The chat instantly blew up on Morgan's end. He called me, but I rejected all of them. Then, he bombarded me with texts.

"Chase, are you insane? Picking up the trash I don't want is one thing, but you just had to go for that fake heiress, Savannah Reed? Giving up a good life for someone like her… You really are doomed to be poor forever!"

Using the light from my phone, I glanced at the comments floating up.

[The male lead is the real idiot here. In 40 days, the female lead's grandfather, Steven Reed, is going to bring her back home. If he doesn't hold on to her now, he can kiss his dreams of marrying a rich woman goodbye!]

40 days. That was enough for me.

Savannah turned over in bed, probably noticing the glow from my phone. I asked in a small voice, "Did I wake you?"

"No."

"I heard you on the phone just now. Was that the Reeds calling to collect on the debt?"

"Yeah."

"How much do you still owe?"

Savannah was quiet for a few seconds before answering flatly, "Five million dollars."

[Why is the female lead lying? She only owes over two million dollars!]

While I read the comment, Savannah asked mockingly, "What, are you regretting it now?"

No. This was exactly what I was waiting for.

I sat up straight, found her on PayPal, and started transferring money to her, one transaction at a time. My bank account, my PayPal balance, and even the cash in my wallet—every last bit went to her.

The total came to 9,823.43 dollars.

She went from confused to surprised to the point where her breathing turned uneven. "What are you doing?"

"This is all my savings. Use it to pay off your debt. I know it's just a drop in the bucket, but tomorrow, I'll get paid for last month's part-time job. That's 580 bucks. And I'm getting a 330-dollar refund on my rent. Next week, my salary comes in, so that'll be another 4,200 dollars. Once it's in my account, I'll send it right over to you," I said.

The light clicked on, and the warm yellow glow fell across her refined profile, which was beautiful but trembling. She said, "I was asking why you were giving your money to me."

I looked straight at her, completely serious, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We're married now. We're husband and wife, which means we're a team. We share blessings and hardships."

Her face was filled with disbelief.

My heart started pounding wildly again. From this moment on, I'd finally taken my first real step. It was too early to tell who would stay poor forever, Morgan.

…

The morning after we registered our marriage, I woke up to see Savannah getting dressed. The money had been transferred back, and the cash was neatly placed by my pillow.

"Why…"

"If you give me everything, what are you going to live on? Men have to socialize, too. You have dinners and drinks, and you need a suit…"

I shook my head. "I don't smoke or drink. After my day job, I work part-time at a market stall. The owner's really nice—he lets me take home whatever vegetables that don't sell. As long as we're not eating expensive things every day, it really doesn't cost that much."

I lowered my head as I smoothed out my blanket, almost as if I wanted to hide my expression. At the same time, I made sure she noticed my pressed-together lips and the faded T-shirt on me that didn't suit my build and didn't even fit right.

I added, "Besides… Morgan dropped off two more bags of his old clothes a few days ago. That's more than enough for me."

Savannah paused on the bed, a flicker of emotion crossing her eyes. It seemed like a mixture of guilt and pity. After a long moment, she got up to wash her face.

She said, "My upbringing never allowed me to rely on anyone. At worst, I'll just go borrow from my friends."

…

From that day on, our lives settled into something plain and ordinary.

During the day, we each went our own way. At night, after finishing my two part-time jobs, I would come home and cook dinner.

Savannah and I would eat together, then one of us would sleep on the bed, and the other would take the floor.

At first, we only exchanged polite small talk. Later, we gradually started chatting about things that happened outside, and we'd casually help each other with small things, the way friends did.

It took me a week to get us from strangers to familiar roommates.

One week later, at 10:00 pm, Savannah opened the door and froze on the spot.

A new row of wall hooks had appeared by the entryway. The dress she used to leave draped over the table was now hanging neatly there, right next to my jacket.

The pilled gray four-piece bedsheet set had been swapped for a warm yellow set, and a plate of still-steaming pork chops with greens sat on the kitchen counter.

The old, dim bulb had been replaced with a new one, its warm light filling the 300-square-foot basement.

In this freshly made-over "home", I was standing on a stool, changing the curtains. When I heard the door, I turned my head and gave Savannah a small smile.

"You're back. Dig in while the food's hot. The boss at the market gave it to me for free. These things didn't cost much, either. They're all bargain finds."

Savannah's eyes turned slightly red as she scanned the room over and over, taking in every object. The large blocks of yellow filled her eyes, and the strong visual impact made her chest rise and fall. Her eyes grew even redder.

I seized the moment and continued, "Sorry. I went ahead and decided on warm yellow without asking you first. I just figured it was something you would like. I changed your pillowcase, too. See if you like it."

She lowered her head, staring straight at the pillowcase as she walked toward it. All of a sudden, she stepped on something and lost her balance, falling backward.

I rushed over and caught her firmly before she hit the floor. She instinctively grabbed the front of my shirt, and I used that momentum to lean in closer to her.

I saw the look of relief in her eyes. "Thanks, Chase."

I let out a breath, but my gaze slid down along the loose collar of her T-shirt, tracing the hollow of her chest. I swallowed.

"Savannah." It was my first time calling her name in such a low, husky voice. "Can I?"

She bit her lip, her cheeks flushing red. She buried herself against my neck. "Yeah."

I'd guessed right. She liked "being saved", especially when it was a typical "knight in shining armor swooped in to save damsel in distress" sort of situation.

That night, Savannah and I went from being husband and wife only on paper to being a real couple in every sense. I didn't change my hairstyle, and once the lights were off, it was my name that she called.

In the middle of the night, I woke up to silence.

