Winning Over My Childhood Sweetheart Isn’t Easy

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Novel Info

Author:
再让我睡一会
Status:Ongoing

Summary

Pei Yunting is the beloved Second Miss of the Marquis of Zhen'an's residence in Yanjing City, renowned for her gentle temperament and hidden talents in martial arts and strategy. Despite her noble status, she possesses a rebellious spirit that occasionally leads her to disguise herself as a young man to explore the city. One evening, she visits Xiaoxiang House, the most prestigious pleasure house in the capital, where she is discovered by Yan Huaijin, the Third Prince. Yan Huaijin, known as the Little King of Hell, is a powerful imperial prince currently recovering from injuries sustained while investigating a major embezzlement case implicating high-ranking officials. He arrives at the brothel with urgency, having been alerted by Pei Yunting's guards, and confronts her in a private room. The confrontation reveals the depth of their complex relationship. They are childhood sweethearts who have grown up together, sharing an unspoken understanding and deep bond. While Yan Huaijin is furious about her reckless behavior, he is also concerned for her safety. During their time in the private room, they accidentally hide behind a screen as another guest, Lord Liu, engages in intimate activities with a courtesan. Yan Huaijin realizes Lord Liu is connected to his investigation and uses the opportunity to extract information, keeping Pei Yunting close by his side throughout the ordeal. The experience leaves both of them flustered and aware of their growing attraction, though neither explicitly acknowledges it. The following days see Yan Huaijin suffering from vivid dreams about Pei Yunting, while she experiences prophetic dreams of a wedding. Their relationship is tested when Yan Huaijin is injured again while pursuing the embezzlement case, which leads to the discovery that Assistant Minister of Justice Li Rao is involved. Li Rao is a protégé of Prince Yi, the father of Commandery Princess Nanping, who harbors a secret admiration for Yan Huaijin. The political landscape is tense, with the First Prince Yan Huaize holding significant power and the Second Prince being too ill to compete. Pei Yunting finds herself caught between the two princes, particularly after a chance encounter with Yan Huaize during the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. At the banquet, Pei Yunting displays her literary talent, reciting a poem that earns the Empress's praise. However, she feels trapped by court etiquette and longs for the freedom of the city streets. Yan Huaijin, noticing her restlessness, orchestrates a plan to sneak her out of the palace. He asks the Empress for permission to take Pei Yunting away, claiming he wishes to protect her. The Empress, aware of their close relationship and Yan Huaijin's feelings, agrees to cover for them. Pei Yunting is led to a private room where Yan Huaijin reveals his intention to take her out to see the festival streets, fulfilling a wish she had expressed earlier. The story concludes with the two boarding a carriage together, leaving the palace behind to experience the vibrant life of Yanjing, marking a significant step in their relationship as they navigate the dangerous political intrigues surrounding them.

Novel Items

Flower Tea

Beverage

A pot of flower tea ordered by Pei Yunting at Xiaoxiang House. She savors it and comments on its excellent taste and remarkable brewing skill. Yan Huaijin also drinks from a cup she pours for him.

Crimson Jade Qilin Belt

Accessory

A belt adorning Yan Huaijin's waist, made of crimson jade with a qilin design. It is part of his flowing robes and identifies him as a person of high status.

Jade pendant

Treasure

A half-broken jade pendant that was found by Wang Cuihua when she adopted baby Lin Kexin. It was hung around Lin Kexin's neck for over a decade. Lin Tianci stole it as a gift for a girl, was rejected, and threw it at Lin Kexin's face, breaking it into two pieces. When Lin Kexin's blood touched the jagged edge, it activated a Spatial Spirit Spring mystical space.

Tribute Oranges

Food

A basket of tribute oranges that Yan Huaijin sent to Pei Yunting before he was injured. He had received only two baskets total and gave half to her. She did not visit him after hearing he was wounded.

Dragon's Salve Incense

Incense

A type of incense referenced when Yan Huaijin holds Pei Yunting, comparing her fragrance to a living piece of dragon's salve incense. It symbolizes the intoxicating scent she carries.

