Novels like A Portrait of Small-Town Life
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Portrait of Small-Town Life, best match first.
- 101 Love Affairs in Haicheng 海城情事 [Government workplace romance] + [Love at first sight] + [Both leads are each other's first and only] + [Happy ending] A love story between a deputy director and a young woman still on probation. One fleeting glimpse in the talent recruitment building was enough for Sun Feilin to fall for Shao Chen at first sight. And one backward glance by the Pujiang River left Shao Chen with a lasting impression of Sun Feilin. He is the most handsome man in the administrative complex, a genius with a high-ran 2.6kReads9.0Score32214d adds
- 102 Sand in the Palm 掌间砂 [Elegant, handsome bureau director] VS [Landlady with hidden depths] [Second chance romance] [Each other’s first love] I could give up the whole world. You alone are the cinnabar mark in the palm of my hand. When he returned, he was no longer the young office director who had once written her an entire guide to the civil service exams. After years of rising steadily through the ranks, he had become a bureau director who helped bring peace and prosperity to the land. But an unexpected turn of e 1.5kReads9.2Score18814d adds
- 103 Transmigrate Across Mountains and Seas Just to Meet You 穿越山海，只为遇见你 [A man accustomed to power lowering his head for love, 13-year age gap, sweet romance, devoted couple] He is a powerful figure with deep connections in the government. She graduated from a well-known university in Shanghai, gave up a high-paying job, and returned to take the civil service exam for a low-level post. An unexpected encounter at a meeting brought her into his orbit, and he fell helplessly in love. The misunderstandings caused by their 13-year age gap and the differences in their sta 5.2kReads8.0Score48714d adds
- 104 Drop the Act, Boss, You’ve Fallen for Me 别装了大佬他心动了 [Mutual Firsts + Love at First Sight + Devoted Romance + Both Leads Are Chaste + Happy Ending] [Steady, high-ranking leader + Funny junior employee] Cheng Nuo went to a blind date at the wrong private room, only to discover the next day that her date was Gu Shiyu, the newly appointed district Party secretary. Faced with his position, she wanted to run. But Gu Shiyu gradually made his way into her life, 5kReads8.3Score45214d adds
- 105 Sweet-Talking: Mr. Yu's Openly Obvious Favoritism 诱哄：郁先生的偏爱明目张胆 A powerful-family romance about winning back a wife: a cool, fragile little flower and a rigid old-fashioned man who always keeps himself in check Rekindled love + the powerful one learning to bow his head + both untouched + ten-year age gap When Ruan Xitang was young, she fell in love with Yu Zheng. Later, Yu Zheng was expected to marry for an alliance, so she left him. Only afterward did she learn that Yu Zheng had thought she was dead. Three years later, she arrived at the airport in Jing Cit 5.1kReads8.5Score37714d adds
- 106 The Endless Road of Officialdom 官场无涯 A vast land stretching ten thousand miles belongs to the one who rules! Keep a low profile as a person, but make a bold impression through your work! A son of a farming family? A grandson of an established clan? Who says the path to office has no great men or heroes? Watch as Zhang Zetao, armed with a special System, cuts through obstacles and overcomes dangers to forge a unique path of his own. 31Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 107 Indulged After Marriage 婚后宠溺主义 Years of careful planning / Age gap / Both leads are each other’s first and only love / Powerful government-family background *Gentle, well-behaved sweetheart vs. doting, husband-material older man *Tourism bureau guide & impeccably well-connected scion of Beijing’s elite At twenty-one, Shi Ye graduated from university. She had no grand ambitions. A simple, stable life was enough for her. But the marriage agreement with Zhou Junheng, and the position he held, meant her wish to be an ordinary, un 5.2kReads8.3Score54314d adds
