Chapter 87 Only an ugly woman would fantasize about trouble...

That very evening, the filming of the Fino and Pirlo advertisement was leaked online. That's how the internet age works; information spreads so fast that it didn't even have to wait until the next day to appear in the newspapers.

Because the scenes were all filmed outdoors, the production crew could only try to isolate the crowds; they had no way to clear the area. So, not only the media, but also ordinary passersby could easily take a picture and post it online.

Fortunately, this is an advertisement, so there are no strict confidentiality requirements and no fear of premature leaks. The higher the online buzz, the more it will fuel netizens' expectations and benefit the subsequent spread of the advertisement.

Because of the involvement of two AC Milan stars, this advertisement has generated a lot of discussion among AC Milan fans. Judging from the clips leaked online, it features football elements, a chase sequence, and plenty of close interaction between Fino and Pirlo, making it look quite interesting.

So, has Milan finally resorted to making money through players engaging in promiscuous behavior?

【Huh? Hasn't Milan always been one of the best? (witty emoji)】

Maldini scoffed. "That's it? He and Nesta even have matching jerseys! They're practically begging everyone to know that Milan snatched away another team's captain to be their own."

I hate it so much! Our Blue Eagle squad leader...

[Why are there Lazio fans on the Milan forum? Get them out of here!]

I'm kind of looking forward to the final product of the advertisement; it looks quite romantic.

But isn't riding a small scooter along the beach a bit too plain? I'm not asking for a supercar, but what if it were an Audi R8?

Imagine how beautiful this scene would be: against a backdrop of sunshine and the sea, two handsome men in white shirts and sunglasses laughing heartily in a luxury car, the sea breeze tossing their hair through the windows—free and carefree...

[But the main character in this ad is a small household scooter! All for this dish of dumplings wrapped in vinegar...]

...

On the second day of his holiday, Fino spent the whole day in the art studio. The competition schedule over the past few months had been so packed that he hadn't been to art class in a long time and his skills had become rusty.

The videos are still being edited, and the account "Red and Black Faith-3" already has several hundred followers, which makes Fino feel a great sense of accomplishment. Even after leaving his identity as a player, there are still hundreds of people who recognize him and appreciate his output.

Excellent people are excellent even in their fandom; kudos to myself!

The next day, it was training day again.

As soon as Fino entered the locker room, he was teased by his teammates.

Ambrosini was the first to come up and make a joke.

"Finnie, next time the club asks you to shoot an advertisement for a sponsor, you need to learn to negotiate. No cooperation unless it's a beautiful woman!"

Fino smiled but didn't say anything. He had already expected to be teased by his teammates; the Milan locker room was always quite mischievous.

The super optimistic Brazilian Ronaldinho walked over and put his arm around Fino's neck: "Such a romantic scene should be taken with a beautiful woman! What's the point of taking it with Andrea?"

Fino turned to look at Xiao Luo, ready to teach him the new knowledge he had learned from the director: "The director said that the combination of handsome men is the current trend in the art world. The director is British, and the British are always keeping up with the trends."

“It’s better not to follow British trends; it’s not a good thing. You and Andrea should be careful,” Shevchenko, who had spent two years in Britain, suddenly remarked, sounding like someone with a story to tell.

Pirlo replied slowly, "Didn't you even crawl into Paul's bed? You're way ahead of your time!"

Shevchenko was defeated.

Maldini, the other party involved, was about to speak when he heard this and also shut his mouth.

Seedorf asked in bewilderment, "How come Finney is always involved in such scandals? First, there was the 'Roman Holiday' with Sandro, then the 'unspeakable double game' with Richie, and even the 'hotel room mess' with Alonso. Not to mention the scandals with Andrea, there are just too many."

Pirlo added slowly, "Perhaps this is the trouble of being a handsome guy. Clarence, you can hardly understand. Fans love watching handsome guys interact, and tabloids love to fabricate these kinds of gossip stories to boost sales. I really envy you, Clarence, you don't have this kind of trouble."

Seedorf opened his mouth wide in disbelief, then closed it again as if deflated.

"Hahaha, I really envy you, Clarence, you don't have this kind of trouble."

"It's so good to have no worries, hahaha..."

Kaka, Nesta, and others who were constantly plagued by gossip joined Pirlo in mocking Seedorf, filling the locker room with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Andrea is so aggressive!" Gattuso nudged Inzaghi with his elbow, utterly shocked. He decided to be careful these next two days and not provoke Pirlo.

"Hmm," Inzaghi replied with a blank expression.

After the laughter subsided, Xiao Luo teased Fino, "Want me to take you to a nightclub? Fino, if you meet some hot girls, you won't have this problem anymore!"

“Just like Andrea said, this is something handsome guys have to go through. Richie got married, but that doesn’t stop the tabloids from writing all sorts of gossip about him and his teammates.” Fino patted Ronaldinho on the shoulder. “I wasn’t really bothered by it. Ronnie, thank you for your concern. If you’ve been through it, you’ll know we’re used to the media making things up.”

