Novels like Those Years as a Young Hooligan
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Those Years as a Young Hooligan, best match first.
- 51 Run! Your Blind Date Is from Chaoshan 快跑，相亲对象是潮汕人 Period novel / realistic fiction / ensemble cast The actual story is the opposite of what the title suggests. The heroine, Yang Biyao, eventually feels fortunate to have chosen the responsible male lead, Cai Zekun, who puts his family first. Synopsis: Through a friend’s introduction, Yang Biyao goes on a blind date with a man from Chaoshan. Her life then unfolds through negotiating the bride price, moving far from home after marriage, holding a wedding banquet, helping her husband inherit the fa 571Reads8.1Score10514d adds
- 52 Shufen, You Four-Times-Married Woman 淑芬，你这个四嫁女人 [Based on real events + Rural revitalization + Hardship + Countryside + The struggle and perseverance of ordinary people at the bottom of society] This isn’t a feel-good story. It’s a true story. Shufen’s surname was Zhao. Zhao Shufen. She was my great-great-grandmother. My great-grandmother lived boldly and did as she pleased, sometimes even making a real mess of things. She married four times and traveled far and wide. She ran a business, fled famine, ate Guanyin clay, and took up arms! Life k 1.2kReads—Score10414d adds
- 53 A Heart Unwilling to Give In 不甘的心 Some say that when God created humanity, He split each person in two: one half stayed in the mortal world, while the other was kept for Himself. Each was left to search among the crowds for the missing half of their own self. When faced with choices in an uncertain world, we always do everything we can to save the heart that refuses to give in. At the summit, we long to become wholly ourselves, perfectly united and standing tall amid the mundane realities of life. That defiant heart cries out: G 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 54 Late at Night, I Fell Under His Spell 深夜，对他着了魔 Their late-night story… It’s thought-provoking, and leaves you filled with regret. Was she too devoted, or was he too heartless? What can you even say about love? 218Reads—Score—14d adds
- 55 Reborn from the Cocoon: Lin Yu’s Comeback 破茧重生，林宇的逆袭 The protagonist is a devout Buddhist who values loyalty and honor, and is also innovative and bold. He struggles to make his way in the garment industry. In 2004, he saw an opportunity and proposed that his company purchase digital textile printers from the Sun Country, helping it take the lead in the digital printing field. He later went into business for himself, and things went smoothly from the start. But fate had other plans: his manager betrayed him and took all his clients, the market shi 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 56 Graduated into Unemployment, Then I Met You 毕业即失业，还好遇到你 Three months since graduation, the job search stretches on and on. Her best friend criticizes her, her mother keeps nagging. Where can she find a way forward? By chance, she joins a job-hunting group and meets a kind-hearted man. Fate brings them together, and their feelings quietly grow. He helps her find work, and she braves a gauntlet of interviews. Liu Ruyan is scheming, arrogant, and overbearing. The male lead protects the heroine, but hides that he is a CEO. The heroine doesn’t know who he 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 Life Afloat on the Riverbank 江岸浮生 [Contemporary realism + period chronicle + rural ensemble cast + women’s struggles] Spanning half a century of rural China, this book tells the story of three generations of women on the Jianghan Plain. Caught in the tides of history and the shackles of their families of origin, each struggles against fate in her own way and faces her inner demons, ultimately learning to live for herself. (I’m only here to tell the story as it is. I won’t give the characters perfect personalities. I’ll portray h 541Reads8.5Score10614d adds
- 58 After Getting Caught Cheating 出轨被捉后 After cheating and divorcing, the heroine, Pang Yan'er, finds her life in shambles. Watch how human nature changes… May her story serve as a warning to everyone! Marriage takes work, so cherish the happy life you have! 115Reads6.3Score—14d adds
- 59 Another Rotten Peach Blossom for My Man-Attracting Constitution 吸渣体质的烂桃花又来了 Chen Yang: “Talk it out? Did you ever ask me whether I thought you were a burden? How can you decide the fate of a relationship all by yourself?” Su Yan: “I’ve seen you at your lowest, and I don’t want you to sink into the mire again.” After her ex left her with a fear of falling in love, Su Yan finds herself drawn into a relationship with Chen Yang. But under mounting pressure, she breaks up with him. Chen Yang tries to stop her, but when he fails, he resents her. Little does Su Yan know that s —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 60 A Tenacious Life 坚韧的活着 Adapted from a true story, this is about a boy from a poor rural family who works tirelessly at his studies to escape poverty. When he grows up, misfortune follows him one after another, but the resilience he developed as a child keeps him from bowing to fate or giving in to hardship. Through his actions, he shows what it means to persevere. After enduring countless trials and tribulations, he earns the respect of life itself and finds his miracle. This story carries a message: life can always g 1.9kReads—Score—14d adds
