After Dumping the Scumbag, I Ended Up with His "White Moonlight” - Chapter 25

The MV was filmed at Experimental High School. Since it was summer break, the campus was quiet, save for a few faculty members.

The hair and makeup artist gave Qiu Yuyi’s slightly long hair a quick trim. Because his natural features were so refined and the theme was “Fresh Campus,” they only applied a light base and sunscreen. His transformation was complete in minutes.

Qiu Yuyi changed into a blue-and-white athletic school uniform. Already youthful-looking, this outfit made him the living image of a high school student.

Su Yichen was beyond satisfied. He snapped several photos on the spot, planning to post them on Weibo later—after cropping out the uniform to avoid spoilers—to build some hype.

The song was a track about the bittersweet days of youth. The MV’s concept was simple: a series of shots featuring him pushing a bicycle through the campus, sitting under a tree reading, and feeding stray cats.

The director was discussing details with Xia Di’an when he saw Qiu Yuyi step out in costume. He immediately beckoned him over.

“Director, you wanted to see me?” Sunlight caught the dark brown of Qiu Yuyi’s hair, creating soft halos of light around him.

The director studied him from head to toe, grinning. “Xiao Qiu, right? Not bad. In that uniform, you really capture the essence of those high school years.”

Qiu Yuyi offered a shy, pursed-lip smile at the praise.

Xia Di’an’s gaze had been fixed on him from the moment he arrived. Hearing the director, he smiled thinly. “My intuition is rarely wrong.”

The director laughed heartily. “Right you are! Your eye for talent is excellent. I can breathe easy now.” Before meeting him, the director had worried Qiu Yuyi might not fit the “student” image. Now that half the battle was won, the rest depended on his acting.

Before filming started, Qiu Yuyi pulled Xia Di’an aside. “Don’t be too intimate with me in front of Yichen. He’ll definitely get suspicious.”

Xia Di’an arched an eyebrow, looking displeased. “What? Are you afraid of him knowing about us?”

“Of course not,” Qiu Yuyi denied quickly. He just felt that since they weren’t “officially” dating yet, Su Yichen might assume Xia Di’an was just playing around, which would ruin Xia Di’an’s reputation in his manager’s eyes. Unable to explain his reasoning, he simply gripped Xia Di’an’s sleeve and looked at him pleadingly.

“Fine, fine. We’ll do it your way,” Xia Di’an relented, though his expression remained sour. “Where is this ‘Brother Yichen’ of yours? I don’t see him.”

Oblivious to the jealousy, Qiu Yuyi answered obediently, “He went to buy me something to eat. He’ll be back soon.”

Xia Di’an’s focus shifted instantly. “You haven’t eaten?” It was already 10:00 AM.

Qiu Yuyi rubbed his nose. “Not yet. I was in a rush to leave this morning.” Xia Di’an frowned.

Speak of the devil—Su Yichen came running over with both hands full of bags. “Xiao Yi! I bought a ton of stuff. See what you want!”

As he reached them, he realized Xia Di’an was standing right there. Xia Di’an gave him a calculated look before offering a shallow smile. “So, you’re Su Yichen?”

Su Yichen stammered, “Yes, yes! I’m Su Yichen, Xiao Yi’s manager. Thank you so much for looking after our boy.”

Qiu Yuyi peered into the bags. “Yichen, why did you buy so much?”

Su Yichen rolled his eyes. “It’s not just for you. Pick one quickly; I have to hand the rest out to the crew.”

Qiu Yuyi always focused on the acting, leaving the social networking and “favors” to Su Yichen. He smiled apologetically and rummaged through the bags, pulling out two sandwiches. He naturally handed a whole-wheat bacon sandwich to Xia Di’an. “Brother Xia, this one doesn’t have ham. Eat this.”

Xia Di’an never ate ham—a detail Qiu Yuyi had remembered.

A smile flickered in Xia Di’an’s eyes as he shot a casual, triumphant glance at Su Yichen. Su Yichen, meanwhile, looked at Qiu Yuyi in shock.

Qiu Yuyi was oblivious. Seeing Xia Di’an hadn’t taken it yet, he shoved the sandwich into the man’s hands. “Eat. You like bacon, don’t you?”

Xia Di’an finally laughed. “Thank you, Xiao Yi.”

Watching them, Su Yichen felt a sudden, inexplicable sense that he was an outsider to their dynamic. He gave a hollow laugh. “I’ll go hand out the rest. Enjoy your meal!” He turned and ran off with the bags.

The subsequent shoot went incredibly well. The moment the director saw Qiu Yuyi’s performance on the monitor, his eyes lit up.

“Where did you find this kid? He’s fantastic,” the director praised while watching the playback. Xia Di’an kept his eyes on the screen, staring at Qiu Yuyi’s face without a word.

“Come here, Xiao Qiu, let me show you something.” After the shot, the director called him over. “This part and this part need another take. We need to supplement it with a few close-ups.”

“Understood, Director,” Qiu Yuyi nodded. The makeup artist came over for a touch-up, and they resumed.

