Novels like When a Secret Crush Starts Counting Down
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as When a Secret Crush Starts Counting Down, best match first.
- 101 I Want to Live Well 我想好好的活着 I had never met a boy like him before. His features were delicate, and his pale complexion seemed almost unreal. His long, curled lashes lowered over deep eyes that looked as if they held countless stories. Anyone who saw him couldn’t help taking a second look. He was a transfer student. From the day he stepped into our classroom, the girls went wild, and even the boys were scrambling to be his friend. The nightmare began the day I met him. On graduation day, I clenched my fists, worked up my ne 33Reads—Score—14d adds
- 102 He's Always So Good at Sweet-Talking Her 他惯会哄她 [Two Top Students x Childhood Friends x Mutual Devotion x Tragedy] Sunny ray of sunshine x Double-Standard Top Student Jiang Shiyuan was the brightest sun in Pei Zhiheng's world. They made many promises at seventeen, but the words "I'll be with you forever" were buried along with her in late autumn. The plane tree leaves had yet to fall from the branches in late autumn when Jiang Shiyuan's life came to an end. [My name is Jiang Shiyuan. Shi, as in time, and Yuan, as in wish. Pei Zhiheng.] [J 806Reads8.0Score10014d adds
- 103 Stubborn Bones 倔骨 [A wealthy young lady who hides a ruthless side x a poor, helpless, beautiful but miserable boy] Campus · unrequited love · county town · bad ending After talking back to her father, Xu Anzhi was “exiled” to a small county town in the southwest. Once a rich young lady, she was now penniless and powerless, though her temper remained unchanged. Huicheng was filthy and run-down, and Xu Anzhi hated everything about it, except for one unruly, attention-grabbing boy. Xie Xun was something else: skippi 252Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 104 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
- 105 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
- 106 Yu Dongbie 于冬别 [Signed for publication in simplified Chinese] Yu Zhe said he'd wait for her, and he would keep waiting. But Shi Taoning had no way out. She couldn't go back. 875Reads9.2Score25114d adds
- 107 Pork Rice and Starlight: Redemption for Two Nobodies 猪脚饭与星光：两个底层人的救赎 Pork Rice and Stardom: Redemption for Two People at the Bottom 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 108 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
- 109 Candy with a Tangy Bite 糖果偏酸 (The main story is complete.) The domineering, impossibly cool school bully vs. the beautiful, strong-willed, wounded little bookworm. School life, healing, and mutual secret crushes. Chutang was being bullied at school. The day she met Jihuai was the start of autumn. She was sixteen that year. Jihuai saved her, perhaps because he felt sorry for her. “You don't need to stick your nose into my business.” “Hey, I'm the one who helped you.” Desperate for a meal, Chutang shamelessly followed Jihu 89Reads—Score414d adds
- 110 She Will Always Belong to the Light of June 她永远属于六月里的光 “The wind I met in September blew for nine months, but never reached the height of summer in June. I hadn’t told you enough times that I loved you. How could you leave yourself behind in that bright June?” Su Wanning died. In June 2025, Lin Yan leaped into the river with Su Wanning’s ashes, clutching his 725-point score report and his admission letter from Qingbei. This was the ending Su Wanning saw after her death. But she suddenly woke up, reborn in September 2024, on her first d 34Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 111 A Shao, Don't Cry 阿邵，不要哭 [Boys’ love + utterly tragic ending + 1v1 + emotion-focused + slow and steady] A gentle neurosurgeon and a sensitive underage litigation lawyer We always thought we had plenty of time and could wait a little longer. Until we finished our college entrance exams, until we grew up, until we found jobs... Never realizing that no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. … “I was too busy studying at seventeen. What about when I’m twenty-seven?” “Dr. Shao, I want to pursue you.” Fr 1.9kReads—Score36914d adds
- 112 The Flowers Faded Before Spring Arrived 未见春来花已逝 [The main story has a tragic ending; the bonus chapters have a happy ending. Both are complete.] [Pure love + romance + angst + school life + a touch of ensemble cast + slice-of-life + depressed heroine Gu Xihuan and sunny hero Liang Suian] Gu Xihuan thought she would remain in pain like this forever, until the day she died. After entering Ling'an No. 1 High School, she meets many kind and lovable classmates. Most of all, there is Liang Suian, her friendly deskmate and class president, whose 437Reads6.4Score10214d adds
