Novels like The Echo of a Secret Crush, and Then It Ends Badly
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Echo of a Secret Crush, and Then It Ends Badly, best match first.
- 151 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
- 152 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
- 153 I Was Diagnosed With Stomach Cancer, but My Husband Abandoned Me to Pick Up His First Love 我确诊胃癌，老公抛下我去接白月光 His first love kept texting him, telling him to hurry up and divorce me. At first, even though we were married by contract, we were deeply in love. But after his first love returned to the country, he abandoned me again and again. I was already in the final stages of cancer, and when I died, he still didn’t make it in time to see me. I never expected the System to give me another chance at life. Given another chance, I made a different choice. 29Reads—Score—14d adds
- 154 Silent Rain 雨无声 A timid, insecure heroine with depression × a sunny, gentle, refined hero [Sweet and angsty, with a bad ending] [He saves her] After an accident turned Shi Yu’s world upside down, she shut herself away and never came back out. She never expected to meet that person. She thought their paths would part for good after high school graduation. Yet when they met again, she still couldn’t help paying attention to him. From then on, her world slowly brightened, and she found her salvation. Shen Jingyan 545Reads8.7Score10514d adds
- 155 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
- 156 Behave Yourself! 学乖！ School Life | Healing | Family of Origin | Bittersweet Romance | BE “That person stumbled into your lightless corner and stood before you, backlit, holding out a hand. It was salvation, and it was a god.” Gentle and sensitive × Cold on the outside, warm within He had always been the center of attention, born into a prominent family and exceptional in every way. She was as insignificant as a speck of dust. To everyone else, they were like parallel lines that could never meet, destined never to cr 1.6kReads8.9Score29314d adds
- 157 I've Secretly Loved Him, Year After Year 我偷偷喜欢他，一年又一年 Jiang Yuze will never know That a girl named Xiao Xi secretly loved him for seven years. Xiao Xi: a desolate hope. Just like her unrequited love, it would never see the light of day. She said, “I once loved someone with all my heart, too. But he never knew how I felt.” Reader's note: Based on a true story 2kReads8.6Score21414d adds
- 158 Prejudice and Love 偏见与宠爱 Prejudice and Devotion —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 159 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
- 160 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
- 161 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
- 162 158,000: 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
- 163 Regret Came Too Late 迟来的悔意晚到 Regret Came Too Late 16.5kReads—Score7414d adds
- 164 Not the Wood in the Forest, but the Grain with an Extra Stroke! 不是森的木，是木多一撇的禾！ [Secret crush + intense push and pull + playboy + heroine dies + hero marries + second male lead dies for love + tragic ending] The roses are in bloom, and I miss you. Jian He kept a diary. It was opened after she died... You were like a book. I read it from cover to cover, only to find myself back on the first page. Your kindness was too gentle. Did you remember me? When someone appears too often, even a coward can fall for them! * Jian He loved Ji Senshu. She fell for him again and again, and 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 165 I Thought My Wife Had Been Violated and Flew into a Rage, Only to Discover She Was the Mastermind 以为老婆被辱我怒冲云霄，才发现她是幕后黑手 I Thought My Wife Had Been Assaulted, So I Went on a Rampage, Only to Discover She Was the Mastermind —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 166 I Don’t Want the Bellflowers Anymore 我不要桔梗花了 Yu Nianxu, Wei Mu is still here, still protecting you somewhere else. Wei Mu, don't go! Yu Nianxu, wake up! I'm still here. Wei Mu, I'm awake. Where are you? Wei Mu, I'm willing. Wei Mu, goodbye! I'll live well from now on. 154Reads7.3Score—14d adds
