Novels like Bad Boys: The Reckless Years of Yu Chengfei
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Bad Boys: The Reckless Years of Yu Chengfei, best match first.
- 151 The Golden Age of the Gangland: A Blood-Red Underworld 黑帮盛世:血色江湖 (Not a mindless power fantasy. Underworld, urban setting, no invincible hero, first person, tight logic, humorous writing. Read with caution if that’s not your thing!) A cursed, tragic fate. A life in the underworld that cannot be escaped. A band of brothers who stand together through life and death, and a dark life longing for redemption. You’ve never endured years of hardship, so of course you can’t understand the underworld in my heart. My story begins after I get out of prison in Ice Cit 112.1kReads9.3Score8.3k14d adds
- 152 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
- 153 King of the Underworld 江湖枭雄 An ordinary-looking confrontation pushes a callow young man to a crossroads in life. Faced with fate’s mockery and the crushing weight of life, he chooses to stand tall and fight back. 31.2kReads9.1Score2.7k14d adds
- 154 Demon Slayers of the City 都市斩妖人 Have you ever heard stories about monsters? Have you ever wondered if monsters have always existed, lurking right beside you? Have you ever wondered if you're still safe because the profession of monster slayer has existed for over a thousand years? Wang Qianchen woke up one morning as a monster, only to be mercilessly hunted by monster slayers. From then on, he stepped into a bizarre and wondrous world! 4.2kReads8.7Score40414d adds
- 155 The Pinnacle of Black Power 黑权顶点 (Ignore the rating. This is a black-market thriller with guaranteed thrills.) Qin Hui only wants to sell watermelons in peace, earn a little money, and find himself a wife. But the street thugs at the market bully him until he can barely get by. At the end of his rope, he finally picks up a watermelon knife and strikes back. “A man needs either money or power. Better to stand up and fight than live like a spineless loser.” An ordinary man transforms into a big shot, eventually reaching unima 17.1kReads8.5Score1k14d adds
- 156 A Life of Dark Desires 黑欲人生 Keep your hands ruthless, your mind sharp, and your nerve strong. The martial world is a place where people devour one another. Talk about honor and reason? You'll end up without a bone left! [Blood-Soaked Martial World] [Love and Hate] [Powerful Background] [All the Right Ingredients] 16.3kReads8.9Score1.4k14d adds
- 157 The Charismatic Hero 枭雄 The goddess who looked down on me back then now wants to partner with a company under my name… A golden-scaled carp is no mere pond fish. When its destined moment comes, it transforms into a dragon. I’m going to become a ruthless tycoon and make everyone who looked down on me regret ever crossing me. 596Reads8.5Score10114d adds
- 158 The Blood Dragon of Carnage 狂煞血龙 To find her, he enters this battle for power with a band of beastlike brothers at his side... After she is murdered, he raises his blade and unleashes a massacre that shocks the world... His bloodthirsty nature earns him the fearsome title of the greatest killer emperor in history... With his arrival, the underworld is shrouded in a bloody haze for decades... 1.6kReads8.9Score11814d adds
- 159 These Years, These Things 这些年,这些事 Campus + urban life + everyday moments + a hint of mystery + the underworld + romance + explosive plot twists He should have been destined for greatness, a top student in everyone's eyes. But one unexpected incident made him destroy his own promising future. The consequences changed not only the course of his life, but the lives of many others as well. All characters, places, and events in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 160 Big Brother 大哥 At the end of the last century, before the rules were fully established, all sorts of people emerged in great numbers. They exploited loopholes, ran gray-market businesses, and moved between the worlds of crime and respectability. A young man returned from military service, only to be dragged into the underworld. More than a decade of life on the fringes followed: wine and laughter with friends in spring, late-night talks beneath the lamplight; hardship at first, then glory at last. He had walke 4.1kReads9.0Score29214d adds
- 161 Vulgar Stories II 粗俗故事II Just how forward can a girl be when she takes the initiative? My name is Liu Haojie. My childhood made me the kind of guy who’s no good, with no redeeming qualities to speak of. At least I get along all right with women. They all call me a player, but I just want to sample every flower under heaven and live an outrageous life. 60.7kReads9.4Score3.9k14d adds