Embezzlement case

Event

Wei Lin reported Shi Yun and others for embezzlement, sending them to the police. Zhao Hong could not be convicted. Shi Yun's family begged Su Yundai to plead with Wei Lin, but she refused.

Latest Release

Date	Group	Release
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c25
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c24
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c23
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c22
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c21
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c20
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c19
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c18
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c17
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c16
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c15
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c14

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Popular reviews

Alanray64 Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ February 20,2025

I am not okay. I am genuinely not okay. Pei Yunting's face was so red it looked like it was about to drip blood and she just—wrapped her arms around him. Like a lifeline. And Yan Huaijin, who was already struggling with his own reactions to being this close to her, had to gently cover her ears while she clung to his robes like her life depended on it. The author wrote: "Pressed together like this, warmth naturally spread between them. Pei Yunting was tense. Yan Huaijin had never found anything so difficult to endure." DIFFICULT TO ENDURE. My friend. He was melting. He literally thought she felt like "a living piece of dragon's salve incense" and then had to tell her to stop hugging him because he's still injured. BRO. You're injured in HEART not in body. And the dream! The dream where he becomes the man holding her and she calls him by his childhood nickname—Huailin-gege—I swear to you I made a noise. That birthmark on her shoulder blade that he remembered from childhood and then kissed in the dream? The author is playing 4D chess with our emotions and I am HERE for it.

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TrueMonarch00Ctb Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ April 6,2025

Let me just say this: the stakes in this chapter are on another level and I was literally holding my breath through half of it. On the personal level, the conflict is simple—Yan Huaijin missed her coming-of-age ceremony. But the author makes us feel the weight of that absence by showing us Pei Yunting's perspective. She's surrounded by family, by guests, by ceremony—and she's scanning the crowd for someone who never appears. The moment she 'lowered her eyes in disappointment' and realized 'the person she had been waiting for never came'—that hit me like a physical blow. Because we know how much this day means to her, and we know how much she was counting on him. But the external stakes are what make this scene so tense. Yan Huaijin isn't just any nobleman. The night watch general literally says: 'That man is the one most likely to ascend that throne.' He's the Third Prince of the Great Yan. Every delay, every absence, every moment he's not where he's supposed to be has political consequences. The fact that he abandoned everything—riding thousands of miles without rest, arriving dust-covered and in his travel clothes—shows us exactly what's at stake. His political position is precarious, and yet he chose her over protocol. The internal conflict is even richer. Yan Huaijin has loved her for ten years and still can't say it. He kisses her—a clumsy, careful, precious first kiss—and then immediately retreats behind silence. He wants to confess but the words won't come. Meanwhile, Pei Yunting is drunk on wine AND on the moment, and she has no idea that this kiss means what it means to him. The gap between what they both feel and what they can express is the engine driving this entire novel forward. And then there's the shadow guard scene at the end. Yan Huaijin making his men strip and inspect their backs—paranoia? Protection? Or something else? The stakes keep rising even after the emotional climax. The author doesn't let us exhale, and honestly, I respect that.

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Genesiswriter Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ December 10,2025

The embezzlement case is simmering under everything and it's making me nervous in the best way. Pei Yunting connects the dots immediately—those people who barged into their room at Xiaoxiang House didn't just stumble in randomly. "That Lord Liu... does he have something to do with the embezzlement case you and Zhou Siyan have been investigating recently?" She's sharp, she's suspicious, and she's right to be. Meanwhile Yan Huaijin is recovering from injuries, practicing swordsmanship, juggling his duties as a prince, and dealing with Commandery Princess Nanping showing up at the training ground with unresolved feelings for him. The romantic triangle is setting up but the REAL stakes are political. If the embezzlement case goes wrong, people die. If Yan Huaijin pushes too hard, he makes enemies. And Pei Yunting is caught in the middle—not just as his childhood friend but as the daughter of Marquis Pei Zhao'an, whose family has deep ties to the Emperor. The scene where she walks into his chest and he catches her waist—this could go so many ways and the tension is unbearable. They're dancing around something huge and I'm here for it. The author knows how to layer personal stakes on top of political ones and make you care about both simultaneously.

