No one knew how difficult her situation was now; her former glory was long gone.
She retired from the entertainment industry at the peak of her career to marry and raise children, but her achievements in the music world didn't mean she had good judgment.
She still met a scumbag, a man who cheated on her during their marriage and also burdened her with tens of millions in debt.
Although she eventually won the lawsuit and successfully divorced, and also gained custody of her child, she still had to help that scumbag repay a portion of his debts.
Once having a decent amount of savings, she was now penniless, and she still needed to support herself and her young daughter.
It wasn't until this moment that she realized she seemed to know nothing else besides singing.
At just over 30 years old, she should still be considered young, but in this rapidly developing music industry, with batches of new singers emerging, one can easily be left far behind if not careful, let alone an outdated Song Queen who is divorced with a child.
Being outdated, coupled with the widely publicized divorce case online recently, made her path back to the music industry extremely difficult.
People in the industry who she had helped before now avoided her as if she were a plague.
She desperately needed a good song now, so even though she knew coming to such a recruitment privately was beneath her dignity, she ignored her agent's objections and stealthily came here, but the result was...
Suddenly, she realized she was still clutching the microphone, having forgotten to return it to the staff inside.
She stood there, thought for a moment, and finally turned around, pushed the door open, and walked back in.
But before she could speak, she heard the discussion between Wang Zengqi and the staff beside him: "Brother Zeng, you're still too sentimental.
If Lin Beina were a year ago, we might have been able to hype her up using her popularity, but now she has no value at all.
She has no popularity, and we've just seen plenty of singers with better figures and looks than her.
If you ask me, there's no need to even give her an audition; it's a complete waste of time!"
Wang Zengqi said perfunctorily, "Put away your dirty thoughts.
If I find out you're doing anything shady behind my back, don't blame me for being ruthless.
Everyone knows Lin Beina once helped me, so I won't refuse her.
However, you and I both know her performing career is over.
Even a deity probably can't save her.
After this, if she calls again, just say I'm not here."
Lin Beina didn't continue listening; tears streamed down her face.
Wang Zengqi had once been very down-and-out.
It was she who, appreciating his talent, used her resources to help him little by little, encouraging him, and ultimately preventing him from being overlooked, leading him to become the famous music producer he is today, but...
Placing the microphone on the nearby table, Lin Beina left in a daze.
Walking out the back door of Haoyi Hotel, she found a corner and called her agent.
Her agent, Tong Shuang, had been by her side for many years and was one of the few people she could rely on.
As soon as the call connected, her tears flowed continuously, and she said with a choked voice, "Xiao Shuang, I'm finished, truly finished!
What should I do?
Nannan is still so young, and I still have so much debt.
What should I do?"
Tong Shuang on the other end quickly comforted her, "Did you secretly go to Wang Zengqi's place!
I told you he's a petty person, but you wouldn't believe me.
Didn't I tell you to wait first?
I just finished talking with the company about getting you some more resources.
Don't worry for now.
Are you at Haoyi Hotel right now?
Wait there, I'm coming to pick you up immediately."
Hanging up the phone, Lin Beina curled up in the corner.
At this moment, she had calmed down, covering her head with her coat to avoid being photographed by unscrupulous reporters, and waited obediently for Tong Shuang to pick her up.
Suddenly, a youthful but very pleasant voice sounded from above her head: "Excuse me, are you a singer?"
Lin Beina revealed her head, and a tender face came into her view.
Although the boy was very handsome, having been immersed in the music industry for many years, she was already used to it.
She saw that the young man did not seem like a fan or a reporter, and asked somewhat confusedly, "You don't know me?"
Ye Xiao shook his head; he really didn't know her.
There was no information about the music industry in the original owner's memory.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't like listening to music; it was just that most of his time was spent fighting illness and diligently studying, so he could immediately resume his studies after recovering.
Seeing that the other party didn't seem to be joking, Lin Beina smiled self-deprecatingly.
Perhaps they weren't wrong.
She nodded to Ye Xiao: "Yes, that's right, I am the singer Lin Beina."
She had her own stubbornness.
Even when down-and-out, she might not be the Song Queen envied by everyone, but she was still a singer.
This identity did not allow anyone to question it.
Ye Xiao's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing the word 'singer'.
It truly was a stroke of luck.
The moment he saw that message, he keenly realized that the audition for choosing a singer for a song mentioned in the information was similar to previous actor auditions.
On one hand, it was to increase the song's exposure, or in plain terms, to advertise it.
On the other hand, it genuinely required finding a suitable singer.
So he quickly rushed over and secretly slipped into the hotel's back door, knowing that such hotels usually reserved back entrances for singers to leave conveniently.
Was there a better opportunity to meet a singer than this?
He had waited early, crouching to the side, but no one came out.
Just when he thought he might have come for nothing, a figure appeared before him—Lin Beina.
He ignored the unshed tears on Lin Beina's face and instead handed over the musical piece in his hand, saying solemnly, "I've written a song, and I hope you can sing it for me."
Lin Beina didn't expect the young man in front of her to be looking for a singer for a song he had composed himself.
She instinctively took the musical piece Ye Xiao handed over.
In the past, many young people, and even some well-known music producers, had privately sought her out because she was then a dazzling Song Queen.
However, at that time, she wouldn't have bothered with them, because good musical pieces were incredibly rare.
Even famous producers could only create so many popular songs in their lifetime, let alone ordinary people!
But now, it seemed she no longer had the right to choose.
Looking at Ye Xiao's expectant gaze, Lin Beina sighed.
She would just consider it a comfort to him, after all, she didn't want to appear too cold and discourage a young person with dreams.
So she began to read it carefully.
She was startled by what she saw.
She had thought the musical piece the young man handed her would be a simple notation with lyrics, which is how most newcomers arrange songs.
Because arranging with simple notation is relatively easy and has a low barrier to entry, but the paper was covered with dense musical notes and a large number of breakdowns, instrument divisions, rhythm markings, pauses, and even choices for the singer's vocal technique next to the lyrics.
This simply didn't look like a song that such a young boy could have written; instead, it resembled a finished song produced by a major agency at great expense.
To put it bluntly, if the song's content was up to par, it could be directly released by performing it according to the score.
She looked at the song title, "I Once Thought of Ending It All," and couldn't help but freeze.
Then she looked up at Ye Xiao and asked solemnly, "Is this the title of your song, 'I Once Thought of Ending It All'?"
Ye Xiao smiled and nodded, then asked a question that left Lin Beina dumbfounded: "May I ask, do you want to die? Or, to put it another way, have you ever had suicidal thoughts?"