Novels like What Brings Joy to Life
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as What Brings Joy to Life, best match first.
- 101 Extreme Suppression 极度抑制 [Two male leads + chasing one's husband to the crematorium + wealthy families] Eleven years later, Song Lenian, recently released from prison, runs into his former lover once again. After all these years, the man is still as spirited as ever, and has become an even richer big shot. Meanwhile, in those eleven years, Song Lenian lost his family, abandoned his studies, and was left carrying a crushing burden of guilt that was never his to bear. Song Lenian has no desire to ask why the man left him 199Reads6.0Score—14d adds
- 102 I’d Rather Die So You Can Follow Me in Death 用死换你殉情也好 He was once the Supreme Emperor, yet he personally killed the only person he ever loved. There were no bones left at the mass grave. In the inner palace, he dreamed of her more than two thousand times over six years. His empire fell, and all its splendor came to nothing. He gave his life to atone, hoping only to reunite with her in another life. Dynasties changed and years passed. The world had long since become a different place. On a bustling street, two little children came hand in hand. The 777Reads—Score10214d adds
- 103 I Have Never Truly Lived 我从未真正的活过 [Pure despair | Ultimate tragedy | No redemption | Suffocating from beginning to end | No twists, no rebirth, no coming to terms] Diagnosed with moderate depression and bipolar disorder at the age of twelve, a boy spends ten years learning one thing: how to hide his own death perfectly in the middle of a crowd. This is not a story about fighting back. There is no comeback, no redemption, and no one opening the door at the last moment. It is a story about “not existing.” When no one has ever tru 5.7kReads6.9Score1k14d adds
- 104 Fake Smile Diary 假笑日记 I'm Xu Yiwen. Just as I was about to enter the world, I met Chang Jiayou. He took me in, though he said that wasn't what he was doing. I have no family, and he said he could be my family. So he loved me in the name of family. But love can't be hidden. I discovered that his feelings for me were more than ordinary. Countless times, he wanted to come closer, but in the end he never did. So I decided to confess. I wanted to be his lover. I don't understand what kind of feeling this is. I only know i 30Reads9.4Score—14d adds
- 105 Our Love Was Deep, Yet Never Reached Forever 情深未可到白头 [Two male leads | Bad ending] They met in the prime of their youth. Both hid their feelings, each thinking their love would last forever. It wasn't until Kong Huan met Lin Zhaonan that he believed the saying: “The first person you fall for is the one you'll love for your whole life!” He did just that. Sadly, his whole life lasted only a couple of decades... Lin Zhaonan cried as he told Kong Huan, “You have to come on my wedding day, promise me! I can only feel safe if you're there!” Kong Huan pl 50Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 106 Before He Dies, He Wants to Give Up His Allergen 临死前，他要戒掉过敏源 [Male-male romance + angst + late-blooming devotion + the hero’s long road to winning him back] Shen Pei’an was ill. On his birthday, the doctor told him he didn’t have much longer to live. He hadn’t planned to hide it. He meant to wait until Ren Xu had celebrated his birthday with him, then tell him the truth. But the big star Ren Xu never came. All Shen Pei’an got was a birthday cake that would trigger his allergies. He was twenty-eight. It was his ninth year in love with Ren Xu. There would 1.2kReads6.6Score10114d adds
- 107 Loving You Like the First Day 爱你如初 Five years ago, he had no choice but to leave, drifting through foreign streets, alone and destitute. Five years later, he returned home, only to find that the other man was already married. Since you won’t let me go, I’ll spend the little time I have left by your side, until the very end. I love you, just as I did back then. 7Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 108 The Diary of the Man Who Belongs to Him 属于他的先生日记 (This is a story about the secondary couple. The main couple’s story, Pretending to Be a Couple, Becoming True Love, has a bonus ending where everyone gets a happy ending.) Mo Lie x Bai Ren [Two male leads + unrequited love + tragic ending + angst] Mo Jia x Mu Qingzhou To Mo Jia, falling for someone was a wonderful thing. But... The person he loved was a man. A man he was not allowed to love. If unrequited love was bitter, then for Mo Jia, it was something very, very sweet. What was the meaning 243Reads8.0Score10014d adds
