Novels like That Little Alley
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as That Little Alley, best match first.
- 51 I Designed Your Bride's Wedding Dress with My Own Hands 我亲手为你的新娘设计了婚纱 Cover image source: XHS, Snowy Day Originally titled “Out of Focus” A secret crush is one person out of focus; loving someone you can’t have is two people on parallel lines. When you appeared, the whole world went out of focus. The first time we met, I tripped in front of you. From then on, I’ve always stumbled right where you are. Jian Lushun, goodbye forever. 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 52 Fallen Leaves Gardenia 落叶Gardenia [Jiang Yi, gentle and thoughtful & Ye Shuang, sunny and handsome] A secret crush at school They knew each other for twelve years. Though their love was mutual, their story always ended in tragedy. She was always there with the scent of gardenias. She passed away with the scent of gardenias. And the scent of gardenias was gone from his side forever... “Ye Shuang, I'm sorry.” 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 53 Summer, Nowhere to Be Seen 【夏不见】 [Sweet at first, angsty later + Beautiful tragedy] [Main couple: Mutual salvation Cold boy × Somber girl] [Side couple: Bickering rivals] They met in the leafy green of summer. After one chance encounter after another, the cold boy and the somber girl discovered that each shone at school, yet suffered in homes painfully barren of warmth. Slowly, their young feelings grew wild, but in the end, they couldn’t withstand the twists of fate. - “Jiang Leng, it’s snowing. Another winter has come,” “But 1.2kReads8.2Score34114d adds
- 54 Once, the Sun Shone on Me 曾被阳光照耀 What is a secret crush? For Yang Zhi, a secret crush is a little flower suddenly blooming in a barren wasteland, a ray of sunlight appearing out of nowhere in endless darkness, and him barging into her world before she could even react. But... he is a dazzling light, the moon in the distant sky, someone forever beyond her reach... So, as long as... as long as she can gaze at him... from afar... she is content. 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 55 The Person I Loved as a Teen Ignored My Confession. When I Saw Him Again After Returning Home, I Cried 我少时喜欢的人不理我的表白，回国后再见他，我却哭了 The person I loved as a teenager ignored my confession. When I saw him again after returning to China, I cried. 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 56 It's Raining, Shen Zhi Doesn't Fit In 下雨了，沈枳不合 It’s raining. Shen Zhi doesn’t fit in. 145Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 My Life Is Ten Thousand Springtimes of Splendor 我的生命是一万次的春和景明 My life is ten thousand springs of clear skies and bright days —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 58 A Winter’s Last Letter 冬日遗书 [Mutual Secret Crush + Angst + Youth and School Life + Both Leads Die | Slow-Burn Style | Hero's Secret-Crush Diary] When Fang Li was sixteen, her mother remarried, and she transferred to Nanshi No. 1 High School. There she met Jiang Zheng, the “bad boy” everyone talked about. As she got to know him, she realized this quiet boy wasn't as bad as everyone said. On the contrary, he was wonderful. So wonderful that Fang Li would never forget him for the rest of her life. The boy wasn't a savior, but 2.1kReads8.2Score54714d adds
- 59 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
- 60 She Lost Again 她又输了 [Youthful campus romance + secret crush + bad ending] Jiang Nianzhi’s world had always been dark, but luckily, she met Zhou Siheng, who could protect her. She realized she was pretty lucky after all: she’d found her savior, a boy who could keep her safe. It seemed Jiang Nianzhi had lost everything. Everyone hated her except Zhou Siheng. “Can I rely on you from now on?” The boy smiled, gently stroked the girl’s head, and said, “You can.” From then on, Jiang Nianzhi had someone to lean on. But goo 13Reads—Score114d adds
- 61 Winter's Distant Letter 寄冬遥 [Complete] [Bad ending. The rating is low because it was just launched.] **[Buddhist-minded Beijing tycoon x cunning, irresistible peach] [Reunion after years apart * intense push and pull * deadly love triangle]** At nineteen, Zhao Dongyao fell for Shen Tingshan at first sight in a dimly lit bar. His presence was icy and commanding. She threw herself into seducing him, inexperienced but bold. Only after they slept together did she learn he was one of the most powerful men in Beijing. Even 3.8kReads8.7Score41414d adds
- 62 Infested 入蛊 “Why does my heart race uncontrollably whenever I see you?” “So that’s what it means to be bewitched by you.” “Bewitched, and loving you to the bone.” 630Reads8.5Score10214d adds
