Novels like A Sorrowful Secret Crush
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Sorrowful Secret Crush, best match first.
- 1 She Can't Get Out 她走不出 The first time Shen Qing met Mu Zhinian, they were on a bus, where the boy shielded her from a creepy man's wandering hands. It wasn't until after the opening ceremony that Shen Qing learned he was the top student in their year! His repeated acts of kindness made her fall for him. He always appeared when she was in trouble. The last time, he told her to keep moving forward. She tried, but she was still trapped in a cage called Mu Zhinian. A gentle, shy girl vs. a cool, kindhearted boy Love can o 139Reads—Score3614d adds
- 2 Crying in Secret 偷偷哭泣 A little story with a bittersweet ending. [Angst, mutual healing, secret love, two male leads, bad ending] That summer, Xin Chen was saved by a boy through a twist of fate. The boy smiled and asked him, “Don’t you remember me?” Xin Chen stared at him, bewildered. “Have we... met?” Later, Xin Chen found out on the school confession page that the boy was called Chi Chuan. From then on, checking the page every day for news about him became part of Xin Chen’s routine. He hoped more than anything tha 504Reads—Score11714d adds
- 3 The Slow Tide of Spring 春日慢潮 [Secret crush | Sweet romance | Both leads are each other's first] Song Wanyin had always been quiet and well-behaved, never once crossing a line. The boldest thing she had ever done in her life was one night. The room was dimly lit, incense smoke curling through the air. While Shen Jiyan was drunk, she cautiously leaned in and planted a light kiss on his cheek. At that moment, her heart pounded like a drum, and her palms grew slick with sweat. The faint scent of alcohol lingered around her nose 3.3kReads8.9Score34114d adds
- 4 Maybe He Once Loved Me 或许他喜欢过我 [Gentle girl × calm, sharp-tongued guy] [secret crush · tragic ending] [Two super-sweet supporting couples]+ [A pair that leaves you wondering what might have been] Even though I knew a secret crush was a road with no return, I still walked down it without hesitation. At first sight, there was only one photograph. When they met again, she didn't know that the person at the stairwell corner was him. Zhao Jin posted her first ever social media update for him and tried all kinds of new things. Bu 647Reads8.1Score14114d adds
- 5 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
- 6 Keep Moving Forward, Don't Look Back 向前走，别回头 At 18, Zhao Xingyang fell in love with someone. To her, the boy was a ray of light in her life, the best gift heaven had ever given her. He was brilliant and flamboyant, carefree and unrestrained. Unfortunately, he didn't know she existed, and she was too much of a coward... Perhaps because she'd met someone so dazzling in her youth, it took her a full ten years to let go. At 28, Zhao Xingyang told herself: “Keep moving forward. Don't look back.” 132Reads8.2Score2114d adds
- 7 The Day the Wind Blew 风吹过的那天 He Lin, congratulations on your wedding. On the day you got married, the wind blew. I thought I was finally ready to let go. 174Reads8.0Score3814d adds
- 8 The Wind Will Remember Him for Me 风会替我记住他 [School life + mutual crushes + healing + Be] Don't look at my embarrassing past. Don't make me beg you. “Gentle and sensitive” Qi Zhiyou x “sunny and outgoing” Cheng Weizhui Ten years after Qi Zhiyou died, Cheng Weizhui learned of her death. He spent a year in a daze before finally taking his own life. Scenes from his life replayed in his mind. Early autumn. When they first met, he had smiled and asked her, “What are you doing here?” Later, at a temple, he had sincerely prayed, “May my girl liv 55Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 9 I’m the One Who’s Secretly in Love with You 暗恋你的人是我 This book is based on my own life. Once I finish writing it, I can finally let go. Su Xiaoxiao is insecure, sensitive, timid, a poor student, and painfully meek. When she meets He Chi, she does her best to get closer to him, but all she can do is run after him from behind. Why does Su Xiaoxiao work so hard to get into First High School, only to transfer out later? Su Xiaoxiao will never measure up to Xia Mo, and she can never catch up to He Chi. But Wang Bo is always behind her, and she forget 126Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 10 Red Roses in December 十二月的红玫瑰 (Dual male leads, angsty 1v1 romance, both devoted only to each other, bad ending, power couple, mutual salvation, pure love with plenty of heartbreak.) My dear Mr. Mo: I’m sorry. In the end, I failed to keep my promise to you and became a coward who fled this world. If you can forgive my selfishness and weakness, then when spring returns next year, please leave a bouquet of red roses at my grave. Choose the most beautiful one in the flower shop. I think I’ll be able to smell its fragrance. [Nei 70Reads8.6Score1214d adds
