Novels like Private Investigation
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Private Investigation, best match first.
- 101 One Glance, A Lifetime of Love 一次回眸，一世情 [Workplace Romance] + [Modern Romance] + [Family] + [Love at First Sight] + [Secret Crush] This is a tangled love story between one woman and three men. Ouyang Bo, a top student from a prestigious university, gives up his promising future to follow her to a remote mountain village and continue a love they both chose. Cheng Xi, the city’s top official, remains true to his first love for twenty years, letting the feelings sparked by their first meeting deepen into a profound love. Rich and handso 1.7kReads9.4Score217Shelves
- 102 The Texas Underworld 德州江湖 A tale of hooligans in Dezhou, Shandong, China? No. A tale of gangsters in Texas, USA? No. Texas hold 'em? Getting warmer. There are no miraculous gambling skills, no tense showdowns at the poker table, and no underdog comeback story. All there is is a poker table and the assortment of people around it: cops, businessmen, spies, brothers, high-ranking officials, lovers, and lowlifes. The worlds of money, power, loyalty, and love are all deadly. They aren't gambling on cards. They're gambling on 343Reads—Score—Shelves
- 103 A Lifetime of Humiliation, All for the Day of Reckoning 半生忍辱只等清算时刻 As a child, he lost his mother, who called him a good-for-nothing, and his father, who was useless alive. He barely survived the beatings and abuse from his stepfather and the others. Later, he discovered that his father hadn't actually died by suicide. He endured countless humiliations, and over 37 years, through patience and cunning, rose from an insignificant nobody to a wealthy power broker. He pulled off a breathtaking comeback! He spent half his life enduring humiliation, not just to survi 32Reads—Score—Shelves
- 104 Those of Us Born in the ’80s 八零后的我们 We, the post-80s generation, have weathered life's joys and sorrows and suffered enough from the hardships of life and marriage. Amid the daily grind, our days have been steadily dwindling, and before we knew it, our generation had reached middle age... 2.7kReads8.2Score165Shelves
- 105 The Underworld of a Small Town 小镇江湖 Summer, 1997. Chengxiang Town, Sichuan. Chen Dong, a young hoodlum, guarantees a loan for someone and ends up owing thirty thousand yuan, unaware that it is all a trap set by Bai Laosan. What Bai Laosan wants is the storefront his family owns in the heart of the old-town redevelopment zone. Lawyers, police officers, and thugs armed with paint take turns showing up at his door... With nowhere left to turn, Chen Dong clings to one stubborn belief: the shop is the last spark he can give Ye Qiong, a 41Reads—Score106Shelves
- 106 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. 33.1kReads8.7Score1.9kShelves
- 107 Reborn in the 1960s: I Became Grandma’s Little Sister 重生六零：我成了外婆的妹妹 [When an ordinary person is reborn in a rural village in the 1960s, forget about getting ahead or making grand plans. First, stay alive.] [1960s rural life + family and neighborhood affairs + education and growth + ensemble cast] [Not a wish-fulfillment story, not a wish-fulfillment story, not a wish-fulfillment story. Please don't read if that's not your thing. Thank you.] When Zhu Yan wakes up in the body of her grandmother's second-youngest sister, who died young, she vows to change her grand —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 108 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—Shelves
- 109 May the Rest of My Life Be Filled with Joy 余生皆欢喜 [Women's Growth + Marriage and Relationships + Emotions] Marriage is for happiness, and so is divorce! A new novel from Wang Erqiao, author of the acclaimed ensemble novel I Wish You Everlasting Joy! Marriage is for happiness, and so is divorce! Open this book and discover the happy lives of two girls who make different choices! Originally titled The Woman Holding a Flower of Happiness. After graduating from college, Sichuan native Wang Yanzi moves to Beijing to join her boyfriend, Wen Bo. Just 4.9kReads9.5Score686Shelves
