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.
- 151 Who Falls for Whom? 谁为谁心动 (Main story and alternate IF storyline complete; parallel-world worldbuilding in progress) [Coercive relationship + win-her-back-after-the-breakup + clashing personalities + sharp tongues + hypnosis + secret identity used to get close on purpose + a broken mirror that cannot be mended / both die in the ending] "Who promised you heaven on earth, then shared with you a love as deep as the sea of hate?" Seven years ago, a misunderstanding led to Meng Qi being confined by his lover. After enduring t 42Reads—Score—14d adds
- 152 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 932Reads8.8Score10314d adds
- 153 After He Died, Jiang Siyu No Longer Existed in This World 他死后世上再无江岁逾 After his death, Jiang Suiyu ceased to exist in this world. 228Reads—Score114d adds
- 154 A Little Regret in Three Words 三个字的小遗憾 A sensitive, overthinking girl versus a sunny, oblivious boy When Shen Xiaoxu is sixteen, she happens to catch sight of Lu Qingyang, who had been about to head home despite the rain, suddenly slowing down. He gently crouches to feed a kitten soaked through by the downpour. Though his shoulders are already drenched, he casually glances up a few times, seemingly not bothered at all. What an utterly hopeless idiot! Watching from the side, Shen Xiaoxu can’t help whispering under her breath. But even 36Reads—Score—14d adds
- 155 A Flawed Contract: The CEO's Demanding Sweetheart 不成型的契约，磨人总裁的小娇妻 Wu Lingjun, son of crime boss Wu Nan, fell for Ling Yanbo, a man of humble origins and ordinary looks. For him, Wu Lingjun was willing to pay any price, defy his father’s dying wish, give up everything, and choose love. He never expected a sudden accident to shatter their peaceful life. They went their separate ways. When they met again five years later, Ling Yanbo had become a celebrated figure in the business world. He was strikingly handsome and tall and broad-shouldered, with a presence as i 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 156 The Road Ahead Is One of Heartbreak 此去离殇 “You never deserved to be my wife.” Once, she had loved him with all her heart, only to be met with his cold rejection. Time passed, and she died before his eyes. All the love she had never gotten to confess became a sharp sword plunging into his heart… 238Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 157 A Cool Breeze Rises 萧萧凉风生 I love the wind! The wind is free, boundless, and unfettered. It can turn the leaves, lift a skirt, and travel the world. But I’m trapped in my own endless darkness, locked inside a prison of my own making. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 158 I'm Done Being the Stand-In for His White Moonlight 白月光替身，我做够了 Yan Ruo had had enough of being someone else's substitute. His mother had been treated as a substitute, and then he himself was made to take the place of the son of his mother's rival in love. At last, Yan Ruo couldn't take it anymore. He remembered the day he left: the sun was shining, as if even the heavens were telling him how right his decision was. An accident robbed him of his memories and brought him back together with Cheng Jixing. But the truth couldn't stay hidden forever. When he lear 202Reads6.0Score—14d adds
- 159 A Play Like Autumn Longing 戏如怜秋 [Republican-era opera singer x warlord general] BE tragedy He sang out the lives of others, yet could never tell the story of Lian Qiu's past. He hated Cheng Lian Qiu, never knowing that when he was sixteen, she had pretended to go backstage for a drink because she wanted to take him home. 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 160 Though the Blade Lies Buried, a Hidden Fragrance Still Drifts 锋沉犹有暗香浮 The Blade Lies Still, Yet a Faint Fragrance Drifts 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 161 My Ex Is Back for Another Shot! 前男友，他吃回头草了！ My Ex-Boyfriend Is Back for Another Shot! 3.1kReads—Score—14d adds
- 162 I Am a Viper 吾为毒蛇 I Am a Viper 196Reads—Score—14d adds
- 163 Hello, My Love 你好，我的爱 The Place He Returns To: Sequel (Part Two) If you can’t handle an unresolved ending, don’t read this! Don’t read this! Don’t read this! It’ll turn your whole worldview upside down! This is meant to have a happy ending, though a few parts feel forced. The protagonist is a hopeless romantic. If you can’t accept that, stay away! Thank you for reading! Song Qing never left, but he said it was all just a competition. What is he hiding? I refuse to believe it. I search desperately. Will things ultimat 8Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 164 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
