- Drama Title: Ren Yu
- Also Known As: 人鱼, Runaway Princess
- Director: Yang Lei
- Genres: Thriller, Mystery
- Cast: Huangyang Tian Tian, Dong Yong, Zhang Kai Tai, Liu Zi
- Number of Episodes: 22
- Date of Release: August 4, 2026
- Original Network: Tencent Video
- Where to Watch: WeTV, Tencent Video
- Rating: 8.6/10
- Adapted from the novel “Ren Yu” by Lei
Dear readers, how are you today? I hope that everything is fine in your side. In, my side, not so much. Our Borneo forests which are currently burning, so before you read this Ren Yu Drama Review, let’s pray together for the forests and people in Borneo.
The firefighters and local people are working incredibly hard to put out the fire, but the situation is still heart-breaking to see. Please keep them, the forests, and all the wildlife affected by this disaster in your thoughts and pray. Thank you so much, love from Indonesia.
Ren Yu Drama Review
The Synopsis
Su Lin, a driven student, grows up in a poor family situation. Her parents are biased towards her younger brother and end up neglecting her. All she wants is to enter college and get out of the miserable situation.
Su Lin works hard on her English and eventually joins an English recitation contest. However, her abilities make her the target of the school bullies. During a heated confrontation, she falls into a sewer and disappears.
Around the same time, the discovery of several female bodies in the city’s underground tunnels brings a disturbing case to light. The police begin investigating to catch the serial killer.
Meanwhile, Su Lin’s neighbour, Gu Hao begins to notice her disappearance. Yet, the Su family seems to be covering it up. Gu Hao’s police instincts kick in, prompting him to investigate Su Lin’s whereabout.
Along the way, he meets Jiang Ting, a girl from the same school who also determined to find out what happened to Su Lin. Together, they work to bring the truth to light. But beneath the city’s bright surface lies a maze of dark tunnels and buried secrets. Finding Su Lin is only the beginning of a much darker truth.
The Review
Dear readers, what do you feel when you watch a drama? For me, it can be described as food. When you watch a romance drama, you expect to bite into a chocolate cake. It’s soft, sweet, and gives you comforting feeling that makes you do the happy food dance.
But lately, every drama I watch seems more like a cake with a surprise filling. You think you’re getting something sweet, and then BOOM, you get emotional damage. 😆
Then mystery/thriller/crime Chinese dramas give me a completely different feeling. They shake my emotions to the core, like biting into chili pepper when you least expect it. It’s painful, overwhelming, and leaves you wondering why you did this to yourself. Still, you finish it because, as an Asian, chilli is basically a food group.
And Ren Yu isn’t just chili. It keeps throwing the entire spice rack at you. 😂
I watch this Ren Yu drama because I just curious about the story. I really didn’t know this one until it popped out in my WeTV front page. So I clicked it, and it totally blew my mind with the intricate story and good writing.
Ren Yu, starring Huangyang Tian Tian, Dong Yong, Zhang Jia Yi, and Liu Zi, is a quiet, under the radar drama that deserved some attentions. I had so much fun enjoying the story that I ended up losing my beauty sleep and waking up the next day with dark shadow under my eyes.
Because the more I watched Ren Yu, the more curious I became about what was actually going on. And before I knew it, I was already too invested to stop watching.
This drama is a plot-driven series that rarely slows down. With only 22 episodes, the pace moves fast. I barely had enough time to breathe before my finger unconsciously pushed the next button.
Just like any other series, there are fillers in Ren Yu, like about Jiang Ting’s family drama or about Ma Na and Han Mei’s one-sided conflict. Yet, they don’t feel like unnecessary detours added just to fill the episodes. Instead, they actually do their job as fillers by serving as the foundation for their character development without taking too much attention away form the main story.
I love mystery drama with fast pacing and short episode, because it feels like less torture for me. Mind you, I love mystery, but I do have a soft heart. So this kind of drama fits me well just like Mobius, Reset, Riverside of Qingming Festival, or Unshakable Faith.
I have reviewed some drama that were more intense, like Interlaced Scenes, Light Beyond the Reed, or Drifting Away. Those three dramas left me exhausted after the end credit rolled. Even writing their review felt like running a marathon.
So when Ren Yu came along with its fast pace and only 22 episodes, I was more than happy to let it torture me in a shorter amount of time. And surprisingly, although it’s short and fast, but it doesn’t feel rushed.
