Sinister Future

Chapter 4

**Family?** That was a foreign word to him.

In his memory, he didn’t have any family. The AU support squad was his family, and those few teammates were as close as family could get.

The situations of the AU members were all similar. They were asexual infants cultivated through artificial insemination. Both ** and eggs were selected from the best genes, and even during the cultivation process, genetic enhancements were added…

Levius smiled faintly and said nothing more.

From what Levius remembered, he didn’t have much affection for the idea of family.

"Don’t worry," Han Xiaoyi reassured him, though less confidently than before. "Even if you’re not Mr. Li Bingjian’s son, the police will still help you find your family."

The taxi driver, deep in his own thoughts, drove the car through the address Han Xiaoyi had provided.

It was a high-end residential area. Han Xiaoyi had remembered the address, but he’d never been here before, so the driver had to slowly search for the exact location.

The car finally stopped in front of a three-story villa. According to the address, this was Li Bingjian's home.

Although it wasn’t as grand as the luxury houses in Clear Water Bay or Mid-Levels, owning a villa like this in Kowloon City, where every inch of land was precious, would cost at least tens of millions, even if it had been purchased at a lower price. Compared to the average person, it was certainly a luxurious home.

This was the place Levius remembered as home, but for the current him, it was his first time coming here in person.

Seeing Levius in a daze, Han Xiaoyi sighed inwardly. It seemed he really had lost his memory. If this weren’t the real Levius, one might suspect that he was being used as an imposter…

After paying the driver, Han Xiaoyi walked up and rang the doorbell.

A Filipino maid opened the door, and upon seeing Levius, she immediately exclaimed in imperfect Cantonese, "Young master has returned!" Then she invited them inside, assuming Han Xiaoyi was Levius's friend.

Inside the living room, Li Bingjian returned Han Xiaoyi’s earlier call, thanked him, and asked if his son had been brought home.

Han Xiaoyi truthfully relayed the situation, explaining Levius's memory loss and urging Li Bingjian to come home quickly to confirm if it was indeed his son.

Li Bingjian didn’t believe the memory loss story. He suspected it was just a ploy his son was using to leave home.

Although his son’s behavior often frustrated him, in the end, he was still his son. Not wanting him to continue wandering around, he promised to rush back home as soon as possible.

The maid, busy with her own tasks, hadn’t noticed anything odd about Levius. After serving them tea, she left them alone.

Han Xiaoyi, uninterested in conversing with the maid, sat with Levius in the living room, making small talk from time to time.

Though he didn’t know Levius well, real-life cases of amnesia were rare, so he was somewhat skeptical. His professional instincts led him to probe Levius for more information.

Levius, however, answered calmly and cautiously, making sure not to betray any familiarity with the environment. He sat with poise, careful not to let any small details reveal that he had knowledge of the place.

After a few cups of tea and some television, nearly an hour had passed when Li Bingjian finally rushed home.

The moment he entered the room and saw the two of them, Li Bingjian froze.

The person in front of him was not his son! That was his first thought.

His second thought was: This isn’t the son he remembered.

His third thought, however, was: Did I really ever know my son?

Li Bingjian had sharp eyes. Although he didn’t interact with his son much, he immediately noticed something different about him. This gave him pause, making him reconsider the memory loss story he had initially dismissed.

Quickly regaining his composure, he approached Han Xiaoyi with a handshake, exchanging pleasantries and thanking him for helping to bring his son home.

Seeing Levius remain silent, Li Bingjian kept up the polite small talk but didn’t speak directly to his son, leaving Han Xiaoyi in an awkward position. He began to doubt whether this Levius was really the missing son.

Though Han Xiaoyi hadn’t picked up on it, Levius had noticed the small details in Li Bingjian’s gaze. As Li Bingjian approached to greet Han Xiaoyi, he had shot a quick glance at Levius, focusing intently on the left corner of his eyebrow.

When Levius was younger, he’d had an accident that left a small scar on his brow. Although the wound had healed, the skin in that spot no longer grew hair, leaving a tiny but permanent mark.

It was such a small detail that most people wouldn’t notice it unless they parted his eyebrows and looked closely. Even if someone knew about it, they might still struggle to find it.

When Li Bingjian saw that Levius’s brow had the same hidden mark, he was somewhat reassured, despite the differences in demeanor and behavior. He felt more certain that this was indeed his son.

At the same time, however, he grew more concerned. If this really was Levius, then perhaps he truly had lost his memory.

The awkwardness in the air didn’t escape Han Xiaoyi, who didn’t want to linger. He glanced at Li Bingjian, seeking confirmation. If this was his son, then all was well; if not, he’d take him back.

“Levius, Han Sir said you’ve lost your memory? You should thank him. Without his help, you wouldn’t have even found your way home.”

Li Bingjian cast a cold glance at Levius as he spoke with authority.

“So… does that mean…” Han Xiaoyi’s excitement grew. If this was Li Bingjian’s real son, he would owe him a favor. If it wasn’t, then his actions could be seen as self-serving, and he’d risk offending someone important.

“Am I really your son?” Levius asked, using a distant tone.

Li Bingjian’s face darkened, but recalling his son’s supposed memory loss, he softened slightly. “After the car accident, we had no idea where you went. The police couldn’t find you. Now that Han Sir has brought you home, the family will take care of everything.”

“Mr. Li, now that Levius is back, there’s no need to worry. On the way here, he still seemed to recognize his surroundings. I believe this is just temporary. With the care of his family in a familiar environment, he’ll recover quickly. You two haven’t seen each other in a long time, so I’ll leave you to catch up. I need to get back to my patrol.”

Han Xiaoyi said his goodbyes, trying to smooth things over.

“Thank you so much, Han Sir. I truly appreciate it,” Li Bingjian responded, his tone polite but firm.

Knowing that Han Xiaoyi was technically on duty, Li Bingjian didn’t want to keep him any longer. He knew the best way to express his gratitude in a situation like this, and it didn’t need to be said aloud.

Though Han Xiaoyi had broken some rules and would likely need to file a report to explain his actions, he felt it was worth it. Earning a favor from one of the most respected senior barristers in Hong Kong was far more valuable than even a six-figure check.

Who could guarantee they’d never face a legal issue in their lifetime? Who could say that their friends or family would never need legal help? In Hong Kong, there were many government and private lawyers, but only a select few could be called senior barristers. And of those, only a handful had achieved true notoriety.

Li Bingjian was one of those distinguished senior barristers.

After sending Han Xiaoyi off, Li Bingjian turned back to look at his amnesiac son sitting calmly in the living room. His expression was thoughtful as he slowly walked back inside…