Novels like The Forbidden City's Ultimate Playboy: Du Zhicheng
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Forbidden City's Ultimate Playboy: Du Zhicheng, best match first.
- 51 Skybreaker: Born Stubborn 擎天之生来倔强 [Urban + action-packed + youth] From the city’s nightlife to the front lines of the war on drugs, he uses underworld tactics to serve his country and people! In the end, he burns the drug dens to the ground and etches his bloodstained underworld legend into the backbone of his people! 27Reads—Score—14d adds
- 52 My Years in the Underworld: Three Fingers 混黑道的那些年：三根手指 (Period Setting + Underworld + Urban + Satisfying Read + Passion + Mockumentary Style + Brotherhood + No Harem) This novel may touch on real underworld events. Any similarities are purely coincidental! The audiobook is officially out now! It's a real thrill! Brothers, dive right in! Northeast China, 1994. A young man cuts off three fingers with a knife and flees to the northwest. His parents are divorced and his family is well-off, but he insists on making his way through sheer ruthlessness. Fol 94.8kReads9.2Score10.2k14d adds
- 53 The Underworld: I Make the Rules 黑道：我才是规矩 Two years in prison, and nothing is as it was. Wherever there are people, there are rivalries and power struggles. Schemes and betrayals are everywhere, and one careless move can destroy an entire family. No matter what, the strong can turn the tables against the odds. Starting today, I make the rules in Philadelphia! 2.4kReads—Score10414d adds
- 54 The Fire Usurper: Ship Without a Shore 篡火者：无岸之舟 The flames of war left Chen Hao an orphan. San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1985: a land of chaos and gold. His second uncle took him in and looked after him. But in a foreign land, he endured scorn and humiliation! Should Chinese people really let others walk all over them? No! No! No! Stir up the storm, and turn into a dragon when the waters rise! Witness a Chinese man’s rise to godfather! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 55 The King of Hardened Criminals from Prison 监狱出来的悍匪之王 In 2001, Hanjiang City was named the safest city in the country. Chu Tianhong made an indelible contribution to that distinction, because two of his underlings were arrested. 23.9kReads8.8Score1.4k14d adds
- 56 The Underworld as Seen Through a Madman's Eyes 疯子眼中所谓的江湖 His father goes bankrupt overnight. His mother receives a notice that she is critically ill. A carefree young wastrel stumbles into the world of the martial underworld! Confronted with all the different lives in the martial world, and one situation after another where he has no choice, the young man, already mired in the quagmire, gazes around in confusion. The martial world is a road of no return. You have to go mad to become a demon. An unseen hand pushes him ever onward... Can this dashing yo 768Reads7.0Score10314d adds
- 57 The Underworld: From Low-Level Thug to Godfather 黑手：从沙场小弟到江湖教父 [Modern city + underworld + multiple heroines + business rivalry + romance + powerful protagonist] Born at the bottom of society, his only choice is to defy fate and change his destiny. From the day he first wielded the butcher's knife, he could only kill gods when he met them and slay demons when they crossed his path. Then two beautiful women from Xiguan appeared: one wanted his heart, the other wanted him… [Urban power struggles + hard-core business warfare + fated romance] is a novel weaving 92Reads—Score—14d adds
- 58 The Thirteen Guardians of Tang City 唐市十三太保 The Tang City Underworld Duology, Part One: The Thirteen Guardians The bigwigs of Tang City’s martial world fell one by one during the 1983 crackdown. But wherever there are people, there will always be a martial world, and new forces are already stirring! Who will become Tang City’s next underworld boss? The story of the Thirteen Guardians of Tang City begins after Qin San, Wang Wu, and Ma Liu witness their father’s execution by firing squad! 965Reads—Score—14d adds