- 167 The Wind Kisses the White Rose 风吻白玫瑰 A cheerful girl with depression vs. a lonely, gentle top student Chen Yan meets a strange person at the hospital. That day, he sees many sides of her. One moment she is chatting away, the next she is silently crying. Since high school, she has called herself “Young Master Xiao Jiang” and become everyone’s mood-maker. Everyone thinks that is just who she is, but Chen Yan is the only one who has seen the side she keeps hidden. So he says, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to save you.” He has seen her at 79Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 168 Kim Eun-ning’s First Book 金恩宁的第一本书 Arrogant, unhinged wealthy heir + beautiful, strong, tragic top student + dog-training romance + chasing his wife to the crematorium Supporting couple: a rabid mad dog who refuses to let go + a delicate, graceful beauty like a white jade pearl The young master’s malice always comes out of nowhere, and his love is just a passing whim. He once lazily exhaled smoke and said, “It was just something stupid I said on a whim.” He also once stood there with red-rimmed eyes, using every means at his disp 33Reads—Score—14d adds
- 169 Letters Beneath the Moss 苔痕信札 Anti-narcotics officer × doctor | Realistic tragic romance | Sweetness with a hidden sting The snowy mountains can't hear the world's whispered secrets, and the sea breeze can't hear the promises that were never kept. The gods can hear promises made at the edge of the world, but they won't grant them. “If we ever fight, give me a mint.” “What do you mean?” “It means I've forgiven you.” “What if you're the one in the wrong?” “Give me one, too,” Song Qingye said with a smile. “Then I'll know to a 1.9kReads8.8Score51914d adds
- 170 In the End, Zhuang Zhou Dreamed He Was a Butterfly 终是庄周梦了蝶 In the third year of her marriage to Shen Yuheng, their marriage certificate was accidentally ruined by a spilled cup of coffee. Nan Yu took their documents to the civil affairs bureau to get a replacement. The clerk tapped a few keys on the computer, then suddenly looked up at her. “Ma’am, your marital status is listed as unmarried.” She froze, thinking she’d misheard. “That’s impossible. My husband and I got our marriage certificate here three years ago.” The clerk checked again, her expressio 1.5kReads—Score8214d adds
- 171 Time Has a Thief 岁月有神偷 [Pure campus romance + mutual pining + youthful feelings + beautiful tragedy] The final installment in Lu Yige's “Years Trilogy.” Song Haojia × Shu Ye × He Qianshan. You are my hasty yesterday, and my passionate rest of life. That year, she was seventeen. Like any ordinary girl, she longed to find love, meet her soulmate, and discover forever. They were young then. It was life itself that was short, not love. The boys and girls in white school uniforms stood beneath the vast starry sky as the ge 422Reads9.2Score10114d adds
- 172 Beautiful Years 景年 [Angst! Angst! Angst! Angst!] My name is Jiang Nian. I was born in the height of summer and died in the depths of winter. Fate was always fleeting, and even meeting you was a blessing. We were destined to meet in this life, but not to be together. May we continue our bond in the next. The debts of this life must be repaid in this life. On the road to the afterlife, don’t look back. May we have a better fate and grow old together in the next life! I still remember the words Lin Anjing said to 511Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 173 The Year I Died Was the Year I Loved You Most 死在了最爱你的那一年 The most carefree young lady in Qinghe falls for an obscure transfer student, and from that moment on, she's smitten. ❤️ She, Yun Nanmian, was meant to be a pampered young lady. Her beloved parents gave their lives to save an obscure nobody, who had promised to be her lifelong support. It was all a lie. Every bit of it. He, Chi Shengrui, is the illegitimate son of the Chi family, cast aside by his clan and transferred to Qinghe. He should have fallen into the mire and spent his life in darkne 120Reads—Score—14d adds
- 174 Brother, I’m Done Getting Treatment 哥哥，我不治了 Big Brother, I’m Done with Treatment 1.4kReads—Score7614d adds
- 175 I’ll Give Our Love Back to You 我把爱情还给你 Gu Qingrang, loving you is too exhausting. 59Reads5.4Score—14d adds
- 176 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
- 177 He Sees Spring he见春天 Jiang Du thought her youth was destined to smell of disinfectant in hospital corridors and the foil stars inside medicine packets, until Wei Qingyue burst into her world carrying a quantum physics textbook. A greenhouse on a stormy night, cicadas singing at 128 Hz, a novel manuscript filled with annotations: every signal they had missed was gently corrected in a parallel universe. Eight years later, when blue plumbago bloomed out of season, meteor coordinates from the observatory guided them to 4.7kReads—Score46714d adds
