Novels like Before the Egret Was Born
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Before the Egret Was Born, best match first.
- 1 Twilight Fades, Shattered Across the Ground 暮色消散碎一地 Dusk Fades, Shattered Across the Ground —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 Blue Rain Letter 蓝雨信 [Mutual healing + devoted to each other + 1v1] [Devoted and restrained VS prima ballerina] When Su Wan was eight, her mother brought her to stay temporarily with the Lu family. The eldest son, Lu Yanzhou, was three years older than her. Their brief childhood connection ended in a storm of trouble, after which she left for London. She was gone for six years. He saved up countless plane tickets to London. The day they reunited, she said in front of everyone, "I have a boyfriend." He pushed open th 1.2kReads—Score14114d adds
- 3 Listen, the Sound of the Wind 铃听，风的声音 Qingqing is deaf and mute. A promise brought them together, and he became her voice. In his eyes, she was the exception. The character “Ting” in Xia Ting’s name sounds like “you can hear.” He spent a week learning sign language for her. He captured the sound of the wind for her, hoping to grant her wish. He gave her his voice, but wasn’t satisfied with it, and wanted to give her the best gift of all. A sensitive, insecure girl x Xia Ting, who promised to stay by her side He treated her well in k 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 A Home in the Next Life 下一世的家 Home in the Next Life —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 The Firefly’s Rebirth 晚萤新生 A bittersweet romance. Lin Wanying’s life is running out. A sudden cancer diagnosis has trapped her in a prison called despair, and all she wants is to spend the time she has left quietly reaching the end of her journey. Chen Ye, a genius designer, has had the edges of his life worn away by the hardships of his childhood and the endless grind of each day. His heart is barren, and he can find no meaning in life, until he meets a girl whose eyes conceal both brokenness and extraordinary strength. 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 One Last Time, I Want You to See a Sunny Day 最后一次，我想让你看看晴天 One Last Time, I Want You to See a Sunny Day 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 Her World Lasts Only Seven Seconds 她的世界只有七秒 Her World Lasts Only Seven Seconds 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 The 101st Sunny-Day Doll 第101个晴天娃娃 The 101st Sunny-Day Doll 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 Blank Space and Paper Pages 空白与纸页 In the bloom of youth, unrequited love is both rare and commonplace. A few remain unrequited, while most succeed. Unrequited love is a pain you can't put into words. Only you know how hard it is to love someone in secret, and how much harder it is to let go. Do you, with your blank slate, know? 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 The Night My White Moonlight Returned, I Became My Fiancé's Younger Brother's Fiancée 白月光归来那夜，我成了未婚夫弟弟的“未婚妻” The night my first love returned, I became my fiancé's younger brother's “fiancée” 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 He Watched Her in Secret for Two Years 他偷看了她两年 [Secret Campus Crush + Tragic Ending + Dual Perspectives] [The Coward × The One He Admires] If he'd been a little braver back then, would things have turned out differently? She would never know that someone had loved her for his entire youth. They accidentally collided at the turn in the stairwell, and she blushed, apologized, then turned and walked away. But in that moment, he etched her image into his heart. He waited at the finish line during PE, watching for her to run up. At fla 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 Waiting Half a Year for You 等你半年 [Campus Youth + Online Romance + Tragic Ending] [Cold, Distant Junior × Obsessive Senior] She spent her entire youth loving one person, only to lose herself waiting for him. When she was sixteen, Lu Xingchen told Lin Chuxia, “This star is called Chuxia.” She believed him. She waited three years and sent more than four hundred messages. He never replied to a single one. Later, he found someone else. He made their relationship public, flaunted his affection, and called someone else “baby.” He 39Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 First Love, Delayed 初恋延迟 [Over-the-Top Drama × Substitute Romance × Reunited with an Old Flame] Ning Nianchu spent ten years secretly in love with someone whose heart belonged to another. Only after that person died did he become the other's substitute... 2.2kReads9.2Score12514d adds