- 165 The Blind Consort 盲妃 On the wedding day of Li Wenxing, the notorious and merciless general, and Jiang Yan, the beautiful blind young master of the Jiang family, every citizen in the city kept their doors shut and dared not step outside. The streets were empty and lifeless. Jiang Yan had loved Li Wenxing for thirteen years. He had thought Li’s promise to love him faithfully was sincere, never imagining that Li not only didn’t love him, but had long since given his heart to someone else and hated Jiang to the bone. Af 339Reads6.9Score10014d adds
- 166 The Cool Substitute Leaves the Stage, and Mr. Qi Drops to His Knees 清冷替身一退场，祁总立马跪地上 (The rating just came out, so it's normal for it to be low. It'll go up later~) (Two male leads + no female lead + regretful pursuit + both leads sexually and romantically inexperienced + a messy pile of melodrama + initially awful, later devoted top + cool and reserved bottom who keeps enduring until he finally snaps + older top, eight-year age gap + happy ending + not a wish-fulfillment story, but an angst-filled one) Lin Yi'an was Qi Yan's contract lover for four years. At first, he thought Q 3.1kReads8.8Score34414d adds
- 167 Salvation in the Deep 救赎深陷 [Anthology + BL + pure love + possessiveness + angst + mental illness + healing + protagonists with psychological disorders] An anthology of four stories Story One: A repressed, obsessive, manic puppy-like top VS a gentle, slow-to-realize bunny-like bottom (Li Zize and Shen Luochen). Complete. First the top suffers, then the bottom. A calculating man edges closer step by step, driving away everyone around him so he can keep his love all to himself. Story Two: A bottom with severe mental illness 52Reads—Score—14d adds
- 168 Quick Transmigration: Everyone Gets a Bad Ending 快穿之全员BE Before Wen Bai remembered everything, he always thought he had died in a car accident. Only later did he learn that he had jumped into a river and died. After taking on a new identity and experiencing someone else’s life, he thought it wasn’t so bad. But when he broke the cycle, he stumbled straight into an even deeper abyss. That person was powerful to the point of being twisted, consumed by an envy so intense it made people want to run, and by suspicion… He had never truly trusted Wen Bai. Wen 28Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 169 After the Foolish Emperor Turned Evil, the Prince Was Forced into Love 痴傻皇帝黑化后，王爷被强制爱了 [Two male leads # equally matched powerhouses # physical and emotional angst # love and hate # imprisonment # groveling redemption # mutually unhinged] A gloomy, unhinged emperor top × a cunning, patient prince bottom He was once a regent who held power over the entire court, feared and respected for his iron fist. Later, he became the new emperor’s hidden captive, kept on his bed and out of sight. His legs were broken and he was shackled. The regent who once looked down upon the world became 6kReads8.7Score50214d adds
- 170 A Life Offered in Sacrifice 以身唯祭 Severe physical torment | Severe heartbreak | Possessive love | Happy ending | A love born of hatred | He’ll regret losing him | One-on-one | True love | Love rekindled after heartbreak | Political scheming and misunderstandings | Both leads are each other’s first Only then did Xiao Jingyan finally understand: he had taught Jing Heng the art of war, but Jing Heng had learned how to offer himself as a sacrifice for love. Xiao Jingyan had once believed that Jing Heng’s betrayal was the greatest sh 7.7kReads8.5Score74714d adds
- 171 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 5.3kReads8.8Score30614d adds
- 172 After His Master’s Death, the Disciple Who Hated Him Went Mad 师尊死后，恨他入骨的孽徒疯了 [Two male leads + one-on-one romance, both have only ever been with each other + angsty drama + groveling reconciliation + short story] “Master, your Path of Passionlessness has shattered to pieces because of me…” “Master, you never would have guessed that your precious disciple is a demon…” “Master, the way you wag your tail and beg for pleasure in front of your disciple is truly… disgusting.” Two years ago, Ji Cangye threw Yan Leng, who had been poisoned by an aphrodisiac, into a brothel and w 648Reads8.1Score10214d adds
- 173 Unable to Love 无法去爱 A collection of short, angsty stories about two male leads. Loving someone is easy, but finding happiness in that love is impossible. The tragic song of a chaotic age is destined to be sung, and all we can do is watch, unable to love each other. A love that cuts to the bone will last forever. I hope their stories leave you with a sense of loyalty amid the sorrow. There are many people in this world who cannot love each other, yet in truth, they have already found redemption. 58Reads—Score—14d adds
- 174 His Deadly Tenderness Trapped Me in an Endless Cycle of Reincarnation 他的致命温柔，把我困在无尽轮回里 His Lethal Tenderness Trapped Me in an Endless Cycle of Reincarnation 27Reads—Score314d adds
