Salam
There are many ways to prove the meaning. One is to look at similar verses and interpret it through similar expressions. Another is to see the verse by flow in the chapter and let the first impression take place and not to twist it out of it's place.
Another is to see what hadiths say about it. From my research, all hadiths from Prophet (a) or Ahlulbayt (a) have talked about the verse in a way that implies there is a guide living right now. This is true of Sunni and Shia hadiths of ALL sects including Zaidis.
Inshallah, I will systemically show from other angles to, verses that compliment this theme as well (for example, the verses about witnesses).
قلت لابي عبدالله : « إنما أنت منذر
ولكل قوم هاد » فقال : رسول الله المنذر وعلى الهادي ، يا با محمد هل من هاد اليوم؟ فقلت : بلى جعلت فداك ، ما زال منكم هاد من بعد هاد حتى دفعت إليك ، فقال : رحمك الله يا با محمد
لو كانت إذا نزلت آية على رجل ثم مات ذلك الرجل ماتت الآية مات الكتاب ، لكنه حي بجري فيمن بقي كما جرى فيمن مضى
Here's the translation of the hadith:
I said to Abu Abdullah (Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq): "Indeed, you are a warner, and
for every people, there is a guide." He said: "The Messenger of Allah was the warner, and Ali is the guide. O Abu Muhammad, is there a guide today?" I replied: "Yes, may I be your ransom, there has always been a guide from you after another guide until it reached you." He said: "May Allah have mercy on you, O Abu Muhammad. If it were such that when a verse was revealed to a man and then that man died, the verse would also die and the Book would die.
But the Book is alive and runs in those who remain just as it ran in those who have passed."
The Book of God is "Alive", and is "the Guide".
It ran through those who remain.
Not that, a person who is the chosen Imam of God, is always alive.
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 651:
Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "I am the nearest of all the people to the son of Mary, and all the prophets are paternal brothers, and
there has been no prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus)."
Also in Sunan Abi Dawud 4324:
Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (ﷺ). He will descent (to the earth).
Also, Sahih al-Bukhari 3442
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "I am the nearest of all the people to the son of Mary, and all the prophets are paternal brothers, and
there has been no prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus).
If it means a Person is the guide between people, then who was the guide beyween Jesus and Muhammad, According to Quran and Hadith? I don't want things made up. But what does Hadith and Quran says.
The Book itself is the guide for the people, for its period it is appointed for. (To Each Age its Book 13:38)
Hadith of Thaghalayn also confirms this.