[ABO, male-male leads + equally matched strong leads + alternate fantasy setting + awkward older Beta × straightforward young Alpha puppy + substitute trope]
At thirty-one, Beta Xu Ran ran into a midlife crisis ahead of schedule. The Omega he’d been dating for years was stolen away by an Alpha who suddenly appeared, while a younger Alpha had him dancing in the palm of his hand. Even his mecha design company was on the verge of going under. With nowhere else to turn, Xu Ran decided to lie low somewhere else, leaving Federation District 13 and returning to District 8, where he was born. He thought he could make a fresh start, but fate brought him face-to-face with the Alpha who had once left him completely lovesick. Only then did Xu Ran finally catch on: “That brat was using me as a substitute all along!”
