@bonhe uses a soft-bending technique that I use in softer plants as well.
Squeeze the branches while they're still green and make sure you damage (but not destroy!) the tissue. Then wiggle at the pinch position; if your thumb and index finger are at the top and the bottom, move up or down. If they were on the sides, you can do left/right movement. This allows the crushed tissue to flex way more since plant tissue is organized in stacked layers (like some electrical wires) and squeezing/crushing those will break the tension and prevent snapping, and if done right there's hardly any scarring after two seasons. No need for wire, because they'll heal in the way they are oriented.
Think of it like a pack of dry spaghetti: If you bundle them and bend them, they'll snap. If you lay every string next to one another, they flex way more. If you wet them at the bending point and let them dry over night, they'll stay in place.
My chaenomeles japonica are still in their infant stages from seed, or year-old cuttings from parking lot ones.. But it seems like this bending technique could work.
I'll give it a shot tomorrow and let you guys know how the tissue responds, not every plant takes this technique well.
