Novels like As the Year Draws to a Close
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as As the Year Draws to a Close, best match first.
- 1 Love Before Midsummer 爱在盛夏以前 A youthful love story about three men and three women whose lives are bound together in the city. It begins when Luan Xiaoqi is cheated on and gets her heart broken, and ends with, “Xiaoqi, as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. I’ll listen to you and do whatever you want.” [A little heartache] [A little angst] —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 Anonymous, Dyed Warm 匿名染温 A collection of three stories: “Crossing the River Alone,” “Waiting for Winter,” and “The Promise That Came Too Late.” [School Story] + [Bad Ending] Ever since “the clay bodhisattva” showed up, Jiang Ye could tell his standing in the family was on shaky ground. Wen Ni was a “good girl” in everyone else’s eyes, but to him… “…What kind of fairy? She’s more like a bodhisattva.” Bai Lin: Jiang Ye, make sure you look after A-Ni. Jiang Ye: …So I’m just being ignored, huh? Yep, that’s definitely my re —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 Spring Mud 椿泥 [Mutual secret crush + healing + tragic ending] A ten-year story of unspoken love brought to light by a plane crash. He loved her quietly for ten years, and she was the only person he ever loved. Every year on her birthday, he would take a long train ride to her city just to see her from afar. But an accident took him away forever. Only when his mother gives her his college diary does she learn that a faithful soul had been loving her deeply all along. Perhaps he wanted to see the snow fall in c 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 What I Thought Was a Secret Crush Was Actually a Long-Planned Scheme 以为的暗恋，其实是蓄谋已久 A poor girl × a rich young master, [mutual secret crushes / campus youth / BE] Huang Suhe took her secret crush as far as it could go without anyone noticing. What she didn't know was that the person she liked had been plotting to win her over for a long time, too. 19Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 Come See the Sea with Me Tomorrow 明天陪我去看海 She filled a faraway fantasy into an insubstantial relationship, while he mixed a love close at hand with cold, tangible benefits. Fate finally sent them in opposite directions. “If I could turn back time, I wouldn’t mind traveling ten thousand miles. I’d come see you.” The storm raging out at sea lasted a full forty-one chapters. Fine raindrops beat against the surging waves. Bloodstained white tiles, reeking of earth, pierced his mind like thorns. He remembered. Xiao Yan had left with the shar 8Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 6 The Secret of the White Camellia 白山茶的秘密 The evil dragon that escaped from the abyss grabbed me, trying to devour me. I ran frantically through the dark corridor, until at last I fell. I was afraid, desperate, and heartbroken, until I gave up the will to live. Inside an ancient castle where sunlight had never reached, I hid, little by little being eaten by the evil dragon... And my knight shattered the glass that symbolized the solemnity of the rules, leaped down from above, and killed the dragon with a swing of his sword. Shi Yu d 8Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 7 Dusk Comes Late 晚晚辞暮 [A girl with depression and a lonely boy] Bad ending It was both salvation and an abyss. Step by step, she fell into the dust. “They trampled on my dignity as they pleased. Only he stayed by my side.” He said, “Most people who love each other in this world can’t be together.” So that year, one person celebrated a happy new marriage, while another lay in eternal rest. I thought we would always be together, but I forgot about the mountain birds and the road... Years passed, and we never met again 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 I Hate Being Twenty-Three in the Summer 讨厌23岁的夏天 Gentle girl VS sensitive boy At seventeen, in the innocence of youth, she fell in love with him. At nineteen, in the best years of his life, he died in her arms. At twenty-three, Ye Xi was supposed to attend her high school reunion, but unexpectedly she traveled back to the year she was seventeen. Familiar memories washed over her, along with the chance to meet him again… Ye Xi thought Xing Zhou had forgotten the child who used to cling to her all day, insisting on going with her even to the con 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 Reborn and Rising: I Refuse to Be a Doormat 重生逆袭：拒做受气包 Lin Wan is reborn and returns, casting off the patience she showed in her past life and vowing to escape her fate as a doormat. As she turns her career around and fights back against the Zhang family’s bullying, she awakens her husband Zhang Lei’s sense of responsibility. But the shadows of tragedy from her past life have yet to fade, and the Zhang family’s hidden schemes still lurk in the dark. Can the love Lin Wan and Zhang Lei share, each reaching for the other, withstand the unknown storms a 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 He's More Irresistible Than