Chapter 979: Chapter 762: Negotiation Expert
"Don’t let the knife drop, and definitely don’t let anyone snatch it away. Make sure it stays in your hand."
Nan Zhubin spoke very meticulously.
Nan Zhubin lowered his voice, yet ensured it was loud enough to pierce through the surrounding noise and reach Old Mo.
"I just want to talk to you, just a few words."
[Emotion Soothing]
"I have nothing to say to you; you’re one of them!" Old Mo suddenly flipped the knife around, pointing it at Nan Zhubin, eliciting another round of gasps.
The first attempt at calming wasn’t very successful.
"You’re a liar; you’ve been hired by the company to help drive prices down and assist in layoffs!"
Faced with such accusations, Nan Zhubin didn’t argue back.
At this moment, any denial could lead the already impulsive visitor towards an even more unpredictable direction.
Nan Zhubin thought for a moment and changed tactics.
"It’s okay, if you don’t want to talk to me, then talk to everyone." Nan Zhubin raised his hands halfway without moving his feet, talking to Old Mo while assessing the direct distance between himself and Old Mo.
"I just saw some people running out of the cafeteria; I guess they went to call someone." Nan Zhubin suddenly said.
Old Mo then switched his gaze from glaring at Nan Zhubin to staring at the cafeteria exit.
Indeed, even at this moment, people were leaving from there one after another.
Nan Zhubin said, "In other words, your goal for today is already achieved. Soon, the ’people in charge’ that you wanted will be here."
As soon as Nan Zhubin spoke, Old Mo, like a frightened beast trapped, quickly turned his gaze back to Nan Zhubin, not missing any sound source.
"Who went over?" Old Mo asked guardedly.
"A lot of people. I saw several; I don’t know if they’re your colleagues. Also, the cafeteria staff." Nan Zhubin emphasized, "A lot of people."
Old Mo was panting heavily, not speaking.
Nan Zhubin continued to soften his tone: "I can understand why you’re doing this today, and I can also understand why you don’t trust anyone now. I can even guess the things you’ve been through in the past."
Nan Zhubin deliberately added empathy to his low tone: "I’ve met many people like you recently; you probably sought help due to the layoffs so many times and were brushed off, rejected, right?"
"Anyone would be disheartened..."
"That’s all because of you!" Old Mo interrupted Nan Zhubin loudly, then, as if exhausted, added a word while panting, "You people, because of you."
Nan Zhubin still didn’t deny or argue.
Instead, he raised his hands a bit higher, indicating his harmlessness: "What I mean is... Anyway, there’s still some time before those who can get things done arrive, why don’t you tell everyone what you’ve been through recently."
"Maybe... these friends can understand you?"
As Nan Zhubin’s voice fell, the surrounding company employees looked at him with eyes as if they’d seen a ghost.
...
Who? Us?
Can we understand him? Understand this guy with a knife at someone’s throat?
Well... it’s actually not completely impossible to understand...
But in this setting, it’s really not appropriate to say you can understand! Who would dare step up now to say they understand?
And Old Mo’s emotions, just seemingly calmed by Nan Zhubin, were stirred up again: "Don’t use your psychology tricks to fool me! What do you think I am? Trying to gain attention? Do I need anyone’s understanding?!"
"I did all this because of the company! Because the company dehumanizes and exploits me!"
"I just want what I deserve! I’ve worked for the company for so many years, diligently, with no achievements but plenty of hardships!"
"Even the compensation is being haggled down!"
Old Mo became increasingly agitated: "My wife’s due date is next month, check-up fees, hospitalization fees, Beidu’s mortgage, do you know how much it costs every month?"
"The people above just move a finger or tap their head, trying to make the company cut costs... Their lives are getting better, and mine is falling apart!"
Old Mo roared at Nan Zhubin, his eyes almost bulging out.
Seeing Old Mo getting more and more agitated, those behind couldn’t help but pull Nan Zhubin, wanting to drag this young man who was fueling the fire away.
But Nan Zhubin nodded slightly in his heart at the current situation.
Alright, finally provoked Old Mo to actively speak about his difficulties.
Meanwhile, ensuring Shi Chuxin’s safety — which meant making himself the target of Old Mo’s extreme emotions — Nan Zhubin also maneuvered through the pull, causing the opponent’s emotions to go through several sudden rises and falls.
In this way, Old Mo should be getting tired.
Peak emotions are hard to sustain over time.
And emotions that fluctuate dramatically under pulling will more exhaust the individual’s cognitive emotional resources.
Time to start the next step.
Nan Zhubin lowered his tone, didn’t move his feet but tried to lean his body forward a bit: "I can hear it, I can hear, you did all this for your family, right?"
"It sounds like you’re the pillar of support for the family, a husband, and about to become a father, right?"
Nan Zhubin switched the topic.
This topic seemed to create a different atmosphere on site.
Old Mo stared at Nan Zhubin, panting heavily, not speaking.
"Where is your wife from?" Nan Zhubin suddenly asked.
Old Mo stared closely at Nan Zhubin, still not speaking.
Nan Zhubin seemingly questioned and answered himself: "Someone from the south? North?"
He read the answer from Old Mo’s micro expressions.
But given the current scenario, Nan Zhubin made up a clumsy reasoning process: "You just mentioned you have a mortgage in Beidu, suggesting you’re not from the north, but from the south?"
Having a mortgage in Beidu, could mean they’re from other northern cities.
People around just felt Nan Zhubin’s words were getting more and more incoherent.
Old Mo still didn’t speak, he continued staring hard at Nan Zhubin.
Hold on.
Shi Chuxin, being restrained, shook slightly, realizing the grip on her neck didn’t seem as tight anymore.
"South is good, I’m a southerner." Nan Zhubin continued like he was talking to himself, "Beautiful green hills and clear waters."
Meanwhile, his voice softened further, lowered more.
[Emotion Soothing] spread like an invisible hand towards Old Mo.
"Then I believe your wife must be a gentle person, too." Nan Zhubin continued speaking stereotypically, sketching an image before Old Mo, probing Old Mo’s micro expressions.
"I believe when you guys first arrived in Beidu, as the family’s pillar, it must have been really tough holding it up..."
"She also had a job!" Old Mo suddenly interrupted Nan Zhubin, speaking in this topic for the first time.
However, his voice was much lower than before: "She used to, she had a job. Only because of me..."
