Novels like Tales of the Qingshui River
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Tales of the Qingshui River, best match first.
- 1 Kisses on a Beijing Night 京夜有吻 The rating was just posted, so don't worry about it! [Unrequited Love | Mutual Pining After Reunion | Powerful Family Background] Xiao Ning had received praise her whole life. She came from a good family, did well in school, had a successful career, and had the face of everyone's first love. With her parents' protection and support, as well as her own hard work, she rose higher and higher, with nothing but smooth sailing ahead. The one place she hit a wall was marriage, which plunged her into de 11.2kReads8.9Score1k14d adds
- 2 The Awakening of a Middle-Aged Woman 一个中年女人的觉醒 [Family of Origin vs. the Fortress of Marriage] Chen Qingchen, an only child, is madly in love. She steals her household register and marries Lin Jiaxin, a man from a poor family who has made it on his own, unaware of what awaits her: a sharp-tongued mother-in-law who makes her life difficult, her father’s sudden death, her mother being forced out of the home, and underhanded attacks at work. When she hits rock bottom, two women become her lifelines. Her tough mother stands firmly behind her, wh 7.6kReads8.5Score72214d adds
- 3 The Prince’s Abandoned Consort: The Useless Brats’ Mother Teaches Military Strategy 王府弃妃：废崽他娘教兵法 Female-oriented: discarded consort / cast-off kids / System / a thousand-year-old destiny Su Wanqing, a company’s finance director, transmigrates into a discarded princess consort and binds herself to a past-and-present System. From the start, she has four hopeless children to raise. Her eldest son is an idiot, her youngest son is a good-for-nothing, and her two daughters are the laughingstock of the capital. Instead of teaching them poetry, she teaches them military strategy, political schem 46.9kReads8.5Score4.4k14d adds
- 4 A Writer’s Brush Meets the Political Arena 笔尖遇政途 A promising 29-year-old district Party committee secretary-general × a freshly graduated intern reporter When they first meet, she looks at the man in the administrative jacket. He seems only twenty-five or twenty-six, young enough to be a generation below the bureau chiefs standing nearby. Yet his manner is perfectly composed, and he has a steadiness and wisdom beyond his years. With the air of someone accustomed to authority, he asks her supervisor, “What’s this young colleague’s name?” He tea 2.3kReads—Score23014d adds
- 5 Mistakenly Climbing into a Life of Luxury 误攀浮华 I just got a notification from the platform that this is being adapted into a comic drama! This is not the same old story!!! You'll be captivated by the protagonists' charm, especially the male lead! [Guiding male lead | Not a domineering CEO | Realistic | Down-to-earth | Not over-the-top | Slow burn | No angst | Funny] [Sharp-dressed, devilishly handsome boss with a thousand schemes & pure, obedient girl who refuses to cling to the powerful] Original title: Mistakenly Climbing into the World of 28.9kReads9.1Score3.4k14d adds
- 6 The Pinnacle of Power: Starting with My Discharge from the Military 权力巅峰，从退伍转业开始 Tags: Urban, Political Career Just after transferring from his decisive and efficient post as a battalion commander to a local government job, the protagonist suffers a double blow: His girlfriend dumps him to climb the social ladder, while his unfamiliarity with the rules of officialdom leads him to misjudge an important decision due to a lack of information, leaving him in a tight spot. With the help and guidance of a lively female colleague, he begins to see through the unspoken rules hidden 6.9kReads7.3Score59314d adds
- 7 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
- 8 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
- 9 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
- 10 Spring Winds in Winter 冬季有春风 [Female Growth] [Childhood Sweethearts] [Turning the Tables Against the Odds] [Realistic] A girl battered by her dysfunctional family wants nothing more than to save the naive young boy who loves her. Life in the cramped alleyways is always the same, while the surging tide of the times takes everyone by surprise. In the winter at the end of the century, the gears of Xu Chunfeng's fate quietly began to turn. 3.1kReads8.0Score12714d adds
- 11 A Political Prodigy 官场奇才 My new work is out! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support is what keeps me writing, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 31kReads8.4Score2.3k14d adds
- 12 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
