The middle-aged man a few steps away froze at Li Xian's actions, silently thinking:
He actually dared to go over and talk them down? Did he have a death wish?
As it turned out, Li Xian had even more of a death wish than he had imagined.
After approaching the elderly man and woman, he made no attempt to stop their card game. Instead, he said:
"Could I play a few rounds with you?"
Jiang Qiuyue sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly turned to look at the male passenger wearing headphones.
He silently opened his eyes and stared at Li Xian's back.
The elderly man, meanwhile, beamed at the prospect of someone joining his card game.
"Of course! Sit down, sit down!"
He patted the seat beside him and had Li Xian sit.
Li Xian smiled shyly. He reached out to gather the cards on the table as he said to the elderly man:
"I don't play this very often, so I might be a little slow."
His well-behaved manner instantly endeared him to both of them. The elderly man waved a hand, saying, "That's fine, that's fine," while the elderly woman beside him smiled. "There's no hurry. Take your time. You'll get the hang of it after a few rounds."
Her eyes softened as she looked at Li Xian. "We have a son about your age. We're taking this train to visit him."
As Li Xian gathered the cards, he chatted casually with the elderly couple. From work and daily life to family matters, they told him everything without the slightest reserve. All he had to do was listen quietly, occasionally smiling, nodding, or offering a word of agreement, and they would keep talking.
Li Xian gathered the cards carefully, picking them up from the table almost one