- 162 Underworld Saga: My Big Sister in the Capital 黑道风云:我的京城姐姐 [Not for Young Readers] [Hot-Blooded Underworld] [Brutal Underworld Battles] [The Many Faces of Officialdom] [Face-Slapping Comeback] [Clever, Satisfying Read] He began cultivating at nine and went to prison at thirteen. In jail, Chu He mastered an arsenal of extraordinary skills. With nowhere to turn after his release, he headed for the capital and entered the underworld, winning the support of the capital's most captivating women. With ruthless methods, Chu He outmaneuvered every faction. Sta 3kReads7.9Score33014d adds
- 163 Evil Emperor: Sinful Inferno 邪皇:罪恶无间 [Black X Evil Emperor]+ [Passionate]+ [Reborn Big Shot] Nine death-row prisons across the country. Thirty-six top death-row fighters are selected to dominate the underworld. Reborn in the world of the Evil Emperor, he faces Blood Eagle and fights Lone Dragon. What has he to fear from the life-taking Azure Darkness? The strongest gladiator in the country, Chen Zui is the one and only! 8.5kReads9.1Score50814d adds
- 164 Cast Aside in Desperation: Returning in Glory 绝境弃子:归来荣耀 For ten years he kept his head down, enduring every sneer. The world saw him as a discarded nobody from the bottom rung, lowly as mud and fair game for anyone to bully. But Jiang Mu is the last heir of Jiang City’s most powerful hidden clan, and a dragon-patterned jade pendant conceals an immense force. A hidden dragon in the deep will one day reclaim its place. When he gives the word, armies will gather. Those who oppress me will see their graves overturned; those who have shown me kindness wil 48Reads—Score—14d adds
- 165 My Dad's on the Straight and Narrow, I'm in the Underworld 白道爹,黑道我 [Not invincible! Not invincible! Not invincible!] The martial world is a road of no return, and its people are pawns that have crossed the river! Where will the drifting ship in this forbidden zone finally end up? Watch as this wandering youth stirs up a storm! Black side: I've got countless brothers! White side: My backing is powerful beyond belief! Money is just something you can't bring with you when you die! [Entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental!] 100.1kReads9.0Score7.3k14d adds
- 166 Storms Over the Northern Frontier 塞北风云 [Underworld Kingpin]+ [Rise to Power]+ [Take Down the Boss and Claim His Wife]+ [Multiple Female Leads]+ [Ensemble Cast]+ [Passionate Underworld Adventures]+ [Scheming and Hilarious] Be an ordinary man: greedy for money and fond of beautiful women. That was one thing I realized after getting out of prison. I used to be an underworld boss who could turn the tide with a flick of my hand. But my brothers were either locked up or gone. I used to be a pushover too, until I met that woman. She changed 41.9kReads9.1Score3.1k14d adds
- 167 The Bad Guys: The Storm Rises Again 2 坏蛋之风云再起2 [People have names, and trees have shadows. Who is Xie Wendong? Everyone knows.] As the scorching sun slowly sinks away and the half moon hangs high, as neon lights begin to flicker and night descends, what can we use to prove that we exist? 12kReads9.0Score78814d adds
- 168 The Gangster Tycoon Who Rose from the Hutongs 胡同里杀出来的流氓大亨 Previously published under the titles Dragon City Years and Thirty Years in a Bloodstained Underworld. This is a lawless age where every corner is ruled by a big shot. This is the story of a naive young man who turns into a bloodthirsty beast just to survive. This is an underworld tale full of thrills and passion! Welcome to the 1980s… 40.5kReads9.2Score3.8k14d adds
- 169 Be the Fiercest One 做最凶的那个 Lin Yu had always been troubled by a question: Why must good people endure eighty-one trials to become Buddhas, while bad people only need to lay down their butcher's knives? Fairness has never been something the poor get to talk about. If you want fairness, there's only one way: make yourself strong enough to create it. This world has both light and darkness. It won't treat you well just because you're kind. His father was unable to repay his debts and eventually took his own life. The creditor 765Reads6.3Score—14d adds
- 170 Tales of Hong Kong’s Underworld: Starting in Kowloon Walled City 港岛江湖往事!从九龙城寨开始 On a stormy night, I row a ramshackle smuggling boat and narrowly escape the jaws of a shark. After I come ashore, a boss from Kowloon Walled City tells me I'm the chosen one from a century-old prophecy, destined to unite Hong Kong's underworld. My name is Zheng Zhiyong. I'm just a mainlander trying to earn enough to eat. They save me, give me a name, and push me onto a road of blood and fire. I think it's gratitude I owe them, until I discover... The armored-car heist was a setup. The wins 21Reads—Score—14d adds
