Novels like Secrets in the Backyard
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Secrets in the Backyard, best match first.
- 1 Rural Ghost Tales: One Horror Story Per Chapter 乡村鬼事：一章一个恐怖故事 An episodic horror novel, with a standalone story in every chapter. Rooted in local folk customs and rural legends, it weaves together eerie elements such as “the dead rising,” “water ghosts,” “haunted houses,” “spirits,” and “pallbearers.” The author takes you deep into the countryside’s secret lore, where ordinary people encounter one bizarre haunting after another. Every tale conceals a chill that grows more terrifying the longer you think about it. Note: This story is against superstition an 6.3kReads6.9Score24414d adds
- 2 Meeting You, I Found a New Path to Rebirth 遇见你，重塑新生路 Guo Ziming grew up with only his father to rely on. Hardworking and studious, he earned a place at a prestigious university. But his father was terminally ill. He struggled through life alone, only to discover that he was seriously ill himself. His girlfriend came from a well-off family, but broke up with him because they were from different social classes. One blow followed another, and with little time left to live, he accidentally crashed into a wealthy businessman's luxury car. His resemblan 7kReads8.8Score62014d adds
- 3 The Missing Couple 消失的夫妻 [Based on real cases] [Two famous real cases + four imaginative short stories + three cases from personal experience (ongoing updates, with a little guide to avoiding scams)] From the moment Hu Jiayan and Jiang Ting returned home, everything was already set in stone. Killing the two demons in front of them would not save Jiang Ting. But doing nothing and giving them everything they wanted would still mean death in the end. At first, Hu Jiayan thought getting a second chance was a gift from Heave 270Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 He Imprisoned Her 囚她 [Yandere➕Mutual first loves➕Suave villain➕Evil antagonist stirs up trouble➕Angsty romance] Wen Mengyao goes from a bride-to-be to a toy to be played with, all because of an online romance that ended without ever going anywhere. All she did was block him. That man is a suave villain who is always trying to possess her, devour her, and wear her down without a moment’s rest. 225Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 Awakening and Fighting Back: Breaking the Shackles of Mortals 开悟逆袭：破凡人之枷锁 Before you open this book, ask yourself: Is the life you’re living right now one you chose, or one arranged for you? This book doesn’t reason with you. It tears you down to the bone. Read three pages and feel nothing? Congratulations, you’re happy. Close the book and get on with your life. But if one line suddenly feels like someone’s got a hand around your throat, then you’re the person I’m looking for. There are only two kinds of people in this world. One spends their whole life clutching 24Reads—Score11214d adds
- 6 What? The Heiress of Magic City Is the One I'm Marrying? 什么？和我领证的是魔都千金？ [Flash marriage + love after marriage + one heroine + no System or golden finger + healing everyday life + putting scumbags in their place] It was just an ordinary designated-driver job, but Gu Chen was pinned in the car by a drunk heiress, and the two of them got carried away. The next day, before Gu Chen could even react, she dragged him off to register their marriage against his will! The marriage would last two years! From that moment on, good fortune came raining down on Gu Chen, the kind o 1.4kReads6.9Score21914d adds
- 7 Tieling Storms: The Blue Butterfly Dances 铁岭风云：蓝蝶舞 Tieling Chronicles: The Blue Butterfly —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 Early Spring Frost 小春霜早 Xiaochun Shuangzao tells the story of the lives, changes, joys, and sorrows of the three Gu siblings at the end of the twentieth century. Through their story, the novel explores the profound impact of Reform and Opening Up on people's thoughts and lives, and the sweeping changes brought by the new era. [Print edition published] 1.1kReads8.5Score10014d adds
