Winning over the Novel's Male Second Lead

My little cat has always been timid, never daring to venture outside. That's why I set up a room for her, so she could play freely. Now, she's missing. I can't bear the thought of her huddled somewhere, trembling with fear. "Speak up!" I glared at her intensely. "Enough!" Seeing Song Zhixia's cheeks flushed from my grip, Gu Yunshen quickly pulled my hand away. "If the cat's gone, it's gone. It's just a creature. At worst, I'll just get you another one!" "I only want my Sui Sui!" I pushed his hand away, my eyes reddening. I remembered how, in the past, he looked at this little cat with nothing but affection. Back then, he knew Sui Sui was more than just a pet to me—she was family. "In the future, Sui Sui will be my cat too, and I'll love her just as much." Sui Sui was attached to both of us. Yet now, he had heartlessly conspired with others to abandon her. Anger coursed through me, and I slapped him again. "She's not just any animal! She's my family, the most important family!" Perhaps my tears fell uncontrollably, as Gu Yunshen seemed at a loss for words, his tone softening considerably. "Alright, I'll help you find her. Please stop crying." The little cat had been forcibly taken by Song Zhixia. I saw the tiny creature clinging desperately to the ground, crying out in distress. But Song Zhixia, with a merciless glint in her eye, ignored the cat's pleas and shoved her into the car, slamming the door shut. I stared at her coldly. "What is the meaning of this?" Song Zhixia averted her gaze, guilt evident. "The animal shelter... " The road to the animal shelter was long and riddled with potholes. As soon as Gu Yunshen's car stopped, I sprang out, muddy water splashing onto my pants, the stench hit me like a wall. I heard the cries of various animals inside, filled with misery and despair. Struggling not to retch, I pounded on the door. "Open up, please!" Gu Yunshen, holding back his own nausea, stood behind me. The owner opened the door, displeased. "What do you want?" I grabbed his hand urgently. "Did you receive a small golden shaded tabby cat in the past two days? She's six years old, very small." He frowned. "I think so, but... " "I'm willing to pay whatever it takes to get her back!" Clinging to hope, my voice was earnest. "Fine, we've received many cats recently. The newest ones are on the left side. Go check for yourself." He opened the door wider, stepping aside to let me in. I nodded repeatedly and rushed in to search. The place was filled with cats and dogs, all disheveled and dirty, some with untreated bleeding wounds. The sight made me even more anxious for Sui Sui. The surveillance footage showed she was taken two days ago, and I had no idea how she'd been since. With so many cats around, I searched from dawn till dusk but still found no trace of Sui Sui. I bit my lip hard, afraid my tears would fall. Gu Yunshen was visibly growing impatient. "Yunqiao, let's go back. We've searched for so long and haven't found her. She's probably... gone." "Shut up!" I turned and glared at him, furious. "My Sui Sui will be fine!" I refused to believe in some next life for my cat. I just wanted her to be safe in this one. Gu Yunshen, rarely seeing me this angry, looked displeased at being rebuffed. "You've been making such a fuss over a cat." "Yunqiao, when did you become so unreasonable?"