Character	Shen Yuan
Appearance	The Journey
Media	Chinese Drama
Type	Yandere (Minor)
Love Interest	Yao Niang

Shen Yuan is a character from the Ming Dynasty story arc. He is member of Jin Yi Wei, the secret police force serving the emperor of Ming Dynasty.

SPOILERS AND PERSONAL OPINION

Shen Yuan and Yao Niang had knew each other since young, and were even engaged at one point in time. However, as unrest arose in their nation and they were forced to evacuate their hometown, they became separated from each other.

Yao Niang received news that Shen Yuan and his entire family had passed on, and gave up hope for their reunion. While she suffered tremendously in such critical times, she met the kind-hearted Song Cheng, who helped her out of her situation. As she spent more time with him, they fell in love, and Yao Niang married Song Cheng eventually.

Meanwhile, Shen Yuan had actually managed to survive through the chaos. By a turn of events, he ended up joining the Jin Yi Wei with two other friends he met. As a matter of course, Shen Yuan and Yao Niang went on their separate ways.

Six years later, as Shen Yuan was on a mission to interrupt the Jurchen spies (or spies from Jin), he coincidentally came across the inn that was ran by Yao Niang and Song Cheng. He was elated to find Yao Niang, but was dismayed when he learnt of her marriage with Song Cheng.

When they met up, Yao Niang expressed her astonishment and relief that Shen Yuan was still alive. They were happy to find each other again. As they were reminiscing their past, Shen Yuan revealed his intention to restart their relationship again; he did not mind that Yao Niang was already married.

Yao Niang, on the other hand, had great reservations about his plan. One, she was already married to a husband who had helped her and loves her. She had long let go of her past romance with Shen Yuan. Two, Yao Niang longs for a peaceful life, which a man like Shen Yuan would not be able to provide.

Despite Yao Niang making her intentions clear, Shen Yuan had no plans to give up on her. During his stay in Yao Niang’s inn, he harassed her, and threatened her to go with him. When Yao Niang remained resolute, it angered Shen Yuan, and his actions became even more sinister.

Turns out, Shen Yuan was a Jin spy all along, despite also belonging to the secret police of Ming Dynasty. While leaking important information to Jin and rousing suspicions, he craftily planned to frame Song Cheng as his scapegoat. Catching Song Cheng alone and off-guard, he outrageously attempted to murder and frame him, since the dead would not speak. He would have easily succeeded had it not been witnessed by Ye Yin, who later made use of magic to heal Song Cheng from his critical condition.

Not knowing that his plan was foiled, Shen Yuan proceeded on his scheme to frame Song Cheng, but was deterred as Ye Yin revealed his plan to others. As the truth surfaces, Yao Niang lost even the most basic respect she had for him. Ultimately, Shen Yuan met an awful fate, and he reaped what he sowed.

Truthfully, Shen Yuan is a very gross and nasty yandere. He is as despicable as he is creepy. This guy have absolutely no redeeming qualities. He is willing to betray his closest friends, kill innocents, and ruin his beloved’s life all for his greed.

I would not recommend you to watch this show for him. But alas, The Journey have so many other great yando characters, it would be a pity to miss. So do watch the show, but during Shen Yuan’s scene, feel free to diss him together with me. Thankfully, he only occupies a small segment of the entire series.