- 14 He Sees Spring he见春天 Jiang Du thought her youth was destined to smell of disinfectant in hospital corridors and the foil stars inside medicine packets, until Wei Qingyue burst into her world carrying a quantum physics textbook. A greenhouse on a stormy night, cicadas singing at 128 Hz, a novel manuscript filled with annotations: every signal they had missed was gently corrected in a parallel universe. Eight years later, when blue plumbago bloomed out of season, meteor coordinates from the observatory guided them to 4.7kReads—Score46714d adds
- 15 After the Breakup, the Young Master Begged Me to Take Him Back 分手后，小少爷他跪求我复合 [A carefree, passionate golden-retriever top x a restrained, composed, slightly aloof catlike bottom] Xu Zhouye has been fed up with Shen Huaixu for a long time. He thinks he's violent and possessive, and that he makes him lose face in front of his buddies. So, for the Nth time, he asks to break up, never expecting the other man to agree. After an accident, Xu Zhouye's soul ends up in a dog in Shen Huaixu's home. Only then does he see Shen Huaixu's tender, hidden side. The big dog launches a cam 1.2kReads8.6Score10514d adds
- 16 You Lost Your Memory and Broke Off Our Engagement. Why Are You Losing It Now That I'm Remarrying? 你失忆与我退婚，我改嫁你疯什么 [Both leads are each other’s first and only + A chaotic rivalry among the men + Regret and face-slapping] ① Everyone in Jiuzhou knows that Shen Sining and the Ninth Prince grew up together. They’re the perfect couple, envied by all. But on the eve of their wedding, the Ninth Prince loses his memory. He remembers everyone except Shen Sining, the woman he once treasured above all else. “This prince would never fall for a useless beauty like her.” “Lulu is the woman I love, the one I’ll cherish for 2.3kReads8.3Score16314d adds
- 17 The Girl I Helped Turned Out to Be My New Transfer-Classmate 出手帮助的女孩子竟是转校新同桌 Years after graduating, Luo Yuying found an old, yellowed diary. Its pages told her story from another person's point of view. “Ying, do you know I've liked you for a long time?” “Do you know how happy I was when I ran into you at the barbecue place that day? “As I got to know you, I found out what a thoughtful, warmhearted boy you are. “I don't know when I first fell for you. Your wounds made my heart ache, and your words stirred my emotions. “We shared difficult yet tender times. We liste 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 18 The Sound of Fine Rain on the Bridge 桥绵细雨声 [Depressed girl Qiao Mian x gentle doctor Wen Rouyu] Qiao Mian wanted to throw herself into the river, but Wen Rouyu pulled her out. Suddenly, she wasn't sure she wanted to die. Was it fate? Tugging timidly at Wen Rouyu's clothes, she asked, “Can you love me?” “I do. I love you so, so much. I like you more than anything.” Qiao Mian's depression was caused by her family. To help Qiao Mian break free from her birth family, Wen Rouyu secretly made a plan. Qiao Mian's parents beat her until both 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 See You Tomorrow, Monday 周一，明天见 [A short bad-ending story. Readers who can't handle angst, beware.] Xu Qingze was Zhou Yi’s boyfriend. He was in a car accident abroad. Everyone told Zhou Yi he was dead, but she stubbornly refused to believe it. She cried herself blind, ruined her health, and clung to life by a thread. Just as Zhou Yi was about to die, Xu Qingze came back. With a warm smile, he held out his hand to Zhou Yi. “Hello, my name is Xu Qingze.” Zhou Yi: Xu Qingze, how dare you forget me. But I’m glad you forgot me. ( 2.2kReads8.1Score42614d adds
- 20 Secret Love Is Like a Green Plum 暗恋好似一颗青梅果 A heartbreaking BE that will make you cry your eyes out: youthful angst, unrequited love, and bittersweet longing Xia Xi's youth was shrouded in gray. Her parents' endless arguments, her classmates' distance, and the chains of social anxiety left her like a shadow in the corner, silent and invisible. That changed in her first year of high school, when the sunny Shen Yiqing became her desk mate. Cheerful and kind, he was a ray of light piercing her gloomy world. He taught her to be brave and help 5.9kReads8.6Score1.3k14d adds