- 171 The Legend Reborn 传奇重现 The four-part series by Wei Jie: We Were All Bad Kids, I Am Legend, Legend Reborn, and Hidden Dragon on the Right Path. A young man, still green, left his hometown in a fit of anger. Four years later, he returned, weathered and bearing the glory of success! In a city built from reinforced concrete, old friends were gone and legends had faded into retirement... Faced with his family’s reproach and his friends’ disdain, he had once wandered at a crossroads, pointing into the dark sky with his 32.6kReads9.4Score3.2k14d adds
- 172 The Underworld: The Jianghu Big Shots I Brought to Heel Over the Years 黑道:我那些年收服的江湖大佬 The underworld is a road of no return. It's a last chance for those with nowhere else to turn to make a comeback. Win, and you reach the height of power and become fabulously wealthy. Lose, and at best you die; at worst, you become a cripple. This road takes three parts vision, six parts luck, and one part relying on yourself. By some stroke of luck, I won. When I got out of prison, I didn't have a penny to my name. Now I'm surrounded by beautiful women and rule this whole territory. This road w 6.7kReads8.6Score55614d adds
- 173 The Storms of Beicheng 北城风云 Synopsis: (This story is entirely fictional. Its original title was Northern City’s Turmoil.) What is the jianghu? Wherever there are people, there is a jianghu, and wherever there is a jianghu, there is conflict! The jianghu is about fighting, killing, and the law of the jungle, but it’s also about human relationships and social conventions. This book will take you back to the jianghu of the 1980s and 1990s, where you’ll witness the extraordinary path of Chen Yanan, a generation’s ruthless hero 13.1kReads9.4Score1.1k14d adds
- 174 The Drifter's Road Home 混子的归途 With my brothers by my side and guns in our hands, let’s see who gets to call the shots in this underworld! I may stay out of the underworld, but once I step in, I’ll make every thug submit and every boss get out of my way. I’ll become the... king of this underworld! New book: Underworld Boss: Starting as a Veteran. Now serializing to great acclaim! 30.1kReads9.2Score2.2k14d adds
- 175 Tiger Husband 虎夫 [Born to be somebody, just going through a rough patch for now!!!] 4.4kReads8.8Score37814d adds
- 176 When an Honest Man Picks Up a Knife 当老实人拿起刀 This is a straight-up crime-world novel! It does start with the protagonist being reborn, but after that, the story has nothing to do with being reborn! In short, the plot is ruthless, satisfying, and wild... The underworld here is all about fighting and killing, but also about human relationships and social rules! 22.4kReads9.1Score1.8k14d adds
- 177 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
- 178 Wolves and Brothers 狼与兄弟 The wolf may look cold and ruthless, but beneath that exterior lies boundless tenderness. He is willing to sacrifice himself for his family and brothers! Just like Wang Ying, the protagonist, his heart isn't cold. It's the way he looks down on worldly conventions that makes him seem that way! Like a wolf king, he can become the heart of any team, leading his brothers through life-or-death trials, never abandoning them! From the awkwardness of college days to the hardships of entering the working 7.2kReads9.3Score49214d adds
- 179 The Riverside Scene of Muling 穆棱上河图 The Muling River is an important river in eastern Heilongjiang and the largest tributary on the left bank of the Ussuri River. It runs for 834 kilometers and drains an area of 18,427 square kilometers, passing through Muling City, Jixi City, Jidong County, Mishan City, and Hulin City. Locals call it the “Mother River.” I was fortunate enough to live there until I came of age. I left as an adult and have never been back. Some memories of people and things from those days are still vivid, and ther 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 180 Tales of the Northeast: Fortune Is in Heaven's Hands 东北往事之富贵在天 [Underworld] [Not Mindless] [Ensemble Cast] [Realistic] [Passionate] [Not a Feel-Good Power Fantasy] After spending three years in prison for injuring someone while collecting a debt, Chen Yang’s first move after getting out is to track down the lousy bastard who reported him and got him arrested, then demand forty thousand yuan. But that incident sets off a chain of events that once again leaves Chen Yang at a crossroads, just when he had hoped to settle down. So... will he accept the hand fate 125.8kReads9.1Score11.5k14d adds
- 181 I Am the King 我为王 Betrayed by everyone, I was wounded by those closest to me! I cut off a finger to survive, then lay low for six years before emerging again. Through the grudges and warmth of the martial world, I’ve seen it all. I am the king! 1.7kReads8.4Score12214d adds
