The craze for genetic modification has been raging for over a hundred years. Now, female betas are the least numerous in this world. In order to protect her own interests, Zhou Tinghe, a Beta, had no choice but to marry an Alpha.
Bad news, Zhou Tinghe married someone she didn’t love. Good news, the one she married was the handsome, wealthy, gentle, virtuous, and fortunate childhood sweetheart Shen Xushan who was hard to come by.
However, it was too unsafe for an Alpha and a Beta to marry! From a genetic and physiological standpoint, they would never be the most compatible spouses. Although Shen Xushan had always given in to her since childhood, she still studied laws and regulations, thinking every day about what circumstances she could divorce him to maximize her interests.
But since their differentiation, Shen Xushan would disappear for a few days in front of her every month. Zhou Tinghe had never seen him during his sensitive period. She had also never found the opportunity and right time to divorce.
Until she came home early from a business trip and saw Shen Xushan in his sensitive period for the first time, none of the bad scenarios she had imagined happened. Throughout the entire sensitive period, Shen Xushan just clung to her, acting spoiled, aggrieved, and cute.
This was different from what she had imagined!
Overview only slightly spoilerish:
ML is an Alpha who has been "in love" with his childhood friend/neighbor for most of their lives. I use scare quotes because his feelings seem more like a fanatical obsession, which doesn't indicate a healthy mindset.
MC is a Beta who struggles to form emotional connections—though while it's not entirely healthy, it's not as extreme as to be considered pathological; more like the typical "low EQ" found in many novel protagonists to fuel misunderstandings.
They enter into a marriage of convenience (from MC's perspective) as per state regulations. Despite being a lifelong friend and closer to her than anyone but her closest relatives, MC cannot trust that ML won't betray their marriage, believing that all Alphas will eventually seek an Omega partner. Most of the novel revolves around ML trying to prove his trustworthiness and win her affection.
The story seems designed to appeal to the fantasy of having a powerful Alpha male reduced to a submissive role, literally offering himself as a doormat. ML abases himself in front of MC, pleading not to be abandoned, cosplaying in servant's uniforms and canine accessories, and even offering to wear chastity devices and handcuffs. The parts I read were suggestive rather than explicit, but none of these elements appealed to me, and there wasn't enough else to keep me engaged.
ML's whining, clinginess, and outright stalking annoyed me, but MC ultimately annoyed me more. Despite her rational fears, someone so determined to remain indifferent shouldn't get to indulge in jealousy and paranoia to such a degree. Whether he ever asserts himself or she relaxes her guard, I can't say, as I didn't finish the book.