- 61 Chang'an Road Is Long 长安路远 [Urban daily life + romance + campus + friendship + work + emotional journey] Lin Da cherishes friendship, loves life, and longs for a beautiful future. He had a wonderful childhood and a colorful youth, and chose the love he wanted. Then, for the sake of making a living, he went far from home to work, and before he knew it, half his life had passed... Every encounter in life is part of its journey, and every encounter brings another story... 12Reads—Score—14d adds
- 62 The Meaning of Happiness 幸福的标准 Ye Han and He Junshan are, in everyone’s eyes, the perfect love story from campus to the altar. But how can a marriage keep feelings safe from the wear and tear of everyday life? Even their careers are gradually facing new crises… 69Reads—Score—14d adds
- 63 A Comeback After Twenty Years of Widowhood 守寡二十年逆袭 [Period Drama + Strong Female Lead + Farming + Family Life + Widow's Comeback + Single Mother] On her wedding night, her husband is crushed to death by a roof beam, and Liu Chunhong becomes the "husband-killing jinx." Her mother-in-law forces her to give birth to her posthumous child, then turns on her and throws mother and daughter out while she's still recovering from childbirth. Her sister-in-law blocks the door and yells, "A married daughter is like water poured out!" With nowhere else to tu 7.8kReads6.9Score38614d adds
- 64 The Shoe Factory Worker Holds Forth, and She Knows So Much! 鞋厂女工论道，她知道那么多！ [Urban slice of life + romance] The heroine is beautiful and works at a factory. She takes care of looking lovely while the hero works hard to get ahead. He climbs the factory's management ranks and even puts in time on the production line, all so the two of them can tie the knot and enjoy a long, happy life together. But things aren't that simple... 137Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 Aunt Mei 媚姨 Male Lead: Ding Yuan Female Lead: Liu Meiyi No one is reborn, and there is no System. This is an era of struggle belonging to the older generation! That year, Ding Yuan earned top marks in the imperial examinations, only to have his life stolen from him when his stepmother conspired with her family to switch his results. His father, unaware of the truth, set out on a rainy night to sell goods in the mountains and raise money for Ding Yuan to retake the exams. But the tractor overturned in a ravi 5.6kReads8.8Score47914d adds
- 66 A Love Triangle in Marriage 婚姻里的三角恋 [Contemporary realistic fiction + the married life of ordinary people in Beijing + love triangles in marriage + real struggles] Bai Xue and Wang Yang are a young married couple living in Beijing. Wang Yang is a typical “phoenix man,” a country boy who made it big in the city. After ten years of marriage, he cheats on her. After they divorce, Bai Xue meets another man, and her new life begins… What makes this book special: A woman faces betrayal in her marriage, but after the hardship comes 1.6kReads8.8Score15414d adds
- 67 The Diary of Sima Yan, an Elementary Schooler 小学生司马盐的日记 My name is Sima Yan. I go to Fuqian Elementary School in Pepper City, Roast Duck Province. Every day, I write down what I see, think, and hear. If you’re an elementary school student too, come join me and share some fun stories! 1kReads—Score10214d adds
- 68 That Touch of Moonlight in the Mountains 山间的那抹月色 At the start of this century, a wave of migrant work swept through China’s countryside. The able-bodied young men and women left their homes for jobs in the prosperous coastal regions, leaving their young wives behind to care for the elderly and children and tend to their small plots of land. The women left behind faced loneliness and emptiness, love and hate, and the struggle to build a life, refusing to bow to fate! The men working far from home faced the temptations of a dazzling world while 31.2kReads9.0Score1.2k14d adds
- 69 A Long Song of Jin 晋地长歌 #Rural Shanxi #Period drama and human warmth #War and flames #Ordinary love #Completed The loess of Shanxi holds the years; a long song tells the story of a life. Shanxi’s Long Song is far more than a rural novel. It is a people’s epic, a saga of family and country, engraved upon the land of Shanxi. Following the protagonist’s turbulent and extraordinary life, it weaves together a century of upheaval in Shanxi: the bloody struggle of resistance and espionage, the steadfast defense during the lib 831Reads8.4Score10914d adds
