Novels like In Search of Happiness
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as In Search of Happiness, best match first.
- 101 The Desperate Wife 绝望的妻子 Housewife Li Wenqing had been living a comfortable, affluent life. She had an adorable son and got along well with her stepdaughter. But on the eve of their seventh wedding anniversary, Li Wenqing discovered that her husband was having an affair. Longing for a whole and happy family, she endured a painful inner struggle and hoped her husband would see the error of his ways and return to the family. Instead, he went down a path of no return. Betrayed by her husband and stabbed in the back by her 167Reads7.2Score—14d adds
- 102 My Comeback Begins in a Crowd of Rich Women 逆袭从扎进富婆堆里开始 [Urban Slice of Life + Repaying Kindness Through Talent + Philanthropic Benefactor + Mystery of His Origins + Improving Humanity's Lot] Kicked out of school, I blunder into a lavish street for the rich. I cast aside my worthless pride, achieve financial freedom, and give back to the impoverished villagers suffering at the very bottom of society 263Reads—Score—14d adds
- 103 A Fairy Tale for Myself 给自己的童话 A car accident unexpectedly sends me transmigrating back eleven years, and I immediately get to work on my money-making plans: e-commerce, wedding planning, real estate speculation, beauty reviews... I also want to make short videos and sell products through livestreams. I'm going to reclaim all the love and career opportunities I lost over the years. This time, can I give myself a fairy-tale ending? 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 104 N Dream: A Fateful Encounter with Light, Blood, and the Divine N梦奇缘之亦光亦皿亦神明 The emotional journey from a college student on the verge of graduation to a sophisticated city woman, with the emotional side stories of her close-knit group of girlfriends gradually unfolding... From the start, it seems like an ordinary summer vacation is just around the corner... Shen Ying finds herself falling for one male guest after another: number one, number two, number three, and number four. Is it a crush? The beginning of something? Love at first sight? Or just the prologue? Will it a —Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 105 Jian Yu’s Absurd Daily Life 简玉的离谱日常 Jian Yu is a wild country girl with "funny" written right into her DNA. These are true stories from Jian Yu's life and work... Open this book and get ready to laugh until you crow. After all, no one can stop this wild girl from turning everyday life into one never-ending comedy. Her thought process is always outlandish, and her hands and feet are always half a beat ahead of her brain. She can turn the most ordinary days into a commotion that makes the neighbors and her friends laugh like flowers 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 106 The Swimmer 游泳的人 The Swimmer 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 107 Unemployed and Sharing a Flat 失业合租记 The male and female leads are both overworked IT employees. After losing their jobs, they lie flat and start their lives over. The male lead meets his soulmate, while the female lead helps him save himself from the numbness and anxiety he used to feel. This novel explores how people can live a good life and how they can reach the end of it without regrets. Perhaps you’ll have a different answer after reading it, and that’s a good thing, because the answers to good questions are always open-ended 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 108 To Hell with That Million-Dollar Salary: I Opened an Art Studio in the Village 去TA的百万年薪之我在村里开画室 To Hell with the Million-Dollar Salary: I Opened an Art Studio in the Village —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 109 I Will Succeed! 我一定要成功！ Adapted from my true experience of being brainwashed and defrauded out of 1.08 million by Cheng Anzhi, a world-famous success guru, Asia’s leading success expert, and Asia’s most influential motivational speaker! He swindled me out of everything I owned! I was depressed and couldn’t give birth! Oh, no! I mean, I became seriously ill with depression! He nearly broke up my family and left me destitute! Oh, no, wait, I got carried away. I don’t even have a girlfriend, so how could I be married? He —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 110 The Victor Becomes King, the Loser a Bandit: The Story of Today 成王败寇话今朝 This book tells the story of three generations from the Chen and Liu families of Chenjiashan, Liuyang County, in northern Sichuan, from 1958 to 2007, tracing how their fortunes rose and fell amid the country’s development and changing times. Through the eyes of two ordinary families, it records the migration of people brought about by rural urbanization, beginning with the First Five-Year Plan. It recounts the course of reform, from the rural household responsibility system and the contracting o 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 111 Fired for Refusing to Frame Patients, I Became a Lawyer and Took Down My Former Hospital 不会坑病人被开除，转行当律师闪击前医院 He refused to mistreat patients and got fired, so he switched careers to become a lawyer and launched an attack on his former hospital. