After Dumping the Scumbag, I Ended Up with His "White Moonlight” - Chapter 6

Thursday.

After days of gloom and rain, the sky finally cleared. Even though it was only 8:00 AM, the world outside was already bathed in brilliant sunlight.

Su Yichen had been summoned by Qiu Yuyi early that morning. On the phone, Qiu Yuyi had been vague and hesitant, only insisting that Su Yichen come over as quickly as possible. Worried that something had happened, Su Yichen threw on some clothes and hailed a taxi immediately.

As he stepped out of the elevator, he was greeted by a commotion in the hallway. It sounded like heavy objects were being moved. Reaching Qiu Yuyi’s front door, he found it wide open. A man in a uniform was talking to Qiu Yuyi in the entryway, while two or three others were busy securing several large boxes inside.

What was going on?

Su Yichen’s first thought was that Qiu Yuyi was packing for the variety show they were filming the day after tomorrow, but he quickly dismissed it. Looking at the five or six massive crates, it was obvious no one needed that much luggage for a single show.

Unless?

No way. Su Yichen had seen exactly how much Qiu Yuyi loved Shen Nian over the past two years. Besides, they had seemed perfectly fine in the car just two days ago. Surely, they hadn’t broken up in the span of forty-eight hours?

Despite the doubt, a flicker of hope rose in Su Yichen’s heart. In his eyes, Shen Nian wasn’t worth even a fraction of Qiu Yuyi’s devotion. If this really was a breakup, he’d be the first to cheer.

As Su Yichen stood dazed at the door, Qiu Yuyi turned and spotted him. After giving a few final instructions to the movers, he waved him in. “Yichen, you’re here. Come in.”

“What’s all this?” Su Yichen walked to his side, gesturing toward the large boxes.

“Can’t you tell?” Qiu Yuyi shrugged. “I’m moving.”

“You’re actually moving?” Su Yichen’s eyes lit up. “Then—” He stopped himself from blurting out the rest of his question, realizing there were outsiders present.

Qiu Yuyi knew exactly what he wanted to ask. He had no intention of hiding anything from his best friend, but with movers bustling around, now wasn’t the time for a heart-to-heart.

Sensing the atmosphere, Su Yichen changed the subject. “Do you have a place to stay? If not, you can crash at my place for a while.” Since graduating, Su Yichen had been renting a two-bedroom apartment, and the guest room was always vacant.

“No need,” Qiu Yuyi shook his head. “Yesterday afternoon, I found an apartment near your place. It’s just a one-bedroom, and it’s a bit small, but the complex management is great.”

He pulled out his phone to show some photos. “Look, these are from the landlord. I went to see it last night; the decor is quite nice.” As if afraid Su Yichen would object, he added, “You’ll see for yourself later. I’ve already signed the lease.”

Since the deal was done, Su Yichen had no choice but to agree, no matter how worried he was. He gave a helpless laugh. “Fine. Living near me means I can get to you in a heartbeat if anything happens.” He reached out and pinched Qiu Yuyi’s cheek. “You little, you move fast. I can’t believe you already have a new place.”

His smile faded quickly, however. During their call yesterday afternoon, Qiu Yuyi hadn’t mentioned a word about moving. In just ten-odd hours, something must have happened to make him this resolute.

The moving company worked with professional speed, quickly loading Qiu Yuyi’s belongings onto the truck. Standing in the now-hollow apartment, Qiu Yuyi pursed his lips. His heart still throbbed with a dull, lingering ache.

It’s okay. It’ll pass soon, he told himself.

He took one last look at the place he had called home for two years. Then, his gaze hardened as he pulled the door shut.

Goodbye.

Goodbye, Shen Nian.

“This place is actually quite nice.”

Su Yichen took a tour of the new apartment. Though small, the decor was warm and cozy. Most importantly, it was only a ten-minute walk from his own place.

“Right?” Qiu Yuyi pushed the large crates to the side of the room. “The landlord said their daughter bought this place. This is the first time it’s been on the rental market.”

Seeing that the boxes were cluttering the floor, Su Yichen helped Qiu Yuyi stack them.

“That’ll do for now,” Qiu Yuyi said, rubbing his lower back. Stacking the boxes had made the living room feel much more spacious. “I’ll make the bed first; I can unpack the rest slowly.”

“Alright. I hired a part-time cleaner for you,” Su Yichen said, waving his phone. “She’ll be here this afternoon to scrub the place down.”

“Thanks,” Qiu Yuyi smiled, accepting the kindness.

Once the bed was made, Su Yichen sat him down. “Alright, spill. What happened?”

He had to tell him eventually. Qiu Yuyi gave a weary smile and took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady. “It’s nothing major, really. It’s just, Shen Nian. He was using me as a substitute for Xia Di’an.” The word “substitute” felt bitter in his mouth.

“What? A substitute?”

Su Yichen’s brain short-circuited for a second. When he finally processed it, he nearly jumped out of his skin with rage. “I knew Shen Nian was a piece of work! But wait—who did you say he was replacing?”

