Novels like The Road to Power: A Clash of Ambition and Desire
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Road to Power: A Clash of Ambition and Desire, best match first.
- 1 The Pinnacle of Power: Breaking the Deadlock in Yuanshan Town 权力巅峰：从远山镇破局开始 What backing could a nobody possibly have? When he's driven into a corner, that's the strongest backing of all! His bright future is stolen from him, his former lover turns her back on him, and just as his political career begins in Yuanshan Town, he falls into one trap after another laid by petty schemers. Everyone thinks he'll sink without a trace, never realizing that desperation is his greatest trump card. Caught in the turmoil of local politics, Wang Hao keeps his strength hidden and plays 382Reads6.1Score14714d adds
- 2 After Divorcing, I Ride on My Ex-Wife's Family's Coattails to the Top 离婚后，踩着前妻全家青云直上 Song Qiushi runs a gym. For ten years, he has worked hard to support his family, loved his wife, and spoiled his daughter. It hasn’t been easy, but he has never resented it. He believes that as long as he keeps his head down, takes good care of his wife, raises his child well, and looks after the family, he will have a perfect marriage. But every one of his dreams shatters when his wife brings a strange man home. He can put up with anything else, but not this. Divorce... His father-in-law uses h 132Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 Reborn, I Rise to the Clouds as a Selected Cadre 重生后我以选调生身份平步青云 Liu Huaimin, a fifty-eight-year-old grassroots public servant, spent twenty-seven years in his post before reaching the end of his life with a heart full of regret. In his previous life, an unjust case tied to an engineering project brought tremendous hardship upon his family. His loved ones suffered one misfortune after another, leaving him with a lifelong burden he could never put aside. As he lay dying, he opened his eyes once more, only to find himself back in the dormitory at Beichen Univer 499Reads—Score10314d adds
- 4 Officialdom: The Road to Triumph Against All Odds 官场：披荆斩棘之路 [Political intrigue + no System + no rebirth] A career in officialdom is a thorny road, and countless people strive to get ahead on it. As the saying goes, doing a good job matters less than being born into the right family. For an ordinary person with no connections to make their way through the thorns, the only option is to seize every opportunity. Chen Feng is one of those who knows how to seize an opportunity. He cuts his way through the obstacles and keeps moving forward… 383Reads6.8Score10214d adds
- 5 Officialdom: Starting by Slapping My Boss Twice 官锋：从打领导两巴掌开始 Made the scapegoat from the start? Pushed to the margins, with my future and my life ruined? Fine, I’ll remember this. There’s plenty of time to settle the score. My girlfriend breaks up with me, and my love life falls apart. What was I even here for? Fine, I’ll set you free. Don’t regret it. I turn around with power in my hands and return. Li Rui laughs aloud. Those who hurt and slandered me will all pay the price. 29.5kReads8.3Score2.4k14d adds
- 6 Xiaohefeng’s First Book 小荷风的第1本书 My new work is out! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 1kReads6.8Score—14d adds
- 7 The Road to Officialdom: Starting at the Grassroots 官道：从基层做起 [Officialdom + Power + Romance + Workplace] Once you figure out how the system works, it’s like activating a cheat code. It’s an exciting ride from the start. This realistic novel about officialdom follows Lin Yaodong’s step-by-step rise from the grassroots to the heights of power. 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 A Rich Second Generation at the Grassroots 富二代在基层 A rich second-generation heir joins the ranks of grassroots civil servants. Moving beyond the pursuit of material inheritance to focus on self-fulfillment and creating social value, he brings professionalism and innovative energy to grassroots work, challenges the one-dimensional narrative of entrenched class divisions, and shows that talented people from different backgrounds can move in both directions. 18Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 A Rising Star in Politics: From Secretary to the Pinnacle of Power 官场黑马：从秘书到权力巅峰 A pen for a blade, strategy for a game of chess. A poor-born young man advances one careful step at a time, breaking through every obstacle and turning the tables against those who keep him down; a perceptive female Party secretary recognizes his talent and stands by him with all her heart amid schemes and deceit. One game of political chess, a lifetime of ups and downs. Watch as a grassroots secretary and a female Party secretary join forces to root out evil and clear away deep-seated ills, pl 60.9kReads8.1Score4.4k14d adds
