After dinner, the room quieted down. Mia sat on the carpet by the coffee table, opened her textbooks, and began to "battle" with her homework. Holding a green pencil, she scribbled on the paper, occasionally muttering complaints. I quietly sat beside her, watching her under the soft, warm lamp light. The glow captured her side profile—now unusually still and calm. Her long eyelashes cast shadows on her slightly flushed cheeks, replacing her daytime arrogance with a soft innocence. Whenever her brows furrowed and she got stuck on a difficult problem, I would lean in and offer a gentle hint. Hearing the solution, her tense face would freeze for a moment before she quickly jotted down the correct answer. Even though she still stubbornly mumbled, "I-I already knew that, I didn't need your input...", her bright red ears completely gave away her relief and secret happiness.