“Xia Di’an,” Qiu Yuyi repeated.

Son of a—! Su Yichen felt like exposing Shen Nian on Weibo right then and there. He studied Qiu Yuyi’s face carefully, still unable to wrap his head around it. “No way. Aside from being beautiful and fair-skinned, I don’t see a single similarity between you and Xia Di’an!”

A trace of bitterness flickered in Qiu Yuyi’s heart. “Our eye colors are the same.”

Yesterday, Qiu Yuyi had sat in that study staring at the photo of Xia Di’an for a full hour. He had asked himself: Can I accept being someone else’s shadow?

The answer was a resounding no.

He loved Shen Nian, but he had a bottom line. He had his pride. Shen Nian had treated him as a placeholder and lied to him for two entire years. Qiu Yuyi knew he would never be able to get over this betrayal. Even if he softened his heart now, it would remain a thorn in his side, tormenting him through countless nights to come.

Once he had made the decision to leave, the crushing weight remained, but he felt a strange sense of lightness.

Su Yichen was floored. “Shen Nian is absolutely despicable. Did you tell him it’s over? Does he know you’ve moved out?”

Qiu Yuyi shook his head. From the moment he left that study yesterday, he had been obsessed with finding a new place, signing the lease, and packing all night. He hadn’t had a single moment to notify Shen Nian.

“You won’t get cold feet, will you?” Su Yichen looked at him suspiciously. “I’m telling you, do not go back to him. I don’t care how rich or handsome that trash is; he’s not worth it.” He knew Qiu Yuyi was soft-hearted and feared Shen Nian might sweet-talk him back into the cage.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Qiu Yuyi answered firmly. “I’m breaking up with him today.” He saw the lingering doubt on Su Yichen’s face and gave a helpless sigh. It seemed his “love-brain” reputation from the last two years was going to be hard to shake.

Checking the time, he realized they had three hours before the cleaner arrived. He hadn’t eaten a single thing since the cast dinner the night before last. Now that the adrenaline was fading, his stomach was growling, and a faint, familiar pang of hunger-induced pain began to flare.

“Let’s go. Isn’t there a good BBQ place nearby?” he said, grabbing his coat. “My treat. Consider it a housewarming celebration.”

After lunch, Su Yichen stayed until the cleaner had finished before preparing to leave. He was still worried about Qiu Yuyi being alone with his thoughts and offered to stay the night.

Qiu Yuyi insisted he was fine, and Su Yichen eventually relented, though he lingered at the doorway with a worried frown. “Call me the second you need anything, okay?”

Once the door closed, Qiu Yuyi rubbed his temples. Having not slept for twenty-four hours, his head felt like it was being split open by a dull blade. All he wanted was to fall into a dreamless sleep.

But before that, there was one final task.

He took out his phone, opened his chat with Shen Nian, and typed a single sentence:

“Shen Nian, let’s break up.”

After hitting send, he stared at the screen for a few seconds, his mind momentarily blank. Then, he methodically moved Shen Nian, Xu Sen, and Xiao Yang into his blacklist.

As he finished, the sadness was still there, but it was overshadowed by a profound sense of relief. He let out a long breath and headed into the bathroom to wash away the exhaustion of the last two years.

Meanwhile, on a film set.

“Brother Nian,” Xiao Yang’s voice was trembling with panic. “Brother Yi, he blocked me too.”

Night had fallen. The lights in the trailer were off, leaving the interior in total darkness. Shen Nian sat in the shadows, his expression unreadable and grim.

Normally, Shen Nian was a man of few words and a stoic demeanor, but he had never looked as dark and menacing as he did now.

“Call him again,” Shen Nian hissed, the words forced through gritted teeth.

Xiao Yang looked like he was on the verge of tears. “I still can’t get through. Brother Yi must have blacklisted my number as well.”

Watching Shen Nian’s face grow increasingly grim, Xiao Yang felt a desperate urge to turn and bolt.

“Fine. Very well,” Shen Nian let out a sharp, cold laugh.

That afternoon, Qiu Yuyi had sent him a breakup text completely out of the blue. The moment Shen Nian saw it after filming, he tried calling, but the line was busy. He attempted to send a message, only to realize he had been blocked.

He immediately summoned Xiao Yang to contact him, only to find that the assistant had been blacklisted too.

So, he wants to cut ties completely?

Shen Nian couldn’t fathom what had happened. More than the sudden surge of panic in his chest, he felt a blinding rage. Even though he had intended to break up with Qiu Yuyi anyway now that Xia Di’an was back, the fact that Qiu Yuyi was the one to initiate it infuriated him.

“Go back there,” Shen Nian said, his eyes dark and predatory as he looked at Xiao Yang. “See if he’s at the house. If he is, bring him here.”

“W-what if, what if he isn’t there?” Xiao Yang’s voice trembled.

“Then just come back,” Shen Nian snapped, his expression souring even further.

If Qiu Yuyi was truly this desperate to leave him, he certainly wouldn’t beg him to stay.

He’s just a substitute, after all.

That was the thought he clung to.