Novels like Abyssal Depths, Falling Ashes
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Abyssal Depths, Falling Ashes, best match first.
- 1 May You Be Safe Year After Year. May We Never Meet Again, Alive or Dead 愿君岁岁平安，你我生死不见 May you be safe and sound year after year. May we never meet again, in life or death. 641Reads—Score4114d adds
- 2 Chi Changqiu 池长秋 Two men, tragic ending A story about two people who love each other but refuse to love each other, only to love each other forever in the end. Tonight, the wind howls and the rain pours. There is no moonlight. A little flower by the roadside bends beneath the gale meant for it, its stem snapping as it is buried in the world around it. When it was born, it was colorful and bright. Then its edges were worn away, its values twisted, and its soul destroyed, along with its flesh and bones. 47Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 I Gave You My Heart, and You Left Me with Empty Joy 掏心于你，赠我一场空欢喜 When Shi Yi was by his side, Huo Zhanting spent every day wondering when that wicked man would die. Later, Shi Yi really did die, and Qiao Ran returned to his side. Yet Huo Zhanting spent every day wondering when Shi Yi would come back. 85Reads6.2Score—14d adds
- 4 Eight Years to Make Good 限期八年 “I’m sorry. I love you very much.” “I hope that in your next life, you can treat me right.” Their eight-year affair, hidden in the shadows, was riddled with misunderstanding and hurt. Ji Nan thought they would spend the rest of their lives together, only to hear Zhang Hui say, “I can’t go on anymore.” 125Reads6.2Score—14d adds
- 5 Just a Toy 只是玩具而已 66Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 6 Duke Lancaster's Sick Game 兰斯特公爵的恶心游戏 The Duke of Lancer's Disgusting Game 174Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 Captive Wild Rose 囚禁野玫瑰 Angsty romance + unhinged male lead (if you dislike this, don’t read) + no reconciliation Another warning: the male lead is obsessive and unhinged. If you dislike that, don’t read. Aloof, noble doctor Shi Yi VS gentle, well-behaved teacher Yu Huan From the moment the first rose bloomed, the Creator had been plotting this encounter, one called redemption. Shi Yi was like the moon reflected on water. Yu Huan had gazed up at him for five whole years, loving him humbly as her bright, clear white ros 2.5kReads8.7Score11414d adds
- 8 The Discarded Stand-In Has Had Enough 废弃替身想开了 [No female lead, 1v1, seriously angsty drama + stand-in for the unattainable first love + winning him back at any cost + mutual healing + rekindled romance + 80% angst, 20% sweetness + happy ending] Cen Yu had known Gu Yanting for ten years. For the first five, he was Gu Yanting's sidekick, his underling. In the sixth year, Gu Yanting said, “Your profile looks like Qi Anyi's,” and Cen Yu became a stand-in for Gu Yanting's unattainable first love. In the tenth year, Qi Anyi came back. Gu Yanting 5.3kReads8.8Score30814d adds
- 9 The Butler's Chronicles at Steffelly Manor 斯特菲尔利庄园男仆记事 A Butler’s Chronicle at the Steffelily Estate 911Reads—Score12814d adds
- 10 Fallen from the Azure Heavens 堕青云 Falling from the Azure Heavens 438Reads—Score1114d adds
- 11 The Sparrow Without a Blessing 无佑之雀 A Sparrow Without Blessings 525Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 I Promise You a Love as Deep as the Sea 许你深情深似海 Luo Ji was a ray of light in Shen Yi’s dark childhood. But after Shen Ge ruthlessly stole that light away, it became the arrow that wounded him most deeply. One misunderstanding, three years of torment, and everyone took their turn trampling him until he was utterly ruined. When Luo Ji finally learned the truth, he held his battered heart close and stopped believing in love. Shen Yi: “Once you’re dead, I won’t love you anymore.” 404Reads8.4Score10414d adds
- 13 Still Waters, Cold as Death 死水薄凉 [Scumbag Top x World-Weary Bottom] [Mad Dog x Mad Dog] [Forced Love] [Tragedy] The world had never been so dull. It all began when Xu Yanzhi picked up the countdown. Xu Yanzhi, a rich second-generation layabout who did nothing but coast through life and wait to die, encountered Li Yan after he returned to the country ten years later. Forced to tear open his wounds, Xu Yanzhi gradually let his true nature show. I’m done pretending. I actually hate this world. I set fires, hurt people, and framed 797Reads8.7Score11014d adds