- 70 Wine and Beauty Are Irresistible 酒色撩人 Urban Life + Romance + Flirtation + Ex-Girlfriend Regrets It + One Female Lead (Not a wish-fulfillment story. No formulaic tropes, plot-focused, and slow-paced. Read with caution if that’s not your thing!) Money gives a man courage, and only a man with courage dares to chase women. A poor young man has a one-night stand and unexpectedly becomes a father. He then falls in love with a rich heiress. And so begins a hilarious, heartwarming tale! 372Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 71 The Women Who Walked Beside Me Through the Years 那些陪我走过红尘岁月的女人 This book is also known as My Twenty-Six-Year-Old Boss. How does a country boy rise up from the very bottom as a wage laborer? Step by step, he makes his way through Guangdong, battles it out in Shanghai, and heads to northern Myanmar. The road is perilous, the struggles fierce, but beauty blooms along the way. With charming women by his side, he ultimately reaches the pinnacle of life! That day, in that year, as my young self boarded the train south with the girl I loved, I knew that an unknown 960Reads8.7Score11414d adds
- 72 Smoke from the Kitchen Rises Like a Blade 炊烟如刀 Wu Dasheng keeps having one child after another, all for the sake of having a son who can avenge him, even in an era when family planning is a basic national policy... Wu Tong is called a bastard and a son of a bitch from childhood. Zhao Sanxing always stands up for him, but the villagers’ gossip inflicts deep wounds on the young boy’s heart... 163Reads—Score—14d adds
- 73 A Poor Kid's Rise to Billionaire at Thirty-Five 穷小子逆袭三十五岁成亿万富豪 (Slow-burn setup in the early chapters; urban life, emotions, sweet and heartwarming everyday moments + one female lead + 1v1 + mutual devotion + office life + romance + childhood friends and first love) This book mainly follows the many ups and downs in Zhu Zilong's life, and the warmth and harshness of the world around him. After succeeding as an entrepreneur and changing his fate, he grows more mature and dependable. Yet even after achieving success in his career, he remains single. He can't 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 74 Reborn in 2005, She Dumps the Jerk and Marries a Tycoon 重生2005，她踹了渣男嫁首富 [Dual rebirth + no golden fingers + revenge + wish fulfillment] After Tan Qian is angered to death, she is reborn in 2005, on the day she was wrongly accused of murder. She settles every score and takes revenge on every enemy. Not only does she reclaim what belongs to her, she also sends her scumbag boyfriend and third sister to prison. “Girl, aren't you in love with my husband? He's all yours!” ~ After her mother is imprisoned, Qin Yiyi's life falls from heaven into the depths of hell. Her fami 65Reads—Score—14d adds
- 75 Flowers Born of the Earth 土生花 The land is silent, yet it can hold all the hardships endured by three generations. On the barren yellow earth, three generations of women are pressed into the mud by fate, bound hand and foot by patriarchy, and slowly tortured by life. They have no choices and nowhere to turn. They don’t even dare to cry aloud. All they can do is endure the darkness, bear the despair, and keep going through days that have been ground to dust, sustained by sheer will. Yang Jinlian is deaf and stutters. All her 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 76 Love Is Simple 爱很简单 Before I became a billionaire, I was always searching for love. What is love? I hope you can find the answer in this book. This book is about love, desire, life, philosophy, gender equality, and society's discrimination against women... 40Reads—Score314d adds
- 77 Official Fortune: Soaring to the Top 官运：扶摇职上 When Chen Fu makes a delivery to his wife Luo Yao's shop, he unexpectedly sees something he shouldn't have. After a huge fight with his wife, he decides, for the sake of their marriage, to rethink his career. As he makes his way through the workplace, he gradually discovers a side of his wife he never knew existed... 191Reads5.9Score—14d adds
- 78 A Marriage of Spies 婚战谍中谍 This book contains toxic material. Readers who are not emotionally mature should read it with a guardian. Married readers should read it alone while their spouses are away. This story is entirely fictional, and all events are dramatized for the plot. Please don’t compare them to your own experiences, and remember to cultivate sound values, a healthy outlook on life, and a proper worldview. 15.7kReads8.6Score2k14d adds
- 79 Fate: Reversing the Mandate of Heaven fate之天命逆转 China’s very own Holy Grail War begins, summoning large numbers of powerful Heroic Spirits who are further strengthened by various local blessings. Though unconventional, this Holy Grail War is more like a real war than ever before. 131Reads—Score—14d adds
