Anti-Routine

Early morning, a ray of sunlight filtered through the trees.

Lin Mo got up and stretched lazily.

Today, he would be going to school alone.

Yet, Lin Mo took his time and headed out for breakfast.

He devoured two plates of rice noodle rolls in one go.

One plate was filled with minced pork, egg, and extra noodles, while the other was liver rice noodle rolls with extra noodles.

Liver was a rather peculiar ingredient.

Its preparation time and freshness were crucial.

If overcooked, it would turn tough and unappetizing.

But this shop used a special kind—oily liver.

This type had a softer texture and a smoother mouthfeel.

When cooked just right, the taste and texture were exceptional, nothing like the bland chewiness of older liver.

Of course, when it came to liver, the best was still the yellow-sand liver.

Those were always in high demand.

As he finished the first plate, Fang Jun took a seat across from him.

"Hey, where’s your little landlady?"

"She went to Chu Miaomiao’s place last night to hang out."

Fang Jun clasped his hands in mock admiration. "As expected of Lord Mo, taming your harem so well. I’m honestly impressed they didn’t end up fighting."

"Are you trying to provoke me?" Lin Mo shot him a sidelong glance.

Fang Jun chuckled before leaning in closer.

"By the way, I recently met this guy online who introduced me to click-farming. Made a few hundred bucks already. Wanna grab a feast at noon?"

Click-farming?!

Online shopping was booming at the time, but group buying was still the hottest trend.

Back then, group buying literally meant people pooling together.

Unlike later years, when the term became practically meaningless.

Still, click-farming scams were nothing new, then or later.

But from start to finish, they were always just schemes to rip people off.

Lin Mo thought for a moment before replying, "The amounts you’re fronting for these orders—they’ve been getting bigger, haven’t they?"

Fang Jun pulled out his phone and opened the chat log.

"Yeah, at first it was just small stuff, a few bucks. Then it went up to over ten, then over a hundred. I had to front the cash, but this guy reimbursed me super fast—just send him a screenshot, and bam, money’s back in my account."

Fang Jun counted on his fingers.

"At first, I made one or two bucks per order. Then it went up to a few, then ten, then over twenty for the hundred-yuan ones. Best part? The stuff I ‘click-farmed’ ended up in my hands, so it was a sweet deal."

Lin Mo tapped the table thoughtfully. "Then it’s time to quit."

Fang Jun blinked. "Quit?"

"Yep. If you don’t, they’ll reel you in."

Lin Mo drummed his fingers.

"Click-farming sounds legit, but realistically, you’d only make a few bucks per order at most. And usually, they’d send empty packages. But this guy actually delivers the goods to you.

What if the ‘click-farming’ is just you… spending your own money?"

Fang Jun’s mouth hung open for a second, his brain still catching up.

"Then what’s in it for them?"

"Give you small wins first, then hit you with a big one. Mark my words—next could be a thousand, or even several thousand. Your call."

Fang Jun wasn’t dumb—he’d gotten into Guangba High, after all. After a moment, it clicked. "I get it. Once the value exceeds what I’ve earned so far, that’s when they pull the trap."

"Pretty much. You know the saying—‘cast a long line to catch a big fish.’ If you’re the big fish, they’ll let you nibble a while longer. As long as the amounts don’t diverge too much, you can keep milking them."

Genuine order brushing does exist, but most of it has some shady elements.

Especially tiered order brushing—ninety-nine percent of it is a scam.

Fang Jun was someone who took advice seriously, so he started eating breakfast.

After finishing their meal, the two headed to school together.

Fang Jun had already mastered the timing perfectly, so he wasn’t the least bit worried about being late.

Lin Mo wasn’t concerned either—he had "special privileges," so even if he were late, it wouldn’t be an issue.

Back in class, the morning bell rang just as they arrived. Fang Jun patted his chest and grinned. "See? My timing is spot-on. No way we’d be late."

Lin Mo shook his head with an amused smile. "The day you miscalculate, you’ll learn what regret feels like."

Jiang Yunlu, sitting nearby, noticed that Lin Mo had come in with Fang Jun and couldn’t help asking, "Why were you so late today?"

"Waiting for Fang Jun. The guy eats way too slow. But his timing really is precise—we walked in just before the bell."

Jiang Yunlu gave a slight nod but said nothing else, her gaze shifting toward Chu Miaomiao in the back.

She had seen Chu Miaomiao arrive with Xie Yuling earlier, since her seat gave her a clear view of the hallway.

But this wasn’t exactly an opportunity worth noting.

Soon, the teacher for the first class arrived, and everyone settled into study mode.

By noon, Fang Jun approached with a deep frown.

The moment the teacher left, he walked straight to Lin Mo’s side, drawing the attention of those nearby.

Lin Mo swept his spiritual sense and instantly understood everything. "What’s wrong? Did they spring the trap?"

"Yeah. And it’s not a thousand, not a few thousand—it’s over ten grand in gold. They sent me an address."

Fang Jun pulled out his phone to show Lin Mo.

Lin Mo smirked coldly. "That’s ruthless."

He took the phone and skimmed the messages. Fang Jun hadn’t replied yet.

This scammer was brutal—not only demanding over ten grand in gold jewelry but also stretching the refund window to over a day.

The excuse? They needed to confirm after shipping.

"Want me to handle this?" Lin Mo asked casually.

"Sure, go ahead."

Lin Mo typed out a reply on Fang Jun’s phone: "Bro, ten grand is way too much, and the timeline’s too long. Can I get a deposit first?"

The scammer responded politely after a long pause: "A deposit is fine, but the max is two thousand. If you’re sure, this order’s profit is seven hundred."

Reading this, Fang Jun nearly cursed out loud.

But seeing Lin Mo’s calm, amused expression as he waited, he decided to let the expert take over.

Lin Jiajun, who hadn’t left for lunch yet, couldn’t resist peeking over.

Chu Miaomiao and Jiang Yunlu also leaned in, curious about what Lin Mo was doing.

Soon, another message arrived:

"Alright, I’ll send you the two thousand deposit plus seven hundred for the order first. Sound good?"

Lin Mo immediately mimicked Fang Jun’s tone, sending an emoji before replying, "Yeah, no problem."

As he typed, Lin Mo glanced at Fang Jun.

"You told this guy you have over ten grand saved up, didn’t you?"

Fang Jun looked embarrassed.

"How’d you know?"

"Why else would they pick a gold necklace worth over ten grand?"

Then, Fang Jun’s payment app chimed—a hefty transfer of 2,700 had arrived.

Lin Mo casually handed the phone back to him.

"Alright, it's time to eat. Today's expenses are on Young Master Fang."