- 14 The Trouble with Keeping Pets 养宠为患 [Two male leads + unhinged + yandere + angst for the bottom + satisfying read] = The ex regrets it and chases his love at the crematorium After his secret was exposed, Bai Feicheng was brutally beaten and tortured for two whole years. Unable to bear the humiliation, he fled with a broken heart. Only then did Bai Chenghao realize he had fallen in love with him. But he pursued him the wrong way, deepening the misunderstanding between them once again. Angst, bad ending or happy ending: I’ll let y 492Reads8.7Score10014d adds
- 15 Who Can I Tell My Grudge To? 恨谁诉？ Each chapter is a standalone tragic love story with an open ending, so use your imagination. Some stories are set in ancient times and others in the modern day, but they're all tragic. If that's not your thing, feel free to skip them. 676Reads8.7Score13314d adds
- 16 I Won’t Fall for You 我不会喜欢你 Mo Qian spent six years trying to warm a cold, unyielding heart. But life is full of disappointments, and love is one of them. Even on the day he died, he never received the love he had yearned for. But he could never have imagined that after his death, the one he had loved in this world would finally awaken, overcome with grief. Day after day, they knelt before the tiny pile of ashes he had become, sobbing and weeping, until they died beneath those ashes. ***Content warnings: * A groveling ex a 953Reads8.8Score10314d adds
- 17 I Only Wish We’d Part Ways in the Next Life 只愿来生与君绝 She was determined to die. That night, she set a fire and killed more than a hundred people. The Emperor ordered, “Execute her at once.” She was dragged to the execution ground, where she gave him a faint smile. As the white silk fell and her life slipped away, the Azure Dragon jade pendant appeared in that very instant. At that moment... he went mad! 636Reads5.3Score10114d adds
- 18 The Merman Has Lost All Hope 鲛人他心灰意冷 The merman Chen Xiao was lured to the human world by Murong Jing's promises of love, never imagining that a trap had been laid for him long ago! He was imprisoned in the imperial dungeon and tortured day after day. It was all because Murong Jing wanted to take his most precious merman pearl and use it to save his seriously ill first love! After learning the truth, Chen Xiao died in despair. But Murong Jing had always said Chen Xiao disgusted him. So why did he go mad and try to bring him back to 791Reads8.0Score10114d adds
- 19 You Gave Me Deep Love and Turned My Life Upside Down 予你情深，乱我一生 Eighteen years ago, Wen Ziyu was the person He Jingyang promised to stay with forever. Eighteen years later, Wen Ziyu was locked in an attic by He Jingyang and cruelly abused. He Jingyang always said Wen Ziyu owed him and that he'd make him pay little by little. But in the end, it was He Jingyang who owed Wen Ziyu a pair of eyes, a life, and a lifetime of love and devotion. 287Reads6.8Score10014d adds
- 20 Jiang Chuze, I Won’t Love You Anymore 江楚泽，我不会爱你了 Everyone knows that An Ruoxuan, the beautiful eldest daughter of the An family in Xingdu, chased after the cold-faced young master of the Jiang family in Beicheng from the time they were children. She tried every way she could to cling to him, earning a reputation as his little shadow and a stalker. But then the aloof young master got together with Su Munan, An Ruoxuan's best friend... Eight years later, Jiang Chuze turned around and married An Ruoxuan. She thought she was going to heaven, but i 1.5kReads8.5Score10114d adds
- 21 But When He Left, the Whole Garden Was in Spring 偏他去时春满园 When Gu Lan heard he had only ten months left to live, he was unexpectedly calm and accepting. Looking back on his life, it had been a complete mess. In this world, he was nothing more than a pathetic nobody whom no one cared about... Perhaps no one would cry for him when his life finally came to an end... Gu Lan accepted the outcome without resistance. After all, ever since he returned to this family, he had never received anything. If that was the case, why should he be afraid of losing anythi 89Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 22 He Was Never in My Destiny 命中无他 He hated the other person’s betrayal and hated how they kept running away from him, again and again. But he also loved them to the bone. He gave them his whole heart, only to have everything taken from him by the person he respected and cared about most. Everyone thinks a lifetime is long, but sometimes it’s too short to grasp. If I could live again, I hope I’d never have met you. 256Reads7.2Score—14d adds
