Novels like A Beloved’s Mask, Half a Lifetime Misplaced
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Beloved’s Mask, Half a Lifetime Misplaced, best match first.
- 1 After the Rain Clears over Green Mountains 青山霁后 Chu Qing and Cui Heng had lived apart ever since they married, and there had never been much romance between them, from their blind date to their wedding. The husband cheated out of loneliness, and Chu Qing asked for a divorce. They agreed to divorce on paper but continue living together for the sake of their child. Then comes his long, hard road to winning her back. 1.6kReads8.2Score115Shelves
- 2 A Prefab Marriage: Just Heat and Serve 预制婚姻，加热即食 Chen Huijuan was a marriage-phobic drifter in Shenzhen, but as she approached thirty, she eventually married Song Tao, who owned an apartment in the city. She thought it was a clever way to hedge her bets, offsetting the endless sense of rootlessness that came with drifting through the city. Love never came, but the friction of daily life wasted no time moving in. After long stretches of silent treatment and fierce arguments, the two became the most familiar of strangers. In an age when divorc 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 3 Dumped After Graduation, I Thanked the Scumbag and Became a Capitalist 毕业被甩，谢了渣男，姐成了资本 Dumped after graduation, she thanks the scumbag. Now she's a mogul. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 4 I Mistook Someone Else for My Husband After Losing My Memory, and My Ex-Husband Went Mad 失忆后认错老公，前夫疯了 After losing her memory, she mistakes someone else for her husband, and her ex-husband goes mad. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 5 An AA Marriage AA制婚姻 Zhang Xiaohong, the female lead, ends up in a marriage with six things missing: no car, no house, no bride price, no traditional wedding jewelry, no wedding ring, and no wedding ceremony. After the wedding, her husband proposes splitting all expenses. When she investigates his family background, she realizes she has been deceived. Yet this marriage, born of a mix-up, turns out to be a happy union, and she suddenly becomes the wife of a company president, cherished by her husband in every possibl 6.3kReads8.6Score407Shelves
- 6 Midlife, Marriage Out of My Hands 人到中年，婚不由己 Today is Zhang Jing’s fourth zodiac year and the anniversary of her twenty-sixth wedding anniversary. On a day that should have brought double joy, she discovers that her husband has been cheating on her. To keep her family from falling apart and give her parents and children a warm, harmonious home, Zhang Jing chooses to compromise and give way. But her concessions only bring her increasingly vicious retaliation. By middle age, are we really no longer masters of our own lives? When her own happ 2.4kReads7.2Score218Shelves
- 7 At a Crossroads in Marriage: Leave the Wrong One to Find the Right One 婚途陌路，告别错的才能遇见对的 A Rocky Road to Marriage: Leave the Wrong One Behind to Find the Right One —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 Eight Years of Marriage, and He Still Says I'm Overthinking 结婚八年，他总说我想多了 [Strong Female Lead] [Groveling Ex] [Revenge and Punishment] [Clear-Eyed Heroine] [Divorce] [Satisfying Read] [Scumbag] [Other Woman] [Emotional Cheating] [Based on a True Story] Eight years into our marriage, the phrase Lu Chengze said to me most often was: “You're overthinking it.” The long hair of another woman in the passenger seat? I was overthinking it. The perfume smell that lingered in the car for days? I was overthinking it. The 5,200 yuan he sent his “big sister” on Valentine's Day? 12Reads—Score—Shelves
- 9 I Do 我愿意 Ding Lan felt that her life had been terribly unlucky, and she'd rather spend the rest of it alone. Marriage and love weren't requirements for her life. She lived alone on a dark, desolate island, guarding the shattered remains of her life. Until Chi Yunsheng broke through her defenses and gave her a sense of security. At last, the migratory bird had found a tree where it could stay. 56Reads—Score—Shelves
- 10 Mr. Han, Stop Chasing Me. I’ll Be Back After My Revenge! 韩总别追了，等我复仇归来！ After her husband's betrayal cost her everything, Mi Duo survived a suicide attempt and met a plastic surgeon who transformed her into an unrivaled beauty. Just when she thought it was all behind her, she uncovered a far bigger secret shared by her ex-husband and the surgeon. Love and revenge, conspiracy and liberation are all closing in on her. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 My Sister, the First Wife, Is So Generous: She Gives Her Scumbag Ex Two Women at Once 原配姐姐好大气，渣男她一送送俩 Chen Jianan thought it would be fun. With a little scheming, she seduced Liu Xiaoting’s husband, Xue Tao, into cheating. Then she quickly found herself a rich man whose family had made a fortune from demolition compensation and dumped Xue Tao. She thought she was on her way to a wealthy life, never realizing that this marriage had been part of Liu Xiaoting’s plan all along! Liu Xiaoting may have a meek, long-suffering nature, but she has an iron will. She watched coldly as she said, “Chen Jianan 295Reads8.7Score—Shelves