- 63 She Owes Him Nothing Anymore 她不欠他了 This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Lin Nan, a girl suffering from depression caused by her family, vs. Mo Sheng, a boy who seems sunny on the outside Grandma once said, “A person spends their whole life owing and repaying. Life is nothing more than all those debts and repayments gathered together.” Lin Nan had no idea how much she owed Mo Sheng. Maybe from the moment he asked, “Are you cold?” in that alley, she was destined neve 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 64 One Letter Left Behind 剩下一封信 [Main story complete] [Angst] [School-life tragedy] [Two top students] [One-on-one + childhood sweethearts] [Slight ensemble cast] Golden boy Shen Yuchuan vs. gentle girl Qiu Suian [Suisi, will you stay with me forever?] [I will.] . [Qiu Suian, may you live a long life.] [Shen Yuchuan, may you be safe and well year after year.] That summer was as lively as ever. Cicadas buzzed noisily, and the summer breeze brought nothing but heat. But to Shen Yuchuan, it felt like the depths of winter. He sta 697Reads6.6Score19314d adds
- 65 Rose and Lychee Candy 玫瑰荔枝糖 [Love at First Sight, Two Academic Stars] [Tsundere Demon King x Tough Little Airhead] [If They Both Die, It’s a Happy Ending] On the first day of school, Lu Ziyao fell in love with Shi Nian at first sight. All Lu Ziyao remembered was that the weather was beautiful that day, so beautiful he couldn’t remember it clearly, because he had met her. The boy approached her cautiously, afraid of frightening the girl he liked. He just didn’t know that once you get close to some things, they can stay with 61Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 66 Time Turns Back, and I Meet You Again 时光往复，再遇见你 [Reborn + Marriage First, Love Later + Sweet Romance + Secret Crush Becomes Love + Mutual Firsts] (Six-year age gap, the male lead has been planning this for a long time, a gentle, slow-burn sweet romance) “I won’t pluck the moon. I want her to hang high in the sky forever, radiant and pure.” In her previous life, Ye Liyuan thought she had married the right man. When disaster struck her family and her father was sent to prison, she believed Shen Chengzhou had held everything together for her. L 261Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 67 Song Nine 宋玖 Song Jiu, the ray of sunshine at No. 8 High School. Beautiful and wealthy, great at basketball, and Qinghui’s most valuable painter. She has ranked first in her grade for years, shining brightly among ordinary people. People are always saying that Song Jiu has had everything go her way and lived life as she pleased. She’s become exactly the sort of person everyone wishes they could be. Whether it’s darkness, corruption, despair, or illness, Don’t be afraid. Someone will always be there to keep y 12Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 68 Love Born of Hate 怀恨爱 A rainy day brought them together; a sunny day drove them apart. May I give you jasmine, and may you never leave. What is remembered always will one day be answered. Jiang Yi is brooding and possessive; Shen Yue refuses to believe that even an iceberg can't melt. When she first met him, he was rebellious and defiant. The last time she saw him, they were separated by death. He always listened to her. Even that iceberg would melt, watering his little jasmine. Before leaving on a mission, he asked 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 69 Even If This Love Disappeared from the World 就算这份爱恋从世界上消失 All the love in this world, gathered in twelve short stories. Even if that love disappears from the world, it once burned our souls with fierce heat. "Seven Days" "Because of Daishan" "Remember to Translate It Twice" "A Sea Hidden in My Heart" "He Just Doesn't Like You" "Even Their Names Are a Perfect Match" "Pain So Bad I Can't Breathe" "Spring Never Comes" "Oh, the Mist" "A Missing Heartbeat" "I Hear Poetry in the Mist" "Forty-Two Years" 27Reads7.9Score10414d adds
- 70 The True Meaning of Buddhist Enlightenment and Practice 佛陀觉悟修持正解 The Buddha's Enlightenment: A Correct Guide to Practice 3Reads—Score114d adds
- 71 I Spied on You Ten Thousand Times 偷看了你一万次 Unrequited love, BE, campus romance. The heroine is a little too love-brained. Don't read if that's not your thing. There's also a short-story version. The year Shi Chu fell for Xu Xingze, she was twelve. The first time she saw him, she thought he didn't belong here at all, and yet he drew every eye. After years of secretly loving him, Shi Chu's feelings became an open secret. Everyone knew she liked Xu Xingze, but the saddest thing of all was that Shi Chu knew Xu Xingze didn't like her. Years a —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 72 Keep Moving Forward, Don't Look Back 向前走，别回头 At 18, Zhao Xingyang fell in love with someone. To her, the boy was a ray of light in her life, the best gift heaven had ever given her. He was brilliant and flamboyant, carefree and unrestrained. Unfortunately, he didn't know she existed, and she was too much of a coward... Perhaps because she'd met someone so dazzling in her youth, it took her a full ten years to let go. At 28, Zhao Xingyang told herself: “Keep moving forward. Don't look back.” 146Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 73 The Day the Wind Blew 风吹过的那天 He Lin, congratulations on your wedding. On the day you got married, the wind blew. I thought I was finally ready to let go. 205Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 74 I'll Meet Her Again When Summer Comes 无夏再逢她 (Just received a rating; completed) [Heartbreak Youth Fiction | BE | Schoolyard Secret Crush | Healing] Cheng Wang had loved Lin Yiwan for years and years. He secretly wrote twenty-one letters, each one holding a piece of his heart. After the college entrance exams, Lin Yiwan suddenly kissed him of her own accord. But on the very day Cheng Wang planned to confess his feelings, she took her own life. All she left behind was a notebook containing every one of her secrets. Cheng Wang: “What’s the w 245Reads8.3Score10514d adds