- 23 Sleeping Peacefully Beneath the Sophora Tree 顾枕槐安 Younger man + substitute + love grows over time + regretful pursuit of the ex + putting scumbags in their place + angst, angst, and more angst!!! Before he turned eighteen, Du Huai’an had no father in his life. The year he turned eighteen, his mother, who had raised him alone, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. So she took him to meet the man who was supposedly his father. That was when he learned his father was the head of the prestigious Zhu family in Jingyuan. He entered the Zhu family as the 1.5kReads8.4Score14014d adds
- 24 After the Little Fool Was Reborn, I Became His Dog 小傻子重生后，我成了他的狗 After the Little Fool Was Reborn, I Became His Dog 1.5kReads—Score—14d adds
- 25 The Foolish Boy Died, and He Went Mad 小傻子死了，他疯了 The Little Fool Died, and He Went Mad 6kReads—Score10114d adds
- 26 Stray Dog 丧家犬 [Reader advisory: A cruel lover faces retribution in this angst-heavy story. First person, bad ending.] [Contracted for publication] [Cold, elite, callous top x rough, middle-aged bottom] Zhou Xian was reborn. In his previous life, he died like a stray dog on the day his former lover Shen Wen married the man he had always loved. This time, he was reborn three months before his death. To get revenge, he asked Shen Wen to date him for one last three months. * Successful in his career, Shen Wen had 506Reads9.3Score8314d adds
- 27 I Don't Know. He's Dead 我不知道，他死了 [Calm and composed top]+ [A timid little bunny at first, then a dark, unhinged, smiling tiger]+ [Angst]+ [Ghosts and lovers beyond death]+ [Supernatural]+ [Reborn]+ [Workplace]+ [Business rivalry]+ [Xuanhuan]+ [Mutually devoted]+ [Rekindled romance] When he dumped me, he said he was tired of playing with me. He deleted every message we’d shared, sold our home, and erased all our memories. It took me two years to find out that he’d spent four years preparing that villa. One entire wall was line 326Reads—Score—14d adds
- 28 Just a Slave. So What If He Dies? Why Are You Crying? 奴隶而已，死就死了，为什么哭 Just a Slave. So What If They Die? Why Are You Crying? 2.4kReads—Score—14d adds
- 29 Where He Belongs 他的归处 The internet was flooded with stories of Song Qing’s heroic deeds. I saw a video someone had taken: Song Qing leapt gracefully into the lake like a carp, then slowly disappeared, as if that had always been where he belonged. 3.9kReads8.1Score64414d adds
- 30 The Rake Who Couldn’t Be Tamed 痞夫难驯 ★ A torture chamber in the name of love, a life-or-death game so cruel it makes your heart tremble ★ [Angst + melodrama + physical abuse + real and fake young masters + everyone gets a bad ending] Three years ago, Gong Mingyou was forced to marry Shen Zhiyu. Everyone said Shen Zhiyu had schemed to make that night happen. Once the rumor spread, Shen Zhiyu’s reputation was ruined. The Lin family’s stock, the company owned by Shen Zhiyu’s biological parents, plummeted. To save their company, Shen Z 1.5kReads7.1Score35914d adds
- 31 Neither Family nor Stranger 非亲非故非陌生 For thirteen years, Song Li endured He Qian’s torment and humiliation, walking on eggshells every single day. The truth finally came to light in the year He Qian loved her most, but by then, nothing could change Song Li’s resolve to die... Only when He Qian held the blood-soaked woman in his arms did he truly understand what despair meant. 6.4kReads8.8Score26914d adds
- 32 The Flowers Bloomed 花，开了 If not for that glass of “Glacier,” he would never have inexplicably walked toward him. If he had never met Chen Ji, he would probably still be shrouded in darkness, unable to believe that anyone in this world could truly love him. An Yi is the top seller in this part of town, a butterfly dancing on the edge of taboo, dazzling yet elusive. Chen Ji, a spotless top student, is like a little deer lost in forbidden territory. He has stepped into more than this absurd place: he has also entered An Y —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 33 Lawyer Fu, Stop Hurting Her. Dr. Wen Doesn't Want You Anymore 傅律师别虐了，温医生不要你了 [Rebellious, wolfish lawyer x stern, devoted, beautiful but tragic doctor] [Two male leads + both are virgins + rekindled romance + groveling pursuit + younger man/older man + angsty romance + happy ending] [Two male leads! Two male leads! Two male leads!] When he ended things, Fu Zhiyue grabbed Wen Chuhuai by the throat and mocked him for being heartless and mercenary. “Every day I spent with you made me sick to my stomach.” “Wen Chuhuai, seeing you half-dead like this, do you know how satisf 4.3kReads8.9Score49214d adds
