As the convertible's engine sung to the broad city roads, Colman drove Amber to one of the amusement parks, which ZL Group had invested in, as she appreciated the wind blowing through her hair.
The moment they got there, Amber's eyes lit up, amazed at the spectacle in front of her. "Isn't this the largest amusement park in Y City? I'm sure the entrance fee isn't cheap. Are you sure you want to go?" she asked with some hesitation.
Then, Colman grabbed her hand once more and said, "Let's go! I have a VIP card. We won't have to wait in line for any ride!"
Colman proved to be very thoughtful when he borrowed the VIP card from his sister, Erma. He knew Amber would enjoy spending her time at an amusement park.
Excited as she was, Amber failed to notice that Colman was still holding her hand as she accompanied him.
That day, Colman took over Leon's role and showed Amber to all the exciting rides and facilities the amusement park had to offer.
When they were about to leave, Amber received a phone call from Leon. "Amber, where are you? I want to see you now," he requested in a soft voice.
Amber still hadn't gotten over the fact that Leon did not trust her. Therefore, she refused him. "I don't want to see you today. Maybe another time!"
Before Leon could say anything else, she hung up on him and put the phone back in her purse.
On the drive back, Colman comforted her, "It's normal for couples to quarrel. But if you ever need a quick cheer-up, just let me know. I'll bring you to this amusement park again!"
Amber had ignored her instincts all day long, but at that moment, she finally decided to come forth with what was troubling her. Looking at Colman curiously, she said, "Hey, I've got a question. Why have you been treating me like this? I mean, I'm your best friend's girlfriend."
Colman maintained a cool demeanor as he said, "Did you know that I have a sister? Actually, I have two sisters. I guess you remind me of them when I'm with you. Maybe you could begin to see me as your brother so I can treat you as my sister from now on."
'Oh, I see!' she thought to herself.
Amber could tell from the day they had spent together that Colman was really warm and friendly, definitely someone she could look up to as a brother. As it turned out, she had completely misread the man's feelings for her.
From that day on, Amber let her guard down around Colman and started treating him as her brother.
Colman, on his turn, also treated her very well, even better than her boyfriend, Leon, did.
For instance, on hot summer days in school when Amber had a hard time focusing on her studies, Colman would let her study in his apartment. During that time, she would take snack breaks and get Colman's help with questions she struggled to understand.
On one rainy evening, as Colman was driving with another woman by his side, he suddenly noticed Amber standing under a shade of a tree on the road, waiting for the rain to stop. Without hesitation, he made up an excuse and kicked the woman out of his car. Next, he took out an umbrella from his trunk so he could rescue Amber and drive her home safely.
At the same time, Leon would always hear negative news about Amber from Colman.
He would fill Leon's ears with rumors such as that she was having an affair with a straight-A student or that someone had seen her shopping with another man or how his girlfriend had been seen singing with a group of boys.
This only served to increase Leon's fury as he would constantly call Amber and have long arguments with her over the phone.
Whenever Amber was upset, Colman would occasionally meet her and be the shoulder she could rely on. With his arms around her, he would gently comfort her every time.
Eventually, Amber started to think how any woman would be lucky to have such a warm man like Colman in their life.
On the day of her college entrance exam, after taking a crowded bus, she realized that her admission ticket had accidentally slipped out of her purse during the trip. But the only person Amber could think of to help her with it was Colman and not her boyfriend. As soon as Colman answered her phone call, he contacted the bus company and sent someone to help find the admission ticket. Fortunately, he could help her solve the problem just in the nick of time.
That year, she ranked first place in the college entrance exam and was admitted to the same university where Colman had studied.
Not long after the exam, sometime in mid-August, it was Amber's eighteenth birthday. Little did she know that her birthday that year would become her most memorable yet.
On the evening of Amber's birthday, in a dimly lit room, three heads gathered in front of a chocolate cake with pink icing.
"Happy birthday, Amber!" Colman said in a soft voice.
"Thank you, Colman," replied Amber sweetly.
"Happy birthday, Amber!" Leon said.
As the arguments between Leon and Amber had become more and more frequent, their relationship suffered, and as a result, they were no longer in the best of terms. However, she was still polite enough to respond to him with a smile. "Thank you, Leon."
While Colman lit the candles, Leon turned off the lights. Amber sat before the cake with her arms folded and closed her eyes to make a wish.
The girl's adorable face was a sight to behold. It was as if time had slowed down around her as she gently parted her red lips and smiled.
Glancing at his best friend, Colman expressed the admiration he held for her from the bottom of his heart. "Amber is so beautiful!"
Leon was happy to hear him praising his girlfriend. "I know that. Why else would I have wooed her?"
With a strange, unsettling look in his face, Colman stared at Amber for a while before he suddenly asked Leon, "Can I kiss your girlfriend?"
Leon chuckled and looked at Colman as if he was joking. Since he thought his friend was just fooling around, he decided to play along and answered, "Sure!"
Next, Colman approached Amber. And before she knew it, he grabbed the backside of her head and pulled her into his arms, kissing her on the lips right in front of Leon's shocked gaze.
Amber's lips were sweeter and softer than Colman had expected. Thus, he found it hard to tear himself away from her touch.
Caught off guard, Amber blinked her widened eyes as she stared at the handsome face in front of her. It was hard to believe that she was really kissing… Colman.
The room fell silent for a full minute as Leon was still trying to process what he had just witnessed.
Shutting his eyes, he shook his head to dismiss that image from his head. Was he just cuckolded by his best friend?
Kicking the chair away, Leon pulled the two apart. Without hesitation, he punched Colman in the face and roared furiously, "Damn it! Colman Huo, how could you do this to me?"
Colman remained silent as he spat out blood from his mouth.
However, as soon as he saw a second punching coming towards him, he dodged it swiftly and then returned a blow to Leon's stomach, which sent him straight to the floor.
As a result of the kiss, Amber stood frozen and completely forgot about stopping the fight. Her mind went blank as she stared at the two men engaged in the fistfight.
God knew how long the two fought, but once Colman finally emerged victoriously, he held Amber's hand and walked with her towards the door.
At that moment, Leon's hoarse voice reverberated from behind. "Damn you! You and I are done, you hear me? Colman Huo, you are no longer my friend!"
Colman stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his friend. "Leon, don't blame me. If you loved her, you would have trusted her. And let's be honest, you never have. All it took was a lousy rumor for you to start a fight with her. From now on, you're no longer in a relationship with Amber.
She will be with me now!" Leon couldn't believe his ears. 'Damn it!
Can someone pinch me and wake me up from this nightmare? This has to be a dream, right?'
Afterward, Colman drove Amber home, but the two didn't say anything to each other the whole way.
Only when they got at the entrance of her community, Colman broke the silence. "Amber, I wasn't kidding. Go back and think about what I said carefully. Whether you want it or not, you will be my girlfriend from now on!"
'Huh?' Amber had never come across such a domineering man before.
Later, Colman walked into the Huo family villa. The left side of his face was slightly swollen.
Confused, Matthew looked at his son and asked with a frown, "I thought you were out celebrating your friend's birthday today?"
With a coat hanging over his arm, Colman answered casually, "Yes, I was."
"What happened to your eye then?" After all, seeing Colman like this was a rare occurrence for Matthew.
Moreover, Colman was hit straight in the eye. He had practiced martial arts for over a decade, and for what?
"I fought with Leon," he answered honestly.