- 113 President Xiao, Your Wife Says You Have to Sleep in the Study Tonight 萧总，夫人让你今晚睡书房 “The Pursuit of a Wife After Losing Her” + “A Heartbreaking Romance” When Mu Zhixia was five, she was as spoiled as a little princess, the only light on the long road traveled by Mu Jingheng and Xiao Xulin. But later, in the name of protecting her, Mu Jingheng married her off to his subordinate. On their wedding night, the groom fled, making her a laughingstock throughout the Dongli Kingdom. Meanwhile, Mu Jingheng turned around and decided to marry the person she hated most. She struggled and fo 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 114 A Rich Bully Demanded 1.4 Million from Me, Leaving Me No Way Out 恶少要我赔140万，我被逼上绝路 A Bully Demands 1.4 Million in Compensation, Driving Me to the Edge 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 115 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
- 116 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
- 117 Even a Broken-Winged Butterfly Wants to Kiss the Sea 残翅蝴蝶也想亲吻大海 “Sunny Boy with a Heart Condition, the Transfer Student × Kind Girl with Depression” [Mutual Devotion + Bad Ending + Willing to Die for Love + Tragedy + Vicious Supporting Female Character] The girl Ruodie suffers from depression. In her black-and-white world, there isn’t a glimmer of light. Her one and only wish is to see the real sea just once. Then transfer student Qi Hai enters her world, bringing her endless warmth and making her feel for the first time that the world has color. He is a boy 1kReads8.2Score33714d adds
- 118 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
- 119 Brother, the Rain Has Stopped 哥哥，雨停了 [Chi Nian × Jiang Shi] I held a bouquet of roses, wanting to give them to the brother I loved most. Sadly, I never got the chance... In 2007, I saw my brother for the first time. The young man stood by the window, looking relaxed as the bow in his hand played a beautiful melody. In 2010, the rain stopped, and my brother left. In 2012, my brother promised that the following summer he would return to Beicheng and never leave me again. In 2013, the white flower pinned to my chest kept reminding me 316Reads8.7Score10114d adds
- 120 A Lonely Secret Joy 《一个人的窃囍》 Theft of Joy, Alone 34Reads—Score214d adds
- 121 Falling into Our Love 陷入我们的热恋 [Rebirth / Pure Love / Healing / Mutual Redemption / Youth and School Life / Direct, Open Romance] A new transfer student, Jiang Xu, arrived at Jiangcheng No. 7 High. He was tall and long-legged, with a great aura, a healing smile, and stunning looks. He was so handsome that even birds flying overhead seemed to drop from the sky. When they first met, Jiang Xu was being made to stand outside the teachers' office as punishment. Wen Mian stepped in to help him. The other boy was casual and carefree 2.3kReads8.9Score17614d adds
- 122 Half a Letter in Winter 冬天的半封信 They met in winter, grew close, parted ways, and found each other again. “See you in winter.” I’ll see you in winter. It turned out to mean goodbye until winter comes again. 70Reads—Score—14d adds
- 123 Longing for Yun's Return 念云归 [Angsty! Angsty! Angsty! Short tragic historical romance, princess sent abroad for a political marriage] Huan Yun’s childhood name was Yun’er. From the time she was little, her mother held her close and softly sang, “Yun’er, come home. Yun’er, come home.” Yun’er never went anywhere. Mother, why do you sigh like that? In the sixteenth year of Jianzhao, Huan Yun passed away quietly in the Wuyou Palace. Mother, you don’t know. Yun’er can never return home again... 294Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 124 One Fleeting Glance, and I Knew Love Had Faded 蓦然一顾知阑珊 She married him without hesitation in the prime of her life, but couldn't escape the seven-year itch. As her life entered its final countdown, she could no longer find the young man who had once loved her so deeply. She devoted her entire life to him, and only at the very end did he finally realize what he had lost... 57Reads5.6Score—14d adds
