And up Jin Guangyao comes through the newly rended hole in the ice, gasping and sputtering as Wei Wuxian bodily hauls him out of danger like a nearly drowned rat.

He sprawls onto back beside Wei Wuxian on the surface of the ice, pale and glass-eyed as his burning lungs heave painfully from the effort required to suck in gulp after gulp of life-saving air. That is truthfully all he has the strength to manage now that the immediate threat to his life has been dealt with; he's only peripherally aware that Wei Wuxian is still nearby, but can hardly hear even his coughing and sputtering over the rushing sound of his own blood and pulse hammering in his ears. But it does recede thanks in no small part to the efforts of his golden core burning like a small reactor in his lower dantian, and soon he is steady enough to push himself up onto his elbows, to take in what they need to do next to get to safety.

But it seems that safety has, inexplicably, come to them first. Because they are no longer sprawled atop an icy lake, but instead are lying in the middle of an asphalt-covered side street, still soaked through and cold and uncomfortably close to a dumpster that's in dire need of emptying, but nevertheless clearly no longer in danger of drowning. Jin Guangyao twists around on his elbows to look over his shoulder; yes, that's the end of an alleyway over there, and if that's the edge of the shop that Shen Yuan frequents to satisfy his youtiao cravings, then this must be Willful Machine.

On the opposite side of the street an elderly woman has stopped to gawk at them, her eyes comically large behind her reading glasses. "Are you boys okay?"

Jin Guangyao makes a futile attempt to cover his mouth and nose with his sodden sleeve, before he coughs one more time to clear his sinuses. "Yes, lao nainai," he says hoarsely (are they okay?? really??), "we are--we are fine. This one thanks you for your concern."

The old woman looks from him to Wei Wuxian instead, like 'is he serious, you're both going to freeze to death.'

Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian, united at last by a common purpose: not disappointing Lan Xichen.

(Though in truth, the only plotting that transpired in those early years revolved around achieving a single goal: getting Jin Guangshan to keep his word to Meng Shi, so that neither she nor her son would have to languish in poverty. On her deathbed, it was only her dream for her son's future at his father's side that had consoled her, and after her death, there was nothing else for a truly filial son to do but fulfill his mother's dying wish through achieving his birthright. It is one of the central tragedies of his life that in pursuit of his mother's dream, right on the heels of his meteoric rise at the conclusion of the Sunshot Campaign, he kowtowed before a father like Jin Guangshan, and in doing so damned himself.)

Wei Wuxian's explanation to the gawking bystander earns him one brief, dubious glance, before Jin Guangyao seems to decide, 'fuck it,' and similarly smiles his reassurance at her. "It is as Wei-gongzi says, lao nainai," he says to her and, very carefully, picks himself up off the pavement and tries to execute a polite bow. He succeeds, even though he looks a little absurd leaning on all of these habitual courtesies while trying not to shiver from the cold. "Please be at ease and don't worry about us."

The elderly woman gives them both one last look of wary concern before she tightens her arms around her bag of groceries and quickly hurries away from them down the alleyway. Jin Guangyao watches her go, his smile fading once the need to maintain it is gone. Then he looks to Wei Wuxian, grimaces, and seems to win some internal war with himself if his slight sigh of resignation is any indication.

"Wei-gongzi." Polite, and tired. He gestures with a hand towards the other end of the alley. "My home is not even a five minute walk from where we are right now. Please accompany there so that you may get warm and change clothes." A brief pause, before he adds, anticipating resistance, "Zewu-jun is there, too. He will wish to ensure that you are uninjured for himself after I explain what has happened."

However long Wei Wuxian deliberates, Jin Guangyao waits in patient silence. Not comfortable silence, of course, because there's nothing comfortable about this arrangement for either of them. But he's used to this by now, waiting for other men to decide whether it is worth the risk to take him at his word. And when Wei Wuxian relents, Jin Guangyao's expression doesn't register relief or pleasure; just acceptance. He gestures with a hand that trembles only slightly from the cold, though that it trembles at all is indicative of just how cold he is. "Please follow me."

He turns and sets off at an efficient clip, the bracing sort of pace he used to quickly cross the grounds of Jinlintai while executing the business of actually governing his father's sect for him when in the cultivation world. There is no point in making small-talk while they walk; Wei Wuxian likely wouldn't enjoy it, and Jin Guangyao would prefer to reduce the risk of an argument until neither of them are in danger of frostbite. Fortunately, he wasn't kidding when he said his home was barely a five minute walk from the alleyway, and very soon he comes to a stop outside a pagoda-style gate built into a nondescript stretch of wall. A little steppe fox omen waits for him there, and when she spots the man behind him, she puffs up with some anxiety--transparently radiating her Sleeper's latent fear of Wei Wuxian, despite his outward appearance of composure.

Outside the door, he makes a simple hand incantation which seems to do.. something. There's a shimmer of energy, and then the general sensation of something opening. Jin Guangyao steps forward to push open the gate, then gestures Wei Wuxian through with a polite inclination of his head. "Please come in."

The gate opens up into a small courtyard. The siheyuan is a small, simple structure, a traditional three-bay home, though the interior decor is a far cry from the opulent ostentatiousness of Jinlintai. (It likely has more in common with the Cloud Recesses in terms of its decor, though much of the furniture and furnishings were present in the home when Jin Guangyao found it.) Upon crossing the threshold the air temperature is noticeably warmer thanks to a few carefully placed warming talismans, just enough to take the edge off. In short, it's a pleasant enough space, well kept and tidy. Jin Guangyao does not pause to appreciate any of it, and instead waits until Wei Wuxian has passed through the gate before closing and reactivating the wards.

"The parlour is just through here." A gesture towards the sliding doors just opposite the gate, which he walks towards. "Please come inside, and I will prepare tea and find you something else to wear."