An Sun let the Bai family general in and walked toward the table with the jug. General Guo stood by the door, motionless, with his frosty countenance and calm disposition as usual.
Not minding the general's cold aura, An Sun lifts the wine jug in his hand as he said, "Would the general care for a drink?"
General Guo glanced at the jug of wine and grunted in reply with a slight nod. An Sun grabbed two cups and poured the red liquid into them before passing one to the middle-aged general. An Sun slumped against the sofa, picked up his own wine cup, and slowly took a sip.
When the cup's contents were gone, An Sun grabbed the jug and poured more. General Guo watched the young man motionlessly as he drank wine one cup after another, but he did not stop him.
After a while, he suddenly opened his mouth, "Regarding the incident with my niece, Bai Han and I are truly grateful for aiding us in or search."
An Sun raised his eyebrow, his eyes flashing with a glimmer of amusement.
"You're commander has a funny way of showing it." An Sun spoke with a lilt of amusement.
General Guo looked up and sighed helplessly. "On behalf of our commander, I do apologize for his stubborn behavior. However, he is indeed grateful for your assistance."
An Sun waved his hand. "I don't mind. Besides, there's no need to thank me for something that would have been done regardless."
After speaking, he threw away his wine cup, directly replacing it with a wine jar as he drank the wine up in a big gulp. A twitch developed in the corner of General Guo's mouth.
He stared at the young man chugging wine and fell silent.
On one hand, he was surprised by An Sun's unexpected words, on the other…he was shocked how much wine this man could drink!
General Guo abruptly paused and then immediately bowed his head, "As for the truth about Rin's identity, I again apologize for keeping such a fact hidden. But, considering the circumstances she was in with your army, I hope you understand. My only wish is this hasn't made your trust in my niece lessen."
An Sun was silent as he listened to General Guo. Noticing the An Sun wasn't speaking, General Guo raised his head quietly and tried to secretly observe An Sun's reaction, but in the next second, he couldn't avoid locking sight with a pair of firm eyes.
General Guo was slightly startled.
"General Guo I feel as if you've misunderstood me somewhat. But, I assure you; my trust in Bai Rin still stands."
A hint of a smile flashed through An Sun's eyes, but it was quickly hidden. In one shot, he drank the wine in the jug until there wasn't even a single drop left.
"Whether your niece is a man or a woman, I don't care. All I have seen teaches me to trust her for all I have not seen."
Just as his voice fell, General Guo, who was caught off guard, felt stunned. A rare look of surprise appeared on the cold-face general. He put his thoughts in order and his expression became even more somber.
He felt happy to hear the young man say those words but was also confused.
Did he trust his niece that much?
It was rare for a young man, especially with An Sun's background to disregard another's gender in the military. Not to mention, Rin and An Sun were formal opponents in battle causing him to be even more surprised how easily he trusted Rin.
General Guo had seemed to underestimate the strength of An Sun's trust in a subordinate. He glanced at An Sun with narrowed eyes as a thought appeared.
Or perhaps he…
At the sudden thought in mind, General Guo shook his head and decided not to think much of it.
"I see. Then, I thank you, Commander An, for not taking my niece's actions to heart."
An Sun sounded a hum while drinking. His actions suddenly paused and he stole a glance at the general sipping wine across from him.
Finally, he opened his mouth to ask in a highly casual voice, "Why did you allow her to join in battle?"
Though An Sun was not against a young woman fighting in battle, it wasn't common. Especially considering Rin was a member of the Bai family who was prestige and noble household.
It was surprising to see them allow their young miss to fight in ruthless wars.
General Guo heard An Sun's words and sighed heavily. He poured more wine into his cup and drank.
"If you're asking why we allowed to let our precious young miss into gruesome battles, it's the same reason she chose to support you and your troops."
It wasn't like they wanted her to join in battle! If anything, General Guo and Bai Han wanted nothing more than to raise Rin spoilt, pampering her to be a delicate, innocent flower!
Yet rather than a delicate flower, they raised a strong and rebellious tree!
An Sun's eyes darkened, but he concealed it very well. The expression on his face grew slightly lighter as looked down at his hands, looking like he was thinking about something.
He seemed to recall the girl's words during the winter hunt.
[I may have been born in a noble family, however, I was also raised to understand luxury and food is not free. That is why I took it upon myself to collect my own food to lessen the burden of you providing for me; to prove my worth to you, Lord An.]
The confidence on her face that day, the independence was like a dazzling light.
With his head lowered, An Sun smiled unconsciously with corners of his mouth curled up, at that moment, his whole being was absorbed in tenderness, and even his cold and gorgeous face seemed to become gentle as water.
He murmured to himself helplessly, "What a fool."
"Hmm?" General Guo glanced at the man with furrowed brows.
A hint of a smile flashed through An Sun's eyes, but it was quickly hidden. He raised the wine jug in his hand.
"Care for another drink, General Guo?"
The middle-aged man glanced at the jug and nodded his head while extending his cup out. The two sat in silence for a while longer and drank strong wine to their heart's content.