- 178 Her Fake Heiress Childhood Friend and His Family Have Her Back, but She'll Take Everything Back 假千金竹马全家护，她要夺回一切 Her childhood sweetheart and his whole family protect the fake heiress. Now she wants to take it all back. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 179 The Unease Hidden Deep in My Heart 藏匿在心底的局促 “What a pity the wildfire blazed through, and the spring breeze never came to make things grow again.” “My dear boy, I wish you peace and safety year after year.” Then I'll bury my secret love deep in my heart. [BE] [Collection] 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 180 After I Gave Up Loving Him, My CEO Husband Regretted It 我放弃爱他后，总裁老公后悔了 After I Gave Up on Loving Him, My CEO Husband Regretted It 33Reads—Score314d adds
- 181 A Secret Crush Hidden in a Diary 藏于日记的暗恋 [Redemption | Tragic unrequited love | Angsty school romance | Childhood sweethearts] [We grew up, and I lost you too.] They met when they were ten. A little girl covered in mud met a little boy as warm as sunshine. At twenty-two, Cheng An still wanted to ask, “Lin You Nian, did you ever like me?” She still remembered every word he had said: “When you're in a bad mood, eat some candy.” “Let's both try for City No. 1 High School.” “We'll grow up together.” “Work hard to make your dreams come true 199Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 182 Butterfly Whale 蝴蝶鲸鱼 “Don't be afraid. Even whales can lose their way at sea, but you have wings.” She was a whale, brave and brilliant, yet broken and lost. She lost her way, then grew wings. A butterfly whale, she would eventually break through the darkness, face the rising sun, and fly alone across the sea. 98Reads6.6Score10314d adds
- 183 Strangers for the Rest of Our Lives 此生陌路不复 When Chu Junmo forcibly tears open her wound, leaving it drenched in blood, Li Fuyi knows she must pay for the crime she committed at eighteen. Because of him, she found the light; because of him, she descended into eternal night. There are no winners in this battle. There are only two people doomed to endless ruin. 606Reads8.2Score10214d adds
- 184 A Secret Crush, a Solitary Performance With No Ending 暗恋这场没有结局的独角戏 [Secret love with a tragic ending] [Insecure male lead] In their second year of high school, when Xu Yuanzhou’s life was at its darkest, An Yining was like a ray of light, bringing a little brightness to his gloomy world. From then on, loving An Yining became Xu Yuanzhou’s biggest secret. As insecure as Xu Yuanzhou was, perhaps the craziest thing he did in his entire youth was fight with his deskmate for An Yining’s sake, only for his classmates to mistakenly think he liked another girl. The rum 105Reads—Score—14d adds
- 185 May You Know Peace for All Your Days 愿汝长安 [Male-male romance] [Emperor shou] [Both leads are each other’s first and only] Jiang Hongyu never expected to accomplish anything during his reign. Just staying alive would be enough; even being a puppet emperor would be fine. But things rarely go as planned. Kidnapping, the death of a friend, and the turmoil of war leave him struggling to breathe. But He Chang’an is like a ray of light, keeping him going. As long as they’re together, Jiang Hongyu feels he can do anything. But what will he d 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 186 Aye, I'm Leaving 阿也，我走了 [Sensitive, self-conscious heroine x gentle, sunny hero] When Lin Zhiyou was six, her father died in a car accident, and her mother raised her alone. After her mother changed jobs, eighteen-year-old Lin Zhiyou transferred to Nancheng No. 1 High School. There, she met Jiang Ye... A sensitive, self-conscious girl falls in love with a gentle, sunny boy, but the wheels of fate have not turned in her favor... 34Reads6.9Score—14d adds
- 187 The Final Seventy Days 最后七十天 [Two male leads + tragic ending + unrequited love + healing + quiet everyday life] [Gentle older brother Shen Qingzhou & Huang Yixing, who has albinism] After growing up wild and free in the countryside for twelve years, he was suddenly told he was an illegitimate child. Less than two days after his mother died, Shen Qingzhou was taken to live in the city by his biological father. Six years later, he was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. His final wish in life was to return to the pla 220Reads8.1Score10014d adds
