"I..."
"I was thinking of my little sister, who passed away."
The tour guide's hand froze in front of Li Xian's eyes.
Li Xian bowed his head deeply, his sorrowful voice reaching everyone's ears:
"My sister used to tell me she wanted to travel... but I was busy with work back then, and I didn't have the money. I kept putting off fulfilling her wish, and I've regretted it ever since she died... if she were still alive, she'd be sitting beside me right now, enjoying the scenery with me..."
While Li Xian spoke, the tour guide quietly withdrew his hand. To keep his expression from giving him away, Li Xian silently covered his face after finishing his fabricated story, pretending to grieve.
Nearly a minute passed after he covered his face. He heard neither a response from the tour guide nor the sound of him walking away. Puzzled but unable to raise his head, he could only fake a couple of sniffles and keep waiting.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qiuyue had the best seat for watching and saw every change in the tour guide's expression.
The dangerous, faintly angry look on his face instantly turned into-I'm such a terrible person!
During that silent minute, the tour guide could only be described as completely at a loss. Standing beside Li Xian, he repeatedly opened his mouth, stopping himself several times without deciding what to say. In the end, he could only offer a soft response to the "sobbing" Li Xian:
"...My condolences. I'll leave you alone for now."
With that, the tour guide asked Li Xian no further questions, nor did he find someone else to share their impressions. He turned and wandered back to the front of the carriage, his retreating figure looking utterly dispirited.
Having finally gotten a response from