Chapter 144 Family
"Paolo!" Fino was overjoyed. He dropped the bag he was carrying and rushed towards Maldini. "What brings you here? Are you here to watch Milan's game?"
Maldini put his arms around Fino, kissed his forehead, and said with a smile, "My little friend is having a birthday party, how could I miss it?"
Fino's face flushed red. He realized he had lost his composure, but he couldn't contain his excitement and asked, "Will you stay in Madrid until after my birthday?"
Maldini smiled and nodded: "Perhaps it will take a little longer."
"Then you can stay at my house, I have plenty of empty rooms!"
“Of course.” Maldini ruffled Fino’s hair. “Let’s go home!”
Fino felt like he was floating on clouds; he loved the word "home".
Maldini helped Fino put the gifts he received into the trunk of the sports car, then opened the driver's side door and turned to Fino: "Come on, try out your car."
It was a gunmetal Ferrari sports car, elegantly designed with smooth lines, absolutely beautiful.
"Me, mine?" Fino stammered.
It all felt so unreal; ever since Maldini appeared, he felt like he was dreaming.
Maldini came to Madrid to celebrate his birthday, and Maldini wanted to take him home. Maldini gave him a sports car as a gift...
“Of course!” Maldini ruffled his hair again. “It’s your birthday present, do you like it?”
"I love it! I love it so much!" Fino rubbed his cheeks, feeling his face getting a little hot.
This was a gift from Maldini, how could he not like it?
Compared to two years ago, Fino is now able to accept these valuable gifts with ease.
Two years ago, on Fino's 19th birthday, Pirlo gave him a watch worth around 80,000 euros. Fino was filled with unease until the following summer, when Pirlo reciprocated with a bracelet of similar value on his birthday, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At that time, Fino had never experienced being unconditionally loved. He had not grown up in a loving environment, and his heart was barren and desolate. When he felt the love others had for him, he would be overwhelmed with gratitude and at a loss, anxious about whether he was worthy of their love.
Later, he received a lot of unconditional love from Pirlo, Nesta, Kaká, and other Milan teammates. His once barren heart was gradually filled with love, and his tense nerves in interpersonal relationships gradually relaxed. When others gave him love, he was no longer anxious. He learned to naturally reciprocate love with love.
He finally understood that love is heartfelt care and affection for the other person, and that he was someone who deserved to be loved.
Especially as his income increased, money gave him a great sense of security, and at this point, his mindset towards those high-value gifts was completely different.
Just like now, he can accept the sports car that Maldini gave him without hesitation. It was just a birthday gift, and Maldini's sentiment cannot be measured in money.
When Fino drove Maldini home, it was nearly midnight.
He arranged for Maldini to stay in the room next to his own and then took out a set of his own pajamas and put them on the bed.
"Paul, take a shower first, I'll go make you some midnight snack."
“Let me do it!” Maldini put his arm around him and led him to the kitchen. “You’ve played the whole game, you must be hungry. Tell me what you want to eat.”
Maldini is going to cook for me himself!
Fino roared inwardly:
Everyone, did you hear that?
Maldini is going to cook for me himself!
Mar! Er! Ti! Ni! Want! Kiss! Me! Cook! Me!
Despite his immense excitement, Fino remained composed, not wanting to frighten Maldini.
Yes, by this time Fino had regained his composure from the initial excitement of meeting Maldini, and he had put his calm and collected facade back on.
However, Fino was unaware that his disguise was as transparent as glass in Maldini's eyes.
When he heard Inzaghi's account, even the usually calm and composed Maldini seemed somewhat incredulous.
Fino wasn't particularly close to him; he respected him but wasn't very affectionate. It wasn't until last season, when Fino wanted to groom Fino to be captain, that they became closer.
“It’s true, Paolo. From the moment he joined the first team, I noticed he was always secretly observing you. You know Fini’s situation; he grew up alone without any family. Boys around the age of 10 are at the stage where they idolize their fathers, and his parents passed away around that time. He projected his longing for a father figure onto you. I even suspect that he joined Milan’s youth academy specifically for you…”
“But he never said that, he rarely even spoke to me first.” Maldini shook his head, still finding it unbelievable.
"That's just Finney's personality. Maybe it's because he had no one to rely on growing up, so he had to be independent and self-reliant. That's why he silently digests everything and never bothers others. He doesn't want you to feel burdened, so he won't tell you anything. Paul, think about it, how deep must his love be to risk getting involved with those lunatics in the South Stand for you?"
These days, Inzaghi's words have been like thunderclaps, constantly exploding in Maldini's ears.
Maldini began to recall the details of his time with Fino, bit by bit.