- 110 A Dignified Game of Wits 体面博弈 [Investment Banking Elite × All-Purpose Assistant] [Urban Romance × Emotional Games] [Workplace Romance] [Funny Little Scenes] [The Powerful One Bows Their Head] [Desire and Tension] Li Duoli has only one rule for survival: be a respectable professional woman. She is cautious, capable, tasteful, and elegant. She thought that was simply who she was. Until the night she met Xie Zhifei, when instinctive desire tore everything apart. She only wanted his body. By the next day, she had forgotten every 4.8kReads8.1Score563Shelves
- 111 Stubborn as a Mule 硬颈种 [Not a Power Fantasy, No Cliches, No Stupid Characters, Mutual Devotion, Striving for a Better Life, Realistic Growth] In Hakka, someone stubborn to the core is called a "hard-necked sort." When Wang Lili was ten, she snatched a big chicken leg at the dinner table. Her father ordered her to give it to her younger brother. She said, "I won't." When Zhao Ruxun was ten, he was forced to let his mother beat him fifteen times in public for protecting his younger brother. He gritted his teeth and didn 10Reads—Score—Shelves
- 112 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! 411Reads—Score—Shelves
- 113 An Eighties Gofer Marries into a Family of Lovers 八零工具人嫁入恋爱之家 I was one of the heroine’s many useful sidekicks, the one who walked three thousand kilometers to bring back a stone for her. If the heroine thinks it looks nice and wants it, she can have it. If that’s not enough, I’ll go pick up more. The heroine wants to use me as a foil, claiming city folk can’t compare to country folk, and educated people can’t compare to illiterates? Fine, you win! When my mother tried to brainwash me into being a sucker, I put a stop to it with one clean strike. My abusiv 6kReads8.0Score366Shelves
- 114 Love Among the Mountains and Rivers 山水情 (Urban slice of life, inspirational growth, a nostalgic era, rich in detail) The beauty of mountains and rivers, the many faces of humanity, the fickleness of the world. The protagonist, Jiang Nan, knows right from wrong and values loyalty and affection. He grows from a poor boy who suffers humiliation into a fine young man admired by everyone. This story is grounded in real life, with family bonds, friendship, romance, and a deep love for his hometown. He leads the villagers to prosperity, ris 14.1kReads9.1Score1.5kShelves
- 115 The Little Bridge Cave Family Compound 小桥洞家属院 [Period Setting] [Ensemble Cast] [Everyday Life] The results came out a few months after it was completed. This novel is fantastic! Zhang Yan and Deng Yang were born in the Xiaoqiaodong factory compound and grew up beneath the chimneys of the State Chemical Plant. There was no glamour or respectability here, only the bustle of daily life, sweat, arguments, and warmth. In 1997, as firecrackers exploded to celebrate Hong Kong's return, they still thought their parents would wear their work uniform 513Reads8.1Score102Shelves
- 116 Everyday Love 恋恋日常 The night before she was supposed to meet his parents, Xu Yuan’s boyfriend of six years broke up with her. In a fit of spite, she posted on her social feed: “Whoever can make it to my place by tomorrow morning, I’ll get engaged to him.” Chen Xingyu replied in an instant: “I’m in.” At eight the next morning, he showed up right on time with a huge bouquet of lilies: impeccably dressed in a suit, with a bright smile. Meanwhile, her ex, who had never once introduced her to his family in six years, d 369Reads—Score—Shelves
- 117 Overseas Turmoil: The Path of a Crime Lord 海外风云之枭雄路途 My name is Lin Feng. I’ve encountered, witnessed, and experienced many industries and incidents that people would rather keep hidden. So many people have been lured overseas by high-paying jobs, only to die. So many have died because their desires could never be satisfied. This synopsis can’t do the story justice. Read the novel to find out more. 8kReads9.1Score657Shelves
- 118 No Lamps, No Moon, So What? 无灯无月又何妨 If two hearts understand each other, what need have they for lamps or moonlight? If one day we’re caught in the same snow, then we’ll have shared a lifetime of gray hair. Even if we lived together in perfect harmony, there would still be regrets! May you weather every storm and still keep the light in your eyes, never straying from your original purpose. 34Reads7.6Score—Shelves
