Chapter 96 (Bonus Chapter with 2K Nutrient Solution) Radio Station...

Giovanni was not distracted by Fino; he quickly steered the conversation back to Pato.

"This is a bit unbelievable. You and Pato are close in age and play similar positions. Are you sure there's no friction between you? You know, at the beginning of the 07/08 season, Gazzetta dello Sport was giving a major report on the battle for the number 7 jersey. The same thing happened in this year's Golden Boy award selection. You won the Golden Boy award, while Pato only ranked sixth. Won't this affect your relationship?"

Fino shook his head.

"As I said before, gossip news actually exaggerates the facts to a large extent. The so-called number 7 dispute was just a normal discussion between Adriano and Paulo when allocating jersey numbers. There was no dispute, let alone locker room turmoil and division. That's too exaggerated. Milan is a title-contending team. We have many games every season, including the league, cup, and European competitions. No one can play every single one. Reasonable playing time is beneficial to the development of each of us. Mr. Ancelotti is very professional in this regard. As for the Golden Boy award, Pato congratulated me immediately, and I believe he will be a strong contender for next year's Golden Boy award."

"But aren't you really not disappointed about not getting the number 7 jersey? That's the number Shevchenko left behind." Giovanni continued to subtly probe for information.

Fino laughed: "It's just a jersey number. Shevchenko doesn't care, so I care even less. Besides, I'm a former goalkeeper. Number 1 was my childhood dream."

"Then why did you choose number 14? 14 is double 7, isn't it?" Giovanni asked pointedly.

"Number 14 was the number Paul chose for me. As for the reason, it was probably because number 14 was right next to number 13 in the locker room! At that time, they thought I was like a little mute, while Sandro's mouth was never idle, so Paul really hoped that I could balance things out with Sandro."

Why do I feel like you're a little mute? You seem so funny and talkative.

Fino shrugged: "Sandro looks like a handsome, cool guy, who would have thought he'd be so talkative in private?"

After saying that, the two of them laughed together again.

The two then exchanged views on player recruitment, formations, and matches. Fino remained on high alert, responding to every move with meticulous precision.

Giovanni was quite disappointed. How could a young man of only 20 years old be so slippery as a fish, without making any exciting remarks?

They're either thanking the fans or praising the club; the coaching staff is brilliant, the locker room is united, the teammates are friendly, and there are no conflicts...

As the show drew to a close, Giovanni began to bring up some lighthearted topics that would appeal to female listeners.

"Milan has always been a renowned team of male models, gathering all kinds of handsome men: Maldini, Nesta, Kaka, Inzaghi... Oh, right, Beckham is coming soon too! It's truly a feast for the eyes! In your opinion, who is the most handsome among you?"

This kind of question didn't require much thought, and Fino quickly gave the answer in his mind: "Andrea, Andrea Pirlo."

"Wow~" Giovanni was a little surprised and said with a smile, "I thought you would say that you are the most handsome, since your peers almost always choose themselves first."

“Me?” Fino shrugged and answered indifferently, “Of course I’m not bad-looking, but I’ve looked like this since I was a child, so I don’t feel anything special about it.”

"Why Andrea?" Giovanni asked, puzzled. "Of course, I also think Pirlo is very handsome, but if you ask a hundred fans, perhaps not many would choose Pirlo as their first choice."

"Andrea has a very special temperament. He is an artist on the field, reserved and elegant, like the cold wind blowing from Lake Como in winter, carrying the chill and detachment of the snow-capped mountains. His eyes are deep and mysterious, filling people with a desire to explore, wanting to see through those eyes to understand whether his calm exterior hides a heart burning with passion or filled with a blizzard..."

As Fino described it, Giovanni's mouth gaped wider and wider.

"Uh, is there a problem?" Fino stopped after seeing the host's expression.

“Hmm, that’s a bit unexpected.” Giovanni stroked his chin, carefully choosing his words. “Is this how you see Pirlo? It sounds like a young girl’s fantasy.”

"Don't use such suggestive descriptions!" Fino felt her face getting hot. "Aren't we discussing appearance? I'm just describing objective facts."

"But I feel it's very subjective. I bet even Pirlo's most ardent admirers couldn't describe it like that."

"Hey!" Fino's face darkened.

"One last question," Giovanni said with a sly grin, "whether it's Maldini or Nesta, Kaká or Inzaghi, they're all undeniably handsome, but you firmly chose Pirlo. Why?"

"This is a real killer question!" Fino covered her face. "Do I really have to answer it?"

"I must answer this! I think our listeners are really looking forward to it!" Giovanni laughed.

Fino took a deep breath and replied, "My answer is that they are different types of people, and each has their own unique charm. If I were still a goalkeeper, I would definitely choose Paulo and Sandro. They are the heroes in the hearts of goalkeepers. But I am a striker now, and midfielders are more attractive to strikers."

Giovanni opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Fino interrupted him: "Don't ask Richie, the last question is over."

"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore." Giovanni raised his hands in surrender.

"At the end of the program is the listener call-in time. We will randomly connect with one lucky listener for a one-minute interview with Fino Cabrini." Giovanni continued, following the program's flow. "Are you ready, Fino?"

"Ready?" Fino breathed a sigh of relief, finally no longer having to deal with the host's questions.

"Okay, now we're connecting you to a caller. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, the call has been connected. Listener, can you hear us?"

A high-pitched scream came from the phone: "Yes, yes, yes! I'm so lucky!!!"