- 108 A Nobody's Great Love 小透明的大爱情 [Both leads work in government × age gap and workplace hierarchy × helping an overlooked employee overcome her insecurities × a caring senior colleague opens his junior's tightly closed heart] Lin Wanqing believes that even when an overlooked nobody is falsely accused, she can only investigate in secret; even when people bully her openly, she can only endure it in silence. “That's just how society works. Without connections, you have to follow the rules. I can't afford the price of crossing the 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 109 The Road to Promotion: An Unusual Secretary 升迁之路之非常秘书 A reform landed him in a workplace he never could have imagined. An accident brought him a fortune he never could have imagined. A chance encounter gave him an opportunity he never could have imagined. An argument set him on a path he never could have imagined... 720Reads8.9Score11514d adds
- 110 Passionate Devotion 炙宠倾城 [A chaste, cold, immensely powerful man in government × a breathtakingly beautiful heroine × age gap × love that grows over time] He wields enormous power in S City and is cold and chaste, keeping his distance even when shaking hands. Yet with her alone, he breaks his rules. When she was eighteen, she was taken in by the Gu family. She was so strikingly beautiful that it was impossible not to notice her. And though she flirted without realizing it, she struck right at his heart. 12.8kReads8.2Score1.3k14d adds
- 111 Banquet of Sunshine 宴阳 When Yan Yang was a sophomore in college, she met Wei Mingshen, who was ten years her senior. He left a deep impression on her. A few years later, Yan Yang went with her classmates to visit a private courtyard residence. She wandered into a side room and came across the owner, Wei Mingshen, who was resting there. They quickly recognized each other, and in a flash, feelings sparked between them. After spending some time together, they confirmed their feelings and soon fell deeply in love. But the 853Reads9.3Score12214d adds
- 112 After I Was Cheated On, My Aloof Boss Fell for Me at First Sight! 遭劈腿，高冷领导对我一见钟情！ The book has only just received its rating, so there aren't many reviews yet. That will change with time. I hope you'll show it lots of support! [Marriage + love at first sight + both leads are inexperienced] A powerful senior official × a pretty grassroots-level employee To everyone else, Su Ningyue, an unnoticed junior employee, and Gu Jingchuan, a high-ranking official, seem worlds apart. But an inexplicable bond keeps bringing them together again and again. The first time they meet: Su Ningy 7kReads8.9Score69714d adds
- 113 A Writer’s Brush Meets the Political Arena 笔尖遇政途 A promising 29-year-old district Party committee secretary-general × a freshly graduated intern reporter When they first meet, she looks at the man in the administrative jacket. He seems only twenty-five or twenty-six, young enough to be a generation below the bureau chiefs standing nearby. Yet his manner is perfectly composed, and he has a steadiness and wisdom beyond his years. With the air of someone accustomed to authority, he asks her supervisor, “What’s this young colleague’s name?” He tea 2.3kReads—Score23514d adds
- 114 Waiting for Him to Understand My Heart 等他知我意 A story about high-ranking officials, featuring three couples: (1) The son of a powerful family and a once-wealthy young woman fall secretly in love with each other. Their romance lasts from college until they are nearly thirty, when they finally marry. President Lu is gentle and devoted, while the heroine is radiant and ambitious. Highlights: starting a business, and a romance that goes from school uniforms to a wedding dress. (2) A taciturn, thirty-year-old division chief is a man of faith, bu 6.8kReads9.2Score57814d adds
- 115 The Twists and Turns of the Official's Path: Rising to Become a Party Secretary 官路跌宕：一路逆袭成书记 My new story is here! You can read my work on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 71Reads—Score—14d adds
- 116 I Want to Love You the Right Way 我想用正确的方式来爱你 Watch out for wolves, thieves, and upperclassmen! Ming Liang never expected that she’d guard against the fiancé chosen for her since childhood, only to let her fiancé’s best friend slip past her defenses! Back in the day, Ming Liang’s mother fell in love at first sight with the classmate her senior had a crush on. The two of them went abroad together and lived happily ever after. Out of guilt, when Ming Liang was little and her senior suggested that Ming Liang get engaged to her son, her mother 3.2kReads9.6Score47314d adds