Spring 他比春色撩人 Original titles: When Secrets Burn / It Turns Out We Were All Cowards Everyone gets a bad ending | A touch of ensemble cast | Bittersweet youth Su Qing'an thought that if he hid his love for Mu Xi as best he could, then after he died, she wouldn't grieve or feel sad for him. He also knew full well that he wasn't worthy of her. The only thing he could do was spend the three years he had left quietly by her side as a friend. But when a boy named Xu Yinan appeared beside Mu Xi, he still lost contro —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 Mr. Mo, Stop Torturing Her. Your Wife Is Innocent 莫总别虐了，夫人她是无辜的 A sudden accident at sea entangled two people who had barely known each other, drawing them into a relationship born of a mistake. In the name of revenge, Mo Lingbei destroyed everything beautiful in Fu Qing's life, turning her into someone else: a substitute forced to live under another person's identity, forever hidden from the light. But gradually... As the two spent every day together amid this revenge, he slowly came to understand her. The girl he'd once thought was a spoiled, idle, useless 56Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 12 A Secret Crush with a Hint of Tangerine 橘子味的暗恋 [Gentle academic prodigy Lin Xia × dashing bad boy heartthrob Mo Chengsheng] She never got to see that first snow, and she didn't make it through that bitter winter. Her life ended forever at the age of twenty-two. One summer, Lin Xia met Mo Chengsheng. One glance was all it took for her to fall helplessly, hopelessly in love. Her secret crush remained hidden from the world. Mo Chengsheng became a knot deep in her heart. “My name is Lin Xia.” “Mo Chengsheng.” Mo Chengsheng: “Are we not friend 70Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 13 Completed, No Continuation 已完不续 A heartbreaking campus romance you can read in one sitting I am a beast trapped in a castle, waiting for you to save the rose that is about to wither. The second Lu Chiqiu slipped a love letter into Xin Xu’s desk, her mother and his father were carried out of a garage, overcome by carbon monoxide. Neither of them was wearing any clothes. At that moment, a young girl’s secret crush became the most humiliating thing imaginable. Content warning: The male lead dies in the year he loves the female 24Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 14 You, or Someone Like You 你或像你的人 Be. Documentary filmmaker × undercover police officer Xu Yuan had an accident while filming a documentary and woke up with amnesia. After that, she often dreamed of a mountain road she could never find her way off. A year later, Xu Yuan ran into her high school classmate, Zhou Yiran. She wanted to get closer to him because the scent of mint and orange he carried had appeared in her dreams countless times. Zhou Yiran had been secretly in love with Xu Yuan for nine years. At last, his wish came t 78Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 15 Su Chen's Rise from the Ashes 苏辰的逆袭人生 A betrayal drove him and his mother to the brink of despair, making survival his sole obsession. He lay low in the dust, hiding every trace of his misery, and relied on sheer determination to push through every shadow in his path. The struggles no one knew about and the unexpected glimmers of light eventually helped him break free from the shackles of fate. His rise to power conceals too many untold stories. 88Reads—Score—14d adds
- 16 I’ll Go See You in the Moonlight 替月亮去见你 [Lin Jiu, a girl wounded by her family, vs. the gentle, brilliant student Jiang Shiyue] [School life + reunion after years apart + healing] If someone asked Lin Jiu whether she regretted falling in love with Jiang Shiyue, her answer would be no. When she was nineteen, the boy came beneath the moonlight, his eyes filled with countless stars. “Lin Jiu, there’s no moon in the sky tonight, but I’m here behind you. From now on, on every dark night, I’ll come to see you in the moon’s place.” Those wor 6Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 17 Midsummer Is Eternal 盛夏是永恒 A girl with heart failure × a cold, short-tempered boy Mutual salvation [School-life tragedy] An eternal, unchanging love, yet it was in the brief span of my life that an eternal love was created... The little sun warmed everyone, but in the end, she couldn't escape the endless cycle of summer. Under the stars, she made a wish: "May my Luoluo have peace year after year." Little scenes: "Hey, would you be interested in dating?" "Why are you such a stick-in-the-mud?" "Why is my darling so cute?" " 309Reads8.4Score10114d adds
- 18 Turning the Tables on Marriage 反制婚姻 Her husband cheats, and her in-laws bully her. What path lies ahead for a woman struggling in her marriage? Should she keep suffering through it, or fight back and build a brilliant life of her own? The novel will reveal the answer... 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 He Lives in Heaven 他住在天堂里 [Signed for print publication] [He has loved her in secret for ten years, tragic ending + male lead dies of cancer + tearjerker campus romance] “The girl I’ve loved for ten years got married. I personally placed her hand in her future husband’s. The last time I called her by name was at her wedding.” Jiang Chi 692Reads8.4Score18714d adds
