I Cannot Hug You Season 2 Episode 5 Recap
> I Cannot Hug You Season 2 Recap
Li Shiya excitedly showed Jiang Zhihao the files she found about Qingsong County and a childhood photograph of herself. She noted the picture was cute but she couldn't remember when it was taken, planning to ask her sister, Li Lanxi, about it later. Jiang Zhihao then hesitantly revealed that he had visited Li Lanxi when he couldn't reach Li Shiya.
He shared that Li Lanxi seemed against their relationship and had told him that Li Shiya was merely "hunting," implying he was just her prey. Stunned by this, Li Shiya declared she had to go confront her sister immediately. Li Shiya angrily confronted Li Lanxi, demanding an explanation for her words to Jiang Zhihao, especially after Li Lanxi had previously encouraged her to do as she pleased.
Li Lanxi calmly admitted that if it meant breaking them up, she was willing to be unscrupulous. She explained that she initially thought Li Shiya was simply "hunting" by pretending to be in love with Jiang Zhihao, which she could understand. However, she noticed a change in Li Shiya's tone, gaze, and actions towards Jiang Zhihao, realizing their connection was deeper than mere hunting.
Because Jiang Zhihao is human and they are vampires who absorb human energy to survive, Li Lanxi believed such a relationship could not last. She feared Li Shiya was mistaking a temporary blissful feeling for genuine emotion and urged her to return to her old ways. Li Shiya vehemently denied this, asserting her feelings for Jiang Zhihao were real and that she could not treat him as food.
Li Lanxi pleaded with her to stop, emphasizing that human relationships were forbidden and that continuing would lead to danger, just like in the past. When Li Shiya pressed for details about this past danger, Li Lanxi quickly changed the subject, telling her to stop having foolish ideas and to trust her, while holding her close. This made Li Shiya suspicious. Meanwhile, Xin Ba called Xu Qingran, inquiring about Li Shiya's recent activities.
Xu Qingran informed him that she and Li Shiya were in Qingsong County for a filming project. Upon hearing this, Xin Ba was shocked and rushed towards Qingsong County in his car, silently praying that Li Shiya would not encounter any harm. In Qingsong County, Li Shiya found herself looking at Qingsong Elementary School, feeling a strange sense of familiarity but unable to recall ever being there. Her distracted state affected the filming, leading the director to pause.
Xu Qingran suggested they take a walk to clear her head. During their stroll, Li Shiya asked Xu Qingran if it was possible for someone to completely forget their childhood. Xu Qingran mused that while some memories fade, a complete blank might suggest an accident occurred. As Li Shiya pondered this, an object suddenly fell from a passing truck.
Xu Qingran quickly pushed Li Shiya out of the way, but she was hit herself, sustaining a head injury and falling unconscious. The sight of Xu Qingran injured triggered a fragmented memory for Li Shiya: she recalled being by a river with another girl, holding her hand, and the girl collapsing. Li Shiya was greatly alarmed, not knowing what exactly had happened in her childhood. Xin Ba arrived on the scene shortly after.
At the hospital, as Xu Qingran received treatment, Li Shiya experienced another sudden memory flash: she saw herself as a child, lying in a hospital room with her father beside her. This deepened her confusion about her past. Xu Qingran then mentioned to Li Shiya that Xin Ba had seemed very anxious and rushed when he learned they were filming in Qingsong County.
Li Shiya grew suspicious, feeling that Xin Ba might know something about her past and deciding to investigate. Meanwhile, as Xin Ba was returning to Xu Qingran's hospital room with fruits, he noticed he was being followed. He chased after the masked man, who fled. After a struggle, the man escaped, leaving behind a badge that Xin Ba picked up, looking puzzled. Elsewhere, Jiang Zhihao was having a conversation with Cui Junhe.
Jiang Zhihao shared how Li Shiya had transformed his life, enabling him to interact and live like a normal person, a change he attributed entirely to her. Later, Li Shiya called Jiang Zhihao, sounding troubled and apologetic about a "situation." When he pressed for details, she demurred, vaguely asking what he would do if she were different from his imagination.
Jiang Zhihao reassured her that he would wait for her to understand things, whether on her own or with his help. Driven by her family's secrecy and her fragmented memories, Li Shiya decided she needed to uncover the truth. She visited the Qingsong Elementary School archives and found her own transfer record from when she was in second grade. She was surprised that she had no memory of such a significant change.
She also noticed another transfer record for a girl named Qi Tongtong, who had left the school at the same time as her. The name Qi Tongtong sparked more vivid, disjointed memories: playing by the river with Qi Tongtong, Qi Tongtong suddenly collapsing, and Li Shiya carrying her on her back all the way home to seek help.
At the Li family home, Li Shiya's father noticed the old Qingsong Elementary photo was missing, realizing Li Shiya had likely taken it to investigate her past. Li Shiya's mother expressed concern, suggesting it was time to tell Li Shiya the truth. Her father, referred to as Li Shanghao by his wife, believed that since Li Shiya's memories had been erased due to trauma (a form of evasive amnesia), she wouldn't remember unless severely stimulated.
Li Xiangyang, having overheard their hushed conversation, emerged and questioned what they were hiding from Li Shiya. Li Shiya's father then painfully recounted the incident from Li Shiya's childhood. He explained that when Li Shiya carried Qi Tongtong home after her fall, Li Shiya, being a pure-blooded vampire with a limitless ability to absorb human energy, had unknowingly drained Qi Tongtong's life force, almost killing her.
He clarified that unlike common vampires who only absorb a small, harmless amount of energy, Li Shiya's ancient, stronger nature meant her absorption was continuous and dangerous. Li Xiangyang then asked if his father also possessed such an ability to absorb and transfer energy. Li Shiya's father explained that only those of a special rank had this ability, and giving out energy could be fatal.
He revealed that he had nearly died saving Qi Tongtong, losing his special abilities and being bedridden for two years afterward. He concluded that he couldn't tell Li Shiya such a dangerous truth, believing it was for her own good. Later, Li Lanxi found Li Shiya sitting distraught on the floor of her room.
Li Shiya tearfully asked if she was the one who had killed the little girl by the stream, and why everyone had hidden the fact that she could harm humans. Li Lanxi, heartbroken by Li Shiya's anguish, embraced her.