- 119 A Nobody's Rise Begins with an Acceptance Letter 草根逆袭从录取通知书开始 As Heaven moves with vigor, a gentleman strives tirelessly to improve himself; as Earth is broad and steadfast, a gentleman bears all things with great virtue. At eighteen, a poor country boy from the mountains got into college with a stroke of luck. Through sheer grit and relentless hard work, he endured and overcame one hardship after another: poverty, hunger, a weak educational foundation, contempt from others, and misunderstandings from his superiors. Though he completed four years of colleg 6.2kReads8.8Score450Shelves
- 120 All the Years She Worked as a Nanny 她做保姆这些年 The physical edition has already been published under the title Stories of Life Beneath the Apron. The original title was Her Years as a Housekeeper. This is not a reborn story, nor is it a wish-fulfillment novel. Based on real events in Shenzhen, it tells of the feuds and tangled relationships of a wealthy family, of love and hatred, of a loyal bond between employer and housekeeper, and of spouses standing by each other through thick and thin. It faces both the light and darkness of human natur 13.8kReads9.2Score1.5kShelves
- 121 We Agreed to Date, Not Move In Together. Why Are You Taking This Seriously?! 说好只交往不同居，你咋玩真的！ (One female lead + urban slice of life + mutual flirting and pursuit + workplace wish fulfillment + no System) After getting involved with a pure yet alluring goddess right from the start, Gu Ming was immediately branded a kept man. Burdened by an unspoken difficulty, he had no choice but to propose a hasty arrangement in order to convince her to agree. "We can date, but we don't live together. That's not an unreasonable request, right?" Instead, he got nothing but mockery and contempt from her. 567Reads—Score120Shelves
- 122 I’m the Boss in Italy 我在意大利当老板 In late-1990s Italy, Hu Liu’an, a stranger in a strange land, takes you on a journey through an overseas world unlike any other, filled with its own bittersweet experiences and tangled loves and hatreds... 4.6kReads8.2Score255Shelves
- 123 Seven Kilograms of Love 七公斤的爱情 Jian Nuo is always thinking about changing her name. She thinks it sounds so delicious that she'll never be able to lose weight. 5kReads9.2Score525Shelves
- 124 A Supporting Actress’s Gossip-Filled Life in the 1970s 七十年代女配的吃瓜日常 After learning she has transmigrated into a historical-era novel as a pawn meant to whitewash the protagonist's group, Jiang Yanqiu first steals half of the original heroine's golden finger, then gives away half of the transmigrated heroine's golden finger. Then she keeps her head down, stays away from the protagonist's group, and enjoys the show. With nobody at the educated youth station willing to talk to her, bored Jiang Yanqiu has nothing to do but gossip to pass the time. She has to admit, 1.9kReads6.2Score102Shelves
- 125 At Dusk, the Child Returns 暮时子归 [Print edition now available] “Did you know Lin Daiyu is supposed to be paired with Sun Wukong? Nuwa arranged this ‘wood-and-stone bond’ as the destined match of the Goddess of the Xiao River and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.” Xiao Xiang has had enough of drifting around and wants to go back to her hometown and live off her family. But the place is a complete mess, and there's nowhere for her to stay. Then there's that crafty Great Sage with eight hundred tricks up his sleeve, constantly makin 158Reads—Score—Shelves
- 126 Ten Years of Marriage: Only Now Do I Understand My Wife 结婚十年：才明白妻子那点事 Zhang Xixi works late into the night and comes home drunk. Ye Feng discovers that she is wearing… Was she cheating, or was there another reason? As Ye Feng investigates, he discovers something astonishing about his wife during their ten years of marriage…! 1.9kReads—Score115Shelves
