Novels like Those Confused Days of Youth
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Those Confused Days of Youth, best match first.
- 1 Tales of Longcheng’s Underworld: My Years in Black Gold 龙城黑道往事之我的黑金岁月 In the 1990s, Longcheng had seven major criminal gangs. The locals came up with this couplet: First came Ding, then Wei, Cao the Third was Fat; Mao the Fourth, Guai the Fifth, and Monk the Sixth; The banner line: Manlin rules them all. But not one of these utterly wicked people met a good end. This book will unveil that dark and chaotic era, and the bloody turmoil that once unfolded across Longcheng. (All names and places in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to real people or places is p 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 I’m Just a College Student. So What If I Become a Red Pole? 我一大学生，当个红棍怎么了 Qin Yu thought passing the police academy entrance exam would let him escape the harm caused by his family. Instead, his parents framed him and made him take the blame for his younger brother. He met a benefactor in prison, but after his release, how will he rise step by step to become the underworld's overlord? Stay tuned. The coming-of-age story of a college student in the criminal underworld: a classic, blood-pumping power fantasy with no System, astronomical combat power, and a young man who 95Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 Dongjiang County: The Invisible Hand 东江县：无形之手 Li Jing, deputy head of the provincial investigative team, has barely arrived in Dongjiang County when she encounters a bizarre case: Zhang Meng, a construction contractor, beat a man to death in the street, yet at trial the victim’s family all changed their testimony. In a rundown teahouse in town, she runs into the boy she secretly loved back in school. Now he stoops, his fingernails caked with tea stains. When Li Jing takes out the graduation photo she has treasured for years, a flicker of em 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 Twenty Years on the Edge of a Blade in Southwest Shandong 刀口之鲁西南二十载春秋 (First person, period setting, not a wish-fulfillment story, underworld) When I was young, I couldn't accept things as they were, so I resolutely set out on the path of the underworld. I thought the road ahead would be smooth, never realizing it would be even more treacherous. I witnessed countless big brothers rise to glory, then fade into decline. All that brotherhood and bravado in the underworld was nothing but an illusion! My name is Zhang Hui, and I'm a man who refuses to accept his l 437Reads—Score10014d adds
- 5 Me and the Underworld 我与江湖 (First-person, underworld) The underworld isn’t about fighting and killing. It’s about scheming and betrayal… Beneath those four words, “loyal to the death,” lies the truth: everyone puts profit first. More than half of this book is based on real-life people and events. Readers are advised to obey the law and stay out of the underworld. I once waded into those murky waters, but eventually I left, shedding a layer of skin along the way. 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 The Years I Wandered the Jianghu 我走过的江湖岁月 The day I went to the city with the 3,000 yuan the whole village had scraped together to seek help from my cousin, I caught him kneeling and kowtowing in his rented room, calling a burly man with a fierce face “Boss.” My first lesson in society: I thought my cousin was a respectable man who'd made it in the city. Turns out he was a thug who acted like a dog for others, and he wanted me to serve them tea and water too? I thought the city meant factory assembly lines and shared dormitories, a stab —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 The Dark Side of Campus 校园黑途 “Starting today, this street is no longer yours.” A young man returns from the abyss, and this time, he won’t back down. No need for more talk. Just come in and read. 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 Undercover, the New King of the Underworld 卧底，江湖新龙头 [Hot-Blooded Jianghu] [Multiple Male Leads] [Multiple Female Leads] Features many memorable scenes from films and TV series, including Infernal Affairs and Election. Chen Feng heads south to Wancheng to find the girl he left back home. In Shenzhen, he joins the underling of an undercover cop and becomes his lackey. His big brother takes him to Hong Kong, where he gets caught up in a bloody conflict. After his big brother dies, Chen Feng avenges him and becomes the new boss of Hong Kong Island.