- 9 A Collection of Horror Stories from the Yin-Yang Spirit Medium 阴阳领仙人之恐怖故事合集 Have you ever been to any of these places? Abandoned hospitals, school dormitories, morgues, funeral homes, factories, shops that make paper offerings... There are many places like these along life's journey. Perhaps all sorts of unclean things are right beside you, and you have no idea. This book has seven volumes, each with 100 stories, taking you into a world unlike any other... Readers from every corner of the world, if you have the courage, come on in! 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 On My First Night Reborn, I Won Over the Campus Goddess I’d Always Loved 重生第一晚，先把白月光校花收了 [Tycoon - Reborn - Romance - Urban Daily Life - Business Empire - Not Pure Romance] Billionaire Su Mubai: I swear, there's nothing going on between me and the campus beauties! She summoned her courage and stopped him at the school gates. “I... I like you!” The young man lazily glanced over her still-developing figure. “Oh, you like me? Do you know how to kiss?” “I... I don't, but I can learn,” the girl said, biting her lip shyly. “Oh, I'll teach you.” The girl stared wide-eyed as Su Mubai moved 67Reads6.3Score—14d adds
- 11 I Heard of Strange Things That Year: Never Read This Late at Night 那年听闻怪事，千万别深夜翻看 These stories are adapted and fictionalized from various experiences shared by friends. They are written in an accessible style and make for a good way to unwind. A reminder: reject superstition. This is all imaginative fiction. Any similarities to real events are purely coincidental, so don't take it seriously! 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 365 Nights of Corpse Tales from the Gorge 峡江尸话365夜 The poorer and more desolate the land, the stranger the tales; deep in the gorges along the river, there are stories of the supernatural. My hometown lies in the mountains of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, in an area where several ethnic minorities live together. Before Liberation, it was a backward wilderness beyond the reach of government control. Over the long course of history, many baffling things happened here. After I was born, I heard plenty of chilling tales of strange happeni 120Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 13 The Strange Rural Tales My Aunt Told Me 姑姑给我讲的农村怪事 When I was little, I was timid, but I still loved listening to my aunt tell stories. Today, I'm sharing with you the stories she told me. I'll do my best to keep writing, and I hope you'll support me. 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 The Peerless Countryside Miracle Doctor 绝品乡村神医 A remote mountain village. Yang Xiaopeng is an aimless ne’er-do-well in the village. But after an accident leaves him with a head injury, he wakes up a changed man, ready to begin a different life. One chance encounter after another, and one miracle after another, give him an extraordinary life. 2.7kReads8.2Score48914d adds
- 15 After She Dumped Me, My Girlfriend Became the Lead Dancer 甩了我之后，女友成了首席舞者 Betrayed by Fang Xiaohui, the ballet goddess who had been his girlfriend and the love of his life for seven years, Jin Jian loses the stable job he was about to land just before graduation. He has to start struggling to make a living on his own. Along the way, he meets wealthy heiress Xia Xueyi, shares a home with Ouyang Qing, his close friend's girlfriend, and falls in love with Bai Xiaotian, a classmate from police academy. This is the story of a boy growing into a man. There are a thousand di 642Reads8.7Score10414d adds
- 16 The Hidden Wife 隐妻 [The comic adaptation is now available! Tap “Adaptation Theater” in the lower-right corner of any page of this book to watch instantly. The original novel and short drama each have their own appeal. Share it with your friends!] No rebirth, no transmigration, and no System golden finger, just the true golden years of an entire generation! Having fled an arranged marriage, he joins the tide of migrant workers heading south. In a southern metropolis brimming with both opportunity and challenges, he 790Reads6.2Score10014d adds
- 17 Cordyceps Flower 虫草花 A woman with a bad reputation and an upright grassroots official: rumors cut like knives. Amid the scorn of the world, can they grasp the happiness that belongs to them? A forbidden love that breaks free of its shackles, and a flower that blooms in a woman's darkest hour. 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 18 Night Walks in Bianjing: The Smiling Corpse 汴京夜行录：笑面尸 Night Wanderings in Bianjing: The Smiling Corpse —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 My Funeral Clothing Shop Only Takes Orders from Ghosts 我开的寿衣店，只接鬼订单 The day Zhang Zaizai took over the funeral clothing shop his grandfather left behind, he discovered it wasn’t an ordinary funeral business at all. The ledger was an order system for the underworld, the paperweight was a soul-pinning nail that kept vicious ghosts at bay, and even the “New Order” alerts from the delivery app came from “Mr. Li in Bed 3 of the morgue.” “Ding! Order accepted. Task: Deliver a peachwood comb to the Midnight Hair-Combing Ghost. Rule: Do not meet her eyes while combing h —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 20 The Real Crown Prince in the Funeral Home 义庄里的真太子 The True Crown Prince at the Yizhuang 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 Sanxi: From Village Beauty to Village Bully 三喜：从村花到村霸 A beautiful country girl marries in a daze, only for upheaval to strike her family. She goes from depending on others to growing strong on her own, but in the end, desire consumes her and leads her to ruin. In her final moments, she realizes that human nature cannot be controlled… 136Reads—Score10114d adds
