Novels like A Side Job in Search of Love
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Side Job in Search of Love, best match first.
- 51 Run! Your Blind Date Is from Chaoshan 快跑，相亲对象是潮汕人 Period novel / realistic fiction / ensemble cast The actual story is the opposite of what the title suggests. The heroine, Yang Biyao, eventually feels fortunate to have chosen the responsible male lead, Cai Zekun, who puts his family first. Synopsis: Through a friend’s introduction, Yang Biyao goes on a blind date with a man from Chaoshan. Her life then unfolds through negotiating the bride price, moving far from home after marriage, holding a wedding banquet, helping her husband inherit the fa 571Reads8.1Score10514d adds
- 52 The Ups and Downs of Marriage 婚姻那些事儿 "Those Things About Marriage" tells the story of Jiang Xiaozhi and Cheng Yi, college sweethearts who plan to marry after graduation. But when their parents meet, disagreements over the bride price and dowry sour the occasion. The couple decides to have a bare-bones wedding with neither, and secretly registers their marriage. Meanwhile, Jiang Xiaozhi’s friend Su Yang, who has been married for only six months, is about to divorce her husband, Xia Yin. Jiang Xiaozhi discovers she is pregnant, and h 533Reads9.4Score11614d adds
- 53 Two Generations of Mothers-in-Law and Daughters-in-Law: Love and Hate in a Chinese Family 两代婆媳：中式家庭的爱恨情长 Three women, two generations of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. The post-1995 generation faces off against the post-1960 generation. Their conflict is both a clash of lifestyles and a collision of beliefs, bringing more than half a century of women’s awakening into sharp focus. Women born in the 1930s are stubbornly set in their ways; those born in the 1960s are half-awake and half-entrenched; while the post-1995 generation wholeheartedly embraces pleasure, putting themselves entirely above 1.2kReads9.6Score16514d adds
- 54 My Dining Buddy Is a Force to Be Reckoned With 我的饭搭子太猛了 The male lead looks like he could have stepped straight out of a sweatshop: he's tall and burly, and almost everyone is afraid of him. The female lead is the only one who thinks he's a patient, so she sees him through rose-colored glasses and isn't afraid. They even become mealtime buddies. But after one of his boxing matches, she realizes she's been trying to win over the wrong person all along. He's not a patient at all. Sweating with fear as she looks at the stranger before her, she recalls e 1.7kReads8.4Score21714d adds
- 55 A Hibiscus Love Story 木槿之恋 The tangled loves and hatreds of three couples: Mu Jin and Zhang Chaoyang, Wen Qiongfang and Lin Shiyuan, and Fang Yuan and Peng Guangyuan. How long can love last? What holds a family together? Love, marriage, family, and money intertwine in an intense tangle of feelings and desire. Who is right? Who is wrong? Fate lends a hand in everything, yet every choice is our own… There are no perfectly faithful couples here, only human nature. 21.1kReads9.3Score2.6k14d adds
- 56 A City of Drizzle, Veiled in Mist 一城烟雨一层纱 Two girls, saving each other. Jiahui is a beautiful, bold, lively girl with a touch of cleverness. Luo Dan has followed Jiahui around since childhood, doing whatever she says. Luo Dan has been timid and inarticulate since she was little. Quietly talented, she and An Bin secretly love each other as children. They reunite as adults and get married, but their life together is a chaotic mess. Luo Dan works hard and strives to grow, overcoming one challenge after another. She meets Yin Song, and even 2.9kReads9.1Score27514d adds
- 57 Clouds Veil the Vermilion Tower 云锁朱楼 The second time Mu Yun embroidered her wedding dress, her husband, Zhu Lou, found her and demanded coldly, “Madam Mu, have you forgotten that you're a wife of the Zhu family?” “No! I'm not!” What did it mean to be a wife of the Zhu family? It was a death sentence! A story about the hardships of marriage, the struggles of life, and the pain of living. A thoroughly unhappy read. The male lead is not chaste, so proceed with caution if that bothers you! It's not a satisfying or empowering story. It' 677Reads8.8Score10014d adds