- 117 A Beloved in the Capital 京北有伊人 [Age gap + both pure + forced love + physical and emotional torment + heroine starts out weak and grows strong] [Noble, dignified heir + aloof student at a foreign languages university] On a rainy April day in Jingbei, Shu Yiren enters Yan Zhenghe’s world beneath a red umbrella. They meet at a Chinese-Russian exchange forum. From then on, Yan Zhenghe keeps that red umbrella by his side and never lets go. After an accident, Yan Zhenghe sends Yiren to Zurich, Switzerland, for graduate school. Afte 3.7kReads8.6Score30414d adds
- 118 Rising Toward a Thousand Suns 京升千阳 [Married First, Love Later + Chasing His Wife + Scheming Hero + Sweet Romance] Xiang Lansheng was not yet ten when she was brought to Shengjing. Old Madam Zeng raised her as if she were her own granddaughter. Shi Yan was a carefree older brother. The marriage had originally been arranged by the older generation, but he insisted on treating little Lansheng like a biological younger sister. As the youngest member of the government offices in Shengjing, Shi Buyu was modest, scholarly, and rather 4kReads8.8Score36114d adds
- 119 Rouge on the Inkstone 砚上胭脂 A disastrous blind date? She ends up in a marriage-of-convenience deal with a powerful man! Su Huaixiu agreed to a blind date to “sell herself” for her family. She thought she was in for another “sixth strikeout,” but instead she ran into her direct supervisor, Fu Yanxiu. She steeled herself and proposed a “marriage in name only, with no interference in each other’s lives.” The man tapped the table and settled the matter with a single sentence: “How convenient. That’s exactly the kind of marri 1.5kReads8.6Score22114d adds
- 120 A Master of Social Skills, and You Call Me a Workplace Rookie? 满级人情世故，你管这叫职场新人 Chu Qingyun transmigrates to a parallel world, where he becomes a college student on the verge of graduation. From the start, he grabs a defibrillator and saves Hu Li, the campus belle, after she collapses unconscious due to an irregular heartbeat. To repay him, Hu Li takes him straight to the hospital room of Gao Zhiwu, the province's third-most-powerful official. A copy of Fifteen Years of the Wanli Reign and a simple wish to study Ming history with his teacher earn Gao Zhiwu's favor! Just 250Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 121 A Smooth Ride in Officialdom: My Leader Helps Me Rise to the Top 官运亨通：领导带我青云直上 [An Authentic Political Novel] Chen Zhiming did everything he could for his family, only to be betrayed by his wife. None of their three children were his, and he became a laughingstock. His fate takes a turn: reborn in 1996, he vows to make everyone who wronged him in his past life pay! After rising to success, his betraying wife Qiao Li begs him to take her back, wealthy heiress Lin Xiaomei makes him an offer, and the goddess Liu Meng once again declares her love. Chen Zhiming's lips curl into 13.9kReads8.5Score1.7k14d adds
- 122 A Fortunate Rise in Officialdom 官运升通 A son of a farming family rises through sheer perseverance and an indomitable spirit, reaching heights that others can scarcely imagine. 892Reads8.9Score10814d adds
- 123 Spring Dwells on the High Terrace 春栖高台 [Powerful Families | Female Growth | Bittersweet Romance | Older Man] (Clear-headed, beautiful college student vs. composed, powerful heir) People often say that those in power care only about their family’s interests. Even what passes for love is just another tool for profit. If you fall for someone like that, the best you can hope for is this: you remain on your high terrace, I retreat to my spring mountains, and from then on our paths never cross again. Everyone in Beijing’s inner circle know 606Reads—Score16014d adds