- 175 Loving You Was No Passing Fancy 爱你非一时兴起 [Two male leads + vulnerable bottom + coercive love + unhinged + physical and emotional abuse] A mentally ill, unhinged top and a pitiful bottom University and the working world Some angst, second male lead gets the love interest [Hypocritical, cold, pretends to be dominant top; timid, insecure, obedient bottom] Coercion begins after chapter 100 Lu Yuanming's family was very wealthy, but his parents paid him no attention and sent him to school near his grandmother's home. Yun Zhou had seen Lu Yu 33Reads—Score—14d adds
- 176 The Tormented Beta 受尽折磨的beta Synopsis: Forced love, ex-wife-chasing crematorium warning ⚠️ Qin Chiye, alpha gong × Fang Xiaodou, beta shou Fang Xiaodou grew up with only his grandmother, and they were very close. To save her life, he sold himself to Qin Chiye, a devil of a man. He takes pleasure in watching Fang Xiaodou suffer and struggle, using mental control to dictate his every move and gradually reduce him to a possession. Any sign of resistance is violently suppressed and punished with particular cruelty. Driven to se 2.3kReads6.9Score14714d adds
- 177 Growing Fruit, Reaping Nothing 种果无瓜 [Two male leads + sweet and angsty romance + faux brothers + mutual unrequited love + wealthy-family power struggles + happy ending] The restrained, long-suffering elder brother who is like a father (Yan Yifang) × the cool, stubborn younger brother who grows into a lone wolf (Yan Heng) In a household ruled by strict family laws and the pursuit of family interests above all else, live two “brothers” with an unusually close bond. Yan Heng has been scorned, ostracized, and locked in the attic sinc —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 178 Giving My Husband His Freedom, Along with His First Love 成全老公，和他的白月光 [Male-Male Romance + Marriage Before Love + Workplace Romance + Husband Chases His Ex in Desperation + Rekindled Love + HE] (Important! Important! This is a male-male romance novel. No offense intended to readers of straight romance, but please make sure you know what you’re getting into before you start! Please stop reading once you’ve finished! I’m begging you!) Yu Qingli knew Ji Yan had feelings for someone else, but so what? The two of them were never going to end up together. For six yea 1.4kReads7.5Score10314d adds
- 179 Out of Reach 得不到 “He’s just a sickly weakling. Wouldn’t it be better if he died? Was I, Yuchi Mu, born to donate bone marrow to some sickly weakling? Why should I give you what you want?” “You deserved to die young. Even if you died, I wouldn’t cry at your funeral.” “The living can’t compete with the dead? What a joke!” Yuchi Mu had waited so long for the news of Lin Xi’s death to finally arrive. But before he could feel any happiness, Xiao An’s attitude toward him grew even harsher. “Yuchi Mu, you’re the one wh 535Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 180 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
- 181 Abyss of the Undying: You Can't Escape 不死深渊：你逃不掉的 [Imprisonment + two male leads + one-on-one + obsessive + pathological + forced love + mutual amnesia + prison + winning back the husband + physical and emotional torment] [Devoted, love-struck top + hot-tempered, irritable bottom] Mu Yan has been kidnapped, more than once. He's always believed Jiang Yuanyu is his nemesis, the culprit who ruined everything. He hates Jiang Yuanyu for destroying his life, and tries to destroy him in turn through abuse, games, torture, and suicide. But does he real 79Reads8.1Score614d adds
- 182 Deep Captivity 深囚 [Two male leads] [Historical romance] [Bad ending] [Possessive, domineering, devoted top × cool, gentle, scheming bottom] Ling Wang has nothing and no one. The only thing he wants is his senior brother, Baili Heng. He gives it everything he has and pours out his heart, yet still cannot win his love. Through endless cycles of reincarnation, this remains his sole goal. Ling Wang believes that if he keeps reviewing what happened and avoids every turning point, he’ll finally be able to have him. 110Reads—Score—14d adds
- 183 Be More Selfish in Our Next Lives: Could We Finally Be Together? 下辈子自私点：我们是不是就能在一起了 Be a Little More Selfish in Our Next Life: Maybe Then We Can Be Together 185Reads—Score—14d adds
- 184 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
- 185 Fallen from the Azure Heavens 堕青云 Falling from the Azure Heavens 438Reads—Score1114d adds
- 186 After the Tragic Beauty Catches the Eye of a Younger Obsessive Tycoon 美强惨被年下偏执大佬盯上后 [The chase to win his wife back is underway~] Yan Qingming was lofty and peerlessly beautiful, like a tempting rose, gorgeous yet dangerous, someone everyone could only admire from afar. Everyone secretly hoped they could pull him down from his pedestal and watch him fall into the mud, where he would be theirs alone to admire... That is, until he took a frail young man home from the roadside and cared for him devotedly. In the end, that boy turned his life completely upside down! Qi Xiaolin had 420Reads6.2Score—14d adds
