Mei Ren Yu (The Vanishing Beauty) in English by Yi Bei

Oct 20, 2026

415

Mei Ren Yu (The Vanishing Beauty/美人余) by Yi Bei (伊北) is a complete 175-page English eBook in PDF format, presenting a story of four women whose lives are shaped by marriage, career ambitions, family responsibilities, and personal independence. Yu Jia, Yu Meng, Yu Shuang, and Yu Rui each face difficult choices as they navigate relationships, social expectations, and their hopes for a different future.
This contemporary women's fiction explores the tensions between individual desires and family obligations, showing how love, work, and personal identity can become intertwined. Each woman's journey reveals a different response to the pressures of everyday life, from maintaining relationships to pursuing ambitions and redefining happiness. As their circumstances change, their connections and decisions bring new conflicts, forcing them to reconsider what they truly want and what they are willing to sacrifice.
The novel was adapted into the 2026 Chinese drama The Vanishing Beauty (美人余), starring Li Yitong as Yu Meng, with Wang Jiajia, Chang Huasen, Zeng Mengxue, and Qiao Zhenyu among the cast. The screen adaptation brings the intertwined stories of these women to television, highlighting the emotional and social questions at the heart of the original work.
This full novel text is available as a free download and for online reading. The PDF includes page numbers for easier navigation, while the eBook text can also be enjoyed on Kindle-compatible devices. Read the complete story in English and follow the four women's journeys through complicated relationships, changing responsibilities, and the search for independence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatDOCX

AccessFree to download

Chapter 1

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Section 8

Section 9

Section 10

Chapter 2

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Section 8

Section 9

Section 10

Section 11

Section 12

Chapter 3

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Section 8

Section 9

Section 10

Chapter 4

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Section 8

Section 9

Section 10

Section 11

Chapter 5

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Mei Ren Yu (The Vanishing Beauty)

Author: Yi Bei

Introduction:

Author Yi Bei focuses on urban "strong women," showcasing the growth trajectory of contemporary middle-aged women after breaking free from the constraints of traditional families. The novel's plot is realistic and natural, and the characters are vivid and lifelike.

"The Beauty of Yu" tells the interesting stories of the "Four Beauties" with the surname Yu, in which they will pursue love, career or family.

① Yu Jia, a woman who vowed never to divorce

② Yu Meng, a woman desperately wanting a divorce

③ Yu Shuang, a woman who treats marriage like a fart.

④ Yu Rui, a woman who lives off marriage.

When a beauty has only a sliver of youth left, can she stage a comeback and find her own happiness?

Recommendation:

"Beauty Yu," which was shortlisted for five consecutive issues and is beloved by readers, ultimately won second place in the women's group with 22,000 votes, nearly 500,000 reads, and 2,050 people adding it to their bookshelves.

Women's novels: family stories, coming-of-age tales, female characters facing adversity, marital life, best friends, and friendships.

Chapter 1 (1)

Preface:

He who loves according to the rules will not receive love. — Montaigne

Jiangnan is known for its beautiful women, but this place isn't considered authentic Jiangnan.

However, the awkward geographical location did not prevent Yu Yingzi from producing beauties. For many years, this small place has been a popular destination for people from all walks of life to propose marriage.

The women here are really beautiful.

Because they live at the crossroads of North and South, they possess both the gentleness of Southern women and the strength of Northern women. They are a perfect blend of gentleness and strength, embracing both. Some say that at least one of the Four Beauties of ancient China hailed from Yu Yingzi. According to repeated research by locals, the most credible claim is that Diao Chan's surname was Yu. Historical experts refute this claim, deeming it baseless, a mere fabrication, and an attempt to glorify themselves. But the locals don't care about the experts' opinions. When the experts refute them, they curse them: "Pah! What kind of experts are they! They're useless, their mouths can't produce anything decent! They're just spouting nonsense!"

Fortunately, facts speak louder than words. The women here are remarkable; generation after generation, the girls of Yu Yingzi have remained as beautiful as ever. Moreover, in recent generations, the women of the Yu clan have particularly conformed to contemporary aesthetics: pointed chins, large eyes, high brow bones, a touch of Western Region charm, fair skin, and the delicate beauty of Jiangnan girls—truly a match made in heaven, a woman of exceptional beauty and grace.

