Novels like Darling, Victoria Harbour
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Darling, Victoria Harbour, best match first.
- 1 My Repeating Life in Beijing 我与北京的周而复始 (Print edition signed) “Back then, all of us were lost in our cups. The more we tried to keep pace with the times, the more recklessly we gave ourselves over to pleasure.” “When my beauty fades and my youth is gone, will you still love me as you did at the start?” - Reading guide After Chapter 16, skip to Chapter 17 after the afterword. That is where the story continues correctly. 1.4kReads8.2Score17714d adds
- 2 The Rainy Season Is a Secret Signal 雨季是潮湿的暗号 [Mutual first love | Campus | Bad ending] “I hope your wish comes true, that everything in the world becomes the backdrop to your life. May you go anywhere you want and become the bravest person of all.” “Qi means a prayer, and Zhao means light. It’s a beautiful name.” The rainy season at seventeen is long enough to leave an indelible mark. The boy who leapt down carried mud all over him, but angels would catch them and cleanse their purest souls. “Zhaoqi, you idiot.” “I love you.” “May the ligh 31Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 Mountains and Seas, Different Schemes 山海不同谋 Dedicated to the memory of my friend. A heroine who seems strong but is actually sensitive and introverted x a hero who seems cold but is actually gentle. Tragic ending. “Why is Qingchuan called Qingchuan?” “I confessed to you long ago. In every glance I gave you.” Maybe we should all be a little braver in our youth. “Can we take a photo together?” “Wu Cangting, goodbye forever.” 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 Plane Tree Leaves Falling on Chang'an Street 梧桐叶落长安街 [Scion of a powerful Beijing family]× [Jinling’s most beautiful woman] [Modern romance + wealthy-family intrigue + heartbreaking love + powerful-family drama + BE aesthetic] At seventeen, Song Yiru went to the Yihe Residence to pick up a blanket for a friend and met two men who would change her life. She thought their tender encounter was a gift from fate. Zhou Yuezhi was the first to fall in love at first sight, but Chen Xingshen got to her first. He used his devotion as a cage, taking advantag 149Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 Late Autumn Breeze 深秋晚风 The day Luo Zhi left, Ouyang Ping asked Xu Yanqing, “The girl really left just like that?” The truth was, they'd known from the beginning that there could never be a future for her and Xu Yanqing. 80Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 6 One Last Rainfall Before We Part 最后一阵诉别雨 [Mutual pining | A little campus romance | Short BE | Male lead dies, female lead finds peace] The sky waits for the rain, and I wait for you. Song Ting'an never got to see his rain. From that song by Jay Chou, with lyrics by Vincent Fang. “The sky waits for the rain, and I wait for you.” He listened to it again and again. Song Tianqing, the character in Song Ting'an's book, got to meet his Yue Yuyu. But Song Ting'an never got to meet his Li Yanyu. His chance of survival was only twenty perc 377Reads8.0Score11914d adds
- 7 No Such Person Exists 杳无此人 [Undercover Assassin vs. Narcotics Detective] “Jinchen, after I’m gone, I’m entrusting my sister to you.” “Don’t tell her what happened to me. She cries at the drop of a hat, and if she finds out, she’ll cry her head off.” “Yu Jinyan, you big liar! Now that you’re gone, who’s going to protect me? I have no family left…” The day after Yu Jinyan died, Yu Jinchu vanished without a trace, as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth. Jiang Jinchen searched for her like a madman. Seven years 340Reads—Score12514d adds
- 8 Youth Is a Grand Illusion 青春是一场盛大的幻梦 Youth is a magnificent dream. Those first meetings, growing closer, and keeping one another company shimmered like stars, drawing us into the dream called youth. Looking back, the once-burning promises have scattered on the wind, and those deep, tender feelings have become regrets too painful to touch. On quiet nights, when memories drift through our minds like smoke, we may smile or we may cry, because that was our youth, true and unvarnished. [A Dream of Youth: My Twelve Years with Him] Cheng 41Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 When the Golden Rain Trees Bloom 栾树花开 Campus tragedy × mutual healing An ordinary girl with heart disease × a dazzling young artist In 2014, during high school, an ordinary girl who had been abandoned by her parents and suffered from heart disease since childhood met Li Yi’an beneath a golden rain tree at a bus stop. He was eighteen, full of youthful spirit, and dazzling with his sketchpad. After all our twists and turns, you had already taken root and blossomed in my life, 95Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 Hengchang Pawnshop on Yong'an Street: The Private Ledger That Was Never Destroyed 永安街恒昌当：那本从未销过的私账 Hengchang Pawnshop on Yong'an Street: The