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.
- 51 The Gangster Heiress 黑帮名媛 In a dog-eat-dog world, only the capable rise to the top, whether man or woman. When self-interest is at stake, family ties are the most likely defense to hold until the end. Every member of the Song family is a fine actor. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 52 Blue Flame and a White Shirt 青焰与白衬衫 My new work is out! Come read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support is what motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 53 Reborn God of War: Going Undercover to Stop Scams and Save My Girlfriend 重生男神：卧底反诈救女友 In his previous life, Guan Yuncheng’s cover was blown while he was undercover at a telecom fraud compound, and he was thrown from a thirtieth-floor rooftop. Before he hit the ground, he saw with his own eyes as his girlfriend, Yin Ningning, was tricked into going overseas and tortured. When he opened his eyes again, he was back one year earlier. His girlfriend was still the same innocent college student, and the fraud ring had yet to target her. A mysterious anti-fraud System activated in his —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 54 Reborn: Turmoil on the Frontier 重生之边境风云 Reborn with vengeance, Lin Zhennan returns to the frontier and carves his way forward with ruthless resolve. He recruits vicious dogs, studies under a martial arts master, gathers loyal brothers, and takes on crooked merchants, turning the timber and jewelry empires into his chance to defy fate. This time, he won't settle for merely surviving. He'll protect those who deserve it and rise to the heights he was meant to reach. 120Reads—Score—14d adds
- 55 The Thirteen Peaks of Nancheng 南城十三峰 Nancheng, a lawless buffer zone where 120 factions carve up a chaotic world and thirteen powerful families look down on everyone else. People call them the Thirteen Peaks of Nancheng and the 120 Ridges of the Northern Kingdom. Police chiefs, Blackie, Brother Long, young masters and young gentlemen, students and PhDs: all as rare as phoenix feathers, their true nature obscured like flowers in the mist. Beneath this bustling world, undercurrents surge and untold stories lie hidden. 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 56 The Power of the World 天下势 The martial world stirs, and heroes gather at the Chan Monastery! Blades and spears in hand, they show their mettle, every stance and seat exuding grace. Before the Tianlong Chan Monastery, let us chase the dream of a life of adventure in the martial world. Witness this clash of heroic figures as we continue our own legend of passion and courage! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 Undercover: If I Don’t Close the Net Soon, I’ll Really Become a Godfather 卧底：再不收网，我真成教父了 [Underworld|Undercover|Ruthless|Revenge|Gang-on-Gang Warfare|Anti-Drug] The Lone Wolf undercover operation ended in disaster. Jiang Chen was betrayed and shot dead. When he opened his eyes, he had been reborn in 2015, on the very day the Lone Wolf Plan was launched! This time, he had five years of memories from the future. Crush the drug lords, expose the dark secrets, clean up the underworld, and root out the moles! From a low-level street thug, he would fight his way to becoming the godfather —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 58 Dark Night Turmoil 暗夜風云 Crime, love, friendship, and all-consuming passion. After Lin Yu's father lost his business and could no longer bear the burden of his debts, he jumped to his death. His family was plunged into despair overnight. His mother was bedridden with a serious illness and urgently needed an enormous sum for medical bills. With nowhere else to turn, Lin Yu was swept into a gang fight on the street. When he stepped in to save a girl who was being bullied, he displayed extraordinary courage and fighting sk —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 59 I'm the Most Wanted Man in the Underworld, Yet I'm a Five-Star Citizen 黑道悬赏第一名，我是五星好市民 [1990s] + [Underworld] + [Ruthless] + [Political Scheming] + [Cunning] In this life, I’ve been poor, I’ve suffered, and I’ve been trampled underfoot. But I’ve never been afraid! When I’m down on my luck, I can bow my head and endure. When fortune is in my hands, I can stand tall. I’ve never cared for things like benevolence or morality. In the law of the jungle that ruled the underworld of the 1990s, staying alive was all that mattered. 23.8kReads7.2Score2.1k14d adds
