Whenever I’m stressed, I cope by binging on fluffy novels. And by ‘fluffy,’ I specifically mean CNovels with the tag tiánchǒng (甜宠), which means ‘sweet romance/pampering.’ It’s pretty much the same thing as fluff, so I just refer to it as that. Back in March, I read a lot of fluffy danmei, but I didn’t get to liveblog about them much, if any, so now I’m making one post to talk about them in lump. I wanted to post this list earlier, but life got in the way (/▽＼).
The Kitty is Acting like a Great King Again Today
CN Title: 猫猫今天也在当大王 (alt. 小猫成为皇帝心尖宠后)
Author: Xiaolou Zuo Xia (小楼昨夏)
Synopsis: A spiritual cat MC approaches the Emperor ML to absorb his dragon energy and further his cultivation.
My Thoughts: This novel is the CUTEST and FLUFFIEST of them all! It’s such a shame it isn’t translated yet because MTL really does not do the prose any justice. I’ve talked about it here before, but to reiterate, the cat MC talks in a very cute way, and the narration elevates it. Plot is nothing mindblowing, but it is solid and coherent. I absolutely recommend this novel if you get cuteness aggression over cats and are craving for a light and fluffy read.
I Married the New Emperor Just to Have Enough to Eat
CN Title: 为了吃饱我嫁给了新帝
Author: Yi Zhu (逸烛)
Synopsis: MC was born in ancient times (in a world set in a novel), died once and time traveled to the apocalypse in the future, died again and went back to his original timeline. This time, he’s been arranged to be married to the cruel prince, who, in the novel, will become the Emperor. Having starved in the apocalypse, all MC wants is to have enough food to eat, so he clings onto this future Emperor to secure his meals.
My Thoughts: Although I haven’t finished reading this one, it has become my second favorite in the list. It’s fun seeing ML misunderstand MC’s intentions towards him in the beginning, and it’s cute seeing him slowly fall in love first. There’s also lots of cooking and food descriptions that can really whet your appetite, so make sure to not read on an empty stomach! But apart from the fluff and the cooking, what I really like about this novel is that it doesn’t drag any romance conflict that can be easily solved through communication.
Don’t Call Me Baby
CN Title: 不许叫我宝宝
Author: Zhi Mo (织墨)
Synopsis: MC likes cute things, but to avoid being bullied, he pretends he doesn’t, adopting a cold and aloof persona. ML used to think MC is pretentious, but everything changes when he finds out his secret.
My Thoughts: This is a nice, sweet college romance story. But for some reason, it feels so long even though it only has 64 chapters. I still haven’t finished it (but I am so close to the ending!). Like, it’s cute, but after halfway through, it felt like there wasn’t much tension left to prolong the story. However, I do like the care author gives in fleshing out the characters despite the simple plot. It’s worth a read if you’re looking for something light.
Novels by Duan Yu (端瑜)
This author’s romance stories follow a similar formula:
gong MC, shou ML
main CP gets together early on, middle part of the story focuses on their love life, and the last part focuses on MC’s career
Marrying a Rich and Beautiful Omega (娶了白富美Omega) = Poor and modest alpha MC goes to military school, where he meets the rich omega ML, who supports his career
My Husband is a Good-for-Nothing (我相公是纨绔) = Pretty, vain ML, who wants to climb the social ladder, seeks out handsome scholar MC in spite of MC’s previously bad reputation. Scholar turns out to be a transmigrator and military genius.
My Fulang Has Been Married Before (我夫郎是二嫁) = MC transmigrates into a scoundrel in a book set in ancient times and becomes the cannon fodder second husband of the protagonist shou, who was abandoned by his first husband, the protagonist gong, on their wedding night.
My Thoughts: Of these three novels, I like Marrying and Rich and Beautiful Omega the most. It’s the first one I read, so the author’s romance structure felt refreshing to me (it’s also the only one with explicit smut hehe). Usually in danmei, the romance is mainly about the chase. In Duan Yu’s novels, the romance is actually about the couple getting along as lovers, and it’s nice to see that for a change.
The Exhausted Corporate Slave is Raised by a Dark God
CN Title: 疲惫社畜被邪神养了
Author: Ju Zi Yan (橘子砚)
Synopsis: In this world, each industry breeds its own “monster” as a result of every workers’ stress and anxiety. There’s an organization working in the dark to ensure these monsters don’t cause any significant harm. Lately, however, they’ve noticed an increase in monster activity, and all are centered around the MC.
MC has been working his whole life just to survive, so when the rich ML appears and offers to support him, he agrees right away. ML seems suspicious, but he provides everything for him, so he just turns a blind eye to it.
My Thoughts: Of all the novels in this list, this one has the most unique premise. The eager supernatural set against MC’s indifference and desire to simply live leisurely makes for an interesting contrast. ML just wants to pamper MC, but the monsters and the organization all think he’s up to something sinister. They both try to recruit MC to their side, but MC really couldn’t care less. It’s fun! The plot is also well-thought-out… but I also feel like the author could’ve added more romance scenes to balance it out.
Hello, Marriage
CN Title: 你好，结芬
Author: Duo Jin Shaonü Mao (多金少女猫)
Synopsis: Workaholic part-timer college student MC has a one-night-stand with ML and ends up pregnant. (This is not an omegaverse… He can just somehow get pregnant xD)
My Thoughts: If you’re into a mature, pragmatic MC who doesn’t always think about love, then this story is for you. But if you’re craving for lots of romance, this might not be a good choice. It’s a good, fun story (MC’s brother is quite hilarious 😂), but I found MC too rational most of the time. He reads as aromantic to me—which is totally fine! It’s just that I found this novel while craving for some fluffy romance… and, well, it did not satisfy that. ML is really sweet and caring, though.
Try Hiding Again
CN Title: 你再躲试试
Author: Jin Xian (今闲)
Synopsis: MC falls in love with his homophobic best friend
My Thoughts: This one is quite predictable, but the ML is so stupid, it’s hilarious 😂. He keeps justifying his desire to be with MC all the time as pure brotherhood, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry 😭. MC has to put up with his bullshit while also guarding his heart. It’s silly, but also really cute <3
And that ends the list! I hope you enjoy at least some of these novels~ Tell me what kind of danmei genre list I should make next 👀
