Novels like One Glance at the Past, One at the Future
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as One Glance at the Past, One at the Future, best match first.
- 1 The Cold Case Record Shop 悬案记录铺 An orphan, framed and hunted. The man she had regarded as a brother for years turns out to be her biological brother. After meeting the man she falls for, she becomes more and more accomplished and confident. This is the story of a young woman who started with nothing and grew into someone remarkable. 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 2 The Contract Is Up, and the Elite Families Are Lining Up to Renew It 合约到期，豪门排队求续约 I spent three years as his stand-in. On the day our contract expired, I slapped the termination fee against his face. Shen Cishen thought I would cry. After all, everyone in the capital knew Lin Zhiwan loved him so much she was willing to be a stand-in. What they didn’t know was this: On my very first day in the Shen household, I installed a camera in his study. Every drink I shared with him helped me learn his weaknesses. I’d spent three years playing the lovesick fool, waiting for the contra —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 3 The Higher-Dimensional: Echoes of Atlantis 升维者：阿特兰提斯的回声 Beneath the Ice, a Heartbeat Stirs. An Antarctic expedition detects regular pulses 4,800 meters beneath the ice, sounding just like... the heartbeat of a civilization. When intern Lin Lan’s dreams begin to sync with the signal, and the phantom of a crystal tower appears in the aurora, they realize this is no discovery. It’s an awakening. A dimensional gate opens above the South Pole. Will they become gods of a new civilization, or sacrifices to the old world? The suspense begins with the ver 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 4 I Opened a Convenience Store in a Parallel Universe 我在平行宇宙开了家便利店 The customers here may be fragments of time or conceptual beings. The products lie, sing, and can even reset your life. Every day brings an absurd adventure, and every little item can spark a joke on a cosmic scale. Amid all the humor and madness, Sara must do more than run a convenience store: she must unravel the absurd secrets behind the universe. Welcome to the “Cosmic Convenience Store,” where you never know what’s coming next and laughter and surprises never end! —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 5 The Planar Experience Handbook 位面体验手册 Also known as “The author’s out of ideas, so they’re writing whatever comes to mind” A collection of standalone stories, all pure imagination ①②③ are practice pieces and can be skipped Current ideas: ① Western fantasy ② Middle Ages ③ Infinite flow ④ Cultivation ① A “righteous” boy and an “evil” villain. To a tiny ant, everyone looks like a great enemy, so just tease him a little ② The “Lord of Silence” in the Dark Middle Ages. No choice, no power to change things, only silence ③ Infinite flow: a —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 6 The Perfect Alibi: Who’s the Killer? 完美不在场证明：谁才是凶手？ A carefully planned murder, a killer with an airtight alibi, and a detective who must navigate a double maze of logic and psychology to uncover the hidden “time trick”. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 7 Inciting Crime 引罪 A bizarre murder plunges Sun Ran, a newly appointed police officer, into an abyss of fear. Why did this happen? What was the motive for the killing? Why did a boy die a gruesome death at home? Why was a beautiful office worker brutally dismembered? Why do death livestreams continue despite repeated crackdowns? And the one standing behind that blood-soaked shadow is actually... 116Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 In His Embrace: My Lord, Don’t Tease, Give Me a Moment 入怀承欢：世子别闹，容我缓些 Sent to marry in someone else’s place and bring good fortune, Shen Muxue is shoved into a bridal sedan and carried to the residence of Huo Quchen, the capital’s most notorious playboy and the heir to the Prince of Jin. On their wedding night, she curls up in the corner of the bed and whispers, “Young lord, don’t tease me. Give me a moment…” He casually tugs open his collar and leans over her. “A moment? I’ve waited nineteen years. You want me to wait?” Shen Muxue thinks she has married a usel —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 9 The Campus Creepy-Laugh Files 校园怪笑档案 The most ridiculous group project at Xinghui University: investigating campus ghost stories! Lin Dazhu is a STEM student who’s scared of ghosts but too stubborn to admit it. Wang Fugui is an athlete who’d die for braised pork. Li Jianguo is a sharp-tongued genius whose logic borders on the deranged. Su Cuihua is a folklore enthusiast with an imagination big enough to open a theme park. Together, they form the Laughing Ghost Investigation Squad. They set out to uncover the truth behind paranormal 1Reads6.8Score—Shelves