- 187 The Ugly Doctor 丑医 [A Manhua Adaptation Is Coming Soon, Stay Tuned!] [Hopelessly Ugly, Devoted Miracle Doctor Bottom × Incomparably Handsome, Scheming Prince Top] [A Companion Novel to The Mute Slave] His master said that everyone should have a useful skill. So he taught Bai Jingchen the miraculous art of bringing the dead back to life and restoring flesh to bone. Then his master said that a handsome face was the root of all evil. So he made Bai Jingchen take medicinal decoctions every day. Bai Jingchen has dark, 213Reads6.3Score—14d adds
- 188 The Light of the Thirteenth Month 第十三月的光明 Hello, my name is Ji Xiaochuan! Hello, my name is Su Li! From now on, I'll call you Su Pear, sweet and juicy! Ji Xiaochuan, look! The light is here. My light is here! Little Pear, if there's another life, I'll spend it making it up to you! Ji Xiaochuan, if I could do it all over again, maybe I'd choose never to meet you! I walked through a dark abyss, and seemed to smell something rotten. Instinctively, I looked back. Countless wolves and tigers charged toward me, their sharp fangs 22Reads—Score—14d adds
- 189 I'm Just a Stand-In, So Why Is Everyone Chasing After Me? 我是替身，都追着我跑做甚！ Jiang Ruanmian was a stand-in for the Ji family's missing young son. To the eldest and second Ji brothers, he was a sweet, obedient fake little brother. To Madam Ji, he was an adorable pretend son. To the young master's childhood friend, he was a despicable usurper who had stolen someone else's place. At first, they were consumed by grief and forced their guilt-driven attempts to make amends onto Jiang Ruanmian. But pain eventually fades. One day, Jiang Ruanmian noticed that his eldest and secon 3.8kReads7.4Score21414d adds
- 190 Love Placed in the Wrong Hands 痴心错付 (Yun Ruiyuan) What did I do wrong to deserve so much pain? After losing everyone who truly loved me, I thought I still had you. I never imagined it was all just wishful thinking. I have no will to live, yet I can’t even die. What must I do to find redemption, or at least escape… (Hua Yuxuan) You have no right to want to live, and dreaming of death is even more foolish. You deserve all of this, and you have to endure it. Who are you to think you can compare with him? But when I see you broken and 328Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 191 The Sparrow Without a Blessing 无佑之雀 A Sparrow Without Blessings 525Reads—Score—14d adds
- 192 After His Shadow Guard Betrayed Him, the Crown Prince Hated Me to the Bone 暗卫背叛之后：太子他恨我入骨 After the Secret Guard’s Betrayal: The Crown Prince Hates Me to the Bone 551Reads—Score1314d adds
- 193 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
- 194 After My Substitute Faked Her Death, the CEO Went to Hell and Back to Win Her Back 替身死遁后，总裁他追妻火葬场了 Synopsis It took Cen Xi more than four years together to realize he was just a stand-in. Worse still, he was still in love with Gu Zifeng. He was like a trumpet vine, forever twining around a towering oak. But the oak's first love had returned, a self-reliant silk-cotton tree. The two trees seemed far apart aboveground, yet their roots intertwined beneath the soil. Everyone, including Cen Xi himself, thought the oak and the silk-cotton tree were a better match. Unable to bear it any longer, 53Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 195 The Crown Prince Returned, but His Shadow Guard Never Came Back 太子归来，却再也等不回他的暗卫 The Crown Prince returns, but can never again wait for his secret guard 207Reads—Score—14d adds
- 196 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
- 197 He's So Upset 他好难过 (Don't read this. It's not good.) Fu Yi'an fell in love with Jiang Yan. When he first realized it, he was overjoyed. He wanted to tell Jiang Yan, but was pushed away and rejected time and again. Heartbroken, Fu Yi'an couldn't bring himself to say a word as he looked into Jiang Yan's cold eyes. After enduring a year of bullying, he was finally found out by Jiang Yan and driven from the house. The next time they met, Fu Yi'an was picking up a drunk Jiang Yan to take him home. The two of them made 1.4kReads8.2Score10514d adds
- 198 She Married the Younger Crown Prince, and Now the Sickly Beauty Regrets It 下嫁年下太子，病美人他悔不当初 [Two male leads + angst + 1v1 + both devoted only to each other + martial world and imperial court / hot-tempered, arrogant scum gong x aloof, scheming, sickly beauty] Xie Yuan was frail and sickly from childhood, weak by nature. He would be panting after three steps and coughing after five, and in severe cases would cough up blood and faint… Years of illness had made Xie Yuan cold and distant, indifferent to everything. Sima Qing was the one exception… Sima Qing had been his childhood playma 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 199 The Young Lord Planted a Night-Pleasure Gu, and the General Wept 世子种下夜欢蛊后，将军哭了 The Heir Apparent Wept After the General Planted the Night-Pleasure Gu 275Reads—Score914d adds
- 200 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. 284Reads6.8Score10014d adds
