Derailment
Derailment is a 30-episode Chinese modern romance drama from Youku. It aired from December 14, 2023 to January 2, 2024, and all episodes are out. In the US it streams officially on Viki (free with ads), checked October 25, 2026. It is adapted from a novel by Priest.
Where to watch Derailment
Official services only, checked by hand for your country. Free options come first.
Watching from the US? Did it work for you?
Watching from the UK? Did it work for you?
Watching from Canada? Did it work for you?
Watching from Australia? Did it work for you?
We check the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Showing United States.
Is it worth watching?
Final verdict coming soon. It goes up once our editor has seen the ending. How we rate
Viewers who like Liu Haocun or Lin Yi and want a modern romance with a mystery running through it
The story, without spoilers
What to Expect
We haven't watched this one. This section is based on the Viki and Netflix listings, Chinese reports and synopses, and one English review, and we'll replace it with a verdict once we have one.
The premise is a fall from privilege. Xiaoyuan loses her money, her family name and her circle overnight, and starts again from the bottom, first in a hair salon and then as a trainee make-up artist. Chinese Wikipedia says she discovers her own talent along the way, and Chinese reports describe her entering a national make-up competition. Qi Lian, a man from her hometown, keeps turning up to help. Alongside the romance, the two follow a mystery that connects them, and the answers come out bit by bit.
For tone, the one English review we found is Cheng's Musings, which rated it 7/10. The reviewer liked the premise, the gradual reveals and the cinematography, and called it a sci-fi story that is also a love story. The criticisms were that the heroine's confidence swings too quickly into helplessness, the main antagonist arrives late with little screen time, and the wrap-up feels rushed. The reviewer recommended it to sci-fi fans more than to romance fans. Netflix tags it a sci-fi series, while Viki tags it romance and fantasy. A content note: Netflix's Singapore store rates it NC16, and the story includes violence.
The Story
Jiang Xiaoyuan is a proud heiress who wakes up after a car crash seven years in the past, with no money and no one to turn to, working as a migrant worker in a small town. A man named Qi Lian, who is described as an old friend from her hometown, starts quietly helping her. As they work out why this has happened to her, they find their secrets are connected. Derailment (脱轨, Tuo Gui) is a 30-episode Youku drama from 2023, starring Liu Haocun as Jiang Xiaoyuan and Lin Yi as Qi Lian. Shen Yang (沈阳) directed it, and it adapts the web novel Tuo Gui by Priest. It is a modern-day mystery romance filmed largely in Chongqing, and both Viki and Netflix have a title page for it.
Release Notes
Derailment premiered on Youku on December 14, 2023 and ended on January 2, 2024, according to Chinese Wikipedia and D-Addicts. Beijing News and The Paper also report the December 14 premiere. A Chinese entertainment article says the last two episodes, 29 and 30, were released together on the finale night. Episodes run 40 to 45 minutes, per Chinese Wikipedia.
Shen Yang directed, and Wang Jialu (王佳璐) wrote it, according to D-Addicts and Weixin Baike. D-Addicts lists Youku and Think Hot Studio as the production companies. Chinese Wikipedia and Cheng's Musings say much of it was filmed in Chongqing. Chinese Wikipedia lists the cast as Liu Haocun, Lin Yi, Huang Shengchi, Fan Shiran and others, and D-Addicts lists many more supporting actors.
Internationally, Viki has a title page that lists 30 episodes with English subtitles, along with French, Romanian and others, and a viewer score of 8.8 from about 21,000 ratings when we looked. From the US on October 25, 2026, all 30 episodes were free with ads on Viki. Netflix has a title page listing English, Malay and Chinese subtitles, which we couldn't check by country. We didn't find a Youku international page for it. No second season has been announced.
Does Derailment have a happy ending?
Nothing opens until you ask. The first step shows only the type of ending; the details come after.
Happy, sad or open?Shows only the type of ending, nothing about what happens.Show ending typeHide
We have not finished this one ourselves; this is based on outside sources. Fans disagree about how to read it.
In Brief
Ending spoilerShow the ending in brief
Derailment ends happily for Jiang Xiaoyuan and Qi Lian, according to Chinese recaps and an English review. The "parallel world" is revealed to be the result of a memory experiment, the person running its later version is arrested, and the couple end up together. Recaps disagree about Xu Jingyang's fate and some smaller details, so we mark the ending as disputed. We haven't watched it.
Full Ending Explained
Full spoilersShow the full ending
This account comes from a TV Mao finale recap, Chinese commentary from Tencent News, Yule Jiaodian and Sohu, and the English review on Cheng's Musings, not from watching. They agree on the broad shape and differ on the details, and we say where.
What the "parallel world" was. Sources agree that there is no parallel universe. Xiaoyuan's journey to 2018 is an aftereffect of a memory-altering experiment called the Lighthouse system (灯塔), which replaced her memories. A Tencent News timeline says she signed up because she urgently needed money for her grandmother's medical care, and that she ran off and collapsed after overhearing what the experiment was really for. Several sources say Qi Lian was one of the first participants in the same experiment.