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 112 Single Piggy 单身猪猪 A deeply nuanced style, and an unconventional portrait of marriage and love. If corrupt officials are not punished, it is an injustice to ordinary people. A work of realism, peeling back the layers to examine the truth and reflect with cool, unflinching insight. 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 113 I Sold Used Cars and Earned My First Fortune 我做二手车，赚了人生第一桶金 I Made My First Fortune Selling Used Cars 41Reads—Score—14d adds
- 114 Us in Xiangyang Lane 向阳里的我们 [#Real life, #warm neighborhood stories, #healing family bonds, #raising a child and turning life around] Delivery worker Wang Xiaojun had a pain he couldn't put into words: his six-year-old son Xiaobao lived in his own world, like a star. One moment of carelessness nearly resulted in Xiaobao getting lost, sending the entire Xingfuli residential community into chaos. The incident tore open the cracks in Wang Xiaojun and his wife Li Xiujuan's strained marriage, while also revealing the troubles 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 115 The Watcher in the Wheat Fields 麦苗田里的守望者 I'll never forget that rainy summer night. The rain had turned the village's dirt roads to mud. One step could sink you in up to your calves. Clutching half a candle, I hurried home, stumbling through the muck, my heart pounding like I had a rabid rabbit inside me. Mom had promised she'd be home before dark, but it was already nine o'clock. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 116 The College Loser's Comeback 大学校渣逆袭记 Poor young Gao Xiaojian secretly loves Zhao Lusi, the daughter of the richest man in the country. At university, a moment of lust leads him to make a mistake, and he suffers relentless bullying from his wealthy classmates before fighting back. By sheer coincidence, he becomes the son-in-law handpicked by the richest man and unexpectedly inherits his fortune. He navigates the ups and downs of the business world and the tangled love and hatred of wealthy heiresses like Feng Yuanyuan, eventually ri —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 117 A Child's Grief 亲殇 Yu Jiacheng’s mother was full of energy during the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival, on September 29, and the National Day holiday. Then, on October 4, she suddenly suffered an acute myocardial infarction. She was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, stayed in the UCU until October 23, then moved to a regular ward and remained there until she was discharged on November 3. In all, she spent 31 days in the hospital. During her hospitalization and recovery after discharge, Yu Jiacheng and his olde 17Reads—Score—14d adds
- 118 Our Long River of Years 我们的岁月长河 Our Long River of Years is divided into three parts. Following the ordinary lives of three generations of Zhao Jiafu’s family, railway workers, it spans from the 1950s to the 2020s. It recounts the joys and sorrows, happiness and heartbreak, and everyday troubles experienced by the three generations of the Zhao family and the ordinary people around them over the long river of time. It depicts the turbulent lives of ordinary people as the times change and society develops. Time flows like a river 180Reads—Score—14d adds
- 119 What the Village Beauty Can't Say 村花不能说的事 The village beauty is the dream goddess all the men in the village adore. What secrets will she experience after she gets married, the kind no one can talk about? She's so beautiful. Will married life bring her happiness and bliss? 1.7kReads6.6Score12514d adds
- 120 Miles Apart, Yet Close at Heart 身遥心迩 Everyone in the industry says that Li Kong went to another Hong Kong master to have his fortune told. The master's advice was that he needed to be kind and build up good karma if he wanted fame, fortune, and a fortune big enough to fill his pockets. So when he was exposed as dating a rising star in the charity sector, people gossiped that the fortune-telling really had been spot-on. · Cheng Yitong sat on a simple set, holding a plush doll as she told the camera a story about a teacher voluntee 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 121 Flowers Falling in a Fleeting World 浮世花落 Zhao Yulan was a gentle, virtuous, loyal, kind, and lovely woman, yet she had an