- 80 Since I Stopped Putting Up with My Marriage, I've Been Living My Best Life 自从婚姻不再忍着过老娘我爽爆了 Hua Roulan stayed in the big city of Hailing after graduating from university. Her husband, Cheng Chuanhe, had a doctorate and ran a company. “You don't earn as much as I do. What gives you the right to make me do the housework?” Whenever Cheng Chuanhe flew into a rage, he erupted like a landslide, completely hysterical. Arguments between married couples are inevitable, but he resorted to verbal attacks and emotional abuse... She really couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to keep enduri 49Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 81 Wasteland Swordsman: The Unclaimed Blade 废土剑士无主之锋 The old civilization was destroyed, technology regressed, and humanity returned to the age of cold weapons. In this wasteland overrun by ferocious beasts and bandits, the protagonist has no supernatural powers and is no invincible hero. With only a knife and a clear head, he struggles to survive amid the brutal power plays between rival factions. From investigating the truth behind the old world's destruction to building his own faction and restoring order to the wasteland, this is no wish-fulfi 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 82 Reality Has Nothing to Do with Ideals 现实与理想无关 Ideals are ideals, and reality is reality. Never confuse the two. The road from reality to ideals is long, so long that most people spend their whole lives without ever reaching the end. There are countless cases of ideals crumbling into reality, so many that every day someone gives up on their dreams and accepts the way things are. If someone is still living in reality while drawing ever closer to their ideals, congratulations. But are you sure that someone will be you? 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 83 Peeping: The Butterfly Effect 偷窥之蝴蝶效应 The male lead is a complete loser. By chance, he discovers a female colleague's secret, turning his work and personal life upside down. Two mature adults with sharp minds and social skills engage in an intense game of push and pull. Love begins for reasons unknown and grows deeper with every passing day: they love and are loved, hurt and are hurt, grow through their pain, then fade from one another's memories. This is also the story of an ordinary worker's growth. 578Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 84 Reborn in the 1980s: Blade in the Dark 重生80：暗夜刀锋 A genius merchant and industrial tycoon is reborn in the late 1980s. Faced with a gang of hot-blooded, loyal young gangsters, he decides to turn things around, lead his brothers down the right path, and make a fortune. 342Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 85 The Young People of Chemen Courtyard 车门院里的年轻人 This is a symphony of destinies spanning generations. In a small courtyard in northern China in the 1970s, several families struggle and drift with the tides of the times. Lei Shaxiao, an orphan whose parents died young, falls in love with Aiai, another orphan from the neighboring courtyard. They were an ordinary couple, but amid the raging currents of the era, Shaxiao rises to become a renowned lawyer who commands the room. Money, power, and desire come one after another. He loses himself in th 35Reads—Score314d adds
- 86 Leave Some Space, My Humble Abode 留白，寒舍 A diary about love, written from a wife’s perspective and addressed to his wife. Some people love flowers simply for their blossoms, and love watching them bloom. Others love a flower from the moment it is still a seed, anticipating what it will become. They watch it sprout, break through the soil, and keep growing upward. Its trunk grows ever sturdier, while leaves seem to appear from nowhere, one after another. They watch the leaves turn from pale green to deep green, then from deep green to a 29Reads—Score—14d adds
- 87 Old Huang and Old Hei 老黄与老黑 [Period Drama] [Countryside] [Married Life] Set in the early 1980s, this novel tells the story of four families, the Lins, Wangs, Lius, and Chens, in an unremarkable village on the Loess Plateau in the Great Northwest. They scheme and struggle against one another, while brothers and sisters-in-law within each clan bear their own grudges and grievances. But it is better to resolve enmity than let it fester. Lin Junjie is the first young man in the village to get into college, bringing honor to th 56Reads7.4Score—14d adds
- 88 Breaking Free 逃离束缚 Su Yu and Tang Yilan met on a blind date arranged by their university professor. After spending some time together, they both decided they liked each other, so they went to meet each other’s parents. At first, everything seemed to go smoothly, but after they got married, they argued over whether to rent a place of their own. Su Yu also has an older brother, Su Lun, who has been married to Zhao Yanan for years, but still has no children of his own. After finally getting married, Tang Yilan reali 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 89 A Motherless Child, Cared for by His Sister-in-Law 没妈的孩子，嫂子疼 [Period drama + No System or storage space] After my adoptive parents died in a car accident, my older brother Zhang Dakui and I depended on each other. Ever since Dakui brought my sister-in-law Liu Chunmei home, our lives changed. And so did my life... 98Reads6.2Score11214d adds
