This just showed that Ye Chen was still a small fry. Spending over ten million yuan a year on rent might seem a lot to him, but there are people who spend billions on buying houses. Spread over fifty years, the yearly average cost would be much higher.
Ye Chen hadn't reached that level yet. Once he did, he wouldn't think spending this much money on rent was unreasonable.
Can a billionaire and a poor guy think the same way? A poor guy would deliberate endlessly over buying a car worth a few tens of thousands, while a billionaire wouldn't bat an eye at buying a car worth millions.
For someone like Ye Chen, spending over ten million yuan on rent was as significant as spending a little over ten thousand yuan. It was even more insignificant because Ye Chen would still think twice about renting a place for over ten thousand yuan a year.
That's the difference between the poor and the rich. Ye Chen was the poor one.
During this time, Ye Chen also learned the woman's name—Su Mei. Her name perfectly matched her allure; she truly was as charming as her name suggested.
"Ye Chen, that's a nice name," Su Mei said, looking at Ye Chen's signature on the contract.
Her comment sent a shiver down Ye Chen's spine, making him want to leave immediately. However, he paused to say, "Why don't you transfer the property management fee to me? I'll handle this year's payment for you."
"Oh, sure. How much is the property management fee?"
"This villa is 1,350 square meters, and the monthly fee is 40 yuan per square meter. That totals 648,000 yuan a year. You can give me 600,000 yuan, and if you continue renting next year, you can pay it yourself."
Before Ye Chen had finished speaking, his phone chimed with a notification. He looked and saw a transfer of 650,000 yuan.
"What's this?" Ye Chen frowned.
"I never transfer fractional amounts."
"Oh, alright." Ye Chen shrugged. Just moments ago, he had asked Su Mei to transfer only 600,000 yuan. In comparison, he seemed much more generous than her.
So Ye Chen didn't refuse the extra money. The reason he offered to pay the property management fee for Su Mei was that he had previously told the property management staff he would pay it all at once. If he went now and only paid the overdue amount, what would they think? He hadn't expected Su Mei to be so straightforward.
"Alright then. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way. I have things to do this afternoon."
"Okay."
After leaving the villa, Ye Chen drove straight to the property management office and paid the property management fees for the previous and current years. The total was 1,296,000 yuan, which pained Ye Chen greatly.
Although half of that amount was covered by Su Mei, the other half was still Ye Chen's, and he felt the pinch.
Initially, Ye Chen wanted to return the car, but a glance at his phone told him he was running late. He had no choice but to drive to the mall.
Of course, he didn't park in the mall's parking lot but in one about 200 meters away. Then he walked back to his dormitory.
By this time, everyone had finished their lunch break. Poor Ye Chen didn't even have time to eat.
"Brother Chen," Zhao Peng called out as soon as he saw Ye Chen.
This kid had a bit of a dependent nature. After patrolling with Ye Chen for a few days, he became somewhat reliant on him. But that wasn't a bad thing; it felt good to have someone to protect.
"Ye Chen, change your clothes quickly. It's almost time to start work," Captain Li Gang said.
"Okay."
Ye Chen hurriedly took off his jacket and put on his security uniform. He then went to the bathroom to wash his face before joining everyone else on their way to the mall.
"Brother Chen, we have a day off tomorrow. What are you planning to do?" Zhao Peng asked as soon as they entered the mall.
"A day off tomorrow? Who said that?"
"Brother Chen, don't you know? Our team has 24 small squads, and we take turns having days off. Tomorrow is our squad's turn."
"Oh! No one told me!" Ye Chen shrugged.
"Sorry, Brother Chen. I forgot you just joined. Let me explain: we get eight days off each month. The schedule varies, and the days off aren't fixed."
"Got it."
Ye Chen nodded, just as he noticed Zhao Peng sneaking glances in a certain direction. Following his gaze, Ye Chen saw a sweet-looking cosmetics saleswoman.
"You like her, don't you?" Ye Chen nudged Zhao Peng.
"No, no, Brother Chen, I don't," Zhao Peng denied quickly, shaking his head.
"Liking her isn't a problem, but let me give you some advice: she's out of your league."
Ye Chen had always been aware of his own limitations. He didn't know Zhao Peng's situation exactly, but he had a rough idea.
Girls working in luxury stores tended to have high standards, likely due to their work environment. They wouldn't be interested in small-time security guards like Zhao Peng and Ye Chen.
"No, Brother Chen, I really don't."
"Alright, if you say so."
Ye Chen had been patrolling with Zhao Peng for a few days now. He knew whether Zhao Peng liked the girl or not. But since Zhao Peng wasn't admitting it, Ye Chen decided not to press the issue.
Zhao Peng was tall but too skinny. If he were as strong as Wang Yong, he might have had a slim chance. Unfortunately, he wasn't. In fact, he was so skinny he could be blown away by a gust of wind. No girl would find that attractive.