Novels like The Bad Guys
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Bad Guys, best match first.
- 1 An Underworld Odyssey: Is This Really the Right Path? 黑道征途，这条路真的对吗！ My name is Jiang Cheng. The Cheng in my name means “to become a god,” and I became the god of the underworld. The road here was grueling. My brothers and I all got the lives we wanted, but when I finally reached the top and watched my old brothers get arrested or cut down one by one, I fell into deep thought. Was this road really the right one? —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 Reborn: A Hundred Million in Breakup Money? I'll Make My Comeback 重生：一亿分手费？我要逆袭了 [Reborn] + [Lighthearted Comedy] + [Patience] + [Play the pig to eat the tiger] + [Face-slapping] + [No System] + [Decisive and ruthless] Chen Feng, a small-business owner who went bankrupt in his previous life, is reborn in the early twentieth century with an extraordinary identity. His ex-wife is immensely wealthy. From the start, she tosses him a bank card with 100 million yuan on it, smacking Chen Feng's handsome face, but sets a daily spending limit of just 5,000 yuan. Chen Feng secretly sw 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 Beyond the Mirror 镜面之后 There is no light beyond the mirror... From the moment the first mistake was made, every punishment that followed had already been laid out... He Feng’s four-year-old daughter, He Wenwen, fell to her death three months ago. His wife, Yan Fei, suffered a mental breakdown after their daughter’s tragic death and died in a car accident a week later. He Feng’s life plunged to rock bottom, but it seemed his misfortune was far from over... A faucet turned on in the middle of the night, a breakfast that —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 Reckless Years, 轻狂岁月， The little brother I used to look down on has suddenly become the big boss... Chase the campus belle, take down the school bully! A legend in the west of the city is still a legend in the east! I, Chen Han, never hold a grudge, because I get my revenge the very same day! I charge across the battlefield for no reason but to live out my wild, reckless youth! —Reads—Score114d adds
- 5 My First Steps into the Real World! 初闯社会！ A mischievous little punk back in his school days, he somehow ends up getting into police academy through a twist of fate. During his time there, he transforms from a rebellious teenager into a mature, steady, hardworking cadet. Then, by chance, he is sent undercover to infiltrate a criminal organization, gradually building up his own influence... 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 Underworld Tales: The Ruthless Boss of Yuncheng 黑道往事之云城枭雄 After the 2002 college entrance exams, Ye Haonan scored high enough to get into a top university. Overjoyed, he was preparing to share the good news with his family when disaster struck at home. In that moment, he raised the axe in his hands and swung it at the criminals. It was clearly self-defense, yet he was sent to prison for exceeding its limits. From then on, his life changed beyond recognition. The well-behaved boy became a demon everyone feared... 306Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 7 Dongjiang County: The Invisible Hand 东江县：无形之手 Li Jing, deputy head of the provincial investigative team, has barely arrived in Dongjiang County when she encounters a bizarre case: Zhang Meng, a construction contractor, beat a man to death in the street, yet at trial the victim’s family all changed their testimony. In a rundown teahouse in town, she runs into the boy she secretly loved back in school. Now he stoops, his fingernails caked with tea stains. When Li Jing takes out the graduation photo she has treasured for years, a flicker of em 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 My Dad Is the Godfather, So It Makes Sense That I Run the World 我爹是教父，我只手遮天，很合理 I transmigrated, and ended up as the Godfather's son. Dark undercurrents swirl all around me, and danger lurks at every turn. Still, at least my dad sent me off to college. I thought I could stay clear of the trouble, but trouble came looking for me. Well, no choice now. Time to come clean. I'm done pretending. My dad's the Godfather. Is it really a problem if I act a little arrogant? Looking at all the powerful figures groveling at his feet, Ye Xingchen grinned brightly. “Standing before yo —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 Twenty Years on the Edge of a Blade in Southwest Shandong 刀口之鲁西南二十载春秋 (First person, period setting, not a wish-fulfillment story, underworld) When I was young, I couldn't accept things as they were, so I resolutely set out on the path of the underworld. I thought the road ahead would be smooth, never realizing it would be even more treacherous. I witnessed countless big brothers rise to glory, then fade into decline. All that brotherhood and bravado in the underworld was nothing but an illusion! My name is Zhang Hui, and I'm a man who refuses to accept his l 404Reads—Score10014d adds