affair. Li Fugui was a hardworking, honest, and upright man, yet he went to prison twice. Cao Rui was a village Party secretary and a successful entrepreneur, yet he coveted a married woman. What's wrong with people… This book explores marriage, family, society, life, human nature, and ethics… There's love and desire, life and death, madness, the folly and greed of human nature, and the warmth and compassion of huma 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 122 Rooted in the Countryside 根在乡土里 Rooted in the Countryside tells its story through a village in Lingnan where everyone shares the same surname. It weaves together vivid accounts of ancestral halls, grand ancestral rites, wedding customs, funeral rituals, religious beliefs, education, rural revitalization, clan elders giving back to their communities, and the continued revision of genealogies. With delicate detail, it portrays the many ways traditional clan culture is passed down, showing how these cultural roots, deeply embedde 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 123 Liu Ruyan, the Coldhearted Daughter Who Seems as Pure as a Chrysanthemum 人淡如菊的白眼狼女儿柳茹嫣 Liu Ruyan, the daughter I raised with my own hands, is an ungrateful wretch. All she ever believes in is being as calm and aloof as a chrysanthemum, never fighting or competing for anything. My husband cheated, kept a mistress, had an illegitimate daughter, and even transferred our marital assets. I took up arms to protect my legal rights and deal with his mistress, but she said, “Why must women make things hard for other women?” My husband wanted to bring his illegitimate daughter home. To make 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 124 My Wife Didn't Reply for Three Minutes, So I Cut Ties with Her 媳妇三分钟不回我消息，我直接断绝关系 My Wife Didn’t Reply for Three Minutes, So I Cut Ties with Her on the Spot 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 125 The Wanderer (2025) 漂泊记（2025） Drifting (2025) 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 126 After Faking a Pregnancy to Force a Divorce, My In-Laws Beg Me to Forgive Them 假孕逼离后，婆家跪求我原谅 After faking a pregnancy to force a divorce, my in-laws beg me to forgive them 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 127 Time That Cannot Be Kept, People Who Cannot Be Held 留不住的时间留不住的人 “Since you want a divorce, I have to get the share that belongs to me. The law says that whoever cheats first has to compensate the other for emotional distress. Besides, I’m now suffering from severe depression. Don’t even think you can get away with this.” Jiang Xiaomei had no idea where she’d found the nerve, but she was actually shouting at Qu Mingyan like this. “You must be out of your mind, thinking about money all the time.” Qu Mingyan was so furious that his face turned green. A vein bul 7Reads6.1Score—14d adds
- 128 Prosperity in Bloom 富贵花开 Li Gui Bu Gui is an orphan found by a lonely old man, and he proudly rates himself a first-class bricklayer. He’s proud of the fact that he’s never been unemployed in all his years in the workforce. Even after losing his home and having to stay at a construction site, Li Gui still lives by the motto that life is hard, so you have to keep striving. But an unexpected windfall has left him a little dazed. His biggest challenge is finding a woman who wants to marry for love, not a soulless woman loo 621Reads8.5Score10914d adds
- 129 The City of Woven Sand 织沙之城 [The first online novel set in Nansha District, Guangzhou, the heart of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. A 2023 key project supported by the China Writers Association] A heroine’s coming-of-age story + the gentle flow of everyday life + women’s entrepreneurship What is home? What does one’s hometown mean? As the Pearl River rushes toward the sea, Mai Jiaying, a post-90s small-town exam ace, grows tired of her salt-scented, out-of-the-way hometown. All she wants is to fly to the ca 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 130 Beyond the Walls, Where Do We Go? 围墙之外，何去何从 [No fixed couples, and readers with strong moral qualms should stay away! This novel loves pairing people in unexpected ways, and the ex-husband eventually becomes the son-in-law!] [All kinds of tangled relationships, mutual scheming, love and hate, but in the end everyone gets a happy ending!] [Everyone’s status gets reshuffled, and each person finds their own path to happiness! Hahaha~~] She watches her husband give her the green hat, then returns the favor in kind. Life is this thrilling, and 31Reads—Score—14d adds