- 21 She Won't Comfort Me Anymore 她不哄我了 [Signed, awaiting publication] Inspired by the author's own experience of secretly loving someone for six years, even though he already loves someone else. Xu Ci is outwardly a cool, gifted young man, but inwardly sensitive. Wanyue is outwardly sunny and cheerful, but inwardly sensitive and insecure, a sweet, well-behaved girl. One summer, amid the buzzing cicadas, Xu Ci and Wanyue fell in love at first sight. Xu Ci had to leave early for something, and Wanyue thought she'd never see him again. 35Reads—Score—14d adds
- 22 Keep Torturing Me! One More Time and I'm Running Away! 再虐！再虐我就跑了！ [Win her back at any cost + reunion after years apart + sweet and angsty + happy ending] Jiang Chen had loved Xu Jingnian for more than a decade, but she had always known that he felt only familial affection and friendship for her, never love. She had asked him countless times, “Do you like me?” His answer was always, “Jiang Chen, stop dreaming.” “Jiang Chen, I’ll never love you in this lifetime.” Yeah, right. All talk. When their parting finally came, the man who had always been proud and aloof 1.9kReads8.4Score10314d adds
- 23 Soul-Locking Fog: I Love Her with His Memories 浓雾锁魂：我带着他的记忆爱着她 The girl he fell for was the daughter of “his” wife. Chen Luo had lived for eighteen years without ever experiencing joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. A dense fog lay locked in his mind, concealing the memories of a man who had been dead for eighteen years. Then he met Du Xiaoyu in the library. The instant he saw the jade pendant around her neck, he blurted out a name: “Xiao’er.” Du Xiaoyu didn’t know he was calling her mother. She knew even less that her father’s memories, all his love, and all 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 The Year I Died Was the Year I Loved You Most 死在了最爱你的那一年 The most carefree young lady in Qinghe falls for an obscure transfer student, and from that moment on, she's smitten. ❤️ She, Yun Nanmian, was meant to be a pampered young lady. Her beloved parents gave their lives to save an obscure nobody, who had promised to be her lifelong support. It was all a lie. Every bit of it. He, Chi Shengrui, is the illegitimate son of the Chi family, cast aside by his clan and transferred to Qinghe. He should have fallen into the mire and spent his life in darkne 120Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 He Lives in Heaven 他住在天堂里 [Signed for print publication] [He has loved her in secret for ten years, tragic ending + male lead dies of cancer + tearjerker campus romance] “The girl I’ve loved for ten years got married. I personally placed her hand in her future husband’s. The last time I called her by name was at her wedding.” Jiang Chi 692Reads8.4Score18714d adds
- 26 The Father and Son I Won Over Could Never Be Warmed, but Now That I've Let Go, He's Panicking 舔来的父子捂不热，放手后他慌了 At twenty-one, Jing Yan married Huo Shiyan. At twenty-two, Jing Yan gave birth to Huo Xinglin. Huo Xinglin was a lot like Huo Shiyan: cold and taciturn, not very close to her, but in constant contact with a woman named Fang Ziyu. Every day, she used to get up early to stew a pot of soup for her husband and son. But today, Huo Xinglin drugged the water she was drinking so Fang Ziyu could attend the parent-teacher meeting instead. The restorative soup simmering on the stove put out the flame, caus 2.3kReads5.4Score10014d adds
- 27 The Sun Will Shine When I Leave You 离开你，天才会晴 Once I leave you, the skies will clear. 560Reads—Score—14d adds
- 28 I Chased Her for Five Years to No Avail. After I Disappeared, She Went Crazy 苦追五年无果，消失后，她却疯了 (Ex-wife-chasing crematorium, lots of sweetness later, school life, play the pig to eat the tiger, one heroine, no angst) Lin Ze has been branded a good-for-nothing by the entire school since middle school. After five years of fruitlessly pursuing Xiang Qingxue, he is publicly rejected on his sixteenth birthday. At the same time, Qin Yuexi, the icy beauty who is the hottest topic on campus, secretly adds him as a friend. No one knows what kind of face lies hidden beneath Qin Yuexi's dark veil. H 2.6kReads6.9Score11214d adds
- 29 I Promise You a Love as Deep as the Sea 许你深情深似海 Luo Ji was a ray of light in Shen Yi’s dark childhood. But after Shen Ge ruthlessly stole that light away, it became the arrow that wounded him most deeply. One misunderstanding, three years of torment, and everyone took their turn trampling him until he was utterly ruined. When Luo Ji finally learned the truth, he held his battered heart close and stopped believing in love. Shen Yi: “Once you’re dead, I won’t love you anymore.” 404Reads8.4Score10414d adds
