my favorite books of 2023

No one knows where he came from, however, those who have seen the real him only have one evaluation of him: A person who have signed a contract with the devil. People calls him the Demon King. However, only he himself knows how much he thirsts for tranquility. After entering an contractual marriage, his wife was as cold as an iceberg. This family was like a battlefield in Africa where they need to have everything going their own way!

Three years ago, President Qiao did not hesitate to sign the papers when Xia Ning placed the divorce papers in front of him. Three years later, she is an up-and-coming star in show biz; watched by the public but knee-deep in scandals. He is a resolute emperor in the business world; powerful and omnipotent. Their paths were supposed to be separate and independent, but— Standing at her door, the legendary ruthless and unyielding diamond bachelor asks for a remarriage. A cute bun appears from behind and gazes at Xia Ning with his big, starry eyes. "Mummy, Daddy will cook, I will warm the bed, please take us in."

"Zhong Nuannuan, your charges have been withdrawn. The courts have declared you innocent and pronounced you not guilty for murder. You can leave prison now. Your family is waiting for you in the waiting room outside." Zhong Nuannuan was startled. She pushed the female prison guard to the side and ran toward the waiting room. She did not even bother to put on her shoes. If not for the icy feeling she felt at every step of the way reminding her that this was not a dream, Zhong Nuannuan would not have believed that she had resurrected. As she burst through the doors and saw him again, she knew in her heart, that this time she would get it right. This time she would cherish him properly and hopefully, just hopefully, turn her own fate around.

She conspires and provokes the most powerful young master in Beijing! They sign a contract and with his every call, she has to go anywhere and do anything his bidding. When their contract ends, she smirks and said, “I’ll take the money and you can leave. We don’t owe each other anything.” He is Young Master Ya who rules Beijing. He controls the business empire during the day, and he is the strongest king at night. He is cold and women are merely playthings to him. With his power, the women he has eyes on have never been willing to leave him, yet she is an exception. She loves money, like all the previous women, but she is never shy of showing her greed. And he never realizes that he will ever grow a heart for such a promiscuous and cheap woman… He points a gun straight at her heart. “Die with me, or accept my love—which one do you choose?” She pouts and turns around, before she pushes an adorable child into his arms. “Here, there’s your answer.”

A genius talisman practitioner is reborn as a seven-year-old girl! However, her innocent appearance belies her vicious personality. In the remote countryside, the Crown Prince runs into her, beating up her enemy. She is indifferent, but it’s love at first sight for the Crown Prince! “Not good, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Her Highness the Crown Prince Consort used an immobilization talisman on His Majesty the Emperor, and His Majesty is currently eating dirt in the main hall.” “Isn’t that normal? Who told that dog emperor to provoke my wife? I say it’s a job well done! Pour a bucket of ice water on him to cool him down!” “Your Highness the Crown Prince, it’s really not good this time! The great Crown Prince Consort threw out three explosion talismans and destroyed Noble Consort Zheng and her house!” A certain crown prince laughed madly. “Job well done! She’s truly my wife; she’s as awesome as always!” “Crown Prince, Crown Prince, it’s seriously bad this time! A beautiful man appeared in the great Crown Prince Consort’s room!” You got cuckolded again! The crown prince harshly picked up the handsome man half laying on her bed. “Who are you?” A certain consort replied with a stoic face. “I drew a deity-inviting talisman and summoned a venerable immortal of love.” “Get lost as soon as you finish fighting!” “Oh, sorry, it's easier to invite the devil in than to send him away!” I’m not leaving! Embark on this adventure of a little stoic who just wants to grow stronger and protect her family but unwittingly ends up with a merry company of troublemakers. A riveting cocktail of cultivation, zombies, and sci-fic!

After a series of life-changing events, Pei Ge decides to start anew and rediscover her place in this world. She gets a new job, new friends and… a new boss whom she mistakes as a male host! He helps her to get revenge on a back-stabbing friend, supports her when it seems that the world has given up on her, encourages her to be more confident about herself and even… messes up her blind dates! With her strong working abilities and fiery attitude, she manages to climb up the ranks in the company (under the devious scheme of a certain CEO) and even gains a fan girl who can’t wait to be her sister-in-law. As Pei Ge navigates through the ups and downs of office politics, family drama, finding her right partner and societal expectations, she realizes that things are not as simple as it seemed and everything she had believed in is tested… The Big Misunderstanding: “You asshole! Why didn’t you use protection?! I’m pregnant!” “…It’s not mine.” “Asshole! You actually dare to not admit it?! I gave all my firsts to you! You jerk!” … At the gynecologist, she read her pregnancy lab report and was stunned: Irregular period. The man raised an eyebrow and smirked, “Didn’t you make a ruckus about being pregnant with my child? Where is the child?!” “…” Who is scared of who? Let’s make a bet!