Private Ledger That Was Never Written Off —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 I Played Coward for Half a Year, Then the Courtesan Next Door Ran Off with the Money 我装怂半年，隔壁花魁卷款跑了 I Played the Coward for Half a Year, and the Courtesan Next Door Ran Off with the Money —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 Soft Candy Locks the Edge 软糖锁锋 Soft Candy Locks the Blade —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 So Love Has an Expiration Date 原来爱有期限 Shao Ning: Everyone says love can overcome any obstacle. It’s not that I don’t believe in love, but love can change in an instant. The only thing that lasts is... a 15-year limit... Maybe Mom, you and Dad were right. In the end, a man and a man just can’t be together. 1.8kReads—Score19314d adds
- 14 A Kiss on a Snowy Night 雪夜拥吻 A realistic, powerful-family melodrama with angst. The leads are not each other's firsts, so don't read if you dislike that!!! A carefree playboy and a cool, gloomy college student [Love and hate each other + stand-in + love grows over time + seven-year age gap] When she first met Qi Jingjing, Qing Yao thought he was frivolous and unreliable. “Need a ride?” Panicking inside, she shook her head and hurriedly dodged him. Later, she spent her whole life paying that exorbitant fare. He treate 1.8kReads8.2Score13114d adds
- 15 See You Tomorrow, Monday 周一，明天见 [A short bad-ending story. Readers who can't handle angst, beware.] Xu Qingze was Zhou Yi’s boyfriend. He was in a car accident abroad. Everyone told Zhou Yi he was dead, but she stubbornly refused to believe it. She cried herself blind, ruined her health, and clung to life by a thread. Just as Zhou Yi was about to die, Xu Qingze came back. With a warm smile, he held out his hand to Zhou Yi. “Hello, my name is Xu Qingze.” Zhou Yi: Xu Qingze, how dare you forget me. But I’m glad you forgot me. ( 2.2kReads8.1Score42614d adds
- 16 The Three-Coin Tea Grows Cold, While Hatred Burns 三文茶凉，恨字滚烫 The Tea Has Gone Cold, but the Word 'Hate' Still Burns 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 The Broth Boiled Dry, and the Dead Man She Awaited Came Back 清汤滚尽，她等的死人回来了 The Broth Boiled Dry, and the Dead Man She Was Waiting for Came Back 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 18 She Wielded a Blade for Ten Years, Then Drove It into His Heart 她打了十年刀，最后一把捅进了他心口 She wielded a blade for ten years, then plunged it into his heart. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 158,000: The Most Expensive Lesson My Daughter Will Ever Learn 十五万八，是我女儿这辈子最贵的一堂课 158,000 yuan: the most expensive lesson my daughter will ever learn. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 20 A Youth Wasted 虚度一个青春 Wasting Away a Youth 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 Letting Go 割愛 [Short tragic ending + obsessive male lead] After my mother remarried, my stepbrother, who shared neither parent with me, was always finding new ways to bully me. But after our parents died, he changed completely. He stopped bullying me and instead stayed by my side, taking care of me without ever giving up on me. It was as if he’d become a different person. 62Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 22 He Came Back Before the Wind Stopped 风停之前，他回来了 Seventeen years ago, Zhou Yubai left Lin Wan when he loved her most. He said, “Lin Wan, I don’t want you anymore.” Seventeen years later, Lin Wan is in charge of an urban renewal project in the old district. She personally signs the demolition order for Building Seventeen. It was their secret hideaway when they were seventeen. And the place where they last saw each other. On the day they reunite, Zhou Yubai returns as a documentary filmmaker to capture the old district’s final night. She h 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 Consumed to the Bone 沉溺入骨 They agreed it would be a “business arrangement”: he would help her pay off fifty million in debt, and she would play along with his act. But Bo Nian couldn’t resist his good looks. She became addicted to him, only to discover that he was hiding a girl and protecting her fiercely. He even went so far as to take her bone marrow for that girl. Only then did Bo Nian face reality: she would never be able to warm his heart. He said, “I can’t be responsible for what happens to other people. Life and 655Reads8.2Score10314d adds
- 24 The Camellia Tree 山茶花树 “A Huai, the camellias on the mountain back home are blooming. I really wish you could go see them with me again.” “The camellias on the mountain bloom and wither, then bloom again, but the camellia in my heart will never fade.” 89Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 After He Called Off the Engagement, He Became Someone I Could Never Hope to Marry 退婚后，他成了我的高攀不起 After Our Engagement Was Called Off, He Became Someone I Could Never Hope to Reach —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 26 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