… 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 Enemy to All 为人敌 Some people enjoy bullying others. They pick on the weak to show how powerful they are, but they'll never know how terrifying those people they look down on as weaklings and losers can be when they fight back. “My name is Wang Zheng. Remember, don't mess with me.” 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 The Jianghu Road Leads Nowhere Home 江湖路不归途 My name is Wang Xiao. I was the toughest guy at my middle school back home. I had a mean streak, and nobody dared mess with me. On my first day after transferring to a lousy vocational high school, someone tried to give me trouble. On the second day, the drill instructor ordered me to do two hundred push-ups. I finished them. On the third day, someone called me Brother Xiao. On the fifth day, the toughest guy in the third year sent someone over. “I graduate in three months. Do you want to take o —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 Tales of South City: A Furious Stand for Love 城南往事：冲冠一怒为红颜 It’s a matter of the underworld, so let it stay in the underworld. Don’t let the trouble reach your family! What does it mean to understand how the world works? Is that the underworld? Have you ever seen the real underworld? The underworld is treacherous, riddled with traps and dangers. The underworld is a chess game. One wrong move, and every move after it is wrong. You and I are all just pieces. Money? Money? More money? Power? None of that is what I want. I want fairness. I’ll tell you from p 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 The Underworld Boss Who Rose from a Small Town 从小地方走出来的黑道大哥 Li Xiao gripped a steel knife, facing the group of young street toughs before him without a hint of fear. He swore he would make Shi Longhu pay. Anyone who hurt his friends would pay the price... 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 Underworld Brawl: Hunting Crimes Across the Land 黑道大乱斗之猎罪天下 The Dragon Roars Across Japan, Conquering the World! Hunt Down Sin Across the Land, and the Gates of Hell Swing Open! Stamp Out Petty Evil, Wage War on Great Sin! Build a Hall to Govern the Underworld! When the United Nations issues the Global Ban on Weapons, the world is thrown into an uproar! America and Japan join forces, seeking to dominate the underworld and rule the world by other means! When a young man from Longguo crosses the border and a hundred-man team sets foot in Japan, all-out cha 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 A Pot of Liquor in Dongguan, Jimei, Come with Me 东莞一壶酒，集美跟我走 [Passionate Wuxia] [Love and Romance] [Humorous and Funny] Chen Hao’s wife died young, and he was so consumed by grief that he couldn’t pull himself out of it. Seeing how much he was suffering, his parents-in-law urged him to head south to Dongguan and seek help from his sister-in-law. But when he arrived in Dongguan, he discovered the shocking reason she had always been single... To save her from this living hell, Chen Hao had no choice but to raise his fists. After spending a while here, h 8.3kReads8.8Score1.4k14d adds
- 15 Tales of the Underworld in Dongguan 莞城江湖往事 The jianghu isn’t a world of free-spirited heroes, revenge, and fine clothes atop spirited steeds. It’s a filthy, chaotic reality twisted by darkness! I, Zhang Xingheng, entered the jianghu to play the game of schemes and use my brains. Everything in the world was part of my calculations, including myself! So, you ask why I succeeded? Because every big shot in the jianghu fell victim to my schemes! They fell amid blades, guns, and blood! From the moment I stepped into the jianghu, every big shot 11.4kReads6.8Score65114d adds
- 16 Northeast Storm: A Gangster Legend 东北风云之黑道传奇 With my brothers by my side and blades and guns in hand, I’d like to see who in this underworld gets to call himself the boss! If we don’t enter the underworld, so be it. But once we do, every thug will bow to us and every boss will clear the way. We’ll become the... heavens of this underworld. 122Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 The Martial World: The Wild Heavenly Fragrance 江湖：混世天香 The martial world is about both fighting and human relationships. If you know how to get by, you can live in luxury, surrounded by beauty. I always thought I was an honest kid. People bullied me from elementary school all the way through vocational school. A guy who was five feet two inches tall had me, at six feet one inch, pinned to the ground and rubbing my face in it. It wasn’t until my biological father came to take me home that I found out how much power and how many connections I had behi 13.8kReads8.4Score1.8k14d adds