- 188 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
- 189 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
- 190 Hidden Jasmine 藏茉莉 The rating just went up. It’ll rise more later~ [Lin Mosheng × Zhou Yu] On a stormy day, the air was damp and oppressive. An old tune drifted from the music box on the table, and through her hazy consciousness, she returned to her first year of high school. “Shengsheng, what are you standing there for?” The woman smiled and urged her. “Hurry up and call him big brother.” Lin Mosheng looked at the boy in front of her, her eyes instantly turning red. Choking back tears, she said, “Zhou Yu?” The bo 519Reads8.3Score10214d adds
- 191 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
- 192 Red Roses in December 十二月的红玫瑰 (Dual male leads, angsty 1v1 romance, both devoted only to each other, bad ending, power couple, mutual salvation, pure love with plenty of heartbreak.) My dear Mr. Mo: I’m sorry. In the end, I failed to keep my promise to you and became a coward who fled this world. If you can forgive my selfishness and weakness, then when spring returns next year, please leave a bouquet of red roses at my grave. Choose the most beautiful one in the flower shop. I think I’ll be able to smell its fragrance. [Nei 70Reads8.6Score1214d adds
- 193 A Regrettable Outcome 遗憾成局 A wild, carefree boy vs. a cool, well-behaved girl [School life + city life + unrequited love] [Bad ending] The rain in Beicheng was warm and stifling. That year, she was seventeen and he was eighteen. "…I want to get…a tattoo." Wen Yuyan's slender fingers clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice trembling. Qi Yue leaned closer, smiling. "Good students aren't supposed to get tattoos." His teasing voice and warm breath washed over her. The following winter, a heavy snowfall blanketed Beiche 274Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 194 When We Meet Again, We’ll Be Worlds Apart 再见已是天上人间 While Nan Sheng was still alive, she climbed the ninety-nine stone steps behind the Chenghuang Temple and prayed devoutly for Mo Beichen to return safely. But the day before she died, she fulfilled her vow. She said, “In my next life, I don’t want to meet him again.” After Nan Sheng died, Mo Beichen retraced the path she had taken, kneeling three times at every nine steps as he begged the gods to return his wife to him… He said, “If there is another life, may she live a carefree life, free from 205Reads5.3Score—14d adds
- 195 In the Name of Love 以爱之名 Shen Moran thought she was living a happy life. She had a husband who loved her and a family who adored her. But everything changed overnight. Her father was accused of leaking trade secrets and sentenced to ten years in prison. The accuser was none other than the husband who had promised to love her forever. That day, Shen Moran’s world came crashing down. The husband she loved so deeply became a complete stranger overnight. He deceived her, lied to her, and tormented her. He said the cruelest 38Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 196 The Spring My Lover Left in My Eyes 眼睛是爱人留下的春 The eyes are the spring left behind by a lover 103Reads—Score—14d adds
- 197 Blue Rain Letter 蓝雨信 [Mutual healing + devoted to each other + 1v1] [Devoted and restrained VS prima ballerina] When Su Wan was eight, her mother brought her to stay temporarily with the Lu family. The eldest son, Lu Yanzhou, was three years older than her. Their brief childhood connection ended in a storm of trouble, after which she left for London. She was gone for six years. He saved up countless plane tickets to London. The day they reunited, she said in front of everyone, "I have a boyfriend." He pushed open th 1.2kReads—Score14114d adds
- 198 An Orange Summer for You 予你橙夏 [Sunny, lively hero vs. aloof, cold heroine + Mutual Secret Crush + Devoted Love + Tragedy (Bad Ending) + Love That Goes Unreturned] In 2006, during a hot, damp summer that seemed to stretch on without end. Yuan Man and her mother, Wang Xiaozhi, moved from Yancheng to Wutuo Town. The first time Yuan Man met Xu Jiayi, his mother was yanking him by the ear and scolding him. He was covered in mud and filthy from head to toe, and he clearly wasn't one for keeping clean. Yuan Man didn't like him much 47Reads—Score—14d adds
- 199 Living Alone 一个人过 Living alone 119Reads—Score414d adds
- 200 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