- 10 Evil Emperor: Eternal Calamity 邪皇：天煞永劫 [Underworld Emperor] + [Underworld] + [Ancient Martial Arts] Nine death-row prisons across the nation, thirty-six death-row squads, all fighting for control of the national underworld! Left Chen, the strongest death-row inmate in Western China, leads sixty-seven convicts to found the Heavenly Fiends, battle the Lone Dragon, wipe out the Azure Nether, and clash with the Blood Eagle! He paves the road to imperial power with countless bones and subdues the heroes of the four seas through endless sl 9.2kReads6.5Score56114d adds
- 11 I Enter the Underworld After Catching Them in the Act 从撞破奸情开始踏入黑道江湖 There is no golden finger, no System, and no miraculous stroke of luck from the heavens. This is not another cookie-cutter power fantasy about cheating your way to godhood. Drawing on his own experiences, the author tells a realistic story of ordinary people struggling to survive and make their way in the underworld. Through real events from his own life, the author shows readers what the real underworld is like beyond the world of movies and television. If you’re tired of fictional plots that h 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 The Reckless Days of a Bad Boy 不良少年之年少轻狂 The king has returned, righteous and true. Wang Hao took his four wives and left for Arabia, thinking he could leave all the strife behind and live in peace. A text message shattered that calm: his brother had been hit by a car, his big brother had been sidelined and transferred away, and half the sky over Beiyuan had fallen. Powerful forces from the provincial capital had laid a vast net, determined to swallow everything they had risked their lives to win. Men he had once defeated were now 5.3kReads6.8Score27514d adds
- 13 Xie Wenyuan: Rise of the Underworld 谢文渊：黑道崛起 [Violent Underworld] [Suit-Wearing Thug] [Cultured Scum] “Adjusting my glasses is a habit. Slitting throats is my profession.” Xie Wenyuan has always believed himself to be a reasonable, respectable man. Even when issuing an order to wipe out an entire family, he would still gently push up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, a harmless smile playing at the corners of his mouth. It began in a dark, damp alley in H City, reeking of rot; It began with a ballpoint pen piercing a local gangster’s pa 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 Tainan Underworld: Tales of the Past 台南黑道往事 Lin Qing is a promising business management graduate, always impeccably dressed in Taipei, until a letter from home pulls him back to the heart of the storm: Anping, Tainan. His father, Lin Shuisu, rules the docks with an iron fist as the gang boss of the Shuishu Gang. This world reeks of the sea, rust, cheap betel nut, and unrestrained violence, a stark contrast to the orderly life of Taipei. His first lesson after returning home is watching his father hack off the fingers of a debtor named A S 34Reads—Score—14d adds
- 15 Reborn as a Villainous Big Shot: This Damned Conscience of Mine 重生成反派大佬，这该死的良心 Secret agent Gao Fei is toyed with by fate and is reborn in the body of a street thug. He accepts it all with a smile and sets out on the road to world domination. On his way to conquering the world, Gao Fei sets himself four modest goals: 1. Become a master to the strong 2. Become a guiding light to the rich 3. Become a godfather to celebrities 4. Become the boss of the big shots 129Reads5.5Score—14d adds
