Novels like My Life Before Thirty
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as My Life Before Thirty, best match first.
- 1 Me and the Girl from Suzhou 我和苏州姑娘 I have bipolar disorder. I’ve always been running away, sinking into depression and flying into rages, until I fled to Suzhou to face my demons. There, I had a slice-of-life romance with a girl from Suzhou. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 My Roommate Has a Split Personality 我的双重人格女房客 After spending two and a half years behind bars, a young man with nothing to his name is released from prison and sees the dark, unjust reality for what it is. He works hard to make something of himself, hoping to carve out a chance to survive in the wilds of Hangzhou. There's a rich beauty who wants to take him in, his closest friend since high school, and a charismatic bar owner. What kind of life is this? 18Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 Searching for You in the Mountain City 我在山城找寻你 [Contemporary romance] [Realistic urban life] [Cool and elegant female CEO] At that moment, it felt as though I had lost everything. All my efforts had turned into nothing but a joke, a farce. But at the end of the story, in this mountain city, I finally understood that our fate was to keep searching for each other: searching for the selves we had lost, searching for the happiness that had slipped away. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 The Immortal Sword: A Fateful Love, a Flawed Heaven and Earth 仙剑奇缘天残地缺 [Complex Protagonist] [Many Tearjerking Moments, Read with Caution] [Exciting Fight Scenes] Though heaven and earth have been mended, one corner remains missing. This flawed world, when explored, defies words and description, and possesses no artistic conception. Such are those who are incomplete: they know a thing’s shape but not its meaning, and so remain mortals. Those who understand both form and meaning are destined to become heavenly beings! Heavenly beings are divided into three grades, e —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 A Thousand Words Can't Match How Much I Want to See You 千言万语抵不过我想见你 My cold, haughty childhood friend is pursuing me, but is she really only after my family's fortune? She came back from abroad and immediately started clinging to me again, but I'm just a poor kid working at a convenience store now!! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 Love in the City: My Fated Affair with Miss Caiyun 爱在都市：我与彩云小姐的孽缘 [Realistic] [Urban Life] [Striving] [Romance] Love fades, passion fades, and in the blink of an eye, it all comes to nothing. The heart aches, the dreams ache, and when I wake, all that remains is a blur of tears. In this complicated, ever-changing world, we all overestimate human nature. It isn't perfect, but full of weaknesses, contradictions, and uncertainties. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 Woman, Let Go of Me 女人，放开我 The goddess I’ve had a crush on for seven years actually asked me to keep her best friend company. How could I agree to that? Then a few videos took over the entire internet, and overnight I ended up with the nickname “gigolo.” Was it the collapse of human nature, or the decay of morality? Youth never ends, but women have completely wrecked mine. Are beautiful women really such a curse? 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 Micai's Diary 米彩的日记 Told from Mi Cai's first-person perspective in the form of her diary, this story revisits the joys and sorrows of Zhaoyang and Mi Cai's love, recreating the grandeur of City in the Sky. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 Roommates, Sequel: Our Unforgettable Regrets 房客续写之我们的意难平 This is not a feel-good power fantasy. The male lead is an original character. Don't read if that's not your thing. Chen Xi, a transmigrator, enters the world of Roommates and meets the characters from the book. He's just an ordinary person who can't escape the world of Roommates, can't find himself, and can't reach the land of freedom. So this book won't have the typical power fantasy plot of a transmigrator dominating the business world. At its heart, it's still a story about an ordinary perso —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 Cool Breezes Come in October 十月凉风来 His girlfriend of four years inexplicably breaks up with him and disappears. He holds fast to his beliefs for two years, but the course of his life quietly changes. When love comes his way again, can he stay true to himself? Early October, the cool breeze blows gently. Two or three years pass in a flash. Some people meet again, while others never meet again... 108Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 Reborn: The Foolish Girl Who Would Sacrifice Everything for Me 重生：愿为我牺牲一切的笨蛋女孩 [Reborn on a rainy night + urban daily life + mutual healing + first person + no harem] [Slow-paced + not a pure wish-fulfillment story] The moment my faith collapsed, I chose to end my life... As I lay dying, I realized that Mu Zhixue, who had quietly stayed by my side for three years, loved me beyond life and death. After an unexpected rebirth, I carried the regrets of my previous life with me and resolutely chose to be with Mu Zhixue. It wasn't to make amends. I truly love her... I —Reads—Score114d adds
