Novels like Diary of Survival in the City
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Diary of Survival in the City, best match first.
- 51 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... 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 52 The Hidden Wife 隐妻 [The comic adaptation is now available! Tap “Adaptation Theater” in the lower-right corner of any page of this book to watch instantly. The original novel and short drama each have their own appeal. Share it with your friends!] No rebirth, no transmigration, and no System golden finger, just the true golden years of an entire generation! Having fled an arranged marriage, he joins the tide of migrant workers heading south. In a southern metropolis brimming with both opportunity and challenges, he 808Reads6.2Score10114d adds
- 53 Those Years in Dongguan 在东莞那些年 This book tells the story of an ordinary loser who finds love while working at a factory. After his future mother-in-law demands an outrageous bride price, he works hard, sets out to build a business, and pursues his dream. Giving up a high-paying job, he leads his friends back to their hometown to start a business, transforming a place so poor that no one could find a wife into a place young women are eager to marry into. 85Reads7.6Score—14d adds
- 54 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 59Reads—Score—14d adds
- 55 Finding True Love Inside and Outside Marriage in Midlife 人到中年婚姻内外寻找真爱 Yang Duo is a flower in full bloom. Though she’s forty, she’s still young and beautiful. A woman in pursuit of true love, she yearns for romance and has spent her life exploring and experiencing it. A passionate love affair that nearly cost her life in her youth, a joyless marriage in middle age, and an unexpected encounter outside her marriage: whenever she falls for someone, she loves with wild abandon and suffers heartbreak that tears her apart. Her three close friends have very different l 637Reads8.7Score10114d adds
- 56 Let Me Build You a Home 我来给你装个家 Who would lose the house they worked so hard to earn just because they fell in love? Jiang Ning. Who would scrimp on everything, from food and clothes to housing and travel, just because they fell in love? Yang Wu. They were both willing to do it for each other. The road may have been hard, but together they were always happy. In the end, they found a home and a life together, sharing three meals a day through all four seasons. 1.5kReads9.4Score14914d adds
- 57 Died by the River 逝于江河 Two years into their marriage, Meng Ran became pregnant with Yang Peng's child, but something about it all felt wrong. Those choices that seemed so firm were really just hesitant attempts to weigh the pros and cons. “How wonderful it is to be young” was nothing but an illusion. We all once held lofty dreams, but now we live ignobly. Can Meng Ran and Yang Peng clear away the fog, cross the wilderness, and make a steady passage into the real world? Or are they headed for ruin? 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 58 The Woman Who Couldn’t Be Caged 困不住的她 Pei Xiaocao is someone who refuses to follow the usual path. Along the road of life, she has erased everything she was supposed to do. Her life follows no one else’s rules. She believes only in her own! 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 59 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 429Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 60 Adrift in a Sea of Debt 债海沉浮 The pressure of credit card payments, calls from bank debt collectors, relentless harassment over online loans, and reproaches and complaints from his wife and friends weigh on him like a boulder on his chest. Every breath brings pain. He works day and night, yet still cannot fill the bottomless pit of debt. For him, life has become an endless struggle of helplessness. Every time hope flickers to life, reality cruelly snuffs it out. Even his once-beautiful, virtuous wife gets into someone else's 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 61 A Good Match Has Yet to Be Found 良辰未许人 On her thirty-second birthday, Liang Chen met Chen Qian in person after chatting online for three days. She expected another case of someone looking better in photos, but her ideal type was sitting right across from her: a year younger, tall and handsome, romantic and funny. Even the curve of his smile was exactly to her taste. They fell passionately in love in no time. But amid all the sweetness, they both found themselves wondering: One of us is beautiful and clever, the other is gentle and ha 57Reads—Score—14d adds
- 62 The Chinese Bodyguard 国产保镖 54Reads6.3Score87714d adds
- 63 Xu Xue’er 徐雪儿 The everyday work life of Xu Xue'er, an ordinary office drone and medical student, and the sweet romance that blossoms between her and engineer Zhou Dongyang... A warm, down-to-earth story filled with delicious food and all kinds of sweet, thoughtful interactions!!! 22Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 64 The Long Summer 悠长夏季 The quiet, secluded town of Guanhai welcomed two strange young men one after the other. From then on, the monotonous life of an eighteen-year-old high school girl was filled with laughter… But all good things must come to an end, and eventually they had to leave… Many years later, they unexpectedly met again, but everything had changed… 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 Little Seedling Beneath the Shade 树荫下的小禾苗 Miao Yihe loses part of her memory in a car accident, including memories of her high school deskmate, who always looked out for her. But the connection between two people never really goes away. After all the twists and turns, they meet again. Lin Mingyue says he's the shade beneath a vast forest; Miao Yihe says she's a little seedling striving to grow. It was all meant to be. Lin Mingyue cherishes his little seedling, and she loves and supports herself too. They don't ask for much: a cozy littl 159Reads9.4Score—14d adds
