Chapter 736 - 492: Yaoyao Makes Her Move

With Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao subtly competing, the photoshoot progressed several times faster than when they first started. Their poses with Chen Yuan became increasingly coordinated, their actions more intimate. This delighted the photographer; he hardly needed to give any instructions, simply capturing candid shots at each location.

In no time, they finished three indoor and two outdoor sets and had even managed to shoot a few sets in wedding dresses.

But it was utterly exhausting for Chen Yuan.

One moment it was, "Groom, over here, please." A moment later, it was, "Is the groom free over there? We need him for a shot here."

The outdoor shots were especially grueling; he had to run back and forth between the two locations.

The constructed wedding venue and the beach for the sunset photos were in completely different places. It took a full half-hour to run between them. After one trip, Chen Yuan was at his limit, so a staff member lent him a bicycle.

So he pedaled back and forth.

By the time the sun began to set that evening, Chen Yuan was completely wiped out.

He was running on willpower alone, and his smile had lost its initial radiance.

"A little higher up. Groom, help the bride..."

The photographer’s lens focused on the seaside location. On a large rock, Chen Yuan helped Jiangg Yao stand steady. Behind them was a setting sun as round as a salted egg yolk, its orange-red glow staining the entire sky. This set of photos had to be captured at this exact moment, otherwise they’d have to rely on Photoshop, making this window of time exceptionally precious.

At the photographer’s command, an assistant beside Jiangg Yao forcefully tossed the train of her dress high into the air. Yaoyao turned her face to the side and lowered her head.

As a seasoned professional, the photographer perfectly captured the moment.

"Perfect! Let’s take a short break!"

"Hiss..."

The moment the photographer finished speaking, Jiangg Yao couldn’t hold on any longer. Her brow furrowed as she quickly squatted down, her face a mask of pain.

Chen Yuan noticed her pained expression and immediately looked down to check on her.

"What’s wrong, Yaoyao?"

"My foot hurts so much. I think something’s wrong with my wound. All that climbing up and down must have affected it."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan grew instantly worried.

His biggest fear today was that the sisters’ injuries would act up.

He had been worried about her wound when she was running earlier, and now she had endured an entire afternoon of shooting.

Without a moment’s delay, unable to get a clear look while she was wearing high heels, he scooped Jiangg Yao straight into his arms and carried her down from the rock. The nearby staff members were stunned by the scene.

"Mr. Chen, we might need to take a few more shots. It might be better if you don’t come down just yet."

"We’ll shoot later," he said coolly. "My wife is injured. I’m taking her to the rest area to check on her first."

"She’s injured?"

The young woman quickly pointed to a nearby canopy. "There’s a lounge with a sofa and everything behind it. You two can go sit for a bit. In that case, we’ll go help Miss Jiangg Ning change into her wedding dress. We’ll wait for you to sort things out."

"Okay," he agreed with a nod.

He carried Jiangg Yao to a chair and sat her down.

Beside them was a small, oval wooden table with drinks on it. It was quiet and peaceful, as everyone else had gone to help Jiangg Ning.

Chen Yuan looked down and carefully slipped the high heels off Jiangg Yao’s feet, setting them aside.

A quick look confirmed his fears. Fresh blood had seeped through the gauze, which was covered by a protective film.

"Does it hurt?" Chen Yuan asked, his heart aching for her.

"It’s alright. We can just have a nurse look at it when we get back after the shoot. It probably just opened up a little. I don’t feel that much pain."

"If it’s too bad... we’ll shoot another day. I’m taking you back now."

"Oh, don’t worry, darling husband. I’m not that fragile," Jiangg Yao said with a shrug. Afraid he was worrying too much, she pretended to be nonchalant. "High heels are beautiful torture devices; of course they’re uncomfortable after a whole afternoon. Did you bring fresh gauze and saline solution?"

"I did. It’s in my bag."

Chen Yuan walked quickly to the nearby bicycle and took the black leather bag from it. He’d had the foresight to bring it, and inside were also a pair of slippers for Jiangg Yao.

He knelt down.

