Zhang Wei, startled by her sudden gesture, turned to her with a mix of confusion and concern. "What's going on?"
"K-Keep them... I don't want them anymore," Xiong Mei said hesitantly, her voice trembling slightly, betraying her fear of his reaction.
"Why?" Zhang Wei couldn't help but ask, a knot of apprehension tightening in his stomach.
Xiong Mei fell silent for a moment, her gaze dropping to the floor as she collected her thoughts.
She then took a deep, steadying breath and lifted her eyes to meet his, now shimmering with tears but resolute. "I... I don't want to be a canary..."
"What—" Zhang Wei's expression shifted into a shadow of concern and confusion.
What was Xiong Mei trying to convey?
Was this some kind of game where he was supposed to coax her back to normalcy?
If so, she was gravely mistaken about how he would respond.