- 124 Maneuvering for Power in Officialdom 纵横官场之谋位 Li Wujiang woke up reborn in the 1990s, a time of sweeping national reform and rapid development. Making the most of his knowledge from another life, Li Wujiang made his way through the officialdom, climbing steadily toward the top and rising to a position of power. With his career flourishing and close friends like Xia Ruohan and Mu Nianwan by his side, Li Wujiang lived life to the fullest. 52Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 125 Building Wealth to Build a Career: I Made My Fortune and Rose Through the Ranks by Trading Stocks 以财养官：我靠炒股升官发财 (This book is complete. If you enjoyed it, check out A Golden Finger for Wealth and Power and The Hawkish Tycoon of the Political Arena.) A rebirth sent Cao Yun back to 1997. In his previous life, he turned a thousand yuan into a fortune worth hundreds of millions, earning himself the nickname “Little Stock God”! But the “Little Stock God” was no match for the “Little Official’s Son.” His account was seized! His funds were frozen! He was fined and detained! In the end, he died in a deliberately 61Reads9.3Score—14d adds
- 126 Officialdom: From the Health Clinic to the Peak of Power 官场：从卫生院走向权力巅峰 This isn’t a medical novel. It’s a pure officialdom novel. In his previous life, Lin Haoyun was framed and spent his entire career stuck at a neighborhood health clinic. Reborn, he had no other ambition than to hold on to his position as director. Yet he never expected to rise from a tiny neighborhood clinic, step by step, into a towering tree. 3.4kReads8.2Score25414d adds
- 127 When the Coin Is Tossed 当硬币抛起 [Dual careers, a reunion after years apart, old flames rekindled, powerful families, a seventeen-year age gap, the powerful man lowering his head for love, the underdog bravely pursuing love, a guiding male leader x a growing female subordinate] Twelve years ago, they first met. She thought: Men really are at their best at forty. He smiled softly: A young girl who's never been through much, a blank sheet of paper. Twelve years later, they met again. She blushed, her heart racing: A Ferrari is st 825Reads—Score—14d adds
- 128 A Rising Star in Government 官道红人 Fresh out of university, Zhao Dagang rises from humble beginnings, taking every step one at a time, with danger lurking at every turn. 7Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 129 Mr. Gu's Perfect Little Romance 顾先生的小圆满 [Big Tech content moderator vs. cold, calculating official from an elite family] [High-ranking official romance + five-year age gap + both leads are each other’s first and only + sweet romance + the powerful one bows to love] The thing workplace newcomer Li Xiaoman regrets most is making a mistake while screening explicit content. The cold, fearsome section chief Gu Yanshen comes to the company to oversee a cleanup. Before that, the two had an accidental one-night stand ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎ ༘♡ ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎ ༘♡ She k 2kReads7.7Score12814d adds
- 130 Director, Please Behave Yourself 主任，请自重 [Government Officialdom + Age Gap + Devoted to Each Other + Forced Love] A powerful and highly capable director of the General Office unexpectedly encounters a young woman he once met briefly, setting the wheels of fate in motion. 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 131 My Government-Worker Boyfriend Is Irresistible, and He'll Spoil You to No End 体制内男友真香，宠你没商量 Her cousin was determined to stay single, so she asked Ling Ting to go on a blind date for her just to get everyone off her back. Ling Ting went, and although she thought her date was handsome and gentlemanly, she didn't give him another thought. So why was the new boss in front of her, smiling warmly and greeting her, so familiar? He was her blind date! Ji Zhengyao: “Comrade, we meet again.” Ling Ting: “…Hello, sir.” 10.3kReads8.1Score89314d adds
- 132 Spring Blossoms at the Touch of Her Beauty 娇色惹春山 Synopsis [Commanding leader × gentle teacher] Senior official and darling wife, eight-year age gap, devoted to each other. Once the male lead realizes he’s in love, he fiercely pursues her and protects her at every turn. In a sentence: A calculating senior official carries off a sweet, soft little bunny, only to be thoroughly outmaneuvered by her. Campus belle Jing Ni has a boyfriend everyone envies, Zhou Li. He’s not only a star at their university, but also the son of a bureau chief and a 15.4kReads8.5Score1.7k14d adds