- 11 Behave Yourself! 学乖！ School Life | Healing | Family of Origin | Bittersweet Romance | BE “That person stumbled into your lightless corner and stood before you, backlit, holding out a hand. It was salvation, and it was a god.” Gentle and sensitive × Cold on the outside, warm within He had always been the center of attention, born into a prominent family and exceptional in every way. She was as insignificant as a speck of dust. To everyone else, they were like parallel lines that could never meet, destined never to cr 1.6kReads8.9Score29314d adds
- 12 Butterfly Whale 蝴蝶鲸鱼 “Don't be afraid. Even whales can lose their way at sea, but you have wings.” She was a whale, brave and brilliant, yet broken and lost. She lost her way, then grew wings. A butterfly whale, she would eventually break through the darkness, face the rising sun, and fly alone across the sea. 98Reads6.6Score10314d adds
- 13 The Echo of a Secret Crush, and Then It Ends Badly 暗恋回声又be [A reckless, carefree young man vs. a sensitive, insecure girl] (Bad ending) One woman remains unmarried, trapped in the past. The other has a happy marriage and shines brightly. Zhao Huaili is a notorious playboy in Beicheng. He has an impossibly upright-looking face, yet lives a wild life. He may not be the darling of heaven, but he is surrounded by admirers. Lu Zhinan is the Lu family’s shameful illegitimate daughter. Bright-eyed and kind, she always gives people the impression of a girl with 661Reads8.7Score12414d adds
- 14 He Just Doesn't Like Me That Much 他只是没那么喜欢我 [Campus Tragedy] Sensitive girl x genius boy He was the bright, sunny boy who became the main character of my youth. His charming eyes left me dazzled for a long time. I knew he might have felt only the slightest bit of affection for me, and that I was just a passerby in his life. But it didn’t matter. Even if he hurt me ten thousand times, I would still like him. He always told me I would meet someone better, but I knew there could never be another him. As they walked down a path, they shared 1.5kReads—Score12414d adds
- 15 Stuck at Seventeen 停留十七岁那年 [Campus romance × Youth × Mutual unrequited love × Heartbreak] Cold, rebellious boy × Sweet, well-behaved honor student * [Xie Yixiao was born wild and unruly, proud and untamed. Yet somehow, this boy fell in love with a good student from a broken home, a quiet, sweet, and sensible girl.] * [Ye Mian came from an incomplete family. Her parents weren't around when she was growing up. Then, when she was six, she learned that both of them had died. She was raised by her grandmother.] * [To part beca 2.8kReads7.2Score26614d adds
- 16 I've Secretly Loved Him, Year After Year 我偷偷喜欢他，一年又一年 Jiang Yuze will never know That a girl named Xiao Xi secretly loved him for seven years. Xiao Xi: a desolate hope. Just like her unrequited love, it would never see the light of day. She said, “I once loved someone with all my heart, too. But he never knew how I felt.” Reader's note: Based on a true story 2kReads8.6Score21414d adds
- 17 One-Man Show 独角戏 [Signed for simplified Chinese publication] I wish I were brave, but when it comes to loving you, I always feel so unworthy. 388Reads8.8Score10214d adds
- 18 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
- 19 I Forgot You, and Learned to Let Myself Go 我忘了你，也放过我自己 I forgot you, and let myself move on. 654Reads—Score1314d adds