- 22 Leaves Fall Without a Trace, Without a Sound 叶落无痕默无声 (Some content in this book may cause physical discomfort. If you experience symptoms such as dizziness or nausea, stop reading immediately.) A dim, deathly silent chamber, a bizarrely ticking life-and-death watch, a smoke trap that could kill at any moment, six dead-end paths concealing deadly dangers... The screen lit up, and Ye Luo, a boy who had vanished for many years, returned to the world. With a smile, he announced: This death game, named after sin, had been designed just for them. 21Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 The Little Earthen Tower Family 小土楼人家 They say there’s no one better than a mother, and a child with a mother is treasured like a precious gem. But for Yu Jian, it’s that there’s no one better than a grandmother, and a child with a mother is like a blade of grass. One earthen building, one world, smoke curling from the chimneys. A lifetime of love, a lifetime of warmth in the heart. 43Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 Detective Ji Nian 刑警纪年 One bizarre murder after another unfolds quietly in the real world: an impossible locked-room mystery, a flawless disguise, a motive buried by time... Every case is a tug-of-war between human desire and the truth. Protagonist Cheng Wang leads a criminal investigation team, painstakingly peeling back the layers of each case to expose humanity's most unspeakable secrets. He doesn't rely on flashes of genius, only on the smallest clues. With timelines, psychological profiles, and crime-scene recon 26Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 Only Thirty Days to Live, and the Village Beauty Is in Tears 寿命仅剩三十天，村花急哭了 I was a fool for three years, and not one person in the village ever gave me a second glance. But Heaven had other plans: the legacy of the ancient Dragon God chose me. My medical skills are divine, my martial prowess is off the charts, and my eyes can see through anything. The price is the Nine Suns Dragon Qi inside me. If I can't quell it within seven days, my body will explode. There is only one way to survive: find a body of supreme yin... As luck would have it, there's one right here in the 382Reads6.4Score10114d adds
- 26 My Final Ten Years as a Taoist 我为道士的最后十年 Wherever there is desire in this world, there are ghosts. I, Jiang Ping, was accidentally caught up in a supernatural incident, leaving me with only ten years to live. Since my fate is sealed, I’ll cultivate the Dao and extend my life. Capture ghosts, slay demons. A sharp mind and a well-laid plan. No cheap melodrama or harem antics, though the plot takes a while to unfold. Also, this is a long novel. What? You don’t like that? Take your time and give it a proper read, or don’t blame me when I 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 27 Soda, a Cat, and a Ten-Million-Euro White Whale 汽水，猫与一千万欧元的白鲸 He takes pleasure in torturing goldfish, then searches for the ultimate answer by trying to control everything. The AI beluga whale he built for ten million euros is his “perfect creation” for the world, and a mirror reflecting the darkness of human nature. While countless elites go wild over his tech empire, only I know that the “soda experiment” that began in childhood has never ended... This is a psychological thriller that delves deep into the soul, making you confront an all-pervasive desir 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 28 Strange Tales, Volume 1 奇闻诡事录1 This is a collection of folk tales about the uncanny, strange accounts from across the land. Each chapter is a complete story, each tale a separate supernatural mystery, revealing the mysteries of yin and yang, folk taboos, and the obsessions of the dead. You never know when a casual remark might draw the attention of spirits lurking in the wilderness; when an old object you pick up might hold the memory of a tragic death; or when an everyday habit might already have crossed a forbidden boundary 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 29 I Opened a Bathhouse in Republican-Era China: From the Start, I Had a Bloodstained Blue Garment 我在民国开澡堂：开局一件染血蓝 I Opened a Bathhouse in the Republic of China: From the Start, All I Had Was a Bloodstained Blue Shirt 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 30 Aunt Mei 媚姨 Male Lead: Ding Yuan Female Lead: Liu Meiyi No one is reborn, and there is no System. This is an era of struggle belonging to the older generation! That year, Ding Yuan earned top marks in the imperial examinations, only to have his life stolen from him when his stepmother conspired with her family to switch his results. His father, unaware of the truth, set out on a rainy night to sell goods in the mountains and raise money for Ding Yuan to retake the exams. But the tractor overturned in a ravi 5.6kReads8.8Score47914d adds
