Chapter 23 Nesta and Cabrini put on a show...

Nesta privately approached Fino and inquired about the details of Fino's conversation with Trossi, no longer caring about Fino's privacy.

He even started to consider which agent could rival GEA and protect Fino.

Seeing Nesta's concerned expression, Fino was touched. He reached out and patted Nesta on the shoulder to comfort him.

“Sandro, don’t worry. The Rome prosecutor’s office’s investigation into GEA is still ongoing. GEA is currently in the eye of the storm, and they won’t dare to make any rash moves for at least the next two years. When the Rome prosecutor’s office’s results come out, they may not still be able to wield such power. Even if they are able to weather the storm, they will be severely weakened. Besides, I won’t be the same person I am now by then.”

Fino wasn't pretending to be relaxed; he was genuinely confident in himself. Two years was enough time for him to grow into an absolute mainstay of Milan, and even GEA might not be willing to provoke a mainstay of a top club.

Concern can cloud judgment. Nesta knew Fino had a point, but he still had concerns: "But the European Championship is next year. What if they try to sabotage you behind your back and prevent you from being selected for the national team?"

Fino was even less worried. With a Chinese heart, how much could he possibly aspire to play for the Italian national team?

But you can't say that to Nesta.

“It’s a crucial time for the European Championship qualifiers right now, but I haven’t been called up at all, so my chances of making the squad for the European Championship were already very low. I won’t be 20 years old by next summer, and it’s hard to be trusted at that age. Even if I were selected, I would just sit on the bench, which wouldn’t make much of a difference. Besides, GEA might not have the power to influence the national team selections at this stage.”

"But……"

“Sandro,” Fino interrupted Nesta, “I have my own considerations, so don’t worry about me anymore, okay?”

He reached out and hugged Nesta, patting him on the back to comfort him.

Nesta had no choice but to suppress his inner concerns and press Fino's head against his chest.

...

On November 6, AC Milan traveled to Ukraine to play against Shakhtar Donetsk in the fourth round of the group stage.

After Inzaghi scored twice and assisted Kaká to score, Milan defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 away from home, accumulating 9 points and ranking first in the group.

It is worth mentioning that after this match, Inzaghi's European goal tally increased to 62, equaling the record held by Gerd Müller.

After returning from Ukraine, the 12th round of Serie A matches is about to begin, with Milan facing Atalanta away from home.

Before the match, something unfortunate happened.

At a highway service station in Arezzo, a clash broke out between Lazio and Juventus fans, and police accidentally killed a 26-year-old Lazio fan while firing warning shots.

This incident caused a huge uproar in Italian football, less than three hours before the afternoon league match was scheduled to start.

The Italian Football Federation has decided that all matches except the one between Inter Milan and Lazio will proceed as scheduled, but referees and players must wear black armbands on the field.

However, the fans' resistance was very strong, and many matches were disrupted by the fans and could not be played normally.

The Atalanta vs. AC Milan match was interrupted and postponed after just 7 minutes due to Atalanta fans storming the stadium. The Inter Milan vs. Lazio and Roma vs. Cagliari matches were also postponed due to the same incident.

Ancelotti was on the verge of tears.

Because of their participation in the Club World Cup in Japan, AC Milan's Serie A matches in rounds 15 and 16 had to be postponed to the second half of the season. With this round of matches added, Milan will have to play three more matches in the second half of the season.

If Milan goes far enough in the Champions League knockout stages, the team's schedule for the second half of the season will remain tight, posing a huge challenge to the players' physical condition.

With things having come to this point, Ancelotti had no other choice. Next came another two weeks of international matches, and Ancelotti gave players without national team duties a week off, hoping they could rest well and conserve their energy for the grueling schedule before the winter break.

As for the players who have national team duties, they can only silently pray that they don't get injured, don't get injured, don't get injured!

During this holiday, with the club's support, Fino and Adidas reached a personal sponsorship agreement.

According to the agreement, in addition to using Adidas products as much as possible and strictly avoiding the use of Adidas's competitors, Fino must also attend Adidas's commercial activities and participate in Adidas's advertising shoots.

In return, Adidas pays Fino €1 million annually, a portion of which is taken by the club that holds some of Fino's image rights.

After finalizing his contract with Adidas, Fino set off for Rome with a gift in hand—he had accepted Nesta's invitation to spend a few days in Rome during the holiday.

This was Fino's first time visiting a friend's home. Here, "home" refers to a family home including the parents, not the friend's own residence.

Fino was a little nervous; he hadn't spent much time with his elders.

Nesta's parents were very gentle people. They noticed Fino's nervousness and treated him with consideration but not excessive enthusiasm, like a younger member of the family.