- 18 Underworld Days 江湖岁月 [Pure Gangster Fiction + Ensemble Cast + Realistic + Underdog Comeback + First Person] They say life in the underworld means living by the blade. I don’t care about that. All I know is that in my second year of high school, people called me a bastard and held me down to beat me. Calling the police was useless. The school did nothing. I couldn’t even afford to get my injuries examined. Then I took matters into my own hands. One brick, and I smashed Zhou Lei. From that day on, I was no longer Wang 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 After Getting Kicked Off the Police Force, I Took Down the City’s Criminal Underworld 被警队开除后：我掀翻全城黑恶 Forced to take off the uniform I wore to defend the righteous path, I won’t join the underworld. I’ll punish it and fleece it. I devise clever schemes and turn their own force against them, specializing in fleecing underworld bosses. I’ll take ill-gotten gains, clear out their criminal territory, and settle every score. Today they ignore me. Tomorrow there won’t be anywhere left for the wicked to swagger. I’m Xiao Zhang. I do things with a swagger, and I’m the godfather to every thug in the city 48Reads—Score—14d adds
- 20 The Winds of Ye City 邺都风云 My father was dead, but his debts remained. 140,000 yuan, two people, one county town. Zhou Ye only wanted to study hard, but some people wouldn't let him. Why should a son have to pay off the mess his father left behind? He refused to accept it. Then He'd beat them into submission. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 Memoirs of a Gangster 捞家回忆录 [Not a wish-fulfillment novel] [Don't try this yourself] [The seedy underworld] How do you start from nothing and make a fortune with 5.8 billion in cash and 19 tons of gold bars? What were the backdoor schemes of that era like? What exactly is going on with Mu Guizhao's genes? [Everything in this story is entirely fictional. Do not assume it applies to real life, and do not try this yourself!] 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 22 A Dragon Among Men: Entering the Underworld 人中之龙：人入江湖 Five young people, newly arrived in the martial world, are swept up in a massive storm. How will they respond, and what challenges will they face? Where will this deadly gamble, staked on blood, lead them: to dominate the world or to fall and never recover? No one knows. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 I Joined the Underworld to Pay Off My Debts, and Became a Big Shot 我，混黑道，从还债开始当大佬 After his father dies suddenly, leaving behind 300,000 yuan in debt, Lin Mo is forced to enter the rough-and-tumble underworld to pay it off. He becomes the least important underling in the Loyalty Hall. When he first arrives, he's mocked for his soft, delicate appearance and bullied by old hands. The Red Hair Gang, a rival outfit, also marks him as a thorn in its side. But no one knows that this seemingly meek young man hides a fierce streak and a calculating mind. When others make trouble fo —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 Northeast China in Turmoil: Black Blood Floods the Songhua River 东北风云：黑血漫过松花江 Every ordinary fish can shed its scales and bones, then ride the wind and transform into a dragon. A young man, hardened by surviving near death, returns to his hometown carrying his brother’s ashes for burial, only to find his brother’s family enduring abuse and fighting for their lives. In that moment, he chooses to take up arms and crush every insult and injustice. When everything is wiped clean, he starts over. The first thing he learns is to bow his head. The last thing he learns is how to 1.9kReads7.1Score10914d adds
- 25 From Fan Debiao to Uncle: A Life of Ups and Downs 从范德彪到老舅开启风云人生 Ma Dashuai + Uncle + Youth + The Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain + In the Name of the People + Blossoms + Twenty Years of Northeast China: The Stormy Years = Fan Debiao's comeback story, a rags-to-riches tale amid the rise and fall of Liaobei, with multiple heroines. “If you turn back from the edge, I guarantee you'll find your way back to shore. If you refuse to change your ways, I'll make sure your sea of suffering has no end.” Brother Biao considers himself a man of the world, a true under 19Reads5.4Score—14d adds