- 182 The Tiger Roars Across the Central Plains 虎啸中州 Three cups of wine for the mortal world, one pot of tea for a legacy that lasts a thousand years. What does it mean to truly live? Let me tell you what it means to unleash a ferocious tiger. Some ride horses, some sit in sedan chairs, while others push carts and shoulder their loads. I’ve never admitted defeat. You can beat me a thousand times, but I still won’t cry!!! 187Reads—Score—14d adds
- 183 The Butcher Who Walked Out of Prison 从监狱中走出的人屠 Being part of the underworld isn’t about fighting and killing. It’s about dealing with people. Su Bai had no connections, no powerful backers, and had just spent ten years in prison. After his release, he was penniless, so his older brother found him a job as a computer lab attendant. Watch him turn his life around and make his way in both the underworld and the legitimate world. In the underworld, he’s a big shot with people ready to answer his call. In the legitimate world, he has powerful fri 28.4kReads8.5Score2.3k14d adds
- 184 The Youth of Two Generations 两代人的青春 My name is Li Sunan, and I'm a complete... bastard. Please take a moment, settle in, and let me tell you the whole story. From my godfather, Li Zhen, to my second uncle, Cui Lijun, and then to my own dark life. From 1990 to 2020. Thirty tumultuous years in a small city in Northeast China. One act ends, and another begins. Two generations rise and fall, knowing both glory and disgrace. There are no all-powerful crime bosses here. Just a bunch of little people struggling at the bottom... The road 2.3kReads6.9Score10814d adds
- 185 Jianghu Dragon: Underworld Storm in the Northeast 江湖枭龙:东北黑道风云 Three years in prison, and everything had changed. After his release, Lu Tao found himself at a crossroads in life. The snowstorm that year was so fierce it bent Lu Tao’s back. The friendship that year was so warm it helped him emerge reborn and fight his way upstream. Watch as a close-knit group of friends stand shoulder to shoulder, stride through a turbulent era, and build something magnificent! 19.1kReads9.1Score1.1k14d adds
- 186 I'm a Locksmith, and You Want Me to Exorcise Demons and Ferry Souls? 我一个开锁匠,你让我摆妖渡魂? Guo Cheng is a master locksmith who has never failed. Until one day, he opens a “lock” and unlocks the door to another world. From then on, his clients are no longer limited to people with security doors. They include the demon spirits that wander among the living. He picks locks to “lock” away danger, and ferries spirits so they can depart in peace. In the shadows of the city, demons and ghosts run rampant. Watch as a locksmith uses his skills to forge his own path as a ferryman between the wor 49Reads—Score—14d adds
- 187 The Urban Underworld: Power and Influence 都市江湖:权势滔天 The short drama of the same name premieres on January 4, 2026, at 10 a.m. on Hongguo Short Drama: Urban Underworld: Power Overwhelming Chen Yi had never met his biological father. Then one day, his parents were summoned to school, and he watched helplessly as his teacher was beaten badly enough to end up in the hospital... 14kReads9.0Score44314d adds
- 188 Crouching Tiger 卧虎 A hidden dragon rises from the depths and devours all things; a crouching tiger commands the mountains and guards a thousand frontiers! When I was little, the strange older girl next door always asked me to help wash her. When I got a little older, she taught me how to be a real man! Twenty years of flashing blades, eighteen years of changing seasons. The black throne may change hands, but true kingship belongs only to madmen who dare to dance with the devil! 14.5kReads7.7Score2.7k14d adds
- 189 Tales of Shanghai’s Underworld 沪上黑道往事 My new novel is here! You’re welcome to read my work 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! The male lead of this book loses his father at a young age and depends on his mother. To avenge his father, he goes up a mountain to study martial arts under a master. After completing his training, he comes down and succeeds in taking revenge. To escape the authorities’ pursuit, he brings his mother to Shanghai. By chance —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 190 The Big Circle: Asia’s First Chinese Gang to Break Out 大圈:冲出亚洲的华人第一黑帮 "The Great Circle: The First Chinese Gang to Break Out of Asia" recreates, from the most realistic perspective, a complete underground kingdom truly built by the Chinese. "The Great Circle: The First Chinese Gang to Break Out of Asia" tells the story of how, though China has no underworld in the true sense of the word, Chinese people are far from voiceless in the underground order of the world. On the contrary, they have always played an important role in international organized crime and are ev 3.6kReads9.2Score50714d adds