They made no mention of Fino's background, only talking to him about football and food, which gradually put Fino at ease.

Nesta's father was a die-hard Lazio fan, which is why Nesta rejected Roma's invitation when he was young and joined Lazio's youth academy instead.

Lazio's prospects for this season are not optimistic, and coupled with the recent incident of a Lazio fan being mistakenly killed, the topics in the living room are becoming increasingly heavy.

At this point, Nesta's mother decided to change the subject.

"Finino, Sandro said you're a great cook, especially your Chinese food, and he's also had some really delicious dried apples. Would you be willing to share your recipe for dried apples with me?"

Fino was immediately drawn to Nesta's mother's thoughts and began discussing with her how to make dried apples.

His teammates all called him Fino directly, except for Pirlo, who called him Fifi once when they were in Scotland, which gave him goosebumps.

At this time, Nesta's mother called him Finino by adding the common -ino suffix to Fino, which sounded both affectionate and cute.

Fino accepted this well, which made him feel like he was being gently pampered by an elder.

While preparing lunch, Fino followed her into the kitchen, continuing to chat about food while helping Nesta's mother, leaving Nesta and his father looking at each other in the living room.

After lunch, Nesta's parents left home. They had planned a short trip a long time ago, but it was postponed by a day because Fino was coming.

Before leaving, Nesta's mother carefully instructed Nesta to take good care of Fino, and when she hugged Fino goodbye, she said, "Finino, you must come to visit often in the future, and we will bring you travel souvenirs."

Fino nodded and waved goodbye to them.

After a short rest, Nesta began to show Fino around Rome, the place where he was born and raised.

Rome, known as the "Eternal City," is one of the cradles of Western civilization and boasts a vast historical and cultural heritage. Numerous museums, churches, palaces, fountains, and squares intertwine to give Rome its unique charm.

Strolling through the streets of Rome, Fino once again felt the blend of the ancient and the modern, much like Milan, or rather, the old towns of all Italy, which share this vibe. Stones are frozen into poetry, as if one can touch the pulse of history.

In the evening, they arrived at the Trevi Fountain, also known as the famous Wishing Fountain in Rome.

As dusk falls, the entire city of Rome is bathed in a warm and soft golden light, and the Trevi Fountain reflects the afterglow of the sun, making it impossible not to stop and admire it.

As the lights gradually came on, day and night began to alternate. A tranquil beauty that could not be described in words permeated Fino's heart. After being overwhelmed by such a beautiful scene, a great sense of loneliness rose in his heart.

He didn't know why, but his mood suddenly plummeted.

What does it resemble, drifting aimlessly? A lone seagull on the vast天地 (heaven and earth). Fino recalled this line of poetry by Du Fu.

At that moment, Nesta placed his hand on his shoulder, interrupting his sudden wave of sadness.

"Finino (short for Fini), have you heard the legend of the wishing well?"

Fino shook his head.

Nesta recounted the legend of the wishing well.

Legend has it that the spring here has magical powers; if you throw a coin into the wishing well with your back to the fountain, you can have three wishes granted, one of which will surely be to return to Rome.

"When I left Lazio for Milan, I made a wish here, and I believe that one day I will return here."

A double entendre.

"Would you like to give it a try?" Nesta handed Fino a coin.

Fino had no particular wish to be granted, but he did not disappoint Nesta, and readily turned his back to the fountain and tossed a coin into the pool.

Then Nesta hooked his arm around his neck and took him to eat ice cream.

For the next few days of his vacation, Fino spent all his time with Nesta.

November is the wettest month in Italy and also the off-season for tourism, so there aren't many tourists on the streets of Rome.

During the holiday, Nesta took Fino through the streets and alleys of Rome, visiting many restaurants that Nesta highly praised, giving Fino many unforgettable experiences and memories.

When it rains, they stay at Nesta's house playing video games, and Fino cooks Chinese food for Nesta.

Nesta has an oven at home, and Fino even tried baking some thin, crispy apple slices. The method is even simpler than dried apples; just slice the apples thinly and bake them in the oven until they are dry and crispy, like potato chips, but low in calories and healthy. Nesta enjoyed them very much.

The two didn't return to Milan together until the last day of their holiday.

The next day, after arriving in Milanello, Fino discovered: the sky had fallen!

Fino's teammates winked and asked him how his Roman Holiday was. They also asked Nesta who was prettier, Fino or Audrey Hepburn.

Fino was completely bewildered. He looked up at Nesta, who was also being teased, and Nesta handed him a newspaper.

It was the *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, and the headline left Fino dizzy:

Nesta and Cabrini star in "Roman Holiday," praying for eternal love at the Trevi Fountain.