- 75 A Confession Hidden Away 告白难藏 [Redemption + healing + tragic ending + unrequited love + reunion after a long separation + lingering heartbreak + slice of life] A gloomy, aloof girl x a brash, sunny boy They first met when Chi Zhiyu mistakenly thought she was about to kill herself and saved her. He said a lot of things. She wasn’t wearing her hearing aids then, so she couldn’t hear him. From Qing Yi’s perspective, that was their first meeting. The second time they met, she smelled smoke in the alley on her way to school. She 80Reads—Score—14d adds
- 76 Blaspheming Buddha 渎佛 A bewitching woman who tempers her sharp edges and sinks into ruin alongside him x a Buddhist who casts off his cassock and descends into the mortal world The fateful entanglement between Gou Ting, a Buddhist disciple, and Bai Yue, a temptress from the Hehuan Sect, is utterly overturned when he is reborn. He returns to the past bearing memories etched into his bones, determined to sever their ill-fated bond. But she, her soul reborn across two lifetimes, quietly rewrites her destiny and keeps he 201Reads7.9Score—14d adds
- 77 No Roses in Midsummer 盛夏无玫瑰 [Troubled, obsessive boy × warm, healing ray of sunshine] Unrequited love × love at first sight × bittersweet school romance Roses are a byword for romance, the beginning of regret, and the end of a midsummer... Romance let the roses pierce the whole summer, allowing them to take root and bloom in the pain of her wounds. In the end, they secretly became the only thorns in the time machine of her life, letting every unfinished kiss grow into an epitaph here, bringing every regret to its close. “A 78Reads—Score—14d adds
- 78 He Must Have Found His Way Into Happiness 他定是，投入了幸福怀抱 He must have thrown himself into the arms of happiness. 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 79 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
- 80 Begging for Love 乞欢 [Heartbreak]+ [Unrequited Love]+ [School Romance, Bad Ending] [Redemption × Quirky, Spirited Girl × Aloof, Cold, Introverted Boy] Xia Wei was a beautiful girl who had just transferred into the class. Wild-tempered, impatient, and bold, she soon became famous throughout No. 14 High School. A gorgeous top student, she was both beautiful and formidable. People nicknamed her the Queen of Thorns. At eighteen, Xia Wei was bright and sunny, warming everyone around her like a little sun. So many student 45Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 81 A Coward in Love 是暗恋的胆小鬼 [Completed] [Secret Crush Comes True] [He Gets His Comeuppance for Chasing Her Too Late] [Angsty Romance] Chen Xu was the only person Jiang Yi ever loved during her youth, and the one she could never forget. But who wasn’t a coward with a secret crush back then? Long after graduation, Jiang Yi could still remember what they had been like. But when they met again, everything had changed. The last thing she heard about him was that he was getting married. When you’re young, you can’t help seeing t 123Reads—Score—14d adds
- 82 The Last Snowfall in Zurich 苏黎世的最后一场雪 Lin Xigu once believed that staying by Wen Anning's side could dispel the gloom hanging over her and save her from depression. They promised to travel to many places together, letting the world's beauty soothe the scars deep in her soul, and letting the winds atop the snow-capped mountains bear witness to their long-overdue confession. But the storm of fate struck without warning. The last snowfall in Zurich took Wen Anning away and crushed all of Lin Xigu's hopes. Only when Lin Xigu found the 40Reads—Score—14d adds
- 83 The Heart's Track of Love 心动之心轨 [Wealthy-family tragedy + school romance + sweet doting love + bad ending] I hope that one day I can hold your hand and go with you to see the sights you want to see. You’re the only girl I’ll ever love. You were there at the beginning, you’re there throughout, and you’ll still be there at the end. Ye Qingyue, I love you. Could you love me too?, Gu Beichen I’m sorry I can’t stay by your side. Please live well in the days ahead, okay?, Ye Qingyue Ye Qingyue died in the very year Gu Beichen loved 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 84 Huai'an 怀安 Xu Sui'an will always love Lu Huaizheng, and Lu Huaizheng will always protect Xu Sui'an. "To be loved is to have a brilliant light shine on the insecure in their darkest hour. It means that even if the whole world condemns you, I will still choose you without hesitation, come to you, and love you deeply." "Dear friend, one day we must say goodbye, but I will remember you forever. Farewell." 4Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 85 Jiadou's Little Red Flower 嘉朵小红花 Jiadou's Little Red Flower 73Reads—Score—14d adds