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LucindaHacker Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ April 20,2025

I need to talk about the dialogue in this section because honestly it's some of the best writing I've read in this novel. Let's start with Pei Yunting's drunk dialogue. The fact that she's drunk but COHERENT is such a smart character choice. She's not slurring and stumbling—she's sharp, sarcastic, and wounded. When she says 'A damned jerk,' it's not the line of a tipsy girl. It's the line of someone who has been waiting all day for a person who never showed up, and she's protecting herself with bitterness. The dialogue here does exactly what it should: it reveals character without the narrator having to tell us anything. And Yan Huaijin's voice! The way he speaks to her is so different from how he speaks to everyone else in the court. With his guards he's commanding, with the political world he's calculating—but with her it's just... soft. Patient. 'I was wrong, Pei Wanwan. This time, I'll accept whatever punishment you give me.' That's not a prince talking. That's a boy who has loved her for ten years and still doesn't know how to say it properly. The exchange about Zhou Sinian beating him up? 'Do you really think he can beat me? Or that he'd even dare touch me?' This is Yan Huaijin being confident and slightly arrogant, but it's also him trying to make her smile. He's reading the room even while drunk. That's their dynamic—she pushes, he deflects, and somehow they end up exactly where they need to be. Fu Boheng's line 'Big Sister Pei is so beautiful! No wonder my mother praises her all the time' is such a natural kid-line. And Zhou Sinian's silent glare saying everything without a word? Perfect. The author gives each character a distinct voice and never lets them blur together.

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Mehh8602873 Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ July 23,2025

Let me just say—the atmosphere in this novel is UNMATCHED. The opening description of Xiaoxiang House had me completely transported. "High-ranking officials, wealthy nobles, and even the sons of powerful aristocratic clans frequented its halls. Every night, music and dancing filled the air as incense drifted through the rooms. Distinguished gentlemen lingered among willows and flowers, embraced fragrant beauties, and indulged themselves beneath the moonlight." I could literally SMELL that incense. I could hear the music. The author doesn't just describe a place—they build a world that breathes. And then the private room scene? Layer upon layer of bed curtains, the lotus-patterned bed, the folding screen beside the window where they hide. Every surface has texture. The crimson jade qilin belt on Yan Huaijin's waist. The flower tea Pei Yunting sips while her guards are having an existential crisis outside. Even the torrential rain that night feels intentional—"The air was hot and humid" and then he's trapped in his sleeping chambers, tormented by dreams. The weather mirrors his internal state and I appreciate that craft. The contrast between the opulent, gilded world of the pleasure house and the cold, dangerous political world Yan Huaijin operates in creates this rich texture. You feel like you're living in a painting that's also a thriller.

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Muhammedshafa Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ February 12,2025

I keep thinking about that birthmark. The author mentions it in the dream—"There was a small birthmark on the woman's butterfly-shaped shoulder blade"—and then reveals that Yan Huaijin remembered it from childhood, when she was upset about it and nothing he said could comfort her. And then in the dream, he kisses it. That single detail carries so much weight. The birthmark is a symbol of everything between them. It's something she was ashamed of as a child, something private and vulnerable, and he remembers it. He knows her in a way nobody else does. The fact that it appears in a DREAM—where his subconscious is processing his desires and fears—suggests that this connection runs deeper than either of them probably realizes. And the dream itself is loaded with symbolism. He watches himself watching her, becoming himself holding her. It's a loop of desire and identity. The bed curtains, the incense, the rain—all of it creates this liminal space where reality and fantasy blur. The pleasure house, normally a place of transactional intimacy, becomes something else entirely for these two. It's where truth comes out, where masks slip, where the political and the personal collide. The author is asking: what happens when the people who know you best are also the ones who make you lose control? And the answer, apparently, is a dream you never want to wake up from.

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