The characters in this drama are just ordinary people living in an ordinary world. The Su is just a low-income family who were trapped in social and economic circumstances.
The Mas are wealthy, but they weren’t so rich and powerful that they were practically untouchable throughout China. Nope. They aren’t on the same level as the Daoming family from the Meteor Garden or Shi Yan’s family in Only for Love. The Mas are merely local kings.
The detectives and the police were ordinary too. They weren’t geniuses like Morgan Gillory in High Potential or Shen Yi in Under the Skin. In Ren Yu, the main investigator for Su Lin disappearance is Gu Hao, a retired policeman with ordinary abilities and limited resources.
And even the main victim, Su Lin, isn’t some kind of special student. Aside from her talent in English, she is just ordinary student whom even her teacher didn’t pay much attention to.
But because this whole matter affects normal families, the whole story feels more grounded, and the investigation feels more personal rather just a case to solve. So, what interest me about Ren Yu isn’t only the mystery. Even when I wanted to know what happened to her, I also wanted to know why these people made the choices they did.
The main conflict is simple: Su Lin disappear. Yet this core is wrapped with so many layers, including the family conflicts, the overlapping murder case, Ma Dong Chen’s underhanded dealings, and a sweet love story.
Yes, there is a love story in this drama. But it’s not about Su Lin and Vincent or Su Lin and Yang Le. It’s about Gu Hao and Du Qian. Two middle aged people who apparently interested with each other but are held back by the past.
This is not a sweet or passionate love story, more like quiet relationship that feels like the bond between a long-married couple. But still, it becomes a nice interlude between all the tension.
Watching Ren Yu is like peeling an onion. Layer by layer, you get to see both the ugliness and the beauty of human nature. That the one who was wrapped in expensive clothes, drove a nice car, and held a high social standing might be less human than those who lived in the shabby place with no electricity or clean water.
Those expensive clothes couldn’t hide the ugliness inside, while the dirt and grime also couldn’t hide the kindness in their heart. Some people had everything yet still chose to use their wealth and power to bully and suppress others for their own gain.
Meanwhile, those who had almost nothing were still willing to help and care for others. It makes you wonder: is being a good human really about what you have, or about what you choose to do with it?
It’s really exhausting to watch the Su family, especially the parents. I just want to throw things to my screen whenever they appear. I feel so uncomfortable seeing such a weak father and a cowardly mother.
And don’t even mention the favouritism. Cdramaland loves to write about this kind of family, and truly, I’ve had enough of them. And the fact that this story happened in the 90s, broke my heart.
And of course, what makes these characters got on my nerves so much is because the cast did an excellent job on the acting. Every character was played so convincingly, whether they were the main characters or just supporting roles.
They were so good that I sometimes forgot I was watching a drama. Some of them made love them, some made me angry, and some made me want to throw things at my screen.😂
But my favorites are Huangyang Tian Tian and Dong Yong. Their chemistry was so strong that I instantly imagined them as father and daughter from the first episode. Huangyang Tian Tian’s acting as Su Lin is so heartbreaking that whenever she cried, I shed some tears too.
In the end, I really thought that the chili metaphor was enough. But apparently Ren Yu wanted to test how much spice my emotional system could handle. 😭
The Story – Oh, This Family Is a Mess
“Home. This is home.” — Vincent
“What makes a home? People who make you feel you belong.” —Su Lin
Ren Yu’s story background is set in May 1994. At this time, the world still worked in analog. People mostly relied on landline phones, letters, newspapers, and television to get information.
Therefore, when Su Lin doesn’t come home, her mother can only wait for news from her. Zhang Cui Yun has no way of knowing what happened until someone brings her the information. The uncertainty also means she has to keep waiting without knowing when she will finally get an answer.
And this has happened not only to Zhang Cui Yun, but also to Jiang Ting, Gu Hao, and also Ma Na. And the reason why Ma Dong Chen did everything to threaten the Su family is because he also didn’t know whether Su Lin is dead or alive.
Su Lin’s absence exposes the fractures within several families involved: the Su family, the Ma family, and the Jiang family. The first one is Su Lin’s family. This is a dysfunctional family where the parents play favourites, neglect their daughter, and emotionally manipulate her.
Because the father regarded Su Lin as a less important family member, Su Wei Guo didn’t look for her until it was already too late. When Su Lin was still around, Su Wei Guo didn’t hesitate to scold her and belittle her dream.