- 59 I Took Beating After Beating Until I Had Every Block Under My Thumb 一直挨打的我，打服了所有的街区 (Hot-blooded gangland action, lots of fights, no harem, no female lead, no System, no invincibility, the protagonist isn’t a saint and shows no mercy.) After three years of being bullied in middle school, Lu Jinnian spent the summer training until he had incredible stamina and could take a beating. After getting into Qingfeng High, all he wanted was to live a quiet life. But the school was practically a collection of warring territories, with each grade staking out its own turf and fists decid —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 60 The Underworld Boss Through My Eyes 我眼中的江湖大哥 When Zheng Hao stood up for his ex-girlfriend, Gu Xin, he took down Chengbei Laosi, a small-time thug with a bit of a reputation, twice. His own name soon began to rise. Later, he became enemies with Jin Changxu, a Korean-Chinese gangster, and beat up Chen Jianjun, an old-time thug who had just gotten out of prison. One brutal fight after another turned Zheng Hao into the big brother everyone talked about. But the arrival of Zhou Yunkang, son of veteran boss Zhou Wandai, presents Zheng Hao and h 13Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 61 My Days of Being Bullied at School 校园被欺负的日子 The main characters are Wu Ming, Zhang Qiang, and Zhou Yao. This isn’t a brainless power fantasy, but a bumpy story of growing up. When my brothers fight, I run; I’d never touch a friend’s wife, but if my friend’s away, anything goes. A life of gaming on credit and gambling for tokens in the arcade. 11kReads8.2Score67114d adds
- 62 Gangland: Starting by Winning Over a Stunning Beauty 黑道：从拿下极品红颜开始 [The short drama adaptation of this novel, Urban Good Guys, is now streaming. It’s exciting and thrilling, so come watch!] [Urban life + underworld + mature beauties + conquest + multiple heroines + comedy + feel-good power fantasy + period setting + underdog comeback] An underdog comeback story with multiple heroines! In 1990s Donghai, country boy Chen Feng starts out guarding a nightclub. With his fists and his brains, he carves out a bloody path, gathering brothers, seizing territory, taking 64.9kReads8.3Score4.9k14d adds
- 63 We’ve Been Around the Block Too 哥几个也混过 We navigate society with feeling, And live our lives by loyalty. When feeling and loyalty conflict, We choose loyalty first. We walked side by side, reveling in the wild abandon of youth through those passionate years. You’re my brother, so we’ll face life and death together. 160Reads—Score—14d adds
- 64 A Gangster's Son Enters the Police Academy and Goes on a Rampage! 黑二代上警校，杀疯了！ Human nature is neither good nor evil; one thought is all it takes for others to pass judgment. [Savagery] [Greed] [Desire] [Power] [A refined and elegant heiress] [A proud and spoiled noblewoman] [A sexy, scheming green tea] [A teacher who stirs up trouble] [A mature, perceptive bathhouse owner] [A sweet, innocent, insecure girl] Violence can't solve everything! But for extreme situations, it's a splendid way to handle things! [Su Hu]: “I want both my brothers and the gold!” (The story begins a 308Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 He and His Thousand Brothers 他和他的一千个兄弟 A sweeping crackdown on organized crime by the municipal Party committee and government brought Kangcheng ten years of peace. But after a decade, criminal forces sprang up like mushrooms after rain and returned in force. A breakup, having his identity stolen in the college entrance exam, and a construction boss’s schemes led Chen Li’an to give up on making an honest living. In the end, he went down a path of no return, turning against society. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 66 The Evil Lord Descends into the Abyss 邪主临渊 [Underworld] [Brotherhood] [Passionate] [The author is also a fan of Uncle Qin] I was bullied all through middle school. I thought things would get better in high school, but I was still bullied. Little by little, those people led me down a road of no return... My name is Mo Daoxie. Dao as in “principle,” and Xie as in “evil.” 5Reads—Score114d adds
- 67 Tales of Liangzhou: Underworld Turmoil 梁州往事之黑道风云 The jianghu has never been just about fighting. It is about navigating human relationships and weighing the pros and cons. After years moving through the gray areas, I have seen the warmth and coldness of human nature, and witnessed betrayal and scheming time and again. With no one to rely on in my youth, I endured a bitter, hard life. Some took a wrong turn and ended up behind bars, their lives ruined before they were halfway through. I clawed my way up from the very bottom of society, swallowi 141Reads6.3Score—14d adds