- 31 A Poor Man's Guide to Turning His Life Around 穷人翻身指南 A practical guide to ways of thinking I’ll teach you how the rich think And how the poor can turn their lives around Why am I teaching you these ways of thinking? Why write this book? Let me make one thing clear first: The main reason I’m writing this book is for myself. I’m always trying to improve, learning from experience and gaining new insights every day. And the fastest way to absorb, understand, and apply this knowledge is the Feynman Technique. If you don’t know what that is, look it up. 249Reads7.3Score2814d adds
- 32 Foolish Mother 傻娘 My father was dead, my mother had gone mad. The day I came home, I saw someone destroying it... 43.1kReads9.0Score1.3k14d adds
- 33 Living Next Door to Ghosts 与鬼为邻 After losing his job, he rented an apartment and thought he was starting a new life. He never expected ghosts to knock on his door in the middle of the night, only to discover that all his neighbors were ghosts. He wanted to leave, but faced a hefty penalty for breaking his lease. With no other choice, he decided to make the best of it. 13.9kReads8.6Score1k14d adds
- 34 Tales of the Unextinguished Lights 不熄灯异闻录 More chilling than ghost stories, these tales recount the uncanny happenings secretly passed down by our elders! Children will be too scared to walk alone at night after hearing them, and adults will want to pay their respects to their ancestors. This is a book of taboos that the village elders tried to keep from being written! This collection of short stories features folk horror, supernatural mysteries, thrillers, legends, strange tales, and fantasy from across China and around the world. 17Reads—Score214d adds
- 35 36,036 Terrifying Stories You’ll Regret Not Reading 不看后悔的36036个恐怖故事 [Standalone Stories] [Paranormal Events] [Unbelievable] [Forest Spirits] [True Cases] [Rural Ghost Stories] There is no overarching plot. Each chapter tells a self-contained story adapted from the encounters of a shamaness who can see spirits, and the strange, gripping tales surrounding each young friend she meets. 301Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 The Girl I Loved and My Childhood Friend 我与白月光和青梅 The protagonist is a rich second-generation heir from the start. I’m not good at writing introductions. This story focuses mainly on romance and human nature, with a little entrepreneurship. His first love marries him because of real-life difficulties. After the wedding, he discovers she has always loved someone else. He mistakes a transaction for love. She mistakes love for a life. Years later, his childhood sweetheart appears out of nowhere. The story focuses on relationships between men and w 1.7kReads8.1Score11114d adds
- 37 My Brother-in-Law's Lover 情嫂 A country girl from Taohua Valley sets out for the city to make her way in the world. After enduring countless hardships, she suffers one emotional setback after another... Her story portrays the tragic life of a modern woman and shows just how hard life can be for women. 424Reads9.4Score21014d adds
- 38 60 Chilling Stories from Real Life 来自现实的60个惊悚故事 (Purely written by hand, not AI) Schemes! Poisoning! Possession! Framing... evil spirits! Returning from the dead! Ghosts! Curses... Terrifying and chilling stories based on real events, showing you the things that lurk in the dark world! Every story is a horror short drama! 21.3kReads8.9Score2k14d adds
- 39 Don't Go Upstairs Late at Night 深夜别上楼 A ghostly figure in an old building late at night, and the little ghost chasing me turns out to be my savior… At two in the morning, I came back from working overtime to the old building where I’d lived for three years. Every motion-sensor light in the building was off. With every step I took upstairs, a faint, barefoot footstep followed behind me. I turned around. No one was there. At the turn on the third floor, a child’s voice whispered in my ear: “Big sister, don’t go upstairs.” —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 40 The Murder Cases of World Literature 世界名著杀人案 Everyone is born guilty. Some people start atoning from the moment they are born, while others keep on committing crimes. 616Reads8.6Score10014d adds
