Novels like The Two Substitutes
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Two Substitutes, best match first.
- 1 He Loves My Heart 他爱的是我的心脏 On the day of the interview, Lu Yanshen looked at me for three seconds. I thought it was love at first sight. Only later did I learn he was looking at my heart: an Rh-negative heart that could save the woman he loved. He said, “I'll use your heart to save her first, then find another heart to save you.” I thought he was joking. He wasn't. On the operating table, I asked him one last question: “Did you ever like me, even a little? Not my heart, but me.” He didn't answer. I closed my eyes 591Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 After Being Treated as a Substitute, I Walked Away Without Looking Back 被当替身后，我转身就走绝不回头 [Cold and obsessive x meek and depressed] “Wan’an? You’re as gentle as your name.” When they first met, the man murmured his name, his words soft as a drifting feather. There was a hint of admiration and interest in his gaze. Qiao Wan’an lowered his eyes, his face turning faintly red. Later, the man gently clasped his fingers and slid a ring onto his hand. His tender affection was impossible to hide. “An’an, I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life.” If he hadn’t wandered into that study and 577Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 The Way He Looks 他的样子 Su Nian was a bird kept by Shen Du. Locked in a gray apartment, dressed in gray clothes, and taught to imitate someone else’s smile. Shen Du held his grandmother’s life in his hands, so Su Nian couldn’t fly, couldn’t call out, couldn’t say no. When Shen Du wanted him to be like Cheng Yanbai, he was. When Shen Du wanted him in bed, he went. When Shen Du wanted his body, he gave it. Afterward, Shen Du would turn his back and call out another name: Yanbai. Later, the white moonlight returned. 437Reads—Score10014d adds
- 4 After I Died, They All Started to Love Me 我死后，他们都开始爱我 [Two Male Leads + Angsty, Tearjerking Romance + Everyone Gets Their Comeuppance] The person Shen Yanci envied most in this life was his twin brother, Shen Zhiheng. Everyone said Shen Zhiheng had been born frail because Yanci had taken nutrients from him in the womb. His biological parents demanded to know: Why was Yanci the one who could run and jump around? Why was he the one who got to live a healthy life? The man he had loved for ten years told him, “He’s your brother, your own flesh and bloo 4.1kReads7.1Score43614d adds
- 5 Mo Yan Returns 莫言归 [Bad ending + melodrama + devoted to each other] He forces her first, then chases after her. Mostly angst. Jiang Chu takes on his responsibilities and infiltrates a criminal organization. Betrayal, understanding, confusion, forgiveness, revenge... A jumble of complicated emotions fills his heart. He spends nearly his entire life walking the road ahead. "I could protect anyone else but you. You're the one person I can't protect." Another late autumn. The ginkgo leaves have turned yellow in great 166Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 6 The One Who Never Came Home Turned Out to Be My Boyfriend 得不到的归人，竟是我的男友 The Person I Could Never Have Turned Out to Be My Boyfriend 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 The Ten Years I Loved You Most 最爱你的那十年 The man I've had a crush on for ten years told me he likes someone else. Just when I finally let him go, he came chasing after me. But what good is that? Affection that comes too late is worth less than grass. 971Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 Moon-Lending Teahouse 借月茶馆 Moonlit Teahouse 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 The Worthy Minister Never Returns 良臣不归 A Worthy Minister Never Returns 38Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 Snowfall in the Dark Alley 雪落暗巷 (The main story is complete) [One-on-one pure romance, not your typical angsty love story] Xie Fusang × Pei Yiliu/Ruan Yue Bottom with a psychological disorder × psychiatrist top Original title: Drowned At three in the morning after the first snow, there were not only plum blossoms ready to bloom, but also a notebook beneath the thin snow, holding memories and love. It snowed for three days and three nights, and the thin layer of snow grew deep. Strange. The notebook had no water on it, so why 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 Conversion Camp: Tamed by Love 戒同所：以爱驯服 Just started getting ratings; the main story is complete [No CP + Slight Ensemble Cast + Conversion Therapy + Mind Control + In the Name of Love] [If you like angst, come on in.] I'm required to write at least 50 characters, but I think every extra word would be a spoiler. So, happy New Year's Eve, everyone. Tang Tang, happy New Year's Eve to you too. Welcome to my world. 514Reads8.5Score10014d adds