- 10 Undercover Currents in Linjiang 临江暗潮 On a rainy night, the river reeks of blood. A corpse washes ashore, and a thirty-five-year-old debt of blood buried beneath the river is finally due to come to light! An unidentified man's body turns up on the Linjiang riverbank, his right hand hacked off. The only thing in his pocket is the address of a detective agency: Lu Chen, a former head of the serious crimes unit, was dismissed three years ago over an unsolved case. Now he runs a detective agency in an old alley, investigating dead cases 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 The Victim Is to Blame 被害者有罪论 Some cases are based on real cases, including the Father’s Love arc in Volume One, the Anti-Drug Police arc in Volume Two, and the Married Couple arc in Volume Five, among others. Amid the teeming masses, evil keeps rearing its head: A father and son die together, yet their portraits were prepared a month earlier. What was the killer’s motive? A woman’s body is found on the street late at night, and countless citizens take her to court. But when her true identity is revealed, everyone is left —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 12 The Huayan Artisan’s Path 华严匠途 Li Mo, an heir to the Mohist tradition, goes undercover at the Huayan Temple construction site to save his father, only to stumble into a Khitan mutiny and a shamanic conspiracy. With hidden troops in an underground palace, ghost lamps that chase souls, and his bloodline awakening, he uses secret mechanical arts to break through each predicament, yet becomes entangled in the secrets of the Gate of Immortality and the Nine Cauldrons. From the deadly trap at Huayan to the dragon veins beneath the —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 God Is on Sick Leave Today 上帝今日病休 I've always hoped to create a force in today's society that seeks justice for the weak and helps them fight the strong, while remaining resilient, steadfast, and unbowed ourselves. Later, I named our organization AE, and these principles became the AE spirit. AE members come from all walks of life, and we exist for revenge. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 14 Crime Evidence Exhibition Hall: Abyss Files 罪证陈列馆：深渊档案 “Every case is an exhibit. Based on true cases. ”Fast-paced, not mindless wish fulfillment. Every chapter is worth revisiting. “Welcome to the Crime Evidence Exhibition Hall. Please remember: every exhibit you see was once a living person.” “Some exhibits will never be put on public display. “The Deep Abyss Group's archives are opening to the public for the first time.” Volume Three. Minors should watch with a parent or guardian. 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 15 The Beginning of the Abyss 深渊之开端 [Mystery + deduction + criminal investigation + transmigrate + another world] There's a reason people tell you to watch where you're going and not play with your phone! Look, one careless step and you fall into an underground passage! From then on, your family is ruined and your loved ones are lost! One murder case follows another! In the end, you even lose yourself! Are you an idiot? You'd really tap to connect to a red Wi-Fi signal? And add a stranger on WeChat just like that? You'd get sold a —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 16 Reborn: I Became a Dorm Supervisor at a Top University 重生之我在985当宿管 Lin Guixiang, a fifty-year-old dorm supervisor, is reborn as an eighteen-year-old. This time, she is no longer an onlooker standing outside the dormitory. As a freshman, she walks through the gates of Huaqing University. There is someone she must protect: a young genius in the physics department who died in her previous life after pushing himself too hard. To get close to him and help him, she has to hide her true gender, dressing as a boy and moving into Room 712, the dormitory destined to cha —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 My Girlfriend Is All Natural 我的女友纯天然 By the stream, beneath a big tree, I stand at the peak of the mountain, pondering what love is. Is it the last cigarette, smoked down to the end? Or a flame that can never quite catch fire? I pray, yearn, and search in my heart for the most beautiful scene and the purest, most natural feeling. 46Reads5.8Score—Shelves
- 18 Dayfire: Volume Three, The Circle Restored 昼火：卷三《复圆》 As an external consultant for the Major Crimes Division, Jian Yue has spent her life carrying too many secrets. A murder case dredges up memories Jian Yue would rather forget. She stands by her conviction that the death, ruled an accident, was actually a premeditated murder. The suspect is the victim’s fiancée, the megastar Leng Weilan. But because of Jian Yue’s personal history with Leng Weilan, Jian Yue is temporarily removed from the investigation. To her surprise, Leng Weilan comes straight 4Reads9.4Score—Shelves