- 58 How Long Will You Love Me? 你会爱我多久 How Long Will You Love Me tells the story of Xu Nanqiao and her first love, Qin Shiyue, who unexpectedly meet again many years later. Once high school sweethearts, they parted ways because of youthful insecurity and misunderstandings. Years later, Xu Nanqiao has become a simultaneous interpreter, while Qin Shiyue is a successful patent lawyer. When they reunite at work, old regrets and unresolved feelings resurface. Faced with past misunderstandings and the complications of the present, can they 766Reads8.9Score10014d adds
- 59 My Parents Pressured Me to Marry, So I Married My Blind Date 父母催婚，我嫁给了相亲对象 [Contemporary Romance + Both Pure + Sweet Romance + Happy Ending] With her parents constantly pressuring her, Xiao Qingzhu had no choice but to agree to a blind date. She thought she would end up living a predictable life with some so-called honest man, simply sharing a home and getting by. But she got an unexpected surprise. Her blind date was handsome, kind, steady, and dependable. Whenever she felt lost or confused, he was always by her side, unwaveringly shielding her from the storm. S 3.7kReads8.7Score29814d adds
- 60 An Unplugged Relationship 不插电关系 [Sharp-tongued, clear-eyed engineer × restrained, secretly passionate tycoon. First physical, then emotional.] A battle of wills between two mature adults!!! The first time they met, Lin Xuan was in her living room, taking off her bra in front of a strange man. The man, Bai Xingyuan, was impeccably mannered and restrained, keeping his eyes averted as propriety demanded. But his gaze remained fixed on her, burning her for a moment. The second time they met, he was dropping off slippers for a fri 777Reads8.1Score10214d adds
- 61 The Day I Went Begging, I Caught the Young Master with a Woman in Each Arm! 要饭那一天，撞见少爷左拥右抱！ The rating has only just appeared and will rise over time. There aren’t many comments yet, so please leave lots of comments and give it five stars! Things to know before reading The hero is not faithful and is a scumbag, with a bit of a ridiculous show-off streak. Later, he’ll grovel to win her back to an extreme degree, practically breaking his forehead on the ground. When Huang Hua came to Haicheng to find Wen Fei, her wallet was stolen. She begged for food beneath an overpass for a week befo 2.2kReads7.2Score22714d adds
- 62 Little Bee 小蜜蜂 A man came from Shandong. A woman came from Guangxi. In the summer of 2025, they became desk mates at an English teacher training course at a teachers’ college in Beijing. Hu Qiming was 38, divorced for two years, with an 11-year-old son. Feng Xiaomi was 27, just one month out of her divorce, with a 4-year-old daughter. Twenty days. They attended classes together, ate together, and strolled through the garden at night. He got her food; she taught him songs. In a group photo, he held her hand beh 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 63 Dust and Workwear 尘与工装 Dust and Coveralls —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 64 The Appearance of Suspect Q 嫌疑人Q的现身 [The short drama Suspect Q Appears is now streaming] I received an anonymous video, and the leading lady in it was me! We’d been married for two years, and my husband never seemed to tire night after night. I always thought it was a sign of how much he loved me, until the day I accidentally discovered his secret… A terrifying truth lay hidden beneath the depths of our marriage! 5.9kReads9.2Score65614d adds
- 65 May Time Be Filled with Tenderness 许时光以柔情 A secret crush becomes mutual, and they run toward each other. Sweetness overload! A gentle, quiet heroine and a free-spirited hero, with irresistible character dynamics! From campus to the working world, from youthful innocence to maturity, they write a romantic story of their own through love. Delicate prose and authentic emotions bring you the most beautiful vision of love! Xu Jiarou works in university administration. Gentle and quiet, she is like a glass of water at just the right temperat 379Reads—Score—14d adds