- 10 The Pinnacle of Power: After Breaking Up with My Girlfriend, I Soared to Success 权势巅峰：和女朋友分手后扶摇直上 Betrayed by his girlfriend, with his patron's career hanging by a thread, Lu Xiaoyang, a secretary in the municipal government, suffered a double blow to his love life and political career. Disillusioned, he planned to leave politics for good. But the arrival of one woman completely changed his fate, helping him soar up the political ladder and reach the top of the provincial government compound. 618Reads—Score11014d adds
- 11 The Cowboy’s Foray into Officialdom 放牛娃子闯官场 Liu Wenjie, a rural teacher who grew up herding cattle, left the classroom and entered government service through a chance opportunity. In the classroom, he used knowledge to educate people. In government, he used his abilities to help them. He remembered just one thing: “If you become an official, be a good one. Be an official who gets real things done for ordinary people and does right by them! Be an official whose feet are always caked with the mud of the fields!” With this unwavering commitm 103Reads6.9Score—14d adds
- 12 Doing Odd Jobs at the Town Government, I Rise Through Hard Work 镇政府打杂，我靠实干直升 Yang Chenguang spent three years doing odd jobs at the Chunshan Town Government. With no connections and no one to back him, he was just a temp anyone could boss around. The messes everyone else dodged were dumped on him; the tough problems no one else dared touch were tossed his way. He endured it for three years, waiting for his chance. He'd never been interested in a political career. He'd only wanted a job close to home. But reality left him no choice but to climb higher. From handling villa 1.1kReads6.9Score14114d adds
- 13 My Ex-Girlfriend Is Making Me Become a Government Official 前女友逼我去当官 “I never wanted to take the civil service exam or enter politics. My ex-girlfriend, Zhang Yating, pushed me into it. Without her, I would never have made it to where I am today. Truthfully, I've thanked her in my heart more than once. Without her persistence and the blows she dealt me, I would never have reached this position.” Those are the words the protagonist, Fang Chen, most wants to say. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 Officialdom: I’m the Strategist Behind the Scenes 官场：我在背后当军师 Li Na was a deputy section chief in the municipal government office. Caught in the treacherous currents of city hall, she held fast to her own principles while others focused on ingratiating themselves with everyone, only to be suppressed by her leaders and colleagues. Her husband, Liu Dehua, could no longer stand by and watch. He began helping Li Na, clearing the way for her rapid rise. She connects the city’s grand plans above with the everyday lives of people at the grassroots below, navigati —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 15 Ripples in the Sea of Officialdom: Reborn on the Road to Power 宦海微澜：重生仕途路 Lin Yanzhou died. He died on the front line of flood control, swept away by the breach in the Huai River embankment, on the levee he had guarded for twenty years. His forty-eight years of life had been painfully meek. No connections, no backers, no resources. He was afraid to accept invitations, in case he couldn't afford to return the favor. He was afraid to accept gifts, in case he got in trouble and dragged his wife and children down with him. After twenty years, he was still only a deputy 64Reads—Score—14d adds
- 16 Back on the Road to Office: Making Waves in Legal and Political Circles 重走官途之在政法圈风生水起 First, there are no melodramatic plots built around a reborn protagonist’s foreknowledge. The story closely reflects the realities of officialdom, with strong logic and a clear central plot. Second, it fills a gap in rebirth novels by exploring legal and political subject matter, offering an in-depth look at political maneuvering and rhetorical tactics from within the legal and political system. Third, it avoids the multiple-heroines trope. Most rebirth stories feature several heroines, which fe 382Reads5.5Score—14d adds
- 17 Climbing the Official Ladder: From Assistant to the Finance Bureau Director 官梯：从财政局局长助理开始 A new novel from the author of Officially, an old hand. Everyone is welcome to come read it. Thank you for your support! Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to make every story a good one! 119Reads—Score11714d adds
- 18 The True Face of Officialdom 官场本色 A new political drama is here! Welcome, everyone. I hope you enjoy my work. Your support is what keeps me writing, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 364Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 Officialdom: There's a Beauty Named Xiaofang in the Office 官场：办公室有位美女叫小芳 He works hard, strives to improve, and longs for pure love. Career and romance, what’s hidden and what’s out in the open... His colleague Liu Xiaohua, his classmate Huanhuan. How should he choose...? And then there’s Tang Wan’er, whom he secretly loves... —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 20 Tales of Officialdom in Jinlin 晋林官宦风云录 Amid the political turmoil of Jinlin County, a small fifth-tier city, County Party Secretary Peng Shusheng was once a pioneer of reform, but died on the eve of his promotion. His secretary, Lu Suiyuan, had been his right-hand man. He resolutely gave up the chance to transfer to the provincial capital and remained in this challenging city. As he carries forward Secretary Peng’s unfinished work, Lu Suiyuan must not only face the countless traps laid by local interest groups, but also resist the co 88Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 No Authority to Audit? One Official Letter and I Make the Whole Province Weep! 