- 27 Never Return to the Capital 永不返京 [Capital Circle + Older Man/Younger Woman + BE + A Scoundrel’s Sincere Love] The year they met, Pei Runjin was nineteen and Li Chengchuan was twenty-seven. They met in the capital. On Pei Runjin’s birthday, Li Chengchuan asked her what she wished for. Looking at the treetops swaying in the night breeze outside the window, she said, “Right now, I just really miss you. I don’t wish for anything else.” Li Chengchuan suddenly felt the intense emotions surging from the twenty-year-old girl. The softn 3.7kReads—Score27214d adds
- 28 Brother, I’m Done Getting Treatment 哥哥，我不治了 Big Brother, I’m Done with Treatment 1.4kReads—Score7614d adds
- 29 You Still Haven't Confessed to Me 你还没跟我告白 [Hot-tempered, possessive troubled boy & sweet, gentle girl] A tragic ending, an angsty campus romance. When they first met, Chi Wen was an exemplary student at No. 16 High School, excelling in both academics and conduct. Bian Qingye, meanwhile, was the fearsome “Ye-ge” from the vocational school next door. Everyone said he was exactly what his name suggested: wild, and wild in everything he did. He changed girlfriends faster than he changed clothes. At that age, what girl wouldn’t want to leav 62Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 30 Half a Letter in Winter 冬天的半封信 They met in winter, grew close, parted ways, and found each other again. “See you in winter.” I’ll see you in winter. It turned out to mean goodbye until winter comes again. 70Reads—Score—14d adds
- 31 One-Man Show 独角戏 [Signed for simplified Chinese publication] I wish I were brave, but when it comes to loving you, I always feel so unworthy. 388Reads8.8Score10214d adds
- 32 Withdrawal 戒断反应 When Jiang Shan was sixteen, she made a wish to be with Jiang Ye and marry him someday. When Jiang Ye was twenty-six, he made a wish to be with Jiang Shan and marry her someday. Heaven answers the prayers of the faithful, so both Jiang Shan’s and Jiang Ye’s wishes came true. The only thing was, Heaven missed the part about how long it was supposed to last and forgot they wanted it to be forever. 7.5kReads8.9Score75814d adds
- 33 A Tangled Kiss on a Winter Night: Beijing's Big Shot's Deadly Seduction 缠吻冬夜，京圈大佬的致命诱宠 Powerful families, pure love, a powerful man humbly pursues love, rekindled romance, childbirth Capital-city heir & actress with a split personality onstage and off (sweet and soft on the surface, stubborn to the core) Never meet someone too dazzling when you’re young, or you’ll spend the rest of your life tangled in longing and unrequited love. Shen Jin sees Wen Jingyu again four years after they broke up. Rumor has it that the capital’s crown prince has found a replacement who looks just like 5.1kReads8.7Score50414d adds
- 34 One Hundred Do-Overs: Side Story 《任务重来一百次》番外 Extra Story for "The Mission: One Hundred More Tries" 636Reads—Score8314d adds
- 35 The Book Between Two Worlds: The Emperor’s Caged Phoenix Breaks Its Neck at Last 两界书：帝王囚凰终折颈 [Both virgins + groveling redemption + palace and household intrigue + tragic romance] On my first day as a princess sent off for a political marriage, he made me drink poisoned wine. What he didn’t know was that I was a modern-day expert in pharmacology and toxicology, a veritable King of Hell. He suspected me, despised me, and abandoned me. At every turn between life and death, he chose someone else. He thought he loved his unattainable first love, so he protected her and trusted her. He had 48Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 Prejudice and Love 偏见与宠爱 Prejudice and Devotion —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 37 I Have Never Truly Lived 我从未真正的活过 [Pure despair | Ultimate tragedy | No redemption | Suffocating from beginning to end | No twists, no rebirth, no coming to terms] Diagnosed with moderate depression and bipolar disorder at the age of twelve, a boy spends ten years learning one thing: how to hide his own death perfectly in the middle of a crowd. This is not a story about fighting back. There is no comeback, no redemption, and no one opening the door at the last moment. It is a story about “not existing.” When no one has ever tru 5.8kReads6.9Score1.1k14d adds
- 38 Love's Ordeal in Jingzhou 京州情劫 The most elite heir to a powerful Beijing family × a young woman from a small southern city who moved north to Beijing. From a brief romance in Kunming to an unexpected reunion on a snowy night in Beijing, he thought he could move on from her, but the moment he saw her again, he completely lost control. She is Xu Anning, an ordinary graduate from a small southern city who moved to Beijing alone, just to get closer to the man who once gave her a brief taste of warmth in Kunming. He is Shen Jinnia 22kReads8.4Score1.6k14d adds