- 16 Gray Zone: Embers 灰域：余烬 A school-set gang story with one female lead. Not a wish-fulfillment power fantasy. No absolute good or evil. Set in a parallel world with no connection to reality. The world has never been simply black and white. Most people live somewhere in the middle, neither thriving nor dying, in a gray zone. We hold knives in our hands and softness in our hearts. We can be neither saints nor demons, only struggle to live in endless gray until we're reduced to ashes. 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 The Years I Wandered the Jianghu 我走过的江湖岁月 The day I went to the city with the 3,000 yuan the whole village had scraped together to seek help from my cousin, I caught him kneeling and kowtowing in his rented room, calling a burly man with a fierce face “Boss.” My first lesson in society: I thought my cousin was a respectable man who'd made it in the city. Turns out he was a thug who acted like a dog for others, and he wanted me to serve them tea and water too? I thought the city meant factory assembly lines and shared dormitories, a stab —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 18 The Southern Dragon Claims the Throne 南龙问鼎 At nineteen, he was wrongfully imprisoned. His parents were brutally killed, as was the woman he loved, and every piece of evidence pointed to him, the most innocent man of all. One night, honest Huang Hai died in the rain of Pingcheng. The one who survived was a demon crawling out of a sea of blood. Inside the detention center, he made his name with fists and kicks, crushed the cellblock king, and gathered a band of loyal fighters. He survived through ruthlessness and laid his plans with cunn —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 Strong Winds Reveal Sturdy Grass, A School of Passion 疾风知劲草，热血高校行 High schooler Wang Long just wants a quiet life, but when he stands up for his bullied deskmate, he gets swept into the turmoil of campus rivalries. He gathers allies and takes on powerful enemies, transforming from an inconspicuous boy into someone the whole school fears and respects. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 20 The Jianghu's Point of No Return: My Years as the Big Brother 江湖不归路：我做大哥那些年 What is the jianghu? Passion, sorrow, parting, and regret: that is the jianghu. Where is the jianghu? Wherever there are people, there is the jianghu. Drunken indulgence is its outward face, brotherly loyalty its innocence, life-and-death partings its core, and deceit its way of survival. This is a story of the jianghu, a story unique to that era. 196Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 21 Dragon's Spine: Blood-Red 1999 龙脊：血色1999 In the bitter winter of 1999, scalding lamb broth spilled from the copper hot pot in the He family residence. Chen Jiu of the Green Dragon Gang stared at the red dragon birthmark on the baby's back, while frozen soil from Beiling crumbled from the soles of his boots. Everyone in Shencheng's underworld would remember that dusk twenty years later: when He Yu was born beneath a blood-red sunset, the wails of thirty motorcycles from the Hunhe Gang couldn't drown out the twelve Jetta police sirens ro —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 22 The Thug Gets Out of Prison 暴徒出狱 Before I went to prison, I was a big shot everyone feared. After getting out, I wanted to live a different kind of life. I just wanted to be an ordinary person, live a quiet life, and work hard to make money. I was ready to let bygones be bygones. But I wanted to let them go, and they kept pushing me. So I had no choice but to fight back with everything I had. 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 He and His Thousand Brothers 他和他的一千个兄弟 A sweeping crackdown on organized crime by the municipal Party committee and government brought Kangcheng ten years of peace. But after a decade, criminal forces sprang up like mushrooms after rain and returned in force. A breakup, having his identity stolen in the college entrance exam, and a construction boss’s schemes led Chen Li’an to give up on making an honest living. In the end, he went down a path of no return, turning against society. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 The Evil Lord Descends into the Abyss 邪主临渊 [Underworld] [Brotherhood] [Passionate] [The author is also a fan of Uncle Qin] I was bullied all through middle school. I thought things would get better in high school, but I was still bullied. Little by little, those people led me down a road of no return... My name is Mo Daoxie. Dao as in “principle,” and Xie as in “evil.” 5Reads—Score114d adds
- 25 A Ballad of Jianghu 江湖的悲歌 An accident took Man Cheng’s grandfather’s life, but it also introduced him to someone who would become very important to him. The incident changed the way he saw the world and set him on a path of no return. As more brothers joined him, ready to weather every hardship by his side, he found himself traveling farther and farther down that road. Looking back on his youth, some people are still by his side, some have ended up behind bars for good, and some he will never see again. 405Reads—Score—14d adds