- 34 Looking Toward Jiangnan 望江南 [Healing / Campus Romance / Bittersweet Ending] Dedicated to a brief, blazing youth! Ji Mengnan only remembered that night’s heavy rain and the river behind her, churning like boiling water. Is loving someone a lifelong thing? Everything Ji Mengnan did afterward, all the ways she tried to keep living, was because of that love. If it weren’t for Jiang Qing, she would have died at seventeen. The boy was the only ray of light in the darkness, but light never stays forever, and it doesn’t shine on h 367Reads9.1Score10114d adds
- 35 Daydreams Run Wild 泛滥白日梦 #He told me he loved me 365 times, but not a single one was true# Rekindled romance / loving and hurting each other / a balanced mix of sweet and angsty / HE / groveling to win her back / slight sci-fi Flirtatious, spoiled crown prince vs. cold, withdrawn patient Amnesiac, goofy at first, then a sickly, possessive puppy-like lover vs. aloof genius beauty I found a little dog in a garbage dump. Later, he became my boyfriend. The handsome guy hauling bricks at the construction site is my boyfrie 287Reads9.4Score5514d adds
- 36 Waiting for You to Turn Around and Say You Love Me 等你回头说爱我 [Boys' love + emotional torment + physical torment + a perfect deception + innocent on the outside, dark within + obsessive and twisted + bad ending + strong characters + yandere] No one is simple. Please don't look at people too naively, especially those who seem harmless. Shen Yan is the child of a wealthy family. In other people's eyes, he's nothing but a commodity with a price tag, something to be passed around and bullied at will. He tries with all his might to learn how to love others and 854Reads9.2Score11414d adds
- 37 The Eunuch 阉人 Shuangjiang stood by Li Yue’s side as he went from a prince walking on thin ice to the throne, watching him marry one beautiful woman after another. Ten years ago, Shuangjiang said to the powerless Li Yue, “I’m only a eunuch. I wouldn’t dare eat this osmanthus cake.” Li Yue said, “Shuangjiang is my favorite person. From now on, I’ll bring you as much osmanthus cake as you want.” Ten years later, Shuangjiang was frail and ill, longing for a piece of osmanthus cake. Li Yue said, “You’re only a eun 2.7kReads8.4Score25314d adds
- 38 A Cup of Poisoned Wine, and Drunk with You 鸩酒一杯与君醉 Blurb: When they first met, he was a subject, and he risked his life to take a sword meant for the other man. Later, that man became emperor, wiped out his entire family, stripped away his pride, and forcibly kept him by his side. He waited, full of hope, for his elder brother to return victorious, but all he received was a cold corpse. In the end, he drank poison in front of everyone, smiling like a spring breeze. “Your Majesty, I offer my life as the price of regicide. May you live for all ete 1kReads8.0Score12514d adds
- 39 If Only You'd Let Me Be Young Again 假如许我再少年 Ye Qingchen’s despair: She didn’t dare tell him she loved him. Zhou Shi’s grief: He didn’t have time to tell her he loved her. The phrase “if only” describes the overwhelming regret one feels over something that has already happened, and the futile fantasy of trying to change it. [The first time they met, he was twenty-five and she was twenty. He didn’t trust her and missed his chance to save her from despair, sealing her fate. The second time they met, he was thirty and she was twenty-five. The 5.1kReads9.1Score36114d adds
- 40 His Little Fool Doesn't Cry Anymore 他的小傻子不爱哭了 [BL + both pure + angst + just rated] In a corner of Shengying Noble High School, there was always a figure named Su Nian. As the illegitimate son the Su family kept hidden from the world, he had suffered a childhood accident that left him with a brain injury. He was always half a beat slower than everyone else, and his clear eyes were often filled with timid confusion. When classmates mocked and shoved him, all he could do was tear up, like a little beast nobody wanted. In the hallway, Su Nian 9.4kReads9.3Score70314d adds
- 41 Faithful Hound 忠犬 Zhou Qi says he’ll be Qi Tingyao’s dog for the rest of his life, but he can’t bear to stop there. Through countless sleepless nights, he tears at his own soul and cries out with longing. The feelings he has buried deep in his heart for over a decade finally burst forth. Just how much does he love Qi Tingyao? Perhaps it’s shown in the way he finally finds the strength to let go as he lies dying. 3.6kReads8.6Score39314d adds
