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墨書 Inktalez
Bai Qingxia stood silently behind me, not pressing for more details.
Just then, my father, Lu Jianguo, hurried over with a worried expression. "What happened? Why does the warehouse look like a water curtain cave?"
I turned to see him approaching us with a look of surprise. A few supermarket employees followed him, carrying mops and buckets, ready to clean up the mess.
My heart sank; I knew this "man-made accident" would be hard to explain. I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm as I prepared for my father's questions.
I glanced at Bai Qingxia. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure, standing quietly beside me and waiting for my explanation. I gently patted her hand, signaling her not to worry.
"This is a long story..." I paused, glancing at Zhao Zhiqiang and his two drenched companions who were awkwardly escaping from the warehouse.
Lu Jianguo's brow furrowed as he quickly walked to the warehouse entrance. He surveyed the chaotic scene inside, where water continued to flow out. I continued, "Zhao Zhiqiang and his friends were messing around in the warehouse and accidentally hit the fire sprinkler switch. When I heard the noise, I rushed over to check."
Lu Jianguo stepped closer to the entrance, taking in the disarray with various items floating on the floor. His expression darkened. "Fire sprinkler? How could it suddenly activate like this? How much damage will this cause?" He paused for a moment, his tone tinged with reproach. "Kids these days really have no sense; they lack any safety awareness."
Feigning innocence, I shrugged. "I don't know; it started spraying as soon as I walked in." A few supermarket employees nodded in agreement, exchanging glances.
Lu Jianguo followed my gaze and saw Zhao Zhiqiang and his friends shivering like drowned rats, stamping their feet in distress.
I pretended to ponder for a moment, scratching my head. "Maybe it was an old circuit that shorted out." I stole a glance at Bai Qingxia; she had lowered her head, seemingly deep in thought.
He turned to one of the employees behind him. "Xiao Wang, go check the equipment."
The clerk, known as Xiao Wang, responded quickly and hurried towards the depths of the warehouse. Lu Jianguo paced back and forth, anxiously rubbing his hands while muttering, "How much is this going to cost us..."
I feigned calmness and cleared my throat, saying, "Dad, actually... it was Zhao Zhiqiang." As I spoke, I discreetly glanced at Bai Qingxia. She had her head slightly lowered, her hands tightly clenched together, her knuckles turning pale.
While I spoke, I secretly observed Bai Qingxia's reaction. She kept her head down, her long eyelashes casting shadows over her eyes, hiding her emotions from view.
"The Lu Jian Fire Sprinkler System suddenly activated for some reason. I happened to be there and pulled Qingxia out," I continued.
Several supermarket employees shrugged with sincere expressions. "Bai Qingxia and I were just passing by when we heard the sound of rushing water. We came in to check and found it like this." I glanced back at Bai Qingxia; she nodded in agreement, a perfectly measured look of surprise on her face.
I watched my father's expression closely and casually added, "Dad, I think I saw Zhao Zhiqiang and his kid causing trouble in the warehouse earlier. They accidentally broke the valve of the sprinkler system, which led to the flooding." As I spoke, I subtly monitored my father's reaction.
Upon hearing this, Lu Jianguo's anger flared up instantly, though his tone softened a bit. "Qingxia was there too; she didn't get soaked, did she?"
Bai Qingxia nodded in cooperation and gently tugged at her clothing's hem, a hint of fear in her eyes. "Yes, Uncle, the water was flowing so heavily that it startled us."
Lu Jianguo scrutinized me with a furrowed brow; he knew my character well and understood that I was usually cautious and unlikely to make such a rookie mistake. "Was it really just an accident?" he pressed, his tone filled with skepticism.
Zhao Zhiqiang stiffened at these words. He raised his head, his eyes flickering as he dared not meet Lu Jianguo's furious gaze. "Uncle Lu... I... I..." he stammered, struggling to articulate a coherent explanation. "The system seemed to malfunction; it just started spraying water."
Lu Jianguo looked in shock at the flooded warehouse, his brow furrowed tightly. "The sprinkler system? How could it malfunction? I had someone check it just a few days ago!"
Still half-convinced, Lu Jianguo pointed angrily at Zhao Zhiqiang and his two lackeys who were still struggling in the water. "Then what are you all doing here? How did you end up in the warehouse?"
I shrugged and said casually, "I saw Zhao Zhiqiang and his friends sneaking around near the warehouse. Could it be their doing?!"
Lu Jianguo's face turned red with anger as he exclaimed, "Zhao Zhiqiang? That little brat again! He’s always loafing around, causing trouble at the supermarket every few days. He’s really out of control! Where is he? I’m going to teach him a lesson!" With that, he rolled up his sleeves and headed toward the warehouse.
Inside the warehouse, the water flow was gradually diminishing as Zhao Zhiqiang and his two lackeys stumbled out, drenched from head to toe, looking like three drowned rats. Zhao Zhiqiang wiped his face and glared at me fiercely.
I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly while maintaining a neutral expression. His two lackeys kept their heads down, afraid to speak, water still dripping from them and forming a small puddle on the floor.
Lu Jianguo followed my gaze to Zhao Zhiqiang in the warehouse, noticing the damaged goods, and shouted, "Look at what you've done! Can you afford these losses?!"
Zhao Zhiqiang trembled in fear, lifting his head to look at me with a panicked expression, seemingly seeking my help.
I shook my head slightly, indicating that I couldn’t assist him.
Bai Qingxia watched everything unfold with wide eyes filled with surprise. She seemed taken aback by how cleverly I had deflected the crisis onto Zhao Zhiqiang. She glanced at me discreetly, a hint of unnoticeable admiration flickering in her gaze.
I feigned surprise and said, "Zhao Zhiqiang, you were in the warehouse too? What were you doing in there?"
Zhao Zhiqiang's eyes darted around, avoiding my gaze. "I... I was just taking a look..." He rubbed his hands together nervously as he spoke, his eyes shifting uneasily.
"Zhao Zhiqiang?!" Lu Jianguo slammed his thigh in frustration and shouted angrily, "It’s that little brat again! Causing trouble every few days!"
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