I Cannot Hug You Episode 8 Recap
> I Cannot Hug You Recap
After their passionate kiss on the beach, Jiang Zhihao and Li Shiya talked heart-to-heart. Jiang Zhihao finally accepted Li Shiya's previous confession, expressing his desire for their future meetings to be solely about them, not the fairy tale. He wanted them to eat, watch movies, and go to the zoo together, activities he previously disliked but now enjoyed because of her. He asked Li Shiya to see him and date him, independent of the storybook.
Li Shiya, experiencing her first kiss, was surprised by the feeling and the sudden shift to them becoming a couple. Prolonged contact with Li Shiya, however, left Jiang Zhihao feeling a bit exhausted. Sitting by the fire, Zhihao confessed his bewilderment, asking why a girl like her would be attracted to someone with his flaws and lack of romantic experience.
Li Shiya explained that people she is destined to love "glow," making them recognizable in a crowd, and his light was so dazzling she couldn't look away. She told him he was "glowing" at that moment. Zhihao also commented that he had seen few stars before, but this place had many bright ones, implicitly reflecting his new perspective. The next morning, Li Shiya and Jiang Zhihao returned to shore on the fishing boat.
Shiya was surprised the boatman came back, and Zhihao revealed he had given him two credit cards to find her, though he assured her he wasn't bankrupt. Meanwhile, Simba and Shihuan had been waiting all night, Shihuan clearly exhausted. Upon their arrival, Jiang Zhihao and Simba immediately started arguing. Shihuan fainted from exhaustion, causing Simba to quickly leave with him, but not before warning Zhihao that their argument wasn't over and would continue at Li Shiya's house.
While this was happening, Xu Qingran, who had been worried sick about Li Shiya's disappearance, had cried herself to sleep and fainted. She woke up at the home of Yu Ze, the Vice President of NL Cosmetics and her former senior, who had brought her there to stay the night. Yu Ze reassured her that Shiya had been found and promised to deal with the irresponsible team who left her on the island, acknowledging Shiya was an endorser candidate.
Qingran explained her close relationship with Li Shiya, saying they met in college, and she had been Shiya's manager ever since, making them both best friends and co-workers. Yu Ze, who had earlier stated that he dislikes others invading his privacy and that no one had ever stayed in his house since he moved out at seventeen, told Qingran that she was not a stranger and her presence made him happy.
Using his authority, Yu Ze later ensured that Li Shiya became the endorser for NL's cosmetics, despite her having fainted and missed the final selection round. Elsewhere, Simba discussed his concerns about the mysterious man who attacked Shiya and about Shiya's relationship with Zhihao. He questioned why Shiya, who only treated men as "hunts," seemed to treat Zhihao differently. Qingran, upon receiving the good news, called Shiya, who apologized for missing the last round.
Qingran reassured her, and Shiya recounted being followed by a man with a unique scent before fainting, an incident Shiya suspected was orchestrated by competitors, and which Qingran promised to take notice of. Elated by the news of Li Shiya's endorsement, Qingran immediately called Yu Ze to thank him. She subtly asked if, as Li Shiya's manager, she would have more opportunities to meet him for work at the company.
Yu Ze initially stated that he had no interest in meeting Li Shiya's manager for work matters. However, he quickly reversed, saying that he personally wanted to see "her", Xu Qingran, and invited her to dinner that evening, which Qingran happily accepted. Li Shiya and Jiang Zhihao then went on their first formal date. Zhihao seemed to be still processing the rapid shift in their relationship, having gone from acquaintances to a couple overnight and still not fully adapted.
He expressed happiness at seeing Shiya simply for who she was, not just because of the storybook. He confessed that while he was trying to change his aversion to dating and being with people, it would take time and he would likely make mistakes, admitting his mysophobia had not changed. Li Shiya found his honesty endearing and assured him she wouldn't mind.
However, Zhihao later clarified that his earlier words were said without careful thought, suggesting they should take their physical relationship slowly. Li Shiya, undeterred, insisted she wanted physical contact and tried various methods to touch him, which caused Zhihao considerable discomfort and pain. She argued that if he remained fearful, he would never progress, and that physical contact was a natural part of dating.
Zhihao, however, questioned its importance, believing that love could be felt between two people even without physical touch. Late that night, Simba arrived at Li Shiya's house, bringing a large portrait of himself with him, which he intended to hang so she would see his "handsome face" first thing every morning. He warned her not to go out alone, offering to accompany her, and asked about the man who had attacked her on the island.
Shiya explained she hadn't seen his face but remembered his unique scent. Simba then turned to his real concern: Li Shiya's relationship with Jiang Zhihao, whom he referred to as "fried chicken." He reminded her of the dangers of vampires falling in love with humans, citing issues like draining energy and the short lifespan of their offspring. Li Shiya, to Simba's great relief, firmly stated that she knew these rules and had no romantic feelings for Zhihao.
She insisted he was merely her "food," a chosen target she intended to "hunt down" and nothing more. Simba, hearing that she could differentiate love from food, finally relaxed, happy that she wouldn't fall for a human. Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao, who had been listening from his adjacent apartment, found their late-night conversation about "food" quite peculiar. Overwhelmed by hunger, Li Shiya decided she could no longer wait.
Recalling Simba's previous advice to be proactive and use "effective and speedy tricks"—like subtly revealing skin to enchant the other party—she texted Jiang Zhihao, then arrived at his door, dressed provocatively. She told him she had just taken a bath and was "really clean" before entering. She then attempted various poses and actions, including spilling a drink, hoping to entice physical contact. Zhihao, however, was more concerned with his clean house.
While there, Shiya noticed Zhihao's extensive book collection and asked about the type of novels he wrote, realizing she didn't even know this basic detail about him. She then found a magazine featuring an interview with herself in Zhihao's house, which he admitted to buying out of curiosity to learn more about her. This confession caused a strange "shuddering" in Shiya's heart, making her momentarily forget her "hunt" and question her actions.
Realizing her current strategy wasn't working, she shifted tactics, telling Zhihao that since he was curious about her, she was willing to share anything he wanted to know about her to "get even closer."