审计没权？我一纸公函查哭全省！ Zhou Tiejun pushed himself up from the sofa, his right hand instinctively reaching for his chest. There was no wound, no pain. His palm touched a dark blue jacket, its fabric coarse and its zipper cold. He lowered his head and looked at his hand. It wasn't his. His hands should have been young, with prominent knuckles and carbon-ink stains perpetually caught under the fingernails. But the hands before him had loose, slightly swollen skin, age spots creeping across the backs, and a faint pale gro 117Reads7.0Score1414d adds
- 22 The Transferred Soldier King Marries in a Flash During College 转业兵王大学期间闪电结婚 Bai Yitu never expected that after returning to campus, he would be drawn by some mysterious force into one maelstrom after another. To pay for his father's medical treatment, he gave up his first chance at marriage. Then he unexpectedly uncovered the truth behind a college classmate's car accident. The shocking collusion between officials and businesspeople for illicit profits pushed him, against his will, to change everything. From passing the civil service exam for a provincial department to 49Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 A Junior Civil Servant in the County Government 县直单位的小公务员 My new work is out! You're welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you'll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 70Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 The Pinnacle of the Official Road: Three Parts Jiangning, Step by Step on Thin Ice 官路巅峰之三分江宁：步步惊心 Jiangning is divided three ways: the Zhang family holds power, the Bao family controls the money, and the Chen family runs the show. Everyone has met someone who came from the bureaucracy. A pit every three steps, a trap every five. No one has ever made it out of this game of Jiangning alive. Lin Bai tells Liu Xin: If the whole world betrays you, I'll betray the whole world for you. This book is for everyone in the system who lies awake, restless and turning over in bed. For those forced to ben 130Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 From the Start, I Got Dumped on a Blind Date, and Rose to the Top from Then On 开局相亲被分手我从此青云之上 [No Golden Finger] [No Transmigration] [Single Heroine] [A Rise from the Grassroots] Wang Li fails his college entrance exams, and his father arranges for him to attend a police vocational program. Three years after graduating, he still hasn’t been promoted. Then he gets an opportunity. From then on, he rises rapidly through the ranks. His blind date gets dumped, and Wang Li turns around to become her boss. This is a fictional work set in an imagined world. All people, place names, and events in 46kReads8.3Score3.2k14d adds
- 26 A Wild Ride Through Officialdom: Starting with a Summons for Investigation 官道狂飙：从被带走调查开始 Liu Sheyu, deputy director of the Pinghu County Party Committee Office and secretary to the county Party secretary, is taken away for investigation. His girlfriend’s entire family abandons him, and his best friend betrays him. But against all odds, he turns the tables, and from then on, there’s no stopping him! 679Reads7.3Score12414d adds
- 27 The Ridgeline 山脊线 [How cruel is society? Look at how battered I am! How strong am I? Watch me rise smoothly through the ranks!] The grassroots front line is a crucible that refines the strong, a gilded stage for the average, and a sinkhole that eats away at the weak. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 28 Temptation in the Political Arena 官场诱惑 From the grassroots to the top, from integrity to losing one's way: the ultimate struggle over desire, conscience, and career advancement. This is a realistic, documentary-style literary work. 35Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 29 The Road to Officialdom: From a Township Justice Office to the Provincial Compound 官道：从乡镇司法所到省委大院 Beginning in the early twenty-first century, this novel chronicles the rise of Wang Xiaofeng, a young man from a poor family. Along the way, he faces petty schemers and receives help from benefactors. His posts and responsibilities change, but his original ideals and aspirations never do. Wang Xiaofeng starts out as a clerk at a township judicial office, then rises steadily through the ranks… 6.6kReads7.8Score59614d adds
