After Dumping the Scumbag, I Ended Up with His "White Moonlight” - Chapter 10

Night.

July was lying in his dog bed, happily gnawing on a pair of disposable slippers provided by the guesthouse.

The sound of splashing water echoed from the bathroom. Xia Di’an was taking a shower.

Qiu Yuyi had changed into his pajamas. As he dried his dripping hair with a towel, he looked at the room’s solitary bed with trepidation. As Shen Nian’s “substitute,” the thought of living with the “White Moonlight” himself for a month made him feel incredibly uneasy.

Fortunately, the production crew had sent over an extra quilt earlier. Otherwise, the image of the two of them sharing a single blanket, Qiu Yuyi shuddered at the thought.

Xia Di’an’s luggage had been delivered while they were out for dinner and now sat open by the bedside. Noticing that Xia Di’an had brought his own bedding, Qiu Yuyi hesitated for a moment before taking out the duvet cover and helping Xia Di’an slip his quilt inside.

July had apparently grown tired of the slippers. Seeing Qiu Yuyi finish with the bedding, the puppy trotted over on his short legs and huffed, begging to be picked up. Looking into July’s round, watery eyes, Qiu Yuyi’s heart melted. He knelt down and scooped the pup into his arms.

Pomeranians are small to begin with, and July had suffered from long-term malnutrition. Balancing him in his arms, Qiu Yuyi estimated he weighed barely three pounds.

“Little baby, you’re far too light,” Qiu Yuyi cooed, kissing July twice. He was already mentally planning extra meals to supplement the pup’s nutrition.

Unbeknownst to him, the water in the bathroom had stopped. Xia Di’an was leaning against the wall, watching. The young man was bowing his head, tenderly coaxing the puppy in his arms; the warm yellow light spilled over him, casting a delicate halo across his features.

Xia Di’an’s eyes darkened, and his throat moved slightly, but he remained quiet, choosing not to disturb the scene.

After playing with July for a while and seeing the dog yawn, Qiu Yuyi placed him back in his bed. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around.

Xia Di’an stood by the bed in navy blue pajamas. He looked at Qiu Yuyi, arched an eyebrow, and pointed at the quilt. “Did you change that for me? Thanks.” He bent down to zip up his organized suitcase and stood it up against the sofa.

Only then did he turn his full attention to Qiu Yuyi.

“Your hair is still wet? Sleeping with wet hair causes headaches. There’s a hairdryer in the bathroom—let me dry it for you.”

“No, no need!” Qiu Yuyi took a few steps back. “I can do it myself. Go ahead and sleep, Brother Xia, don’t wait for me.” With that, he dodged around Xia Di’an and jogged into the bathroom.

Seeing Qiu Yuyi run faster than the rabbits downstairs, Xia Di’an gave a soft snort, kicked off his slippers, and lay down on the outer side of the bed.

When Qiu Yuyi finished drying his hair and emerged, Xia Di’an was lying there with his eyes closed, seemingly already asleep. Turning off the main light and using his phone’s flashlight, Qiu Yuyi carefully stepped over Xia Di’an to reach the inner side. Only when he finally lay down did he allow his body to relax.

The final guest wasn’t arriving until noon tomorrow, leaving the morning free. He planned to take a walk alone to familiarize himself with the surroundings. After setting his alarm for 8:00 AM, he turned over, back to Xia Di’an, and quickly fell asleep.

Hearing the steady breathing behind him, Xia Di’an turned over in the darkness to face Qiu Yuyi’s back.

Middle of the Night.

Qiu Yuyi woke up from the cold; his quilt had somehow been kicked aside. Groggy and eyes still closed, he reached out blindly and caught the corner of a blanket. He lifted it and rolled right in. The warmth was blissful. He let out a content sigh and promptly sank back into a deep slumber.

8:00 AM.

Sunlight streamed through the window. The alarm was chirping incessantly. A hand reached out from under the covers, fumbling across the bed for the phone but failing to find it. Qiu Yuyi grumbled, forcing his eyes open just a crack.

“Ah!” He nearly shrieked.

Right in front of him was Xia Di’an’s flawless face. At this proximity, Qiu Yuyi could see every long, curled eyelash. Why am I in the same quilt as Xia Di’an? He racked his brain but couldn’t remember.

He hurriedly silenced the alarm and began to lift the covers, desperate to escape before Xia Di’an woke up. However, the moment he moved, the man in front of him opened his eyes.

Xia Di’an didn’t seem fully awake yet. Seeing Qiu Yuyi lying with him didn’t trigger much of a reaction; instead, he reached out, pulled Qiu Yuyi into a firm embrace, and muttered hoarsely, “Don’t move. Stay with me a bit longer.”

Then, he closed his eyes again.

Wrapped in Xia Di’an’s arms, Qiu Yuyi went completely rigid.