The villain. Chinese recaps name Fan Xiaoxiao as the person behind the later version of the system. Yule Jiaodian says she took the research of Xu Jingyang for her own purposes, and the Tencent timeline says it was run through a game company, added a brain chip and replaced a participant's memories wholesale. Jiang Bo, her adoptive son, turns against her.
The finale. According to the TV Mao recap, Fan Xiaoxiao lures Xiaoyuan to a studio that turns out to be a trap, and Qi Lian is caught there too. She wants to push Xiaoyuan to a "critical point" before she removes the chip. Qi Lian and Jiang Bo are both badly hurt trying to stop her, and the police arrive. Xiaoyuan goes on to the make-up competition. She does not win, but she is seen as having real ability and has reportedly overcome her own doubts.
Fan Xiaoxiao's fate. TV Mao says she is investigated for intentional injury and admits causing Xu Jingyang's death while claiming it was an accident. Yule Jiaodian and Maigoo say she is brought to justice for killing him.
Xu Jingyang's recording. TV Mao and ComingSoon both mention a recording he left for Qi Lian. In it he says he believed in what he built, and that he buried a patch to send Qi Lian a distress signal if anyone misused the system. TV Mao says Qi Lian has made peace with him after hearing it.
The couple. According to TV Mao, Xiaoyuan and Qi Lian recover in hospital together and go home to see her grandmother for the new year. In its epilogue, half a year later, Xiaoyuan walks along an abandoned railway track and says that even if she goes off the rails, Qi Lian will pull her back. Cheng's Musings sums it up as a happy ending, and it adds that it found the wrap-up rushed, with loose ends.
Where the sources disagree. The Sohu recap says Qi Lian destroys the system and Xu Jingyang dies as a result, with no clear final scene for the couple. One user-written Maigoo page says Xiaoyuan returns to 2025 and Qi Lian follows her, which doesn't match the other sources' "no parallel world" reveal. We can't settle these without watching.
Change what opens automatically in .
Did you finish it?
Anonymous. One vote per device. We never show a score from these.
Finished Derailment? Watch next
Picked by our editors for the same feel. Finished dramas first.
MobiusAll 16 episodes outHappy EndingHappy EndingA fast-paced thriller in which a police detective relives one day up to five times to catch a serial murderer who calls himself Squid.
VikiVikiVikiViki
AffinityAll 40 episodes outHappy EndingHappy EndingA bioengineering student and a man once suspected of a murder are pulled together by a virus-driven attraction in a sci-fi romance.
VikiVikiVikiViki
HomesickAll 12 episodes outBittersweetBittersweetA 12-episode mystery set in 1997 in which an orphan poses as a family's long-lost daughter to find her missing friend.
iQIYIiQIYIiQIYIiQIYI
Cast and characters
Also starring
- Jiang Xiaoyuan (Liu Haocun): a proud heiress who wakes up as a penniless migrant worker and builds a new career.
- Qi Lian (Lin Yi): a man from her hometown who helps her and investigates the mystery with her.
- Jiang Bo (Huang Shengchi): an established make-up artist who becomes her mentor and studio partner.
- Feng Ruixue (Fan Shiran): Xiaoyuan's close friend from high school.
- Huo Boyu (Wanyan Luorong): Xiaoyuan's ex-boyfriend.
- Fan Xiaoxiao (Liu Zi): a character introduced late in the story.
- Xu Jingyang (Li Tiannuo): a friend of Qi Lian who disappeared years earlier.
- Chen Fangzhou (Wang Chacha): the hair-salon owner who gives Xiaoyuan her first job, per one synopsis.
- Grandma Jiang (Chi Peng): Xiaoyuan's grandmother.
- Zhang Xiuqin (Che Yongli): a supporting character. We found no description of the role.
Identity Reveals
Ending spoilerShow identity reveals
The synopses present Xu Jingyang as Qi Lian's friend who vanished years ago, and the show's central reveal is who he really is. Chinese sources don't tell this the same way.
Ending spoilerReveal who Xu Jingyang is
Tencent News and Yule Jiaodian describe Xu Jingyang as a stand-in. The Tencent timeline says Qi Lian lost a school friend, Chen Tianyang (陈天阳), and that in the experiment the memory of that friend was replaced with Xu Jingyang. It also labels Xu Jingyang as the original developer of the Lighthouse system, whom it calls Noah. Yule Jiaodian adds that Qi Lian and Xiaoyuan did not actually know each other before the experiment. Cheng's Musings treats Xu Jingyang as a real high-school friend of Qi Lian, so the accounts don't line up, and we can't say how they fit together without watching.
The novel behind it
Derailment adapts Tuo Gui (脱轨), a novel by Priest, who publishes on Jinjiang Literature City (晋江文学城), according to Beijing News and Chinese Wikipedia. English Wikipedia's bibliography of Priest lists it under 2014, and we found that date only there. A Goodreads blurb describes the book's premise as an arrogant heiress named Jiang Xiaoyuan who becomes another version of herself in a parallel space, which matches the drama's setup. We haven't read the book. We found no official English edition, and no reliable comparison of the novel's ending with the drama's, so we can't say whether they differ.