- 42 A Guide to Sweet Talk 情话指南 A flirtatious green-tea beauty who barely speaks vs. a slightly dim-witted, spoiled puppy The serious blurb: My beloved is perfect in every way. His only flaw is that he doesn’t love me. As a veteran simp, I spent ten thousand yuan to bring my beloved home and keep him. I have to pamper him and give him his allowance on time, or he’ll stage a dramatic runaway. One day, I really ran out of money and couldn’t give him his allowance. Would he still stay by my side? As it turned out, he had more mo 7.2kReads9.2Score77514d adds
- 43 At Last, I Admit Defeat 终于愿赌服输 “Why couldn't you be the one who got sick?” “Why couldn't you be the one who died?” With drunken eyes, the man bends down and whispers the most heartless words in the gentlest voice. But he doesn't know that she really is going to die. 13.1kReads8.2Score86314d adds
- 44 That Little Trouble-Maker Is Absolutely Unhinged 小作精他超疯的 [Male-male romance + rekindled love + entertainment industry + happy ending] A volatile, depressed, troublesome, sickly bottom in public and in private, A top who is emotionally impaired but an outstanding actor. Jiang Li is a madman. During a sugar-baby arrangement, he was the first to fall in love and become obsessed. He knew Yi Zhen didn't love him, yet he kept clinging to him, his body covered in wounds. He said, “I supported you for two years. Now it's your turn to support me for two years! 10.8kReads9.3Score84914d adds
- 45 An Upset Victory: A Top-Tier Star Gets Swept Away by a Nobody 爆冷：顶流被小糊咖拐跑了 [Two male leads + rekindled love + showbiz + happy ending] A doting, top-tier-star seme, A little-known, sickly uke. Lu Qing lost Gu Zhiyan, the person who loved him most, so he nearly gave his life for another chance to meet him. But the Gu Zhiyan he meets again is no longer the poor kid he was a year ago. He has transformed into a top-tier star with tens of millions of fans and the sole heir to the Gu family, the foremost clan in Beijing’s elite circles. Gu Zhiyan shuts Lu Qing out completely. 8.8kReads9.3Score75014d adds
- 46 Tomb Raiding: The Walnut Seller 盗墓：那个卖核桃的 [Dual Male Leads] + [Angst] + [Severe Protagonist Suffering, Not for the Faint of Heart] 2026 editor’s note: Please read the author’s statement in the book’s discussion section. Thank you, everyone. The protagonist is completely love-struck, extremely so, and there will be no switching love interests. If you can’t accept that, feel free to leave using the top-right corner. Li Cu × Qian Heng After spending seven or eight years out in the dirt, Qian Heng had thoroughly wrecked his health. With now 2.9kReads9.3Score55814d adds
- 47 Fourteen Sentences 十四句 [The print edition of Fourteen Lines, bearing the same title, is now available on multiple platforms.] Life is like duckweed on the water, so why doubt that people will meet and part? Morality and ethics clash with matters of the heart. A realistic story. If that’s not your thing, don’t read. The greatest regret isn’t that people enter your life at different times, but that you’re meant to meet without being meant to be together. A remorseful husband tries to win back his wife. Written as realis 2.3kReads8.9Score22914d adds
- 48 Quick Transmigration: The Yandere Male Lead Has Turned Dark Again 快穿之病娇男主又黑化了 [Two male leads + crematorium chase + happy ending] “Make him fall in love with you, then abandon him without mercy. Get your corruption points, then make him regret everything.” The System issued the mission in a flat, emotionless voice. Luo Shi'an: “???” First world. The male lead gradually broke Luo Shi'an's pride, trampling all over his self-respect. Yet after Luo Shi'an died, the man went mad clutching his corpse, repeating over and over that he loved him and wanted to marry him. Second wor 2.8kReads9.4Score31714d adds
- 49 I Transmigrated into a Eunuch and Met a Prince in the Cold Palace 穿成真太监后遇到一个冷宫皇子 [Two Male Leads, No Female Lead!!! CP: Eunuch and Cold Palace Prince] Who would have thought my girlfriend's curse would actually come true? What do you do when you transmigrate into the body of a real eunuch? I feel like crying three times a day. But then I ran into a lame prince confined to the cold palace, and happened to witness this seemingly innocent but secretly ruthless kid in the middle of killing someone. Without even realizing it, I somehow flirted with him and got him acting strange. 14kReads9.5Score2.3k14d adds
- 50 Fishermen’s Lights on the River, Keeping Me Awake with Sorrow 江枫渔火对愁眠 She waited for him all her life, but he would never come back. 822Reads8.6Score15914d adds