- 30 One Hundred Do-Overs: Side Story 《任务重来一百次》番外 Extra Story for "The Mission: One Hundred More Tries" 636Reads—Score8314d adds
- 31 After the Divorce, My Ex-Husband Clings to Me Shamelessly 离婚后，前夫死皮赖脸缠着我 For revenge, he kept her imprisoned by his side until she became pregnant. “Get rid of it,” he ordered coldly. For once, she abandoned her usual meek, easy-to-bully nature and rebelled by running away. But seven months later, he caught her and forcibly cut out her twins, then cruelly drove her away! She fled abroad in a wretched state. Five years later, she returned, tempered by fire. He, however, was completely unlike his old self, shamelessly clinging to her, crushing every chance romance and 3.6kReads9.1Score95014d adds
- 32 No One Loves Him 没有人爱他 No One Loves Him 459Reads—Score1314d adds
- 33 A Love of Torment (Ziyue and Xiamu's Bestselling Collection) 虐恋情深（籽月夏木畅销作品集） A heartrending romance! A deeply moving story! This classic collection of tearjerking romance novels by Zi Yue has touched hundreds of millions of readers over seven consecutive years. It includes the Summer’s Desire trilogy, the series adapted as A Love So Beautiful, starring Bai Jingting and Sun Yi, Zi Yue’s autobiographical novel The Seventh Star Living in Time, The Adorable Guard, and three other books, for a total of seven. 773Reads9.3Score13114d adds
- 34 The White Olive Tree: The War Rages On, but Love Runs Deep 白色橄榄树：硝烟未尽，爱已深 On the war-ravaged land of Dongguo, the sky was always gray and hazy with smoke. Amid the ruins of the cities, the thunder of artillery never ceased, as if giving voice to endless suffering. Song Ran, a young and gifted war correspondent, first met Li Zan, a brave soldier in the peacekeeping forces, amid the flames of war. The threads of fate quietly intertwined. 313Reads—Score10414d adds
- 35 A Happy Ending for Every Character in Seeing Spring 见春天全角色he同人结局 Wei Qingyue, we’ll meet in spring, won’t we? Synopsis: Apart from the letter at the very beginning of this book, the story starts over from the morning after Wei Qingyue turns into a leaf and wakes up to find it was all a dream. There’s no angst at all, so read with peace of mind. Also, every character gets a happy ending, with nothing made up and no glaring plot holes. This book will make up for every regret and leave no character behind. If you have any good suggestions, please share them. Th 810Reads8.9Score20914d adds
- 36 I Rescued the Campus Belle Under a Bridge, and You’ve Already Been Dating? 桥洞救校花，你竟然都谈了 [Sweet from beginning to end + romance + twins + hidden treasure + healing + no System + not reborn] After Gu Yu heroically rescued her from under a bridge, where she had fallen on hard times and nearly been harmed by a blond thug, he took her home. Before long, every time Gu Yu came home from work, he’d hear a cheerful voice call out, “Honey~” 2.6kReads7.9Score26814d adds
- 37 Leaves Fall in Autumn 惊秋落叶 [Campus Tragedy] [Mutual Secret Crush] Tang Qiu and Pei Jingnian On Ningchuan No. 1 High School's wall of outstanding graduates (its wall of fame), Pei Jingnian took the top spot that year, while Tang Qiu was relegated to the very bottom. "Wasn't Senior Tang Qiu a good student back then? Weren't she and Pei Jingnian the twin stars of the arts and sciences? How did she end up at the bottom?" "She wasn't even on the wall at first. They added her later." "I heard she didn't do very well on her exam 173Reads—Score—14d adds
- 38 Hidden in Late Winter 深藏晚冬 [Signed for publication] [Two top students + love that grows over time + youth and school days + angst] Gentle, sweet girl × jealous, cocky boy * At sixteen, he said he wanted to become a police officer and protect the people. She said she wanted to become a doctor and save lives. * At seventeen, he said, “We met in winter, Wen Yu. We'll spend so many more winters together. Take care of this white camellia for me for now.” The wind lifted the hem of the boy's coat, and his eyes shone. So she rem 2.7kReads9.3Score54614d adds
- 39 The Video Tape After the Breakup 分手后的录像带 I broke up with my boyfriend during the year he was at his poorest. A year later, he was a huge success and married a sweet, lively girl who was prettier than me. On a variety show, the host asked him whether, after winning every major award at such a young age, he still had any regrets. He put an arm around Xiao Yue’s waist. “I want to know how she’s doing after breaking up with me.” The host paused. “She’s... not doing well at all.” Pei Si finally smiled. “Then I can rest easy.” “But Ms. Qin l 19.4kReads—Score88714d adds