- 109 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 1.4kReads8.4Score13714d adds
- 110 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 754Reads8.7Score11014d adds
- 111 Was It Just for Fun? Why Are You Crying Now That I Have a Terminal Illness? 不是玩玩而已？我得绝症你哭什么 Original title: Can You Leave a Sweet Orange by My Grave? Cool boxer bottom × seemingly nice-guy but actually wicked, flirtatious top (First person + chasing the spouse into the crematorium + melodrama + tragic ending) Li Feng is a coward. After learning he has a terminal illness, he decides to earn enough money and then die. Before then, a man named Qin Xiao suddenly barges into his life. Suddenly, he doesn’t want to die anymore. He wants to live. Just as he’s about to tell Qin Xiao ever 17kReads9.2Score2.2k14d adds
- 112 After I Returned Home, the Big Shot Begged Me to Love Him Again 回国后大佬求我再爱他一次 [Two male leads + rekindled love + groveling to win back his lover + face-slapping] [Important: The protagonist grows over time. The bottom suffers in the first half, and the top suffers in the second. The top grovels to win his lover back, and everyone gets their comeuppance. If you can endure the bottom’s suffering at first, the top will be on his knees chasing after him later.] Everyone in S City knows that business tycoon Lu Qichuan has a lover he never speaks of, a designer named Shen Zhiy 511Reads7.1Score10314d adds
- 113 I Owe You an Apology 欠君句抱歉 [Two male leads + one-on-one true love + heart-wrenching + mutual devotion + tragic ending] (Sorry, I used the wrong tags!) A Nian, two years ago, I promised to give you a sea of flowers. I opened a flower shop. When will you come by... It was my fault. I lost you. The call had lasted a full minute. Mu Chixing stared at it for a long time, as if making sure it was real. Then, with fingertips trembling slightly, he pressed answer. His voice was almost too hoarse to make a sound as he spoke: “ 87Reads—Score—14d adds
- 114 When We Meet Again, We’ll Be Worlds Apart 再见已是天上人间 While Nan Sheng was still alive, she climbed the ninety-nine stone steps behind the Chenghuang Temple and prayed devoutly for Mo Beichen to return safely. But the day before she died, she fulfilled her vow. She said, “In my next life, I don’t want to meet him again.” After Nan Sheng died, Mo Beichen retraced the path she had taken, kneeling three times at every nine steps as he begged the gods to return his wife to him… He said, “If there is another life, may she live a carefree life, free from 206Reads5.3Score—14d adds
- 115 The Spring My Lover Left in My Eyes 眼睛是爱人留下的春 The eyes are the spring left behind by a lover 103Reads—Score—14d adds
- 116 Mo Sikalin 墨司卡林 [Modern + high-quality novel + two male leads + doctors + rekindled love + melodrama + frail protagonist + urban + tragic romance + devotion] I believe in the universe. I believe in thermodynamics. I believe in gods and Buddhas, and in the next life. The universe says entropy cannot be reversed. Thermodynamics says nothing is absolute, though you can get infinitely close. The gods don’t love the world, and the Buddha doesn’t love mortals. I do. In my heart, there is no mountain I cannot climb or 339Reads9.2Score—14d adds
- 117 He Cast Me into Hell 他将我扔向地狱 He Threw Me Into Hell 262Reads—Score—14d adds
- 118 Maple and Jade Resign 枫瑾辞 Feng Jin Ci 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 119 He's Just a Fool 他只是个傻子 [Boys' Love / melodrama / happy ending / modern / angst / win-back romance / silly fool fiction] Qin Yun was deemed a failure and sent to a remote mountain village to oversee the management of a mine. There he met a fool. Though dim-witted, the fool was good at taking care of others. In this impoverished backwater, Qin Yun made a move on the only little fool he found tolerable to look at. But after hurting him recklessly again and again, Qin Yun never expected the fool to say he didn't love him 62Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 120 Addicted to the Pain 痛瘾沉溺 Former title: Sinking into an Addiction [Two male leads + love after an arranged marriage + powerful pursuer + coercion + both are devoted only to each other + madman + scheming + melodrama + bad ending] [A twisted, dark, unhinged crown prince seme × a cold-faced but warm-hearted, aloof, beautiful actor uke] . As a child, he was bitten by a vicious dog. As an adult, he married one. Qi Zhuo has attracted psychos since he was little. None of his admirers, from childhood to adulthood, have ever b 1.2kReads8.7Score11614d adds
