After Dumping the Scumbag, I Ended Up with His "White Moonlight” - Chapter 11

The game was simple: a head-to-head battle. Both players wore hats with a name taped to the front. They took turns asking questions, and the first person to guess the name on their own hat won.

The first team to win two rounds would be the victors; the losing team would be responsible for tonight’s dinner.

The two captains stepped up first. Lin Xuemeng’s hat read “Nezha,” while Cao Ziping’s read “Sun Wukong.” Cao Ziping’s questions were surgically precise, and within a few rounds, he successfully guessed his answer.

Next up was Xia Di’an. According to the rules, he could choose either Shen Jiashi or Qiu Yuyi as his opponent.

Xia Di’an’s gaze drifted toward Shen Jiashi. Given their respective popularity and what the audience likely wanted to see, everyone assumed he would pick the fellow superstar. Qiu Yuyi, standing at the very edge of the group, was already mentally preparing questions to use against Hu Shasha.

To everyone’s surprise, Xia Di’an’s eyes swept past Shen Jiashi and locked onto Qiu Yuyi.

“I choose Qiu Yuyi.”

Qiu Yuyi: “???”

Before he could even process the choice, Lin Xuemeng laughed and nudged him forward. When he saw that Xia Di’an’s hat read “Qiu Yuyi,” his expression stiffened slightly. Xia Di’an’s face also darkened for a fraction of a second before he smoothed it over with a practiced smile.

“Am I a celebrity?” Xia Di’an asked first.

“Yes.” Qiu Yuyi hesitated for a moment before asking, “Is my character a real person?”

Xia Di’an nodded. “Yes. Am I a singer or an actor?”

Cao Ziping chimed in, “Hey, don’t count out us hosts!”

“An actor,” Qiu Yuyi said with a smile to Cao Ziping. Then he looked at Xia Di’an. “Have I met this person?”

As soon as the question left his mouth, Qiu Yuyi realized his mistake. He and Xia Di’an had only just met; how could Xia Di’an possibly know who he had or hadn’t met in the past?

Surprisingly, Xia Di’an glanced up at the name on Qiu Yuyi’s hat. His voice turned somewhat cold. “Yes, you’ve met.”

I have? Surprised, Qiu Yuyi scanned the people around him. The scope of possibilities had just narrowed significantly.

“What about me? Have I met this person?” Xia Di’an followed up.

“Yes,” Qiu Yuyi replied, feeling a bit dejected. Now they were both at the same stage of the game.

Hearing the answer, a small curve touched Xia Di’an’s lips, and his brow relaxed. “Can I guess now?” He watched Qiu Yuyi’s nervous face and spoke with slow deliberation. “An actor, and someone I’ve met. It’s Qiu Yuyi, right?”

Qiu Yuyi’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He couldn’t help but mutter, “Jiashi is an actor too, why didn’t you guess him?” His voice was so low that only Xia Di’an heard him.

Xia Di’an looked down at him and smiled, but said nothing.

Qiu Yuyi took off his hat and looked at the card. His face instantly paled with embarrassment.

“Shen Nian.”

Of all the names in the world, why did it have to be Shen Nian? He felt a wave of frustration, but seeing that Xia Di’an hadn’t reacted specifically to the name, he tried to steady his heart. A “cannon fodder” like him was better off not getting tangled between Shen Nian and his White Moonlight.

Cao Ziping’s team took the first two rounds, winning the match. Shen Jiashi and Hu Shasha played the third round for fun, with Shen Jiashi securing the only victory for Lin Xuemeng’s team.

By this point, the live stream viewership had surpassed one million.

Following the game was the Q&A segment, where guests randomly selected questions from the live chat. The chat box was a frantic blur of scrolling messages.

One fan asked Cao Ziping which season’s guests he preferred. Naturally, he dodged the trap with a practiced smile and chose a milder question to answer. Another fan asked Lin Xuemeng how she felt about not being “famous” despite years of acting.

She didn’t look embarrassed, replying calmly, “As long as you have acting skills and the audience can immerse themselves in your performance, you are a good actor. Fame is secondary.”

The majority of the questions were for the two superstars.

[Jia Jia’s Baby]: “Baby, when are you taking a new role? I’m in a drama drought!”

Shen Jiashi laughed. “Looks like we have a career-focused fan here. I’m currently looking at scripts, so don’t worry.”

Other fans were curious about the living arrangements. Cao Ziping answered, “Xiao Xia and Xiao Qiu are sharing a room; everyone else has their own.”

Xia Di’an’s fans were immediately displeased, flooding the screen with complaints about “unfair treatment.” Some trolls mocked Xia Di’an, claiming his popularity had tanked so much he was forced to bunk with a “nobody” whose name they’d never even heard.

The atmosphere in the chat became explosive.

Xia Di’an had been checking the live feed on his phone. Seeing fans starting to vent their anger on Qiu Yuyi, he looked up and gave the camera a reassuring smile. “I was the one who asked to stay with Xiao Yi. I admire him very much.”

Startled, Qiu Yuyi turned to look at Xia Di’an, only to find the man looking back with a smile. Their eyes met. A warmth blossomed in Qiu Yuyi’s chest, and he quickly added, “Brother Xia has been taking great care of me. It’s an honor to stay with him.”

Seeing Xia Di’an speak up for Qiu Yuyi, the fans gradually calmed down, and the mood in the chat turned harmonious again.