- 12 No One to Hear the Cold Shore’s Lament 冷岸无诉 [Realistic fiction, not a wish-fulfillment story, no revenge. Don’t read if that’s not for you.] There is no domestic violence, no cheating, and no explosive arguments. The deadliest murders are often hidden in the everyday bustle of a seemingly harmonious home. 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 My Family Keeps Pressuring Me to Marry, So I Lose It and Take Over the Blind Dates 全家催婚，我靠发疯整顿相亲 My Whole Family Keeps Pressuring Me to Marry, So I Use My Meltdowns to Set My Blind Dates Straight 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 14 Making My Dad Get a Colonoscopy 逼我爸去做肠镜 I Forced My Dad to Get a Colonoscopy —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 15 A Romance That Began with a Blind Date 一场相亲开始的恋爱 After graduating from college, Yang Yu went on one blind date after another under her mother's relentless pressure. "What do you think of Mr. Wu, the landlord?" "Too fat." "What about Mr. Xu, the business owner?" "Too scrawny." "And Mr. Xu, the civil servant?" "He looks kind of vicious." "Why don't you just come home? You'd be better off as a nun." Later, undeterred, Yang Yu's mother went to great lengths to find her the N+1st blind date candidate. When Yang Yu returned home, she had changed her 4.2kReads8.7Score432Shelves
- 16 Twenty Years of Marriage 结婚20年 The familiar hurts of marriage, the casual disdain, indifference, and manipulation... They have the power to wear away even stone, drop by drop... Watch as three middle-aged couples, Chen Zhu and Fang Wenqing, Hong Chunying and Ji Changhua, and Ren Yan and Yu Bin, fight their way out of their emotional dead ends... 871Reads8.1Score103Shelves
- 17 Marriage: A Promise to Protect 婚姻，守护 Fang Ying and Liu Fan were the golden couple in everyone’s eyes back when they were students. Their marriage was even more enviable, but once they settled into the daily grind of meals and household chores, how could everything possibly go smoothly...? 1.5kReads—Score109Shelves
- 18 One, Two, Three, Take Your Seats 一二三儿，请对号入座 In this world where values had gone mad, Xu Yiyi was like so many women in marriages today, trapped in a miserable, abnormal relationship that was like being widowed while still married: she left home but didn't divorce. Her turning point came after she greedily enjoyed the pleasures of being with Luan Han, a college student in his early twenties. Then she unexpectedly ran into her first love, Song Ning, who had “come back from the dead,” and paid a price for it. The appearance of her first love 106Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 19 Her Heat 她的潮热 This is Li Xiaowen's story. A slow-paced slice-of-life novel with an ensemble cast, about women's growth and empowerment. It has family, friendship, and romance, and most importantly, trauma from one's family of origin. If that's not your thing, just quietly move on. Please don't leave a bad review, thank you. 256Reads6.5Score108Shelves
- 20 Stars at Dawn 黎明有星辰 This story leans toward realism. Neither the male nor the female lead is perfect, so please don’t read if that bothers you! A sweet story about everyday married life. The male lead and his childhood friend start an investment company together, while the female lead is a high school teacher. It’s love at first sight for both of them, and they get married after dating for just three months. His strengths are that he’s handsome, earns good money, and can cook. His weakness is that he tries to contr 1.7kReads6.8Score103Shelves
- 21 Her Game 她的局 She left Beijing with her child and began living apart from her husband. She thought her in-laws back in their hometown would lend a hand, but her overbearing father-in-law pressured her to have another baby because he wanted a grandson. Her mother-in-law had spent her whole life obeying him and hardly dared to resist. After living apart for so long, her husband became infatuated with his beautiful boss. What was she supposed to do... Her parents were disabled. Her mother had risked her life to 364Reads—Score—Shelves