- 127 At Dusk 人到黄昏 Family love, romance, friendship, and neighborly affection. The ordinary, uneventful lives of everyday people; the changing times reflected in rural life; the differences between two generations in their views on elder care; and how the elderly and children of the new era should face the twilight years of life. 46.4kReads9.1Score4.3kShelves
- 128 Jade of Passion 艳玉 In the 1980s, Qiu Yuyu, a beautiful young woman from a mountain village, entered city life by chance and embarked on a career in government. But she soon became trapped in a mire of worldly entanglements and twisted romances, unable to pull herself free… The men and women in this story are not bad at heart, and they all had their original ideals. But they could not resist the temptations of worldly desires, and strayed further and further from their paths. In the end, none could avoid the danger 1.1kReads6.8Score153Shelves
- 129 It Turns Out There’s No Light in the Deep Sea 原来深海没有光 Girls from the south, most of them love the romance of snow drifting through a northern winter night. But what they don't know is that once the snow has fallen, howling winds soon follow. In an instant, they sweep away all the romance, exposing the bone-chilling cold beneath. 193Reads8.5Score—Shelves
- 130 The Pretty Widow of Peach Blossom Creek, Loved by a Young Man 桃花溪的俏寡妇，小年轻爱上她 The night twenty-two-year-old Li Yuchuan returned to his village, he stumbled upon a woman bathing by Peach Blossom Creek. In the moonlight, her skin glowed white. Water slid from her collarbone to the small of her back. She tipped her head back to toss her hair, then flicked out her tongue to lick a drop of water from the corner of her mouth. That one little movement nearly made his soul fly away. Later, he learned she was the “jinx” everyone in the village talked about. Jiang Yuwei. Thirty-fiv 3kReads—Score171Shelves
- 131 Kicked Out After My Second Marriage, I Thrive Back in the Countryside 二婚被赶，我回农村混得风生水起 Strong Female Lead, Feel-Good Modern Fiction, Period Setting, Building a Career, Comeback, Livestream Commerce, Getting Rich Zhou Xiaoya is forced by her in-laws to have an abortion during her second marriage. Her ex-husband marries someone new, and she leaves with nothing but her daughter, returning to her village. Everyone thinks she'll starve on the streets. Instead, she makes a fortune selling goods through her livestream, and even helps the whole village get rich. How did the woman who was 140Reads—Score—Shelves
- 132 Dear You: I Once Had a Terrible Deskmate 卿卿如晤：我曾经有个坏同桌 The animated comic is coming soon! Two top students flirting with each other | Steamy and sweet | Small-town romance | No contrived plot, not a power fantasy Chen Qingqing thinks her love story with Lin Jingze is too embarrassing to tell anyone. Other people fall in love by dating. First comes a confession, then fingertips brushing, then lips meeting. But the two of them... went straight to bed. They were former deskmates who hadn't seen each other in years, and on the day they reunited, their f 25.9kReads8.9Score3.3kShelves
- 133 My Years as a Migrant Worker in Shenzhen 我在深圳打工那些年 Two AI comic adaptations of this book are already online, and a third is in production. In 1997, I was 17, carrying 300 yuan as I left my hometown in Hunan and headed south to Shenzhen alone. With no skills and no temporary residence permit, I was chased by security patrols, turned away by factories, left hungry, and forced to spend nights hiding in a cemetery. I went from a penniless kid to a sewing-machine operator at a handbag factory, then seized the opportunities of the times, opened a shop 18.8kReads8.8Score1.5kShelves
- 134 Reborn: The Moonlight Falls in Love with Me 重生之白月光爱上我 [One-on-one, both leads' first relationships, reborn + school life + sweet romance + daily life] [Bright and sunny heroine with a thoughtful heart VS aloof and distant hero who's devoted and faithful] Before she was reborn, she was overweight and insecure. Until the day she died, she drifted through life without any purpose. He, meanwhile, was like the bright moon in the sky, someone far beyond her reach. She was always unconsciously searching for his figure out of the corner of her eye. That's 2.4kReads9.2Score255Shelves