- 131 Let's Not Talk About Love 不谈爱情 Don't Talk About Love is a purely fictional serialized novel. The novel tells of the inner torment of Zhao Xiaosong, a middle-aged man who works at Shenfeng Tire Factory and suffers from cerebral atrophy. It portrays his resentment, anxiety, loneliness, helplessness, despair, selfishness, longing, and, finally, his struggle... The story begins in the 1990s. Zhao Xiaosong, a country bumpkin from that era, is lucky enough to become a tire-molding worker at Shenfeng Tire Factory in Jiaoshi. Back 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 132 A Lawyer and His Three Women 一个律师和他的三个女人 Romance + law + workplace Lin Fan entered Xingzhou's top law firm with dreams of upholding the law, unaware that beneath his mentor Zhou Mingli's refined facade lay nothing but dirty dealings. He became mired in a world of lust: Bai Lu, the infatuated receptionist, sacrificed herself to him and turned him into a slave to desire; Zhao Ya, the heiress to a wealthy family, lured him into a life of extravagant pleasures and dragged him into a criminal maelstrom. As he walked the line between money, 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 133 Died by the River 逝于江河 Two years into their marriage, Meng Ran became pregnant with Yang Peng's child, but something about it all felt wrong. Those choices that seemed so firm were really just hesitant attempts to weigh the pros and cons. “How wonderful it is to be young” was nothing but an illusion. We all once held lofty dreams, but now we live ignobly. Can Meng Ran and Yang Peng clear away the fog, cross the wilderness, and make a steady passage into the real world? Or are they headed for ruin? 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 134 A Heart Unwilling to Give In 不甘的心 Some say that when God created humanity, He split each person in two: one half stayed in the mortal world, while the other was kept for Himself. Each was left to search among the crowds for the missing half of their own self. When faced with choices in an uncertain world, we always do everything we can to save the heart that refuses to give in. At the summit, we long to become wholly ourselves, perfectly united and standing tall amid the mundane realities of life. That defiant heart cries out: G 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 135 I Made My Start in Real Estate 我做房地产中介起家 I Got My Start as a Real Estate Agent 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 136 My Tenth Year as a Simp 我当舔狗的第十年 Mo Ziyan screamed because Yang Dun had knocked her to the ground, and the fall hurt. Yang Dun screamed because he had accidentally pressed his hand against Mo Ziyan’s chest... Embarrassed, Yang Dun quickly scrambled to his feet, then awkwardly helped Mo Ziyan up. But Mo Ziyan thought Yang Dun had knocked her down on purpose. “Team Leader Yang, how could you be so naughty? You told me to stand right here and not move, but it turns out you were lining me up so you could knock me over!?” —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 137 A Marriage of Money 钱婚 To become the dutiful daughter, good wife, and loving mother everyone expected, Liu Xiaoqing buried her youthful dreams and deepest desires before the age of thirty-three, living a life of constant compromise. After graduating, she painfully gave up her dream of becoming a writer and took the civil service exam, becoming a government employee. At home, she endured her in-laws' repeated provocations, again and again, just to preserve her marriage. At work, she likewise chose to put up with her 57Reads—Score—14d adds
- 138 Twenty Years in Dongguan 东莞二十年 A tribute to the workers of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The protagonist starts out as a naive young newcomer, then grows amid the undercurrents of workplace power struggles and rises above the competition to become an executive at a Taiwanese-owned company. Later, he leaves to start his own business, facing hardship after hardship in the cutthroat world of commerce, as well as twists and secrets in his personal love life. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 139 She and Her Eating Disorder 她与厌食症 [Adapted from the author’s personal experience] 2019, senior year of high school: I start losing weight. 2020, the “results”: 168 cm tall, 42 kg. 2022: Binge eating, a sharp weight gain, dropping out of school, and admission to a psychiatric hospital. 2023: Moping around at home, bored out of my mind, I start documenting my struggle with food, body-image anxiety, my family of origin, and even fate itself. 2026: Life is slowly getting better. Looking back on that time, I’m still grateful for my o 32Reads—Score—14d adds
- 140 Who Hasn’t Dated a Jerk or Two? Growing Up 谁不经历几个渣男：长大成人 Who doesn’t have to go through a few jerks on the way to growing up? This book explores women’s emotional growth. Drawing mostly on the author’s own experiences and reflections on love, and shaped with literary embellishment, it presents five stages of women’s emotional growth in the hope of offering a little guidance to women who feel lost. 124Reads—Score—14d adds
