Chapter 9: The Property Management Fee

The mystery was finally unveiled—Yuan Kai now understood why Chen Xiao had managed to secure the design institute’s order: by playing League of Legends with someone! He imagined that the female leader at the design institute must be quite inexperienced, and Chen Xiao was helping her climb ranks in the game, which explained everything.

Once this thin veil was lifted, all the wonder suddenly seemed perfectly ordinary. Yuan Kai secretly resolved to go home and practice League of Legends tirelessly, determined to snatch this major client away from Chen Xiao in the future!

Of course, Chen Xiao was completely unaware that his boastful nonsense had prompted Yuan Kai to sacrifice his evening rest, practicing the game until his kidneys felt drained.

Chen Xiao delivered the stamped contract to the design institute. Bai Lu looked at him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. “Is your workload really that heavy? You look like you haven’t slept well!”

“Yeah, stayed up until dawn,” he replied.

“Ah? So hard on you. Does the company pay overtime for that?”

“Nope! Voluntary overtime!” Chen Xiao responded coolly.

Look at his dedication—earning only 4,000 yuan a month and still volunteering for overtime until the early morning. Bai Lu felt even more guilty, touched by his commitment. She quickly called an internal line to have a clerk stamp the contract, instructing that the copy for Dr. Feng’s robotics division be given back to Chen Xiao. The efficiency was astonishing.

Once the contract was signed, a 40% down payment was due immediately. Before Chen Xiao even returned to the office, finance had already received 1.2 million yuan. Xia Yun was so excited she exclaimed, “Nice!” She rushed to report the good news to Feng Feifei, who was stunned. This deal had completely overturned her expectations.

The contract was signed quickly, and the money transferred even faster. This was utterly contrary to market norms.

“Chen Xiao is truly a lucky charm. This single order has pulled the company out of intensive care! Such talent must be rewarded!” Xia Yun, Feng Feifei’s middle school classmate, privately advised her.

“Indeed, he deserves a big reward. If it weren’t for Yuan Kai, I would have promoted him to manager already!” Feng Feifei lamented.

Originally, Feng Feifei was pleased that Yuan Kai stayed, but after his poor performance yesterday and Chen Xiao’s outstanding achievements, she regretted keeping Yuan Kai—she felt it was a bad move.

“Actually, there’s a solution. We could split the marketing department into two—Department One and Department Two—to foster healthy competition,” Xia Yun suggested, her eyes lighting up.

Feng Feifei found the idea promising. “Yes, first hire more people. Once the team is complete, we’ll announce Chen Xiao’s promotion.”

***

Unaware of all this, after work Chen Xiao returned to his rented room, grabbed two large bags of essentials, and hailed a taxi straight to Hairun Residence.

Hairun Residence was even closer to Dr. Feng’s robotics company—a high-end apartment complex in Jiangzhou. But no matter how upscale an apartment is, it can’t be too extravagant. Chen Xiao felt the system was just mocking him with this shabby place.

He was in Building 5 of Hairun Residence. Coincidentally—or fatefully—he had sealed the design institute’s deal in Building 5, and now his reward was also here.

Entering the lobby, he saw the elevator doors were closing. He quickly called out, “Wait!”

The closing doors reopened, and Chen Xiao stepped in, politely thanking the person inside. Then he froze.

Inside the elevator stood a young woman as tall as him, both roughly 178 cm. She had a graceful figure that swayed like willows in the breeze, exuding gentle femininity. Her jet-black hair softly draped over her slender neck like floating dark clouds. Her features were exquisitely crafted, as if sculpted by a master artist—especially her eyes, deep and lively, seeming to peer into the abyss of the soul. Her eyebrows were like ink paintings, delicate arches perfectly framing her sharp yet soft gaze.

She wore a fitted long dress that accentuated her balanced curves, like a goddess stepped out of Greek mythology—ethereal yet warm and tender.

Chen Xiao stole a glance at her flawless face, which bore no imperfections. However, her expression was cold, as if everything around her was utterly irrelevant. He stepped back, pulling out his phone to pretend to fiddle with it.

Accidentally, he pressed the camera button. The lens captured her breathtaking back and the full moon shape of her figure—the curve was a masterpiece of creation. Chen Xiao stared at the photo on his screen, mouth dry and speechless.

Looking up, he caught her glaring at him with disgust, as if he were a plague to be avoided. She quickly moved to the corner opposite him.

This was bad—had she mistaken him for a voyeur? She said nothing, so he couldn’t explain himself without confessing. He just stood there awkwardly.

Then he remembered he hadn’t pressed the floor button. About to do so, he noticed she had chosen the very floor he intended to go to—the twelfth.

The elevator arrived, and she hurried out. Chen Xiao followed, watching her brisk pace and those long legs, nearly 1.2 meters, striding swiftly ahead.

He found his door number—1224—and realized it was in the same direction as hers.

By the time he reached his door, she had already hurried inside, nervously glancing back at him. She lived directly across from him.

“Taken for a suspicious character,” Chen Xiao grumbled. He looked presentable—how could he be mistaken for a bad guy? Unbeknownst to him, she had been watching him carefully while he searched for his door. Anyone living here would be cautious, naturally suspecting strangers.

***

Inside, the apartment was small—a duplex with 48 square meters per floor. Yet it had a kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, and even a walk-in closet. Though modest, it had all the essentials.

The furniture was brand-name, not because the system was generous, but due to the developer’s standard configuration.

Better than the rented room. Chen Xiao tossed his belongings into the living room, showered, and lay down on the upstairs bed. He hadn’t slept well the night before and planned to rest early.

Before he could fall asleep, someone knocked loudly on the door. At first, he thought it was a neighbor—he had just moved in, and no one knew he was here, let alone come looking for him.

After listening for a while, Chen Xiao realized the knocking was definitely for his unit. Checking the time—7 p.m.—he hurried downstairs to open the door.

“Is there something you need?” he asked, pulling the door open. Standing there were two women dressed in the property management’s uniform, looking rather formidable.

The noise was loud enough that the girl across the hall cracked her door open and peeked toward them.

“You haven’t paid your property fees for over two years. It’s about time to settle up,” one woman said sharply.

Chen Xiao was baffled. Property fees? He had just moved in—what fees?

“Are you sure you have the right person?” he asked.

The woman sneered, “Is your name Chen Xiao?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Well then, no mistake. You owe two years’ worth of property fees. We’ve called, but you never answer. We came by and couldn’t find you. Tonight, the lights were on, so we came quickly. We’re determined to settle this today—otherwise, we might retire before ever collecting your fees!”