Ye Chen took the people installing the safe directly to the Fengshengyuan Villa District.
After installing the safe in the villa's basement, Ye Chen had the installers leave.
He then locked up the property deeds and authentication certificates, feeling much more at ease once they were secured.
After finishing this, Ye Chen drove to the mall. Although many people were on vacation, the mall was crowded.
Ye Chen just glanced around and then returned to the dormitory in the basement. Everyone was still sleeping, so he lay down to rest as well.
At 10 p.m., Ye Chen began his shift, patrolling the mall's perimeter.
Ye Chen expected another quiet night, but around 2 a.m., as he and Zhao Peng patrolled the south end of the mall, they found someone lying on the sidewalk.
Ye Chen initially didn't want to intervene, assuming it was just another drunk, a common sight. But after a few steps, he stopped.
It was a woman. If it were a man, the cold weather would be no issue; he'd just wake up and leave in the morning. But this was a young woman, based on her attire, and leaving her there didn't seem right.
"Zhao Peng, come over and give me a hand."
"Huh? Brother Chen, are we really handling this?"
Near the mall, just a bit south, there was a large nightclub. During their recent patrols, they often encountered such situations.
Usually, Ye Chen wouldn't get involved, merely moving those lying too close to the road back onto the sidewalk.
But this time was different. Ye Chen's concern puzzled Zhao Peng.
"She's a girl, Zhao Peng," Ye Chen pointed out.
Scratching his head, Zhao Peng quickly came over to help. It made sense; they couldn't leave a girl like this, as it was too dangerous.
"Brother Chen, what now?" Zhao Peng asked after they helped the drunken girl up.
"Call the police."
"No use, Brother Chen. This happens every day, and the police don't handle it. We've called before, and they don't come, or they just can't manage it."
"What should we do then?"
Ye Chen was new to this, but Zhao Peng had been around longer and had seen it all.
"Brother Chen, if you really want to help, we can take her to the hotel up north."
"Alright." Ye Chen nodded.
To be honest, if it were a man, Ye Chen wouldn't have bothered. But since it was a girl, he felt compelled to help.
There was a hotel just north of the mall, across a small road. They supported the girl to the hotel.
"Please, we need a room," Ye Chen told the receptionist.
"ID card."
"Oh, right." Ye Chen answered, preparing to find the girl's ID.
But then he realized she hadn't brought anything. She was just in a dress, seemingly without a place to keep an ID.
"Can we use my ID?"
"Who's staying?"
"She is." Ye Chen pointed to the girl.
"Then we need her ID." The receptionist gave Ye Chen a peculiar look.
"But she doesn't have one." Ye Chen indicated the girl.
"Sorry, we require ID for check-in."
"Come on! We're security guards from the mall. This girl was drunk and lying on the road outside. Can't you make an exception?"
"Sorry, I can't. Plus, in her current state, are you sure about leaving her alone in a hotel?"
"Uh, well…"
The receptionist had a point. Leaving her alone in this condition could lead to unforeseen trouble.
"Alright then."
With no other option, they helped the girl back outside.
"What now, Brother Chen?" Zhao Peng asked.
"I don't know. We can't just leave her here. Maybe we should take her to our dorm. We're on night duty, and she can leave in the morning when she wakes up."
"Sounds good." Zhao Peng nodded.
Since the dorm was quite a distance away, carrying her would take forever. So, Ye Chen decided to carry her on his back. He considered letting Zhao Peng carry her, but Zhao Peng was too small and weak.
Ye Chen carried the girl to their dorm in the basement, where no one would be sleeping since they were all on night duty.
Zhao Peng opened the door and turned on the lights, asking, "Brother Chen, where should we put her?"
"On the bed, obviously." Ye Chen rolled his eyes. "We can't just leave her on the floor."
Understanding, Zhao Peng prepared Ye Chen's bed, and Ye Chen laid the girl down, covering her with a blanket.
As she had been lying with her head down, they hadn't seen her face clearly until now.
"Wow, Brother Chen, she's beautiful!"
"Shh, keep it down."
The dorm wasn't just for their team but for the entire security crew. Any noise in the quiet basement would echo.
"Sorry."
"Alright, let's continue our patrol."
"Sure."