- 19 The 404 Dormitory Murder 404宿舍凶杀案 “404” is more than a cold room number. It symbolizes deliberately hidden mistakes, truths that cannot be reached, and the dark corners of human nature that have never been revealed. When the perfect disguise is torn away and a carefully laid plot is exposed, the killer's emergence reveals not only the motive for murder, but also a brutal tale of youth beneath the gilded facade of the ivory tower, a story of jealousy, betrayal, oppression, secrets, and redemption. Who can stage a locked-room mur 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 20 The Plum Blossoms Fall Again 又见梅花落 She is pure, beautiful, kind, and gentle, with eyes like a pool of autumn water… the prettiest girl in the whole area! But to repay a debt, she is forced to marry a fool in a mountain village. He is clever, honest, and deeply devoted, yet falls in love with the beautiful bride he respectfully calls “Sister-in-law Mei.” Though they break through society’s constraints and truly fall in love, the cruel realities of life drag them into an endless struggle… —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 21 The Qian Dynasty's Empress Spoils Me Above All 大乾女帝唯我独宠 Lin Che, from Shehong, Sichuan, was an utterly ordinary young man from the modern world. He woke up lying in a heap of corpses on an ancient battlefield. A bloodied woman was being hunted by men in black, and he rushed in on impulse, saving her from their blades. She was beautiful, but her eyes were as cold as knives. She didn’t say who she was, and he didn’t ask. During three days and nights on the run, he gave her his last mouthful of water. She silently took note. Just then, a voice rang out 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 22 Lin Yi's Detective Casebook: Season One 林一探案集：第一季 Set in Republican-era Shanghai, when the city was plagued by chaos and murder, the story follows Lin Yi, a calm and composed 30-year-old unmarried forensic doctor who has returned from Britain. He is an expert in dissection, combat, and firearms. During his three years at Scotland Yard, he solved many cases and became a devoted Sherlock Holmes fan. His assistant, Han Xiao, is a handsome guy and Lin Yi’s classmate. His surgical skills are flawless, but he loves making sarcastic remarks. Feeling d 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 23 Hello, Lu Yuyun. 你好，陆妤韵。 Hello, Lu Yuyun. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 24 Dragon Raja Fan Fiction: Herzog and Jiangnan's Kiss 龙族同人：赫尔佐格与江南之吻 Dragon Raja Fan Fiction: Herzog and Jiangnan's Kiss —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 25 From Surviving in the Shadows to Seeking the Truth in the Light 从灰色地带的谋生到阳光下的探寻 Introduction: >I make a living designing perfect alibis for criminals, until a murder takes place in the building across the street. >When the police storm my home, the surveillance footage shows “me” coming and going from the victim’s room repeatedly around the time of the murder. >I recognize the killer’s method as an exact copy of the plan I designed for a client, except the timing has been carefully altered. >During the investigation, a rookie policewoman suddenly points her gun at me. “The —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 26 Candlelight in the Night 黑夜里的烛光 An aspiring police officer fresh out of the police academy is assigned to a grassroots unit. A baffling murder case changes Shi Yi's life forever. The sun sets, and night falls. Beneath its cover, countless human desires slowly take root and bloom. One murder after another, corpse after corpse, evidence hidden in the smallest of details, and the helpless cries of victims' families: all of it drives this newly graduated officer to grow. If criminals' desires are the endless night, then the countl 19Reads—Score—Shelves
- 27 The International Sleuth 国际名探 Ahem, ahem... Rise, my beloved ministers. I have an important announcement at this morning's court session. Since I am exceptionally talented and stunningly good-looking, I am currently writing a novel. As the author of this book, I have high hopes for it. I expect all my beloved ministers to read it carefully. Be sure to leave a memorial with every chapter. I will burn the midnight oil, personally read them, and review your memorials. Before writing this book, I read widely, studied world m —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 28 The Exonerator 解罪师 Genius mathematician Lin Mo is drawn into a carefully orchestrated series of murders, and all the evidence points to him. The killer marks the corpses with mathematical symbols, uses a total lunar eclipse to create the perfect alibi, and even turns the truth behind the fire at the “Angel Orphanage” ten years ago into a bloody code of revenge. To prove his innocence, Lin Mo joins forces with police captain Shen Yuqing to investigate. Each corpse is a “puzzle piece,” and every victim was connect —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 The Talking Dead 会讲话的死者 The Talking Dead is a collection of stories including The Viliton Murder Company, The Killer in the Gray Raincoat, The Black-and-White Teahouse, The Yunwu Mountain Hotel Serial Murders, Reborn with a New Life, The Talking Dead, Who Will Put You in Your Grave, I’ll Be Waiting for You Below, and more. 58Reads9.4Score—Shelves