Meanwhile Zhang Cui Yun just kept quiet, watching her daughter being opressed by her own father. Living inside the Su family, one must harden one’s heart and turn a deaf ear because the constant conflict is exhausting.
The Ma family could also be considered dysfunctional because of Ma Dong Chen and Ma Na. Actually, there is a genuine love inside the family, but the way that love is expressed is unhealthy.
Ma Dong Chen enables Ma Na’s bad behaviour by choosing to protect her even when he knows she is doing something wrong. He turns a blind eye to what she did and instead support her in every way he can.
In this family, money hold the biggest power. With money, Ma Dong Chen controls the Su family, the school, and even the recitation contest. Meanwhile, Ma Na was used to being protected and obeyed by her own father.
She truly believes that she can hurt people and nothing will happen to her because Ma Dong Chen will always protect her. As a father, Ma Dong Chen failed to provide affection, understanding, and emotional security for Ma Na. And most importantly, he failed to teach Ma Na about accountability.
Actually, the only clear minded person in this family is surprisingly Han Mei. In episode 2, she persuades her husband to report what happened to Su Lin to the police. She said they couldn’t hide it and taking Ma Na to confess is better than being arrested.
She believes that it was all an accident, and the police would understand. But Ma Dong Chen refuses her idea. He knows his daughter more than anyone else. So deep down, he believes that it might not actually be an accident at all.
The last one is Jiang family. Compared to the other two, this is the least dysfunctional family in this drama. Jiang Yu Shu and her husband Sun Wei Ming are already divorced. Jiang Ting stays with her mother while her father married his mistress and already had a son.
As a mother, Jiang Yu Shu is not a perfect one either. Due to her trauma from betrayal, she became a controlling mother and is quite paranoid. She and Jiang Ting have bad communication. They don’t talk about problems and deliberately hide important things from each other.
If only Jiang Yu Shu was not so controlling, things might turn out differently. Jiang Ting might have learned how to face problems and confrontation instead of running away and then being consumed by guilt.
Looking at these three families, Ren Yu seems to be interested in different ways parents try to protect their children. Ma Dong Chen tried to protect Ma Na no matter what she did.
Jiang Yu Shu tried to protect Jiang Ting from her father and the world. And also, Su Wei Guo. Yes. The Su also tries to protect their child, but it’s not Su Lin, it’s Su Zhe. So, to protect the younger brother, they sacrifice the sister.
God, I still fuming when I remember those scenes. 😤
Now, let’s talk about fairy tales mentioned in Ren Yu, which are The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The Little Mermaid is the story that played in the recitation contest.
Su Lin wanted to join it because if they won, she’ll get extra point for the college admission. Because of her English, Su Lin is actually the best pick to be the Little Mermaid rather than Ma Na, and Zhou Xi Jie saw it too.
Another one is Beauty and the Beast. But in this drama, the Beauty and the Beast refers to an American series released in 1987-1990, starring Linda Hamilton (Terminator, Dante’s Peak, and Stranger Things) and Ron Pearlman (Alien Resurrection, Hellboy, and Pacific Rim).
This American series told a story about Catherine and Vincent. After being kidnapped and brutally beaten, Catherine was saved by Vincent who took her to the world under the city of New York. In this series, Vincent is a real embodiment of Beast, since he has enormous physical strength, claws, fangs, feline facial features, and heightened senses that could alert him to dangers.
The same thing happened to Su Lin. After she fell into the sewer, she was unconscious and was saved by a drifter. Otherwise, Su Lin might have been died. The drifter has a dirty appearance and also struggling with mentally illness, but he has a kind heart.
This is why Su Lin later called him Vincent. Unexpectedly, falling into the sewer and living in the darkness made her feel what it’s like to have family. And not only that. From a stranger, Su Lin learns how it feels like to be respected because she did the right thing.
Although I know well that this drama refers to Beauty and the Beast, but my intrusive mind is keep screaming about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 😂
While Su Lin’s life was being reset underground, things were getting more complicated above the ground. Gu Hao is the first one who sense that something is wrong with Su Lin’s disappearance.
I got to see the clues popping up because Gu Hao arranges it in his little board. And the Tai Wei entered the screen as the young and enthusiastic police officer who handle the Weihong Canal murders. At first, neither of them didn’t think that Su Lin and the murder case are connected because they happened in different areas. So, the two investigations proceeded separately.