- 39 The Night My White Moonlight Returned, I Became My Fiancé's Younger Brother's Fiancée 白月光归来那夜，我成了未婚夫弟弟的“未婚妻” The night my first love returned, I became my fiancé's younger brother's “fiancée” 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 40 Tales of Northern Beijing 京北往事 [Entertainment-industry socialite x top power player x ensemble cast of the capital’s elite x a touch of angst] On the first day Fang Ci arrived in Jingbei, a friend warned her not to get lost in Shengjing’s glittering, hedonistic world. The rich young heirs played rough, and no one could come away unscathed. Fang Ci had been clever from childhood and possessed a face capable of bringing kingdoms to ruin. She prized freedom and spontaneity, considered herself above it all, and had thought she an 1.9kReads6.8Score20914d adds
- 41 Halfway Through the Rain 半程雨 Halfway Through the Rain 533Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 Summer in Xiachuan Town 下川镇的夏天 Summer in Xiachuan Town was a passionate, heartfelt regret. I never had him, yet it felt as if I’d lost him a thousand times over. A bus approached from afar. Jiang Yihuan couldn’t tell if it was the right one. She looked up through the window and saw Li Chengze’s face. He was standing by the bus door. As soon as the bus stopped and the doors opened, he rushed down and pulled Jiang Yihuan into his arms. “Jiang Yihuan, I’ve missed you so much.” Li Chengze rested his head on her shoulder and spoke 78Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 You Are the North of Beijing 你是北京的北 Even now, Wen Wen still remembered the day she left Beijing. It was the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. She left alone and without hesitation, yet carried a weight of a thousand pounds. Before boarding her flight, she gazed down at the city's nightscape from inside a skyscraper. The roads were still filled with traffic, and countless people rushed about, only to end up with nothing. This city had buried her winter, her summer, and her spring. By the time she left, all she felt for 1.1kReads8.1Score10914d adds
- 44 The Bellflower Is Not White 桔梗不白 Every moment spent near him was full of telltale slips. A performance called unrequited love is the hardest one to pull off. - (The male lead doesn't cheat. He appears as a ghost, hoping the heroine will finally give up on him and stop grieving. He also sacrifices his reputation so netizens will stop attacking her. If someone has to be swallowed up by public opinion, he wants it to be him. It's a self-destructive attempt to save her: he gives up his life and his good name, as long as she's all r 122Reads8.1Score10514d adds
- 45 A Marriage at a Crossroads 婚途陌路 Strangers on the Road to Marriage 49Reads—Score714d adds
- 46 Love Beyond the Capital 京谈不及情 [Powerful families of Beijing · Two formidable childhood friends · Intense push and pull · Heartbreaking forbidden romance] Everyone in Beijing’s elite circles knows: Song Qingzhu and Xu Nianzhi were born to be co-conspirators. He is the Song family’s heir apparent, advancing his position one careful step at a time. She is a ruthless, decisive star lawyer at a top-tier firm. Childhood friends from the same government compound for twenty years, from a small courtyard by Houhai to the top floors o 1.1kReads—Score10014d adds
- 47 Spring Dwells on the High Terrace 春栖高台 [Powerful Families | Female Growth | Bittersweet Romance | Older Man] (Clear-headed, beautiful college student vs. composed, powerful heir) People often say that those in power care only about their family’s interests. Even what passes for love is just another tool for profit. If you fall for someone like that, the best you can hope for is this: you remain on your high terrace, I retreat to my spring mountains, and from then on our paths never cross again. Everyone in Beijing’s inner circle know 606Reads—Score16014d adds
- 48 You Won’t Remember Me 你不会记得我 [Simplified Chinese edition signed for publication] Chen Yuanwang can seem gentle even when he isn’t smiling. But he shows no one any special warmth. Qin Qiu’s unrequited love ends in regret. She never gets to taste the candied hawthorn Chen Yuanwang promised to treat her to, and he never remembers her. In her youth, he will forever be the male lead whose name fills her diary and whose initials cover her scratch paper. But she will never become his leading lady. 215Reads8.8Score5214d adds
- 49 Sacrifice to Spring 祭春天 In the first spring after the college entrance exams, Yu Xiaoxiao is sitting in the library at Peking University when it suddenly dawns on her: that pitch-black night when he laughed until he couldn’t breathe, he was crying. [Love at first sight + mutual healing + angsty campus romance, tragic ending] Gentle boy who pretends to be a school bully × girl who pretends to be aloof but is really a top student [Boy pursues girl + devoted one-on-one romance + the clear-headed one falls hard + equal par 937Reads8.9Score19014d adds
- 50 He Shielded Her from Every Storm, Yet Never Once Said He Loved Her 他替她挡尽风雪，独没说过一句爱 He shielded her from every storm, but never once told her he loved her 51Reads—Score—14d adds