- 133 I Refuse to Fall for the Big Boss 才不要和大领导谈恋爱 Forced love + love at first sight + doting romance + happy ending + obsessive hero + workplace romance + powerful families Su Niannian is new to the workplace, as blank as an unpainted sheet of paper. On her first day, she takes the wrong elevator and stumbles, in a panic, into a meeting of senior leaders. Her documents scatter across the floor. In the sudden silence, the stern-faced man at the head of the table slowly raises his eyes. One glance from him, and his silent authority sends her fle 1.5kReads6.3Score—14d adds
- 134 My Ex-Wife Betrayed Me? Now I’m Marrying a Tycoon’s Daughter, So Why Are You Crying? 前妻背叛？我娶大佬的女儿你哭啥 Zhao Yi, a man from humble beginnings, is unexpectedly betrayed by both his wife and his sworn brother. With no connections and no footing in the lower ranks, he suffers his wife's contempt, his mother-in-law's abuse, and his sister-in-law's humiliation. His prospects are bleak, and his family is poor. At his lowest point, a woman who vanished seven years ago gets back in touch. From then on, his fate changes, and he rises to the top... Wealth, dignity, fame, everything I once lost: I’ll take it 1kReads9.2Score17914d adds
- 135 A Rose Drenched in Desire, the Capital's Big Shot Falls in Love at First Sight 欲染玫瑰，京圈大佬一次成瘾 [Redemption + Secret Crush + Both Pure + Sweet Romance + Long-Planned] [Down-and-out, aloof beauty + Powerful, fatherly big shot with a refined air] [Age Gap + Uncle-and-Nephew Love Triangle] To pay for her mother's treatment, Jiang Liyang sells her virtue despite her pride. That night, the strange man treats her with endless tenderness. But the memory becomes a thorn in her heart. She has no idea that the man has been planning this for a long time. Powerful and shrewd, he advances step by 2.1kReads9.1Score23814d adds
- 136 Officialdom: From a Small Town to the Pinnacle of Power 官场：从小镇走上权力巅峰 Overnight, everything changed. Like a dragon trapped in a shallow stream, Tang Peng saw his bleak world brighten after a mysterious stranger called him. Watch how he rises from a low-level civil servant to the pinnacle of power! 118Reads9.1Score11814d adds
- 137 I’m Reborn, So Isn’t Taking Charge of Handong the Obvious Choice? 都重生了，坐镇汉东不是很合理？ After transmigrating to a parallel world, Sun Liancheng becomes a university student. In his previous life, Sun Liancheng kept his head down and worked diligently, getting big things done on a shoestring and taking an endless stream of blame for his superiors. But in the end, he was not only denied a promotion, he was also branded a lazy bureaucrat and banished to the youth center. It all came down to having no connections and no backing. This time, Sun Liancheng decides to take the initiative. 5.5kReads7.6Score18914d adds
- 138 From Employee to Political Powerbroker 从职员到官场枭雄 The career path is a bottomless abyss. Only by being cautious every step of the way can you reach the summit and serve the people. Shao Hongwei started out as a junior clerk. It was his deep sense of awe and responsibility that made him a regional official. 408Reads7.4Score10514d adds
- 139 The Powerful Tycoon of Beijing Waited All Night at the Civil Affairs Bureau for Me, His Twice-Married Bride 京圈大佬在民政局等一夜二婚的我 After something terrible happened to her as a child, 26-year-old Jiang Wan Ning developed a fear of men. She didn't want her parents to worry, so she could only enter a marriage of convenience. After a year, she divorced and married up, and her fear of men was cured. Lu Jingshen, 35, was transferred to Wanan City to take up a leadership position. The youngest and most doted-on in his family, he had always made them worry about his marriage. They never expected him to marry a divorced woman! The 14kReads9.1Score1.5k14d adds
- 140 Lucky to Have Found Love on a Blind Date 有幸得之，相亲遇到爱 [Age gap, mutual devotion and support, doting romance with no angst] Twenty-six-year-old Jiang Xuerong met Xie Mingyu through a coworker. They were like parallel lines that should never have crossed, but after one chance encounter after another, they were drawn to each other and came together. Everyone said Jiang Xuerong was a flower planted in a pile of cow dung when she married Xie Mingyu. Only she knew that choosing him was the best decision she had ever made. His tolerant nature and steady t 12.6kReads9.3Score1.2k14d adds