- 20 Escape from Marriage 逃离婚姻 With both parents dead and no family left, she thought she had found a man she could depend on. But he turned out to be a scoundrel after her inheritance. Her best friend and husband conspired behind her back, while her in-laws treated her like a servant. Even after giving birth to a son, she continued to live humbly in a marriage worse than death. It wasn't until he appeared that her inner world was turned upside down and the course of her life changed! 32Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 May I Caress You Again 愿再轻抚你 Zhou Qiyue of West Wu No. 3 High School was a bona fide school bully. He did everything the school rules forbade. Then one day, a new girl joined the class next door. He called her ugly, yet warned his buddies not to chase after her. He wanted to get close to her, but carefully kept his distance. You are a star I can never reach. Later, rumors about the two of them dating reached the teachers’ office, and the teachers were alarmed. The homeroom teacher pointed at him and said, “A social degene 58Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 22 Twin Demon Lotuses 并蒂妖莲 People say that deep in Lotus Lake grows a demonic lotus with twin blossoms, two flowers on one stem, sharing a single life. Qing Ning is gentle and serene as water, while Liu Hua is fierce and blazing as fire. One is good and one is evil, yet both are trapped by the curse of the twin lotus. He is Ying Zhaoli, the Heaven-appointed “Demon Slayer,” whose sword can end a demon’s life, but cannot sever the love in his heart. He is Mei Chi, king of the fox clan and master of bewitching hearts, who fa 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 A Kiss Beneath the Fireworks 烟花下的拥吻 My new work is out! 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! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 The Journey 走过 Walking Through is a poignant romance novel. The carefree days of youth are beautiful, but they can also be painful. Everyone’s growth is its own story of youth, and every story is different. Some lives are smooth sailing, filled with happiness and joy; others are quiet and ordinary, with gentle days; still others are passionate and dramatic, full of fervor and determination... Chunyan’s youth was full of twists and hardships. Yet, in the face of one trial after another, she never gave in. She c 528Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 25 Breaking Through a Troubled Marriage 婚姻突围 Written for men and women suffering in their marriages. Should a marriage without love or sex be maintained, or should they seek a way out, follow their hearts, and unleash their “true selves”? This novel will give you the answer! 82Reads—Score—14d adds
- 26 A Dazzling Transformation 华丽蜕变 Kindness needs an edge, and tolerance needs limits! Liu Xia, who grew up in the countryside, was too kind and always gave in. She missed two chances at true love, then stumbled into the wrong marriage and was tormented in a miserable relationship. Fortunately, the college sweetheart who had always loved her reappears, helping her see the error of her ways, escape her unhappy marriage, and open up a whole new chapter in her life! 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 27 The Reborn Take the Stage: A Lowly Concubine's Daughter 重生者当道，卑微庶女 [Angsty + reborn + multiple male leads + no romance + no stupid characters + no love-brained heroine + taking by force] The heroine is a frail, innocent beauty of humble origins whose fate is full of misfortune. In every life, she is repeatedly tormented by a person who keeps being reborn. Yet each time the wicked reborn tormentor starts over, they ultimately fall at the heroine’s hands. And in every life, the more they torment her, the more horribly they die! In the first life after the rebirth 286Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 28 Tortured to the Extreme 极虐 An Nuan was a gifted pianist, but after being framed and sent to prison, she emerged three years later to find her life turned upside down! Then she met Si Lingfeng, the most powerful man in City C. He loved and cherished her with all his heart. If she said she wanted the stars, he would pluck them from the sky without a second thought. From their very first meeting, he pursued An Nuan passionately! When it came to winning her over, Si Lingfeng embodied every word: cunning, calculating, settin 714Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 29 The Courtesan Consort: The Prince's Precious Snow 勾栏罪妃，她是王爷掌中雪 ❗️❗️ [The Long Road to Winning Her Back] In this life, the one thing he never did was tell her, “I love you.” She was snow in the palm of his hand: the moment he had her, he lost her. 🔥 [The Memory-Devouring Twin Gu: One Swallows the Past, the Other Buries the Rest of Your Life] It all began with a conspiracy! He was the emperor’s younger brother, the only prince of the direct imperial line. He was deeply in love with the current empress, his sister-in-law. Overnight, she became the daughter of 221Reads—Score—14d adds