- 121 A Love Wound That Cannot Heal 情殇难续 Gu Yi × Xu An (BL) Gu Yi always treated Xu An as his plaything. When this plaything said a single bad word about the person he loved, Gu Yi beat him so badly he ended up in the hospital. When that beloved person brought his company to ruin, Gu Yi humiliated Xu An without asking what had happened and handed him over to someone else. In the end, the company went bankrupt. Only Xu An helped him, and the two of them lived together in a shabby rental apartment. Gu Yi finally understood his own heart, 217Reads—Score—14d adds
- 122 A Reply from the Clouds 云端的回信 A Reply from the Clouds 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 123 Finger Bone 指骨 [Warning: questionable values] I have no name. As far back as I can remember, I've been a dog. Because my sense of smell and hearing are naturally sharp, a human trafficker kept me by his side. No one cared how old I was. I was probably a little older than Song Junlan when I met him. He had been sold to a wealthy family to live as their young master. We met again because I was given a job and offered a huge sum of money: Song Junlan's sister had hired someone to kill him. 35Reads8.5Score714d adds
- 124 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.” 377Reads8.4Score10414d adds
- 125 Brother, I’m Done Getting Treatment 哥哥，我不治了 Big Brother, I’m Done with Treatment 1.4kReads—Score7614d adds
- 126 The Crown Prince's Substitute Lover 太子的替身爱人 On the day Liang Shengxi was to marry the Qi family’s legitimate son, chaos broke out in the capital, and the person in the bridal sedan turned out to be Qi Jiran, the Qi family’s son born to a concubine. With his beloved missing, Liang Shengxi took out his anger on Qi Jiran. But even when misunderstood and humiliated, Qi Jiran never thought of leaving. He guarded his secret, his love, and all the promises they had made. But when Liang Shengxi agreed to let someone take his blood to treat anothe 1.6kReads8.4Score12114d adds
- 127 After His Bones Were Torn Out, My Wayward Disciple Went Mad 抽筋剥骨后，逆徒他疯了 [Master and disciple + two male leads + angst + younger male lead + both leads inexperienced + a groveling redemption arc] Master Feng Binglan foresaw that his disciple, Fu Lingtian, would die at twenty, so he made up a fake System to make the boy hate him. He had his tendons torn out, his bones stripped away, and his heart cut open. His dragon body was shattered as he took the full force of the heavenly tribulation for his disciple. When Feng Binglan's soul was finally scattered, Fu Lingtian 541Reads—Score—14d adds
- 128 Reunited in the Heart of the Lake 重逢，在湖光深处 One shake brought two people thousands of miles apart together, but their growing connection was burdened by too many things beyond their control. What is meant to be will come to pass; what isn’t, cannot be forced. It’s just a shame… 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 129 My Best Friend Had Me Committed to a Conversion Therapy Center 我最好的兄弟把我进了戒同所 [This story is entirely fictional and set in an imagined world. The countries, cities, institutions, and people in the story have no connection to reality and are not intended to allude to anything. It contains no harmful guidance. Please do not take the story as a reflection on the author personally.] [Two male leads + conversion therapy facility + tragic romance + redemption + merciless revenge + two endings] We grew up together. He would stand up for me and protect me, and somewhere along the 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 130 Late to Return, Late to Return, Nowhere to Call Home 迟归迟归无家可归 Ground down in the imperial palace, Xiao Chigui spends his life enduring hardship and drifting from place to place, never receiving even the slightest warmth. Xie Wangyan, whose power holds sway over an entire region, exhausts himself with longing, hoping only that his beloved will return. In the end, the promised day of return means never coming back at all. 333Reads—Score—14d adds