- 125 Twelve Years of Marriage, and I Was Just a Cover for the Man He Loved Most 十二年婚姻，我只是他最爱男人的挡箭牌 Twelve Years of Marriage, and I Was Only a Shield for the Man He Loved Most 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 126 Burning by Day, Reduced to Ash by Night 昼焚夜烬 Day Burns, Night Turns to Ash 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 127 The Green Mountains No Longer Hide You 青山不见你 The last time Jin Chi saw Xie Yao was on the way to Mount Wutai. On the mountain, she asked the Buddha if that would be the last time she saw Xie Yao. The Buddha said nothing; the temple's wooden fish drum answered her question. At the start of the year, she had prayed devoutly on Mount Wutai for Xie Yao to enjoy a lifetime of peace. This time, standing on the mountain, all she wished for was never to see him again. You are nowhere among these green hills. Let these miles of mountains be my fare 48Reads—Score—14d adds
- 128 Walking the Night Road, Looking Back on Half a Life 夜路行，半生望 Walking the Night Road, Looking Ahead Through Half a Life 12Reads—Score—14d adds
- 129 After My Husband Gave His Kidney to His One True Love 老公把肾给了白月光后 After My Husband Donated His Kidney to His White Moonlight 7.3kReads—Score17114d adds
- 130 The Sunshine Isn't Warm 阳光不温暖 Luo Yiyi lost both her parents when she was young and had only her grandmother to rely on. After finally getting into Haicheng No. 1 High School, she became the victim of severe school bullying. Qin Yan, the pampered daughter of the Qin family, was her bully, while Qin Yan’s older brother, Qin Chuan, spoiled her rotten. After enduring Qin Yan’s petty tricks and Qin Chuan’s lies, Luo Yiyi was left wounded in both body and mind. Just before the college entrance exams, Qin Chuan accidentally discov 141Reads—Score—14d adds
- 131 A Little Cloud 一片小云朵 [Sunny boy Xu Ji × sensitive, overthinking Qiao Tong] [Bad ending] When they first meet, midsummer sunlight falls across the boy’s clothes, and Xu Ji’s smile catches Qiao Tong completely off guard. Bit by bit, Xu Ji brings light to Qiao Tong’s dark world. After the college entrance exams, Xu Ji gathers the courage to reveal the secret he has kept in his heart for so long. “Qiao Tong, will you give me the chance to walk beside you?” “I like you.” Waves pound against the shore. Xu Ji’s words crash 42Reads—Score914d adds
- 132 A Regrettable Outcome 遗憾成局 A wild, carefree boy vs. a cool, well-behaved girl [School life + city life + unrequited love] [Bad ending] The rain in Beicheng was warm and stifling. That year, she was seventeen and he was eighteen. "…I want to get…a tattoo." Wen Yuyan's slender fingers clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice trembling. Qi Yue leaned closer, smiling. "Good students aren't supposed to get tattoos." His teasing voice and warm breath washed over her. The following winter, a heavy snowfall blanketed Beiche 274Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 133 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
- 134 I Don’t Want the Bellflowers Anymore 我不要桔梗花了 Yu Nianxu, Wei Mu is still here, still protecting you somewhere else. Wei Mu, don't go! Yu Nianxu, wake up! I'm still here. Wei Mu, I'm awake. Where are you? Wei Mu, I'm willing. Wei Mu, goodbye! I'll live well from now on. 154Reads7.3Score—14d adds
- 135 Mom, I Really Did What You Wanted and Went to Die 妈妈，我如你的愿真的去死了 During a bout of depression, I stood on the rooftop, wanting to jump. The firefighters finally managed to talk me down. My mother arrived late and rushed over to slap me: "All you do is embarrass me! Why didn't you actually jump? You keep trying to scare people every day, threatening to jump! I wish you'd hurry up and die, so I wouldn't have to see you and get annoyed!" Later, when I really did die, she went to my grave every day and wept her heart out. 1.9kReads—Score15314d adds
- 136 Beautiful Years 景年 [Angst! Angst! Angst! Angst!] My name is Jiang Nian. I was born in the height of summer and died in the depths of winter. Fate was always fleeting, and even meeting you was a blessing. We were destined to meet in this life, but not to be together. May we continue our bond in the next. The debts of this life must be repaid in this life. On the road to the afterlife, don’t look back. May we have a better fate and grow old together in the next life! I still remember the words Lin Anjing said to 511Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 137 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
- 138 Her Youthful Years 她的豆蔻年华 Her Sweet Sixteen 218Reads—Score—14d adds
