Luokang Hospital wasn't far from where Joe Di lived. After just over ten minutes, the car came to a stop.
Zoe Shen's hospital room was a top-floor VIP suite. When Joe Di entered, he immediately saw Zoe Shen leaning against the hospital bed.
Zoe Shen was holding a book, seemingly lost in thought.
The woman who brought Joe Di opened the door, startling Zoe Shen out of her reverie. She put down her book, smiled at Joe Di, and then said to the woman, "Thank you, Aunt Fang. Please close the door. I want to have a word with Joe Di."
"Yes." Aunt Fang replied, backing out and closing the door behind her.
"Are you sick?" Joe Di glanced at Zoe Shen lying on the bed and asked simply.
"It's my old illness, as you know. Nothing worth mentioning. I called you here today because I want you to leave Luojin City..."
"Leave Luojin City? Why?" Joe Di interrupted Zoe Shen.
Zoe Shen sighed and looked at Joe Di, asking, "I heard from Cathy Liang that you had a fall?"
"Yes, I did fall once in the Lethe Mountains. I suffered a minor head injury and lost some memories, that's all. By the way, why do I need to leave Luojin City?" Joe Di replied calmly, casually steering the conversation elsewhere, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
Zoe Shen looked at Joe Di and spoke sincerely, "Joe Di, I know you really like me, maybe even love me. I'm truly sorry..."
Joe Di frowned slightly. Love you? He thought to himself that Zoe Shen was indeed beautiful, but wasn't she a bit too self-assured? When did he ever fall in love with Zoe Shen? Even in his previous life, he was the one who initiated their divorce; otherwise, Zoe Shen wouldn't have said he kicked her out.
The only girl he ever truly liked was Manna Zhen. Even with Manna Zhen, when he saw her walking side by side with another man in Pearl City, he completely let go of his youthful infatuation. After all he had been through, he was no longer that sentimental young man.
Like Zoe Shen? At least for now, he didn't have that thought at all.
"Did you really lose all memory of marrying me?" Zoe Shen saw Joe Di frown and asked in confusion.
"Yes. If you don't mind, could you tell me about what happened between us?" Joe Di asked expectantly. He genuinely wanted to know if, in his past life, he had truly fallen for the woman before him.
"What about your own identity? Do you still remember that?" Zoe Shen was puzzled by Joe Di's response.
To her, Joe Di seemed perfectly normal. How could he suddenly lose part of his memory?
Joe Di awkwardly scratched his head. "I can vaguely remember having something to do with Di Pharmaceuticals. I think I'm some sort of heir... That's about it. I don't remember much else."
To be honest, he said this mainly because not long ago, that arrogant woman had made him sign the Di Pharmaceuticals inheritance agreement. If not for that, he wouldn't even know what Di Pharmaceuticals was.
Sensing Joe Di wasn't lying, Zoe Shen took a deep breath and looked at him with a hint of pity. After more than ten seconds, she finally said, "The chairman of Di Pharmaceuticals is Vincent Di, and it's one of the world's top 500 companies, ranking in the top ten globally in the pharmaceutical industry. Vincent Di has two sons, one biological and one adopted..."
"Is it me and Henry Di?" Joe Di's heart stirred at this and he asked immediately.
Zoe Shen nodded, "It seems you haven't lost all those memories. Yes, it's you and Henry Di. Vincent Di always treated you as his own son, while Henry Di was adopted. This is common knowledge, and no one ever doubted it."
Hearing Zoe Shen's words, Joe Di began to understand a bit.
"But fate is unpredictable. Not long after we married, DNA tests showed that Henry Di was actually Vincent Di's biological son. At first, we thought it was a mistake, but after several renowned institutions confirmed it, the results were the same. You were the adopted one; Henry Di was Vincent Di's real son." Zoe Shen sighed.
Joe Di didn't care much about this. To him, not being Vincent Di's biological son made him feel more at ease.
Was being part of a top 500 company such a big deal? Back in Jade Nation, the Di family was second only to the ruler. And just like that, they were wiped out. For Joe Di now, his fate should be in his own hands, not dictated by family inheritance.
He wondered if Zoe Shen married him because he was backed by Di Pharmaceuticals.
Sure enough, before Joe Di could ask, Zoe Shen apologized, "The reason I married you was entirely because my Shen Family needed help from Di Pharmaceuticals. Not just financial help, but assistance in other areas too."
At this, Zoe Shen gave a bitter smile. "I bet no one in my Shen Family expected that not long after our marriage, the news broke that you weren't the Di heir. It seems when you were sent to Northlake University, your family was already planning this. The Shen Family thought they had won..."
At this point, Zoe Shen paused. Scheming? If Joe Di wasn't Vincent Di's son, a simple DNA test would have sufficed—what was there to scheme about? And Joe Di wouldn't have needed to be sent to Luojin City.
Joe Di chuckled, "Was your Shen Family planning for you to divorce me and then marry Henry Di?"
Zoe Shen's face turned a bit pale. After a long silence, she nodded. "Yes. Although I never liked you, nor did we ever truly become husband and wife. After marrying you, I never considered marrying anyone else."
Joe Di said calmly, "So if I refused to let you divorce me, you'd feel awkward and simply suggest divorce yourself?"
Zoe Shen nodded again, saying nothing more. She knew Joe Di truly liked her, maybe even loved her deeply. He was the one who suggested the divorce, probably so she wouldn't feel awkward. But whether it was arranged by their families or not, deep down, she felt nothing for Joe Di and knew she could never love him.
So in response to Joe Di's self-deprecating words, she could only remain silent.
After a minute or two of silence, Zoe Shen finally looked up at Joe Di and said, "I want you to leave Luojin City because if you stay, I'm afraid Henry Di's mother will find you—and she may even harm you."
Joe Di smiled, "But that's your future mother-in-law."
He genuinely admired Zoe Shen's foresight. In fact, before coming here, someone had already sought him out.
Zoe Shen sighed again, choosing not to argue with Joe Di. Instead, she said, "Originally, once I entered Northlake Martial Arts Academy, as long as you could get in too, everything else would be manageable... But unexpectedly, my old illness flared up, so I probably can't enter Northlake Martial Arts Academy for now."
Joe Di understood—Zoe Shen had given him the Northlake Martial Arts Academy registration as a means of protection.
Thinking of this, he sighed inwardly. No matter what, Zoe Shen didn't have much say in this matter. Maybe she could threaten her family with her life, but clearly, she wasn't willing to go that far for him.
For Zoe Shen to do this much was already remarkable.
"Tell me about your illness. What's going on?" Joe Di didn't want to continue the previous topic.
......