He meticulously rinsed the bleeding area, watching Jiangg Yao’s face for any sign of pain as he removed the gauze. Thankfully, the moistened dressing peeled off easily, revealing a small cut. The injury was right on the edge, where a piece of the scab had broken off.

’Okay, it’s not too serious.’

He was relieved.

Chen Yuan carefully applied some ointment, then puffed out his cheeks and gently blew on the wound. Only then did he lightly wrap her foot with gauze, securing it up to her ankle.

Watching his focused and earnest expression, Jiangg Yao’s gaze softened. She stared at his face, lost in a daze.

After tending to everything, he looked up and noticed Yaoyao’s stare.

"What is it?"

"Nothing... I was just thinking that you’re really handsome when you’re being gentle. The more I look, the more I like it..." she whispered, shyly poking her index fingers together.

"You’re being weird."

Chen Yuan didn’t pay much attention to her words. In truth, he had no idea that for Jiangg Yao, today was an especially memorable day—and not just because of their engagement. The exceptional gentleness he had shown Yaoyao recently was also a major reason.

A girlfriend and a wife are two completely different identities.

She used to feel that Chen Yuan was always gentle with Jiangg Ning but stern with her. Now, it seemed she had finally pulled ahead.

And Jiangg Yao relished it.

She was filled with a host of wonderful feelings.

Especially the way Chen Yuan had just gently blown on her foot—she could feel the delicate care in that simple gesture.

Just as Chen Yuan sat up, a message came through in the photography team’s group chat. It tagged him and Yaoyao, telling them to rest easy. Jiangg Ning was changing into the "Underwater Reflection" wedding dress, which also required a change of makeup, so it might take some time. They would be notified when everything was ready, and someone would come get them both.

Chen Yuan replied with an "OK" emoji to show he’d gotten the message.

On the vast lawn, only he and Yaoyao were left.

"Just rest," he said suddenly.

"What’s up?"

"Ningning went to get her makeup done, and the photographers and everyone else went with her. Your foot is hurting, so it’s a good chance for you to rest up."

"No wonder it’s so quiet."

Jiangg Yao said, looking around.

There was indeed no sound around them anymore, just Chen Yuan by her side. It had been so lively just moments ago; the sudden contrast was a bit jarring.

"Can I rest my feet on you?" she asked.

"Of course," Chen Yuan readily agreed. He uncrossed his legs and lifted both of Yaoyao’s feet onto his lap. "If you want to wear the slippers, they’re in the bag. I can put them on for you."

"No, I’ll just leave them bare for a bit," she said, shaking her head.

Chen Yuan looked down at the gauze on Jiangg Yao’s foot, a knot of unease tightening in his chest. He remained silent for a long while.

In the distance, the evening sky blazed with color. The warm sunlight washed over them.

Jiangg Yao’s feet rested on his lap, small and delicate. Her clean toenails reflected the orange-red light, looking so exquisite they inspired a feeling of tender protectiveness.

"If I had protected you properly, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt..." he said in a low voice.

"Young Master, why are you saying that?" she asked, using her habitual term of address. "Who could have predicted a car accident? Things like that happen on the road all the time. You can’t see the future, so why blame yourself?"

"Is that so..." Chen Yuan said, his gaze drifting away.

He didn’t want to tell Jiangg Yao the truth about the car accident. It would mean nothing to her and would only cause unnecessary worry for this bright, cheerful girl he loved. In reality, he should have known. For such huge stakes, a villain like that scumbag Qi, who would stop at nothing, would exhaust every means and wouldn’t give up so easily. But he had been naive. He had underestimated his opponent’s determination and the darkness of the business world.

He never thought that in broad daylight, in a civilized society like this, the other party would go so far as to hire someone to stage a drunk driving accident as a threat.

The price of his naivety was both Ningning and Yaoyao ending up in the hospital.

And they were lucky it was only minor injuries.

"I forbid you from blaming yourself, you hear?" Jiangg Yao said, nudging Chen Yuan with her foot. "No one in this world is allowed to blame you. Not even you."

"You’re too good to me, Yaoyao..."

"Of course! I’m your personal dose of happiness. Now, smile," she said, using her fingers to push up the corners of his mouth. She followed it with a light kiss on his lips. "There. A kiss."