- 13 Grab It! If You Don’t Snatch the Golden Finger, Who Will? 抢啊！金手指都不抢，要留给谁？ She is Daipa, the strongest shaman of the Black Miao tribe. She can divine the future and is skilled in poisons and gu magic. Her moods are unpredictable, and a pure black kitten is always at her side. She is Gu Qingcheng, a timid educated youth sent to the countryside after being set up. Someone schemed to make her take another woman’s place as a bride, and she lost her life as a result. She is Ma Xiaotiao, an older single woman whom her relatives think will never get married. She has been stuc 369Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 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 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 15 Just Got a Government Job and Got Dumped? I Turned Around and Became the County Magistrate's Secretary 刚上岸就分手？反手我成县长秘书 Tags: Politics, Comeback, Veteran, Power Struggles, Face-Slapping In the summer of 2008, just before his transfer out of the military, Lu Hao is abandoned by his girlfriend, Lin Xueer. A twist of fate leads him to rescue Su Ya in a crisis. His abilities earn him a position as her secretary, drawing him into the vortex of power. Lu Hao ventures into the grassroots ranks, gathers evidence, and joins forces with Su Ya to take on local kingpin Zhang Minghai and his interest group. This novel follows 17.6kReads7.7Score1.1k14d adds
- 16 The Road to Officialdom: One Text Message Changes My Fate 官途：一条短信改变命运 A breakup text quietly rewrites the career trajectory of a young official. In the world of politics, every step forward or back involves both calculations of the human heart and contests of power. Standing at a crossroads in his life, Li Anping takes his first steady step... 245.7kReads8.8Score23.8k14d adds
- 17 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 508Reads6.8Score6614d adds
- 18 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—14d adds
- 19 A Way Forward Through Mountains and Rivers 出路之山重水复 [Period setting + Family + Women + Career + Workplace business battles + No romance + Society + An exploration of human nature] No cheat powers, no dramatic comeback. A deep look at the struggles and prospects of 99% of ordinary people! Wish-fulfillment stories are everywhere, but once the excitement fades, only emptiness remains. In the end, we all have to face the grind of daily life and the warmth or coldness of human relationships. This slow-burning work of realism offers no lucky breaks or 2.4kReads9.5Score34314d adds
- 20 A Book from Another World 2 别有洞天2的一本书 It takes brains, and it takes hard work. The road to the summit is lined with both thorns and fragrance. A tale of strategy, political maneuvering, and the wit and ambition needed to rise through the ranks, as well as the triumphs of life. 302Reads8.9Score10314d adds
- 21 The Age of Turmoil 折腾时代 Life is all about taking chances! In that restless age, Li Anran works in a big city, and her dream is about to come true. But when she returns to Qinzhou for a funeral, she's practically put under house arrest and told to stay and work in the small city. Zhang Huifei has the talent to get into one of China's top universities, but he unexpectedly fails the college entrance exam. To make sure his sister Li Anran can stay in Qinzhou without worries, he starts stirring things up... As a result, Li 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 22 The Heart-Stealing Thief 缚心贼 [1980s | Strong heroine | Both leads reborn | Military marriage | Revenge on scumbags | Business | Treasure-filled space | A battle to bind the heart] In 1983, Min Jiahui was reborn on her wedding night. In her past life, a scumbag trapped her with a fake marriage certificate and made her live as a wife in name only for the rest of her life. She served his parents, cared for his younger siblings, and raised the son he had with his mistress. In the end, his mistress showed up with a marriage cert 986Reads8.3Score16414d adds
- 23 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
- 24 Reborn in the Glory of a Golden Age 重生之盛世年华 (Rebirth + space + possessiveness + devoted couple + family life + slow-burn romance) She won the lottery for the first time, but one sentence from her own mother made her die of anger. When she opened her eyes again, she discovered she had been reborn at eighteen, in the college entrance exam hall, holding the exam papers her mother had forced her to fill out for four years. If you were reborn at eighteen, what would you do? Would you seize the opportunity and use your memories to become a self 1.1kReads—Score11314d adds