- 86 Maybe He Once Loved Me 或许他喜欢过我 [Gentle girl × calm, sharp-tongued guy] [secret crush · tragic ending] [Two super-sweet supporting couples]+ [A pair that leaves you wondering what might have been] Even though I knew a secret crush was a road with no return, I still walked down it without hesitation. At first sight, there was only one photograph. When they met again, she didn't know that the person at the stairwell corner was him. Zhao Jin posted her first ever social media update for him and tried all kinds of new things. Bu 647Reads8.1Score14114d adds
- 87 Prejudice and Love 偏见与宠爱 Prejudice and Devotion —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 88 The Phoenix’s Summer 不死鸟的夏 The gardenias bloomed, but the person watching them with me wasn't the boy who had dazzled my youth that summer long ago. He had gone to protect another girl for the rest of his life. I love white magnolias in summer. They usually bloom during the season, and their fragrance, like that of orchids, evokes an image of pure, jade-like beauty. After meeting Xu Yue, I fell in love with gardenias. They bloom every year around the summer solstice, their petals a pure white that symbolizes a promise to 27Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 89 Her White Dress 她的白纱裙 [Cool girl + oblivious male lead + unrequited love + campus + mild angst] Ye Junqing comes from a poor family. With the help of Mu Chen, the favored son of heaven, she gradually emerges from the darkness, but in the end, they never get together. A story of unrequited love. At the beginning, he ruffles her hair. "Then it's a promise. We'll go see the sea together." At the end, he stands alone in the sea breeze, tears tracing his cheeks. "Junqing, where are you? Won't you come back to me?" 41Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 90 His Sea, Her Shore 他的海，她的岸 [Mutual pining that becomes real love × each other’s first love × healing and redemption × devoted to each other × tragic ending] They first met at school. He was a taciturn top student, and she was a quiet, gentle underachiever. Their secret crushes from middle school finally blossomed into love at university. Their romance was as sweet as midsummer, but his family’s opposition forced them apart. He went overseas and vanished without a trace; she carried on alone, hiding her regrets. Four years 21Reads—Score—14d adds
- 91 Unrequited Love: A Grand, Silent Collapse 暗恋，是一场盛大的无声溃败 Some feelings are destined to remain unspoken, hidden away by the passing years. Like fireworks no one came to see, they burst into brilliant life and faded into lonely silence. We are destined to lose the people we love. Otherwise, how would we know how much they matter? The insecure and sensitive Jiang Wanyue × the bright and accomplished He Jinsheng Adapted from real personal experiences. [The psychology book Love Yourself More, Live Better is expected to be released in November] 65Reads—Score—14d adds
- 92 Too Proud to Reach 拽不可攀 [Secret crush] [Both are each other’s only one] [Long-planned romance] [School life] [Happy ending] [The psychology book Love Yourself More, Live Better is expected to come out in November] In high school, Pei Lin was an excellent student, good in both conduct and academics. He was always at the top of his class, and his uniform was always spotless. Back then, nobody would have linked him to Tan Yunxiang, who had a terrible reputation. And no one could have guessed that the aloof top student was 58Reads—Score—14d adds
- 93 I'm Sorry, I... Love... 对不起，我……爱…… I'm sorry, I... love... 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 94 A Tortured Love Between Human and Ghost: The Bricklayer 人鬼虐恋之泥瓦匠 A Tragic Love Between a Man and a Ghost: The Bricklayer —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 95 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
- 96 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
- 97 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
- 98 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
- 99 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
- 100 Because It’s You, I Don’t Want to Let Go 因为是你，不想放手 When Shu Wennning was seven, her parents died in an accident, and the Xie family took her in. After arriving at the Xie home, Shu Wennning went to play alone in the courtyard and nearly got lost. By a small fishpond, she spotted a chubby, fair-skinned boy who was very handsome. Shu Wennning smiled sweetly and called out, “Big Brother, what are you doing here?” Xie Yubai looked up at the cute, chubby-cheeked girl before him. “I’m looking at the goldfish Dad just bought me.” Six months after movin 107Reads—Score—14d adds
