I Really Didn’t Take the Enemy Emperor for a Substitute

[Main story complete] *Soapy, slapstick style / no groveling arc / no actual substitute romance *Mad, feral young wolf of a tyrant, top × laid-back, beautiful big-shot, bottom Zhong Lan retired from an infinite-flow world, chose an ancient setting to spend his retirement in, and transmigrated into the enemy nation's ruler, who was the protagonist's foe. The protagonist was sent over as a hostage. Zhong Lan took the opportunity to dote on him, planning to wait until the protagonist conquered the various nations and unified the realm. Because of their age difference, the protagonist would surely let him live in comfort as a useless but happy noble. Everything was under control. Zhong Lan counted down the days to retirement, until he discovered... He'd mistaken the wrong person for the protagonist! The real protagonist had spent three years as a pitiful, unloved child and had already turned dark. Zhong Lan hurried to make amends, but something felt off. The better he treated the real protagonist, the colder the other's smile became. Several years later, the protagonist became a generation-defining warlord. Rumor had it that he was the Jade-Faced King of Hell, peerlessly handsome, mad and ruthless in his methods. If anyone wronged him by even a fraction, he would repay them a hundredfold. He viciously targeted Zhong Lan, seeming to harbor enough hatred to swallow him alive. After being captured, Zhong Lan thought he was about to die. Instead, things took a very strange turn. Cold fingers, stained with the blood of countless victims, gripped his chin. A peerlessly beautiful face that made the whole realm tremble with fear wore a cruel smile as the man breathed gently into his ear: "Your Majesty, am I ultimately just his substitute?" Reader's Guide: 1. The bottom's feelings for the fake protagonist are from the perspective of an elder. There is no romantic entanglement. 2. This author always finishes their stories. Dive in without worry. [Please add my upcoming story, Please Seduce the God of Light] Ye Se is an imprisoned evil god, bewitching and alluring, wicked and despicable. He breaks free of his seal, determined to take revenge and turn the world upside down! But He looks at the crystalline little horns that have inexplicably appeared, and the soft, sensitive wings. "Did I... turn into an incubus?" Ye Se refuses to give up. Even in an incubus's body, he will make humanity pay. He infiltrates high society in the Federation, hoping to stir up unrest. Everyone is stunned by his charm, staring at him without blinking. Ye Se sneers. Humans are so predictable! The crowd, eyes brimming with tears: "Comrade, the mission to seduce the deity is in your hands! Humanity can finally be saved!" Ye Se: "..." This isn't how the story is supposed to go. Even stranger, when he sneaks into the temple, he discovers that the one he's supposed to seduce is his old nemesis, the God of Light. - The gods have all fallen, and the God of Light is the last one left. The God is eternal as the undying midday sun, and without emotion. But humanity discovers that His divine light is growing dangerously hot, and He is about to consume them all. Humanity tries every possible way to weaken His divinity, but nothing works. Until Ye Se appears. For the first time, humanity sees desire and obsession in the God of Light. For the first time, He steps out of the temple and drags back the lowly incubus who tried to escape, holding him in His arms. Shadows veil His pure eyes. "Was the love I gave you not enough?" - Ye Se's true identity is restored, and he is wanted across the entire star system. The military surrounds him, and the deity arrives in person. Ye Se looks coldly up at the mass of sacred, solemn holy light above him. The holy light is imposing, yet aggrieved: "Can you turn your wings and tail back to normal?" Theme: Work hard and avoid slacking off