However, the women in Yu Ying are not the same as internet celebrities. Their faces are all supported by bone structure, so even if they get older, they are still beautiful. In the end, a woman's beauty lies in her bones, not her skin.

Although the girls of Yu Yingzi are beautiful, they haven't lost their harmony in the competition. On the contrary, they are exceptionally united, advancing and retreating together. Those currently striving in the big city are even more closely connected, sharing both glory and fortune. For example, at this time of year, Yu Jia, a prominent figure from Yu Yingzi, came to this big city with her husband. Her clansmen, Yu Meng, Yu Shuang, and Yu Rui, immediately prepared a grand feast to welcome her.

Meng, Shuang, and Rui, who were already living in a big city, were genuinely happy for Jia. Back in Yu Ying, they were jokingly called "Sinking Fish," "Falling Goose," "Closing Moon," and "Shy Flower." Jia was "Sinking Fish," Meng was "Falling Goose," Shuang was "Closing Moon," and Rui was "Shy Flower." They were all beautiful girls. People around them thought from the bottom of their hearts that it was a real waste of such beauty if they didn't go out and fight for their dreams, to stir up trouble and make waves.

Unfortunately, many years have passed, and the four beauties have never been able to reunite.

Three players are missing one.

Yu Jia married right after graduating from university. Her husband, Di Liren, was her classmate. At the time of their marriage, he was just a low-level civil servant, working as a village official in a remote area. Everyone felt sorry for Yu Jia. Her father was so angry that he wanted to sever ties with his daughter. He thought she was unambitious, a waste of talent, a hopeless case, and utterly hopeless! In fact, even as Yu Jia was about to get married, the Yu family still wanted to break up the marriage. But Yu Jia's love was unwavering; she had made up her mind about Liren and nothing could change it. The only drawback was that the couple couldn't have children at first, which made the Yu family unhappy. A few years later, when Liren was promoted to the provincial level, Yu Jia finally gave birth to a girl. The die was cast, and the Yu family, seeing Liren's promising future, began to praise the marriage again. Yu Jia took an administrative position at a vocational school, prioritizing family over career, content to be a wife and mother, and enjoying a peaceful life in their small town.

Yu Meng was a nurse by training. Before graduating, she interned at a large hospital and met a patient with a fracture—her current husband, Luan Chengyun. When she married him, his career was just starting out, and he was considered "moderately wealthy." Over the past ten years, she has given birth to two sons, and Luan Chengyun, thanks to what she called "her good fortune," has made a considerable amount of money. They own several properties in a big city and are considered "middle class." Yu's relatives often come to benefit from Yu Meng's influence. This marriage is quite satisfactory.

Yu Shuang was beautiful, but unaware of her own beauty. Over time, she became somewhat like a pearl hidden in the dust. After graduating from a prestigious university, she first worked in the government sector, then moved to a large, up-and-coming company. She started in online education, determined to crush a certain Oriental (a major Chinese online education platform). She had the ability; within a few years of entering the industry, her position rose rapidly, making her the youngest middle manager in the company. Students' parents liked to use Yu Shuang as a role model to inspire their children, saying, "Learn from Teacher Shuang! There's no problem she can't solve!" Yu Shuang was independent, self-reliant, and self-sufficient. She owned her own apartment, which she bought before the housing prices skyrocketed. She was lucky; her first job was in the government sector, and she was fortunate enough to be allocated housing by her workplace. At that time, housing prices hadn't yet skyrocketed, and everyone else wanted smaller apartments, leaving only a large one. Yu Shuang had no choice but to grit her teeth and buy it. Unexpectedly, the bolder she was, the more she gained. This three-bedroom apartment unexpectedly became her first pot of gold, the cornerstone of her foothold in the big city.

Yu Shuang had several boyfriends, all met through blind dates, but the relationships were bland and quickly ended. Men couldn't cater to her, and she was too lazy to cater to them. In her own words, she didn't like begging from men; she could manage on her own, so she would rely on herself. At first, her family was worried for her, thinking that a young woman like her couldn't manage alone in the city; she needed to get married, otherwise it wouldn't work. But after she turned thirty, they saw Yu Shuang earning more and more money. Her family benefited, and Yu Shuang's mother even moved in with her daughter, starting to live like a typical big-city person.