- 66 Slowly, Falling for You 慢慢，喜欢 One-on-one romance, mature adults. Neither lead is a virgin, so stay away if that's not your thing! Taking it slow is a beautiful thing: slowly meeting, slowly falling in love, slowly growing old together. Everything begins after I meet you! Bian Yue never expected to get divorced less than six months into her marriage! Wen Chaoshen never expected to be unable to forget a married woman! Bian Yue: “What do you want?” Wen Chaoshen: “We've hugged and kissed. Obviously, what's left is for me to slee 73Reads—Score—14d adds
- 67 After the Wedding, President Lu's System Goes Haywire 新婚后，路总的程序紊乱了 Marriage Before Love | Slow-Burn Romance | Clear-Headed Heroine vs. Stubborn CEO | Sweet Everyday Life Lu Yanzheng, head of the Langna Group, is worth hundreds of billions. He’s marrying me only to improve his company’s image with my respectable background. Our prenuptial agreement spells it out clearly: A monthly salary of 500,000 yuan, and a marriage lasting at least two years. Neither of us may develop romantic feelings for the other. Break the rules, and pay an astronomical penalty. Fine. I, 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 68 My Years at a Foreign Company 我的外企岁月 On a battlefield without gunfire, enemies are everywhere. In a workplace without compassion, everyone is a schemer. And in a game of love where feelings have no place, who can find even a little warmth… Gao Ge is like a little lion, fighting her way through a foreign company, charging ahead and getting battered along the way. Only in the end does she realize she’s really a little deer, the one who can run wild in his heart. 726Reads9.3Score12914d adds
- 69 Little Leopard 小豹子 After her grandparents, who had raised her, passed away, the abandoned Situ Lingzhi was left with no one to rely on. Taking the Medical Prescriptions of the Situ Family that her grandfather had left behind, she went to America to find his relatives. Six years later, the first major event that awaited Situ Lingzhi, now a medical doctor returning home, was her classmate Dongfang Xiangrui trying to force her into marriage. The Dongfang family had once been a leading force in Yunhai City's business 314Reads8.6Score10114d adds
- 70 I Love Older Men! The Heiress Whips the Capital's Elite Circle into Shape 钟爱年上男！大小姐铁拳整顿京圈 [Period transmigration, two couples, antagonistic romance, a long road to winning her back, alternate universe] When Shen's father learns his daughter is just one step away from dating his old enemy, Liang Xuan, he rushes over and beats the other man so badly he's left with serious injuries. On a stormy night, Shen Miaoyin climbs over the wall to run away and find the man she loves, only to accidentally transmigrate back to 2005. - In Beijing in 2005, everything is absurd: She has become her own 95Reads—Score—14d adds
- 71 Marriage Before Love: Mr. Fu’s Beloved 先婚后爱：付先生的掌心宠 Because of her family background, Xiang Zhaozhao had always been determined never to marry. That same family background left her with no choice but to compromise and go on a blind date with Fu Shiyu. Xiang Zhaozhao thought their marriage would be nothing more than two people sharing a life. She never imagined it would turn out so blissful and sweet! A love story about a first-generation entrepreneur and a woman marrying later in life! 983Reads8.7Score11914d adds
- 72 A Light in the Sea of Books 书海拾光者 A Gatherer of Light from the Sea of Books 17Reads—Score—14d adds
- 73 The Village Girl Wang Yaru 村女王亚茹 Zhao Dagui, the village chief's nephew, came to demand that Wang Yaru marry him. Her parents had accepted the bride price, and she was to be married off in three days. On the eve of the wedding, she gave herself to Li Sicheng, her childhood sweetheart, and the two of them eloped south that very night. In the big city, Li Sicheng carried bricks at construction sites while Wang Yaru waited tables at a restaurant. They lived in a basement. At their poorest, she couldn't even afford a pack of sanita 198Reads6.8Score15714d adds
- 74 Few Words, Deep Feelings 言简情深 Li Jianqing and Wang Xiaochuan broke up, and at first Wang Xiaochuan didn’t care. But later, he saw Li Jianqing take another man into her place, and neither of them came out all night. Early the next morning, eyes bloodshot, he blocked her way. “Even if you’ve fallen for someone else, you still have to be my woman.” 1.9kReads8.7Score11114d adds