- 12 Captive Paper Cranes 囚禁千纸鹤 Tearjerker, tearjerker, tearjerker!!! Important things should be said three times. If you don't like it, don't read! Lin He: “I once folded my whole heart into the wings of a paper crane, writing your name stroke by stroke, thinking that if I gathered enough longing, the wind would carry me to your side. But I forgot that you stood so high and so far away. My wings were too light to bear the weight of my love, and even my courage to approach you was slowly worn away by the wind. I could only sta 653Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 Zhou Jingchuan, You're Too Late 周敬川，你来迟了 [Two male leads + terminal illness + chasing your husband back + angsty romance] The thing Pei You regretted most in his life was following someone into an alley that night. He lost the prayer beads his older brother had given him, saved a girl, and then caught the attention of her brother, Zhou Jingchuan. Zhou Jingchuan was gentle and considerate, maneuvering closer one step at a time. Pei You thought it was love, until he saw the prayer beads bearing his own name fall from Zhou Jingchuan. 6.9kReads8.3Score58914d adds
- 14 Front Teeth 2. 门牙2. Front Teeth 2. 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 15 Front Tooth 1 门牙1 Front Tooth 1 102Reads—Score—14d adds
- 16 The Ten Years I Loved You Most: Loving You Until Death 最爱你的那十年之至死不瑜 A reborn story, He Zhishu x Ai Ziyu I want to give Zhishu a bright future. Jiang Wenxu fans, stay away! Seriously, stay away! I have an absolutely enormous grudge against Jiang Wenxu. I’ll assume the worst of him and show no mercy, so Jiang Wenxu fans, please don’t come here. Don’t come to the comments to whitewash Jiang. It’s really annoying. Wasn’t my description clear enough? If you want to say that you feel sorry for Jiang or that he knew he was wrong, there are plenty of other places for th 3.8kReads9.1Score73814d adds
- 17 The Final Seventy Days 最后七十天 [Two male leads + tragic ending + unrequited love + healing + quiet everyday life] [Gentle older brother Shen Qingzhou & Huang Yixing, who has albinism] After growing up wild and free in the countryside for twelve years, he was suddenly told he was an illegitimate child. Less than two days after his mother died, Shen Qingzhou was taken to live in the city by his biological father. Six years later, he was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. His final wish in life was to return to the pla 220Reads8.1Score10014d adds
- 18 After Sending Me to Prison, I Drove My Jerk Ex-Husband Insane 送我入狱后，我把渣总虐疯了 This is the story of a CEO who wanted to force someone to love him, but was sent to prison and eventually gave up hope. A heartbroken, hopeless bottom × an oblivious top who doesn’t realize he’s in love Two years ago, Gu Jinbei personally sent Chi Mo to prison for illegal confinement, turning him from the powerful CEO of the Chi Group into a convict. Two years later, when they met again, Chi Mo was a convict with nothing, while Gu Jinbei had become the powerful heir apparent of the capital. Desp 3.2kReads8.4Score26314d adds
- 19 My Ex Is Back for Another Shot! 前男友，他吃回头草了！ My Ex-Boyfriend Is Back for Another Shot! 3.1kReads—Score—14d adds
- 20 Mr. Song, It's Hard to Hate You 宋先生，与你难生恨 When we kissed, our sticky saliva clung between us like a dying fish struggling for life. It had long since foretold the worst. Mr. Song, only you and I can know this hatred. | Words for Mr. Song, a whisper in the same hue as my beloved. Our memories flashed by like scenes from a film, and I remember every detail with perfect clarity. I hate that my feelings can’t be taken back, making it hard for you to choose and driving me to torment myself. 453Reads—Score10714d adds