- 12 Reborn in Suzhou, I Met Le Yao 重生在苏州，我遇到了乐瑶 Reborn, I somehow find myself in the world of My Roommate. As luck would have it, I meet the heroine I loved most in my previous life. In this world, where regret and pain are everywhere, I hope my arrival can bring about some changes. I hope I can give everyone the happy ending they long for. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 Hello, Chengdu 你好，成都 If you don’t work hard while you’re young, you’ll regret it when you’re old. I got fired from my job in the morning, then spent the afternoon being chased through the streets by my father, Hong Eryuan, wielding a clothes hanger. Hong Yu felt that nobody in the world understood him or knew what he was going through. This wasn’t the life he wanted. He had to leave home and make his own way in the world… 71Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 My Influencer Ex-Girlfriend 我的网红前女友 A stunning, sexy influencer ex-girlfriend; a pure-hearted college student caught between love and hate; an artistic young man who shares a soul-deep bond. A brief account of the women I loved over the years, the nameless stories of the night, and the emotions hidden within them. Between the struggles and letting go, the downfall and redemption of a nobody lies my long, ordinary life. 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 15 The Immortality Tree Beneath the Cliff 悬崖下的长生树 My parents divorced, my family fell apart, and I had no one but my grandmother to rely on. With an uncertain future and a confusing school life, could I turn things around? One encounter after another, countless heartwarming stories, and friendships and love intertwining over the years. My name is Liu Changsheng. This is my story. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 16 After the Breakup, My High-Flying Boss Won’t Leave Me Alone 分手后，极品女上司赖上我 Someone once asked, “What is the meaning of life?” I said, “The meaning of life is that you don't need to go looking for its ‘meaning.’ We live in this strange and dazzling world, among vast oceans of stars and countless sparkling lights. The meaning lies in the process of us slowly beginning to shine.” Someone else asked, “Then what about love? What is that?” Love... perhaps it can make your star go dark, but someone will always come along to light up your world. My name is Zhou Dongli. Through —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 The Strange Flavors of Youth 青春怪味豆 Life is full of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy flavors. Youth is a strange-flavored bean that contains them all. Choices that bring joy and chances we regret letting go of are both essential parts of growing up. I dedicate this book to the youth that has passed us by. [Most of the events in this book are fictional. Please don't assume they refer to anyone in particular.] 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 18 My Shenzhen Girl 我的深圳姑娘 (Urban life + short stories + redemption + realism + rural life + coming of age) To youth. Those fleeting years. He had no qualifications, so he swallowed his pride to survive. He had been to prison. To make amends, he spent his whole life seeking redemption. 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 My Pure and Beautiful Heiress 我的清纯大小姐 The hardest things to forget are the ones you never thought about, yet can never forget! A car accident during the summer before my senior year of high school left me with amnesia. To escape my confusion, I boarded a train to Lhasa alone. I thought it would be an ordinary trip, but then I met a girl on the train who would heal me for the rest of my life... This is the story of a lost boy with amnesia searching for redemption, and finding love during his four years at university. 3Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 20 No One Can Protect You 没有人能保佑你 We came from the countryside to the city, gaining things along the way and losing them, too. We wanted someone to rely on, only to discover that we could do nothing but walk alone. We looked all around, but there was no one in sight. No one can protect you! 