- 68 The Pawn Who Crosses the River: Beyond Forgiveness 过河卒：罪无可恕 People who make money through shady dealings need to learn to burn incense and pray to Buddha. Those who move in the underworld have to believe that good things come to those who wait. After the turn of the millennium, Jiang Xinze was kicked off the police force for saving someone. He led his brothers into a world of guns and blades, with blood on their military daggers, riding the winds of a turbulent era to forge a dazzling legacy. If you’ve got a score to settle, settle it. If you won’t back 10.6kReads8.5Score89614d adds
- 69 Bloodshed in the Black Abyss 黑渊血戮 (Realistic + Period Setting + Underworld + Political Battles) What is the underworld? It is an endless abyss. Once you take a single step into it, you’ll be trapped forever, with no way out. To make a name for yourself in the underworld, you have to be ready to end up dead in the street or locked away for life at any moment. Now, let me take you back to the late 1980s and show you how the son of a worker gets dragged into this dark abyss and rises step by step to become a crime boss of his era. 898Reads—Score—14d adds
- 70 Jianghu of Snow City, 1986 雪城江湖之1986 What? Young men shouldn’t get too cocky? If you’re not cocky, what kind of young man are you? A story set in the gritty underworld of Northeast China. The moment you pick up a gun or a blade and step into the gangland, you’re destined to become ruthless. If you’re going to live this life, you have to be vicious, cruel, and wild! A veteran returns home from the Vietnam War. To survive and protect his friends, he becomes a blood-soaked, ruthless weapon, wielding blades, guns, and cannons. It’s a w 8.7kReads9.0Score67814d adds
- 71 The Path of an Ordinary Person 小人物的路 A person has to make many choices in life. Everyone has choices of their own. Everyone has their own path. As for whether a path is right or wrong, no one has a definitive answer. (The story spans quite a lot.) 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 72 Black Myth: Dongguan 东莞黑神话 [System + Decisive and Ruthless + Invincible Power Fantasy] [Lightning-fast pacing, no frustrating setbacks, throwing down from the start, and pure thrills!] He rushes into a burning building, only to rescue his cheating girlfriend and her lover! When a wealthy businessman humiliates him with, “Here's a hundred thousand. Leave that slut alone,” firefighter hero Wang Zhenhua sees red and chops off the man's leg with an axe, severing his own path to heroism in the process! Fired and abandoned, his 12.8kReads8.1Score1k14d adds
- 73 Underworld: Sending a School Bully to Internet Addiction Rehab? 黑道：把一个校霸送去戒网瘾？ [Underworld]+ [Satisfying Read]+ [Always Get Revenge]+ [Illustrations] Not for readers under eighteen. Lu Fei was an internet-addicted shut-in, but he was sent away for behavioral correction. There, he witnessed the cruelty and wickedness of human nature. To change his circumstances, Lu Fei had no choice but to try everything he could to transform himself. What he didn’t know was that the villains waiting for him outside were thousands of times more brutal than the ones inside... 42Reads—Score—14d adds
- 74 Who Rules the Changing Tides of the Martial World? 江湖之谁主浮沉 “Northeastern Gangland,” “No Mindless Shenanigans,” “Based on Real Cases” A group of young people, driven by a moment of recklessness, set out on a path unlike any they had taken before... From Xiao Yao's days of loafing around to gradually growing up and setting off down the point of no return, making a living in the underworld... Family, friendship, and love all become entangled... Some die... some go to prison... and others... A new story, a new beginning. Come witness the rise of a true crim 248Reads—Score—14d adds