- 21 The One Thing I Wanted to Record Before I Died 死前，我唯一想记录的 I fell in love with my non-blood-related older brother, but he found me disgusting and sent me to a conversion therapy center. After I got out, my mental state deteriorated day by day, and in the end, before I died, I wrote this 3.2kReads8.1Score66714d adds
- 22 Was It Just for Fun? Why Are You Crying Now That I Have a Terminal Illness? 不是玩玩而已？我得绝症你哭什么 Original title: Can You Leave a Sweet Orange by My Grave? Cool boxer bottom × seemingly nice-guy but actually wicked, flirtatious top (First person + chasing the spouse into the crematorium + melodrama + tragic ending) Li Feng is a coward. After learning he has a terminal illness, he decides to earn enough money and then die. Before then, a man named Qin Xiao suddenly barges into his life. Suddenly, he doesn’t want to die anymore. He wants to live. Just as he’s about to tell Qin Xiao ever 17.3kReads9.2Score2.3k14d adds
- 23 What Brings Joy to Life 何生欢喜 Two male leads + body-double romance + BE aesthetic “So, Xu Linxun, what am I to you? A tool you summon whenever you want and discard whenever you're done?” “Say something!” Xu Linxun's eyes were just as cold, their depths impossible to fathom, as if the feelings they had shared over the past three years had never meant a thing to him. “Say something... Tell me, even if you have to lie...” Yu Chensheng dug his fingernails into his palms, the pain cutting to the bone. Still, he forced a smile and 608Reads8.8Score10014d adds
- 24 The Counterfeit 赝品 Synopsis: Song Cheng had been with Qin Minghua for five years. He always thought that even if he couldn’t win Qin Minghua’s love, at least he was someone special to him. But when that person appeared, he finally understood that both his feelings and his life were nothing more than tools Qin Minghua used to protect them. Out of love, Song Cheng resigned himself to giving up everything he had, but everything slowly began to move in a different direction. A fierce love and hatred, like an endless b 53Reads6.3Score1014d adds
- 25 Go Left at the Light, Right at the Crossing 左灯右行 “Who are you in my eyes? Who do you want me to stand in for? We trade each other’s joys and sorrows, and the one who loves more is always the first to cry.” “Embracing you wears you out. The one who loves more is always the first to turn false.” Liao Juntao, “Who” “I love you, and it’s like driving against the lights.” Tanya Chua, “Red High Heels” So, if two people aren’t right for each other, they shouldn’t get together in the first place. You agree, Gu Xiangbei? Character setup: A street-c 1.8kReads9.2Score26014d adds
- 26 I’d Rather Die So You Can Follow Me in Death 用死换你殉情也好 He was once the Supreme Emperor, yet he personally killed the only person he ever loved. There were no bones left at the mass grave. In the inner palace, he dreamed of her more than two thousand times over six years. His empire fell, and all its splendor came to nothing. He gave his life to atone, hoping only to reunite with her in another life. Dynasties changed and years passed. The world had long since become a different place. On a bustling street, two little children came hand in hand. The 779Reads—Score10214d adds
- 27 After the Stand-In Left, the Tycoon Panicked! 替身走后大佬他慌了！ [Two male leads + a substitute for the beloved + a long road to winning back his love, hot-tempered alpha scum pursuer, cool, gentle beta beloved] ABO [No one in this world loves me anymore] Lin Mu fell in love at first sight with the man who took him away. Later, he went to live with Li Yuanjing, and stayed with him for three years. Throughout those three years, he knew perfectly well that he was only a substitute for Li Yuanjing’s beloved, yet Lin Mu still knowingly lost himself in those deep 3.4kReads9.0Score25614d adds
- 28 The Butler's Chronicles at Steffelly Manor 斯特菲尔利庄园男仆记事 A Butler’s Chronicle at the Steffelily Estate 911Reads—Score12814d adds
- 29 Fallen from the Azure Heavens 堕青云 Falling from the Azure Heavens 438Reads—Score1114d adds
