Chapter 100 Fellow Villagers

"Hahahaha... Richie... He's using this trick again..." Fino rolled around on the beach without any regard for his image.

"Again!" Kaka, having had his fill of tickling, finally let him go.

"Hoo~ Wait a minute, I need to rest for a bit, hoo~" Fino lay on the beach panting, not wanting to get up at all.

The weather was beautiful that day, with fluffy white clouds floating in the azure sky, though the sunlight was a bit too bright.

Just as Fino was about to shield his eyes from the sun with the back of his hand, a pair of large blue eyes came into view.

"Finnie~" Daniel braced himself on his knees and bent over, blocking Finnie's view.

“Daniel? What are you doing here?” Fino jumped up and looked around. The Maldinis were standing not far away, with Christian holding a swimming ring beside them.

Fino waved to them, took Daniel's hand, and walked over. Kaka and his two companions also came over to greet the Maldini family.

"Fini, excellent performance! I didn't expect you to be so good at beach soccer," Maldini praised.

Fino and Adriana kissed cheek to cheek, then Fino patted Christian on the shoulder and turned to Maldini, asking, "Want to play together?"

Before Maldini could answer, Daniel eagerly exclaimed, "Yes, yes, we want to play together!"

Christian nodded vigorously beside him.

Fino then turned to Adriana: "Come play with us, Adriana? We'll have a 4v4, I'll carry you to beat Richie and the others!"

"You boys go ahead and play. I didn't sleep well last night, I'm going to lie down on the beach chair for a while." Adriana smiled at the big boy who could be her son, and gently waved her hand: "Finino, take Chris and Daniel and beat Paul to a pulp! I'll be cheering you on!"

Pirlo raised an eyebrow at Maldini, making a face that was both admiring and teasing.

The captain is still as sharp as ever, his prowess remains undiminished!

Maldini immediately understood and slapped Pirlo hard on the back.

Some men are almost 30 years old but are still very immature and need to be disciplined.

Because we're playing with kids, the intensity of the competition is on a completely different level compared to the 2v2 matches earlier; it's more like coaxing the kids now.

After coaxing Christian and Daniel into scoring a few goals, and the two kids were a bit out of breath, the adults went into overdrive, showing off all sorts of fancy shooting techniques they don't usually do, turning it into a freestyle shooting contest.

Not only Fino's four children and two kids, but Maldini also had a great time.

Facing the incoming ball, Maldini prepared to perform a bicycle kick, but slipped while flipping backwards and failed to jump, falling flat on his back on the beach.

Christian and Daniel immediately started laughing at their father's embarrassment, and Maldini himself burst into laughter as well.

This Maldini is so vibrant. At this moment, he is not the dignified captain or the resolute team spirit, nor does he fit any of the labels that the world has attached to him. He is like a giant cat happily playing with a ball on the beach, a little mischievous, a little silly, but very cute.

This Maldini had deviated from the perfect god that Fino had envisioned, yet Fino did not feel disillusioned.

Over the past six months, Fino and Maldini have had more and more contact. The illusory god that Fino created in his mind has gradually merged with the real Maldini, making Maldini more vivid, real, and charming.

As Fino grows up and matures, the young people's worship and support for their fathers' roles are gradually changing, from blind to rational, from superficial to grounded.

That unattainable god will never respond to him, but Maldini beside him will.

Even though Maldini was unaware of the complex emotions he was projecting one-way, he still received the care and affection he craved from Maldini.

...

On December 30, AC Milan's training camp in Dubai officially kicked off. Players' families can still stay in Dubai for vacation, but the players will not be able to accompany them during training sessions.

Milan's winter training this time focuses on high-intensity physical training, so that the players can build up their physical strength for the two-front campaign in the second half of the season.

A very coincidental thing happened during training: the Chinese national team was also conducting winter training in Dubai, using the same training base as AC Milan, with the two teams' training areas less than 100 meters apart.

Serie A has a huge influence in China, and there are many AC Milan fans in the Chinese national team. After training, Shao Jiayi and several other players came to watch Milan's training session.

Since it was just for physical conditioning, Milan's training was open to the public, and many local Dubai fans were watching from outside the barbed wire fence, occasionally shouting the names of their favorite stars.

Shortly after, Milan's training session ended, and Maldini led the players over to sign autographs for the fans, thanking them for their support.

A minor commotion ensued as fans desperately pushed forward, hoping to get closer to their favorite stars. Shao Jiayi and his teammates, who were already in poor positions, were quickly pushed to the very edge by the fans.

The younger boy next to him was getting anxious because he couldn't squeeze in. Shao Jiayi, who was a few years older, had a flash of inspiration. He raised his arm and waved it vigorously while shouting in Chinese, "Cabrini, look here, look here!"