- 22 After My Wife Cheated, I Made Her Regret It Like Crazy 妻子出轨后，我让她悔疯了 After my wife cheated on me, I made her regret it with all her heart. 55Reads—Score—Shelves
- 23 Repayment Countdown 还款倒计时 Countdown to Repayment tells the story of Chen Yizhou, an ordinary man struggling between desire and reality. Chen Yizhou is an average office worker in Jiangcheng, working hard to make ends meet. He and his wife and son squeeze into an old rental apartment, living a simple but warm life. At a class reunion, Zhao Yu, the class heartthrob, paints a startup dream so alluring that Chen Yizhou is drawn in. Trying to raise the investment money, he plunges into the world of online loans. Then Zhao Yu 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 24 The Comments Say: Your Sister-in-Law Wants to Switch Your Son 弹幕说：小姑要换你儿子 The Comments Say: Your Sister-in-Law Wants to Swap Your Son 17Reads—Score—Shelves
- 25 Reborn During Confinement, I’m Done Pretending! 月子里重生，我不装了！ Quit my job? Dream on! I’m Su Wanwan, and I’ve clawed my way back from a future three years from now, where I was divorced and thrown out onto the street. In my previous life, I believed Zhang Lei when he said, “I’ll take care of you.” I quit my job as a regional model manager at a five-star hotel and stayed home to raise our child, only to be controlled until I could barely breathe. I couldn’t get a penny for living expenses. When I wanted to return to work after giving birth, he mocked me: “Yo 1.3kReads8.1Score130Shelves
- 26 May You Find Your Way to Gentle Waters 愿君行至清浅处 After breaking free from my scumbag husband and keeping the child while leaving the father behind, I met her... 90% of this novel is based on real life. Having grown up amid her parents' chaotic marriage, Yu Qing learned early on that love was nothing but an illusion, like flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon in water. Her twin sister, Yu Chu, was the only one who shared her life, like another shadow by her side. At thirty, while navigating the hectic, demanding world of consulting, Yu Qi —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 27 Qiao Mu Has a Forest 乔木有森林 What kind of romantic sparks will fly when Song Qiao, a cool and aloof teacher who doesn’t believe in love and avoids marriage, meets Chen Sen, a handsome, warmhearted repairman? Song Qiao: “How much for the repairs? I’ll transfer it to you.” Chen Sen: “Don’t worry about it.” Song Qiao: “Why? Are you like this with all your old classmates?” Chen Sen: “Of course not. It depends on our relationship.” Song Qiao: “And what’s our relationship?” Chen Sen: “That’s up to you.” 824Reads8.6Score107Shelves
- 28 Five Years a Widow, My Husband Isn't Dead, But I'm the One Who's Doomed to Die Young 守寡五年，老公没死我是短命鬼 I've Been a Widow for Five Years, but My Husband Is Alive and I'm the One Who's Doomed to Die Young —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 101 Blind Dates 101次相亲 Urban light comedy + healing realism + delicious food and beautiful scenery + a woman’s growth Chen Xiaomo is a 26-year-old unmarried woman living in a second-tier city. After earning a graduate degree from a non-elite university, she finds a job as a non-tenure-track English instructor at a university. Then begins her romantic, fantastical, and heart-pounding journey through blind dates... 77Reads9.1Score—Shelves
- 30 Doesn't It Hurt? 它不疼吗 Doesn't it hurt? 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 The Ups and Downs of Marriage 婚姻那些事儿 "Those Things About Marriage" tells the story of Jiang Xiaozhi and Cheng Yi, college sweethearts who plan to marry after graduation. But when their parents meet, disagreements over the bride price and dowry sour the occasion. The couple decides to have a bare-bones wedding with neither, and secretly registers their marriage. Meanwhile, Jiang Xiaozhi’s friend Su Yang, who has been married for only six months, is about to divorce her husband, Xia Yin. Jiang Xiaozhi discovers she is pregnant, and h 529Reads9.6Score113Shelves
- 32 After the Divorce, My First Love and Ex-Boyfriend Won't Leave Me Alone 离婚后，初恋前男友上蹿又下跳 Xu Yuanchun's first marriage lasted only a year and a half. Because she was infertile. It's no big deal. Infertility isn't life-threatening, and even after her divorce, she can still live freely. But as soon as the divorce was final, Feng Jianqiu, her ex-boyfriend and first love, came shamelessly crawling back, making a scene at every turn. She really had no idea what game he was trying to play. Whatever. She might as well slap him first. · Two ordinary people in their thirties stumble through a 237Reads—Score—Shelves