- 30 A Pure Reincarnation 无垢轮回 [No System + not a power fantasy + closed-loop xuanhuan + epic ensemble cast. High-octane throughout, with relentless emotional gut punches. No harem or womanizing, no one-shotting opponents above your level. Follow an ancient-text restorer as he breaks the cycle-prison that has held the universe captive for 120,000 years.] Others cultivate by merging with the laws of reincarnation. They live longer and longer, forget more and more, and ultimately become fuel for the prison. Only I, Chen Yan, a —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 The Shaolin Women's Soccer Team 少林女足 Deep in the Song Mountains, a Shaolin convent devoted to preserving the laywomen’s tradition is on the verge of demolition. It unexpectedly goes viral after Ye Xiaoman, a young woman who works in the cafeteria, accidentally posts a video of herself juggling a soccer ball with her kung fu skills. To save their home, six women the world has forgotten make a solemn pledge: within a year, they will reach the final of the National Village Super League women’s soccer tournament. Lin Zhao, a former na 19Reads—Score—Shelves
- 32 Tales from Outside the Clinic 医馆外志 At the Huichuntang Clinic in the capital, there is a female proprietor named Shen Zhiwei. Outsiders know her as a healer whose silver needles can work miracles, but they do not know she is even better at speaking with the “voiceless.” Those who can never speak again leave their final testimony at her fingertips. She charges five coins to take a living person’s pulse, but two hundred taels to uncover the truth for the voiceless. People laugh and call her a money-grubber who’s afraid of ghosts. S —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 33 A Ghost's Greeting 幽灵的问候 A threatening letter from a mysterious ghost. An opening line that foretells murder. A man who came back from the dead seven years ago. A string of killings in the city center, full of baffling locked-room mysteries. What is the truth? Join the great detective Xia Luoke as he investigates! 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 34 Light in the Darkness: Forensic Investigator Xia Luo 黑暗中的光明：法医夏洛 Crimes set ten years in the future, with one case every three chapters. Pure crime investigation, no dragging things out and no romance-obsessed leads. Does rapid technological progress help criminals, or bring crime to an end...? 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 35 The Ice-Cold Deskmate's Time-Stop Pranks 高冷同桌的时停恶作剧 [Campus]+ [Time Stop]+ [Secret Crush]+ [Urban] Lin Xingyan's aloof campus-beauty deskmate, Ning Ziru, is acting really strange! Whenever no one's paying attention, she suddenly makes the whole world "disconnect." Everyone around them freezes in place, but Lin Xingyan is the only one who can still move freely! He watches helplessly as the icy beauty sneaks over, gazes at his face with lovestruck eyes, pokes his cheek, and even murmurs things that make his heart race... It isn't until he catches s 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 36 An Unexpected Surprise from My Best Bro 好兄弟给我的意外之喜. A Pleasant Surprise from My Good Buddy. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 37 My Flight Attendant Wife 我的空姐老婆 Being a flight attendant is a beautiful and mysterious profession. Many people have a soft spot for them. With their exquisite makeup and elegant uniforms, flight attendants are graceful and sophisticated, the very definition of beauty. But the more beautiful something is, the more “dangerous” it can be, especially when you've married a flight attendant... 53Reads8.7Score—Shelves
- 38 The Secrets of Loulan: Buried Beneath the Sands for a Thousand Years 楼兰密语：沙埋千年 I spent ten years picking up stones in Lop Nur. The villagers called me an idiot. One day, I dug a stone tablet covered in strange writing out of the sand. Somehow, I could read it. The tablet said: Loulan did not fall because of a lack of water. It fell because of a secret. Everyone who learns that secret must die. An archaeology team arrived that very day. Professor Lin, the team leader, said he had seen this tablet thirty years ago. Of the five people who saw it, four were already dead. Tha —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 39 Leaving Haozhigou 走出浩志沟 The winter he was seven, Xiang Yang’s feet were covered in chilblains. Pus and blood stuck to his socks, and when they were pulled off, flesh came away with them. There was only one bowl of cornmeal gruel left at home. His mother gave it to him and drank cold water to stave off her own hunger. Everyone in the village said, “That kid’s life is over.” But he refused to believe them. From a poor boy who walked mountain paths barefoot to a factory hand whose feet swelled from standing on an assembly 55Reads—Score—Shelves
- 40 The Frozen North 深寒之地 This novel follows Yang Rui, an adviser to the Qidong City Criminal Police Division, his assistant Zhou Qi, and their police team as they solve cases. There is no System and no sensational or bizarre gimmicks. This is a hard-edged, orthodox mystery with tight logic and professional details that strive to avoid errors. Readers who prefer fast-paced pulp or light novels may want to give it a miss. 12Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 The Truth Out of Order 失序的真相 [Mystery and criminal investigation + serial murders + standalone cases + no official couple, but ship whoever you like + traditional police work, with a few golden fingers] One corpse has two hearts. One corpse has no heart. A serial killer bent on “destroying hearts” has appeared out of nowhere. Kong Mingyue, deputy head of the Criminal Investigation Division at the Xinmai Branch in Lingjiang, leads her team in a full-scale investigation. But instead of retreating, the killer presses forward, 847Reads8.6Score151Shelves