- 30 Wei Qisu 惟七溯 She was born with the Heart of Ten Thousand Blossoms, the most precious secret of the Se Xian Clan. The Celestial Emperor imprisoned her in the Ninth Heaven, binding her with the Milky Way and caging her in clouds and rosy mists. Then War God Zhan Qi cleaved open the gates of heaven with his giant axe. At the sight of his resolute gaze, she turned into a rain of countless blossoms and scattered across the world. A hundred years passed. She awoke once more at the Source of Life, but had forgotten 15Reads6.3Score—14d adds
- 31 A Love Letter from the Twenty-Fifth Time Zone 第二十五时区的情书 [Print edition now available] The love they felt as teenagers was buried in the sound of the wind on the day their hearts first stirred. By the time it crossed mountain after mountain to reach their hearts, the wind had died, leaving only unresolved longing. - Zhou Jingni's unrequited love wasn't like that of other girls left to act out a one-sided romance. She and Shen Yi were childhood friends, born into the same Beijing compound. They grew up and went to school together, and as teenagers they 18.3kReads9.2Score2.4k14d adds
- 32 Madam, President Yan Deserves to Die a Thousand Deaths! 夫人，颜总罪该万死啊！ Bai Wanxi killed someone. Yan Qingyun personally sent her to a psychiatric hospital. When she got out, all she had left was a disabled body. Yan Qingyun still wouldn’t leave her alone. “I want you to live as a prisoner and spend the rest of your life atoning to me.” “I’m a murderer. I’m guilty, and I’m willing to accept my punishment,” she said indifferently. He flew into a rage. “Bai Wanxi, I’ll make your filthy soul burn in hell.” She thought the psychiatric hospital was the eighteenth level o 658Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 33 Keeping Watch Over Our Marriage 守望婚姻 This is the tragic story of a rural woman left behind in the countryside. Juhua is a traditional village woman, and like other rural women, she has no source of income. Without financial standing in her household, she can only rely on her husband's earnings to support the family. She is the sort of person who endures whatever comes her way. Her two sweet, clever children seemed to offer a chance to change her fate, but misfortune plunged her back into an abyss of suffering... 57Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 34 The Marriage We Missed 错过的婚姻 The wave of educated youths returning to the cities tore two people in love apart. Liu Yumei, a country girl, became pregnant before marriage and tried to hang herself, but survived. Her sister-in-law then sold her to human traffickers, who married her off to a man in the mountains. The educated youth Fang Shengqiang lost his memory in a car accident and missed his chance to be with Yumei. He married a rich woman and, with his wife’s support, became a corporate highflier. Liu Yumei became the w 236Reads—Score—14d adds
- 35 Reborn: Please Love Me Again 【重生】请你再爱一次 [Sweet romance + domineering CEO and rising star + multiple side couples] No mistaken love, and everyone gets a happy ending, so read without worry. In his previous life, after accumulating enough disappointment, Feng Lin decided to part amicably with Wan Yi. But Wan Yi did not want to end their relationship. When the two left the civil affairs bureau, Wan Yi stared at the green divorce certificate in his hand, unable to accept it. “I’ll take you home.” “Fine. Let’s say this is our last goodbye. 78Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 Mr. Fu, Your Wife Has Run Off Pregnant 傅先生，太太带球跑了 She was his little shadow, always trailing after him. Until she turned eighteen, she had only one goal: to marry him. Then he mistook her for the one who had hurt the woman he cherished, and destroyed her family. She spent three years in prison, and when she got out, he continued to torment her. Only when the truth finally came to light did he regret it... But she was gone forever… 176Reads—Score—14d adds
- 37 Just Like Your Sorrow 恰似你的忧伤 Much Like Your Sorrow 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 38 When the Dawn Sets 曙光落幕时 Dominant CEO gong × designer shou. Both have secret identities. Dual male leads. The shou switched places with someone else, changing the course of both their lives. Yet somehow, he eventually returned to his birth family and found the love that had been meant for him all along. He thought the door to happiness was finally about to open for him, but an unexpected illness brought him to a halt. As he battled his illness, the gong stayed by his side, quietly and unwaveringly. After weathering ever 22Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 Until We Meet Again: A Thousand-Year Promise 待到重逢之千年之约 [One-on-one, two male leads, both devoted to each other; doting CEO top x wilderness rescue team captain bottom + different time and space + multiple couples + happy ending] The times, characters, and places in this story are all fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. Our love runs as deep as the sea, our bond is etched in the Three Lives Stone. Fate binds us across the world, and we will never part. To find the one I love and stay together until our hair turns white. If there is 118Reads—Score1014d adds