- 131 The Ephemeral Blossoms in My Dreams, A Tribute to You 梦里昙花奠与卿 [A devoted, mute opera performer on the bottom × a short-tempered warlord with a possessive streak on top] Republican-era China / Tragedy / Male-Male Romance / Monogamous, devoted relationship / Happy ending (Love knows no gender; all that matters is whether two people understand each other. But in the end, they lose because they do not.) Shen Qing is a renowned opera performer. For the sake of a promise of deep love, he willingly takes off his costume and marries the warlord Nie Mingze. But 271Reads—Score—14d adds
- 132 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. 651Reads8.7Score12614d adds
- 133 Prejudice and Love 偏见与宠爱 Prejudice and Devotion —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 134 Nine-Tailed Fox Slave: The Fox Demon Is Being Tortured to Death by the Demon Lord 九尾成奴：狐妖快被魔尊虐死了 [Newly rated] [Angst, physical and emotional torment, two male leads, and mutual devotion] [Cruel, violent Demon Lord seme x lowly, wretched fox demon uke] [Content warning: extremely cruel, with no limits. The seme is genuinely violent!] A hundred years ago, Su Zongchen slaughtered the entire village where Yan Jinqi lived. Hunted by the Kunlun Mountains, he eventually destroyed his own demon core and became a demon slave. (There was a misunderstanding.) Consumed by hatred, Yan Jinqi used forbid 515Reads7.3Score10114d adds
- 135 The Movie Star's Cat Is Missing 影帝的猫丢了 [Dual Male Leads, Mortal Enemies, Entertainment Industry, Secret Crush] Third-rate actor Xu Jingjiu unexpectedly turns into the cat of his mortal enemy, movie emperor Yan Qiaozhou, and is taken home by him. On the first day, Xu Jingjiu is sent to the pet hospital by his enemy and almost gets neutered. On the second day, his enemy gives him a little female cat. On the third day, Xu Jingjiu catches his enemy badmouthing him on Weibo. On the fourth day, Xu Jingjiu unexpectedly discovers that his en 31Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 136 The One Thing I Wanted to Record Before I Died 死前，我唯一想记录的 I fell in love with my non-blood-related older brother, but he found me disgusting and sent me to a conversion therapy center. After I got out, my mental state deteriorated day by day, and in the end, before I died, I wrote this 3.3kReads8.1Score67714d adds
- 137 After Imprisoning the Woman He Loved, Lord Bo Regretted It Too Late 囚禁所爱后，薄爷他悔不当初 [Male-male romance + both leads are pure + forced love + confinement + possessiveness + sickly bottom + crematorium-style regret] Lu Yunzhi died in the year Bo Yanchen hated him most... Bo Yanchen: “Lu Yunzhi, save An Ran, and I'll give you everything you want.” Lu Yunzhi gave a bitter smile. “There's no need.” He turned and walked away, never to return! The photograph he kept close to his chest fell to the ground. On the back, several lines of writing stood out clearly. “Bo Yanchen, I paid for 6.2kReads8.1Score41514d adds
- 138 After I Gave Up Hope of Surviving My Terminal Illness, They Begged Me to Live 绝症死心后，他们求我活下去 [Two male leads + angst + groveling pursuit + ancient-style ABO] A love-starved, suspicious scum gong vs. a cold, heartbroken, frail shou The Chu family had two sons: the elder was stunningly handsome, while the younger knew both the past and the present. Rong Yong once thought he would grow old hand in hand with the elder Chu son, and become a peerless ruler and subject with the younger. But a marriage substitution shattered everything. The one he loved most became his younger brother’s fiancée 2.3kReads8.5Score25714d adds
- 139 Could You Fall for Me Again? 重新喜欢我，好不好 Gentle, reserved bottom × bewitchingly handsome playboy top Shen Qian’en had loved Gu Chenjing for seven years, and they had been together for four. What began as mutual affection had become a one-sided love, and he had no idea what had happened along the way to make Gu Chenjing treat him like this... Until he heard Gu Chenjing say, “I stopped loving him a long time ago. I only keep him around out of habit. He’s good at taking care of me.” … 1.2kReads6.1Score13014d adds
- 140 Looking Back, Autumn Has Fallen Across the Land 回首山河已是秋 When I Look Back, Autumn Has Fallen Across the Land 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 141 Defective Omega 劣质omgea Their marriage was in name only, and it lasted four years. “Your pheromones disgust me.” Four years together couldn’t melt the ice between them. What was the point of desperately trying to save the relationship? The seeds of their separation had taken root long ago. Correction: The novel’s actual title is “Inferior Omega.” It can’t be changed after signing the contract, but feel free to dive into the story! 5.4kReads8.2Score51314d adds