- 60 Glory of the Underworld 黑道荣耀 [Urban Underworld | Not a Mindless Power Fantasy | Grounded and Realistic] A suicide note brings a wanderer back home. To protect his loved ones and never let anyone bully them again, he returns to the underworld with his comrades. He has no aura of invincibility, only a body weathered by hardship and a band of brothers he can trust with his back. A man returns to rewrite a legendary tale of the underworld. The old song rises again, and glory returns! 9.2kReads—Score79414d adds
- 61 My Years in the Underworld: Three Fingers 混黑道的那些年：三根手指 (Period Setting + Underworld + Urban + Satisfying Read + Passion + Mockumentary Style + Brotherhood + No Harem) This novel may touch on real underworld events. Any similarities are purely coincidental! The audiobook is officially out now! It's a real thrill! Brothers, dive right in! Northeast China, 1994. A young man cuts off three fingers with a knife and flees to the northwest. His parents are divorced and his family is well-off, but he insists on making his way through sheer ruthlessness. Fol 94.8kReads9.2Score10.2k14d adds
- 62 The Underworld! 黑道！ [Gangland, realistic, no wish fulfillment, no mindless plot, no System, frequent updates] Five years ago, Lin Jun enlisted in the military. During those five years, he earned countless military honors. Five years later, Lin Jun returns home after leaving the military, only to find not a happy life awaiting him, but his mother's cold corpse. To avenge his mother, Lin Jun has no choice but to embark on a path of no return, stirring up countless waves in the underworld! 34.9kReads8.5Score2.6k14d adds
- 63 Fingertip Fate Reversal Begins with Ren Xue 指尖逆命从壬雪开始 [Coming-of-Age Main Story · Multiple Realistic Heroines · Real Cases and Social Backdrop · No Formulaic Tropes · No Mindless Wish Fulfillment] Wu De narrowly escapes death and returns to the 1980s. He has just one mission: stop the unfortunate girls of that era from turning to crime. Ren Xue, Tao Jing, Bi Limei… Some are driven to desperate ends by hatred, while others take the blame for someone they love… With nothing but nimble fingers, Wu De can fool the eye and turn the tables. He can make b —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 64 I Tore Open the City's Dark Curtain 我撕开了都市黑幕 [Ensemble cast + underworld] This isn’t a power fantasy or a mindless story. Every character is fleshed out, and there are no absolute heroes or villains. People can be good and evil alike. All that matters is human nature and self-interest. If that bothers you, don’t read. A seemingly ordinary workplace dispute pushes a group of everyday people into the eye of the storm. Caught in the depths of this vast, dark whirlpool, where will they go from here? —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 Northeast China Underworld: The Autobiography of a Crime Boss 东北黑道：一位黑道大哥的自传 [Urban] [Underworld] [Outlaws] [A Cast of Villains] [Justice Served] [An Unvarnished Northeastern Chinese Gangster Story] The underworld rises and falls, settling old scores in blood. To others, the jianghu is about loyalty, passion, and settling scores with a thrilling flourish. The jianghu I’ve seen is nothing but deceit and betrayal. There are no bonds of brotherhood, only greed. There is no mercy, only merciless extermination. On this road, a knife is leverage, blood is the price, and a cons 31.3kReads8.8Score1.7k14d adds
- 66 Schoolyard Storms, Northeast Underworld 校园风云，东北江湖路 [Wherever there are people, there will be a world of the underworld] [A Northeast underworld story] [Decisive and ruthless] [A road of no return] [First person] [Recollections] [This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.] My name is Han Tian. I was kidnapped by human traffickers as a child and forced to beg on the streets. It wasn't until Uncle Han rescued me from them that I was given a name. He showed me that a person could live like a re 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 67 Underworld Storm: The Iron-Blooded Road of the Martial World 黑道风云：铁血江湖路 [I'm Ma Tiejun. I'm a man of few words, but if you cross me, I'll take you on.] To make it in the underworld, you have to build up your business and earn plenty of money in the early days; shift into legitimate industries and establish yourself in the middle; then gradually clean up your act so you can walk away unscathed. The road through the underworld is hard, and few make it out alive, but I have no choice. I can only grit my teeth and keep going... Now that I'm on this ship, I'll be the fie 7.8kReads7.8Score68514d adds