- 40 A Heart-Eroding Crisis 蚀心危情 [Dual male leads + multiple side couples + wealthy CEO] If I died just like this, would I finally be free? It all began with that conspiracy. He was convicted and sent to prison, enduring a long sentence, losing his closest friend, and suffering the betrayal of his lover. In an instant, the whole world turned against him. To stay alive, he had no choice but to abandon his kind heart, fight fate, and make enemies of everyone. When he got a second chance at life, all he wanted was to leave the con 84Reads—Score714d adds
- 41 Reborn: My Sovereign 重生：我的君主大人 Two male leads: the devoted general Beiming Han as the pursuer × the sweet, gentle prince Mu Yichen as the pursued This story takes place in a fictional setting. Any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental. In his previous life, Mu Yichen was willing to sacrifice everything for Beiming Han: the throne, his martial arts, his dignity, and even his life. Until his final moment, he was still worrying about Beiming Han. He left behind only one sentence: “If there is another life, let us n 176Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 42 At First Sight 第一眼 [Two male leads] [Sweet and doting, both pure] [Sweet and doting, no angst] [Cold, taciturn CEO × innocent young master] They met at an auction. Just one glance was enough for them to know they were meant for each other. Love at first sight isn’t impossible, just rare and hard to come by! Wei Bo’an, I, Xiao Tianqi, want to stay by your side forever, and love you for all eternity. We still have a long life ahead, so don’t worry. Believe me: no matter how you change, I’ll always love you just the 25Reads5.7Score—14d adds
- 43 Revenge? The Scalpel Turns on My Unrequited Love 报复？手术刀划向白月光 Revenge? The Scalpel Turns on His One True Love 312Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 The Old Grass of Zhaoxi 昭奚旧草 Across the vast lands of Huangyan, more than a hundred states rose in Huaguo. The feudal lords were enfeoffed, and their domains became the nations of Zhaoming. The archives record more than three million books, each containing the lives of eighty million people. Among those countless lives, each person is little more than a speck. Turn the pages with one hand, and fifty years pass in the blink of an eye, like spring blossoms falling. In one of those books stood a begonia garden. Inside it was a 5.1kReads9.5Score1.2k14d adds
- 45 When Birds Meet Fish 飞鸟与鱼遇见 When Birds and Fish Meet 54Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 One Short Tragic Romance Story a Day 一天一个短篇虐文故事 A Collection of Tragic Short Stories: Every Word Bleeds, Every Line Leaves You Aching One devastatingly heartbreaking short story every day! Modern-day missed chances intertwine with sorrows from ancient times, along with bone-deep pain drawn from true stories. These tales lay bare life’s regrets, every word striking straight to the heart until it hurts to read! If you finish without being moved, I’ll call you my “ancestor.” Come take on this lingering ache! 43Reads—Score—14d adds
- 47 Explosive! The Undercover Big Shot Has Fallen for Me 爆！卧底大佬他沦陷了 [BE] [BE] [BE] [Undercover police officer in Myanmar × genius doctor with a split personality] [No arguments, misunderstandings, or groveling] [Both leads are devoted only to each other] Myanmar, a rainy night, Guanyuan. A muffled thud came from the backyard. She saw him and glanced over without a trace of emotion. “Disgusting. Throw him out.” Lu Chen froze, then hurriedly spoke up. “I have money. Lots of money.” Su Qingyan stopped and glanced back at the man on the ground. “Take him inside.” .. 150Reads—Score10414d adds
- 48 Love at the Edge of the Clouds 云边的爱情 Love Beyond the Clouds 43Reads—Score—14d adds
- 49 A Long Farewell 长辞 [Palace intrigue + tragic romance + both leads reborn] Another heartbreaking historical romance from Zhihu’s popular author Zhier, following An Ending at Dusk! Through a haze of consciousness, she relived her entire life, finally pausing on that sunny afternoon. He stood beneath a tree, his eyes covered with white cloth, smiling as he asked what she wanted. A young gentleman, handsome and refined as jade. One glance was enough to stay in her memory for years. If only she had known that meeting h 1.7kReads8.4Score22214d adds
- 50 A Forced-Love Angsty Romance 一篇强制爱狗血虐文 Male-male romance + forced love + melodrama + groveling redemption + unhinged characters + physical and emotional torment + angst with a sweet payoff + confinement + happy ending The pursuer knows he’s a scumbag. He’s inhuman at first, then goes mad chasing his love, even stabbing himself. * To get revenge on Chen Jing, Duan Jinyan personally sent him to prison, leaving him disfigured, deaf, and covered in ugly scars. After his release, Chen Jing ran into Duan Jinyan again. He begged Duan to lea 2.9kReads6.3Score16714d adds