- 42 The System Tells Me to Lie Flat: From Good-for-Nothing to Village Tycoon 系统让我躺平从窝囊废到乡村首富 Key Characters - Protagonist: Lin Mo (transmigrates into a village gambling addict, awakens the Lie-Flat System, and uses modern technology and a dragon might physique to turn his fortunes around, becoming a wealthy village tycoon who protects his wife and dotes on his children) - Second protagonist: Su Wanniang (Lin Mo’s wife, gentle yet resilient. She goes from quietly enduring hardship to supporting her husband’s business ventures, becoming his capable partner) Novel Synopsis He transmigrates —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 Supermarket Showdown 超市风云 My new work is out! You're welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you'll enjoy it. Your support is what motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 After Bragging, AI Tossed Me into a Wuxia World, Where I Chose to Lie Flat 吹牛逼被AI扔去武侠世界后躺平 [Comedy] [No Power Fantasy] [Transmigration] [Wuxia] Yu Xu sprawled on the sofa, bragging: "I'll go to a Wuxia world and sweep the martial arts world in six months!" The AI assistant Doubao replied: "If you can do it, then go ahead." The next second, a flash of white light, and he tumbled down a hillside. His takeout was gone, his phone was dead, and people in ancient clothes thought he was crazy. This AI really comes through. It said it would send him through time, and it did! He practiced mart 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 45 The Root of Sin 心罪源 Greed, desire, hatred, loathing, envy, jealousy... These are all the roots of human crime. The human heart is unfathomable; people can commit crimes over the smallest things. Yi Kai studied criminal psychology, but ended up making a living as a detective. An accidental car crash gave him astonishing powers of observation and perception. A chance encounter led Police Captain Xiang Tiange to recognize his abilities and put him to work. From then on, he embarked on a battle of wits against criminal 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 46 The Ultimate Manhunt 绝地追凶 A contemporary criminal investigation mystery, full of unexpected twists and deductive case-solving. Feel free to dive in. The story will never go on hiatus. Entirely original, with a deliberate pace. Take your time and follow the investigation. Pay attention to the casual remarks and gestures of certain people. 15Reads—Score—Shelves
- 47 Dreambound Bookshop 缘梦书局 A gifted detective with special abilities teams up with a beautiful agent of extraordinary strength. Using a bookstore as their base, they investigate the dark side of society. One baffling case after another, layer upon layer of domestic and foreign forces lurking in the shadows: whether through perfect teamwork or overwhelming ability, neither corrupt power brokers, rampant criminal gangs, nor traitors within national security can escape the bookstore’s scrutiny. French gangsters, Vietnamese p 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 48 Three Transmigrators Overthrow the Shang Dynasty 三个穿越者推翻了商朝 Lin Yi, a graduate student in history, transmigrates to Xiqi and becomes a honored guest of Ji Chang. Zhao Jiefang, a Grade 8 fitter, transmigrates to Dongyi and is revered by the tribes as the “Craftsman God.” Chen Heming, a student who studied in Japan, transmigrates to Chaoge and pushes for reform right under the nose of the Great Shamans. They don’t know the others exist, and each focuses on building up his own strength. Ten years later Xiqi’s well-field system astounds the feudal lords. Don 96Reads—Score—Shelves
- 49 The Echo of a Secret Crush 暗恋之回响 Lin Shijing never expected that one day, the person she had a crush on would suddenly sit in front of her with his “girlfriend.” Just as she grew so flustered she wanted to run away, he showed that he still remembered her... She thought they would never cross paths again, but with every step closer, she fell deeper... Once all the misunderstandings were cleared up, she finally found the courage to confess, only to nearly lose him forever. What she thought was a one-sided crush turned out to be m 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 50 Entrusted to Heaven and Earth 寄天地 [Ensemble cast] [Episodic journeys across different settings] [No System] [Xianxia and wuxia] [Bickering hero and heroine] [Happy ending] A group of uninvited guests shatters a mysterious dream, throwing the usually peaceful Zhenhai Escort Agency into turmoil. An eccentric old man burdened with trunks, a mysterious young master who arrives in a fury to demand justice, and the escort agency’s heiress, inexplicably claimed as someone’s master and dragged into the martial world: everything leads ba —Reads—Score—Shelves
