Wang Xiaoliang hurried a few steps forward and blocked the old man's path squarely outside the crowd.
The old man stopped and looked up at him. He did not get angry; his expression held the calm of someone who had seen all sorts of people. "Brother, what are you doing? Wei Zijin isn't yours alone."
"How do you know?"
Wang Xiaoliang did not move or raise his voice. He simply threw the words out.
"She is mine alone."
The old man froze for a second, then smiled, one corner of his mouth curling up. "Well, not bad, brother. There's something to that. How about we become friends?"
Wang Xiaoliang already had his next few lines queued up in his head, all insults, some clean and some filthy. Looking at that old face, he actually could not decide which to use first.
Then he heard two screams.
Not the kind people let out when startled. They were genuinely terrified.
He left the old man behind and charged into the crowd, planting a hand on someone's shoulder and using it to push his way through. Inside, everything was already in chaos.
A man had his whole body pressed against Jin Huaqi's back. His arms stretched forward, his hands gripping Wei Zijin's shoulders. Jin Huaqi hunched over, shielding Wei Zijin in front of her.
Without thinking, Wang Xiaoliang grabbed the man's shoulder and yanked him back. Once he had pulled him around, he drove his right fist straight into him.
The punch landed on his face with a dull thud.
The man dropped straight onto his backside. The people nearby scattered with a rush, backing several steps away, and another woman screamed.
Nobody left. They all stood watching.
Every one of them held a phone.
Jin Huaqi supported Wei Zijin, and the two