- 66 Neither Storm Nor Sunshine! 也无风雨也无晴！ Marriage Before Love, a realistic urban romance about everyday married life! Su Qin and Zhou Xinping marry after being introduced through a matchmaking arrangement, and they bicker constantly. Just as Su Qin feels disappointed and lost, a new dawn arrives. She discovers that her husband truly cares for her, and together they take on a new stage of life! 418Reads—Score—14d adds
- 67 After Tricking My Husband into a Divorce, I Was Fleeced for a Million by a Puppy-Like Boy 骗夫离婚后，我被小奶狗掏空百万 Urban suspense + sham marriage + a gentle trap + younger puppy-like man + a battle of wits Her marriage was cold, her life suffocating. Liang Qiuyue struggled through half her life, asking only for a peaceful existence. Then the gentle, warm-hearted Jiang Zhihao appeared, doting on her, protecting her, and helping her support the family. Believing she had found salvation, she bravely divorced and was reborn. Little did she know... He seemed mild-mannered and harmless, but behind the scenes he 100Reads—Score—14d adds
- 68 Those of Us Who Don’t Want to Go to Work 不想上班的我们 There are three protagonists in this story: a young man who only wants to open a bar, a young woman who drops out of school to become a livestreamer, and me, someone who always played by the rules but eventually became thoroughly disillusioned with office life. This is a story about a group of young people, just like you and me in our youth. We don't want to go to work, but society beats us down and grinds us into the floor. After enduring hardship, a band of little good-for-nothings rises up to 608Reads—Score10014d adds
- 69 The Light at the End of the Road 穷途的光辉 How many generations of hardship and joy must a poor family endure before they can finally get ahead? How much suffering must a girl witness before she understands life? How many trials must a family face before the younger generation understands how hard things were for their ancestors? 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 70 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
- 71 Conflict and Choice 矛盾与抉择 Leng Yan was an attractive, capable, energetic woman with a master’s degree. Thanks to her looks and abilities, she became the office director at the Commercial Bureau of District X before she turned forty. By chance, she met Gao Jian, a fitness trainer. Over time, a special bond developed between them. One day, her husband, Li Mo, learned of their intimacy, and their marriage of many years came to an end. Just then, Leng Yan’s career was beset by one crisis after another, leaving her barely abl 358Reads—Score—14d adds
- 72 A Trap Within a Trap, a Lie Within a Lie 局中局，骗中骗 Greed grows in people’s hearts, and scams can find their way through any opening. No one is born lucky or immune to being deceived. The only reason you haven’t fallen into a trap is that you haven’t yet encountered one designed specifically for you. Desire is the bait, weakness is the opening. As long as greed remains, there will always be a scam waiting to draw you in. 2.1kReads8.3Score23514d adds
- 73 Wang Meili, Unemployed 失业的王美丽 Wang Meili, in her early thirties, has lost her job. Doubt and despondency consume her, and she has no idea what to do next. Then one day, she figures something out, and from that moment on, nothing is the same. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 74 Zhi You: Mom, Take Me with You 知柚：妈妈，带我一起走 [Growing Up with a Little One] [A Post-90s Mom's Comeback] [No Romance] [No Male Lead] "Mommy, don't go..." Youyou buried her face in Lin Sui's neck, her muffled sobs coming one after another. "Youyou will be good. Don't leave me..." Lin Sui stroked her daughter's back again and again. Her voice steadied, then trembled, then steadied again. "Be good and listen, Youyou. Mommy is only leaving for a little while. I'll find a way to come back for you, I promise." The man standing in the entryw 99Reads—Score—14d adds
- 75 When Ji Comes, Make Yourself at Home 季来之，则安之 As the empire teeters on the brink of collapse, Ji Shuhe sees through her fiancé’s false affection and turns around to marry Ji Bai. She intends for them to spend their lives treating each other with polite respect, but finds herself falling deeper and deeper under his doting care... 126Reads—Score—14d adds
- 76 An Ill-Matched Marriage 不般配的婚姻 After Cheng Ruojia, a small-town girl, married her boss, Tang Yixuan, she spent the next ten years as a housewife, looking after Tang Yixuan and their daughter, Tang Qi. But as Tang Yixuan's business grew and his handsome looks drew attention, a marital crisis crept closer and closer... 628Reads5.8Score—14d adds