- 75 After Getting Fired, I Became the Strongest Bodyguard to a Mafia Heiress 我被开除后成黑道千金的最强打手 The rating just came in, so it’ll go up later. [For adults only. No one under 18 may read this.] [Urban + underworld + multiple heroines + all-powerful protagonist + brotherhood] Lu Fei was expelled from middle school for fighting and spent four years guarding his village... At last, he came of age! Newly 18, Lu Fei hadn’t even had time to establish his own gang in the village before the aunt he lived with kicked him out and sent him to the big city to stay with her daughter. After arriving in 55Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 76 The Days We Spent Running Wild Together 那些年我们一起混的日子 Those were the days we spent together. I want to say that no matter what happened, we were brothers. Later, some of us went our separate ways, and some of us died. Only then did we understand that we were true brothers. The wind carries the words we never got to finish. “Either win on your feet or die lying down. That’s our rule.” “Hello, everyone. I’m one of those guys from back in the day.” 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 77 Big Brother of the Streets: Starting as a Demobilized Soldier 社会大哥：从退伍军人开始 My name is Wang Yi. Wang as in “king,” Yi as in “number one”! My big brother told me there are three essentials to making it in the underworld: being ruthless, knowing when to endure, and having a plan. But he never told me that life in the underworld would mean blood and tears, death and farewells! Countless bones pile up in the wilderness, and the law's net is wide enough to catch every hoodlum. Of the countless gangsters out there, only one or two ever make something of themselves! And I'm on 8.2kReads8.7Score80914d adds
- 78 Be the Cruelest One 做最狠的那个 Who says an ordinary person can't climb to the heavens one day? It was a chaotic era, an era full of opportunities, and, above all, an era when the one with the strongest fists could fill his belly. Don't look down on a poor young man, and don't go around bullying honest people. Otherwise, you might not even get the chance to regret it. 1.3kReads6.5Score—14d adds
- 79 The Killer Returns: A Secret Mission 杀手归来：秘密使命 He was once a top assassin in the underworld, known as the Soul Reaper. He had never lost a job since his debut. But he failed his final mission and vanished without a trace. The underworld's assassins' guild consequently issued a worldwide kill order for him. As for him, he simply returned to Jiuzhou under an assumed name. He became a bartender, a beautiful woman's contract husband, and a gang boss's wife's confidant... From then on, romance came his way nonstop, and he crushed one powerful fam 490Reads6.6Score10314d adds
- 80 Tales of the Hong Kong and Macau Underworld 港澳黑道往事 Told from a third-person perspective and set in the otherworldly port city of Aocheng, this novel explores the social issues of a particular era in Hong Kong and Macao. It also depicts the tragic fate of the underworld and the darkness of human nature in another world. At the same time, it reflects on gang culture, showing readers the cruelty and unsustainability of life in the underworld, and the harm it causes to individuals and society. The story is entirely fictional. Please don’t imitate it 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 81 The Boss of the Underworld 江湖话事人 [Not many readers, so the rating just won’t go up] One wrong turn brought me into the jianghu. Watch as I summon storms with one hand and calm them with the other. Starting from nothing, I’ll carve out a path through the jianghu. They say you become what you eat, so if you want to climb higher, there’s only one thing to eat... 2.7kReads7.8Score20314d adds
- 82 The Jianghu: What Is It, Really? 江湖，到底是什么？ [Pure Underworld] [The Jianghu of the 1980s] Where there are people, there are grudges; where there are grudges, there is a jianghu; people are the jianghu! It used to be called the jianghu, but now it's called society! When the storms had passed, Lang Aowen knelt once more before the sacred image of Guan Yu, holding three sticks of incense high above his head. Only one question remained in his heart: The jianghu, what exactly is it? [Serious Warning: The characters and plot in this book are 1.7kReads—Score10114d adds
- 83 The Road Through the Martial World Is Long: I Rule the Northeast 江湖路远：我掌东北势 The short drama is now streaming on Hongguo: The Road of the Underworld Is Long, and I Rule the Northeast. Urban, Underworld, Smart Protagonist, Slow-Burn Power Fantasy Snowflakes danced in the air. Outside the prison gates. Twenty-three-year-old Wang Yun stood outside the prison gates, gazing up at the gloomy sky. Five years ago, he killed Zhang San for assaulting his mother. Today was the day he completed his sentence and was released. But when Wang Yun returned home, he discovered that his mo 5.7kReads8.8Score39114d adds