- 20 All the Love in My Heart Is Gone 忘尽心中情 [Campus romance + unrequited love + secret crush + playboy turns over a new leaf] This is the sequel to my work, A Longing Beyond Sorrow. Xu Shijie visits Jintai Temple to pray for Chen Miaohan’s departed soul. There, he meets Lin Mengying again, now recovered from depression, and also runs into Chen Miaohan’s younger sister, Chen Miaoying. Their story will continue… Lin Mengying is still hopelessly in love with Xu Shijie, but her love remains unreturned. Xu Zhi wanders through one relationship 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 A Bet on Love 对赌爱情 [From School Uniforms to Wedding Gowns + Close Female Friends + Romantic Tension + Scoundrel Hero + Reuniting After a Breakup + The Wild Heart Reforms] Tang Yuying is hopelessly in love with Li Zhi, but her feelings go nowhere. Then a huge wave sweeps her away, and no one knows whether she is alive or dead. Eight years later, her twin sister, Tang Yucui, tracks down Li Zhi to avenge her younger sister, only to fall in love with the man she came to punish. A leopard never changes its spots. Li Zh 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 22 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
- 23 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
- 24 She Isn't Coming Back 她不再回来了 [Secret crush # campus angst # reunion after years apart # both are virgins # modern romance # tragic ending] [Animated comic coming soon] At the start of the school year that autumn, Lu Zhixia’s bright, starry eyes landed on him, and she froze. Was she really going to share a desk with Jiang Chiye, her longtime nemesis? And that wasn’t all. They were living under the same roof, too. She expected them to fight until the whole world shook, but instead, Lu Zhixia found that her nemesis seemed to d 5.1kReads8.7Score59814d adds
- 25 Longing Cannot Dispel Sorrow 相思不解愁 [College campus + unrequited love + love that can’t be returned + depression] Xu Shijie secretly loved Lin Mengying, but when she didn’t return his feelings, he transferred his affections to Chen Miaohan. Treated as a stand-in, Chen Miaohan grew despondent and took her own life for love. Xu Zhi styled himself a ladies’ man, falling for one person after another, but ended up all alone. Beware of thieves, fires, and best friends: Li Meiqi specialized in stealing her friends’ love interests, and en 31Reads—Score—14d adds
- 26 The Twelfth Love Letter 第十二封情书 [Top-quality novel + two male leads + unrequited love + short story + coming of age + tragic ending + school life + letters] [What am I? A grain of sand among ten thousand generations, A stone this big. I can love this version of myself too., “I,” Leslie Cheung] A story of unrequited love: no getting close, no confession, and certainly no mutual affection. It's silence, a secret, a treasure. It's the wild madness of youth, with no regrets. 1.2kReads9.0Score25714d adds
- 27 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
- 28 Scarlet Farewell 赤别 The signature youth BE romance by popular author Shi Qingyao. Sincere young Bei Jiang × cool, distant dream girl Nan Zhi. From the south to the north, one glance lasts a lifetime. Between her and her boy lie countless mountains they can never cross. When they first met, she smiled brightly. “My name is Nan Zhi. Nan as in south.” The boy looked up and gripped the hem of his shirt. “My name is Bei Jiang. Bei as in north.” They met for the first time in summer. The air was sultry, stirring the brig 2kReads9.4Score60114d adds
- 29 Endless Summer 无尽夏 At seventeen, Jiang Wu had refined features, a tall, straight build, and grades that kept him firmly at the top of the year. He was the undisputed heartthrob of No. 4 High School, and through the height of summer, Sheng Xia loved him carefully, never daring to let anyone know. Years passed in the blink of an eye. She became a famous actress adored by the public, while the heartthrob of her youth had become utterly ordinary. Once upon a time, someone loved you for a long, long time. - "Sunny Day" 1.5kReads9.2Score22114d adds
- 30 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
- 31 Decorate Your Dreams 装饰你的梦 [University Campus] [Unrequited Love] [Tragedy] A love story at Zhongshan Medical University. The male lead, Tan Shengxu, is devoted to the female lead, Zhong Mengwei. But because of a misunderstanding born of circumstance, she thinks he is her enemy and rejects his advances. In truth, he is the one she has been longing for. Heartbroken, Tan Shengxu gives up on their relationship in despair. Zhong Mengwei regrets it too late and starts pursuing him, but to no avail. Her love leaves her depressed 95Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 North of Beicheng, the Sea Has Yet to Sleep 北城以北海未眠 Ever since she was twelve, she had followed him around, always calling him “Brother Beicheng.” There was no turning back time. All the years had left her with were coldness and cruelty. She lost a kidney, and she lost her child. In the midst of that terrible fire, she watched the man she loved most carry another woman away. As she closed her eyes, she thought, Gu Beicheng, if I could turn back time, I would never have met you. 505Reads6.1Score—14d adds
