I Am the Security Guard

The two villas had overdue property fees for a year, so it was likely the remaining sixteen also had outstanding fees. Additionally, the ninety apartments might also be behind on their property fees.

Even though the property fees for regular apartments were lower, with ninety of them, it would still add up. If each apartment had an annual property fee of 10,000 yuan, that would total 900,000 yuan.

As for the remaining sixteen villas, given his experience with the first two, Ye Chen knew it would be quite a hefty sum.

After listing the properties online, Ye Chen drove back to Fengsheng Garden, parked in the garage, and headed to the property management office.

Since he planned to keep this villa, he decided to pay the overdue property fees first. Of course, he could only afford to pay the past dues for now because his current funds were just enough for that.

"Sigh, I'm really broke. My parents' lifetime savings plus my earnings from these years are only enough to cover a year's property fees for one villa," Ye Chen muttered to himself.

"Hello, Mr. Ye," greeted the property staff enthusiastically upon seeing him approach. Understandably so, as he was there to pay money. If someone came to give you money, you'd be enthusiastic too.

"Hi, I'm here to pay the overdue property fees," Ye Chen said.

"Sure, sure. Please have some water," the staff offered.

"No need, I'm not thirsty," Ye Chen declined.

The staff quickly brought over a ledger, opened it, and asked, "Mr. Ye, are you paying just the overdue amount?"

"Yes, I'll pay the overdue amount for now. I'll settle this year's fees later," Ye Chen confirmed.

"Alright," the staff agreed easily. The property management here was quite accommodating—not because they were lenient but because they had no choice. The residents here were wealthy or influential, people they couldn't afford to offend.

Moreover, these residents were just late in paying, not refusing to pay. In truth, as long as they could collect the fees, they wouldn't push too hard.

Also, Ye Chen's villa had been unoccupied, yet the fees had been accruing. Though unoccupied properties still require fees, they couldn't enforce it strictly with unreasonable residents.

So, Ye Chen paid over 500,000 yuan, feeling the pain of the expenditure. Despite the heartache, the fees had to be paid.

"Oh, by the way, my villa hasn't been lived in for a long time. Could you arrange for someone to clean it? I'll cover the cost," Ye Chen inquired.

"Of course, Mr. Ye. We have concierge services here in our complex," the staff explained.

"Great. How much will that cost?" Ye Chen asked.

"It depends on the level of cleaning you need. If it's just the interior, it's not too expensive—2,000 yuan will suffice. However, if you want a thorough cleaning inside and out, including the yard, walls, and gate, it might cost around 10,000 yuan," the staff detailed.

"Alright, then do a thorough cleaning inside and out. I might not be able to stay here to oversee it, though..." Ye Chen hesitated.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ye. All cleaning staff are part of our property management team. Even if you're not here, it's fine. Just leave the keys with us," the staff reassured him.

Ye Chen paid another 10,000 yuan and left the keys with the property management, trusting in their professionalism.

After handling everything, Ye Chen checked his phone. It was already 2 PM, and he realized he hadn't eaten lunch yet. He had been so busy that he forgot to eat.

Leaving the villa complex, he bought a meat sandwich on the street and started munching it while heading towards Huadong Building. Yes, Ye Chen was going to work—as a security guard.

His job was to be a security guard. What else would he do? Besides, with everything still uncertain, working as a guard gave him peace of mind.

When he returned to the dormitory, it was empty, presumably because his colleagues were still at work. With nothing else to do, Ye Chen lay on his single bed, contemplating his situation.

Honestly, it all felt like a dream. If it weren't for the text message notification confirming he had paid over 500,000 yuan, he might have thought he was dreaming.

At 6:30 PM, four men in security uniforms walked in. Ye Chen quickly got up from the bed. One of them was Li Gang, the team leader who had brought him to the dormitory that morning.

Before Ye Chen could speak, a rather skinny security guard asked, "Captain, is this our new colleague?"

"That's right," Li Gang nodded and introduced, "Ye Chen, our new team member."

"Hi, Ye Chen, I'm Zhao Peng," the skinny guard extended his hand.

"Hi," Ye Chen replied, shaking his hand. They would be comrades in arms, so it was good to be friendly.

"Hello, Ye Chen, I'm Zhu Naifu," said another guard.

"Zhu Naifu?" Ye Chen was momentarily taken aback, then glanced at the chubby guard, who indeed looked like a prosperous pig.

Of course, Ye Chen only thought this and didn't say it out loud.

But Zhu Naifu saw Ye Chen's expression and said, "You're thinking I look like a prosperous pig, right?"

"No, no," Ye Chen quickly denied. He had just joined and needed to build good relations with his colleagues.