- 135 Love, Hate, and Old Feuds Between Two Generations 两代人的爱恨情仇恩怨 She is determined to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death, but her stepmother and stepsister frame her, plunging her into danger time and again! She escapes certain doom, and is fortunate to meet business tycoon Qin Haonan, who falls for her at first sight and pursues her… People reveal different sides of themselves when it comes to love and family, and a single thought can lead to heaven or hell! Good and evil both get what they deserve, and fate always comes full circle! Those who commi 12Reads—Score—Shelves
- 136 Chronicles of the Jianghu: Chaos in Botang 江湖册波棠乱 Historical setting: Early Republic of China, around the 1910s to 1920s · What the era represents: The imperial throne has fallen, warlords carve up the country, and Western culture pours in. This is an age when the codes and honor of the “old jianghu” are gradually lost, transformed, and ultimately destroyed by the guns and schemes of the “new world.” The story of Bo and Tang is the most moving verse in this elegy. 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 137 Among the Old Stories 旧事里 Bullied by life a hundred times over, she still became a bright moon in the night sky. Eighteen years ago, he brought her home. Eighteen years later, she was doing everything she could to escape him... Amid old memories, every kind of person comes into view. Time rushes by, youth cries out, and stubborn boys grow up. Love blooms and fades, and those youngsters who laughed and cried together eventually grew into adults. But who was the one you lost during your youth? 2.8kReads9.4Score384Shelves
- 138 After Reincarnating as a Half-Blood, My Reborn Grandma Won’t Let Me Slack Off 穿成混血后，重生奶奶不准我咸鱼 Gu Manning wakes up as a baby. She had expected to suffer the same fate as in her previous life and be abandoned, but soon discovers that this life isn’t what she imagined. In her previous life, Lin Aihua adopted a child from her hometown because her son couldn’t have children. But the child turned out to be a jinx, and her son and daughter-in-law were constantly cleaning up after him. They both died in a car accident while dealing with yet another mess. Unable to bear the blow, Lin Aihua soon 1.5kReads8.6Score111Shelves
- 139 Going Home for a Blind Date at Thirty 三十岁回家相亲 Going Home for a Blind Date at Thirty 53Reads—Score—Shelves
- 140 Rust and Blossoms 铁锈与繁花 1990s + inspirational realism + female awakening + a determined comeback + making a life far from home + workplace transformation + family ties + sincere romance + friendly neighbors At seventeen, she never imagined that the peachwood talisman her mother pressed into her palm would accompany her through so many storms: from the crowded sleeper cars of a green train to the fluorescent-lit workshop of an electronics factory; from an old night-school building overgrown with ivy to the desk in her o 609Reads—Score—Shelves
- 141 Love at Forty 不惑爱情 Xu Anqin, a middle-aged woman, has a life that's a complete mess: a mother with dementia, a selfish older sister, in-laws who are always scheming, and a husband who never gets a clue. Everything gives her anxiety. At the lowest point in her life, her rich, handsome first love reappears. Maybe she has another path to choose, but Xu is clear-headed: "I'm almost forty. How could I still be some domineering CEO's unattainable first love?" Before the divorce, life backed her into a corner with no way 181Reads—Score—Shelves
- 142 Life, with Nowhere to Land 人生，无处安放 By middle age, Li Shu's life had become a complete mess. Her marriage had turned cold and distant, her grown son was going down a rebellious path, and her body and mind were steadily wearing down. How could she go on living such a miserable life? 745Reads8.9Score101Shelves
- 143 Shanghai People Eat Rice Porridge 上海人吃泡饭 In the middle of the night, Wang’s Granny was being beaten so badly she could barely move, and could only call for help. Uncle Huang was still fuming over how she had humiliated him during the day, so angry he couldn’t sleep. He heard what sounded faintly like a cat meowing, but when he listened more closely, he realized it was a cry for help coming from Wang’s Granny’s house. He was about to go save her when his wife grabbed hold of him... 491Reads8.1Score—Shelves