- 84 The Arrogant Bad Boy 不良之嚣张 His name is Xiao Zhangyu, but beneath his brash name lies nothing but silence. Xiao Zhangyu is a rural transfer student whose flashy name belies his quiet nature. At his new school in an unfamiliar city, he fades into the background like a transparent shadow. Introverted, sensitive, and poor with words, he is an outsider on the fringes of the class. Even his humble crush on his deskmate, the school beauty Tan Feifei, is something he can only bury deep in his heart. A clash at an internet cafe ma 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 85 Reveling in the Martial World of Liutiao Hutong 柳条胡同之纵情江湖 I'm a huge fan of my brother-in-law, and I really love the Liutiao Hutong universe he's created, especially its characters and storylines. By a twist of fate, Chang Yuan, a modern-day wage slave, transmigrates into his brother-in-law's Liutiao Hutong world. Chang Yuan has only three things to do in Liutiao Hutong: take down Huo Yining! Take down Huo Yining!! And still, damn it, take down Huo Yining!!! Watch Chang Yuan and the brothers of Liutiao Hutong laugh, curse, and live life to the fullest 586Reads—Score—14d adds
- 86 Winter Reigns Supreme 凛冬为王 In 1998, Frost City was battered by wind and snow. The young Chen Lin had lost his family and been left crippled, suffering one humiliation after another. The moment he entered the underworld, he made ruthlessness his way of life and ruled the streets with his fists. From discarded pawn to overlord, he climbed to the top and became king in the depths of winter. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 87 After Prison, I Just Want to Live a Quiet Life 出狱后，我只想平平安安过日子 [The world is too deep for me. I just want to make something of myself.] My name is Ma Tengfei. I had just finished the college entrance exams when I got into a fight and was sent to prison for three years, missing my chance to go to college. A death-row inmate named Uncle Ming told me there were three kinds of people in this world: those above everyone else, courted by the masses and living lives others envy; those in the middle, scurrying around like ants and fighting one another just to survi 6.2kReads7.5Score42814d adds
- 88 Underworld King: From the Detention Center to a Black-Gold Empire 黑道枭雄：从拘留所到黑金帝国 During the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty, Li Sheng, leader of the underworld gang known as the Four Seas Gang, is betrayed by his subordinates. As he lies dying, his resentment forms a soul, and he unexpectedly travels through time to the modern day. On the day he arrives, Li Sheng is locked up in a detention center. Amid the center’s motley mix of people, he realizes that no matter how times change, human nature and desire remain eternal. The underworld will never disappear. The gang boss fro 89Reads—Score—14d adds
- 89 The Jianghu: I Am the Kingpin 江湖：我即为枭 [Underworld] [Brothers United] [Mind-Bending] [Passionate and Thrilling] Three years in prison couldn't dull my edge. My name is Wang Xiao. I spent three years behind bars for offending a powerful figure. After my release, I returned to my old stomping grounds with my brothers and the skills my master taught me. Some want to trample me underfoot. Some want to stab me in the back. And my enemies, lurking in the shadows, are watching me like hawks. But my life is no longer something just anyone ca 114Reads—Score—14d adds
- 90 The Years We Shared, Brothers 兄弟们的那些年 [Underworld + Ensemble Cast + Decisive Action + Dramatic Rescues + Passionate + Expansive Worldbuilding] A boy watches his parents die horrifically in a gang war, then is forced to leave school behind and descend into the bottomless abyss of the underworld. He forms a bond of life and death with four brothers, growing amid bloodshed and making his stand amid tangled grudges and passions. Through this gauntlet of flashing blades, he swears that every blood debt will be repaid in blood. 23Reads—Score10414d adds
- 91 Sons and Daughters of the Jianghu: That Midnight Sun 江湖儿女：那一轮午夜的太阳 The rules of midnight are a way of life much like the law of the jungle. At midnight, what you see may be the moon, but in their eyes, it is their sun. Set against the real-life underworld of the 1990s, this story follows Zhou Shenghua's life in the jianghu. 18Reads—Score—14d adds