- 33 The Eighth Winter 第八年冬 The first time the sensitive Li Xiting fell in love, it was with Chen Nian, the boy who seemed to glow as he stood in the crowd. She carefully held on to every interest they shared, and eventually turned those interests into a goal: getting into Nan University and being with him. But life is always cruel. She got into Nan University, but she didn't get him. She was like Cinderella in a fairy tale, except she didn't have the right glass slipper. Without that slipper, she could never enter his wor 211Reads8.3Score10114d adds
- 34 Her Youthful Years 她的豆蔻年华 Her Sweet Sixteen 218Reads—Score—14d adds
- 35 The Blue Gum Tree Waits in Vain for the Mistletoe Bird 蓝桉等不到释槐鸟 “If I loved you a little less, would I be able to say a little more to you?” The girl, Ru An, had a secret crush on Lin Fu, the brightest star in school. She loved writing in her diary. Over her three years of high school, she filled five diaries. Not once did she mention Lin Fu by name, yet every line was about him. She described Lin Fu as full of life and spirit, but couldn't find a single word that suited herself. She had always lived by the rules, following the same routine. The only courage 16.6kReads9.0Score3.1k14d adds
- 36 Kiss Her Hard 肆吻她 [Secret crush comes true|Bad boy turns over a new leaf|Groveling to win her back|Both are each other’s first|Campus romance] [Reckless playboy × Cool, aloof girl] No one knew that Song Sheng had been secretly in love with Shen Zhiye for her entire youth. Every night she liked Shen Zhiye, Song Sheng would sit alone and painstakingly write him another love letter. She thought that once she had written a thousand letters, she would confess her feelings. But she never imagined that by the time she r 4.5kReads8.8Score43914d adds
- 37 She, Too, Is a Memento 她也是遗物 Cool, aloof girl × carefree boy “He didn’t leave behind much. I was one of the few things he did.”, Source: the internet I gave everything I had to live this life, only for it to end in regret. Cicadas sing without pause, and we meet again in the height of summer. … Fang Xieyang thought her life was over, that she would spend the rest of it “following the rules” just as she always had. But then Xia Qianli came along and upended everything she thought she knew. He was so gentle, so good to her, 7.6kReads8.9Score2.1k14d adds
- 38 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
- 39 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
- 40 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
- 41 The Star Brocade Chronicles 锦星录 [Modern Setting + Two Male Leads + Sweet Romance + Unforgettable Love + Angst + The Love of a Lifetime + Bad Ending] This is just a practice story. I don’t know what I’m doing, so I’ll look things up as I go. It’s purely for practice, and I’m writing it all over the place. Two boys meet and begin to support each other and grow together. One is bright and sunny, playful and adorable; the other is composed, reserved, and courteous. One burns like the blazing sun, the other is gentle as moonlight. 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 15 Hell-Level Bad Endings: You Stop at Flirting, While I’m In Too Deep 15个地狱级be：你点到为止，我泥足深陷 [Modern romance + domineering CEO + substitute + marriage + tragic love] Giving your whole heart in love will only leave you in pieces. Why do you think I’ll still be here just because you turn around? That if you crook your finger, I’ll make the same mistake all over again? I’m not the kind of person who forgets the pain once the wound heals. In love, the one who holds the power is never the one being loved. It’s the one brave enough to confess their feelings and brave enough to let go. I loved 786Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 43 I Died in the Year He Hated Me Most 我死在了他最恨我的那一年 I died the year he hated me most. Unable to bear his hatred any longer, I chose to take my own life. When the funeral home handed my ashes to Nan Heting, he patted the urn and smiled for the first time that day. “It's too dirty. She should have been reduced to dust!” He swept his hand, and the urn crashed to the floor. That's right. He thought I had caused the death of the woman he loved most. He had stayed by my side for years, all for this moment. He walked away, trampling my ashes, but before 20.5kReads—Score63414d adds