- 41 The Strange and Supernatural Things I’ve Heard and Seen 那些我所闻所见的灵异事 I’ll tell stories about the strange things that have happened to me over the years, along with the folk secrets and I Ching mysticism I’ve learned. At the start of each story, I’ll say whether I experienced it myself or heard it from someone else. I may not tell them in chronological order. I need to remember and organize everything, so I’ll just talk about whatever comes to mind. Things I experienced myself may be exaggerated, but they’re absolutely true. As for some of the stories I’ve heard, 2.4kReads—Score15614d adds
- 42 Bloodshed Behind Bars 越狱喋血 A desperate revenge sparked by a dream. To save his younger siblings, protagonist Chen Jianan resolutely breaks out of prison and becomes a shadow of vengeance, mercilessly pursuing those who harmed his family. Meanwhile, police captain Bai Kai leads his team in hot pursuit, balancing law against justice. Family bonds, the law, and justice collide, igniting a thrilling journey of love, hatred, redemption, and sacrifice. This is not merely a life-or-death chase, but also a fierce struggle between 2.1kReads7.3Score16014d adds
- 43 The Curtain Rises: Humans and Ghosts Share the Stage 幕启·人鬼同台 The Curtain Rises: Humans and Ghosts Share the Stage 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 My Crush Is Terrified! My Horror Comics Have Come to Life 吓疯Crush！我的恐怖漫画竟成真 Crush is terrified out of his mind! My horror comic has actually come true 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 45 Dissociator: The Glittering Decadence of Los Angeles Eats to the Bone 解离者：洛城的浮华噬骨 Behind the glittering facade of Los Angeles, a foster care agency hides behind a veneer of compassion while repeatedly preying on wealthy, vulnerable foster children. It forges guardianship papers, drains their assets, then gets rid of the victims with staged deaths from illness. 131Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 On the First Day of School, the Stunning Campus Belle Fell for Me! 开学第一天，绝美校花爱上我！ My name is Lin Feng, and I’m an ordinary guy. But ever since I started school, one good thing after another has come my way. Watch me make waves at university. When the campus belle confesses to me, I hardly know how to handle it... 18.2kReads8.6Score1.4k14d adds
- 47 The Witch Seeks the Veins and Calms the Soul 巫师寻脉镇魂 A man in a red robe isn't necessarily a groom. He might be a shaman, known as a Duangong. The protagonist, Liu Chunqiu, is the youngest shaman in southwestern Hubei. Other people wear red to marry. He wears red to drive out ghosts. Other people pray to Buddha and beseech the gods. He invites the gods to possess him. His master asks him to find and recover the lost lineage of shamanic arts. From then on, the protagonist performs Duangong rites day and night to heal the sick and ward off evil, and 122Reads—Score1114d adds
- 48 Learn to Unlock Your Brain with Ease 教你轻松掌握大脑开窍术 Do you keep getting stuck on problems with social relationships, making money, or changing your fate? This book, Teach Yourself to Unlock Your Brain, lays bare the unwritten rules of society. From “you need to understand the Way of Heaven to protect your wealth” to “get benefactors on your side by aligning your interests,” from “steer clear of a weak mindset to hold on to good fortune” to “even swatting a mosquito can teach you how to handle people,” it breaks down practical advice on social tie 1.2kReads—Score22314d adds
- 49 The Caregiver Who Came to Repay a Debt 还债的保姆 Yan Yan had always lived a pampered life, but when her husband was in a car accident, everything fell into hardship. She spent all her savings and racked up a mountain of debt. Their two children needed money for school, and her husband required ongoing treatment. With no one to turn to, she went alone to the big city to find work and earn a living. 67Reads—Score114d adds
- 50 Whispers by the Candlelit Ruins 幽庭烛烬语 In the dead of night, countless eerie secrets lurk in the dark folds of the city. The knocking in an old apartment, known as “Knocking at Midnight,” rings out like clockwork at three in the morning. When a woman living alone peers through the peephole, all she sees is a roiling cloud of scarlet blood mist in the hallway, while a damp scratching comes from the doorknob. In the basement of a century-old apothecary, “Whispers in the Medicine Crock” never cease, day or night. Every night at midnight 3Reads—Score—14d adds