Fino, though unwilling to get involved in the power struggle between Knights Table and Galliani, agreed to take over as Milan's captain in the future because of his own expectations; after the 5-4 victory over Juventus in the rain, Fino wanted a reward of carrying him back to the locker room; on the 23rd anniversary of his Serie A debut, Fino dedicated the goal to himself and wore an inner shirt as a tribute to himself; in the post-match press conference of his last game, Fino spoke vehemently about his injustice—perhaps he was already prepared to be purged by Galliani at that time…
Maldini grew increasingly distressed, his heart clenching with pain. The child's love was hidden and profound. Even though he was the one who had struggled to grow up from the mud, he tried to use his meager strength to shelter him from the wind and rain, even though he was 20 years older than him... But he said nothing, he asked for nothing in return.
Maldini scrolled through all the posts on the account "Red and Black Faith-3" and remembered Inzaghi's words.
“Paul, Finney is an easily satisfied person. He receives too little love. Just a little care and love from you will make him feel very happy. Don’t suddenly expose his pretense. He can’t live without that pretense. It’s the shell that protects his soft and fragile heart.”
Inzaghi's words made sense, but he wanted to give Fino more; how could a little care and love be enough?
He began to arrange his business dealings, as he needed to fly to Madrid before Fino's birthday.
...
When Fino woke up the next morning, he lingered in bed for a while, thinking about what had happened the night before. Maldini had come and was sleeping in the room next to his!
He felt so happy.
But at this point, he also sobered up from his state of excitement that lasted all night. He began to silently analyze the logic: why did Maldini suddenly come here? After all, he and Maldini weren't that close.
His first reaction was that the account "Red and Black Faith-3" had been exposed, but he then denied the possibility. No one is better at protecting their accounts than him. His account will never be exposed, not in this lifetime.
He logged into the "Red and Black Faith-3" account and, as expected, his guess was correct: everything was normal and calm.
He then speculated whether it was something Inzaghi said.
That's not quite right. Inzaghi only saw a picture he made himself and knew nothing else. At most, he thought he admired Maldini, just like other youth academy kids. It's not worth telling Maldini about that.
And how long has it been since then? Inzaghi probably forgot about it long ago.
Finally, he thought of a possibility: Maldini felt guilty about leaving Milan and wanted to make it up to him.
Fino thought that perhaps he should talk to Maldini. He didn't want to see Maldini feeling guilty, nor did he need Maldini to make any compensation. His love for Maldini was heartfelt and he didn't ask for anything in return.
Just then, he heard a knock on his bedroom door. After a few knocks, Maldini pushed the door open and walked in.
"Finnie, get up! I've made breakfast. After you eat, I'll take you to training!"
“Okay—” Fino responded instinctively, but his mind went blank.
Fino stumbled into the bathroom, first rinsing her burning cheeks with cold water, then taking a shower, changing her clothes, and going downstairs.
Maldini was already sitting at the table waiting for him, with two seemingly nutritious breakfasts on the table.
Maldini smiled and waved to him: "What are you daydreaming about? Come and eat!"
Fino obediently walked over and sat down.
During the meal, Fino kept thinking about how to start the conversation, and then Maldini tapped him on the head.
"Eat your food properly! You're so young, yet you always seem so preoccupied."
Fino stopped after hearing that.
“Paolo!” He looked intently into Maldini’s eyes. “Are you feeling guilty because I left Milan?”
Maldini was stunned; Fino was really sensitive.
Seeing this, Fino continued, "Don't feel guilty. We've already discussed it. It's time for Milan's management philosophy to change completely. Galliani selling me was inevitable. The fact that you came all the way to Madrid for this makes me feel uneasy."
“You’re overthinking it. It’s not about that.” Maldini ruffled his hair and said, “After you transferred, Daniel cried for a long time. He really liked you and said you promised him you would wait for him to grow up and be his teammate. But he hasn’t grown up yet, and you’ve transferred away first.”
Fino laughed. He had indeed said that when he first met Daniel.
“Ade and Cristian like you a lot too. Ade kept saying that you were lonely in Spain, and since I had just retired and didn’t have anything to do, he asked me to come and keep you company. By the way, Ade chose the color of the car. She said that this understated and elegant color suits you best.”
The reason was somewhat far-fetched, but Fino didn't want to delve any further into it.
This moment was so blissful; he felt as if he truly had a family, with his father by his side, and his mother and younger brother who cared for him.
He held back the tears welling in his eyes and nodded heavily.
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Author's Note: Fino thought he had hidden his identity very well, but little did he know that Inzaghi had exposed him completely. [Poor thing]
Thank you everyone for your support! [Hands clasped in prayer]
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