- 144 Gingerbread Is a Little Sweet 姜饼有点甜 Original title: A Little Sweet Gingerbread [Northeastern Chinese tough guy ❤ mixed-race sweetheart + straightforward, sweet romance + heartwarming fun] When Jiang Bing was three, his father was sentenced to death for murder. In those days, boys getting into fights was nothing unusual. But Jiang Bing couldn't afford to fight. The moment he threw a punch, some people would call him a little murderer. Luckily, with his grandmother's guidance, he learned to face it all: to ignore the gossip and pay 1.2kReads9.4Score129Shelves
- 145 Never Mess with a Pisces Woman 千万不要招惹双鱼座女生 [Workplace] [Urban Life] [Marriage Before Love] Mumu is a Pisces woman who entered the workplace with two labels already attached to her: timid and easy to bully. But no one knows that beneath the soft exterior of a Pisces lies the heart of a great demon king. When everyone thinks she’ll be swallowed up by the workplace, Mumu proves to the world through her actions: Don’t make a Pisces cry, because once she’s done crying, it’ll be your turn. This novel could also be called Mumu’s Rise to the Top 134Reads8.7Score—Shelves
- 146 Tang Tiantian Meets the Third Young Master of the Mo Family 糖甜甜遇莫家三郎 When she was five, her mother died by suicide after battling cancer and depression. When he was ten, his parents divorced because of their troubled relationship. At twenty-two, after graduating from college, he was dumped by his girlfriend when he proposed. He then shut himself away in S City and spent six years writing online novels. At twenty-two, after graduating from college, she became a high school teacher in S City, only to be driven out of her home by her stepmother. Two people from trou 74Reads8.0Score—Shelves
- 147 A Woman's Journey Through Marriage 女人与婚姻的经历 [Female-Oriented + Modern Romance + Workplace and Marriage + Flash Marriage + Realistic Family Life] [Women, Love, and Marriage | A True Account of Marriage | Women’s Growth | Emotional Resonance] Before the grief of losing her mother had even faded, Xinyang was pressured by her whole family to get married and rushed into a flash marriage. She found her hastily chosen partner through a radio station and gave up the career she loved to throw herself into the daily grind of married life. She thou 39Reads—Score—Shelves
- 148 Those Years Working in Lingnan 岭南打工那些年 This work is a realistic urban novel based on my own experience of heading south to Guangdong for work in the late 1980s. It might be more accurate to call it a memoir of migrant work than a novel. The characters are all based on my colleagues, fellow villagers, and friends I knew well! I chose to write in the first person so that everyone in these pages would feel vivid and real, with a soul of their own. I hope readers will find the voice warm and familiar as they read or listen in their spare 18.5kReads9.3Score1.7kShelves
- 149 Tales of Nanyang’s Old Town 南阳老城往事 Memories of a bizarre and absurd era, somewhere in the 1980s and 1990s. A girl vanishes into thin air; two murders over a pair of corneas, with a condemned woman repaying her debt at the execution ground; a thousand-year-old pottery shard traps a rich heir for life; a murder in a narrow alley shrouded in mystery; a disfigured old man fishes for ghosts by the river; a family’s secret history spanning half a century... These stories offer more than an eerie atmosphere. They focus on the suffering, 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 150 The Dust of Mortal Life 尘事 This book chronicles a family across a hundred years. An illiterate country woman is forced to abandon her newborn child, then wanders from place to place amid the chaos of a turbulent era, struggling to survive in the cracks. Told as a work of documentary fiction, this story depicts the joys and sorrows of several generations of an ordinary family, bringing a long-buried past to light. Let posterity decide who was right and who was wrong! 1.9kReads8.9Score175Shelves