- 25 A Garden of Students, Growing Old Together in Love 桃李满天下恩爱共白头 Wu Xiaomin was a country girl, born and raised in the countryside, but she had always been a good student and was naturally beautiful. Unfortunately, after she started high school, her surroundings changed dramatically, leaving her confused and lost. In her sophomore year, she met a new homeroom teacher who helped her find her way again. After graduating from college, Wu Xiaomin gave up a job placement back in her hometown and introduced a female college classmate to her former high school teach 1.5kReads—Score—14d adds
- 26 Officialdom: The Puppet Wife 官场：提线夫人 Power is the finest puppeteer, and marriage its sharpest strings. Every gift comes with a price quietly attached. When the elegant puppeteer slid the divorce papers in front of Li Mo, he realized he was already standing on the edge of a cliff. 14.1kReads8.8Score1.7k14d adds
- 27 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 18.9kReads9.3Score1.7k14d adds
- 28 Lu Xueqi, Vocational School Student 中专生陆雪琪 Lu Xueqi, the Vocational School Student 1.6kReads—Score1914d adds
- 29 Adopted Son, Part Two 过继二 [Wealth + power plays] [Reality + perseverance] [Life + passion] [Love + living] A man must be as tough as iron, but also as resilient as steel. Only then can he face the harshness of reality and the twists of fate, and rise to meet new challenges. I'm Zhao Erhai, and here's my story... 4.1kReads9.3Score47914d adds
- 30 Breaking Free: The Road to Rising Through the Ranks 破茧：官阶成长之路 No being reborn, no wish fulfillment, no NTR, no golden finger. Through hard work, ordinary man Rao Cheng writes his way through the journey of a grassroots official breaking free of his cocoon, revealing the warmth and wisdom of grassroots governance. This is not only a story of an official’s growth, but also a realistic guide to grassroots governance. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 31 Old Love, New Power: From Girlfriend's Betrayal to the Peak of My Career 旧爱新权：从女友背叛到仕途巅峰 [This story is entirely fictional. Please do not assume it refers to anyone in real life.] Dumped by his girlfriend for being poor, bullied by his boss, and framed by his colleagues, Ye Fan hits rock bottom. At his lowest point, he unexpectedly gains the help of a benefactor and a remarkable ability. Using his exceptional wit to strike back at every turn, he not only makes his enemies pay dearly, but also stirs up a storm in the world of officialdom. From an abandoned pawn in the political arena 8.9kReads8.4Score1.1k14d adds
- 32 After Breaking Up with My Girlfriend, My Life Soared to New Heights 和女友分手后，我的人生平步青云 After Zhong Guoren is unexpectedly reborn, his life is completely rewritten. Using the memories of his past life, he gets everything he wants, rising from an ordinary civil servant to a higher-level position where he can serve the people. 10kReads8.4Score78214d adds
- 33 Rain Falls, Tides Rise 落雨生潮 [Older, Powerful Man] & [Female Graduate Student] [Ten-Year Age Gap] + [Career Growth] + [Guiding Lover] + [Slow-Burn Romance] + [Devoted Love] + [Both Pure] Song Yuheng first met Wen Zhaoyu at an award ceremony. He was there to present an award, and she was an outstanding graduate. He handed her the certificate and shook her hand. “Wen Zhaoyu, you’re exceptional.” She smiled brightly. “Thank you for your encouragement.” The rain fell in torrents that night. The man trapped her by the window. 25.1kReads9.2Score3k14d adds
- 34 She Works as a Maid for a Shenzhen Tycoon 她在深圳豪门做保姆 After her husband divorces her, a nurse from a small county town heads south to Shenzhen to support her child and put her younger brother through school. After losing her job, she is hired as a nanny by Miss Chen, a wealthy heiress. She goes through being framed, misunderstood, dismissed, earning her first savings, suffering a miscarriage after being beaten, and heartbreak. In the end, she marries a local bachelor and becomes the leading lady of a wealthy family. As Miss Chen’s nanny, she witnes 5.9kReads9.2Score70114d adds
- 35 Xi Shi Meets a Thousand-Year-Old White Fox 西施遇上千年白狐 The Fox Spirit of a Thousand Years Meets Xi Shi tells the story of Xi Shi, the beauty of ancient Yue. Fan, a subordinate of the King of Yue, brings her to the palace, where she undergoes rigorous training before being sent to Wu to seduce and subdue its king. With Fan's help, she is to bring down the state of Wu in one fell swoop. But on the way to Wu, Xi Shi's boat capsizes. After she falls into the water, a cargo ship rescues her. When she opens her eyes, she finds herself in a world she doesn 23Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 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