- 40 The Day They Drained My Marrow, Mr. Jiang’s Stand-In Died 抽干骨髓那天，江总的替身死了 The day his bone marrow was drained, General Manager Jiang’s stand-in died 70Reads—Score214d adds
- 41 Aye, I'm Leaving 阿也，我走了 [Sensitive, self-conscious heroine x gentle, sunny hero] When Lin Zhiyou was six, her father died in a car accident, and her mother raised her alone. After her mother changed jobs, eighteen-year-old Lin Zhiyou transferred to Nancheng No. 1 High School. There, she met Jiang Ye... A sensitive, self-conscious girl falls in love with a gentle, sunny boy, but the wheels of fate have not turned in her favor... 34Reads6.9Score—14d adds
- 42 I'm the Beloved White Moonlight of Beijing's Elite, and My Ex-Wife Regrets It to Tears 我是京圈大小姐白月光，前妻悔哭 [Regret arc + ungrateful heroine chases her husband to no avail + quirky, jealous second heroine wins him over, with both falling for each other + layoffs hit the company’s lifeblood] To repay a debt of gratitude, Xiao Mo entered into a contract marriage with Ji Ningyan, the granddaughter of his benefactor. He sold his startup at a bargain price to pay off the Ji family’s debts, brought his team and business with him to support Ji Ningyan as she secured her position as CEO, and saved the Ji Grou 20.3kReads8.7Score1.1k14d adds
- 43 The Wedding Became a Funeral, and the Ruthless CEO Went Gray Overnight 婚礼变葬礼，疯批霸总一夜白头 A wedding turns into a funeral, and the ruthless CEO goes gray overnight. 54Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 If I’d Never Loved You 如果从没爱过你 For three years, despite bearing the weight of everyone’s scorn, Yan Xiaoan did only one thing: no matter what the outside world said, she loved a man named Lu Yun Zhan with unwavering devotion every single day. She loved him too deeply, yet she knew she was close to breaking. In the end, Lu Yun Zhan fell in love with the woman he had always looked down on, and bowed his proud head for her. 1.6kReads8.8Score10114d adds
- 45 President Fu’s Cold-Hearted Guilty Wife 傅总的冷情罪妻 [The short drama of the same name is now streaming on Douyin! Come watch!] [Tortured romance + CEO + obsessive love + possessiveness + groveling to win her back] Shen Yan loved Fu Xinghan for ten years, and married him. After two years of marriage, the woman Fu Xinghan cherished returned to the country. Shen Yan became a sinner beyond redemption, and he cast her aside like worthless trash. Blind to the truth, he did everything he could to torment her until she was broken, making her life a livin 2.1kReads8.4Score16914d adds
- 46 Kiss the Breeze 吻清风 The boy standing against the light: Tang Qingxu. I used to write about you. Now, at last, I can write about us. My greatest delusion in this life was that I could try to hold back the wind. *Content warning: This is a tragic ending. The male lead moves on and gets married; the female lead dies the day he lets go. If you can’t handle that ending, feel free to skip this one. 101Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 47 Is the Wind Still Blowing? 风还在吹吗 [Bisexual, Mutual Secret Crush] [Male Lead Dies/Female Lead Dies for Love] Their similar names were a red thread secretly tied by the Matchmaker. Chen Shuye often felt secretly delighted by how much her name resembled Cheng Shuye's. Their similar names seemed to draw them closer and deepen their bond. In their senior year of high school, he said, “Chen Shuye, I’ve helped you so many times. So, can I copy your college application form?” Chen Shuye smiled. “Sure.” But after she called the police 3.6kReads9.2Score84314d adds
- 48 The Hidden Terminal Illness Medical Record 藏起的绝症病历 The Hidden Medical Record of a Terminal Illness 54Reads—Score—14d adds
- 49 Brutal!!! On My Wedding Day, My Ex Sent Me His Ashes 虐！！！结婚当天，前任寄来他的骨灰 Angst!!! On their wedding day, her ex sent over his ashes. 25Reads—Score—14d adds
- 50 Young Master Shen: His Wife Came Back with His Child to Make Him Suffer 沈少：夫人她带球回来虐你了 Five years ago, a ridiculous marriage bound them together. After ten years of unrequited love, she finally worked up the courage to tell him, “I love you. Can’t you at least try to love me too?” But he coldly replied, “I’d have to be crazy to love you.” But later, in the first year after she left, he stood by her grave, drunk, and said, “There are plenty of women. It’s not as if I need you.” In the second year: “Lin Xiaoran, I didn’t wrong you. Please come back, okay?” In the third year: “I don’ 277Reads8.5Score17314d adds