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 The One I Love Most Is Her 最爱的人是她 [Landlord] + [CEO] + [Realistic] + [No Harem] + [A Little Heartbreak] + [Urban Romance] On a dark, stormy night, I ran into her again. “It's just a guitar. Seriously? You even followed me?” The rain kept pouring, but she denied following me. I couldn't get a cab in this downpour. Maybe I should graciously let her drive me home... Because of a guitar, she and I kept trying to outsmart each other. I just don't get it. You're a big-time landlord and CEO, so why are you so hung up on my guitar? Don' 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 22 My Beijing Girl 我的北京女孩 A young man with nothing going for him can't move on after a breakup. When he accompanies a friend to Beijing, he encounters new things and new people... His life quietly changes course. What kind of love story will he find as he sets out to reclaim his dream? 127Reads—Score1314d adds
- 23 My Girl from Porcelain City 我的瓷都姑娘 My new work is out! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 Make a Wish to the End of the World 对着末日许愿 No System, not a wish-fulfillment story, pure love in the apocalypse “So beautiful,” I thought, raising my camera without thinking to capture the scene. But my hands stopped halfway, and I lowered it again. Who could I share it with? Suddenly, the moment didn't seem so beautiful anymore. If you'd been there, maybe I would've been braver, Jiang Lan. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 The Master Perfumer 超品香水师 [Also known as: Urban Life: I’m the Only One Who Can Control Ghosts] [Wish-fulfillment] [Career] [Well-rounded male lead] The tearful rags-to-riches story of a total loser. A stunning female manager joins the factory. To his surprise, she turns out to be his new neighbor, and she often invites him over. From then on, he and the beautiful manager enjoy a shamelessly intimate life as neighbors. [Zhao Yang never dreamed that he would possess the special ability of a necromantic alchemist. He will a —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 26 The Beautiful Professor Is Smitten with a Poor Young Man 美女教授迷恋穷小伙 With delicate strokes, this book brings to life women’s hidden inner worlds and reveals the secrets of love. The story twists and turns, drawing you in, while its tender romance is deeply moving. Beauty and affection intertwine, as emotion and reason become entangled... A single maple leaf brought me together with a beautiful, poised woman who was past the usual marrying age. Though we clashed and pushed each other away, sparks of love still flew between us. This love story proves that when it c 1.3kReads—Score15314d adds
- 27 Live, and Never Bow Your Head 活着，不低头 In the shifting urban landscape, the rat race surges like a tide. Degrees lose their value, people worry about their status, incomes are unstable, and relationships become emotionally draining. Reality is harsh, ideals are lofty, and every step is a struggle against life. Some grit their teeth and work overtime until they become machines; some lie awake at midnight, lamenting how hard life is; others set off elsewhere in pursuit of their dreams, trying to find themselves amid the endless hustle. 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 28 May We Become Masters of Our Own Lives 愿我们成为生活的高手 [Urban daily life + first person + multiple heroines + city life + wage slave] After arguing with his lover, he leaves home. He gets on a bus, only to be mistaken for a pervert by everyone aboard. Then a heavy snowfall leaves him stranded in the city, with nowhere to go. He makes up with his lover, only for internet rumors to tear them apart again. As relationship troubles send him from place to place, will he give in, or keep fighting for what he wants? 29Reads—Score—14d adds
- 29 The Newborn and the One in the Mirror 新生之人镜中之人 The Reborn One and the One in the Mirror —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 30 My Girl in the White Dress 我的白裙姑娘 [Not reborn + no System + multiple female leads + first person + workplace + no harem + one at a time] What? My first love, an ex-girlfriend I haven't seen in four years, is forcing me to choose between her and my current girlfriend? Then I'll choose to make money first. Using the business resources my late father left behind, I'll climb to the top of the business world one step at a time. And if that doesn't work out, my lovely ladies in white dresses, I'll take you one by one. My heart is big 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 31 Qingse Yanyu's Fifth Book 箐涩烟雨的第5本书 [Urban romance + healing and positivity + funny and entertaining + vivid, lively leads] A model’s winding journey through life. And the confidante and official girlfriend who love him deeply! Some encounters leave even Luo Qing unsure whether to be grateful or regretful. This world is no pure haven. You have to learn for yourself what warmth and coldness mean. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 Waiting for You Amid Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moonlight 风花雪月里等你 “Waaah!” A loud cry rings out in the delivery room as my daughter enters the world safely. “Ms. Wen, congratulations. She’s a beautiful girl.” The doctor holds the baby out to me, beaming with joy. 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 33 My Girlfriend, Who Remembers Only the Past Month 我那只有一个月记忆的女友 (Everyday-life fluff, urban romance, not a power fantasy… hopefully no heartbreak) I got perfect marks in math, yet went to a vocational college. I won the lottery, but didn’t spend the money. Then, just as I entered the workforce, I met a beautiful neighbor who wasn’t quite right in the head. Who would’ve thought that just as we were about to get closer, she’d forget who she was… If I could remember you for just one more day, then you would surely be the person I loved most. 20Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 34 You Made Me Reborn, So I Went from Scumbag Godfather to True Love 让你重生，你从渣男祖师爷纯爱 [Career + Romance + Pure Love + Sweet Romance + All Sweetness, No Angst + Making Up for Regrets + No System] Gu Qing died. He had a successful career, a fortune, and women everywhere. He’d lived a carefree life, enjoying the kind of existence countless people envied. After his death, he watched a group of women argue in front of his body. Some cared about the houses and cars, others about the shops, and still others about his bank accounts… Not one of them cared about the dead man himself. It wa —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 35 The Song of Life 人生之歌 Centered on the decades-long life of Huang Wenbin and his family, this novel vividly portrays their family’s troubled fate, joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, and tangled loves and hatreds. Through their story, we see Huang Wenbin and his family’s inspiring journey, as well as the warmth and coldness of human relationships in the real world. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 The Ordeal Written in Fate 命数里的劫 Our fates began when I saw you in the crowd; they ended when I saw you in the crowd. You were like a ray of dawn, lighting up my life. But fate played a cruel joke on us. You were the reason I succeeded, and the reason I failed! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 37 My Siege, Your Hunting Ground 我的围城，你的围场 I've been in love three times. My first love was a beautiful TV host, and we were together for ten years. My second girlfriend was the heiress of a client conglomerate. My third girlfriend was a cool, domineering female CEO with sixteen different sides to her. She fulfilled every fantasy I had about women. I really like this passage: “Your many interpretations and annotations of me don't amount to even one ten-thousandth of who I am, but they reveal you completely. I couldn't agree more with th 44Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 38 Fog City: The Tragedy of Snow 雾城：雪之殇 Fog City: The Tragedy of Snow —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 My Girlfriend Is All Natural 我的女友纯天然 By the stream, beneath a big tree, I stand at the peak of the mountain, pondering what love is. Is it the last cigarette, smoked down to the end? Or a flame that can never quite catch fire? I pray, yearn, and search in my heart for the most beautiful scene and the purest, most natural feeling. 46Reads5.8Score—14d adds
- 40 Forget the Flowers I Planted 忘掉种过的花 Based on the author's real experiences, this story mainly follows the people and events Zhao Yi encountered while pursuing his master's degree. His research career is full of twists and turns, and his romantic life is just as complicated and unpredictable. Whenever he finds himself in hardship, someone always appears to offer him warmth. Though he has seen the world, the girl who smelled of gardenias and the older sister who always put him first have never left his thoughts. One is a flower, the 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 41 From the Start, After the Breakup: I Brought a Strange Woman Home 开局分手：带陌生女人回家 [In the style of My 26-Year-Old Female Tenant] [No System] [Realistic Fiction] [Tragic Ending] [First Person] After reading My 26-Year-Old Female Tenant, I decided to finish the novel I'd been planning for a long time. I'm a new author, and I hope you enjoy it… Title: Where Time Flows Softly, A Dream of Mortal Life —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 My Student Who