- 26 Mad Tyrant Fanfiction: The Blood Dragon Conquers the Heavens 狂枭同人：血龙伐天 [Mad Tyrant Fan Fiction] + [Underworld] + [Ancient Martial Arts] The world descends into chaos, heroes contend for supremacy, and the Heavenly Net sets its plan in motion!! The Blood Dragon descends upon the world, subdues the wicked, establishes the Heavenly Dao, and reigns supreme!! 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 27 A Blood-Red Underworld 血红色的江湖 The martial world is a blood-red place... This is not a power fantasy. Through real-life experiences, it shows everyone just how cruel the martial world is, and warns them to stay out of it. Yang Hai, a young man from somewhere in Northeast China, was determined to enter the martial world. Ten years later, his heart has turned cold. The glories of the past have vanished like smoke, and all that awaits him is judgment! 1.7kReads—Score12414d adds
- 28 How the Bad Guy Was Made 2: The New Generation 坏蛋是怎样炼成的2：新世代 Ten years ago, Xie Wendong led the Wendong Association in sweeping through the underworld, bringing both the black and white worlds to heel. A decade later, the times have changed. Guns and blades have given way to capital, technology, and the dark web as the new battlegrounds. Just as the Wendong Association was going all-in on its transformation, Jiang Sen was assassinated, dark web forces began lurking in the city, and old allies suddenly returned. Under the surging undercurrents, a new gener 6.2kReads6.9Score59714d adds
- 29 The Abyss Beyond the Ashes 烬余深渊 He was once a spirited young man, but his closest family and sworn enemy joined forces to frame him, destroying his home and leaving him disgraced and on the run. In the depths of despair, he sheds his rough edges and tempers himself into someone ruthless, living under an assumed name and plotting every step. From struggling to survive at the very bottom to fighting his way through blood and violence, he uses cunning to shape the game and ruthlessness to make his name, settling every betrayal an —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 30 The Jianghu Never Sleeps: Song of a Madman 江湖不熄：狂人歌 [Not a power fantasy, not invincible] [Passionate] [Brotherhood] [Youth] A jack can’t hold up a shattered home, and a wrench can’t stop a gang’s blade. The days spent with fingertips stained by grease come to a bloody end! Brothers stand together with burning hearts, enemies tremble at their name. Bai Hao’s dictionary has no word for forgiveness, only the laws of iron and blood! Anyone who stands in his way will be crushed beneath a boulder. No mercy! 428Reads—Score—14d adds
- 31 Tales of Mingsia 名夏往事 Step into the darkness, for survival, ambition, or revenge. Here, violence is the only language, and the line between loyalty and betrayal is razor-thin. He will climb the rungs of power in blood, carving out a path on the chessboard of power from which there is no turning back. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 I Didn’t Tell You to Join the Underworld, Yet You Became the Boss 没让你混社会，你却当了大哥 [Not invincible, not brainless, no System, and full of passion] In the early 1990s, Li Luoyang was sentenced to three years in prison for accidentally killing a street thug while acting in self-defense. After his release, he chose to stay in the urban village, waiting for news of his girlfriend. Instead, he was unexpectedly drawn into one gangland feud after another. From disputes over table fees at a mahjong parlor to life-or-death fights at construction sites, he was repeatedly thrust into the 48Reads—Score—14d adds
- 33 Winter Reigns Supreme 凛冬为王 In 1998, Frost City was battered by wind and snow. The young Chen Lin had lost his family and been left crippled, suffering one humiliation after another. The moment he entered the underworld, he made ruthlessness his way of life and ruled the streets with his fists. From discarded pawn to overlord, he climbed to the top and became king in the depths of winter. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 34 An Age of Turmoil: The Gangster Who Rose from a Village 混乱年代：从村走出来的枭雄 After leaving the military, Wu Wenjun drifted around the village, looking for a trade to take up. Just then, the village was holding an election for village chief. His Third Uncle, the former chief, was provoked at a banquet. Enough was enough: if you can dish it out, you can take it. How could he stand by while someone bullied a man in his own village? He stepped forward at once, and so began his life in the underworld. When he looked back, he had become a famous young boss in the criminal worl 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 35 The Thug Gets Out of Prison 暴徒出狱 Before I went to prison, I was a big shot everyone feared. After getting out, I wanted to live a different kind of life. I just wanted to be an ordinary person, live a quiet life, and work hard to make money. I was ready to let bygones be bygones. But I wanted to let them go, and they kept pushing me. So I had no choice but to fight back with everything I had. 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 I Took the Place of a Big Shot’s Most Loyal Lackey 我顶替了大佬的死忠小弟 Urban action + one female lead + the underdog rises among his brothers + power plays + personal growth + not invincible Because his face is identical to that of a missing underworld boss, he's forced to take the place of the boss's right-hand man. Alone and posing as a villain, he has no choice but to become one. Standing at the boundary between black and white, what should I choose? And who's pulling the strings? Who's really whose pawn? Stick with it for ten chapters, and things are su —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 37 A Bloody Road to the Top 血色前程，混至巅峰 (The rating has only just appeared and will rise later! Not first-person narration, corruption, a comeback, the underworld, business, officialdom, and a powerful, ambitious lead. Not a mindless power fantasy. Written by a professional author of urban underworld novels with six million words of experience. A realistic style, with plenty of satisfying details.) In the underworld, there is no right or wrong, only differences in where people stand! My name is Zhao Xuedong. An accident set me on the 87.8kReads8.5Score6.8k14d adds
- 38 Reborn: The Principal of My Vocational School Calls Me Big Brother 重生，我在职高校长叫我大哥 Reborn on the first day of vocational high school, Fang Wu looked at the familiar school gates, his body trembling slightly. In his previous life, he drifted aimlessly, bullied and good for nothing, until he dropped dead at the factory from working himself to death over a twelve-year-old iPhone. This time, back at school, he would turn it into his own empire! While everyone else coasted through school, chased a diploma, or tried to make a name for themselves, Fang Wu brought the toughest stude 4.1kReads6.5Score28014d adds
- 39 Bad Boy: The Sequel to No Rules, No Limits 不良之无法无天续写 Our youth was bold and unruly, and in our reckless years, brotherhood always came first! The martial world was full of excitement, but also rife with bloodshed, schemes, and deceit! Brothers stood by each other through life and death, but there was no shortage of backstabbing and betrayal! Loyalty endured with righteous strength, but even heroes could fall short and meet an untimely end! Power could make you stand above the crowd, but it also brought drunken excess and the ruin of everything you 1.2kReads—Score—14d adds
- 40 The Boy Gangster 少年的黑道 In this world, who is the blade, and who wields it? I don't know, and neither do you. We're just ordinary people, muddling through life. This book is written in the first person so you handsome readers can put yourselves in the story more easily. It might not be very well written, so please leave your comments and constructive criticism. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 41 Decades in the Underworld: From Hidden Dragon to King 黑道十几年之潜蛟成王 [Not a wish-fulfillment story] [Follow a small-time student thug as he climbs step by step to the top of the underworld] [Not too serious, entertainment comes first!] In a forgotten corner of the city stood a notorious school: Municipal Third Songmu Middle School, known as “Third Songmu.” It was no ordinary academy, but a miniature jungle where hidden talents lurked and the weak were preyed upon. Beneath its peaceful facade, conflict churned like an underground current, and fighting was its eter 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 A Life Gone Awry 错乱的人生路 This book tells the story of a young man from a county town in the 1990s who accidentally ends up on a path that was never meant to be his. The old days of the underworld are gone. (This story is entirely fictional. Do not take it as fact.) The book warns readers never to set foot on such a path, no matter what. Good and evil bring their own consequences, and fortune and misfortune follow one another. You must bear the consequences yourself; no one can do it for you. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 Lawless Outlaw: From Violent Criminal to Star Lawyer 法内狂徒：从悍匪到金牌律师 My name is Lei Dong, though on the streets they call me the Thousand Buddha Hand. I used to be the king of the underworld. Then I turned over a new leaf and got into the University of Political Science and Law. Everyone laughs that I look like Lu Zhishen, more butcher than lawyer. They’re right. I wield the Criminal Law in one hand and a monk’s saber in the other, specializing in making all kinds of troublemakers see reason. A client sobs, “Lawyer Lei, they’re a huge corporation. We can’t fight 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 Black and White Rule: Overseas Storms 2 黑白为王2海外风云 (No brainless antics + Urban + Underworld + Passionate + Brotherhood + No Harem + Faux-Realism + Feel-Good Power Fantasy + Overseas Gang Life) The official sequel to the hard-hitting, realistic underworld epic Three Fingers! Black and White Rule 2: Overseas Storm is now underway! Leaving the underworld of their homeland behind, they set foot on unfamiliar foreign soil. Beneath the surface, the Mekong River region seethes with undercurrents, while cross-border forces from Hong Kong and Macau are 19Reads—Score10714d adds
- 45 The Cool Goddess Who Took Me into the Underworld Is Actually an Undercover Agent? 带我混江湖的冷艳女神，竟是卧底？ Two years in prison for a crime he didn't commit taught him the ways of all walks of life: one hand appraises antiques, the other picks pockets. Once a young laborer on a construction site, now Lord Bai of the Rongmen! Money debts are hard to repay, but debts of love can be even deadlier. The icy beauty Sister Jing, the haughty A Hui... There are unseen clashes of blades and shadows, and women of every kind... 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 The Reckless Youth 不良之狂妄青春 “Smash anything you see! Hit anyone you see! Flatten No. 6 High School!” I’m Zhang Ling. I’d only just started high school when I crossed the school’s resident delinquents. At first, I fought back just to protect myself. But as one problem after another came along, it wasn’t so easy to walk away. Before I knew it, I’d become the top delinquent in the school... 18Reads—Score—14d adds
- 47 Bloodshed and the Rise of a Young Man 血染，少年崛起 (This work is set in a fictional world and contains science fiction elements.) This is a story about brotherhood and the code of the underworld... Do good people really get what they deserve? Do so-called bad people have their own reasons...? In these chaotic times, perhaps the only way forward is to join the underworld. The saying that good and evil are always repaid in the end is nothing but words meant to comfort people. Before true power, perhaps we are no more than ants. Perhaps only after 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 48 Tales of Qingdao: The Jia'ao Brothers 青岛往事：胶澳兄弟连 Nine young men with nothing to their names risked their lives to uphold one word, loyalty, amid an era of upheaval. They lost brothers, lovers, and their health. In the end, some became tombstones, some became legends, and some became ordinary people. But the words they spoke at Xiaogang Wharf in the early hours of the third day of the Lunar New Year in 1998, facing fifty men with machetes, carried more weight than any underworld code: “What the hell is there to be afraid of?” 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 49 The River-Crosser: A Fugitive 过江龙：亡命之徒 His parents died in a mining disaster, and he was forced out of work. Wang Yue only wanted to tend his barbecue stall and live quietly and honestly with his brothers. But the son of a powerful family kept pushing him, refusing to leave him even a way to survive! With nowhere left to retreat, he would retreat no further! (This book has a gritty style and realistic plot. Proceed with caution.) 55kReads8.2Score3.9k14d adds
- 50 My Brother and I Take on the Underworld 我和兄弟闯社会 [No System] [Passionate martial world] [Realistic style] “You're a junk picker. What makes you think you can change your fate?” “I can't. So I plan to change yours along with mine.” This is more than the bloody tale of a boy from the bottom fighting back against all odds. It's also the wild rise of an underground tycoon, a record of a generation's explosive growth. The winds rise in Leicheng; undercurrents stir in Guangcheng. See how a roughneck swallows the sky. 11kReads7.8Score67514d adds