- 37 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 41Reads—Score—14d adds
- 38 In the Era of Forced Childbearing, I Received a Little Fox Cub 强制生育时代，我领到一只小狐崽 [One-on-one, both are each other's first and only, little fox cub, cross-species romance, Fox Lord, mutual protection, political intrigue among the demon clans, cool heroine, flirtatious tension] Liang Yi told Jiang He, "Let's break up. My parents can't accept that you're adopted." Jiang He didn't cling to him. She calmly let him go. But a policy announced by the civil affairs department left people no way to avoid it: Anyone who turned thirty without a child registered in their name would have 377Reads—Score12514d adds
- 39 Officialdom: From Town Mayor to a Bright Future 官场：从镇长开始平步青云 Tang Xiangyu graduated just in time to catch the last wave of job assignments. Unwilling to settle for the status quo, he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and build a legacy for his own era! But the road through officialdom is hard. Every step forward is another rung on the ladder, and only he knows the hardships and heartache along the way. See how Tang Xiangyu turns the tide and writes a glorious life of his own! 16.7kReads8.8Score2.1k14d adds
- 40 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 645Reads8.1Score10214d adds
- 41 Critical Deal 临界交易 [Career growth + supportive lover + older man + carefully laid plans] (Not a story about saints, so please skip it if that bothers you.) At Anding Capital, two things were always said about Cheng Lizhou: First, none of the projects he signed ever fell through before the roadshow. Second, the Chinese partner who had returned from London led an almost absurdly clean private life. His calendar showed nothing but flight numbers and meeting times. Only later did Ye Shuwan learn that neither of thos 32.2kReads9.2Score4.1k14d 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 The Farmer’s Daughter Refuses to Marry, and Her Future Powerful Official Loses Control in Public 农女拒嫁，未来权臣当众失控 [Romance first, career second] Since the heavens have given her a chance to start over, Xie Qinglian wastes no time. She decides not to give Shen Xingzhou any chance to grow up: she'll drown him in the river, push him off a mountain, or poison him with a poisonous fruit! [Shen Xingzhou: a mad beauty] When he discovers that Zhenzhen, the woman he loves, is actually Xie Qinglian and that she wants to kill him, he decides that if they cannot be husband and wife in life, then they can be a pair of g 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 The Fate of an Orphan Girl 孤女的命运 This is a sad story. Lin Jiang had an affair, and Shi Qiaosi endured it for three years before suddenly coming to her senses and decisively divorcing him. After the divorce, she secretly gave birth to a daughter of her own, Shixu. The disasters brought upon three generations of a family by an unfaithful man and a scheming woman eager to take his wife’s place. See how an elderly grandmother schemes for her granddaughter, building a bridge through time with her own life so that Shixu can return to 19.1kReads9.3Score1.8k14d adds
- 45 Officialdom: Starting with an Investigation Report 官场：从一份调查报告开始 Song Jingchuan is an ordinary civil servant at the municipal government's research office, with no connections or powerful patrons. A research report on the chemical industrial park is sent back by his superiors three times. Everyone tells him: Some numbers can be written down, but some truths cannot. In the end, Song Jingchuan signs his name anyway. Late that night, a torrential rain floods the city, and disaster strikes the chemical industrial park. The report no one wanted to read is delivere 1.1kReads—Score16114d adds
- 46 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 5.7kReads8.8Score42714d adds
- 47 The Road to Standing Tall 站立的路 Eighteen-year-old Hua Mingqing leaves the army and returns to his hometown, carrying excellent results but also the disappointment of seeing his dream of becoming an officer fall apart. He comes back to a rural home that is still mired in poverty. Faced with this turning point in his life, he is lost for a time, but with encouragement from his high school teacher, he decides to change his fate through the college entrance exam and make the leap of a carp over the dragon gate... 2.2kReads6.8Score15514d adds
- 48 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. 39Reads7.6Score—14d adds
- 49 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
- 50 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 136Reads—Score—14d adds