- 68 Flowers Blooming in the Mud Will One Day Turn Toward the Sun 泥泞里的花朵，终会向阳开 Watch an ordinary man rise step by step from a pathetic weakling to a godfather of the underworld. Feel the thrill of every bone-crunching punch and experience the ruthless art of scheming for power. There are no absolute protagonists, and no absolute supporting characters. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 69 A Song for the Underworld 混子的挽歌 [Raise our cups and toast the rugged road through the underworld.] [Through blood and fury, a brotherhood that lasts a lifetime.] A naive, timid young man, to keep from losing the brothers at his side again, chooses to take up a three-foot steel blade and step into a world stained red with blood. Behind the brotherly bravado and drunken revelry of the underworld, the only things that never change are ruthless exploitation and cold reality. The people he meets make him sick. And little by little, 2.4kReads7.3Score23914d adds
- 70 He and His Thousand Brothers 他和他的一千个兄弟 A sweeping crackdown on organized crime by the municipal Party committee and government brought Kangcheng ten years of peace. But after a decade, criminal forces sprang up like mushrooms after rain and returned in force. A breakup, having his identity stolen in the college entrance exam, and a construction boss’s schemes led Chen Li’an to give up on making an honest living. In the end, he went down a path of no return, turning against society. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 71 Bright Darkness 明媚黯黑 Jiang Dapeng leaves the army with a pair of iron fists and goes undercover, but a sudden turn of events completely changes the course of his life. Faced with the lure of enormous profits and mounting pressure, when humanity is put to the test, who will prove human, and who will turn out to be a monster? Caught in the maelstrom, Jiang Dapeng repeatedly finds himself at the eye of the storm and at crossroads of fate. Will he sink into the shadows, join forces with the tiger, and share in its riche —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 72 A Journey Through Troubled Times 浊世征途 This is not a brainless power fantasy, and there is no System or golden finger. After seventeen years of writing, my specialty is fabricated reality and real fabrication! If you do not like it, please do not read it. Thank you for understanding. Those years, those brothers, those stories! Let us set sail and renew our old bonds! May all the brothers who pass by, come in, follow along, and offer their support live to be a hundred, enjoy abundant wealth, and have all their wishes come true! 41.2kReads9.4Score3k14d adds
- 73 Tales of the Northeast: Wang Pinghe 东北风云往事之王平和 The underworld of Northeast China in the 1990s had no beauty filters, just tough men with hard fists. Wang Pinghe, nicknamed Little Hoodlum, was the second child in his family. He should have lived a quiet life under his parents’ care, but instead plunged headfirst into the underworld. He fought viciously and was fiercely loyal. The iron gates of the detention center could hold him, but they couldn’t contain his wild streak. He would take a knife for his brothers, yet treat beautiful women with 28.8kReads8.6Score1.6k14d adds
- 74 A Ballad of Jianghu 江湖的悲歌 An accident took Man Cheng’s grandfather’s life, but it also introduced him to someone who would become very important to him. The incident changed the way he saw the world and set him on a path of no return. As more brothers joined him, ready to weather every hardship by his side, he found himself traveling farther and farther down that road. Looking back on his youth, some people are still by his side, some have ended up behind bars for good, and some he will never see again. 440Reads—Score—14d adds
