Novels like Secrets in the Backyard
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Secrets in the Backyard, best match first.
- 151 Give Me Back My Soul 把老子的魂魄还给我 My name is Lin Zhou, and I'm a security guard. After I lost my job, my childhood friend Erwa found me a high-paying security job at a hotel. I soon discovered that everything about the place was strange. There wasn't a soul around during the day, but at night it was bustling, sending chills down my spine. I tried desperately to escape the hotel, but no matter how far I ran, I couldn't get away... 114Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 152 The House of Deadly Peril 死亡凶间 I work as a specialist crime-scene cleaner, tasked with cleaning up after murders, suicides, and accidental deaths. I’ve seen more than my share of partings and grief, as well as the other side of death. Then, on the Ghost Festival, I encountered something terrifying... 18.1kReads9.2Score1.8k14d adds
- 153 The Long-Suffering Younger Sister 苦妹 This is a bloodcurdling, suffocating epic of female suffering. It tells the tragic story of a woman called Ku Mei, whose life was mercilessly crushed by fate over more than half a century, from the early 1960s to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In 1960, during a famine-stricken winter, she was born the second daughter in her family and named Pan Di, “Hoping for a younger brother.” From then on, her grandmother saw her as a “jinx” and branded her Ku Mei, “Bitter Girl.” In a family that 3.5kReads8.8Score41414d adds
- 154 Horrifying! The Haunted House That Claims Lives 惊悚！索命凶宅 After moving into a haunted house, I discovered the secret behind a murder. I'm a suspense writer. After moving into my new home, I discovered it was a murder house! I stumbled upon some hidden clues that seemed to point to rumors of a murder from years ago! At night, beneath the bright moonlight, I stared in shock at a horribly disfigured face! A woman's rotting corpse was hanging from a tree outside the window! A little boy in a black-and-white photograph, a dried corpse sealed inside a wall, 6.1kReads9.1Score45314d adds
- 155 The Dissociator: The Extravagant Prisoner and the Underground Howl 解离者：奢囚与地下啸 New York is split between day and night, two worlds at odds. Hired by a wealthy family to rescue their kidnapped heir, hitman Rick uncovers a sprawling conspiracy. Meanwhile, Roy, a subway veteran worn down by corporate exploitation, launches a fierce rebellion in the underground tunnels. There are no crime investigations or justice here, only struggles for profit and settling scores under a code of gray rules. The victors are free to rewrite the truth. Desire and the cruelty of class are laid b 85Reads—Score—14d adds
- 156 Feng Shui Records of Beijing and Hong Kong 京港风水实录 Do you think you’ve found a bargain and bought a cheap home, or have you purchased a haunted house that will cost you your life? A foreclosed property in Beijing’s Second Ring Road discounted by a million, a detached villa in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels with no down payment: every home that seems too good to be true is, in fact, a cursed place stained with human lives. I’m Han Yang, a feng shui master who specializes in haunted houses. With genuine expertise in feng shui and the flow of energy, I unt 957Reads—Score20314d adds
- 157 The Disintegrator: A World of Black and Gray 解离者：黑灰世界 Rick accidentally plunges into the dark abyss of an international drug cartel's deals, confronting the tangled connections between drug crimes and gang forces and witnessing countless bloody battles. Through one man's eyes, the story depicts a gripping, dark struggle for power, steeped in money and murder. 58Reads—Score—14d adds
- 158 Painting Yin and Yang with a Single Stroke 一笔绘阴阳 As I gazed down the shadowy corridor and across the empty hall, the strange order of light and darkness stirred a fear of the unknown deep inside me. The elders always said, “The ancestral hall is home to spirits that have yet to depart.” “Don’t step on the threshold, don’t touch the ancestral tablets, and don’t whistle in the ancestral hall.” “The names on the tablets weren’t carved there. They moved in.” When the wind blew past the row of wooden windows, the latticework let out a mournful wail 209Reads—Score10114d adds