Downstairs, Noon.

Cao Ziping and Shen Jiashi were talking, while Hu Shasha sat nearby, chiming in occasionally. The production team had certainly spent a fortune this season to land two top-tier idols at once.

Shen Jiashi had arrived at midday. Upon learning that Xia Di’an and Qiu Yuyi were sharing a room, he offered to take the double room himself, but Xia Di’an declined with a smile, citing that he had already unpacked and moving would be too much trouble.

Shen Jiashi was sunny, handsome, and incredibly charismatic. Within minutes, he had Lin Xuemeng giggling and even convinced her to cook lunch herself to welcome him.

Qiu Yuyi stood stoically in the kitchen washing vegetables. Xia Di’an stayed by his side, handing him more greens the moment he finished a batch. It was a silent, repetitive loop.

“Alright, stop being angry,” Xia Di’an whispered into Qiu Yuyi’s ear while Lin Xuemeng was out of the room. From the moment they got out of bed until now, Qiu Yuyi hadn’t spoken a single word to him.

Qiu Yuyi’s hands stiffened, and he began scrubbing the vegetables with renewed, aggressive force.

After being pulled into that embrace this morning, he hadn’t dared to move. He had spent the time rehearsing how to explain the “misunderstanding” once Xia Di’an woke up, but he ended up falling asleep in those arms anyway, waking up only near noon.

Thinking of this, Qiu Yuyi’s face flushed a deep crimson. He wasn’t actually angry; he was just mortified and didn’t know how to face the man.

Seeing the blush, Xia Di’an sighed softly. “About this morning—it was my fault. I have a habit of hugging things in my sleep. I just mistook you for a pillow. Don’t overthink it.”

“Really?” Qiu Yuyi finally looked up. Receiving a nod of confirmation, he finally smiled. “Then let’s ask the staff for an extra pillow later. You can hug that tonight.”

“Deal,” Xia Di’an agreed.

The Next Day: Official Start of Recording.

This season consisted of twelve episodes, with occasional live streams to give fans a direct look into their idols’ daily lives.

The official cast reveal on Weibo had already set the internet ablaze. Between the success of Season 1 and the addition of the two superstars—Xia Di’an and Shen Jiashi—the show was trending before a single frame had aired. Fans were already battling in the comments.

Last night, while scrolling through Weibo, Qiu Yuyi even saw a few encouraging comments for himself. Judging by the IDs, they were his “die-hard” fans.

For the first day of filming, the crew planned a two-hour live broadcast for the six guests to interact with the audience. As soon as the stream went live, the viewer count skyrocketed, quickly hitting 500,000.

[Live Chat Snippets]

Mrs. Xia: AHHHH! Live Di Di! I’m seeing him move!

Potato Flute: Two years! Di Di is finally back and on a variety show! This is his variety debut!

Shen Jiashi’s Mom: Look at my Jia Jia! Son, make sure you eat well! Mom loves you!

Stormy Sky: I never thought I’d see Xia Di’an and Shen Jiashi on the same stage in my lifetime.

Tomato Egg: Just a passerby here—Xia Di’an is top-tier for sure, but is Shen Jiashi really on that level?

Starfish: Another hater pretending to be a passerby? Xia Di’an was gone for two years; Jia Jia is way more popular now.

Autumn Milk Tea: My son! You finally appeared, Mama loves you!

“Good morning everyone! Welcome to Season 2 of Leisure Time,” Cao Ziping took his role as host. “I’m Cao Ziping, and I’m back!”

Lin Xuemeng followed: “I’m Lin Xuemeng, and I’m back too.”

Xia Di’an smiled warmly. “Hello, I’m Xia Di’an. It’s been two years. I’m home.”

Shen Jiashi flashed a bright, eight-tooth grin. “Hi! I’m Shen Jiashi! So happy to be here!”

The camera turned to Qiu Yuyi. He cleared his throat. “I’m Qiu Yuyi.” He paused, looking slightly nervous. “I’m an actor. I hope you’ll like me.”

Finally, Hu Shasha gave a sweet smile. “Hello, I’m Hu Shasha. I’m Sister Lin’s junior. I’m eighteen and still a rookie.” Qiu Yuyi noticed Lin Xuemeng’s smile falter.

Following the director’s cues, Cao Ziping announced a game. He and Lin Xuemeng would play Rock-Paper-Scissors to pick their teams.

Lin Xuemeng won the first round and picked Xia Di’an without hesitation. Cao Ziping chose Shen Jiashi.

In the second round, Cao Ziping won. He initially pointed toward Qiu Yuyi, but seeing Lin Xuemeng frown, his finger pivoted last second. “I pick Hu Shasha.”

The remaining Qiu Yuyi was naturally assigned to Lin Xuemeng’s team.

The game began.