He had started far too hastily, never considering that the little girl might finish the chant so quickly. When he saw her slowly turn her head, he desperately tried to stop his feet, but his body kept pitching forward-
The middle-aged man clamped both hands onto the seats beside him, barely keeping his balance with his arms and legs spread wide. His head hung low; he neither dared nor was able to look up.
He had no idea whether he had steadied himself before the little girl turned around. All he could do was hold that awkward pose and silently pray he had not been caught.
After two seconds of silence, the little girl at the front giggled twice.
"The man at the front, you're out."
A chill instantly spread through his limbs. At her words, his arms went weak, and he lost his support, landing on the floor on his backside.
He looked up in panic at the figure at the end of the aisle. The little girl had both hands behind her back and was staring straight at him with a frown, saying nothing.
The middle-aged man had no idea what to do now. He tried to stammer out an explanation, but after a trembling "I..." nothing else came.
When the little girl saw that he still had not moved, she complained:
"Hurry up and sit off to the side, mister. Don't get in the way of everyone else playing."
The little girl's behavior surprised Guo Yuanmiao. He showed none of it on his face, but doubts were already stirring in his mind.
She was just going to... let him go?
Could she not be this carriage's key passenger?
The middle-aged man was stunned and delighted all at once. He hurriedly braced himself against a seat and stood,