Makes Terrible Games 我那做垃圾游戏的学生 This is the story of one of my students, who struggled to make his way in the gaming industry. He was my star pupil, but his career path was far from smooth. After starting out full of ambition, he stumbled against the harsh realities of life. His dreams of launching a business on the side fell apart, and reality knocked some sense into him. He drifted aimlessly and tried to lie flat, yet still couldn’t let go of his hopes. In the end, he set out again for the woman he loved. The ending is reali —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 Pick a Day to Try Love 择日试爱 Zhuo Yuanqiao, owner of the biggest club in Lingcheng. Overnight, he became the city’s top trending topic: the Mingqi chairwoman’s “mysterious lover.” From falling off his pedestal to making a comeback. A glamorous, aloof chairwoman, a pure-hearted heiress, and a host of beautiful women... Caught in the whirlpool of love and life, where will he go from here...? 18Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 A Cage of Desire 欲望牢笼 Based on true events, this story follows Li Nan, who has long struggled with the burdens of her family of origin. After unexpectedly having her material desires fulfilled time and again, she gradually loses herself and becomes increasingly consumed by greed, until her bubble finally bursts and she plummets to rock bottom overnight. Li Nan will pay a heavy price for the mistakes she has made, and a long journey of redemption begins. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 45 After Losing My Job, I Team Up with My Childhood Friend to Take Down My Fiancée 失业后，我和青梅联手干未婚妻 [Childhood sweetheart vs. unexpected newcomer, male lead vs. four rivals, mutual salvation, pure romance] After losing my job and becoming a useless wreck, my childhood sweetheart started dropping hints like crazy; a rich woman wanted to keep me; my brother's girlfriend wanted to marry me; a tycoon wanted me as his live-in son-in-law; and a newcomer used a promissory note to make me give in. My rivals called me trash and told me to get lost… With no parents and now standing at the pinnacle of th 1Reads—Score114d adds
- 46 Wine and Beauty Are Irresistible 酒色撩人 Urban Life + Romance + Flirtation + Ex-Girlfriend Regrets It + One Female Lead (Not a wish-fulfillment story. No formulaic tropes, plot-focused, and slow-paced. Read with caution if that’s not your thing!) Money gives a man courage, and only a man with courage dares to chase women. A poor young man has a one-night stand and unexpectedly becomes a father. He then falls in love with a rich heiress. And so begins a hilarious, heartwarming tale! 372Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 47 Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fades 春花秋逝 (Not a wish-fulfillment story, no transmigration, realistic, about an ordinary person struggling to survive in the cracks. Don’t read if that’s not your thing.) Since you all want to kill me, I’ll start by eloping with your daughters!! 561Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 48 My Five Years as a Drifter in Guangzhou 广漂的那五年 A detailed look at the five years after college graduation, spent struggling to make a living in the bustling city of Guangzhou. How did a complete novice gradually grow stronger, step by step? As we make our way along the paths of love and career, each of us has a story to tell... After five years of weathering life's hardships, we'll grow stronger at last! It's time to turn the tables!!! A new author with a new book: My Five Years Drifting in Guangzhou. I've got a story. 206Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 49 I Think You'll Love Me 我想你会爱我 Also known as: I'm a dog who likes to peek at other people's happiness After three years delivering takeout, my first love dumped me. Then I met the girl I had admired since I was young, but still found no one to love me... A young man struggles to survive in a city ruled by desire. Which path is truly meant for him? When I met you, I thought, you would love me. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 50 I Met a Female CEO on the Rooftop, and She Turned Out to Be My Old Desk Mate 天台遇女总裁，竟是我的老同桌 The rating just came out, and it will rise. No System, no transmigration, no being reborn. In Shangjing, newly laid off, he planned to mope on the rooftop, but instead ran into the company's new beautiful CEO. His cheeky sarcasm was caught on the spot, and he thought he was done for. Who knew the aloof CEO was actually his high school desk mate, the girl who used to stand in punishment with him and sneak bites of instant noodles! Unemployed one moment, promoted to CEO's assistant the next, with 5.1kReads6.2Score30614d adds
