Changheng – Hotshot or Wimp?

Have you ever seen a romantic drama where whenever the lead couple start cuddling, you just start thinking about the other characters instead?

Yes, that’s me and Love Between Fairy and Devil.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Orchid and Dongfang – to… some extent. But with the drama’s tendency to force-feed its audience sugar, there is very little room for exploration with either Orchid or Dongfang.

Looking back, if anyone deserves an essay, it is Changheng. One of the feedbacks about him I have seen more than often is: Changheng doesn’t deserve Orchid because he doesn’t fight for her; and that he is a wimp who is afraid of his brother too much.

So, let us set out to say a few things about Changheng. His accessory choice doesn’t help his case, but I am willing to look past that.

Love Between Fairy and Devil is a drama about forbidden romance; mainly it is about a male lead who is willing to fight with everything he has, and to rush head first into danger to protect his girl. Luckily, this man also possesses the most powerful weapon in the world; so most of the time, he succeeds in looking like a heart-swaying hero.

Changheng is not that man. He was not born a god, nor with special power waiting to be released. He made an unbreakable vow to protect his clan, and even though he’s relatively powerful, he has to submit to a system. Even if the head of the system has no sense of fashion whatsoever.

This means that whenever conflict arises, he cannot simply threaten to burn everyone with magic fire. Instead, he has to employ something that still remains largely a foreign concept to Romance Fantasies’ male leads: thinking.

Granted, thinking doesn’t always yield a better result. There’s a lot of thinking going on when Yehua decides to poke Bai Qian’s eyes out, I can tell you that.

But back to Changheng. Weighing pros and cons, calculating consequences before taking an action — that is his life.

In the early days of their story, Changheng chooses to erase Orchid’s memory of him to prevent their mutual affection from growing further, which would only lead to heartbreak. Afterward, despite his devotion towards Orchid, he consistently chooses his responsibility over her. Are there moments when he wants to switch sides? Absolutely.

And no, I’m not talking about that time when he cuddles with Dongfang’s knee, OK?

Not like that.

He would go to look for Orchid in his own time and break the law to help her in a way that, to the best of his knowledge, doesn’t directly violate world peace or go against his principles.

Changheng puts up quite a fight for Orchid, but he fights with consideration, with caution. Not because he isn’t as strong as Dongfang, but because he is strong enough to admit his limits.

Sure, he doesn’t stay away from Orchid completely in the beginning; he has too much trust in the authority; he also harbors hope about a happy life with Orchid after she is reborn despite having already broken up with her. Those are Changheng’s mistakes and flaws. He goes so far as to agree to marry Orchid knowing that she is in love with someone else and blaming it on destiny.

But he grows up from that. Changheng learns to place what Orchid wants above his desires and recognizes her as his equal.

Some might say Changheng should have fought harder to overthrow his brother and build a better world. Otherwise — wimp. But let us consider that fact that Changheng grew up within a system. The same way Dongfang was brainwashed to hate the Heaven kingdom.

Compared to Orchid and Dongfang, Changheng is wiser, more emotionally stable, and more experienced in dealing with people. One might say he and Dayin are the adults of this drama.

Dongfang, as powerful as he is, his status is brought about by physical strength, not by any understanding of the world he lives in, since his ability to feel and therefore to learn from those feelings was cut off when he was a child. In that respect, Dongfang is still a child, possibly even less mature than his younger brother.

His success in protecting Orchid is also due to his special weapon. It is not an indication of intelligence or maturity. Which is why in the end, when Dongfang realizes that brute strength is no longer an option for him, he does exactly what Changheng did once: Sending Orchid way. And he does so in a much more brutal and, frankly, less effective manner.

If Changheng had the power Dongfang possesses, he would swoop in and grab Orchid away from danger like Dongfang does every single time. Does his refusal to do so make Changheng any less worthy of Orchid? Absolutely not. Changheng’s reluctance to fight for Orchid is due to his experience. He knows for a fact that if he fights, it will only result in more harm to Orchid and possibly her death.

All being said, the drama does a great job of making Dongfang a better choice for Orchid. Because his actions are timely, overwhelming, and obvious: and they appeal directly to audiences who follow this journey through Orchid’s eyes.

I mean… if you’re tied up and an inch from death, understanding Changheng is probably the last thing on your mind.

Yet, the drama is also fair towards Changheng. He isn’t made into an outright pathetic second lead like in plenty of other dramas.

As a man, Changheng embodies many heroic qualities that are easily overlooked due to the spotlight being on Dongfang’s aggressiveness. As a character, he is a foil for Dongfang, a first lesson for Orchid to grow up from, a stable force, and a voice of reason in the story. He is exactly what he needs to be for this narrative to work.

Now, is all of this to say that I ship Orchid with Changheng? Not at all. In the end, with Changheng’s development, he is better suited to someone who appreciates his value. Dayin, perhaps.

Orchid? Her type seems to be more about explosions and rock music.

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