Shao Jiayi has been playing football in Europe for six years and is naturally paying attention to Fino, the rapidly rising star of AC Milan. He knows that Fino has one-quarter Chinese blood, but he is not sure if Fino can speak Chinese, so he can only try.

Amid the noisy environment, Fino suddenly heard a familiar local accent. He immediately stood on tiptoe and looked around. Soon, he spotted Shao Jiayi waving at him from behind the crowd.

Fino knew Shao Jiayi.

In recent years, many Chinese players have gone abroad to Europe, but most of them play in Germany and England and have never met Fino in European competitions.

Fino has been following these Chinese compatriots who play football in Europe, such as Sun Jihai and Shao Jiayi.

Fino raised his arm and pointed to an open space a little further away, indicating that Shao Jiayi should wait for him there. He then greeted Maldini first, and then left the crowd to meet up with Shao Jiayi.

Fino and Shao Jiayi stood facing each other in silence, and the scene became somewhat awkward.

At this moment, Shao Jiayi wished she could slap herself across the face. "I told you so, you had that brilliant idea!"

When Fino actually responded to him, his mind went completely blank; he had no idea what to say!

You can't exactly say, "You're my idol, I grew up watching your games!" Fino is eight years younger than you.

Fino was also a little confused. She had excitedly run over when she saw her compatriot, only to find that the other person seemed dazed, and she didn't know what to say.

Only two clueless young men looked excited, inwardly praising: "Brother Shao is amazing! He just waved and he brought Cabrini over! No wonder he plays football in Europe, he has such a wide network of connections!"

After a while of excitement, the young man felt that something was wrong with the scene, and why was no one saying anything!

One of the younger men bumped into Shao Jiayi's shoulder, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Brother Shao, say something, Brother Shao!

Shao Jiayi coughed lightly and said awkwardly, "You're here!"

Fino twitched his lips. This long-lost and warm greeting sounded like something a Chinese person would say.

But how should I answer that?

Fino was silent for a few seconds, then replied, "Yes, I'm here."

Shao Jiayi wanted to slap herself again. Damn it, what kind of talk is that!

"Ahem, hello, Cabrini, I'm Shao Jiayi, a player from China."

It seemed we could finally get back to normal social mode. Fino breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "I know you. You play football in Germany. It's nice to meet you."

The young man next to us bumped into Shao Jiayi's shoulder again. Although we didn't know why Brother Shao and the other person didn't seem to know each other very well, he quickly introduced them to us!

Shao Jiayi quickly introduced the two young men beside her to Fino, who also greeted them warmly.

"What a coincidence, you're also training in Dubai?"

Shao Jiayi hummed in response, and the scene fell into endless silence once again.

Fino guessed that they had just happened to see him and had come to say hello on a whim.

Now that I've said my greetings and the other person has nothing more to say, I should tactfully leave.

"Shall I go now?"

"Hmm." Shao Jiayi replied with another single word in silence.

Just as Fino was about to leave, a young man next to him panicked, saying, "Brother Shao is really unreliable!"

"Fino, could you help us get an autographed jersey from a Milan star?"

“Sure,” Fino agreed immediately, it was no big deal. “Whose do you want?”

"I want Inzaghi's!"

"I want Kaka's!"

The two young people answered eagerly.

"No problem, are you Milan fans?" Fino nodded and asked casually.

"Yes, I've been a Milan fan since I was a child."

"Milan is extremely popular in China, with a huge number of fans."

“You’re very popular in China too.” Shao Jiayi managed to utter a remark brimming with emotional intelligence.

Fino patted him on the shoulder: "Are you guys in a hurry to get back to the team? If not, I can take you to the locker room to meet your favorite stars, get autographs and take photos."

Since he was a Milan fan and a fellow countryman, Fino wanted to do more for him, since they were in different leagues and it wasn't easy to see his favorite star.

Opposite them were three faces nodding frantically.

Milan has always been quite attentive to fan development and maintenance, especially since these three players are from the Chinese national team, and they have the entire Chinese market behind them.

Whether it was Ancelotti or Maldini, they all received the green light all the way.

Each of the three men received a jersey signed by the entire AC Milan team and took a group photo with the team, including Ancelotti.

That evening, when Milan's official media released highlights of the day's training session, the visit of Shao Jiayi and his two companions was featured in a separate post.

The three guests from the Chinese national team received a warm welcome in the locker room. We have always valued the development and maintenance of the Chinese market, and we welcome talented young Chinese players to try out for AC Milan. This is the cradle that nurtured players like Paolo Maldini and Fino Cabrini, and it's also the first choice for young players to realize their potential...

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Author's Note: I've actually reached chapter 100! So happy! [shy]

Thank you everyone for your support! [Lop-eared bunny head]