I loved seeing how the police tried to solve the murder case. They used the DNA profiling technology to find the murderer. They also got help from a professor who was very good at explaining the characteristic of the murderer. So, after the scene, its not only Tai Wei who understands his assignment, I also understand why the killer killed.
The ending of this drama is a bittersweet ending, but the road to get there is rough and full of tears. In the end, Ren Yu is not just a drama about a missing girl. It’s a complex story about family, guilt, love, social class, and human nature.
Some layers were ugly, some were surprisingly warm, and some made me want to scream at the screen. So, dear readers, prepare you tissues and cold compress for those swollen eyes. Otherwise, you might have to explain the whole story to everyone at work the next day. 🤪
The Visuals – Where is Jiang Yu Shu?
Ren Yu deserves a praise. Chinese drama often emphasized ethereal visuals, especially on close-up shots. They love their actors and actresses to have poreless skin like a Barbie dolls.
On the contrary, Hollywood series emphasized realism. They don’t cover up the pores, the skin texture, or imperfections that make people look like actual human being. Ren Yu seems to take the same approach.
It’s rare to see skin texture of actresses like Huangyang Tian Tian (The Long Ballad, Tiger and Crane, Rebirth, and Perfect Match) or Liu Zi (Fantastic Doctors, Derailment, and Reborn) in such close-up shots. The only thing that made me dissatisfied is Huangyang Tian Tian’s hair, why does it have to be so stiff? 😔
Dear readers, when I look for posters, I usually search the drama’s Douban page. And interestingly, I couldn’t find a poster for Liu Zi’s character, Jiang Yu Shu. This is strange because Liu Zi was listed as one of the four main character along with Huangyang Tian Tian, Dong Yong, and Zhang Jia Yi.
Meanwhile supporting characters such as Jiang Ting (He Si Tian), Zhou Xi Jie (Shi An), even Du Qian (Zhang Yan Yan) have character posters. But I really cannot find Liu Zi’s. Why? Can someone explain this to me? Did I miss something? Is there a secret behind this? Or do I just need to get a new prescription for my glasses? 🤷🏻♀️
The Characters
Su Lin (Played by Huangyang Tian Tian)
Su Lin lives in a small house with her parents and younger brother, Su Zhe. She helps her mother with the laundry and takes care of the house. At school, she is just an ordinary-looking student who doesn’t stand out much. But speak to her in English, and you’ll instantly realized just how talented she is.
Personality-wise, Su Lin is a quiet, hardworking, resilient, and stubborn. Growing up in a dysfunctional family where she receives constant verbal abuse from her father while her mother is unable to stand up for her, Su Lin learns to keep her feeling to herself.
From the outside, Su Lin looks incredibly independent and mature. But underneath, she longs for a warm home and someone who tells her that she matters too. Su Lin is lonely and doesn’t have friends, so no one stands up for her when she is bullied.
Still, the harsh life didn’t erase her kindness. No matter how difficult life gets, she refuses to give up on her fate. Su Lin still believes that she belongs to a better world and is willing to work hard for it. All she needs is a chance to prove that she is worthy of that world.
Gu Hao (Played by Dong Yong)
Gu Hao is Su Lin’s neighbour. He is a retired cop who lives alone. Although he is long past his prime, his cop instinct still as sharp as ever. He is observant, patient, principled, and persistent. When he faces a dead end, he cannot simply stop investigating. Instead, he will start all over again.
This time more carefully to make sure he didn’t miss anything. In his personal life, Gu Hao is kind and empathetic. His love to learn English comes from his love for Du Qian, while Su Lin helps him with the words and pronunciation. English eventually becomes the beginning of their bond.
Tai Wei (Played by Zhang Jia Yi)
Tai Wei is Du Qian’s son and Gu Hao’s godson. He follows his father’s footsteps and becomes a police officer under Captain Wang. Although he is a rookie, Tai Wei already has the quality of a good cop.
He is observant, quick-thinking, decisive, and has strong instinct. And most of all, his persistency knows no bounds. In his mind, he only wants to find the truth.
Jiang Yu Shu (Played by Liu Zi)
Jiang Yu Shu works at the towel factory. Her marriage life with Sun Wei Ming ended in divorce, and she was granted custody of Jiang Ting. Jiang Yu Shu is a very strict mother who controlled her daughter’s daily habits, believing that everything she does is for Jiang Ting’s own good.