- 30 The Bitter and Sweet of Bureaucracy 机关的苦辣酸甜 This story follows Lu Zhenyu, a brilliant graduate of a prestigious university. After joining the government, he finds that he cannot shake his scholarly nature. As he struggles with the clash between ideals and reality, see how he experiences the bitter and sweet sides of life in the bureaucracy. 25Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 31 Turbulent Waves 迷涛 This is a chronicle of a grassroots official's rise and fall, a portrait of county-level officialdom in the 1990s, and, above all, a bittersweet song of an era defined by the struggle between human weakness and steadfastness. When the turbulent waters recede, the embankment still bears the upright figures of those who never bent. 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 A Political Mastermind's Song of Prosperity 长盛高歌之政治高手 This is the story of Li Changsheng, a senior county-level official, and his rise to the top. He is skilled in calligraphy, feng shui, and antiques. Decisive and full of schemes, he is also charming, carefree, and bold. He sees through both the ugliness and goodness of society, and puts forward many new ideas and principles for good governance, public welfare, and social development. 780Reads6.7Score10414d adds
- 33 Officialdom: Swimming Against the Tide 官场：逆流而上 Lu Chuan came first in both the written and interview exams for a civil service position, but shady dealings landed him in a remote mountain village, and his girlfriend married someone else. See how Lu Chuan holds fast to his conscience amid power struggles and conspiracies, follows the fire in his heart that drives him to stand up for the people, carves a path through the mud of grassroots life, and climbs step by step to the pinnacle of power. 30.5kReads8.8Score1.8k14d adds
- 34 Tales of Mingdu 明都往事 Spring in Mingdu is always marked by rising winds and falling sand, leaving everything hazy and frustrating. But this year was strange: the wind never came, and summer arrived all at once. The heat was unbearable, and the weather was getting stranger by the day. In the end, I decided to ignore it. I slumped into my office chair, narrowed my eyes at the screen, and mechanically tapped away at the keyboard. Life still had to be lived from nine to five, in a dull, orderly routine. What was there to 292Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 35 A Career Blessed by Fortune: A County Magistrate's Rise to Power 官运滔天：知县逆袭，权倾朝野 [Not a power fantasy! A complex tale of court intrigue and political struggle, grounded in historical research!] Li Shu, a modern-day civil service exam candidate who failed to pass, unexpectedly transmigrates to the first year of the Qianlong reign and becomes a newly appointed jinshi. Starting out as a poor county magistrate in Hengyang, he investigates the shortfall in the ever-normal granaries, exposes the dark secrets of the grain transport trade, and takes on salt smugglers in league with 39Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 The Dragon Soars Across the Four Seas 龙腾四海 Love, reality, and morality intertwine across a variety of themes, with each story portraying a different facet of life. 21Reads9.0Score—14d adds
- 37 The Road to Power Begins with a Disaster 权途，从一场灾难开始 A dam burst, and Yang Yi turned the tide against disaster. From that moment on, he began climbing step by step. Serving the people is the foundation of everything. See how he reaches the pinnacle in the name of the people. 12.1kReads8.0Score46314d adds
- 38 The Young People at the Judicial Office 司法所里的年轻人 Fresh graduate Xu Daqi starts working at a judicial office. He goes from inexperienced and clueless to mature and steady, navigating the minutiae of grassroots work and the bizarre realities of life on the ground. After learning that good deeds are not always rewarded, he comes to understand that kindness must be accompanied by diligence. From suspicious-death investigations and land-flooding disputes to group petitions over contract breaches, he holds fast to the belief that public service is a 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 The Traffic Bureau Chief 交通局长 Lin Zhongquan was an ordinary employee in a road maintenance section. Following his father’s wishes, he was determined to climb the ranks. On his father’s repeated advice, he married the former mayor’s daughter and managed to get in good with Huang Dingli, the head of the Pingchang Municipal Transportation Bureau. During a construction tender, Huang Dingli and Lin Zhongquan got to know contractor He Rubin and the stunningly beautiful public relations agent Miaomiao. They helped He Rubin win the 93Reads9.4Score—14d adds
- 40 Political Rivalries: A Grassroots Rise to Power 官场争锋之草根逆袭 New to officialdom, Lu Zhaoyuan carries lofty ideals, only to be battered at every turn. After enduring hardship, he glimpses the logic behind power: “Only those who truly serve the people can go far!” Standing on the precipice between conscience and desire, what choice will he make? 6.4kReads7.9Score52414d adds