- 75 A Passionate Second Marriage 二婚痴缠 Second Marriage + Devoted Love + Comedy + Sweet Romance + Characters Who Say What They Mean + Realistic [Wishing everyone can find the person they truly love in this ever-changing world] There’s no Old Wang next door to Du Jiao, but there is a Young Wang. Wang is handsome, dashing, and strong... but he got married young! Unfortunately, Du Jiao, gentle, virtuous, sweet, and beautiful, also married young. Wang Xinli thinks there must be something wrong with the feng shui in both their homes. Other 14.6kReads8.5Score1.6k14d adds
- 76 A Marriage of Money 钱婚 To become the dutiful daughter, good wife, and loving mother everyone expected, Liu Xiaoqing buried her youthful dreams and deepest desires before the age of thirty-three, living a life of constant compromise. After graduating, she painfully gave up her dream of becoming a writer and took the civil service exam, becoming a government employee. At home, she endured her in-laws' repeated provocations, again and again, just to preserve her marriage. At work, she likewise chose to put up with her 57Reads—Score—14d adds
- 77 The Third Kind of Love 第三种爱情 A farcical arranged marriage turned Yang Mo from bride to abandoned wife in just forty-eight hours. Still, getting a wedding home for free wasn’t so bad. She never expected to run into her ex-husband, Xie Linsen, four years later. He even came after her, all for a bowl of… noodles? Her wayward ex wants her back? Instead, he turns into a clingy pest she can’t shake off. Watch Yang Mo use her own experience to warn women everywhere: a small bargain can come at a big cost. 918Reads9.2Score10714d adds
- 78 Love Delivered with Your Takeout 外卖送来的爱情 [Rugged construction foreman x struggling livestreamer] [Strong leads x mutual healing x trashy boyfriend at first, doting romance later] Gu Yueji was so broke she livestreamed for over ten hours a day to sell goods and pay off her debts. Still, she felt sorry for the delivery guy whose shoes were worn out and clothes were shabby, and who had to squat by the roadside to eat every meal. So she provided him with food, clothes, and a place to stay. Later, Gu Yueji discovered that the delivery guy’s 3.1kReads9.0Score26914d adds
- 79 Ten Miles of Spring Breeze, Just Like You 春风十里如你 [The male lead is faithful + the heroine is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's child + she marries the male lead + sweet everyday romance + the heroine falls in love after marriage + the male lead has a secret crush and quietly devotes himself to her] (He spoils his wife endlessly, and the further you read, the more he spoils her!) Xiao Yunjin is probably every girl's ideal man: as bright and clear as the moon, a perfect gentleman, hardworking, devoted in love, and orderly in his habits. He plans 149Reads—Score—14d adds
- 80 The Legend of Empress Zhaoyi of Later Tang 后唐昭懿传 In the chaotic final years of the Tang dynasty, she is a lonely phoenix, adrift and without a home. When she was twelve, she met a young man and never forgot him. She journeyed a thousand miles just to find him. He is a young hero. Fulfilling his father's dying wish, he sweeps south to defeat Zhu Liang and marches north to trample the Khitan, single-handedly restoring the Tang dynasty. But forced by his stepmother and framed by his wives and concubines, he loses the woman he loves most, leaving 189Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 81 Help! An Older Ordinary Spinster Has Gotten a Cool, Quiet Puppy Boy Clinging to Her 救命！大龄普通剩女被清冷小奶狗黏上啦 Help! An ordinary woman past her prime has been latched onto by a cool, sweet puppy of a guy! 810Reads—Score—14d adds
- 82 Lovebird: A Phoenix Girl Has Phoenix Blood 爱情鸟：凤凰女有凤凰女的血液 [Hard-Luck, Determined Heroine VS. Disabled, Down-on-His-Luck Rich Heir] [Teacher-Student Romance + Second Chance at Love + Through Thick and Thin + High-Stakes Business Warfare] Yu Xiaolei, formerly known as Tang Yishan, bears the weight of a painful past. Her mother, Yu Rui, gave everything she had to selflessly support Tang Zhengze, only to be abandoned. Yu Xiaolei was left struggling to find her place as an illegitimate daughter. Growing up dependent on others, Yu Xiaolei experienced the wor 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 83 Under the Influence of Dopamine 多巴胺作祟 [Mutual pining + reunion after years apart] Sweet, with a little angst, moving moments, warmth, and plenty to relate to. "Sweet, gentle, restless small-town exam ace" vs. "handsome, gentlemanly, brooding ABC" Everyone says Liu Yuqiu is the ideal man. Only Zhou Lingwei knows just how bad he can be. Everyone thinks Zhou Lingwei is harmless. Only Liu Yuqiu knows how ruthless she is. Where’s the love in the CBD? Where’s the romance? It’s all a contest between "bad guys" and "ruthless women." A thou 775Reads8.9Score10714d adds
