If they blow you off, they're telling you they don't want to hear bad news. How to react at that point is a matter of judgment; I've personally found telling pe

If they blow you off, they're telling you they don't want to hear bad news. How to react at that point is a matter of judgment; I've personally found telling people things they don't want to hear is tiring enough that nowadays I save it for emergencies, so in this kind of case I just drop the pointed questions, and nod and smile and say something pleasant that's vague enough not to be untrue.