- 142 No Such Person Exists 杳无此人 [Undercover Assassin vs. Narcotics Detective] “Jinchen, after I’m gone, I’m entrusting my sister to you.” “Don’t tell her what happened to me. She cries at the drop of a hat, and if she finds out, she’ll cry her head off.” “Yu Jinyan, you big liar! Now that you’re gone, who’s going to protect me? I have no family left…” The day after Yu Jinyan died, Yu Jinchu vanished without a trace, as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth. Jiang Jinchen searched for her like a madman. Seven years 376Reads—Score12514d adds
- 143 Go Left at the Light, Right at the Crossing 左灯右行 “Who are you in my eyes? Who do you want me to stand in for? We trade each other’s joys and sorrows, and the one who loves more is always the first to cry.” “Embracing you wears you out. The one who loves more is always the first to turn false.” Liao Juntao, “Who” “I love you, and it’s like driving against the lights.” Tanya Chua, “Red High Heels” So, if two people aren’t right for each other, they shouldn’t get together in the first place. You agree, Gu Xiangbei? Character setup: A street-c 1.8kReads9.2Score26614d adds
- 144 The Favored Male Concubine 娈宠 [Two male leads + mutually devoted + scheming gong + sickly shou + possessiveness + forced love + imprisonment + sweet and angsty + happy ending] An emperor's affection is the most unpredictable thing in the world. One moment, you're in heaven; the next, he can cast you into the deepest hell. In this life, what he thought would be salvation turned out to be the cage that trapped Ye Yuchen for all his days. Heng Yue gave Ye Yuchen the most intense love, but also pain that cut to the bone. The 384Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 145 Didn't You Say We Shouldn't Keep in Touch? Why Are You Crying When I Find Someone Else? 不是说以后不要联系吗？我找别人你怎么还哭了？ Didn't You Say We Shouldn't Keep in Touch Anymore? Why Are You Crying Now That I've Found Someone Else? 57Reads—Score—14d adds
- 146 After I Cured Him, I Was Forced 治疗好他之后被强制了 He Forced Himself on Me After I Cured Him 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 147 Heartbroken to Pieces, I Smile as the Boyfriend I Searched for Ten Years Becomes My Brother-in-Law 心碎成渣，笑着看我找了十年的男友成了我姐夫 My heart was shattered to pieces, yet I smiled as I watched the boyfriend I'd searched for for ten years become my brother-in-law. 283Reads—Score114d adds
- 148 Why Are You Crying After I Leave? 我走后，你们哭什么？ [Regret] [No Cultivation] [Daily Life] [No System] Lin Jiu wakes up in the hospital after collapsing. Unfortunately, the doctor tells him he has brain cancer and at most six months left to live. His eldest sister, Lin Qingyun, wastes no time kicking him out of the Lin family that very day, claiming that Lin Jiu was adopted and isn't their biological younger brother. She leaves him 20,000 yuan and walks away. Lin Jiu suddenly understands. Because he isn't their real brother, his sisters have trea 117Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 149 You Beat Me Up for Every Kiss. Why Are You Crying Now That I’m Dead? 亲一下都暴打我，我死后你哭什么 [Two male leads + both reborn + groveling for his love + reunited after a breakup + bittersweet, sweet romance + mutual firsts + happy ending] [Beautiful, sickly little crippled bottom x domineering, unhinged straight top] The rating has only just opened, and very few people have rated it, so it’s low for now. It’ll go up later. Thank you. A car accident four years ago took Huaiqiu, the one person Shifeng cherished above all others, and left Huaichun with a limp. Before Huaiqiu died, he asked Sh 404Reads5.5Score—14d adds
- 150 After Everyone's Least Favorite Person Collapsed, They Panicked 万人嫌倒下后，他们慌了 A melodramatic, somewhat angsty story with two male leads. It has a happy ending!!!!!!! Jiang Huai’s mother died when he was too young to remember much. His father remarried, his grandmother hated him, and he had no friends or money. He had never known what it meant to be loved. Some children invited him to play, and Jiang Huai went happily. Then an accident broke his leg, leaving him lame for life. Like a blade of grass, he fought to grow between the cracks in the bricks, but not a ray of sunli 6.4kReads8.8Score46214d adds
