing her] Many years later, she finally learned that the man she had treasured as her one true love had loved her desperately. Jiang Jianjian loved Sheng Chusheng for ten years, but he scorned her love. With her heart turned to ash, Jiang Jianjian decided to stop loving him and joined forces with the wealthy tycoon who had pursued her for years. But when news of her engagement arri 115Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 95 I Spent 100,000 on My Girlfriend, and She Went to School as a Study Companion 我给女友花了十万，她去学校做伴读 I Spent 100,000 on My Girlfriend, and She Became a School Companion Reader 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 96 The Bright Moon Shines on a Warm Homecoming: A Boy's Lifelong Promise to Protect 朗月照暖归：少年一生的守护 The Luoyang Olympics ended with a haul of honors, but the two of them never got the happy ending they deserved. Their story was never meant to follow the familiar script. She slipped away quietly in the year they loved each other most, then reappeared without a sound when they hated and hurt the most. Yet no matter how much their memories were stripped away, their hearts always raced the moment they saw each other. It was an instinct etched into their very bones. 529Reads—Score10614d adds
- 97 A Month Before Our Wedding, I Caught My Fiancée and Her Best Friend in a Hotel Secret 结婚前一个月，我在酒店撞见未婚妻和她闺蜜的秘密 A Month Before Our Wedding, I Caught My Fiancée Sharing a Secret with Her Best Friend at a Hotel 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 98 My Lawyer Wife Cheated with Her Scholarship Student. After Divorcing Me, She Regretted It 律师妻子出轨资助生，与我离婚后，她却后悔了 My Lawyer Wife Cheated with Her Sponsored Student and Divorced Me, but Now She Regrets It 3.1kReads—Score—14d adds
- 99 After My Husband Gave His Kidney to His One True Love 老公把肾给了白月光后 After My Husband Donated His Kidney to His White Moonlight 7.3kReads—Score17114d adds
- 100 Bandit Love: Her and Him 匪爱：她与他 1v3, realistic, not a wish-fulfillment story, very slow burn, tragic romance + age gap + coercion + bittersweetness + happy ending He is her fiance's younger brother, and she is the childhood sweetheart his brother broke off his engagement with. By a cruel twist of fate, he has become a dangerously addictive sweetness to her, while she is the one and only person he cannot live without. Bound by reality, they cannot be together. Her family arranges blind dates, and she thinks she can escape this 48Reads—Score—14d adds