- 26 I Dabbled in the Underworld and Accidentally Reached the Top 黑道玩票，不小心混到了巅峰 (Underworld + passion + brotherhood) You want to force me to the top of the underworld? Then I’ll give you exactly what you want! I’ve weathered bloody storms! Walked through a hail of bullets! Been betrayed by brothers! Faced life and death with indifference! Endured every vicious scheme! I, Wang Dongsheng, will tear through the darkness and shatter every plot! I’ll lead my brothers to rise on this blood-soaked road! I only ever wanted to be a nobody, but you forced me to become a hyena bristli 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 27 I'm a Hoodlum: Two Strokes, One Vertical, That's How We Do Things! 老子是流氓，两横一竖就是干！ “Hello, my name is Fang Xiu. The ‘Xiu’ in ‘to the bitter end’!” In this bloody underworld where people prey on one another, Fang Xiu is swept against his will into one whirlpool after another! Only after stepping into it does he realize that the underworld is a bottomless vat of dye, filled with schemes, treachery, and betrayal! By the time he wants to turn back, he’s already sunk deep into the mire, with no way out! All he has left are the few brothers at his side, standing shoulder to shoulder 39Reads—Score—14d adds
- 28 The King Underground 地下的王 Who hasn't been reckless in their youth? Who hasn't burned with passion? That night, I too dreamed of a million soldiers! Yang Yan rose from obscurity to become a mob boss through sheer passion, a peerless tyrant whom the world looked up to! 3Reads6.2Score—14d adds
- 29 After Prison, I Became the King of the Underworld 出狱后，我成了地下王者 One accidental assault completely turned the wheel of my fate! By the time I returned from prison, a path to kingship lay before me! It seemed to have been waiting for me all along, awaiting my awakening! I set out on the journey to the very top... 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 30 The Martial World: The Wild Heavenly Fragrance 江湖：混世天香 The martial world is about both fighting and human relationships. If you know how to get by, you can live in luxury, surrounded by beauty. I always thought I was an honest kid. People bullied me from elementary school all the way through vocational school. A guy who was five feet two inches tall had me, at six feet one inch, pinned to the ground and rubbing my face in it. It wasn’t until my biological father came to take me home that I found out how much power and how many connections I had behi 13.7kReads8.4Score1.7k14d adds
- 31 Bad Boy: The Sequel to No Rules, No Limits 不良之无法无天续写 Our youth was bold and unruly, and in our reckless years, brotherhood always came first! The martial world was full of excitement, but also rife with bloodshed, schemes, and deceit! Brothers stood by each other through life and death, but there was no shortage of backstabbing and betrayal! Loyalty endured with righteous strength, but even heroes could fall short and meet an untimely end! Power could make you stand above the crowd, but it also brought drunken excess and the ruin of everything you 1.2kReads—Score—14d adds
- 32 Look, That's the World Beyond the Heavens 你看那叫，天外天 (This isn't a wish-fulfillment story, but one about an ordinary man's rise) (This story is completely made up! Don't overthink it!) A tribute to the classics: Brothers, let's go! A student at a university in Northeast China, he grows step by step into a local power player! Through connections, brotherhood, fate, and his own efforts! He bursts onto the scene and takes command of an entire region! Thousands roar his name: Beyond the Heavens! 102Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 33 The Jianghu of Those Years 那些年的江湖 Quiet! Class is about to begin!!! At Uncle Two's shout, the hall and the streets packed with people fell completely silent. Just then, the young crowd parted, making way without being told. Wen Hua walked through, hearing his brothers call out to him as he passed. “Brother Hua!” “Greetings, Brother Hua.” 