- 75 I'm a Hoodlum: Two Strokes, One Vertical, That's How We Do Things! 老子是流氓，两横一竖就是干！ “Hello, my name is Fang Xiu. The ‘Xiu’ in ‘to the bitter end’!” In this bloody underworld where people prey on one another, Fang Xiu is swept against his will into one whirlpool after another! Only after stepping into it does he realize that the underworld is a bottomless vat of dye, filled with schemes, treachery, and betrayal! By the time he wants to turn back, he’s already sunk deep into the mire, with no way out! All he has left are the few brothers at his side, standing shoulder to shoulder 31Reads—Score—14d adds
- 76 1998: My Underworld Career 1998：我的黑道生涯 After returning home from Southeast Asia, he wanted to live as an ordinary man. But a local thug humiliated him, and in a fit of rage, he rose to power in the underworld. If he couldn't keep a low profile, then he'd go all out! 12.2kReads8.5Score83414d adds
- 77 The Mystery of the Golden Beans Crossing Borders 金豆子跨国疑云 The Mystery of the Golden Beans 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 78 The Jianghu: No Shore to Turn Back To 江湖：回头无岸 Years later, Cheng Yuan had left the jianghu behind and planned to become a businessman, living out the rest of his days in peace. But an old acquaintance's verdict dragged him back into the blood-soaked mire of the underworld. Once, they had ridden proudly through the world, putting brotherhood first. As the years passed, they either rode the crest of the tide or plunged into the depths. In the end, none of them could withstand the unstoppable current of the times... 23Reads7.0Score—14d adds
- 79 The Black Son of Heaven 黑天子 [Realistic Underworld + Everyone Is Smart + First-Person] An unconventional workplace in a bygone era, where people deal in social connections as well as bloodshed. This “workplace” is hidden behind two veils. One is called the world beyond the law, and the other is called the underworld. My name is Chen Chunsheng, a survivor who experienced both worlds firsthand. 30Reads7.3Score—14d adds
- 80 Fate in the World of Wind and Cloud 风云江湖之宿命 Society is the underworld, and the underworld is society. The blades flash unseen, and old grudges and tangled affairs are impossible to sort out. All I can do is keep myself alive and keep the people around me alive. But I have no idea how many overt and covert killings I'll have to face each day. I don't believe in fate, yet I struggle desperately against it. 12Reads—Score—14d adds
- 81 Dongguan: Starting by Conquering a Powerful Woman 东莞：从征服女大佬开始 [Guan City fiction + urban underworld + period drama + passionate + ultimate wish fulfillment] A man must have courage and grit. When his cousin was carried back to Niulan Village, crippled, Chen Xiaolong accompanied his cousin's wife south to Dongguan the next day. Dongguan in 2008 was a chaotic place, crowded with all kinds of people and gangs. To protect his cousin's wife, Chen Xiaolong stepped onto a blood-soaked path through the underworld. The worlds of black, gray, and white were turbulen 30.9kReads7.8Score1.7k14d adds
- 82 After Getting Out of Prison, the Underworld Princess Pursued Me 出狱后的我被黑道公主倒追 [Passionate youth] [Ruthless and decisive] [Tattoos covering his back] [A crowd of loyal brothers] On the eve of the college entrance exams, Li Shu lands in prison for using excessive force in self-defense. Three years later, having “successfully completed his studies,” he returns like a king. After surviving one bloody battle after another, he finally stands at the top of the city. Only then does he suddenly realize that his seemingly sweet and clueless girlfriend is the biggest boss in the ent 2.8kReads7.0Score21214d adds
- 83 I Chopped Until My Blade Chipped, and You Say I Hit the Wrong Person? 刀都砍崩了，你说我砍错了人 [Underworld + passionate jianghu + ruthless and decisive + a true kingpin] To stand up for the girl I loved, I blinded the village bully in one eye and spent three years in prison. When I got out, the goddess never came to greet me. Instead, I received an invitation to her wedding to the village bully... The jianghu is colorful and exciting, but it’s also rife with bloodshed, schemes, and deception. Brothers may share life and death, but there’s no shortage of betrayal, infighting, and estrangem 16.3kReads7.8Score1.1k14d adds