- 44 My Younger Days 我的年少时 I dedicate this book to the youth I had only once, and which I regret so deeply losing! [Redemption + Unrequited Love + Mutual Devotion + Bad Ending] When you aren't brave enough as a teenager, you grow up with regrets. All these years, fate has always been like this: it has given me so much, but it has also made me lose so much. Sometimes I think, let it be. Life is long, with more sorrow than joy. It's not one particular thing that leaves you gasping for breath. It's the slow realization 43Reads—Score—14d adds
- 45 Sleeping Peacefully Beneath the Sophora Tree 顾枕槐安 Younger man + substitute + love grows over time + regretful pursuit of the ex + putting scumbags in their place + angst, angst, and more angst!!! Before he turned eighteen, Du Huai’an had no father in his life. The year he turned eighteen, his mother, who had raised him alone, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. So she took him to meet the man who was supposedly his father. That was when he learned his father was the head of the prestigious Zhu family in Jingyuan. He entered the Zhu family as the 1.5kReads8.4Score14014d adds
- 46 He's a Master at Acting Obedient 他惯会装乖 [Print edition now available] [Healing × Love That Grows Over Time × Tragic Romance × Mutual Devotion] Cool, gentle heroine × Aloof, unapproachable top student They overcame the distance and endured the years. But her boy was forever left behind in that snowy winter, forever twenty-two, in the prime of his life, forever on the day they were supposed to register their marriage. [“This time, don't break your promise again, you little liar.” “Why did you break your promise again? You little liar.”] 981Reads9.3Score18814d adds
- 47 Stray Dog 丧家犬 [Reader advisory: A cruel lover faces retribution in this angst-heavy story. First person, bad ending.] [Contracted for publication] [Cold, elite, callous top x rough, middle-aged bottom] Zhou Xian was reborn. In his previous life, he died like a stray dog on the day his former lover Shen Wen married the man he had always loved. This time, he was reborn three months before his death. To get revenge, he asked Shen Wen to date him for one last three months. * Successful in his career, Shen Wen had 506Reads9.3Score8314d adds
- 48 Looking Toward Jiangnan 望江南 [Healing / Campus Romance / Bittersweet Ending] Dedicated to a brief, blazing youth! Ji Mengnan only remembered that night’s heavy rain and the river behind her, churning like boiling water. Is loving someone a lifelong thing? Everything Ji Mengnan did afterward, all the ways she tried to keep living, was because of that love. If it weren’t for Jiang Qing, she would have died at seventeen. The boy was the only ray of light in the darkness, but light never stays forever, and it doesn’t shine on h 367Reads9.1Score10114d adds
- 49 There Was Once a Young Man in Chang'an ("A Thousand Miles of High Towers, Untouched by Wind or Snow") 长安曾有少年郎（“高台千里，勿沾风雪”） [Revenge and court intrigue + childhood sweethearts + tragic palace romance + maximum angst] [Loyal young general VS coldhearted heiress bent on revenge VS gentle, devoted emperor. A tangled love between three people, with heartbreak that cuts to the bone] Qing Ru'an's life was buried beneath the fire that raged through the snowstorm that year. Her entire family was slaughtered, both her parents were gone, and the Qing family, the richest in Zizhou, was reduced to ruins overnight. The once-proud 3.3kReads9.4Score78414d adds
- 50 Time to Hunt: The Tragic Novel's Heroine Awakens 猎杀时刻，虐文女主觉醒之后 [Green tea scheming + love-triangle chaos + punishing scumbags + genuine regret and redemption + strategy] There’s a pitiable creature in this world called the tragic-romance heroine. She’s abused in body and soul by scumbag men and wicked women, only to be forced into a happy ending in the end. Ever since Lin You took on commissions to help tragic-romance heroines escape their fates, she’d been running wild through one tragic romance after another. Some regretted everything: “I’m sorry. Please 886Reads9.0Score10014d adds
