After Dumping the Scumbag, I Ended Up with His "White Moonlight” - Chapter 23

Ever since coming to terms with his true feelings, Shen Nian had taken to searching for news about Qiu Yuyi whenever he had a spare moment. Over time, both Xu Sen and Xiao Yang had noticed the change in him.

Xiao Yang, however, remained unimpressed. He didn’t know how to cherish what he had when it was right there; it’s too late for regrets now, he thought.

It was a rare day off for Shen Nian, and he slept until nearly noon. He walked into the living room, picked up the coffee Xiao Yang had prepared, and took a sip. “Any news on Xiao Yi today?”

When Qiu Yuyi had pulled him out of the blacklist, he had done the same for Xiao Yang and Xu Sen. Unfortunately, every message Shen Nian had sent since then had been met with stony silence. As a result, he still had no idea that Qiu

Yuyi had already returned to the city.

The once-submissive Qiu Yuyi had suddenly developed a spine, and rather than being angry, Shen Nian found himself intrigued. Had Qiu Yuyi known Shen Nian’s thoughts at that moment, he likely would have scoffed—it was a classic case of wanting what you can’t have.

“There is news. Leisure Time just released a teaser. Do you want to see it, Brother Shen?” Xiao Yang asked, clutching his phone. Having just watched it, he couldn’t help but look at Shen Nian with a flicker of pity.

Shen Nian set his coffee on the table, oblivious to the assistant’s gaze. He reached out an arm. “Phone.”

“Here.” Xiao Yang quickly opened the video and handed it over.

A minute later, Shen Nian’s relaxed brow began to knit together, and his expression soured. In the video, Xia Di’an’s features were as exquisite as ever, and the boy sitting beside him—Qiu Yuyi—was too beautiful to ignore.

Shen Nian’s eyes swirled with dark currents, his chest tightening with a suffocating irritation. He clenched his fists, struggling to keep his emotions in check. A month ago, he never would have imagined Xia Di’an and Qiu Yuyi being linked; he certainly never imagined he would find Xia Di’an eyesore-inducing because of Qiu Yuyi.

The moment Xia Di’an said, “Because one of the guests is someone I like,” Shen Nian knew instinctively that he was talking about Qiu Yuyi.

He racked his brain but couldn’t fathom when they could have possibly met. He had assumed they’d grown close during the show, but Xia Di’an’s attitude in the teaser suggested a much longer history.

He thought back to the dinner he’d had with Xia Di’an right after the man returned to the country—the night they’d run into Qiu Yuyi’s cast party. Looking back, Xia Di’an’s behavior toward Qiu Yuyi had already been unusual. But at the time, Shen Nian had been so focused on Xia Di’an that he hadn’t given it a second thought.

Shen Nian’s face went through several shades of frustration. He opened WeChat and dialed a video call.

Seeing the video call request from Shen Nian, Qiu Yuyi’s hand trembled so violently that he dropped his phone on the floor.

Is he calling to confront me? Did he see the interactions with Xia Di’an and get jealous?

He bent over to pick up the device. The call request persisted; it seemed the person on the other end wouldn’t stop until he answered. After hesitating for a long moment, he braced himself and hit accept.

Shen Nian appeared on the screen, wearing loungewear and looking quite grim.

He’s definitely here to interrogate me, Qiu Yuyi thought. He forced a stiff smile. “Senior Shen, was there something you needed?”

Shen Nian looked at the young man on the screen—the soft, dark brown hair, the bright features, the fair and clean face. His throat moved slightly. In their two years together, he had rarely acknowledged how truly stunning this youth was.

Then, Shen Nian’s gaze moved to the background behind the boy. His eyes darkened. The decor behind Qiu Yuyi was clearly from a place far beyond what the boy could afford to rent.

“Xiao Yi, where are you right now?” he asked, his voice strained.

Qiu Yuyi realized immediately that Shen Nian had noticed he wasn’t at his own apartment. He didn’t know if Shen Nian had ever been to Xia Di’an’s villa, so he hesitated, unable to find an answer.

Seeing the silence, Shen Nian’s suspicions solidified, and his heart sank. He took a deep breath, forcing his voice to become gentle. “Xiao Yi, can we meet? I have something to say to you.”

Qiu Yuyi didn’t want to go, but two years of submission to Shen Nian made it difficult to refuse outright. “I, I’ve been very busy lately. Our schedules might not match up.”

“It’s okay,” Shen Nian said, staring at him. “This time, I’ll be the one to accommodate you.”

The moment he hung up, Qiu Yuyi began to regret it. Shen Nian had trapped him with that last sentence, leaving him no choice but to agree.

He cursed his inability to say no and vowed to fix it. Then, a new wave of guilt hit him. Meeting an ex-boyfriend behind Xia Di’an’s back, he felt like a total scumbag just thinking about it.

He spent the afternoon tossing and turning on the sofa in a state of inner turmoil. Finally, he decided that the only way forward was to confess to Xia Di’an as soon as he got home. He pulled out his phone to ask when he’d be back.

A second later, Xia Di’an called him.

“When are you coming home?” Qiu Yuyi asked softly, his voice unintentionally sounding like he was pouting.

“Soon. Just a few finishing touches left,” Xia Di’an said, sounding weary. “Are you hungry? There are frozen dumplings in the fridge that Xiao Miao bought this morning. Boil some if you’re hungry.”

