Novel Rec List: Male Lead Grovels before the Main Character

Like Love, But Not

似爱而非

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Xiao Heng commits suicide, and in death, his soul lingers around Luo Yuchen. He watches as Luo Yuchen immediately gets together with Xia Mingxiu, the man’s first love, even though it wasn’t that long ago when Xiao Heng and Luo Yuchen broke up.

Now, Xiao Heng is too tired to hate, and he sincerely wishes happiness for the two of them. But why does it seem like Luo Yuchen and Xia Mingxiu aren’t really happy together?

More

Less

Review

I was drawn in right from the first chapter because of its supernatural aspect, and it kept my interest all throughout the first part (where the story is in Xiao Heng’s POV). I thought back then, “Ah, finally something unique…”

But come part 2 (Luo Yuchen’s POV), it ends up becoming a typical dog blood story. I was expecting more plot and supernatural stuff, because I just love such stories, but nada.

It’s still a good read for slag gong abuse though. Just one thing ticks me off: the portrayal of suicide in this novel is too… cursory. I mean, it’s not at all glamorized, which is a good thing. It also repeatedly emphasizes how living is better than dying… However, as someone who’s been pulled back from the edge, I can tell that the author is using suicide as a mere device to move the plot. (Heck, the whole story even started from it.) I’m not gonna expound on it here, for I’d like to keep these short reviews at only 2-3 paragraphs. Just please make sure you’re emotionally and mentally okay when reading this.

I’ve Finally Become What You Like

我终于变成了你喜欢的样子

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Miao Qingyu was able to marry the man of his dreams, Xue Cheng, by imitating what Xue Cheng’s first love was like. All was okay, just okay, for seven years until said first love comes back.

Xue Cheng insists they’re just friends. But when Miao Qingyu sees how differently he treats the other man, he finds it hard to believe.

More

Less

Review

This reads like a K-drama, but a god-tier angsty classic one… at least, for the latter half of the story. I think only the first half could be considered as typical slag gong abuse, while the rest is more about healing and second chances.

It’s a mature novel about losing love and finding it, keeping it tightly and never losing it again. Miao Qingyu’s and Xue Cheng’s story is gonna span around fifteen years that, at one point, you’ll feel depressed seeing them always missing each other. You’ll wish for the slag gong abuse to finally end, and for Miao Qingyu to be loved as he has always deserved.

After being in a Relationship with the Slag Gong Substitute, the White Moonlight Came Back

我和替身渣攻恋爱后，白月光回来了

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Cheng Jianyu has been with Jiang Yan for five years, acting like the perfect, obedient, little lover. When the five-year time limit was up, he tears off all pretense and leaves, never looking back. It leaves the slag gong Jiang Yan, who’s been slowly falling in love with him, at a loss. And then he finds out that… all this time, Cheng Jianyu has actually been treating him as a substitute?!

More

Less

Review

I actually adore Jiang Yan here, even though he’s a bit of a jerk in the beginning. Cheng Jianyu treating him as a substitute is a big blow to Jiang Yan’s pride, but he quickly gets over it and chases after Jianyu.

Cheng Jianyu, on the other hand, is as unmovable as a mountain. At first, it was fun to see Jiang Yan grovelling, but the longer it drags on, the more I find myself wishing for Jiang Yan to just give up and find some other person who actually loves him back. [There’s a reason for Cheng Jianyu’s complete indifference though, but it would only be explained much later in the novel.]

Anyways, this is a novel about a man who’s afraid to love again and a man who’s eager to learn how to love. Although the groveling takes up a lot in the story, I wouldn’t call it as a main aspect. It still makes up for an enjoyable read though, and you will, I guarantee, love the ML more than the MC.

Sissy

娘娘腔 | 188

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Li Chengxiu was often bullied in school for being weak and effeminate. When he caught the interest of the popular Shao Qun, his life became sunny for a while. But later, when the man pushed him away, Li Chengxiu was plunged into a greater darkness.

Years later, they meet again. Li Chengxiu knows he should stay away from Shao Qun, but like a moth to a flame, he moves closer and closer.

More

Less

Review

While reading this novel, I was full of anger and frustration. Even with the happy ending, I was not satisfied at all. But months later, I reread it, and now, I can detach myself from it and see it only for the dog-blood it is. Because it’s really peak dog-blood.

Don’t expect too much. Just enjoy the roller-coaster ride it gives, and when you’re done, join me in laughing at Shao Qun as I bash his head against a wall.

Shao Qun is the scummiest male lead I know, and no matter how many dog-blood novels I read, I still can’t find someone who can top his level of scum. I didn’t like him even after I finished reading the novel. Only when he made cameos in Yet You’re in Love with an Idiot and Additional Inheritance did I start finding him “cute.” His cameo in Additional Inheritance, especially, made me realize that he’s actually quite stupid, but at the same time, not entirely inhuman before meeting Li Chengxiu. At the very least, he’s a good “gege” to the characters in the novels published after Sissy. He’s the kind of character whose face you’d wanna pinch out of “cuteness,” but also one you’d want to pinch so hard just to rip off the arrogant smirk on it.

Li Chengxiu, on the other hand, is really portrayed as someone very sissy. I personally don’t like sissy characters. Throughout most of the story, I was annoyed how Li Chengxiu was being such a damsel-in-distress. He never fights back, and when he does, he fails.

Chengxiu is not without any strengths though. He’s hardworking, persistent, and forgiving. It’s just that the author wasn’t able to have his strengths play out much in a way that greatly benefits him. Nevertheless, he’s an angel. Of all the MC’s here, he’s one you’d want to protect the most.

Summit Dueling

针锋对决 | 188 | aka “Beloved Enemy” on NU

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Gu Qingpei’s first job at his new post was to help his boss raise his son. Yuan Yang is a hot-tempered and a rebellious young man, but Gu Qingpei has the confidence that he can make him bow down and submit.

Review

The power play and tension between Gu Qingpei and Yuan Yang is really interesting. I love it when the MC and ML go against each other before gradually falling in love.

Personally, though, none of the characters are my jam. Gu Qingpei is an elitist type who cares too much about what others think of him. Even in real life, I don’t like such people, so I find it hard to care about the MC. Most of the time, he even seems to care more about his reputation than his lover. Add on to the fact that he’s years older than Yuan Yang, he often looks down on the latter, as if he were just a child making immature decisions.

Yuan Yang, on the other hand, is the brash and brute type. I adore guys like him who say what they mean and mean what they say, so I totally understand why he’s so hostile to Gu Qingpei in the beginning. Later though, Yuan Yang went too far… Although he regretted it and changed for the better, it still made me like him less.