Chapter 742 - 495: Mischievous Wit

She looked up, only to be met with this sight.

"Can’t even look away for three seconds before you’re stuck together again. Seems like you two are getting along swimmingly lately," she said flatly, crossing her arms.

"Are we?" Chen Yuan scratched his head.

"You know perfectly well."

She said no more. The three of them finished packing and got into the car.

...

It wasn’t Jiangg Ning’s fault that she hadn’t noticed a thing. Yaoyao’s acting that day had been utterly convincing. It just seemed like a typical day, with the two sisters having a typical argument, and Chen Yuan playing his typical role as peacemaker.

It would have been impossible for her to find out.

Unless she had stood outside the door and eavesdropped on them.

Perhaps because they were in Kyoto, the two of them were a bit reserved. Even with a soundproof door between them, they spoke in hushed voices.

「Rewinding to that night.」

As night fell.

After the family dinner, they all took a group photo. Then, Liu He, thinking the sisters must be tired, sent them upstairs early to wash up and rest.

Chen Yuan, meanwhile, stayed on the first floor to chat with the elders.

In the blink of an eye, the kids had grown up, and there was much to consider for the future.

Things like when to set a wedding date, where to settle down and build a life after getting married, when to have a baby, and his parents’ retirement plans. The preliminary plan was that as soon as Chen Yuan had a child, Liu He and Mr. Chen would temporarily move over from Qishui County. Since Chen Yuan was in the prime of his career, he naturally wouldn’t have time to stay home and raise a child, so his parents would have to take on more of that responsibility.

Besides, despite the typical fondness grandparents have for their grandchildren, Jiang Zhengfeng had immense trust in Liu He and Mr. Chen’s parenting methods. He admitted he couldn’t hold a candle to them in that regard.

Mingzhu City was a good place, and although it couldn’t compare to Kyoto overall, the elders asked Chen Yuan if he had considered buying a house there. It would be more convenient for the sisters after the wedding. They came from a single-parent family, so they couldn’t just leave Jiangg Ruxue on her own.

Once they started chatting, there was no stopping them.

It was only when Chen Yuan checked his phone during a lull in the conversation that he saw a message from Jiangg Yao. She had told him to come upstairs half an hour ago.

He uncrossed his legs and told the elders he was heading upstairs for a moment.

He went upstairs and pushed open the door.

In front of the desk, the two sisters were lightly dressed. At some point, they had changed into identical silk slip nightgowns. Their damp hair was tied back, revealing their distinct collarbones and smooth, rounded shoulders.

With one sitting and the other standing, the scene was breathtaking.

The nightgowns were different colors, however. Yaoyao’s was black, while Ningning, as usual, wore red.

The laptop on the desk displayed the unedited photos from the photographer. The sisters had been looking through them one by one, their discussion lively and animated.

Even unedited, the photos were already beautiful. Many of them had captured the exact atmosphere they were hoping for. Overall, they were very pleased and felt they had definitely chosen the right bridal shop.

"Are you guys done talking?" Jiangg Ning asked, blinking at Chen Yuan.

"Not yet. They’re still talking business downstairs. I got a little tired of listening, so I came up to take a break." He glanced at Jiangg Yao, trying to read her expression. He had no idea what she was up to, sending him such a cryptic message.

A moment later, Yaoyao shot him a meaningful look.

"You’ve really had the toughest day, and you haven’t even rested yet. Here, you sit." Jiangg Ning stood up and gently offered him the chair. As Chen Yuan sat, she leaned against him, resting her head near his neck.

"The photos came in?" he asked.

"Yeah, they turned out great. Let me show you." Jiangg Ning took the mouse, carefully selecting a few of her favorites.

A sweet fragrance enveloped him.

The two sisters had just gotten out of the shower.

Chen Yuan contentedly enjoyed having them on either side. He habitually wrapped an arm around Ningning’s waist and took a deep, long breath of her scent from her nightgown.

Instead of resisting his affectionate gesture, Jiangg Ning simply stroked his head gently, as if comforting a small child.

"The photos in this wedding dress turned out exceptionally well, better than all the others. It might be because the lighting was perfect then. They came out so clear and bright. Take a look."

She pulled up a photo, and Chen Yuan studied it intently.

The shot was so brilliant that Chen Yuan was surprised. "The final proofs are ready this quickly? Are these the edited ones?"

"Nope, they’re unedited."

"They look this good unedited? There are barely any flaws."

"Their professional editors focus on lighting and shadows, not just skin brightening. They look good now, but once the edited versions are out, you’ll see the difference in quality when you compare them," Jiangg Yao added.