Filming didn’t wrap until the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky turned a deep indigo. To make the shoot easier, Xia Di’an had booked out two floors of a nearby hotel for the crew.

Qiu Yuyi removed his makeup, changed into his own clothes, and walked out of the dressing room with Su Yichen. Only a few crew members were left packing up equipment.

At the school gates, a familiar car was idling. As they approached, the window rolled down. “Brother Yi, get in! I’ll take you back to the hotel,” Xiao Miao’s face appeared. Through the open window, Qiu Yuyi saw Xia Di’an sitting in the back.

Su Yichen looked at Xiao Miao, confused. “Yichen, this is Brother Xia’s assistant,” Qiu Yuyi introduced.

Xia Di’an’s assistant? Su Yichen looked at the back seat. “That’s, that’s a bit much, isn’t it? We don’t want to be a bother.”

Xiao Miao grinned. “No bother at all! In fact, it’s more of a bother for me if you don’t get in.”

Su Yichen didn’t understand the implication, but before he could ask, Qiu Yuyi opened the front passenger door and pushed him inside. Once Su Yichen was settled, Qiu Yuyi opened the back door and sat beside Xia Di’an.

“Here we go,” Xiao Miao chirped.

Because Su Yichen was right in front of them, Qiu Yuyi didn’t dare act too close. He turned to look at the scenery passing by. Suddenly, he felt a hand close over his on the seat. He turned; Xia Di’an was staring calmly ahead as if nothing was happening.

Qiu Yuyi couldn’t help but steal a secret smile. “Oh, Brother Xia, could you give Yichen an autograph later? He’s actually a huge fan of yours.”

Su Yichen turned around at the mention. Qiu Yuyi quickly snatched his hand back and rested it on his lap.

“Sure. Where do you want it?” Xia Di’an’s smile seemed much more genuine upon hearing Su Yichen was a fan.

“Just sign my shirt! I’ll never wash it again,” Su Yichen beamed, giving Qiu Yuyi a look that said, I knew I raised you right.

Qiu Yuyi giggled.

“What time is your flight tomorrow?” Xia Di’an asked.

“3:00 PM.”

There are still a few pick-up shots to film at the school tomorrow morning. Once those are finished, he’ll head straight to the airport; he’s already brought all his luggage with him.

“Alright. I’ll drop you at the airport tomorrow, then head over to your place to pick up the rabbit,” Xia Di’an said softly.

“Oh, right. I haven’t given you the keys yet. I don’t have a spare, so just take mine for now.”

Qiu Yuyi fished out his keys and handed them over. Xia Di’an didn’t hesitate, naturally accepting them.

Sitting in the front, Su Yichen listened to the domestic, casual tone of their conversation. He glanced at Xiao Miao, but seeing the assistant driving with a perfectly neutral expression, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was just making a mountain out of a molehill.

Because Su Yichen was present, Qiu Yuyi politely declined Xia Di’an’s invitation to dinner. Once Xia Di’an finished signing Su Yichen’s shirt, Qiu Yuyi made a quick exit, dragging his manager along.

The moment they entered their room, Su Yichen began to marvel. “Xiao Yi, I really didn’t expect you and Xia Di’an to be this close. He’s even driving us to the airport tomorrow!”

Qiu Yuyi smiled. “Brother Xia is a great person. He took good care of me during the variety show.”

“But didn’t you say Shen Nian has always been in love with him? Doesn’t it feel weird being around him?”

“Not at all,” Qiu Yuyi said, quickly defending Xia Di’an. “He is his own person, and Shen Nian is Shen Nian. Don’t lump them together.”

“Fine, fine. Let’s drop it.” Su Yichen opened a food delivery app. “What do you want for dinner tonight?”

The next day, after finishing his final shots, Qiu Yuyi boarded Xia Di’an’s car to head to the airport.

Once they arrived and parked, Xiao Miao pointedly dragged Su Yichen out of the car, leaving Xia Di’an and Qiu Yuyi alone in the backseat.

“I’m leaving my rabbit in your hands. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can call and ask me,” Qiu Yuyi nagged, fussing over the details.

“Can I only contact you if there’s a problem?” Xia Di’an’s tone was tender.

Qiu Yuyi felt a bit shy and whispered, “You can reach out whenever you want. I’ll definitely reply when I’m free.”

Xia Di’an patted his head. “Take care of yourself. Eat on time. And if anyone bullies you on set, tell me.”

Qiu Yuyi laughed. “I’m not that easy to bully.”

They lingered for a few more moments of whispered intimacy before Qiu Yuyi said reluctantly, “I should go now.”

“Mm. Message me when you land.” Xia Di’an leaned in and kissed Qiu Yuyi’s cheek.

Outside the car, Su Yichen looked utterly bewildered.

“Why isn’t Xiao Yi coming out yet?” He checked the time, looking anxious, then turned to Xiao Miao. “And why did you drag me out here anyway?”

Xiao Miao looked at Su Yichen’s confused face and paused. After a moment, he asked hesitantly, “You haven’t realized yet?”