Cao Ziping shot Qiu Yuyi an apologetic look; he hadn’t expected a casual remark to trigger such a backlash. Noticing a question from what seemed to be one of Qiu Yuyi’s fans, he quickly read it aloud: “Xiao Qiu, a fan is asking if joining this show means you’re officially returning to the industry after your two-year break. Will you be acting again?”

Surprised to have a question of his own, Qiu Yuyi sat up straight and answered earnestly, “Yes, I’m preparing for new roles. I’ll work hard.”

Since Hu Shasha was a complete rookie with no fans, Cao Ziping cued her to perform a talent to avoid any awkwardness. To Qiu Yuyi’s surprise, she didn’t hesitate. She stood up and performed a scene from a hit drama from earlier that year—coincidentally, a scene featuring the second female lead played by Lin Xuemeng.

While her acting was a bit raw, it was natural, and her line delivery was unexpectedly good. Cao Ziping’s smile turned a bit strained, but he still praised her: “The younger generation is truly formidable.”

Lin Xuemeng sat to the side with a mocking smile, averting her gaze. Qiu Yuyi felt more certain than ever that Hu Shasha was not as innocent as she appeared. He felt a flash of distaste for her tactic of stepping on a senior to climb higher.

Subconsciously, he shifted his weight away from her.

Noticing Qiu Yuyi’s sudden movement toward him, Xia Di’an shot him a subtle glance and tilted his own body slightly, closing the gap between them. Consequently, as the six of them sat on the sofa, they were clustered together in a tight, uneven line.

Naturally, the fans in the live stream didn’t miss it.

[A Fish That Breathes]: Is it just me, or are Xia Di’an and Qiu Yuyi sitting really close?

[Mrs. Xia]: I noticed too! My husband seems to get along great with this Qiu Yuyi guy.

[Little Mushroom]: Right? He even stood up for him just now!

[Xia Di’an’s Girlfriend]: My baby is gentle to everyone, okay? It’s just a colleague thing. Don’t ship them, they aren’t close.

[Passerby A]: Fans are hilarious. They’re literally roommates; if they aren’t close, are they close to you?

The two hours flew by. Once the stream ended, “Shao Guang” officially opened for business.

The initial funds provided by the show were only 5,000 yuan. After daily wages and groceries, the budget was incredibly tight. Their goal was to earn 50,000 yuan within a month. Compared to other business-style reality shows, the target was modest, which gave Qiu Yuyi a sense of relief.

They had divided the labor the day before: Cao Ziping and Shen Jiashi were the servers; Lin Xuemeng was the head chef; Xia Di’an handled the front desk and accounting. Qiu Yuyi and Hu Shasha were the general help, filling in wherever needed.

July had been sleeping soundly upstairs. Qiu Yuyi went up to refill his food and water, then came back down to give the rabbit a handful of alfalfa and clean the litter box. He was just sitting down with Lin Xuemeng and Shen Jiashi to discuss dinner when the very first guest for “Shao Guang” arrived at the door.

She was wearing a blue JK (Japanese schoolgirl) uniform and looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. The moment her eyes landed on Xia Di’an, she let out a piercing shriek.

A fan, Qiu Yuyi thought, shooting the young girl an understanding look.

Xia Di’an recognized her as a fan as well. He stepped forward with a practiced smile, but before he could even offer a greeting—

“AHHHHHHHH!” The girl turned into a human tea kettle, her expression one of pure, unadulterated excitement. “My son! Mama loves you!”

“Pfft.” Qiu Yuyi couldn’t hold it back; a laugh escaped his lips.

The others quickly ducked their heads, muffling their own snickers.

Xia Di’an looked at the girl—who was nearly a decade younger than him—with a profoundly complicated expression. His smile was visibly fracturing. He took a deep breath and forced out the words, “Hello. Are you here to stay the night or just for a meal?”

“Meal! Just a meal!” The girl suddenly realized what she had just blurted out to his face and flushed. “Sorry, sorry! It was just a slip of the tongue!” She found a seat and sat down. “I’m only fifteen, so I can only have dinner. I’m not allowed to stay at a hotel alone yet,” she added with a hint of dejection.

She ordered a curry pork chop rice and then sat there, chin resting in her hands, staring at Xia Di’an at the front desk with a permanent grin.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to laugh,” Qiu Yuyi said, hesitating for a moment before inching his way over to where Xia Di’an sat alone.

Thinking of how a fifteen-year-old had just called him “son,” Qiu Yuyi’s eyes crinkled. He wanted to laugh all over again.

Xia Di’an shot him a dry, resigned look. “I had almost managed to forget it. Now that you’ve brought it up, it’s all coming back.”

“Ah.” Qiu Yuyi blinked, his mouth hanging open slightly. “I didn’t mean to. I won’t say another word.” To prove his resolve, he clamped a hand over his mouth.

Feeling a bit stifled, Xia Di’an reached out and pinched Qiu Yuyi’s fair, soft cheek. “I’ll deal with you tonight,” he whispered.

Qiu Yuyi blinked, stunned. Wait, what?

“AHHHHHHHHH!” Not far away, the young girl was clutching her mouth, her eyes gleaming.

Though she couldn’t hear what they were whispering, she was staring intently at the intimate behavior of the two men at the front desk, screaming internally.

What did I just witness? This is way too good! I ship it!