But her protection eventually becomes a form of control, leaving Jiang Ting with little freedom to make her own choices. Although Jiang Yu Shu looked stern and stubborn, she is actually a soft-hearted person. What happened in her marriage made her tougher, and Jiang Yu Shu is willing to do anything for Jiang Ting because she cares deeply about her daughter.
Jiang Ting (Played by He Si Tian)
Jiang Ting is Jiang Yu Shu’s daughter. She studies at the same vocational school as Su Lin. But because they aren’t in the same class, they barely know each other. They only brief encounter happens at the flower bed when Su Lin is being bullied.
Having been protected her whole life, Jiang Ting is obedient, timid and a little naïve. She avoids conflict at all cost because she has never learned how to deal with confrontation.
Yet, she is sensitive enough to recognize when something is wrong. That’s why after Su Lin disappear, guilt and fear consume her. Still, deep down, Jiang Ting is a sweet and empathetic. She is actually a brave person, she just doesn’t know it yet.
Vincent / Wen Sen Te (Played by Zhao Jian)
Vincent is a drifter who lived inside the sewer. He supports himself by collecting used plastic bottles, old newspapers, and cardboard. He doesn’t have a name until Su Lin gives him “Vincent” because he reminds her of Vincent from the Beauty and the Beast series.
He lives alone and has no family. Vincent also struggles with mental illness and has difficulty communicating with others. Despite his circumstances, Vincent has a kind heart and a childish nature.
Ma Dong Chen (Played by Zhang Fan)
Ma Dong Chen is a successful businessman whom many regards as a powerful and wealthy boss. He is a cunning, calculating, and willing to use underhanded methods to get what he wants.
He truly believes that money and power can solve every problem in the world. His only weakness is his daughter, Ma Na. She is the apple of his eyes, and he would do anything to protect and spoil her. Before Su Lin appeared, the biggest problem on his mind was finding a way to make Ma Na accepted his second wife, Han Mei, as her stepmother.
Funny thing is, behind all that ruthlessness, Ma Dong Chen is actually a very religious person. He always prays to Buddha for his family, especially his precious daughter.
Ma Na (Played by Duan Yu)
Ma Na attends the same class with Su Lin. Everywhere she goes, Ma Na is always accompanied by her loyal followers. She is aggressive, arrogant, jealous, and domineering, especially towards weaker students or anyone Yang Le might be interested in.
FYI, Yang Le is Ma Na’s crush. At home, Ma Na is spoiled by her father, but what she really wants is her mother’s love. Unfortunately, there’s only a stepmother at home. Although Han Mei treated her kindly, she still the most hated person in Ma Na’s eyes.
Zhou Xi Jie (Played by Shi An)
Zhou Xi Jie is a teacher who works at the Cultural Centre. He was hired by Chaobei Vocational School to train the recitation team so they could win a contest by featuring The Little Mermaid. Zhou Xi Jie lives with his wife at his father-in-law house, as his father-in-law is an important figure in the city.
He loves to write poems and recording everything with his camera and camcorder. He is patient, gentle, polite, sensitive, and cultured. He also likes helping others, which is why he helps Su Lin and Jiang Ting joined the recitation team.
Su Wei Guo (Played by Chen Chuang)
Su Wei Guo is Su Lin’s father. He works at a construction company, but his salary barely makes ends meet. He is a patriarchal father who thinks that his son is more precious than his daughter.
So, although Su Lin does her best at school, in his eyes, she is just an ungrateful daughter who wasting his money and time. Su Wei Guo is weak, selfish, and cowardly. He also a heavy drinker who refuses to buy new shoes for his daughter, but somehow still has money to buy alcohol.
Zhang Cui Yun (Played by Luo Hao Qiong)
Zhang Cui Yun is Su Lin’s mother. Unlike Su Wei Guo, she does care about her daughter and still has an emotional connection with Su Lin.
However, she is too weak and powerless to stand up to her husband or persuade him to change. So when Su Lin disappears, she can only worry about her while remaining too afraid to do anything.
The Conclusion
Ren Yu is a plot-driven drama that successfully tied me to my screen. My finger is barely resting from pushing the next button. The story moves at a fast pace, and every episode ends with something that make you say, “One more episode, I promise.”
But one episode leads to another six in a row because this drama is so compelling with the intricate story and good writing. The acting was good too that I sometimes forgot I was watching a drama.
So, dear readers, if you like a mystery drama with a strong character development and well-developed story background. I really recommend this one. Ren Yu would take you to the filthy and dark underground world, where every mystery has something more waiting to be uncovered. Happy watching!