- 30 Wither Them, Let Them Bloom 与之枯萎，予之盛放 [Two male leads + older man/younger man + devoted to each other + regret and pursuit] [Cold, strict, ruthless scheming top × frail, disillusioned bottom] Ruan Hanlin once thought Ruan Yushu was a lonely weed growing in the wilderness. Only after he left did he suddenly realize that Ruan Yushu was a tree, a tree that bloomed in the sunlight. The years they spent tangled together had nearly buried him. Ruan Hanlin was willing to wither alongside him, and let him bloom. 3.2kReads8.7Score24914d adds
- 31 The Sparrow Without a Blessing 无佑之雀 A Sparrow Without Blessings 525Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 After the Little Fool Was Reborn, I Became His Dog 小傻子重生后，我成了他的狗 After the Little Fool Was Reborn, I Became His Dog 1.5kReads—Score—14d adds
- 33 Still Waters, Cold as Death 死水薄凉 [Scumbag Top x World-Weary Bottom] [Mad Dog x Mad Dog] [Forced Love] [Tragedy] The world had never been so dull. It all began when Xu Yanzhi picked up the countdown. Xu Yanzhi, a rich second-generation layabout who did nothing but coast through life and wait to die, encountered Li Yan after he returned to the country ten years later. Forced to tear open his wounds, Xu Yanzhi gradually let his true nature show. I’m done pretending. I actually hate this world. I set fires, hurt people, and framed 797Reads8.7Score11014d adds
- 34 The Foolish Boy Died, and He Went Mad 小傻子死了，他疯了 The Little Fool Died, and He Went Mad 6kReads—Score10114d adds
- 35 Soul Transmigration into the Regent’s White Moonlight 魂穿摄政王的白月光 [Two male leads + equally powerful leads + tragic romance + older top + heart-wrenching + chasing his wife to the crematorium + white moonlight romance + toxic love + depressing + happy ending] Emergency room doctor Shen Shi'an died suddenly before the operating table. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on an unfamiliar jade bed. The man before him held power over the entire court. He gently stroked Shen Shi'an's cheek, but in his eyes was the reflection of someone else. “Jinghe,” Xie 727Reads8.2Score2114d adds
- 36 My Ex Is a Killer, Fierce, Ruthless, and Violent 前男友是杀手，又凶又狠还打人 [Dual male leads + groveling pursuit + happy ending] A beautiful, strong, tragic assassin uke, A ruthless, cold-blooded CEO seme. Xiao You'en has died three times. The first time, he was seven and nearly beaten to death fighting over a steamed bun. The second time, he was locked up and nearly starved to death by the person he trusted most. The third time, he simply didn’t want to live anymore. The pain of bullets tearing through his body seemed to rip his soul to pieces. One shot, two shots, thr 5.6kReads9.0Score54314d adds
- 37 I Don't Know. He's Dead 我不知道，他死了 [Calm and composed top]+ [A timid little bunny at first, then a dark, unhinged, smiling tiger]+ [Angst]+ [Ghosts and lovers beyond death]+ [Supernatural]+ [Reborn]+ [Workplace]+ [Business rivalry]+ [Xuanhuan]+ [Mutually devoted]+ [Rekindled romance] When he dumped me, he said he was tired of playing with me. He deleted every message we’d shared, sold our home, and erased all our memories. It took me two years to find out that he’d spent four years preparing that villa. One entire wall was line 326Reads—Score—14d adds
- 38 The CEO Falls Hard: Where Can His Sweet Canary Run? 霸总沦陷，软萌金丝雀哪里逃 On a stormy, freezing night, Lu Linyuan, a man of immense power, found Shen Zhiyu beneath the Lu Group building. The boy was wandering like a dying sparrow, burning with fever and gravely ill. Lu Linyuan built a cage of obsessive, suffocating love around him, cutting off the boy's freedom to socialize. Only when Shen Zhiyu began coughing up blood and his condition worsened did Lu Linyuan finally come to his senses, but by then it was too late to undo the damage. Misunderstandings and the crushin 178Reads7.0Score13014d adds
- 39 The Enemy Nation's Crown Prince, My Captive Phoenix 敌国太子，朕的囚凰 Everyone says that Xiao Heqing, crown prince of Great Yong, has a face capable of captivating the world. But no one knows that on the day his kingdom fell, he donned armor and took up his sword, fighting alongside the last three hundred soldiers until sundown. The world loved his beauty. Only one man insisted on shattering his unyielding spirit. After fighting to the last moment, he snapped his sword and tried to die for his country. But Xuan Ling, the new emperor of the enemy state, pulled him 68Reads—Score1114d adds