- 141 A Marriage of Convenience with Extra-Sweet Romance 凑合夫妻，糖分超标 Originally titled The Secretary’s Little Lamb [Clearheaded, sensitive saleswoman X composed, divorced male official] [Heroine: 28, hero: 35, seven-year age gap, flash marriage, lightly sweet] Yang Mian & Xie You’an What is love? Yang Mian didn’t understand it, nor did she expect it. With thirty fast approaching, at an age when even friends, family, and dogs were sick of her, she hurriedly got married. Love was nothing at all. Xie You’an had seen through it. At an age when he still had ne 3.8kReads8.9Score35514d adds
- 142 In the Name of the People: I Am Air-Dropped into Handong as the Number Two from the Start 名义：开局空降汉东担任二把手 An order brought Zhao Zhentao to Handong, where he began his steady climb to the top. Looking back on his journey at last, he could still say, "I command my own fate!" 33.6kReads7.1Score1.1k14d adds
- 143 The Little Girl from Secretary Zhang's Family 张书记家的小姑娘 After graduating from college at 24, Sang Ning chose to return to her hometown and take a job in the public sector. A year later, her employer sent her to a township government office for two years of support work. She became Secretary Zhang’s subordinate, and eventually, Secretary Zhang became part of her family. At 32, Zhang Yizheng was a veteran and the head of the township government. One day, a young woman joined the office. She was young, capable, and full of personality. For the first ti 17.7kReads9.1Score1.6k14d adds
- 144 Second Young Master Ye Just Wants to Retire Early 叶二少只想提前退休 [Romance about government officials, not a male-oriented political harem novel.] [Powerful businesswoman hits rock bottom and enters public service + male lead is sent to the grassroots to root out evil] Ye Ershao, who only wants to coast through life, is sent to a grassroots post by his grandfather, a man devoted to serving the people. Worried he might run wild, his grandfather carefully arranges for him to work in the place where his father once held office. His superior is one of his grandfat 12.7kReads9.3Score1.3k14d adds
- 145 Falling for His Deep Love 沦陷他情深 [Short drama now available] Bai Xiaofan thought she would live out her life in quiet simplicity, until one rainy night, when a man's arrival disrupted the peaceful life she had known. 4.1kReads8.8Score34514d adds
- 146 You Are the North of Beijing 你是北京的北 Even now, Wen Wen still remembered the day she left Beijing. It was the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. She left alone and without hesitation, yet carried a weight of a thousand pounds. Before boarding her flight, she gazed down at the city's nightscape from inside a skyscraper. The roads were still filled with traffic, and countless people rushed about, only to end up with nothing. This city had buried her winter, her summer, and her spring. By the time she left, all she felt for 1.1kReads8.1Score10914d adds
- 147 Qi Tongwei: Monkey, Why Are You So Keen to Learn Foreign Languages? 祁同伟：猴子你怎么爱好学外语 The plot jumps all over the place, but it makes sense to me. If that bothers you, please don't complain; just treat it as a joke. Qi Tongwei has just graduated from college and passed the civil service selection exam to work at the grassroots level. After saving a little girl while visiting the countryside, he unexpectedly becomes the Qi Tongwei from the drama. Fresh out of college, he is assigned as an assistant to a remote judicial office. With no connections, Qi Tongwei enlists in the army an 4.1kReads6.9Score14314d adds
- 148 The Path to Officialdom: A Swift Rise to the Top 官途之青云直上 My new work is out! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 2.8kReads7.0Score10114d adds
- 149 Reborn in the Government: Rising Straight to the Top 重生官场之青云直上 My new work is out! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 456Reads8.6Score9914d adds
- 150 The Big Boss's Little Wife 大领导的小妻子 This book tells the story of An Xue, whose husband Zheng Yu abandons her for a new lover. A chance encounter with her neighbor Lei Congguang changes the course of her life. Born into a high-ranking official's family, Lei Congguang initially looks down on An Xue, but after a series of absurd and comical encounters, he finally recognizes his true feelings and falls in love with her. One is a rising government official, while the other is a divorced woman who barely stands out in a crowd. After nav 16.9kReads9.4Score1.6k14d adds