- 159 Midnight Phoenix: Chronicles of Ten Beauties 魅夜凤凰：十艳录 The protagonist, Shen Xuanyue, was originally a plum-blossom deer spirit. His cultivation has always been hindered by the Lone Lamp Art, keeping him from reaching the highest realm. Only by coupling with ten women who possess a special kind of heart-tingling spiritual energy can he break free of the Lone Lamp Art’s constraints and gain immense power. Who are these ten beauties? What secrets lie behind each love story? What will become of Shen Xuanyue? Find all the answers in the book, waiting fo 1.2kReads8.7Score—14d adds
- 160 Spirit-Seeking Case Files 3: The Grudge of the Wronged 访灵笔录3：冤亲赋 [Mystery] [Supernatural] [Strong Duo] [Lighthearted] [Episodic Stories] [Ghostly Tales] [Ensemble Ghost-Hunting] "Love gives rise to sorrow; love gives rise to fear." "An evil spirit lives inside my body. I don't know when it will devour me." A naked woman's corpse is discovered in an underground parking garage, her chest stuffed with weeds and her organs missing. A string of murders throws the entire city into panic! Quan Ning accidentally gets caught up in this bizarre case. As clues gradually 38Reads7.9Score—14d adds
- 161 Special Cleaner, Occasional Crime Scene Stager 特殊清洁员，偶尔也布置案发现场 (Content warnings: no female lead, no romantic ambiguity, dark plot, protagonist is not a good person, lighthearted everyday tone) (No female lead does not mean no female supporting characters. Recommended that you stay away. The male lead is very much a criminal, not a positive role model, and people get killed on a regular basis.) Good news: He transmigrated. Bad news: The body’s original owner seems to have just killed someone. Is Qi Shu panicking? He’s practically panicking to death. After a 502Reads8.6Score10214d adds
- 162 The Evil Tale (Complete) 恶谭（全文） [Suspense + criminal investigation + deduction + episodic cases + the depths of human nature + no romance + crime-solving focus] “When a person’s heart is filled with darkness, evil takes root there. The guilty are not the criminals, but those who create the darkness.” A distress call received in the early hours comes from a dead person’s phone number. A murder in a village is reported in the news, with the Wolf God suspected of being responsible! Men in Liangcheng are repeatedly found to have b 1.4kReads8.8Score19714d adds
- 163 The Empty Grave 空坟 Don't mess with the mirror in the house! After my favorite mirror disappeared, I began to fear the light. The doctor said I was allergic to sunlight, and I thought I was just sick. Until one day... I saw... my own grave! 1.1kReads9.0Score10614d adds
- 164 Spirit-Seeking Case Files 1: The Road to the Yellow Springs 访灵笔录1：黄泉路 [Mystery] [Supernatural] [A Powerful Duo] [Lighthearted] [Episodic Stories] [Ghostly Tales] [Ensemble Cast Hunting Ghosts] "The road to the Yellow Springs stretches for thousands of miles. The living and the dead are separated, with only fate to reunite them in another life." Quan Ning got into a car accident on a mountain road. As he lay on the brink of death, a man claiming to be a ghost judge from the underworld offered him a chance to live. "I'll lend you ten years. Interest is three percent 83Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 165 The Year of the Wolf and Tiger 狼虎之年 A panoramic survey of the raw emotional lives of people from different age groups and social classes in China today, vividly depicting the good and evil, beauty and ugliness of human nature amid the country’s rapid social transformation. It lays bare the conflicts and friction between people’s emotions and reality. 11.2kReads9.5Score1.2k14d adds
- 166 A Song of Life's Sorrows 生命悲歌 [Human nature + family + first person + male and female audiences] (Adapted into an audio drama with real voice actors; a motion comic is in production and coming soon.) Fate is never set in advance, yet it always pushes people toward unknown wilderness when they least expect it. The Ballad of Life uses simple, heartfelt storytelling to unfold a journey through hardship, perseverance, and struggle, revealing the most moving strength found in an ordinary life. There are no earth-shattering legend 10.9kReads9.2Score90714d adds