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 34 A Life Gone Awry 错乱的人生路 This book tells the story of a young man from a county town in the 1990s who accidentally ends up on a path that was never meant to be his. The old days of the underworld are gone. (This story is entirely fictional. Do not take it as fact.) The book warns readers never to set foot on such a path, no matter what. Good and evil bring their own consequences, and fortune and misfortune follow one another. You must bear the consequences yourself; no one can do it for you. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 35 Black Owl, White World 黑枭白界 Are they loyal and righteous, or consumed by greed? Using a raw, down-to-earth style, this novel portrays the many faces of life among another group of people in the real world. Are they driven to desperation, or risking everything? How will the men who walk the edge tell their stories? Betrayal and being betrayed, killing and being killed: step into the criminal underworld of the late twentieth century, into the hell behind the sunshine. Perhaps they are far removed from you and me. Perhaps the 38Reads6.8Score614d adds
- 36 My Years as a Delinquent 我当不良的那些年 The year I began to remember things, my parents left for reasons unknown. The moment I stepped into Seventh High, the story began, and a legend unfolded. There is no tree that reaches the heavens. Everything has something that can bring it down… 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 37 I Tore Open the City's Dark Curtain 我撕开了都市黑幕 [Ensemble cast + underworld] This isn’t a power fantasy or a mindless story. Every character is fleshed out, and there are no absolute heroes or villains. People can be good and evil alike. All that matters is human nature and self-interest. If that bothers you, don’t read. A seemingly ordinary workplace dispute pushes a group of everyday people into the eye of the storm. Caught in the depths of this vast, dark whirlpool, where will they go from here? —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 38 The Jianghu in Its True Colors 江湖本色 [New book: River Dragon on the Loose] Many years ago, a group of cocky young boys smoked cigarettes that cost just a few yuan a pack and talked big about their dreams. Longing for the day they would grow up, they shouted, “Our future is bright!” Looking back in an instant, the old street is still there, and the stars shine as they always did. But are the brothers from those days still the same? A man remains a boy until the day he dies! Just like youthful passion, it may cool, but it never dies! 966Reads7.2Score10214d adds
- 39 Tales of the Underworld 黑道风云往事 This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is coincidental. This book urges people to choose the right path and serves as a warning to those who have gone astray. At eight, backed by my uncle, I planted the seeds of violence with a kitchen knife and blood. At sixteen, yearning for the world of the underworld, I plunged headfirst into its maelstrom. I saw its filth and darkness, its betrayals and its worship of profit, with only the faintest trace of loyalty. I s 61Reads—Score214d adds
- 40 How the Bad Guy Was Made 2: The New Generation 坏蛋是怎样炼成的2：新世代 Ten years ago, Xie Wendong led the Wendong Association in sweeping through the underworld, bringing both the black and white worlds to heel. A decade later, the times have changed. Guns and blades have given way to capital, technology, and the dark web as the new battlegrounds. Just as the Wendong Association was going all-in on its transformation, Jiang Sen was assassinated, dark web forces began lurking in the city, and old allies suddenly returned. Under the surging undercurrents, a new gener 6.7kReads6.9Score65814d adds
- 41 Underworld Chronicles: The Road Through the Gangland 黑道往事：黑道风云路 This book tells the story of Liu Yong, the Northeast underworld boss, and his years of turmoil in the jianghu. It blends fact and fiction, hearsay and rumor, with a touch of artful historical embellishment. Told as a novel, the story is entertaining and gripping, giving you something to pass the time with after a meal while offering a glimpse of what the real jianghu is like, and how complicated human nature can be. This book is a real thrill to read! Liu Yong is a name that carries weight. Whet 449Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 Reborn: I Went on a Killing Spree in the Underworld 重生后我在黑道大开杀戒 [Everyday urban life + wild imagination + powerful lead + scheming + reborn + billionaire + thrilling and suspenseful + laugh-out-loud comedy + invincible face-slapping + underworld + big boss] Li Wei’s family is hounded by loan sharks until their lives are destroyed. Fleeing