- Original title
- 脱轨
- Author
- Priest priest
- First published
- JJWXC
- In English
- No official translation that we know of
Words and customs you'll hear
The title
Tuo gui (脱轨) is the word for a train coming off its rails, and it is also used figuratively for a life or relationship going off course. The production hasn't explained the title in anything we found.
Migrant worker
Chinese write-ups describe Xiaoyuan's new life as that of a dagong mei (打工妹), a young woman who works for wages away from home. The term sets up the show's contrast between her old life as an heiress and her new one at the bottom of the pay scale.
Derailment FAQ
Where can I watch Derailment?
In China it streams on Youku. From the US on October 25, 2026, Viki had all 30 episodes free with ads and English subtitles. Netflix also has a title page for it, which we couldn't check by country, and we found no Youku international page.
Who is in the cast of Derailment?
Liu Haocun plays Jiang Xiaoyuan and Lin Yi plays Qi Lian. Huang Shengchi plays the make-up artist Jiang Bo, Fan Shiran plays Feng Ruixue, Wanyan Luorong plays Huo Boyu, Liu Zi plays Fan Xiaoxiao and Li Tiannuo plays Xu Jingyang. Chi Peng, Che Yongli and Wang Chacha also appear, and D-Addicts lists many more.
Is Derailment a 2023 drama?
Yes. Derailment premiered on Youku on December 14, 2023 and ended on January 2, 2024, according to Chinese Wikipedia and D-Addicts. It is a single season of 30 episodes. We found no other Chinese series with this English title, so a 2023 Youku drama starring Liu Haocun and Lin Yi is the one people usually mean.
How many episodes does Derailment have?
Derailment has 30 episodes, according to Viki, D-Addicts, Chinese Wikipedia and Weixin Baike, and Chinese Wikipedia puts each at roughly 40 to 45 minutes. All of them have aired, and the story is told in full by the finale. It is a single season, and we found no announcement of a second one from Youku or the production team.
What is the story of Derailment?
Derailment is a 2023 Chinese mystery romance on Youku. After a car crash, the proud heiress Jiang Xiaoyuan wakes up seven years in the past as a penniless migrant worker. A man named Qi Lian helps her, and the two follow a mystery that connects them. We haven't watched it, so this is only the official premise.
Is Derailment worth watching?
Reviews we found are mixed. Cheng's Musings gave it 7/10, praising the premise, the gradual reveals and the cinematography, but criticizing the late villain and a rushed ending. Viki users score it 8.8 from about 21,000 ratings. We haven't watched it. Cheng's Musings recommended it to sci-fi fans more than to romance fans.
Is Derailment on Netflix?
Netflix has a title page for Derailment, rated NC16 on its Singapore store, with English, Malay and Chinese subtitles. We couldn't load the page to check the US, UK, Canada or Australia. In the US, Viki has all 30 episodes free with ads, which we checked on October 25, 2026.
Is Derailment based on a novel or another show?
It is based on a novel. Derailment adapts Tuo Gui (脱轨), a novel by Priest, who publishes on Jinjiang Literature City, according to Beijing News and Chinese Wikipedia. We found nothing suggesting it remakes another show. We found no official English edition of the book, and we haven't read it.
Is Derailment the same as Tuo Gui?
Yes. Tuo Gui is the pinyin of the Chinese title 脱轨, and Derailment is the English name used by Viki, Netflix and D-Addicts. The same name also belongs to Priest's novel. Some sites mislabel the show as a K-drama, but it is a mainland Chinese production on Youku, and its cast is Liu Haocun and Lin Yi.
Does Derailment have a happy ending?
SpoilerShow the answer
Minor spoilerReveal whether it ends happily
Yes for the leads, per Chinese recaps and an English review. Jiang Xiaoyuan and Qi Lian end up together, and the person who misused the experiment is arrested. Sources disagree on some details, including Xu Jingyang's fate, and we haven't watched it, so treat the finer points as unconfirmed.
How does Derailment end?
SpoilerShow the answer
Ending spoilerReveal the finale
Reportedly, there is no parallel world. Xiaoyuan's memories were altered by the Lighthouse experiment, Fan Xiaoxiao is exposed and arrested, and Xiaoyuan and Qi Lian end up together. Most of this comes from one TV Mao recap and Chinese commentary, and Sohu and Maigoo tell parts of it differently, so treat the details as unconfirmed.
What is the twist in Derailment?
SpoilerShow the answer
Ending spoilerReveal the twist
According to several sources, Xiaoyuan never travelled to a parallel world. She took part in a memory experiment called the Lighthouse system, and Qi Lian reportedly took part in it too. We haven't watched it, and Chinese commentary describes some pieces, such as who Xu Jingyang really is, in conflicting ways.
Is there more than one Chinese drama called Derailment?
We found only one. Searches for the English title turned up this 2023 Youku series, 脱轨, and no other Chinese drama. If a result shows a different cast or a Korean network, it is a different show or a mislabeled listing. This one stars Liu Haocun and Lin Yi, and its Chinese title is 脱轨.
Still have a question about Derailment?
Ask us anything: an episode, a character, where to watch it. We answer the common ones on this page.
If you liked Derailment
More modern romance our editors rate.