- 41 The Move That Breaks the Deadlock 破局之举 Chen Zimo's rise from the grassroots to the inner circle takes an unusual path. While others chase undercurrents, he devotes himself to studying the most transparent and solid system of rules, and finds in it a “cloud staircase” of his own. It is both his methodology and his shield. See how a wise man uses rules as steps and wisdom as his guide, climbing ever higher through a world of shifting tides and hidden currents. 12Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 My Road to Department Head: A Country Kid’s Comeback 我的厅长之路：农村娃的逆袭 A country boy passes the civil service exam in another province and works his way up from a township to the county seat and then the provincial capital, rising from a junior clerk to department head. This is a story of turning his life around, with all the hardships and bitterness along the way. Perhaps it will offer something for many readers to learn from. 34Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 Secretary Chen's Notebook 陈秘书笔记 The extraordinary life of a secretary. Chen, a highly capable secretary, watches his bright future vanish in an instant. Cautious and deferential around the powerful, he keeps a low profile among his colleagues, and through his own distinctive way of handling people, gradually achieves his goals in life. His notebook is a lament for a life. 996Reads—Score11314d adds
- 44 The Road to Light: An Agricultural Graduate Selected for County Government 光明之路：县委大院的农学选调生 Lin Gengye, a master’s graduate in agricultural science, joins the troubled Guangming County as a government trainee, facing accusations that he is a “second-generation official” and only there to pad his resume. He uses technology to transform barren land and applies stock-market strategies to run sustainable agriculture, silencing his critics and increasing the income of poor households. He builds his path to promotion through hard work and answers every doubt with a bountiful harvest. See how 165Reads6.5Score914d adds
- 45 In the Political Arena, Fighting Corruption Is for the People 官场之反腐是为了人民 From the officials’ roster corruption case in Xiling Province to the corn and vegetable project in Qiangui Province, a series of corruption cases harmed the interests of the people. As a discipline inspection official, Zhong Xiaohua handles each case meticulously and calmly, steadily increasing his authority while always protecting the people’s interests from harm. He makes serving the people his foremost duty. 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 The Pinnacle of Officialdom 官场之巅峰时刻 [Satisfying Officialdom Story + Workplace + Political Maneuvering + Inspirational + Business Rivalry + Romance] Out of the blue, he received a notice from the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department: he was being transferred to the Information Division. Downcast, he went fishing at a reservoir in the suburbs and saved an important figure. From then on, his political career took off. 422Reads—Score—14d adds
- 47 After My Divorce, an Owl Helped Me Rule the World 离婚后，猫头鹰带我权倾天下 He lost his job in middle age, and his seven-year marriage also came to an end. Lin Zhijie got a firsthand taste of what it meant to be “a middle-aged man who’s worth less than a dog.” His property and savings were all seized by his domineering, ruthless socialite wife. Just as Lin Zhijie was left homeless and sleeping beneath a bridge, he unexpectedly saved a talking owl. After that, Lin Zhijie entered politics, rising smoothly from an archival clerk at a neighborhood office to the very top. Be 4.9kReads7.6Score49314d adds
- 48 A New Take on Political Fiction: A College Graduate's Road into Government 新版官场文：大学毕业生从政路 By a twist of fate, Liu Bai becomes a township civil servant after graduating from college. For a poor nobody like him, landing a civil-service job is already something to celebrate. He had hoped to keep his head down and do an ordinary job without competing with anyone, but he encounters one unfair situation after another. And the more he faces, the further he climbs, until he reaches the very pinnacle of power! 230Reads—Score—14d adds
- 49 The Wind Blows Through Xizhou City: Part Two 风过西周城第二部 The second volume of the long anti-corruption novel Wind Over Xizhou City continues the story begun in the first. Planned to span thirty-three chapters and 390,000 characters, it once again unfolds among the offices of Xizhou County, in the western plains. Career and love, human relationships and social customs, the rules of survival, and advancement at work: a series of collisions between people and events, emotion and rules, conscience and human nature. It paints a vivid, tangled portrait of e 142Reads—Score—14d adds
- 50 Part One 局部一 The protagonist, Hu Weimin, navigates the ups and downs of officialdom while staying clearheaded, resisting all kinds of temptation, and holding fast to his principles. The everyday settings make the characters feel as if they’re right there beside you, perhaps even people just like yourself. 1.1kReads6.8Score10814d adds