Giovanni quickly reminded her, "Ten seconds have already passed, ma'am, please make the most of your lucky time."

Listener: "Ciao, Finney, this is 15-year-old Sienna!"

Fino: "Good evening, Sienna, thank you for listening to 'The Voice of Football'. Is there anything you'd like to talk to me about?"

Listener: "I have a relationship problem and would like to ask for your opinion. I've fallen in love with a boy, and I'm practically crazy about him, but his attitude is always aloof, making me feel anxious and insecure. Do you have any advice?"

Fino: "Although I don't know why you're seeking my advice on relationship issues, my advice is that if you haven't completely fallen for someone, just let go and be decisive. The more you hesitate, the more you'll get hurt."

Listener: "Why? I believe that as long as I persist, one day he will... beep beep beep..."

Fino looked at Giovanni: "It seems the time has come, the connection has been cut."

Giovanni comforted her, "It's alright, you can continue. She can hear your reply on the radio."

Fino organized her thoughts: "Lovely girl, love someone like a tree, not someone like the wind. A tree will give you a sense of security, but the wind will not stay for anyone, and no one can catch the wind."

Giovanni raised an eyebrow: "Wow~ What a philosophical statement, what a profound summary. So, are you like a tree, or like the wind?"

Perhaps because this was a topic that had arisen during a live call with the audience, Fino, who had been impeccably discreet all night, lowered his guard. He casually replied, "I'm someone who understands."

It seems like there's a big secret! Giovanni immediately seized on this topic and continued to press for answers.

Have you ever tried to catch the wind?

Fino paused for a moment, regretting that moment of carelessness.

He paused for a few seconds, skipped the question, and said only one intriguing sentence.

"The wind is inherently free and unrestrained; that's its charm. If the wind stops, then it disappears. Sienna, don't even think about catching the wind."

As Fino and the host said goodbye to the audience, Inzaghi leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes in pain.

Fino never resented herself.

He silently processed all his emotions, as if nothing had happened; he was even being considerate and self-accepting.

Such a wonderful Fino, yet he pushed it away with his own hands.

At the same time, Pirlo, who had returned to the Brescia family estate, turned off the radio.

The woman sitting opposite him asked curiously, "So, Andrea, did you find anything?"

"I'm so lucky! This is 15-year-old Sienna!" Pirlo mimicked the girl's voice from before, "Gilja Pirlo, you're already 30 years old, haven't you woken up from your girlish dreams yet?"

Gillia clutched her chest in shock: "Andrea, your mouth is getting more and more venomous. How can your teammates stand you?"

"Don't worry about it, you should go back to your room and sleep!" Pirlo started to shoo him away.

“Use and discard, Andrea!” Gilia feigned hurt. “Don’t change the subject. You’ve fallen in love, haven’t you? Your crush is this little boy named Finni.”

“You know he’s a little boy,” Pirlo said with a wry smile. He and Gillia had grown up together and were very close, and Gillia was a good person at keeping secrets.

Wow, Andrea actually tacitly agreed. Gillia asked curiously, "How old is he? Since he's your teammate, he should be an adult, right?"

"Just turned 20."

“You’ve been an adult for several years now, no problem!” Gillia encouraged. “He sounds very fond of you. Artist, reserved and elegant, the coldness and aloofness of a snow-capped mountain… Andrea, I grew up with you, and I never would have guessed that this description was of you. He’s either infatuated with you or he really, really likes you. You have a great chance.”

Pirlo shook his head and said with a wry smile, "If I were 22 now, that would be fine; we'd be the same age. If he were 25 and I were 34, that would also be okay; his mind would be fully mature. But now he's 20 and I'm 29, which is absolutely impossible. Love should be open and aboveboard, a well-considered two-way journey, not an older person's emotional exploitation of a younger one."

Gillia looked at Pirlo with shock and admiration.

"What's wrong? Why the expression?"

"Andrea, I can't believe you can say something like this. Is this really you? So you can be wicked too!"

"Get out! Get out!" Pirlo pulled Gillia up from the sofa and pushed her out the door.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut with a deafening sound.

Gillia burst into unrestrained laughter outside the door!

Pirlo was speechless. How could Gillia have the nerve to criticize someone else for being immoral? She wasn't much better herself.

He sat back on the sofa and began to ponder Fino's final answer.

The match between Fino and Inzaghi ended in early April. Fino acted as usual, but during the international break, Fino seemed momentarily distracted when facing Inzaghi, which worried Pirlo. Perhaps Fino's inner self was not as calm as he appeared.

He seized the opportunity of Fino's appearance on "The Voice of Football," used his connections to secure the only live broadcast slot, and asked his cousin to play the role of a little girl lost in love, all to test Fino's thoughts.

Fino should be completely at peace by now, right?

I think so!

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Author's Note: Bonus chapter for 2k nutrient solution! [Let me see!]

After calculating, within the extra chapters promised in the announcement on June 19th, there are still 3 chapters of nutrient solution extra chapters, 1 chapter of Overlord extra chapters, and 6 chapters of long review extra chapters by Nikita-sensei, making a total of 10 chapters remaining.

I'll gradually catch up while prioritizing daily updates, although it'll be a bit slow [facepalm emoji].

I'll consider whether to add extra chapters after June 19th once I've finished compiling the data. I can't make any big promises given my snail-paced writing speed; I'll just fulfill my commitment first. [Let me see]

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