- 141 Doomsday: The Divine Dragon Rises from the Sea 末日之神龙出海 Country R dumped nuclear wastewater into the ocean, throwing the global ecosystem into collapse. Species mutated, temperatures rose, glaciers melted, viruses ran rampant, and the land was submerged. Humanity faced the threat of extinction… 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 142 Half a Life Adrift 半生沉浮 This is an author’s autobiography. Born in the countryside, he worked tirelessly to improve himself and, through his own efforts, published novels and essays. After enduring hardship, he became a private-school teacher, but still gave up this hard-won job to find work in Guangdong and make his way in Shanghai. At last, he changed his life and established himself in the city. And yet… This is serious literature. Those who enjoy vulgar content should stay away! 742Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 143 A Favoritism on Campus, Beyond the Campus Beauty 校园偏爱，落在校花之外 A Special Kind of Love on Campus, Beyond the Campus Belle —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 144 My Company Refuses to Pay, So I Fight Back 公司赖账我反击 I simply fronted 9,999 yuan for a proposal on behalf of my company. My manager said to pay it first and claim reimbursement later. The company used the project, but then said I hadn't gotten approval. When my contract expired, they pressured me into signing a blank form, trying to make it look like I'd left “for personal reasons” and “resigned voluntarily.” Worse, they told prospective employers during background checks that I'd had a dispute over expenses, was difficult to communicate with, and 57Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 145 Reporter Su, I Like You 苏记者，我喜欢你 [Hong Kong Elite Families + Realistic Workplace + Female Growth + Office Romance + Age Gap] [Devoted Love + Mutual Pining + Powerful Man Bows for Love + Hopeless Romantic Male Lead + Both Leads Are Each Other’s First] [Clear-Eyed, Sharp-Witted Journalist × Cool-Headed, Aloof, Elegant Young Gentleman] Su Jinyou idolized Qin Size and was determined to work hard and stand beside him. When she first entered the workforce, she ran into obstacles at every turn. Qin Size was endlessly patient with her 113Reads—Score—14d adds
- 146 A Flower in the Dust, Blooming Toward the Sun 尘埃里的花，向阳而生 This story follows Shi Xiaoying, beginning at eighteen when she elopes for love. It traces her marriage through sweetness, betrayal, and endurance, culminating in her awakening. Woven through the story are her children’s perspectives and the kindness of those who watch from the sidelines. It portrays a woman struggling between betrayal and perseverance before finally breaking free and embracing a new life. Exploring responsibility and self-worth in love and marriage, it reveals the resilience th 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 147 The Bill for Time 时间的帐单 Set in a modern city, this story focuses on the clashes and eventual reconciliation between two generations of the Jiang family over their views on love and marriage, painting a realistic picture of contemporary society: elders rush their children into romance and marriage, while the younger generation prefers to take things slowly. The two generations struggle with love, marriage, and life choices, then look back on their lives, ultimately finding acceptance and insight in middle age. Everyone —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 148 Village Chief, Don't Mess with Me 村长，别来惹我 Liang Yuzhen is a widow in the village, beautiful and kindhearted. The village chief is a local bully, but seeing that Liang Yuzhen has no man to rely on, he often stops by to help her with whatever he can, putting on a show of being a good Samaritan. 94Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 149 On the Seventh Day of the New Year, I Poured My Life into a Nongfu Spring Bottle 正月初七，我把人生倒进了农夫山泉瓶 On the seventh day of the first lunar month, I poured my life into a Nongfu Spring bottle. 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 150 Borrow Your Way to the Top 贷你高飞 Finance: what a high-end term. It represents wealth, professionalism, and legitimacy. Is that really the case? That's what happens when you watch too much television. They make it seem far more glamorous than it is, attracting countless ambitious young people who all want to make money here and live comfortable, respectable lives from then on. Everything has two sides. Where there's high-end, there's low-end; where there's legitimacy, there's gray area. The glittering nightlife and lavish indulg 88Reads8.2Score—14d adds