- 191 Black Desires of Youth 黑欲青春 (Not a wish-fulfillment story, and the hero isn't invincible. Enter at your own risk.) A youth stained with blood, vows made without regret, inexperienced love, sincere friendship, the cruelty of society, and the complexity of human nature. An unforgettable, turbulent era! A piece of underworld lore passed down to this day! A band of brothers who shared honor and disgrace, life and death! An unmatched era, with a flag-bearer standing at its peak! Laughing as we watch the tides of fortune, marchi 47.7kReads9.4Score4.3k14d adds
- 192 Hunting a Movie Star: I Took Down the Underworld 围猎女星:我干翻地下江湖 [A passionate underworld saga set in the jianghu, with female celebrities, a harem, cunning scheming, power struggles, capital, and intricate, brain-burning plotting] [This is not a brainless story. If you like low-quality, mindless fiction, stop after the first three chapters. The underworld is more than gangsters, and the jianghu is more than fighting. The first thirty chapters reveal just a fraction of the picture. I’ll use my own experiences to show you what the underworld really is, and wha 205Reads—Score—14d adds
- 193 Reborn in the Great Heist, the Black Gold Tycoon Strikes Back 重生大劫案,黑金大佬逆袭记 [Urban rebirth + System + underworld boss + ruthless + scheming] A down-and-out middle-aged man unexpectedly reborn 28 years into the past. Caught in a shocking bank heist, he activates the “Black Gold System.” “Go ahead and make more money. It'll all become my fortune sooner or later anyway. Hahaha!” … Notorious bandit Ye Zhihuan: “Who's tougher than me in the underworld? Lin Dong? Never mind, then.” King of Thieves Zhang Ziqiang: “I once stole 1.2 billion from Li, the richest man in the coun 11.1kReads7.9Score53414d adds
- 194 The Long Dark Road of Hong Kong Noir 港综黑色长路 My new work is out! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 5.6kReads6.5Score17014d adds
- 195 The Dragon Lifts Its Head 龙抬头 The goddess who used to look down on me is now applying for a job at my company… When the tiger returns to the mountain, the land will run red with blood; When the dragon rises, even the Yellow River will flow backward! 65.8kReads9.0Score8.2k14d adds
- 196 The Gray-Eyed White Cat 白猫传灰瞳 The young heir of a crime family is forced to become a beggar. With nothing but a bowl from the start, he becomes the Zhu Yuanzhang of the underworld. Fresh twists and airtight logic. Italian mixed-race, ruthless, cruel, and realistic. He kills decisively, with every punch landing hard, every blade striking true, and every bullet finding its mark. A slow burn. Trust me, it only gets better as it goes. (No saintly heroine, no System, no harem, pure underworld fiction.) —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 197 A New World in Hong Kong Cinema 港综新的世界 A little weed nobody wants? A good-for-nothing nobody cares about? No. I have brothers, more than just one. And I have uncles and aunts who love me. It's just that my life has reached its end... Hong Kong crossovers have no fixed timeline. The characters' appearances and positions vary greatly, so please don't get hung up on the timeline. Thank you! 458Reads—Score514d adds
- 198 Hong Kong Action Films: I Asked You to Go Undercover, Not Become the Boss! 港片,让你卧底,没让你当老大! Hong Kong Island in the 1980s: the era of the Four Great Detectives has just ended! Mo Ran transmigrates into this world where Hong Kong movies have merged, becoming a two-timing rat working under Big B of the Hung Hing gang while serving as an undercover agent for Wong Chi-shing! There’s no chance Wong Chi-shing will restore his identity. If he has to be a lowlife, then he’ll be the biggest and toughest one around! First, he takes the position of Causeway Bay’s top boss from Chan Ho-nam. Th 18kReads8.9Score81214d adds
- 199 From the Start, I Had My Brother Try It First to See If There Were Any Side Effects 开局让兄弟先试下有没有副作用 [Try Not to Laugh] [High-Martial-Arts Setting] [System] [Transmigration] [Not Invincible] Jiang Xi... where is this? Where's my System? System, get out here, quick! I can't take this anymore! [Ding! Binding failed...] “Li Hao, be good and take this medicine.” Li Hao, who was as furious as if he'd been fitted with an engine, roared: “Jiang Xi, I treated you like a brother, and you treat me like some guy living the good life?” Meanwhile, Jiang Xi was circling around the pond like a little submarin 122Reads—Score514d adds
- 200 The World’s Most Terrifying Organization: Ruling the World 全球战力最恐怖组织:称霸全世界 [Assassin]+ [Mercenary]+ [Underworld] I founded the Underworld and hunted down the fiends. A hundred kings under my command wage war across the land, all to reach the pinnacle of the world. Assassins, mercenaries, the underworld, the whole wide world. My name is Zhou Du. I kill… I do not ferry souls! 84.4kReads8.8Score6.5k14d adds

















