- 84 An Ordinary Girl with a Harem: They All Chose This Themselves 普女万人迷：都是他们自愿的 [Male rivals competing for the heroine | Wish fulfillment | All male leads are virgins with no romantic history] At twenty-three, Ming Yi works as a planner at a private company. She didn't know how to negotiate her salary as a new graduate, and even after a year, she still only takes home four thousand a month. After rent and utilities, she has to nervously use her credit card to get through the end of every month. Her career is going badly, but her love life is thriving. Ming Yi never makes th 46.6kReads8.8Score8.9k14d adds
- 85 Oh No! The Beggar Bride Is a Black-Hearted Schemer 坏了！替嫁小乞丐是朵黑心莲 [Pure historical domestic intrigue + black lotus heroine + play the pig to eat the tiger + both leads have past relationships (skip if that bothers you)] ♥ Eloping? Perfect. All this wealth falls right into my lap! Shen Chaoyun, the marquis’s legitimate daughter, elopes for love, and the little beggar Shu Wan is pushed into the bridal sedan instead. Her husband, the heir to the marquisate: a womanizer who thinks he’s devoted, a complete oddball who falls in love with every woman he meets. Her 55Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 86 I've Decided to Truly Love Someone 我决定好好去爱一个人 After getting hurt in love, when I meet someone who treats me well, I think I should try to love them wholeheartedly. Even if it ends in failure, that would be better than living with regret. Learning to love again and loving someone I have no feelings for without holding back is not easy for a Scorpio woman. It took me half a lifetime to realize that the person I most needed to love properly was myself. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 87 You Came to Me on a Sunny Day 你从晴天来 4.1kReads9.2Score33414d adds
- 88 As Though Polished 娟然如拭 Guiding Romance + Workplace Marriage + Healing + CEO + Long-Running Scheme + Personal Growth Wang Juan had known her first love for ten years and been married to him for five, but then she suddenly discovered that her husband was attracted to men. As an HR professional, she thought she was good at reading people, yet she couldn't see through her husband. And somehow, she ended up hiring a marketing director who claimed he'd been in love with her for years. Faced with a marketing director who was 57Reads—Score—14d adds
- 89 The Wind of the Wilderness 旷野的的风 An age gap, a powerful man lowering his head, and a boyfriend with a fatherly streak. A push-and-pull romance between a rugged man and a delicate, highly educated woman. “I always get what I want. Except when it comes to you, I chose to be the better man.” 5.6kReads9.1Score61314d adds
- 90 Miss Cheng, Do You Plan to Stay Single Forever? 程小姐，你打算一直单身吗？ [Elite Family] [Cute Child] [Workplace] [My Life Is on the Line, and My Rich Boyfriend Has a Secret Identity] [Stay Single or Become a Rich Wife? That's the Question] [Clearheaded, well-behaved female engineer * sharp-tongued, flirtatious heir cast out by a wealthy family] [He nearly cost her life back then. For the rest of his life, all he wants is her.] Volume One, Seven Days of Grace: The leads reunite overseas because a piece of equipment needs servicing. Over the course of just seven days, 274Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 91 Waiting for You in the Endless Night 等你在夜未央 An Ning and Min Hang were abducted as children. After they were rescued, they were separated, then reunited as adults. This is a story about a romance between an underworld queen and a younger man. An Ning walks in the daylight, but her heart remains in the night. Min Hang saw her once and loved her, missed her while they were apart, and has only ever had eyes for her. He waits for you in the endless night, just to bring you out into the sunshine. 8.4kReads9.2Score81014d adds
