Seeing Lin Beina in a daze, Ye Xiao realized that his question seemed to have led the female singer astray, so he quickly explained, "Although this song has such a name, it is actually a hymn to life, a hymn to new life. If you have ever felt similar despair, you will be able to express the emotions conveyed in the song even better."
Lin Beina looked at Ye Xiao strangely upon hearing this.
She looked at the young man’s somewhat sickly complexion and then recalled the song title, a guess surfaced in her mind: perhaps this song was written about the young man’s own inner feelings!
This time, she no longer dared to be negligent and seriously looked at the song’s content.
Unlike ordinary tool-singers, as a Song Queen, she had actually written some songs herself, though most of them weren't very popular.
Of course, she had also participated in the writing, performance, and post-production of many of her own songs, so she could fully understand the music Ye Xiao gave her.
At this moment, a very catchy melody appeared in her mind.
As she followed the music and gradually incorporated the lyrics, she found that the song in her mind was very pleasant to listen to and had a strong memorable quality.
She unconsciously began to sing along with the tune in her mind.
Ye Xiao did not disturb her; he just stood quietly by, listening to the singer softly perform the song.
When the song ended, Lin Beina was already in tears.
This time, it wasn't tears of despair from being at her wit's end, but rather from being deeply moved by the song.
This song was practically tailor-made for her.
Having fallen to rock bottom, she had truly considered dying, because that feeling of seeing no hope in life was like a rope around her neck, strangling her tightly and making her feel breathless at all times.
But she dared not die, because her child was still young; Nannan needed her, and this was probably why she hadn't given up yet.
The despair conveyed in the first half of this song was exactly the feeling she had experienced, but in the chorus, the hope of breaking through everything, that desire to live, greatly encouraged her, and she also believed that she could convey this emotion to more people.
Ignoring her image, Lin Beina hugged Ye Xiao tightly, afraid that he would run away, and kept saying, "I really did think about dying.
This song is definitely for me to sing, right? Right!"
Ye Xiao was dumbfounded; he thought, "Can't you react less intensely?"
He could understand the significance of a good song to a singer, but this was still a public place, and as a singer, she should pay attention to her image!
As expected, before he could push Lin Beina away, an angry shout came from beside him: "What are you doing?!
Let go of your dog paws!"
"......"
In the car, Tong Shuang’s suspicious gaze kept sweeping back and forth between Ye Xiao and Lin Beina in the back seat.
Finally, she couldn't help but ask Lin Beina, "You mean this kid composed a song and asked you to sing it, and then you thought the song was so good that you were afraid he’d run away, so you hugged him?"
Lin Beina nodded.
Tong Shuang scoffed at this: "Nana, it’s not our first day knowing each other.
Do you really need to make up such an unreliable lie?
I know your emotions and career aren’t going well right now, and you want to find someone to vent to, but you can’t find someone so young!
He’s not underage, is he?!"
Ye Xiao’s forehead was now full of black lines, but he wisely did not retort, as someone would explain.
Sure enough, Lin Beina, who was beside him, roared in response, "What nonsense are you talking about?
I don't have such thoughts, and besides, this is the first time I've met him; I don't even know his name."
Ye Xiao also spoke at this opportune moment: "My name is Ye Xiao, Ye as in 'leaf,' Xiao as in 'desolate.'
I really did write a song and want this singer sister to be the vocalist for it."
Tong Shuang was about to say something when Lin Beina continued, "I've seen this song, and its quality is extremely high, even better than my breakthrough hit."
Tong Shuang was surprised to hear this; she knew that Lin Beina’s breakthrough hit had propelled her to the top three on the monthly charts.
If it weren’t for her low popularity at the time, it would have almost dominated the charts.
Better than that breakthrough hit? Wasn't that a bit of an exaggeration?
Lin Beina composed herself and said to Ye Xiao, "I must have this song.
You can name any conditions, as long as you let me sing this song."
She didn't know why Ye Xiao would seek her out, and she didn't want to know.
At this moment, she only wanted to obtain the rights to sing this song as quickly as possible.
Ye Xiao pondered for a moment upon hearing this and then said, "My requirements are very simple.
First, I will not sell the copyright to the song.
Second, I want fifty percent of the final profits from this song.
Finally, and most importantly, I hope to record and release the song as soon as possible, the faster the better."
Tong Shuang, who was standing by, exclaimed after hearing Ye Xiao’s demands, "Kid, you must be crazy for money!
Even with a golden producer, they only dare to take forty percent, and you’re asking for fifty percent?"
Lin Beina, however, was surprisingly calm, as if the issues Ye Xiao raised were not issues at all.
She asked softly, "How fast is 'as soon as possible'?"
"Preferably today."
"Okay."
Lin Beina looked at Tong Shuang and instructed, "Xiao Shuang, go to Teacher Liao’s studio."
"......"
Tong Shuang felt that Lin Beina had gone mad at this moment, but she still turned the car towards the studio.
Inside the studio, Lin Beina introduced Ye Xiao to Liao Xudong; she had already called Liao Xudong to explain her intentions.
Liao Xudong wore thick glasses and looked about forty years old; he was a tall, thin, and very capable middle-aged man.
He was Lin Beina’s longtime friend and one of the few people who still kept in touch with her, which undoubtedly showed her trust in Liao Xudong, a trust accumulated over many years of friendship.
Liao Xudong looked at Ye Xiao in front of him with a slight surprise.
He didn't doubt Lin Beina's judgment, but he just hadn't expected Ye Xiao to be so young.
And when he saw the sheet music Lin Beina handed him, his surprise turned into shock.
As a professional producer primarily responsible for music post-production, he understood even more how extraordinary the content presented on that simple piece of paper was.
Ye Xiao curiously looked around the studio, where countless professional equipment and a large number of musical instruments were placed.
He couldn't even name most of these equipment and instruments, thinking to himself that there was so much to learn in the future.
Lin Beina did not hesitate too long; she skillfully went to the printer and printed many copies of the sheet music, distributing them to the few people present, and then took one copy into the recording booth.
Liao Xudong also immediately got into the zone; he walked to the piano and said to Lin Beina, "Okay, let’s do a simple a cappella first, follow my rhythm, 3, 2, 1, go."
With the piano accompaniment, familiar singing slowly drifted in:
"Once I too wished to just end it all, because seagulls cried mournfully at the pier, rising and falling with the waves, pecking at the past and flying away, out of sight."
At this moment, Ye Xiao felt as if he had returned to his familiar planet, but he knew he could never go back.
The first a cappella wasn’t very smooth; perhaps Lin Beina wasn’t familiar with the song, or perhaps her emotions were too intense.
In any case, this a cappella, apart from the beginning, wasn’t very pleasant to listen to.
Tong Shuang, who was standing by, felt a bit disheartened at the sight.
She knew that Lin Beina was now desperately grasping at straws; how could she trust a young boy who looked like he wasn't even an adult yet?
But looking at the solemn expression of Liao Xudong, she still tentatively asked, "Teacher Liao, is this song very bad?"
Liao Xudong took a deep breath, looked at the relaxed Ye Xiao, and uttered a sentence that startled Tong Shuang: "This song is very powerful, more powerful than any song I have ever produced."