for his life, Li Wei loses his footing and falls to his death from the 21st floor. To his surprise, Li Wei is reborn as Mo Lingfeng, the son of the billionaire Mo Xiaotian. He gets his revenge using underworld methods. Afte 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 Bloodsoaked Underworld: Gangland Storm 浴血江湖之黑道风云 By a stroke of fate, Wang Tian embarked on an extraordinary path: the road of the underworld! An older brother who was like a father and mentor, and five brothers who would share life and death with him. He has been gravely wounded and left on the brink of death, and he has also enjoyed immense wealth and a life of extravagance! This is the story of an ordinary man’s hard-won rise, a cry of defiance from those at the bottom! Wang Tian is determined to create a legendary life! P.S. Wang Tian and 20Reads—Score10614d adds
- 44 A Disciple of the Generation 一代门徒 In the 2000s, we entered a new century. Tower after tower rose from the ground, and people moved from a simple, kindhearted world to one filled with complicated struggles of human nature. The times changed and taught us so much, so very much. We also lost so much, so very much... 109Reads—Score—14d adds
- 45 They Bullied Me, So I Took Down the Whole School 霸凌我，我干翻全校 [Pure fiction]+ [No real-world allegories]+ [No real places or people] I wrote this story to warn those who break the law. We must stand for what is right. You can't just bully people. In the end, the law will punish the wicked. Seriously, never, ever go down the wrong path. We must stand for what is right. A record of the little things in life when I was young. A boy who was bullied and abused. Then the class bully's father came into the shop to make a purchase. The boy's life began to change. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 The Jianghu: A True Account of Half a Life in the Underworld 江湖：混社会的半生真实经历 A chaotic age, filled with flashing blades and clashing steel! The martial world is like a cup of tea. Everyone tastes it differently. My name is Zhao Long. Back then, most people called me Long Si, Brother Si, or Fourth Master! I'm not exaggerating when I say my reputation back then was almost as great as that of the famous Fourth Master Qiao up north! I was a poor kid who couldn't afford a meal. Through sheer grit and ruthl 4.7kReads7.1Score19314d adds
- 47 Heir to the Underworld: Xia Yu of Tianmen 黑道继承者之天门夏宇 Xia Yu, originally named Li Tian, is 18 and a member of Tianmen, a gang company in Haizhou. After offending someone he should never have crossed, he is forced to flee to a special school in Nanwu under his new identity, Xia Yu, accompanied by two loyal underlings. But this school is an educational institution in name only: in reality, it is a training ground where Nanwu’s four major gangs groom their successors, and the gangs’ junior leaders vie for power behind the scenes. Reborn with the hard- 1.1kReads—Score—14d adds
- 48 Tales of the Underworld in Dongguan 莞城江湖往事 The jianghu isn’t a world of free-spirited heroes, revenge, and fine clothes atop spirited steeds. It’s a filthy, chaotic reality twisted by darkness! I, Zhang Xingheng, entered the jianghu to play the game of schemes and use my brains. Everything in the world was part of my calculations, including myself! So, you ask why I succeeded? Because every big shot in the jianghu fell victim to my schemes! They fell amid blades, guns, and blood! From the moment I stepped into the jianghu, every big shot 11.6kReads6.9Score66514d adds
- 49 Black and White Rule: Overseas Storms 2 黑白为王2海外风云 (No brainless antics + Urban + Underworld + Passionate + Brotherhood + No Harem + Faux-Realism + Feel-Good Power Fantasy + Overseas Gang Life) The official sequel to the hard-hitting, realistic underworld epic Three Fingers! Black and White Rule 2: Overseas Storm is now underway! Leaving the underworld of their homeland behind, they set foot on unfamiliar foreign soil. Beneath the surface, the Mekong River region seethes with undercurrents, while cross-border forces from Hong Kong and Macau are 19Reads—Score10714d adds
- 50 South City's Fierce Eagle: No Way Out 南城雄枭：上天无门 The son of a dockworker starts with nothing but the grief of his father's murder. Over ten years, amid the blood and fire of a southern port city, he builds an underground empire with his own hands. Then, in the sweeping tide of the crackdown on organized crime, he makes the most difficult choice of his life. 5Reads—Score—14d adds