- 84 The Game of Fortune: My Life in the Underworld with the Girls of Dongguan 富贵棋局：我和东莞姐们的江湖路 In the 1990s, who ruled Shenzhen’s underworld? That would be Shenzhen King Jia Dai! I was just a hotheaded rookie fresh to the scene, but to protect my beloved Sister Qingshuang, I beat up Zuo Shuai, who was in a wheelchair. Zuo Shuai was Jia Dai’s lifesaver and sworn brother. He’d just had his legs crippled in Macau, and now I’d gone and beaten him up too. Jia Dai promptly put out a hit on me... 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 85 Wolf Hunt 狼狩 Lin Qiwen watches his honest, hardworking parents get beaten right before his eyes. As a boy, he’s falsely accused and sent to juvenile detention. Five years later, he walks out and stirs up the underworld. Revenge is only the beginning. He wants far more than that. Watch Lin Qiwen climb step by step to the very peak of power! 624Reads6.6Score10214d adds
- 86 The Unyielding Fist 不屈的拳头 This is a world of black and white, with no shades of gray. Twin brothers were forced apart while still in their swaddling clothes, and from then on lived completely different lives. Years later, they meet again at the same high school... 66Reads—Score—14d adds
- 87 Tales of the Underworld 黑道风云往事 This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is coincidental. This book urges people to choose the right path and serves as a warning to those who have gone astray. At eight, backed by my uncle, I planted the seeds of violence with a kitchen knife and blood. At sixteen, yearning for the world of the underworld, I plunged headfirst into its maelstrom. I saw its filth and darkness, its betrayals and its worship of profit, with only the faintest trace of loyalty. I s 61Reads—Score214d adds
- 88 At Eighteen, I Got a Cardigan Tattoo and Hit the Jianghu 我18岁纹开衫闯荡江湖 My biological father was sentenced to death, leaving me an orphan. As I slowly grew up, I became a delinquent with no interest in anything worthwhile. On my eighteenth birthday, the family I depended on could no longer put up with me. After I left, I spent every day hanging out with my old middle school classmates. Without even realizing it, I began following the same path as my father. Let me, at eighteen, see just how cruel, filthy, and dark this world of self-interest really is! 50.3kReads7.6Score3.8k14d adds
- 89 Central Plains Storm: Song Liugen, Godfather of the Underworld 中原风云之黑道教父宋留根 Since time immemorial, the underworld has been a bloody road forged through endless fighting. The warmth of its early days is slowly obscured by greed and sin. One slash on Youyi Road sent blood three feet high and made him famous across half the city. It also unleashed twenty years of bloodshed and terror. From a low-ranking punk collecting protection money on the street to the “underground emperor” of a vast empire built on crime and wealth. He trampled over corpses, recruited men, and swallow 3.6kReads8.4Score24214d adds
- 90 The New Jia Dai: A Storm Returns 新版加代之风云再现 The Dragon-Teng overlord of the jianghu kicks his way through 49 cities and punches his way through the Six Fan Gate. With a powerful physique, he stands alone against Japan’s Yamaguchi-gumi. A righteous big brother in the jianghu and the boss of his gang. Next, Xiaoji will bring you a grand spectacle, so stay tuned. 3kReads6.5Score10014d adds
- 91 Reborn: I Went on a Killing Spree in the Underworld 重生后我在黑道大开杀戒 [Everyday urban life + wild imagination + powerful lead + scheming + reborn + billionaire + thrilling and suspenseful + laugh-out-loud comedy + invincible face-slapping + underworld + big boss] Li Wei’s family is hounded by loan sharks until their lives are destroyed. Fleeing for his life, Li Wei loses his footing and falls to his death from the 21st floor. To his surprise, Li Wei is reborn as Mo Lingfeng, the son of the billionaire Mo Xiaotian. He gets his revenge using underworld methods. Afte 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 92 Night Rambles in Haozhou 濠州夜行录 On a rainy night in Haozhou, Qi Zheng tries to save Su Wan, a hostess at a nightclub who refuses to submit to the underworld boss Lord Long, and accidentally gets caught up in a gang feud. When a switchblade cuts through the veneer of the powerful, Qi Zheng not only puts his own life on the line but also sends his friend Wu Qi into dire straits. As they flee, Yang Fan, leader of the Three Blades Society, appears unexpectedly. What seems like a chance act of assistance is actually tied to the fie —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 93 A Disciple of the Generation 一代门徒 In the 2000s, we entered a new century. Tower after tower rose from the ground, and people moved from a simple, kindhearted world to one filled with complicated struggles of human nature. The times changed and taught us so much, so very much. We also lost so much, so very much... 109Reads—Score—14d adds