When Corriere dello Sport reported on the "Roman Holiday" incident last year, Fino felt like the sky had fallen. In just one year, he had become accustomed to the media's unscrupulous writing and was already impervious to criticism.

Ronaldinho clutched his chest and took two steps back. Fino's tone was particularly sincere, but he still felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest, just like Seedorf.

Only ugly women imagine troubles; handsome guys are already unfazed, right? You're practically a killer without shedding blood, young man.

Fino's words and Ronaldinho's reaction elicited another burst of cheerful laughter in the locker room.

Gattuso sincerely advised Fino: "Fino, you really should spend less time with Andrea in the future. Haven't you noticed? You've started to become unintentionally sarcastic."

When Fino first joined the team, he was very quiet, like a little mute, and the older members liked to tease him.

Less than two years have passed, and the little mute has become so cunning, even more so than Pirlo. His sarcasm is subtle and insidious; you wouldn't be able to detect it without a bit of malicious intelligence. It's terrifying.

Pirlo gave Gattuso a meaningful look, and Gattuso trembled and retreated.

...

After two days of vacation and four days of recovery training, the players, who were somewhat fatigued from the recent intensive competitions, have recovered to a certain extent in both physical and mental condition.

On November 16, Milan hosted Chievo in a league match.

This wasn't a particularly exciting match; Chievo had suffered four consecutive league defeats and had never won at the San Siro before. Ancelotti rotated half of his starting lineup, and the team ultimately secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Chievo, with Fino winning a penalty and Kaká scoring.

However, this match sparked a lot of discussion in China because the Chievo team had three Chinese characters "百乐能" printed on their jerseys. Many fans who watched the broadcast inquired online about what "百乐能" was, whether Chievo had a domestic sponsor, and whether there was a brand called "百乐能" in China.

In fact, Paramount is an Italian cake giant and a sponsor of Chievo. Paramount's intention in requesting the club to print its Chinese brand name on the jerseys during this match was very clear: it was targeting the Chinese market.

Amid the global financial crisis, China was one of the least affected countries, and its vibrant market is particularly attractive, drawing many foreign brands, including Paramount Cakes.

Paramount has already laid the groundwork, and they will be entering the Chinese market during this Christmas season, so building momentum in advance is essential.

The reason for choosing this match for this "gimmick" is simple: AC Milan is the most well-known Serie A team in China, with a huge fan base. This match at the San Siro has a very high chance of being broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV). In that case, the name "Baileneng" will be broadcast to millions of households across China through this match, without incurring any additional advertising costs.

Fino was also very interested in Chievo's jersey, and he took the initiative to exchange jerseys with Chievo's midfielder, Giampaolo Pinzi. This was the second time he had taken the initiative to exchange jerseys with someone; the first time was with Rui Costa.

Pingqi was somewhat flattered. He had only played for the Italian national team once and had never been included in the roster of any major tournament, while Fino was already showing signs of becoming the Italian national team's future top scorer.

He didn't know why Fino valued him so much, since he hadn't done anything particularly heroic in the match. But he could only think about it himself; he absolutely couldn't ask out loud—he had his pride!

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Fino draped his level jersey over his shoulders and headed towards the locker room.

Nesta caught up from behind, put his arm around Fino's shoulder from behind, and let Fino drag him along. He was already seven or eight centimeters taller than Fino, and when he leaned down, his two long legs awkwardly shuffled back and forth on the ground.

"You're too heavy, Sandro, you need to lose weight!" Fino turned to look at Nesta and casually started to complain.

“Nonsense, I have a great physique,” ​​Nesta retorted.

Even so, Nesta straightened up, hooked his arm around Fino's shoulder, and walked side by side toward the locker room.

"Why did you exchange jerseys with Pingqi? I've never seen you exchange jerseys with anyone other than Rui!" Nesta asked curiously.

“Hmm, I’d like to collect a Chievo jersey with Chinese characters printed on it, it’s kind of special,” Fino replied. “As for exchanging with Pingqi, it’s because he wore number 66, and I also wore number 66, it feels like quite a coincidence.”

"Seeing Chinese characters feels familiar, doesn't it?" Nesta said understandingly, then enthusiastically suggested, "There are no major tournaments this summer, so let's go to China together during the summer break? Have you ever been to China?"

Fino didn't know how to answer the question for a moment. His body had most likely never been to China, but he had a Chinese soul.

He didn't want to deceive Nesta, so he finally chose to give a vague answer: "I haven't been there since I was 9 years old, and it's hard to say before I was 9."

Nesta suddenly remembered Fino's amnesia after the car accident and kissed his forehead with some guilt.

“We’ll see, Sandro,” Fino changed the subject. “There’s the Confederations Cup in the summer, I wonder when the national team will start training.”

"Okay, we'll talk about it later."