- 167 March of a Hundred Ghosts: I Take the Hungry Ghosts to War 百诡行军：我带饿鬼上战场 [Comedy] [Adventure] Bilige was a half-baked shaman who had somehow ended up in the army. His companions included a Shaanbei fat man who'd eaten himself up to two hundred jin during a famine, a long-legged Northeastern squad leader who would grab a cleaver at the slightest provocation, and a Sichuan opera actor who never told the truth. Together with Wang Laihe, a hotheaded young man who couldn't read a single character, and a little hungry ghost who did nothing but bare its teeth and shout “Hun 172Reads—Score—14d adds
- 168 The Book of Fortune-Telling 算命簿 I am a fortune-teller in real life. I was 83 years old when I wrote this book. No one knows what sort of writing an 83-year-old man might produce, and neither do I. I just want to write a book while I still have time, and finally put one matter to rest... Synopsis: A wandering fortune-teller speaks of hidden mysteries, yet has a past unknown to all. This forbidden volume records a century's worth of secrets about practitioners of the occult. In the instant when dark arts clash with fate, the mys 3.3kReads7.0Score48514d adds
- 169 Record of the Spirit Seekers 2: Farewell to the Mortal World 访灵笔录2：入世辞 [Mystery + supernatural + powerful partners + lively humor + episodic stories + ghostly tales + an ensemble cast hunting ghosts] “Nothing brings greater joy than meeting a new friend; nothing brings greater sorrow than parting from a loved one.” A chance encounter with a beauty on Ghost Wasteland Mountain turns out to be a deadly ghost's attempt to claim a soul! Karmic ties from a past life and entanglements in this one: whose mistake is it, and whose fate? Quan Ning and Yin Cangyi are accidenta 40Reads7.9Score—14d adds
- 170 888 a Day: Plenty to Retire on in a County Town 每日888，县城养老很够花 [Financial Freedom] [Everyday Life] [Multiple Heroines] [Lighthearted, No Angst] At thirty, life treats you worse than a dog. Laid off and utterly disheartened, Bai Ye finally gave in and decided to return to the small county town where he was born and raised. But on the train home, he discovered that he had bound himself to a System called Life Assistant. [With the System at your side, unemployment is nothing to fear! Receive an 888-yuan daily unemployment benefit!] [Worried about your health? 27.8kReads7.8Score1.3k14d adds
- 171 The Loop 循环 From losing everything to striking it rich overnight, Wang Hao wins at the gambling table for five days straight. But there are no free lunches, and in the end, his greed will make him pay a terrible price! In a single night, Wang Hao vanishes without a trace. Awei, Wang Hao's friend, reports him missing to the police, then secretly investigates his whereabouts. Unexpectedly, one eerie incident after another follows! Someone who died more than twenty years ago reappears! As he digs deeper, he di 255Reads8.3Score1714d adds
- 172 The Neighbor's Young Wife Schemed Against Me and Ruined Half My Life 隔壁小媳妇算计我，毁我半生 [Period drama] [Northeastern factory district] [Forbidden affair] [Deception and schemes] [Pregnancy troubles] [Long-buried secrets] [Redemption through guilt] [A painfully realistic tragedy] In a northeastern chemical factory neighborhood in the 1980s, the life of honest factory worker Jia Jun is ruined by the young wife next door! One act of misplaced trust draws him into the enormous lie Su Min has spun. One wrong step, and he's trapped in a forbidden affair, lost beyond redemption! An unexpe 5.7kReads8.1Score27114d adds
- 173 Crime Scene: A Homicide Captain’s Casebook 犯罪现场：刑警队长的死亡手札 Tension! Suspense! Thrills! Disappearances! Kidnappings! Murders! A sealed room used to kill, cursed villagers, a sinister mirror... Who is the real culprit lurking in the darkness? 731Reads9.1Score5314d adds
- 174 A World Out of Balance 人间失衡 [Mind-bending suspense + short stories + no overarching plot + crime + criminal investigation + shocking twists + stories of ordinary people] The deepest wounds are often inflicted by those closest to us. A bloody case at an old family home, shrouded in mystery. Who is the real killer? After her father dies of illness, her sister-in-law sells her to northern Myanmar! The body of a baby girl is found in the woods. A kidnapping case turns into a murder investigation. Who would target an innocent i 224Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 175 Underworld Agent 地府经纪人 I was hit by a basketball at school and fell into a lake, but I survived and became an official employee of the Underworld. I also gained a Ghost Hunter System that helps the Underworld recruit talented ghosts, setting me on the path to turning my life around. 56Reads6.8Score414d adds