"Okay, you should print a few of these for me. I’ll use one as my phone’s wallpaper."

"As your lock screen?"

"Ningning, if you think a lock screen is too flashy, I can use it as my home screen wallpaper. Or I can use one of you for the lock screen and the other for the home screen. That would be fair."

"Mine is definitely perfect for the lock screen! It’s super beautiful and so grand," Jiangg Yao said, growing impatient. She snatched the mouse, seemingly put out that Chen Yuan had only praised Ningning’s photo. "Look."

He remembered the wedding dress Jiangg Yao was wearing quite vividly. It was the one with the incredibly long, enormous train. It had taken three or four stylists to help arrange it for the shot, and they had spent over an hour just on the photos with that one dress.

Then they used a drone to get an aerial shot.

"Wow, the result is absolutely stunning," Chen Yuan said, amazed.

In the photo, the dress spread across half of the golden sand, looking like a flower in full bloom.

Because the dress would have been difficult to clean and reuse after the beach photoshoot, the bridal shop had spent a long time awkwardly explaining why they couldn’t use it. Once Chen Yuan understood the situation, he simply bought the dress outright, fulfilling Yaoyao’s wish.

"Not bad, right?" Jiangg Yao’s lips curved into a smile, pleased with Chen Yuan’s praise.

"Worth every penny," he said, nodding in satisfaction.

"Let’s see the next one," Jiangg Ning said noncommittally, quietly taking the mouse back. "There are several more. See which one you want for your wallpaper."

"What’s the hurry? Can’t you see my husband is still admiring it?" Jiangg Yao frowned.

"Haven’t you been looking at it long enough?" Jiangg Ning said coolly.

"Just pick that first one. I’ve been looking at it for a while. I’ll decide for our husband. Use your first picture as the wallpaper. We don’t need to see the rest."

Jiangg Ning: "?"

She had been wearing a blank expression, accustomed to Jiangg Yao’s troublemaking.

But after hearing that, a muscle in Jiangg Ning’s jaw twitched.

"Let me tell you, during the shoot, I was the one who told the photographer to find a head-on angle. We discussed it for a while before deciding to use the drone. This amazing result is all thanks to your wife’s brilliant mind. They’d never shot a dress like this and had no experience."

"Uh... why don’t we look through all of them?" Chen Yuan said hesitantly.

"There’s nothing else worth seeing. I’ll send you the photo later."

"Didn’t you hear him? Chen wants to see them. Move." With quick reflexes, Jiangg Ning shoved Yaoyao aside, her brow furrowed with an authority that needed no anger to be felt.

"Why’d you push me?!"

"What are you shouting for? This isn’t your house. Show some respect." Jiangg Ning glared, her expression instantly darkening.

She had never tolerated Jiangg Yao’s misbehavior.

It was one of her absolute limits.

For years, she’d had zero tolerance for it. Whenever Jiangg Yao crossed that line, she would teach her a lesson.

"Honey, look at her! Say something... This brute isn’t even pretending anymore. She just pushed me right in front of you," Jiangg Yao whined to Chen Yuan, feigning injury.

This just irritated Jiangg Ning even more.

"This is between us. Stop dragging Chen into the middle of it. I’ve told you this more than once. You’re just incapable of changing, aren’t you?"

"Why should I change? I like it when he protects me, you... stinking... bitch!"

"What did you say?"

Jiangg Ning dropped the mouse, lunged, and grabbed Jiangg Yao by the neck. Showing no mercy, she tripped her, sending her to the floor. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Chen Yuan barely had time to blink, and Jiangg Yao was already sprawled on the floor.

Ningning was pinching her cheek hard. "I was trying to be civil in Chen’s home, but you just had to push me, didn’t you? It’s been too long since I last hit you. Looks like you were itching for a beating."

"Ow, ow, ow—"

"Ningning, go easy on her," Chen Yuan pleaded.

"She won’t learn her lesson if I go easy."

It took a great deal of effort for him to pull the sisters apart. The three of them had been peacefully looking at photos just moments before, but not ten minutes after he’d entered the room, they were glaring daggers at each other, locked in a furious standoff.

Neither was willing to back down.

"You’re so horrible! How many times have you hit me? From now on, I’m never speaking to you again."

"As if I care," Jiangg Ning said coldly.

She watched as Jiangg Yao furiously stormed out and slammed the door behind her. Jiangg Ning had no intention of following, and her expression, in fact, grew calm.

"’Spare the rod and spoil the child.’ Look how spoiled she’s become."