- 90 Chunfen 春芬 Ni Chunfen had known since she was little that her parents were different from other children’s parents. They both spoke with sign language. But they lived a happy life. After Ni Chunfen graduated from college, her parents told her a secret: she was adopted. Now that she was grown up and looking for a job and a boyfriend, they decided to tell her. They didn’t want their daughter to become romantically involved with one of their biological sons. If she ever got serious about a boyfriend, she had 52Reads—Score—14d adds
- 91 It's Only Fifty 不过是五十而已 An inspirational, unyielding story of midlife crisis, workplace struggles, bank managers and tellers, married life, and everyday urban life. This book tells the story of Huang Wenxue, a bank manager facing a midlife crisis. She is at that awkward age when she is considered too old to find a new job, yet still too young to retire. How will she answer the unavoidable questions surrounding her career, marriage, family, children, and caring for her aging parents? Even in middle age, even when confro 432Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 92 Foolish Mother 傻娘 My father was dead, my mother had gone mad. The day I came home, I saw someone destroying it... 43.1kReads9.0Score1.3k14d adds
- 93 Scholar or Tyrant: Who Can Have a Good Life? 学霸和枭雄，什么人能过上好日？ (Dual male leads. Period story. Urban.) One is a poor scholar, the other a big shot in the underworld. They struggle for fifty years. What does it take to live a good life? And what is a good life? 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 94 Dongguan: A Dusty Romance 东莞尘缘 Dongguan is a city full of memories, holding the youth and stories of countless young men and women. You’re only young once, so do you still remember the women who appeared in your youth? 4.6kReads7.8Score38314d adds
- 95 A Conspiracy Within the Marriage 婚内合谋 After the passion fades, the leads settle into a dull married life, paying off their debts and living without intimacy. Then the male lead's best friend cheats, and through a twist of fate, the female lead receives hush money of 300,000 yuan. Her desire to make money suddenly awakens, and she joins forces with her husband to start a business. As they make money hand over fist, they rediscover the passion of their romance. Greed and the desires of love and hate collide in a tangle of human nature 61Reads—Score—14d adds
- 96 Through Life's Storms, She Blossoms 风雨人生，她自芳华 Period drama, a woman’s journey of growth, overseas entrepreneurship, a strong female lead, and realistic romance. “One woman’s four marriages, three entrepreneurial ventures, two generations finding peace, and one extraordinary life.” In 1984, she was the pampered jewel of a prestigious family, but one ill-fated marriage sent her crashing to rock bottom. Her husband was cold, and her in-laws took her daughter. Overnight, she fell from the clouds into the dust. But she refused to be beaten. 890Reads6.9Score10014d adds
- 97 Demolition Debris Hits My Head! The Land Grab Ending Had Me Rolling 拆迁砸头！抢房结局笑疯 Demolition debris hits him on the head! The scramble for the house ends in hilarious chaos. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 98 Divorce: A Battle That Reveals Human Nature 离婚撕开人性的博弈 What is marriage really like? No one can say for sure. It is no longer a matter of whether you love each other, but a battle between love and money. Nor is divorce something you can simply declare with a wave of your hand. Marriage is not just a lovestruck person's complaints or a discarded wife's grievances. Once a marriage turns into a fight, it becomes a brutal clash of human nature. Reality is no fairy tale. The romance of the past eventually gives way to the petty details of everyday life. 6.9kReads9.1Score74114d adds
- 99 Love Affairs in the Big City 大城情事 After my girlfriend and my best friend gave me a spectacular set of horns, I gritted my teeth and left my small town to make it in the big city. But as soon as I arrived at my new company, my coworkers started ostracizing me and setting me up... The big city is no paradise! It's a world of its own, full of all kinds of people and endless deception! As a nobody, I had to start out as a lowly network administrator, stumbling along until I finally built a small business of my own! But she was an ex 1.4kReads8.3Score13314d adds
- 100 He Quit Being a Boss, and Mu Sheng Made Beitang Rich and Beautiful 老板不当，木生把北塘变富美 [Literary fiction + realistic themes + suitable for middle-aged and older readers] From humble beginnings as a carpenter, Zhao Musheng worked his way up to construction worker, business owner, village director, and then a town official, turning his life around. Thanks to him, backward Beitang Village was transformed into a prosperous new village with thriving industries. Our fate is in our own hands, not Heaven's. The fortunes of the Zhao family and Beitang Village are closely intertwined. These 76Reads8.8Score—14d adds
