Chapter 975: Chapter 759:
It’s still the same issue: the EAP Project Team can finish the game, but just can’t achieve a perfect save.
"Even if she’s forced to compromise, she’ll definitely have resistance in her heart. We don’t want submission; we want high-quality cooperation, so we need to remove that sense of coercion."
The receptionist master’s eyes began to clear up.
Seeing this, Chonghui translated it into language the receptionist master could understand: "You can understand it as [resistance emotion transformation]."
"If Xia Tian deletes her own recording and returns Shi Chuxin’s recorder, her resistance will lose its focus. She won’t think ’I’m being manipulated,’ ’I’m working for others,’ ’he wants to achieve his goals through me,’ but will instead lean towards ’It’s not urgent for her, it’s not important; maybe this is really beneficial for me.’"
For outsiders, this explanation might seem even harder to understand.
But this approach of translating everyday language into academic theory made the receptionist master fully comprehend it.
As the atmosphere of a research group discussion began to rise, Nan Zhubin added, "You can also understand it using the [cognitive dissonance theory]."
"An individual wouldn’t want to admit they’re ’forced to do something,’ but will align with ’doing it for their own benefit.’ Xia Tian deleted the recording, ostensibly giving her a choice again."
Nan Zhubin slightly tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Even if it’s just an apparent return of choice, she will change from ’I have to do it’ to ’I’m doing it for my own future,’ and her subsequent execution will be much stronger."
Actually, this is the principle of hitting first then giving a sweet reward.
Xia Tian gave Nan Zhubin and Chonghui a sweet smile, responding to their additions.
Mo Kai nodded repeatedly as he listened.
He had no issues understanding this principle — it was quite easy to grasp. He just couldn’t articulate it as clearly as Nan Zhubin and Chonghui.
Nonetheless, the receptionist master was still a bit concerned: "Now... without the recorder, what if she doesn’t figure out this level?"
The push and pull in negotiation places and interpersonal relations is still hard to see clearly and grasp.
No matter how dazzling the operations, they’re not as reassuring as plain and simple values.
Xia Tian seemingly analyzed many grand things, but the more intricate something is, the more far-reaching the damage will be if any part goes wrong.
For most people, only a tangible bargaining chip in hand can make them sleep peacefully.
Faced with the receptionist master’s question, Xia Tian blinked.
"That’s why my phone is still recording."
"...Ah?" The receptionist master was stunned.
"That recorder was just for show," Xia Tian said matter-of-factly, "If she can shift her stance and cooperate with us willingly, that’d be best."
"But if she’s really stubborn to the point of being blind to the situation, I can still get a grip on her."
"After this back and forth, she’ll break down even more, with a far better effect than just pulling out the recorder once. Maybe she’ll even be left with some psychological shadow, and in her future little clever tricks, she’ll involuntarily tremble at the thought of this instance."
Xia Tian smiled at the receptionist master: "Just like I said earlier — I have many contingency plans."
"Faced with a known person, a series of precise strikes can indeed maximize the effect; but people are too complex, so I think one should never overly believe in these seemingly ingenious operations."
Remembering something, Xia Tian’s smile paused slightly.
However, she quickly pulled herself out of memory: "So the attempt to maximize the effect should be made, but the fallback measures in case this attempt fails are also indispensable."
This time, even the receptionist master couldn’t directly look at Xia Tian’s smile anymore.
The impact of these operations was indeed overwhelming, and those around the dining table were momentarily speechless, wanting to speak but stopping themselves.
"...Actually," Nan Zhubin suddenly spoke.
"My phone is also in recording mode."
This time, no one knew how to respond — they subconsciously bowed their heads and seriously dealt with the lunch on their plates.
However, Xia Tian remained proactive: "Teacher Nan, after lunch, we still need to wrap things up with Shi Chuxin, and I’ll need your help to see if her thinking has shifted to actively cooperate with us."
"If she doesn’t cooperate, I’ll really have to reveal the phone recording again."
Nan Zhubin said matter-of-factly, "There’s no such thing as trouble or not trouble — this is what I should do."
Xia Tian squinted her eyes and sighed half in frustration, half in eager anticipation: "I really hope she chooses to cooperate with us in the most helpful way."
...
Shi Chuxin’s chopsticks jabbed at the plate, making a "thud" sound.
She unconsciously tried to pick up food three times, only to taste nothing but air.
It was only then that Shi Chuxin’s eyes refocused, noticing that her plate was already empty.
Yet she couldn’t recall what this meal tasted like; thinking back even further, she had no memory of what she just ate.
The cafeteria was getting more crowded, with the clanging of colliding trays and conversations among staff weaving a noisy net over Shi Chuxin’s thoughts.
Xia Tian’s last words, "It’s best not to let us wait too long," pierced her heart like a fine needle.
Instinctively, she reached for the recorder in her pocket. The cold metal touch slightly calmed her.
But the trembling of her fingertips didn’t stop.
Shi Chuxin raised her head, her eyes unconsciously drifting towards Nan Zhubin and the others’ table.
Xia Tian was chatting with Nan Zhubin with a bright smile, her eyes shining, showing none of the sharpness from the recent negotiation;
Nan Zhubin listened with his head tilted, nodding occasionally, appearing calm but responsive with every word;
Chonghui was wolfing down his food, and the other project team members each had their own reactions.
Shi Chuxin took a deep breath, sipped the lemon water from the table; the icy liquid slid down her throat but was quickly dried by the anxiety inside her.
Should I just agree with them?
Shi Chuxin murmured to herself inside.
[That young lady is right. Collecting materials for them is ultimately helping myself. If it means I can smoothly leave the company and mend the relationship with Teacher Bai, then maybe taking a bit of risk is worth it.]
But just as this thought emerged, another voice suppressed it.
[What if the company finds out?]
Those personal accounts and complete lists are no small matter. Shi Chuxin was too aware of the consequences.
She lowered her head again, staring at the congealed oil spots on her plate, internally torn between conflicting thoughts.
Time ticked by, the cafeteria filled with more people, and the noise level grew. Yet Shi Chuxin felt detached from it all, as if the world had shrunk to just her alone.
At that moment.
A gaze locked onto where Shi Chuxin was.
"Old Zhou, look, isn’t that Shi Chuxin from the HR department?"
Two men stood side by side, looking over hesitantly. One of them had a large ink stain on his badge.
It was Old Mo, who had hit a wall at the HR department door earlier.
Before his companion could react, Old Mo, holding his tray, strode forward.
"Manager Shi, is that Manager Shi Chuxin?"
A startled Shi Chuxin, caught in her internal conflict, lifted her head as if disturbed.
"Manager Shi, sorry to bother you, I didn’t expect to run into you here in the cafeteria."
Old Mo took a deep breath: "I just came back from the HR floor, and the people inside said none of you were there. I have some questions regarding layoffs I wanted to consult with you, would you..."
"It’s inconvenient," Shi Chuxin responded instinctively.
After a pause, maybe feeling her tone was too harsh, Shi Chuxin added, almost like muscle memory: "The layoffs in your department aren’t my responsibility. If there’s something, talk to other colleagues in the HR department."
"We recently have a feedback form, you can inquire about it; fill it out and follow the process..."