- 139 You Still Haven't Confessed to Me 你还没跟我告白 [Hot-tempered, possessive troubled boy & sweet, gentle girl] A tragic ending, an angsty campus romance. When they first met, Chi Wen was an exemplary student at No. 16 High School, excelling in both academics and conduct. Bian Qingye, meanwhile, was the fearsome “Ye-ge” from the vocational school next door. Everyone said he was exactly what his name suggested: wild, and wild in everything he did. He changed girlfriends faster than he changed clothes. At that age, what girl wouldn’t want to leav 62Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 140 Jealousy, Jealousy 争妒争妒 He kept making the wrong choice; she gave her heart to the wrong man!!! Everyone in the capital knew the decade-long joke! Su Shu, the legitimate daughter of the Xiang family, pursued Mu Chengxuan, the Great General Who Protects the Nation, for ten years! Then one day, he actually married her!!! Their wedding stunned the entire capital! A decade of love should have been the envy of all, yet less than a year later, the Chancellor’s residence was raided and Su Shu died of an illness. This shocked 315Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 141 An’an Never Grows Up 安安长不大 He was Xu Shuyan, the top student in his year and the school’s untouchable heartthrob. He was naturally aloof, wanted nothing to do with people, and always kept to himself. One day, in a torrential downpour, with lights blazing all around, he sat quietly on a stool outside the door, drenched to the skin. She couldn’t understand why, so she held an umbrella over him and took him somewhere out of the rain. After that day, she began bringing him breakfast, walking to and from school with him, and d 990Reads9.0Score19914d adds
- 142 Bittersweet Candy 涩味糖 [Sweet Nurse vs. Special Forces Captain] School life in the beginning, city life later An Li admits that she was attracted to Ji Jiuxiao's looks the first time she saw him, but she never expected to like him for so many years. For the next three years, it was as if fate had arranged for them to sit together. An Li secretly harbored a crush on Ji Jiuxiao, and the two were often mistaken for a couple. Though Ji Jiuxiao was as cold as ice, he was gentle and attentive with her. But on the day of the 151Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 143 Say Your Name Again 再念一遍你的名字 Midsummer, cicadas singing, and we met. “Xu Xiaomo, if you're cold, you should've brought a scarf.” Lu Jinan patted her head and wrapped his scarf around her. “Silly.” “Xu Xiaomo, come ask me if you don't understand something.” “Xu Xiaomo, if everyone else gets one, I'll buy you two.” “Xu Xiaomo, you're wonderful.” “Xu Xiaomo, Xu Xiaomo...” Later on, lots of people liked to call Xu Mo “Xu Xiaomo.” But she could never again hear the boy she loved most calling her that. Lu Jinan, the wind is r 105Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 144 Jiadou's Little Red Flower 嘉朵小红花 Jiadou's Little Red Flower 73Reads—Score—14d adds
- 145 My Beautiful Deskmate Always Pinches Me: From Fighting Back to Falling for Her 美女同桌总掐我，从抵抗到真香 [School life] [Deskmates] [Ensemble cast] [Based on real events] There are no melodramatic, hackneyed plots here, nor any characters deliberately designed to win you over. You're free to like or dislike anyone. This novel wasn't written for cheap thrills; it's a true story from the past, and I'm only the narrator of time. If you're willing to take a little time to savor this gently told story, that would be my greatest honor. This story begins with Chen Xi and Yuan Meng as middle school deskmate 85Reads—Score314d adds
- 146 She Couldn’t Be More Obedient 她乖得不行 [A cocky, charming flirt x a conflicted, soft-hearted girl] [Secret crush becomes real + bittersweet sweetness + a glimpse of school life + both leads are virgins] Song Xi had a secret crush on Jiang Yubai, and she hid it so well that she thought her love would quietly fade over the countless days to come. She had no idea his eyes had already been drawn to her time and again. * Physics was the subject Song Xi struggled with most. Stuck on a problem, she banged her forehead against the test pa 1.1kReads8.8Score12114d adds
- 147 You Are the Only Light in My Life 你是我生命里唯一的光 You are the only light in my life 37Reads5.1Score—14d adds
- 148 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
- 149 He Knows He Was Wrong 他知道错了 [Bullying + tragic ending + coercive love + mutual devotion] That year, at the park, she found a place in Jiang Ye's heart. But in Su Yin's heart, he was a demon, a nightmare. When they first met in the classroom, Jiang Ye said to Su Yin, “I don't want anything in particular. I just think my dull, boring life might finally get a little more interesting. We have plenty of time!” He had no idea those words would mark the beginning of Su Yin's nightmare, pushing her into an endless abyss! . 1.5kReads8.1Score10314d adds
- 150 He Died on the Day We Divorced 他死在了我们离婚的那一天 He Died on the Day We Got Divorced 8Reads—Score—14d adds