- 77 The Freezer 冰柜 In today's restless society, people's innate kindness can easily be lost amid rampant materialism. Sometimes, love and devotion are repaid with betrayal, or even death. Based on real cases, this book warns readers that the dark side of human nature is always present, and that desire and dissatisfaction can corrode even the deepest bonds. 42Reads—Score—14d adds
- 78 Love with All Your Heart 尽情去爱吧 Based on a true story, newly rated. A literary gem, finely written, not a web novel. When desire and morality collide, human weakness becomes a blade that wounds others. The Peking University campus is merely the story’s starting point. The Beijing financial world is where the real story unfolds. The author graduated with an undergraduate degree from Peking University’s Department of Physics. 18.5kReads8.7Score75214d adds
- 79 Meeting Chen Yu 遇见陈宇 Tired of over-the-top dramas? Try this modern romance based on real experiences, with no System and no contrived drama. While picking out a bracelet for her best friend, Lin Xue meets Chen Yu, a cheerful, sunny programmer. The two weather life’s storms together and make several good friends, earning the nickname “The Seven Swordsmen.” The seven of them travel to Gumu Village, where one mishap follows another along the way. 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 80 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
- 81 After Being Driven Mad, She Took Revenge on Her Whole Family 被逼成疯批后，她报复了全家 [Revenge] [Both Leads Are Each Other's First] [Redemption] [Feel-Good Story] [Happy Ending] To seize the Su family's wealth, Chen Wei, a man who married into the family for money, plotted to kill his father-in-law and mother-in-law, then pushed his wife down the stairs. His daughter, Su Ying, had the surname Su, not Chen. To him, that was a disgrace. Her very existence constantly reminded him of the humiliating days he had spent in the Su family. So he wanted to get rid of her as soon as possibl 7.3kReads8.3Score45314d adds
- 82 The Legend of Brother Niu 牛二哥的传说 The story of a stylish office, a group of women, and Niu Erge. They are all secretly competing and trying every trick in the book, all for the sake of a Niu Yige none of them has ever met. When will he finally appear? They can’t wait to find out. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 83 The Awakening of a Middle-Aged Woman 一个中年女人的觉醒 [Family of Origin vs. the Fortress of Marriage] Chen Qingchen, an only child, is madly in love. She steals her household register and marries Lin Jiaxin, a man from a poor family who has made it on his own, unaware of what awaits her: a sharp-tongued mother-in-law who makes her life difficult, her father’s sudden death, her mother being forced out of the home, and underhanded attacks at work. When she hits rock bottom, two women become her lifelines. Her tough mother stands firmly behind her, wh 7.6kReads8.5Score72214d adds
- 84 Middle-Aged and Alone, With No One to Lean On 人到中年，无人可依 A middle-aged couple have no sex life and barely communicate. With elderly parents to care for and children to raise, they hit a dead end at work and struggle through a life full of endless chores. Then suddenly, an unforeseen and terrifying crisis sweeps them into a storm. What should they do next? Can they keep going? How can they turn things around? 220Reads7.4Score13314d adds
- 85 Clearing Away the Clutter of Life 人间除杂 [Adapted from the real-life experiences of a rural woman college graduate] + [Drifting in Beijing] + [Two years alone in a rented room after losing her job] + [Cheated while looking for a rental] + [Parents seriously ill]. If these topics bother you, don't open this book. The reality is heavy. This is seven years of youth in the life of an ordinary country girl with no connections. At 28, I could have been an excellent hydrometallurgical engineer, skilled at removing all kinds of impurities from 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 86 Do I Still Love Her? 我，还爱她？ Urban Romance | Reunion | Unrequited Love | The Aesthetics of a Bad Ending | A Regretful Ending | Realistic Heartbreak I’ve been writing this for ages, but hardly anyone reads it. I’m so sad, sob sob. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 87 Until We Meet Again 不見不散 [Reunion after years apart + bickering couple + modern romance + second chance at love + heartwarming healing story] The hero and heroine meet in middle school. When they go off to different universities, their immature, youthful personalities gradually drive them apart. Years later, they reunite and rekindle their relationship. It's a little story about finding their way back to each other. For a relationship to blossom and bear fruit, the right people must meet at the right time in the right f 59Reads—Score—14d adds
- 88 The Broken Bridge Can Be Crossed Alone 断桥能自渡 [No golden finger + grounded, strong female lead + a 15-year comeback + equally strong male and female leads + inspiring and healing + work and family] What can you do in 15 years? What might you go through? She is the woman people say has no close ties with her family! Starting from nothing, she is battered by one blow after another from her family of origin, workplace bullying, and a lousy boyfriend. She stops hoping for anything and accepts her fate! From then on, she relies on neither heaven 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 89 The Taste of Being Alive 是活着的味道 The taste of being alive. 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 90 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... 92Reads6.2Score2914d adds