- 92 The Little Moon of the Auto Shop Owner 修车铺老板的小月亮 Both leads have only ever been with each other. (Please leave a rating!) Rugged auto mechanic (rough around the edges, but also a dropout and top student with excellent college entrance exam scores) × female lead, a newly employed assistant to a judge (sweet and gentle, but clear-headed and strong-willed, with no saintly self-sacrifice) Before Shen Jia returned to the small town, Tan Linsong did nothing but fix cars and save money every day. As long as he had food, clothes, and a roof over his 2.1kReads8.6Score21814d adds
- 93 Four Seasons in the Mountain City 山城四季 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Three Gorges Dam beginning to store water. The Three Gorges migrants of that time left their hometowns with reluctance and hope, and years later, some returned for one reason or another. Xiao Ying was born in the reservoir region and moved to another province with her family as a young child. After graduating from university, she worked in Beijing, but when a misdiagnosis led her fiancé’s family to look down on her, she angrily called off their engagement. 1.9kReads9.5Score19514d adds
- 94 Half Making Do, Half Living Well 一半将就，一半美好 [The print edition is now available] Fear of marriage is the last thing on Ou Xiaolin’s mind. She and Xie Tao have been happily dating for five years, and their families get along well too. She assumes everything will fall into place and they’ll live happily ever after. Who could have guessed that the moment the families start discussing the bride price, one conflict after another would erupt? Lowbrow provocations come at her from every direction. Do they really think she’s that easy to push ar 13.6kReads9.3Score1.3k14d adds
- 95 Hello, Assistant Jiang 你好，姜助理 Main characters: Jiang Xia and Shi Jingchu [Junior assistant vs. big boss] [The hero pursues her directly + age gap + slow-paced everyday romance] Jiang Xia is still relatively new to the working world. She lands a job as an administrative assistant at a tech company, in a department that has just been acquired and is a complete mess. Besides administrative work, she also has to serve as an HR assistant, sales assistant, boss’s assistant, and marketing assistant. She scrambles to get by, gradual 4kReads8.6Score43914d adds
- 96 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
- 97 The Gentle Hunter 温柔猎手 The short drama is now available to watch on Hongguo and Tomato Short Drama. This is a story about a hunter and her prey. Xinyi is a girl from a small county town who works part-time as a tour guide to pay her tuition. She meets the wealthy Yang Haichao, who is attracted to her at first sight. Their encounter changes both their lives, and in the end, the hunter becomes the prey. Xinyi’s growth and transformation come at a bloody cost. You think it’s just a fleeting night of pleasure, but I want 8.1kReads9.3Score73614d adds
- 98 Reborn as a Young Noblewoman, She Exposes Her Family's Conspiracy 侯门少妇重生戳穿了一家阴谋 Mu Jinhe is the youngest daughter of Mu She, Duke Jingguo. From childhood, she was raised as a boy and often accompanied her father on border garrison duty. She returned to the Duke Jingguo residence in the capital at fifteen, where she learned embroidery and etiquette. At seventeen, she married Pan Mo, son of the Marquis of Changning. The Pan father and son were ordered to war, but their eagerness for quick success left them trapped behind enemy lines. When Mu Jinhe heard the news, she was fran 19Reads—Score—14d adds
- 99 An Unbearable Second Spring 难忍第二春 [The rating will rise now that it’s just started] [She went to see a gynecologist and got an appointment with her ex...] [Second-marriage romance, doctor, not a wish-fulfillment story, realistic, happy ending, male lead has no prior sexual experience] In other people’s eyes, Yu Yao had a secure job and had married a rich man. After seven years of marriage, only she knew what it was really like. For seven years, she had tried every kind of traditional medicine, Western medicine, and even mysticis 17.4kReads8.4Score1.9k14d 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 2.3kReads8.6Score17014d adds