- 176 Out of Control 失控者 [Anthology stories + supernatural horror + folk customs + feng shui and mysticism + subtle scares + jaw-dropping twists] Open a paper box sealed away for many years, and one terrifying incident after another begins to surface. The massacre that wiped out an entire family in Nanhua Estate, and the deaths of everyone connected to the case! A bride in a red qipao appearing by your side in the dead of night! Strange legends circulate through a dilapidated high-rise, where hands reach out of the dark 39Reads—Score314d adds
- 177 Tales of the Supernatural: Ghost-Hunting Venerable 怪谈之捉鬼天尊 Eight severed-head mountains form a Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation, imprisoning Song An’s first eight incarnations. To ensure that Song An can grow up safely in his ninth life, a mysterious eminent monk comes to the mortal world. Unfortunately, this time Song An is born on the night of the Ghost Festival, and is also a child of extreme yin, with all eight characters of his birth chart belonging to yin. Even stranger, nine days and nine nights of blood rain fall before Song An’s birth. For —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 178 Dissolver: Assassination 解离者：刺杀 With the election approaching, the political landscape is shrouded in uncertainty. Acting on a secret assignment, Rick navigates official cover-ups, power struggles, and layers of deception. Following the faintest clues, he carefully pieces together the truth and hunts down the mysterious mastermind lurking behind it all. He quietly snuffs out a deadly crisis capable of changing the balance of power before it can take root. 101Reads—Score—14d adds
- 179 Blood-Tinged Rose 血语玫瑰 Every girl hopes her boyfriend will be young, handsome, rich, and well educated. The Devil ticks all those boxes, yet no one wants to date him. Mu Hanjun was being hounded by a demon from the human world. Her tormentor, Ming Yu, was as handsome and wealthy as the Devil. Ten years ago, he killed four people, then escaped punishment by claiming he had been mentally ill when he committed the crimes. Mu Hanjun accidentally fell into his clutches, and he forced her to date him. Sharing a bed with th 1.9kReads9.1Score31314d adds
- 180 The Haunted Grave 诡坟 I think I've been possessed! Right before the college entrance exam, I suddenly came down with a high fever that wouldn't break. I missed the exam and had to spend half a year recovering at home. During those six months, I found a job as a cemetery groundskeeper. My coworker, Old Zhang, saw how frail I was and how weak my yang energy seemed, and insisted on finding me someone to protect me. But he didn't tell me that my protector would be a female ghost!! Not only does she want to marry me, she 108Reads7.0Score514d adds
- 181 The Sobbing Maitreya 哽咽的弥勒 A truly thrilling horror fantasy, with a master like Lin Zhenying guiding you through terrifying adventures, slaying demons and monsters, exploring forbidden arts, and cultivating as a demon immortal. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. It's pure exhilaration from beginning to end! 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 182 One Haunting a Day 一日一诡 Like people, supernatural entities can be good or bad, so the author can’t promise that every story will have an off-the-charts scare factor that keeps you up at night. The only guarantee is that all the stories are entirely fictional. If anything seems familiar, you’re on your own! 354Reads—Score10114d adds
- 183 Sunny Skies Above the Humble Life 鸡毛之上有晴天 [Marriage and love] [Heartbreak] [Betrayal] [Comeback] [Redemption] [The truth about marriage] [Urban romance] [Realistic relationships] [Healing] A broken marriage has worn away every last trace of warmth, leaving two lives utterly out of step! He fought his way up from being a low-level technician at a chemical plant, only to have his own brother steal his hard work and stab him in the back! His former lover suffers through pregnancy; old love and hatred entangle them, betrayal cuts deep, devo 1.2kReads8.1Score10414d adds