“I’m not hungry. I’ll wait for you so we can eat together.”

For some reason, he didn’t want to eat alone—though he had spent most of his meals alone when he was with Shen Nian.

“Alright. Wait for me. I’ll send you Xiao Miao’s WeChat info; tell him what you want to eat for dinner and I’ll have him buy it.”

“Okay. Come home quickly.”

After hanging up, he added the assistant’s contact. The request was approved almost instantly.

[Xiao Miao]: Hello, Boss’s Wife!

(Message retracted)

[Xiao Miao]: Hello, Brother Yi! This is Xiao Miao.

Qiu Yuyi sent over his dinner requests and went back to the TV. A historical fantasy drama was playing, and coincidentally, Shen Jiashi was the lead. He played an unloved prince of the heavens caught in a tragic love story spanning three lifetimes. Qiu Yuyi found himself getting sucked into the plot, so engrossed he didn’t even hear the front door open.

“What’s so fascinating?” Xia Di’an asked, setting a bag of takeout on the table.

Qiu Yuyi turned around, eyes bright with joy. He jumped up and ran to him. “You’re back!”

Seeing the irrepressible happiness on the boy’s face, Xia Di’an couldn’t help but pull him into a hug. “Don’t move. Just let me hold you for a second.”

“Is something wrong?” Qiu Yuyi asked, hugging him back with concern.

“Nothing. I’m just tired.” Xia Di’an was currently preparing his first domestic album, handling everything from lyrics to composition himself. The pressure was immense.

“Then go rest for a bit. I’ll heat up the food,” Qiu Yuyi said, gently pulling away to look at him with heartfelt worry.

Moved by the sincerity in those eyes, Xia Di’an leaned down and captured his lips. It was a kiss full of warmth and lingering affection. Caught off guard, Qiu Yuyi’s heart skipped several beats before he finally closed his eyes.

When they eventually parted, Xia Di’an’s gaze was dark and his voice husky. “I’m going to shower. I’ll be down soon.”

Being a man himself, Qiu Yuyi understood the implication immediately. His face flushed a bright red. He stood frozen for a long moment before grabbing the takeout bag and fleeing to the kitchen.

At the dinner table, water was still dripping from the tips of Xia Di’an’s hair.

Qiu Yuyi frowned at him. “You’ll get a headache if you don’t dry your hair. I’ll help you with the hairdryer later.”

Xia Di’an looked at him, his eyes brimming with a smile. “Alright. I’ll do whatever you say.”

After they finished, Xia Di’an insisted Qiu Yuyi sit down while he handled the cleanup, tossing the containers and wiping the table clean. He looked up at the boy. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to tell me?”

Qiu Yuyi grabbed the hairdryer and pulled Xia Di’an over to the sofa, nudging him to sit down.

He began drying the other man’s hair with gentle, steady strokes. Xia Di’an had excellent hair—thick and healthy—and it took nearly twenty minutes of drying before it was finally done.

Afterward, Xia Di’an took Qiu Yuyi’s aching arm and massaged it softly. “What are your plans for tomorrow?” he asked quietly.

“I have to head back. Yichen had to feed my rabbit for me today.”

Earlier that afternoon, Su Yichen had sent him a text. Almost as if he knew Qiu Yuyi wouldn’t be coming home, the manager told him on WeChat that he’d handled the rabbit and not to worry.

The hand massaging Qiu Yuyi’s arm paused for a fraction of a second. “He has a key to your place?” Xia Di’an asked, his voice carefully neutral.

“Yeah,” Qiu Yuyi nodded, thinking nothing of it. Even when he lived at Shen Nian’s, he had begged Shen Nian to let him cut a spare key for Su Yichen. Shen Nian had been reluctant but eventually agreed. It was lucky he did; otherwise, Su Yichen never would have been able to get into the house and rush him to the hospital that time he was semi-conscious with a fever.

Xia Di’an lowered his head, masking a fleeting flash of dark coldness in his eyes.

Qiu Yuyi was completely oblivious. Remembering the call from earlier, he began to speak with a slight stammer. “Um, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Xia Di’an looked up, his expression already perfectly tender once more.

“Shen Nian, he asked to meet me. I—I agreed.” Qiu Yuyi stole a quick glance at him.

Xia Di’an’s expression didn’t change. “Where did you agree to meet?”

“He said it wasn’t convenient to meet in public, so we’re meeting at his house.” Qiu Yuyi’s voice grew quieter with every word. Seeing that Xia Di’an wasn’t getting angry, he grew a bit bolder and allowed a hint of grievance to leak into his tone. “It’s actually your fault. You said on the show that you had someone you liked and then you were so intimate with me. Shen Nian loves you so much, he’s obviously jealous. That’s why he’s calling me in for an interrogation.”

As soon as he said it, Qiu Yuyi’s heart gave a violent thud.

Damn it. He still didn’t know if Xia Di’an actually knew about Shen Nian’s feelings. If he didn’t, hadn’t Qiu Yuyi just nudged them closer together by blurting it out?

After all, he had no idea if Xia Di’an had ever reciprocated Shen Nian’s feelings in the past. He probably did, Qiu Yuyi thought, feeling a twinge of bitterness. Why else would he have gone out to dinner with Shen Nian the moment he returned to the country?

Xia Di’an gave him a look that was hard to decipher, then let out a shallow, amused smile. “In that case, I’ll go with you.”