- 33 Fond Memories of Years Gone By 忆往年惜 Zhou Qi never imagined she’d get divorced at 45, let alone meet someone who truly understood her. She thought she’d long since given up on love, but not all love is passionate and dramatic. Some of it flows as gently as a stream. She thought they were only leaning on each other for comfort and warmth, but before they knew it, they had found their way into each other’s hearts. Once the children grew up, their adolescence clashed with her menopause, yet even their conflicts and misunderstandings c 41Reads—Score—Shelves
- 34 The Reclusive Perfumer 隐世调香师 An heir to the Lu family? No thanks. A fortune worth tens of billions? Don't care. He lives tucked away in an old Xiamen alley, making perfume as a reclusive perfumer. One rainy night, a drenched girl burst through the door. He caught the scent of jasmine from an old Minnan home, softened by the rain. Then she disappeared. Three years later, at the Paris perfume exhibition, he unveiled a fragrance called “Lin Mo.” The entire audience rose to its feet. His ex-girlfriend called: “Have you lost you 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 35 A Husband’s Punishment 丈夫的惩罚 The heroine was a beautiful, fair-skinned woman from a family of officials, with an outstanding husband. But her husband mistakenly believed she had cheated on him and chose to take revenge. As time passes, they both grow into mature, accomplished people, yet their relationship remains full of twists and turns, with no end in sight. The heroine can never let go of this love. What fate will the two of them ultimately meet… 514Reads5.4Score—Shelves
- 36 The Runaway Housewife 逃跑的家庭主妇 At forty, Su Meng was manipulated by her husband into having a second child. Her younger daughter’s birth was an impulsive decision, and the start of a nightmarish life. Standing on the balcony of her home on the eighteenth floor, she suddenly thought that jumping might be the only way to find true release… The loneliness, helplessness, pessimism, despair, and weariness with everything made her realize she was ill, seriously ill. And the only thing that might cure her was to run away… Escape, ge 1.2kReads—Score102Shelves
- 37 A Cherished Marriage 惜婚 The state encourages having a second child, hospitals promote breastfeeding, experts advocate parent-child education, and people disapprove of grandparents raising children. Stay-at-home mothers have no status and are looked down on... Why is it so hard to be a woman? Ruan Haiyang: I provide you with everything you need. I have more than enough to support you and the whole family. Can't you give up your business and come home to be a full-time housewife? Tang Ye: “I'll take care of you” is the p 2.1kReads9.0Score157Shelves
- 38 Paradox of the Human World 人间悖论 4.1kReads8.7Score347Shelves
- 39 The Bittersweet Trials of Marrying Far from Home 远嫁的那些酸甜苦辣 Marrying far from home is a gamble. You may never feel at home with your in-laws, yet be unable to return to your own family. Amid the chaos of childbirth, raising a child, and life with a second baby, marriage becomes a mirror that reflects the most honest truths about human nature. Marital happiness has nothing to do with whether you marry far from home. It depends on whether the person you marry truly loves you and understands you. The joys and sorrows of marrying far away are part of the exp 2.4kReads8.2Score131Shelves
- 40 A Season of Green, with Drizzling Rain 见青时节疏雨绵绵 The first time Guo Shuyu, the daughter of a landlord, saw Xu Jianqing, the beggar, he was beating his wife, a hulking man like a black bear. Guo Shuyu thought any man would be better than that black bear. Better to be anyone’s wife than Xu Jianqing’s. How pitiful to be scolded and beaten every day. But life is full of surprises, and the Matchmaker in the Moon muddles the red threads. Some inexplicable stroke of bad luck sent everything awry. Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, Guo Shuyu married 54Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 Fan Hua Like Brocade: Taking Down the Scumbag, the Vixen, and My Cold-Blooded Parents 樊花似锦【撕渣男贱女冷血父母】 A realistic story of a woman’s growth, blending satisfaction and heartbreak. There’s no floating comeback powered by a golden finger, only an ordinary woman ground into the dirt by life, slowly crushing the mess of her past and turning the chaos into something beautiful. The more stifled you feel watching her in the first half, the more satisfying the second half will be. Love yourself first, and everything else will fall into place. Everyone and everything that wronged her will have to pay her 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 Paper Marriage 纸婚 They say the first year of marriage is a “paper wedding anniversary,” but what kind of paper is it? Sandpaper, rice paper, toilet paper, or kraft paper? Gu Xiaoying, a woman born in the 1980s, draws on her own experience to show readers the everyday trivialities of the first year of marriage. After marrying Guan Tong, a secretary in the provincial Party committee’s general office who comes from a humble background, Gu Xiaoying discovers more and more differences between them: their rural in-laws 6.1kReads9.6Score554Shelves