- 92 Underworld: Blue Skies 黑道：青天 At a class reunion, I kept a low profile and was mocked and sneered at by my former classmates and teachers. Just as I was about to leave, the class beauty from back then suddenly stood up to defend me. 22Reads—Score—14d adds
- 93 Tattoos, Brawls, and Turf Wars: You Call This Justice? 纹身干架抢地盘，你管这叫正义？ (Daily 10,000-word updates + the underworld + undercover work + hard-hitting fights + ruthless decisiveness + Justice System) Li Tianhua is a deadbeat student at the police academy. After stepping in to help someone in need, he unexpectedly gains the Justice System. To claim its rewards, he volunteers to go undercover. Ding! [Beat up a gang of unscrupulous punks. Reward: All-Round Combat] [Comfort a mob boss's wife and urge her to go straight. Reward: Physical Enhancement] [Rob criminals and bus 13kReads7.7Score1.3k14d adds
- 94 Schoolyard Storms, Northeast Underworld 校园风云，东北江湖路 [Wherever there are people, there will be a world of the underworld] [A Northeast underworld story] [Decisive and ruthless] [A road of no return] [First person] [Recollections] [This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.] My name is Han Tian. I was kidnapped by human traffickers as a child and forced to beg on the streets. It wasn't until Uncle Han rescued me from them that I was given a name. He showed me that a person could live like a re 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 95 How a Bad Guy Is Made: Xie Wendong 坏蛋是怎样炼成的之谢文东 1.1kReads6.2Score10614d adds
- 96 Searching the Underworld for My Missing Son, I Clean Up Crime and Clear My Father's Name 失子入江湖扫黑恶，父冤得伸 (Passionate urban action, a comeback! Multiple female leads!) Also known as "Lost Son Enters the Underworld to Fight Crime, Father’s Wrongful Conviction Finally Overturned" I am the son of a soldier. After getting lost during a sorrowful journey, I was raised to adulthood by a kind rural couple surnamed Ye. I thought it was pure chance that my master taught me peerless martial arts. From then on, I became the greatest martial artist in Nan Yue! Later, to improve my family’s financial situation, 5.8kReads8.8Score38414d adds
- 97 Underworld Storm: The Uncrowned King 黑道风云：无冕王侯 (First person, period setting, underworld) A big brother? A big brother isn't some glamorous, all-powerful emperor who does whatever he pleases. A big brother is just the guy who picks up the tab. The underworld? It's brotherly loyalty, deceit and betrayal. It's a place that strips the tenderness from gentle-hearted men and hardens them, and turns green young boys into grizzled old gangsters. My name is Zhao Qingfeng. I've been around the underworld, and I was once a big brother! 37.3kReads9.2Score3.9k14d adds
- 98 The Most Evil Jianghu 极恶江湖 (Realistic fiction, historical setting, underworld feuds, business and political battles. No harem, and not a wish-fulfillment novel! This book is divided into domestic and overseas sections. The domestic section moves at a slower pace and has a stronger period feel, while the overseas section is fast-paced and intensely exciting. You can read either section on its own with no problem.) The evil of the underworld lies in the human heart! Books are full of talk about benevolence and righteousness 23.6kReads8.3Score3.6k14d adds
- 99 Underworld: From Delinquent to Godfather of the Streets! 黑道：从不良开始成为江湖教父！ [Pure underworld + no System + first-person + not brainless + I already have an acclaimed older book with two million words. Quality and updates are guaranteed, so jump right in! Early chapters focus on school delinquents; later chapters are all about the underworld, with knives, guns, and cannons! Everyone who reports me can take the hit for me!] A gambling-addicted dad, a mom who ran off. A broken family, and I was broken too! With a terrible hand in life, I stirred up the underworld! A boy th 5.2kReads—Score43114d adds
- 100 Urban: From the Start, I Had 90 Billion in Spending Money 都市：开局我有九千万亿零花钱 No System / One heroine (sweet romance) / Wild imagination / Strategy / Cunning protagonist On the surface, he’s a young master admired by everyone. Behind the scenes, he’s dismissed as a good-for-nothing. On the surface, he’s a shameless playboy. Behind the scenes, he’s pulling all the strings. On the surface, he’s henpecked. Behind the scenes, he and his wife are a united front. Everyone knows he has money to burn, but no one knows he also commands numerous forces. Everyone thinks he take 5Reads—Score—14d adds