- 91 A Soldier Moved In Upstairs 楼上来了个兵哥哥 She was full of energy, and got into an argument with an unreasonable old woman. He stood to one side and watched the whole thing. He laughed, saying he hadn't known she could apologize as well as yell at people. She called him a woman, good for nothing but watching the show. He was the first to fall for her and wanted to get closer, but she was afraid of being hurt again and put up her defenses… 2kReads8.4Score21714d adds
- 92 The Substitute Fiancée: She Kept the Baby and Left, But He Found Out 替身未婚妻，去父留子被发现了 [An exceptionally even-tempered male lead + A cool and distant female lead + An adorable, clever pair of twins + A whole cast of colorful supporting characters] [Older man + Secrets + Deceiving his wife is fun for a while + The long road to winning her back] Jiang Yiyou grew up without ever seeing her father, relying on her mother, Jiang Yuan, and the two of them depended on each other. After Jiang Yuan was left in a vegetative state by a car accident, her brother brought mother and daughter bac 27Reads7.4Score—14d adds
- 93 A Common Man’s Reborn Years 平凡人的重生岁月 [Everyday Urban Life + Campus Youth + Making Up for Regrets + Believable Logic] A portrayal of youth as it really was: no posturing, no face-slapping. This is simply the everyday life of an ordinary person after being reborn. People remain consistent; being reborn doesn't suddenly make someone all-powerful. Their old flaws are still there. They simply get to live their lives over again with their memories and life experience intact. Everyone has a limit to how far they can go, so if you're looki 4.2kReads6.2Score16614d adds
- 94 The Sassy Sister and Her Rascally Husband 飒姐，痞夫 A female surgeon and a male psychologist find their way to each other. At their first meeting, he lets himself into her home and says, “You take care of the outside, and I'll take care of the inside.” She is bold and spirited, but carries hidden wounds. He is a roguish ray of sunshine who openly warms and heals her. You head west to conquer, while I rely on Nan; we seem completely mismatched, going in opposite directions. He had loved her for a long time, through all the days no one knew about. 365Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 95 They've Got It All Under Control Ta手拿把掐 Shen Qing has no grand ambitions. She’s young, but all she wants is to take it easy. She doesn’t really care whether her guesthouse makes money, as long as she has enough to eat, warm clothes, and a good night’s sleep. That is, until she meets Xu Wang in a town called Zaosheng, where there isn’t a single jujube tree. He can do just about anything under the sun... The first time they meet, he’s a tricycle driver giving people rides, and his bizarre driving nearly throws her out of the vehicle. Th 547Reads8.7Score11214d adds
- 96 I Escaped the Mountains 我逃出了大山 I Escaped the Mountains 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 97 Rose Works as a Tutor in a Wealthy Household 玫瑰在豪门做家庭教师 [Awakening through divorce + elite-family tutoring + a comeback through political maneuvering + mutual salvation + a strong female lead's growth] Rose was once an elementary school Chinese teacher in the public sector, holding onto the coveted “iron rice bowl” of a secure job, until life forced her to break out of her safe routine with her own hands. Divorced, raising a child, starting over: she had her fears, but for her child and herself, she had to build a better life. When things were at t 264Reads9.3Score10014d adds
- 98 Her Secret Thoughts: A Young Man’s Hidden Diary in a Small Village 致她的心事：小村青年的隐秘日记 No formulaic plot | Not a wish-fulfillment novel | Realistic fiction | Zhou Zhiqiang grows up amid poverty and chaos in her birth family, with her father instilling in her the survival rule that “you have to please people to survive.” She gets into college and lands a job at a bank. A well-off man, Ke Qingyan, pursues her, but as the truth about her family comes out, she gradually loses her self-respect and her relationship. Later, burdened with debt, she returns to her hometown and, under he 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 99 Old Liu and His Daughter 老刘和他的女儿 Lao Liu is an ordinary, down-and-out farmer with nothing to be proud of. But his ideas about raising his children are completely at odds with the mainstream. After 18 years of perseverance, his daughter has given him his proudest reason of all. Is he happy or unfortunate? Everyone probably has their own answer. 474Reads—Score—14d adds
- 100 After Meeting 20 Matchmaking Prospects, I Got Married in a Flash 见了20个相亲对象后，我闪婚了 Before the New Year holiday, Su Tiantian was lured home with the promise of 200,000 yuan. The village really was handing out money from the sale of land, and they really did want to trick her into coming home early. Waiting for her was a steady stream of blind dates. There are all kinds of people in the world, and her parade of prospective matches left her laughing and crying in equal measure. She saw all sorts of human behavior, then got married on a whim. The blind dates were a beginning, and 2.2kReads8.6Score15614d adds