- 43 Playing with Fire Outside My Marriage Left Me Half Dead 婚外玩火，我被烧得只剩半条命 Late at night, raindrops tapped against the window, each patter seeming to strike my heart. The man beside me always slept soundly with his back to me, while I lay awake in the silence until dawn. Why did I feel so lonely within the walls of this marriage... 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 Pure and Seductive 又纯又欲 He kindly warned his boss that her clothes had slipped, only to be mistaken for a pervert! Can you believe that? Wang Wen, an ordinary office worker, accidentally offended his alluring yet innocent-looking boss, Lu Wei, in the elevator and was publicly humiliated on the spot. He thought he was done for, but instead of a storm, romance came knocking... [Pure urban fiction + no cultivation + no System, feel-good power fantasy] 1.4kReads6.4Score181Shelves
- 45 The Year of the Wooden Anniversary 木婚之年 [Stepmother + divorce + ordinary people at the bottom of society] Song Yu has decided to get a divorce, even if it means walking away with nothing. Many people say she’s foolish. They say a housewife like her, from the countryside, with no education, no connections, and little work experience, will never find a man better than her ex-husband after a divorce. Song Yu knows that given her circumstances, she won’t find a better man or a good job. She decides to divorce him anyway. [Even after her d 2kReads8.4Score161Shelves
- 46 The Year She Got Married, She Was Thirty-Three 结婚那年，她三十三岁 On the day Luo Chan went to register her marriage with her childhood friend, she was stabbed for no reason. Fresh out of the hospital, she showed up with hair that hadn't been washed in seven days, so greasy it could fry an egg and plastered tightly to her scalp. The staff eyed her suspiciously and repeatedly asked if she was mentally sound, until she showed them her CPA certificate. The legally issued marriage certificate was bright red. The photo of her on it was so ugly it was painful to look 729Reads8.7Score—Shelves
- 47 800 Reasons to Want a Divorce 想离婚的800个理由 Everyone has countless moments after getting married when they feel like getting a divorce. If they don’t, it must be because they’re in love. And if they do end up divorcing, that doesn’t necessarily mean they stopped loving each other. 6Reads6.5Score—Shelves
- 48 I Once Flew Thousands of Miles for You 为你，我曾飞越千万里 Before being sent to Africa, An Qi imagined endless grasslands and vast starry skies. After arriving, she found a struggling economy and lawless streets. On top of that, the exhausting workload and monotonous life made her want to find an excuse to quit every day. Then, because of one person, she fell in love with this city far from home... This story is dedicated to all the girls who still believe in love! (One man, one woman; both devoted to each other; a sweet romance with no angst) 223Reads9.0Score—Shelves
- 49 Trial Marriage 试婚男女 Jiang Chunhua, a budget officer at a construction company, meets Xu Qiushi, an administrative secretary at a private enterprise, on a blind date arranged by their families. But Qiushi never quite falls in love with him. After experiencing her first love, Fang Yuan, as well as Qu Xianghuai and Cheng Ziwei, she starts to feel that falling for someone is difficult. Meanwhile, her younger sister, Qiuhe, unexpectedly meets police officer Zhou Tianmu. Neither of them expects much at first, thinking it 773Reads8.4Score131Shelves
- 50 A Collection of Modern Shanghai Stories 上海现代故事集 Volume Two: A New Shanghai Mom. She has a second child, a son and a daughter, though her daughter’s troubles in middle school already have her at her wits’ end. She used to think she’d be happy as long as she had a modestly comfortable life, and at least she could count on her husband. But then her deranged sister-in-law shows up and turns both families’ lives into a complete mess! Volume One: An only daughter who has been abroad for twenty years rushes back to Shanghai to claim her grandmother 206Reads—Score—Shelves