- 184 Tales of the Haunted Mountain Village 山村诡事录 Where the woods are dense, ghosts abound; where the mountains are high, monsters are sure to lurk. After getting drunk, Chen Jianjun of Kaoshan Village encounters a beautiful woman in the mountains. Alone together, the pair spend several days in an intimate embrace. When he returns home, he goes mad for a day and then dies. On the day of his burial, Chen Jianjun suddenly comes back to life... To save his family, Chen Xiaojun becomes the apprentice of Yi, a lame man who was once sent to a work ca 4.5kReads9.2Score40714d adds
- 185 I Live in Fengmen Village 我住在封门村 My hometown shares its name with the legendary number-one haunted village in China: Fengmen Village. What’s more, our village also has a grandmaster’s chair. Whoever sits in it is doomed to die! It was 1997, and I had been accepted into the high school in town. Once summer vacation was over, I would finally be able to leave the place where I’d spent sixteen years. But what I never expected was for one terrifying incident after another to strike the village! Rats that ate human flesh, five-colore 717Reads6.1Score4814d adds
- 186 When an Honest Man Picks Up a Knife 当老实人拿起刀 This is a straight-up crime-world novel! It does start with the protagonist being reborn, but after that, the story has nothing to do with being reborn! In short, the plot is ruthless, satisfying, and wild... The underworld here is all about fighting and killing, but also about human relationships and social rules! 22.4kReads9.1Score1.8k14d adds
- 187 Incense Ashes: I'm a Yin-Yang Medium 香灰：我是阴阳女先生 If someone asks to borrow money from you in a dream, promise me you won’t lend it. Because what you’re lending isn’t money, it’s your life. … Grandma called me a debt-collecting demon, and Mom called me a bringer of bad luck. All because, when I was born, a fire broke out at home for no apparent reason, and the villagers rushed over to help put it out. But no matter what they did, they couldn’t extinguish the flames. The fire only slowly died down after half the village had burned to the ground. 6.9kReads9.1Score82514d adds
- 188 A Record of Supernatural Events in the Countryside 乡村灵异事件薄 My new work is out! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support is what keeps me writing, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 475Reads—Score—14d adds
- 189 Baby Lantern 婴儿灯 When I was five, I fell into the water and my soul left my body. With my own eyes, I saw the legendary baby lantern said to lure away souls. I initially thought it had come to harm me, but that wasn’t the case. As I continued to investigate, a sinister layout targeting me slowly came to light... 208Reads—Score—14d adds
- 190 The Bureau's Twin Years: A Record of Strange Herb Mysteries in the Martial World 局编双年：奇草谜案江湖录 (Not a power fantasy + no System + plot-driven + crime-solving and deduction + mind-bending twists) (The author spent a full year crafting all the murder cases. They’re sure to be gripping and mind-bending, so enjoy!) One year ago, on a dark night, I was a lowly cleaner working in the City Lord’s Hall when I was dragged into a murder targeting the three great families. Everyone said I was the killer! One year later, by day, I’d turned my fortunes around and become deputy director of the Security 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 191 Dissolver: Incoming Missile 解离者：导弹袭来 Rick, the hard-bitten killer from the series, returns once more. His close friend is brutally murdered, and the trail leads to a major missile trafficking case deliberately kept under wraps. To avenge his brother, Rick ventures alone into the heart of the conspiracy. As he presses forward through a perilous investigation, he finally slays his enemy with decisive force and successfully averts a missile crisis threatening the United States. 129Reads—Score—14d adds
- 192 Evil Bones 2: The Ashen Mystery 恶骨2：灰烬谜踪 [Criminal Investigation + Criminal Psychology + Hard-Core Deduction + Genius Detective + Serial Murders + Fighting Side by Side + Ensemble Cast] The dead can speak, and clues never lie! Thirty years ago, a shooting sent shockwaves through the entire town. A man and a woman died on the spot, while the killer remained at large. Years later, another case brought the true culprit behind the cold case to light! At the same time, a young girl vanished under mysterious circumstances, and every suspect 3.2kReads9.3Score77414d adds