Of the four beauties, Yu Rui was the youngest, yet the most beautiful. She was different from Yu Shuang. She knew her strengths early on: romance was inevitable. She believed that studying and romance complemented each other; her efforts to obtain a degree were merely to increase her chances of connecting with high-end people. After graduating from the performing arts department, Yu Rui drifted in a big city for several years, realizing a harsh reality: for a girl like her with no money or connections, making a name for herself in the entertainment industry was harder than climbing to heaven.

Her looks were perfect for playing leading roles, but she lacked the star power. She lacked patience, so she focused her efforts on relationships. Her ideal was marriage, or at the very least, dating someone wealthy or powerful. When Yu Jia arrived, Yu Rui had just broken up with her boyfriend, though no one knew it.

Previously, the four beauties were scattered across the country, only able to chat in group chats. Now, things are different. Di Liren has risen four ranks in ten years, starting as a village official, then moving to the district, then the city, then the province, and finally to a major city—his career advancement is like a rocket. With her husband transferred, the virtuous Yu Jia finally has him by her side, raising their child along the way. The four beauties are now reunited, making for a beautiful union.

The sisters' gathering was attended by no family members.

Two of them have managed to glean information about their partners: Yu Shuang has no plans to have one and is firmly single; Yu Rui has several rumored boyfriends, but none can be revealed for the time being. Some are because she doesn't want to disclose them, and others are because the other parties don't want to disclose them to her.

Yu Meng does come from a respectable family and is married to a well-known and respected husband, but recently she's been having disagreements with him. To outsiders, she's a wealthy woman living in a villa in a big city, and the photos on her social media are often taken on her "own lawn," even though it's shared with her neighbors. But being able to live in a villa in a big city is still quite impressive, placing her among the elite of those from Yu Yingzi's community.

She is a role model for many women and a "legend" in the mouths of many younger generations. She found her ideal husband while doing an internship and is a miniature version of Wendi Deng—Wendi Deng is not even as beautiful as her.

Yu Rui envied her.

Yu Meng attended a class on traditional Chinese culture for the ladies, and with great difficulty, she managed to extract a line from the Book of Songs to describe herself: "Her hands are like tender shoots, her skin like congealed fat, her neck like a cicada's, her teeth like melon seeds; her forehead is broad and her eyebrows are arched. Her smile is charming, her eyes are bright and beautiful." She was very satisfied with this beautiful description.

FAQs

Is Mei Ren Yu by Yi Bei a good book?

Mei Ren Yu is a completed Chinese women's fiction novel that won second place in the women's category of Douban Read's first long-form writing competition. It follows four women through contrasting experiences of marriage, family, and independence, making it a strong choice for readers interested in realistic relationship conflicts and women's personal growth.

What is the book Mei Ren Yu about?

Written by Yi Bei, Mei Ren Yu follows four women: Yu Jia, who refuses to divorce; Yu Meng, who fights to leave her marriage; Yu Shuang, who rejects marriage; and Yu Rui, who sees marriage as essential to her future. Their stories explore different attitudes toward love, family, and women's independence.

Can you summarize the plot of Mei Ren Yu?

The novel interweaves the lives of four women facing different relationship and family challenges. Yu Meng discovers that her husband, Di Liren, has been plotting with Lu Hui to obtain her family's wealth. She gathers evidence and fights back to reclaim control of her assets and future. The other women's storylines explore marital endurance, resistance to marriage, and the search for security and fulfillment.

What is the ending of Mei Ren Yu?

The novel concludes with all four women moving toward different forms of liberation. Yu Meng exposes the scheme against her family's wealth and regains control of her business and life. The overall ending emphasizes the women's ability to break free from difficult circumstances and reclaim their choices. The television adaptation changes parts of the original story.

Who is in The Vanishing Beauty cast, and what is the drama about?

The 2026 Chinese drama The Vanishing Beauty adapts Yi Bei's novel Mei Ren Yu. Li Yitong plays Yu Meng, Wang Jiajia plays Lu Hui, Chang Huasen plays Jiao Xu, Zeng Mengxue plays Liu Zi, and Qiao Zhenyu plays Di Liren. The 28-episode drama follows Yu Meng as she discovers a marriage and property conspiracy and fights to reclaim control of her life. It premiered on Tencent Video on October 9, 2026.

Oct 20, 2026

415

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