"Three years into Qin Yu's marriage, his wife and in-laws all hated him. On a fateful day, he found out that his wife was cheating on him, and she chased him out of their house. Just as Qin Yu was completely devastated, the daughter of the prestigious Yan Family of Jing City came to him. She handed him his father's will and a contract of his and her marriage. Years later, whenever people talked of Qin Yu, he was either the Holy Healer, Master of Martial, the Apex Cultivator, and more. Qin Yu had become the strongest legend that had ever existed. However, Qin Yu denied all the praises, saying that he was a man that loved his wife a lot."

"After Gu Xin recovered from her illness, she realized that her whole family had changed. His father who was a gambling addict that once almost sold his wife and daughter, also often picked fights after getting drunk. That same father now said that he would not gamble anymore. He wanted to pick up his textbooks and take part in the imperial examinations to give the three of them a happy life. Her mother who was not just efficient, but also detailed and thorough in her work, spent her days holed up in the house, not daring to try anything adventurous. She did not even dare to light a fire and was only fierce to her daughter. That same mother was now suddenly carrying a chopper and facing off debt collectors. Her embroidery was outstanding and she was cold to others, her sister, who never cooked, no longer held the needles. She smiled more and took over all the work in the kitchen. Gu Xin felt that she was dreaming. Apart from the changes in her parents and sister, after she saved a fish, those who scolded her would fall and those who had bad intentions toward her would be unlucky. If she wanted to eat something, living things would come to her door and knock their heads against her door. Even if they were not living things, she could still find them by coincidence. Everything was so wonderful! Of course, it would be great if the young master of the Zhou Family in town did not go crazy. The young master of the Zhou family said that her parents would sell her and her sister would harm her in the future. The young master wanted to take her far away and escape from the Devil's Den. Father Gu, "Where did this little brat come from? I'm nine thousand years old and only a thousand years away from ten thousand years old. Why would I sell my precious daughter?" Mother Gu, "Get lost, you rascal. I'm a strong woman who owns a big business empire. It's not easy for me to have a daughter. Can I bear to do that?" Sister Gu, "Scumbag male protagonist, don't think that I don't know how much of a scumbag you are in your book and how you will hurt my Xiao Xinxin. Pfft!" Young Master Zhou, "How is it different from my previous life? However, no matter how different it is, I won't miss my Xinxin in this life." Gu Xin, "Have you asked for my opinion?"

When she woke up, she had transmigrated into An Jiuyue, a woman living with two young children on a mountain after her husband abandoned her. She was pushed to the ground, and now, there was a bloody wound on her head. With only a handful of rice left in the rice bag, she had relied on digging wild vegetables to satisfy their hunger every day. Her children were so often starved that they were all skin and bones. On top of that, a wicked woman threatened her to sell her son! If she refused, the woman would snatch him away forcefully. But An Jiuyue took a deep breath, revealed her sharp claws, beat the woman up, and threw her out of the house. She could show the woman she was not to be messed with! They were out of rice and vegetables now, but she was not afraid. Acquiring food using her spatial abilities was as easy as curling her fingers! Moreover, her spatial abilities were unlimited, and her medical skills did not deteriorate. She could no doubt earn money and raise her children well! As for her ex-husband… The prince, who had returned from the battlefield, smiled maliciously. "My beloved concubine, please calm down. I brought back a mountain of gold from the battlefield as a gift for you and our children."

Sweet, charming, delicate, beautiful, Ruan Mengmeng was the embodiment of the perfect moe girl. After her dearest sister passed, her survival against her evil stepmother, half-sister, and almost an entire loveless family was at stake. At the door of impending doom, Ruan Mengmeng found herself waking up in a majestic monster of a mansion, and a stranger claiming that he was now her guardian. Since that day, there was no one who spoilt her as much as Li Junyu. Ranging from private tutoring sessions, ranking up in games, and even sweeping up all tickets to a show she starred in, how far would Li Junyu go for this moe girl?