- 40 Just a Slave. So What If He Dies? Why Are You Crying? 奴隶而已，死就死了，为什么哭 Just a Slave. So What If They Die? Why Are You Crying? 2.4kReads—Score—14d adds
- 41 Fate Was Transferred, Yet He Thought I Was Heartless 气运转移，他却以为是我薄情 My Luck Was Transferred, Yet He Thought I Was Heartless 1.2kReads—Score—14d adds
- 42 The Diary of the Man Who Belongs to Him 属于他的先生日记 (This is a story about the secondary couple. The main couple’s story, Pretending to Be a Couple, Becoming True Love, has a bonus ending where everyone gets a happy ending.) Mo Lie x Bai Ren [Two male leads + unrequited love + tragic ending + angst] Mo Jia x Mu Qingzhou To Mo Jia, falling for someone was a wonderful thing. But... The person he loved was a man. A man he was not allowed to love. If unrequited love was bitter, then for Mo Jia, it was something very, very sweet. What was the meaning 241Reads8.0Score10014d adds
- 43 Forced into a Torturous Love 强制虐爱 [Physical and emotional torment + sickly protagonist + obsessive love + unhinged behavior + movie star + groveling redemption + mutually exclusive romance] Proud, sickly beauty on the receiving end + extremely controlling, possessive pursuer Mo Jingrui was born without feelings. He only likes being in control and stamping on other people’s dignity, tormenting their minds until they submit to him completely. He drives Song Huaizhi’s father to his death, brings down the Song family, and forces 7.7kReads8.6Score64614d adds
- 44 But When He Left, the Whole Garden Was in Spring 偏他去时春满园 When Gu Lan heard he had only ten months left to live, he was unexpectedly calm and accepting. Looking back on his life, it had been a complete mess. In this world, he was nothing more than a pathetic nobody whom no one cared about... Perhaps no one would cry for him when his life finally came to an end... Gu Lan accepted the outcome without resistance. After all, ever since he returned to this family, he had never received anything. If that was the case, why should he be afraid of losing anythi 89Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 45 Reborn: I Don't Want You This Time, So Why Are You Panicking? 重生，这次我不要你了，你急什么 Reborn: This Time, I Don't Want You Anymore. Why Are You in Such a Hurry? 1.4kReads—Score—14d adds
- 46 I Witness Your Wedding in the Name of Your Lawful Wife 我以正妻之名为你证婚 I Bear Witness to Your Wedding in the Name of Your Legal Wife 5.7kReads—Score67.4k14d adds
- 47 He Was Never in My Destiny 命中无他 He hated the other person’s betrayal and hated how they kept running away from him, again and again. But he also loved them to the bone. He gave them his whole heart, only to have everything taken from him by the person he respected and cared about most. Everyone thinks a lifetime is long, but sometimes it’s too short to grasp. If I could live again, I hope I’d never have met you. 256Reads7.2Score—14d adds
- 48 He Didn't Comfort Him 他没哄他 [Two male leads + campus + lighthearted + unrequited love + a touch of bittersweetness + BE + short story] (Soothing someone = comforting them = deceiving them) Gloomy top student [Mu Qi] × doomed delinquent [Ling Shu] Every relationship needs someone to make the first move. That's inevitable. So Ling Shu spent two years preparing before stepping back into Mu Qi's life. Liking someone doesn't guarantee you'll end up together, and love doesn't have to be earth-shattering. So Mu Qi kept watch ove 181Reads—Score—14d adds
- 49 Who Can I Tell My Grudge To? 恨谁诉？ Each chapter is a standalone tragic love story with an open ending, so use your imagination. Some stories are set in ancient times and others in the modern day, but they're all tragic. If that's not your thing, feel free to skip them. 676Reads8.7Score13314d adds
- 50 Before He Dies, He Wants to Give Up His Allergen 临死前，他要戒掉过敏源 [Male-male romance + angst + late-blooming devotion + the hero’s long road to winning him back] Shen Pei’an was ill. On his birthday, the doctor told him he didn’t have much longer to live. He hadn’t planned to hide it. He meant to wait until Ren Xu had celebrated his birthday with him, then tell him the truth. But the big star Ren Xu never came. All Shen Pei’an got was a birthday cake that would trigger his allergies. He was twenty-eight. It was his ninth year in love with Ren Xu. There would 1.1kReads6.6Score10114d adds
