Chapter 978: Chapter 761: Negotiation
Shi Chuxin was trembling all over, crying much louder than when she was wronged just now: "I... I really can’t make the decision, the higher-ups won’t approve, I really can’t do anything..."
"Please let me go, I’ll go ask for you right now, I’ll definitely help you!"
"Now you’re saying you’ll help ask? It’s too late!" Old Mo roared.
The people around the cafeteria were already scared silly. Clearly, it was Shi Chuxin being pressed onto the table, but everyone acted as if it were them being held at knifepoint, hurriedly retreating backward.
Even the few employees who had just been discussing hoping Old Mo would "stand out" were now trembling all over, with no hint of expectation left on their faces.
However, almost no one left, they just formed a circle that they deemed safe, watching from a distance, taking photos, recording videos. A few people in the outermost circle were even sending messages, seemingly calling friends.
Only one cook who ran out from the back kitchen looked like the sky was falling, stomped his foot, turned around, and ran out to call security.
The only one daring to step forward at this moment was Old Zhou, after all, he was a companion of Old Mo.
But even Old Zhou only dared to stand two positions ahead of the other onlookers.
"Old Zhou, don’t come over!" Old Mo shouted.
Watching Old Mo press the vegetable knife harder against Shi Chuxin’s neck, causing a round of intermittent sobbing and screams, Old Zhou involuntarily jumped back a position, as if his feet were burned, but was involuntarily pushed back by the people behind him.
Old Zhou braving himself said: "Old Mo, you... put the knife down, what are you doing? Think about your wife, think about your children. This... what can it solve? Put the knife down..."
"Old Zhou, I’m solving the problem right now!" Old Mo glared and shouted back.
"I’m doing this for my wife and kids. Watch carefully, it’s the only way!" Old Mo suddenly pointed the knife at Old Zhou, "You’re not allowed to come over either, anyone who comes forward, this woman from the HR department dies!"
...
Nan Zhubin didn’t step forward right away, instead, he first took in the reactions of everyone present.
Vast information gathered together, like a school of fish before a giant whale, all absorbed by Nan Zhubin’s eyes, and swallowed into his brain.
Among them, Old Mo’s reaction was naturally Nan Zhubin’s focal point.
[Gripping the knife tightly... but fingertips trembling.]
[Breathing rapid, chest heaving intensely... extreme emotional loss of control.]
[Hurting and threatening out of impulse, not premeditated.]
For ordinary people, those with premeditation can still negotiate, but impulsive individuals holding a weapon are the most dangerous and feared.
Because no one can predict the actions of an impulsive person.
But ignoring it was definitely not an option.
Nan Zhubin had already read a lot, but there were still some things about Old Mo that he hadn’t figured out.
However, this was not a psychological consultation, and he didn’t have the luxury of time to conduct a detailed intake interview, so he could only gather as much information as possible based on Old Mo’s recent confession and his companion’s persuasion.
As for [hypnosis]...
Nan Zhubin assessed the current situation, especially the position of Old Mo and Shi Chuxin, as well as the distance between himself and Old Mo.
Remembering the situation when he used [hypnosis] last time, the current risk was still quite high.
Some groundwork was needed.
Taking a deep breath, Nan Zhubin patted Chonghui on the shoulder, signaling for a position to be given to him.
"Are you confident?" Chonghui glanced at the disheveled Shi Chuxin pressed against the table, then at Nan Zhubin, gritting his teeth, "If you’re not confident, we should leave..."
"First, have the project team leave." Even if he was confident, Nan Zhubin still wanted to prepare for any eventuality, "Then come back, find a blind spot behind that person’s back, and watch my hand gestures."
"Relax, senior, we’ve dealt with similar situations several times, we’re quite familiar with it."
Chonghui, looking at Nan Zhubin’s unflinching expression, had to put a lot of effort into slightly lifting the corner of his mouth: "If possible, it’s still better not to be too familiar with this..."
"I’ll stay," Xia Tian suddenly said, "I’ve watched negotiation experts handle similar situations before... maybe I can help."
This requires immense courage.
Nan Zhubin looked back at Xia Tian for two seconds and said, "Alright, but you have to stay in the crowd, and not stand out. Also, the negotiation experts you mentioned should have fixed phrases, right? Share a few commonly used ones with me."
Chonghui blinked, feeling a sense of absurdity as he watched the two of them start teaching on the spot.
But these two people in front of him were reliable. Chonghui took a deep breath and still followed Nan Zhubin’s instructions, pushing the project team out again.
In the front, Old Zhou was already at a loss for words.
"Old Mo, think about why we were running around looking for people a few days ago, wasn’t it because your wife is about to give birth and you have loans at home? Doing this... what will happen afterward, what will happen?"
Old Zhou felt he had said everything he could think of, but his companion in front of him did not loosen at all; instead, his grip on the knife was steadier.
Suddenly, he felt a hand pat on his shoulder.
"Old Zhou, right?" He turned around to see the face of the young psychology teacher, hearing him say, "You need to take a break."
Seeing Nan Zhubin circle halfway around to Old Zhou’s side, Old Mo immediately raised the knife again.
"You..."
"Old Mo, right? Hold the knife firmly, stay calm." Nan Zhubin interrupted Old Mo a step ahead, opening with what seemed like a plain statement.
However, subsequently, Nan Zhubin pulled Old Zhou back a step, almost into the crowd.
This move made the onlooking employees involuntarily retreat backward as well, causing the circle around the conflict center to expand all of a sudden, the surrounding atmosphere suddenly clearing up.
Shi Chuxin shook even more upon seeing this, feeling abandoned as the hostage with the surrounding emptiness.
But contrastingly, Old Mo suddenly took a deep breath—or rather, heaved a sigh of relief.
For him, the surrounding crowd brought more pressure and loss of control.
If it were some planned hostage-taker, gathering the crowd and drawing attention would be their goal, the more people, the happier they would be.
But for the impulsively acting Old Mo at present, although he might verbally shout "let everyone see," "let people come," his inner unease was actually second only to Shi Chuxin.
The first step for Nan Zhubin was to provide the other party with a sense of security and control, which is the premise of communication.
"Old Mo, right?"
Nan Zhubin slowly raised his hands, palms forward, making a non-threatening pose: "I’ll stand here without moving and won’t persuade you to put the knife down. Quite the contrary... You must hold onto the knife firmly. Don’t drop it, and don’t let it be snatched away."
Nan Zhubin lowered his voice, yet it was enough to cut through the surrounding noise to be heard by Old Mo.
[Emotion Soothing]