- 94 A New Era: The Female Lead Is Both Badass and Fabulous 新纪元：女主她又爽又飒 After a global geological cataclysm, most regions became wasteland. Born into an era of scarce supplies, tight food shortages, and social chaos, Lin Jin understood that to survive this dark world, where people would devour you without a second thought, she had to learn to be ruthless and to seize what she needed. She went from being a black-market trader outside the district to a police officer within the system, climbing step by step to heights that had never been meant for her... Even an ordin —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 95 Where Do the Falling Leaves Drift? 落叶飘向哪儿 (Underworld, school life, mind games, high martial arts) In middle school, a misunderstanding made Jiang Wanlin the target of a gang of petty thugs. Just when things looked desperate, Brother Hao appeared and showed him that in a dog-eat-dog society, only the strong avoid being bullied. So when he started high school, Jiang Wanlin refused to be pushed around any longer. He clenched his fists and plunged into the world of street gangs, dragging his good brother Liao Linfeng in with him. From stre 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 96 The Bad Boy’s Handsome Kirin 不良少年之麒麟帅 No System, No Transmigration This story follows Bai Long, beginning in the era of warlord conflict. It tells how Bai Long grows from a boy anyone could bully into a legendary figure. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 97 Northeast China: The Underworld of a Generation 东北往事：一代人的江湖 [The Era, the Underworld, an Ensemble Cast] [Intangible Cultural Heritage Crafted by Hand Using Ancient Methods] Back then, they believed that a single burst of youthful passion could buy them brotherhood for life. Later, some ended up behind bars, while others fled for their lives. Some lived bizarre lives, while others died absurd deaths... For thirty years across the mountains and rivers of the northeast, countless vibrant lives were crushed beneath blades and blizzards. Some people were dest 18.9kReads7.2Score2.1k14d adds
- 98 I Didn’t Stab a Man, I Stabbed This Rotten World 老子捅的不是人，是世道 [Urban Underworld | Reborn Comeback | Brotherhood and High-Octane Gang Battles] 1991. Fu’an. Heavy snow. Fang Xiao knelt on the storeroom’s concrete floor, Zhao Changshui’s blood still on his hands. He was reborn, carrying memories of his brothers’ horrific deaths and his family’s ruin in his previous life. This time, he wouldn’t take the blame for anyone or be anyone’s lackey. He would wade through the filth and lead a band of brothers who had been dragged through the mud, determined to make 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 99 Big Brother of the Streets: Starting as a Demobilized Soldier 社会大哥：从退伍军人开始 My name is Wang Yi. Wang as in “king,” Yi as in “number one”! My big brother told me there are three essentials to making it in the underworld: being ruthless, knowing when to endure, and having a plan. But he never told me that life in the underworld would mean blood and tears, death and farewells! Countless bones pile up in the wilderness, and the law's net is wide enough to catch every hoodlum. Of the countless gangsters out there, only one or two ever make something of themselves! And I'm on 8.2kReads8.7Score80914d adds
- 100 The Jianghu: A True Account of Half a Life in the Underworld 江湖：混社会的半生真实经历 A chaotic age, filled with flashing blades and clashing steel! The martial world is like a cup of tea. Everyone tastes it differently. My name is Zhao Long. Back then, most people called me Long Si, Brother Si, or Fourth Master! I'm not exaggerating when I say my reputation back then was almost as great as that of the famous Fourth Master Qiao up north! I was a poor kid who couldn't afford a meal. Through sheer grit and ruthl 4.7kReads7.1Score20114d adds