Morgan had bombarded my phone with messages.

"Why aren't you answering me? Don't tell me you've slept with that piece of trash, Chase!

"Get a grip! There's no way Mom and Dad will ever agree to you marrying her. If you don't want them to hunt you down, then divorce her and come home. Look at the five women I offered to introduce to you—any one of them is better than Savannah!"

The last message sounded panicked. "You'd better do the smart thing and stop being so ungrateful. If you don't come home, don't blame me for not covering for you if Mom and Dad show up!"

Savannah's steady breathing fanned over my chest. The twin bed couldn't fit two people, so we had no choice but to press tightly against each other.

There was no way she'd truly fallen in love with me in just one week. Having someone stir the pot was actually a good thing.

I replied, "I'm not going back. I love her. Even if Mom and Dad disapprove, I'm going to spend my whole life with her."

…

A few days later, I rented a stall in a busy part of town to sell crepes.

At first, I didn't tell Savannah. I still went to my day job as usual, then braved the freezing night wind to run the stall. I made sure I was home on time to cook for her.

She was still busy with her own things. She told me she was job-hunting, but the comments said she was still trying to find a way to redo the paternity test.

[The Reed family is looking everywhere for their real heiress, but the female lead is still grinding this hard. With that kind of drive, no wonder she will become the richest woman in the future.]

The richest woman, huh?

I paused halfway through flipping a crepe and almost laughed out loud.

…

Half a month later, Morgan sent me a photo of me at the stall. "Found you. You're done for."

Perfect timing. I almost burst out laughing again.

That night, I deliberately returned home an hour late. As soon as I stepped in, I let out a weary yawn. Then, I pushed up my sleeves, revealing the ugly, angry chilblains on both hands.

"Sorry I'm late. It was pretty busy at the… convenience store. I'll go make dinner now."

I kept my back to Savannah, but I could feel her gaze fixed on my fingers. I acted like I didn't want her to notice anything and hurriedly tugged my sleeves down.

She was quiet for a long moment before finally looking away.

…

The next night, I went out to run my stall as usual. Morgan showed up with Mom and Dad in tow, all three of them storming over with ugly looks on their faces.

"We've finally found you! Real bold of you, huh? Getting married behind our backs!"

They overturned my stall. Batter and toppings spilled all over the ground.

Morgan stood there in his expensive suit, watching the chaos with barely concealed glee. "I warned you, Chase. You're the one who didn't listen."

Dad held out a hand impatiently. "Come on, hand it over. Where are the wedding gifts from your marriage?"

"Dad, Savannah Reed is just a fake heiress," Morgan cut in. "She owes the Reed family several million dollars. How could she possibly have any wedding gifts for him?"

I stayed where I was. I was terrified they would hit me, but I still stood my ground. "So what if there weren't any wedding gifts? It's not like I married her for her money!"

That set both my parents off. Dad kicked me hard in the stomach. "It's bad enough that you sneaked off and got married—you just had to make it worse by picking a broke nobody! We raised you for nothing!"

"You're coming home with us! Your brother has lined up a few sugar mommies for you. Marry into any one of their families, and we'll be set for years!"

Dad grabbed a fistful of my hair and started dragging me toward the car, ignoring my pained shouts. "Help! Let go of me!"

Morgan said, "Chase, just be good. We're doing what's best for you. That Savannah Reed is useless. If you stay married to her, you'll—"

"Let him go!"

Right as half my body was shoved into the car, a long wooden pole came swinging down, whacking my parents. Before they could react, Savannah yanked me back out, her face flushed with anger. She shouted, "How dare you grab someone off the street with so many people watching?"

Morgan's face twisted in contempt. "Drop the act now that you're broke, Savannah! Or do you still think you're the Reed heiress?

"Then again, Chase has been wearing my hand-me-downs since he was a kid and eating my leftovers. And now, he even wants the woman I've cast aside. Honestly, you two really do make a perfect pair."

Savannah stiffened. I could feel her shock. Maybe she was stunned that the man she loved could say something that cruel, or maybe it was just the astonishment of hearing someone else verify what a miserable past I had.

Slowly, her grip on my hand tightened. "No matter what you say, Chase and I are legally married. We're husband and wife. If you dare lay a hand on my husband again, I'll call the cops."

Husband and wife. It was the first time she'd ever said those words. My throat itched with excitement, but I forced myself to hold it in.

Once my family finally backed off, scared by the threat of having the police called, I pulled Savannah into my arms and gently cupped her cheek. "I'm fine, so don't worry. I'll just move my stall somewhere else tomorrow. And I've made a lot lately. I'll keep a thousand bucks for our daily expenses and transfer the rest to you."

Savannah tilted her head up. Her hand covered the back of mine as her eyes gleamed with heartache. Her voice broke as soon as she said, "Thank you, Chase."

I held her tighter. "There's no need for thank-yous between us."

It was too early for you to thank me, Savannah. It wouldn't be too late to do that once you had returned to the Reeds and become the richest woman around.

…

After I moved my stall elsewhere, Savannah started coming with me almost every day. We were making more and more money.

With just one day left before the date the comments had mentioned, I transferred money to Savannah again.

"Why are you giving me everything again? Didn't you say you were going to keep some for our daily expenses?" she asked.

I secretly showed her a photo on my phone of a stash I'd hidden in a stairwell—pieces of sheet metal. "I bought some metal sheets from the recycling center and picked up a secondhand tricycle.

"I'll weld it all together tomorrow, and after that, I can ride around and set up shop wherever I want. I've been thinking… Selling crepes isn't going to last forever. I want to get into hot dogs instead."