- 193 I Transmigrated into a Blond Delinquent and Resolved to Stay Away from the Heroine 穿越成黄毛的我决心远离女主 Lin Yu doesn’t understand why he transmigrated here. When other people transmigrate, they either end up in a cultivation world, where one sword can overwhelm ten thousand enemies, or in a historical dynasty, where they can change history and hold power over the court. At the very least, they might transmigrate to a few decades ago, use their knowledge of the future to get rich, and build a harem. Who would transmigrate to a place like this?! 33.6kReads8.7Score2.1k14d adds
- 194 The Underworld Calls Me Little Sir 地府叫我小先生 [Supernatural + mystery + power progression] Getting hit by a basketball and falling into a lake was bad enough. Even worse, I got killed by a basketball!! The Black and White Impermanence told me I still had seventy years left to live. To make it up to me, they offered me a job in the underworld. So I became an HR officer on the underworld’s permanent staff and even got a ghost recruitment System! As long as I help the underworld recruit talented ghosts, I can earn all kinds of abilities: talis 399Reads—Score—14d adds
- 195 I Treat You Like a Goddess, and You Call Me Dad? 我拿你当女神，你管我叫爸爸？ [Boys’ love]+ [Daughter who’s the campus belle]+ [Adorably naive professor]+ [Unexpected rebirth]+ [Relaxed daily life]+ [No System]+ [Sweet romance] A beautiful, aloof campus belle who keeps everyone at arm’s length suddenly runs up to me, claims she’s my daughter, and won’t stop calling me “Daddy”! What am I supposed to do? Asking for a friend. It’s kind of urgent~ … For the sake of his high school sweetheart, Jiang Feng chose to attend the same university as her, only for her to dump him. Bef 15.3kReads9.4Score1.9k14d adds
- 196 Heartbeat Countdown: Waiting for You to Step Down 心动倒计时：等你卸任 I’d barely graduated from college when I put the campus goddess teacher on maternity leave! After Lin Feng was dumped by his girlfriend, he never expected to spend a night with the school’s goddess teacher! What caught Lin Feng even more off guard was that the goddess was pregnant with his child! And so, under the watchful eyes of their students and colleagues, the two temporarily began living together… [Everyday life] + [Dad life] + [Adorable kids] + [One heroine] 18.2kReads9.0Score1.6k14d adds
- 197 Revenge Begins With the Perfect Accident 复仇，从制造完美意外开始 [High-IQ plots involving accidental killings and locked-room murders] [A logical, high-IQ power fantasy] To prevent crime and reduce the likelihood of criminal acts, a brand-new variety show, Simulated Crime, takes the world by storm. The guests enter a space capsule, where their brain waves connect to a fully simulated metaverse. Studying the crimes committed by guests during their revenge plots can provide criminal investigation with valuable experience and improve the efficiency of solving ca 2.2kReads8.9Score22414d adds
- 198 Crime Scene Investigation: The Clues 犯罪现场调查：蛛丝马迹 (Not a wish-fulfillment story, no System, no romance, traditional criminal investigation) While the officers of the Changlin Criminal Investigation Division were still grieving the death of former Deputy Division Chief Xu Wei, who had died in the line of duty, their new deputy chief, Shen Yanning, arrived out of nowhere, stirring up resentment and rejection among them. But as time went on, they discovered that their young, handsome new superior could unravel cases thread by thread, finding the t 988Reads8.7Score12914d adds
- 199 My Dad's on the Straight and Narrow, I'm in the Underworld 白道爹，黑道我 [Not invincible! Not invincible! Not invincible!] The martial world is a road of no return, and its people are pawns that have crossed the river! Where will the drifting ship in this forbidden zone finally end up? Watch as this wandering youth stirs up a storm! Black side: I've got countless brothers! White side: My backing is powerful beyond belief! Money is just something you can't bring with you when you die! [Entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental!] 100.1kReads9.0Score7.3k14d adds
- 200 Folk Tales: One Chapter, One Horror Story 民间怪谈一章一个恐怖故事 [Anthology of stories] [Folklore horror] [Supernatural horror] [Village legends] [Chinese-style horror] [Old-time storytelling] There is no overarching plot. Each chapter is a standalone horror story adapted from folk tales, with eerie, unsettling plots that grow more terrifying the more you think about them. Note: This story discourages superstition and encourages belief in science. It is entirely fictional, so just enjoy it as a bit of fun. 25.6kReads7.5Score1.1k14d adds
