Chapter 633 Ice and Iron The female protagonist of "Ice and Iron" is named Wei Bingkai. The male protagonist is named Kovalev.
After some research, Shang Yechu learned that Kovalev means blacksmith in Russian. The names of the two main characters correspond perfectly to "ice" and "iron" in the movie title.
The film "Ice and Iron" is set in the 1950s. At that time, China and its neighboring countries were in a honeymoon period, and a large number of students were sent to study in the Soviet Union. The protagonist, Wei Bingkai, was one of them.
Upon reading this, Shang Yechu initially assumed the script would depict Wei Bingkai's life on a university campus while studying abroad. Shang Yechu had never acted in a film with this kind of mundane, everyday style before, and she was quite looking forward to it.
Shang Yechu turned to the next page.
Shang Yechu's expression froze.
Instead of going to the campus, the international student Wei Bingkai was sent to a heavy machinery factory in northern Soviet Union for training. Although Shang Yechu didn't understand why a newly arrived international student could go to such a confidential place as a heavy machinery factory, that's how it was written in the script.
This heavy machinery plant, officially named the Belosnezhsk Armory, was enormous and extremely strictly managed (although foreign students were allowed to enter, management was extremely rigorous). Located in the northwest, transportation and communication were extremely difficult, and the environment was quite harsh. It was winter, and heavy snow was falling across the Soviet Union, completely isolating the Belosnezhsk Armory from the outside world; the roads were impassable.
The protagonist, Kovalev, is the head of security at the ordnance factory, appointed by the military with the rank of colonel. His main responsibilities include maintaining base security, military discipline, and production secrecy. He also commands a resident security force.
Seeing this, Shang Yechu thought it was a suspense drama script. Isn't this the same "locked room mystery" scenario from the variety show they filmed a few days ago? The culprit might be among the guards, or even the factory manager or something…
The leaves of Shang Chu began to turn downwards.
Upon arriving at the factory, Wei Bingkai began diligently observing, recording, and learning. Intelligent as she was, she quickly noticed the factory's unusual nature. Everyone there behaved with impeccable discipline, keeping quiet and barely daring to breathe. In contrast, Kovalev and his men wielded absolute power, controlling the weapons depot, transportation lines, communication stations, and even managing food distribution. They were veritable tyrants among tyrants.
The machine factory was far from the city, almost an isolated island. In this semi-closed little world, no one could defy Kovalev and his group. Wei Bingkai, a newcomer, was no exception. She was under close surveillance, her every move watched. She was even suspected of being a spy for trespassing into a restricted area of the factory. Kovalev confiscated her notebook and locked her up for three days.
The solitary confinement cell at the Belosnezhsk Armory was actually an empty cellar, completely dark and without sunlight. In the winter months, it was like a pitch-black ice cave. Even the strongest man couldn't withstand it, let alone the frail and delicate exchange student, Wei Bingkai.
Wei Bingkai was well-liked within the base, and Kovalev's brutal actions immediately aroused public outrage.
Upon reading this, Shang Yechu became excited again. Could this script be about Wei Bing leading the others in the factory in a rebellion against Kovalev's rule? Rebellion is good! The Chinese are good at that. "Are kings and generals born with a special destiny? The imperial treasury burned to ashes, the streets trampled with the bones of nobles!"
Fantasy is wonderful.
The script moves to the next page, and Wei Bingkai's three-day confinement ends. She endured the dreadful confinement with unwavering willpower and crawled out of the cellar. The moment she emerged, everyone in the machine shop, including Kovalev, stood around the cellar, silently watching her.
Wei Bingkai limped up to Kovalev, staring at him with cold eyes, and then collapsed to the ground—of course, just a second before she fell, Kovalev reached out and pulled her into his arms.
At that moment, Kovalev suddenly felt a strange affection for this girl from the East who had come from afar.
By this point, Shang Yechu's eyelids were twitching. It seemed this was a romance novel, only the setup in the beginning was a bit too long.
Subsequent developments slapped Shang Yechu in the face several more times.
Kovalev fell in love with Wei Bingkai and confessed his feelings to her in what could only be described as rude. Of course, Wei Bingkai wasn't a masochist; she not only rejected Kovalev but also gave him a severe dressing-down. Kovalev was furious and got completely drunk.
Meanwhile, Wei Bingkai flipped through the books and reference materials he carried with him. At one point, he suddenly realized that Kovalev's situation was a form of extreme individualism. The book stated that such comrades should not be abandoned or left to their own devices, but rather guided and educated.
Wei Bingkai decided to learn more about the real Kovalev to see if there was any hope left for him.
Wei Bingkai visited Kovalev's subordinates and other workers, slowly piecing together a picture of the Kovalev of the past from their conversations. It turned out that Kovalev had once been a brave and decorated warrior, but due to bureaucratic infighting, he was banished to this harsh, cold place as a factory supervisor. This explained why his men were so devoted to him. It also revealed that the Belosnezhsk arsenal had suffered several espionage incidents, resulting in heavy losses and the deaths of several of Kovalev's brothers. Furthermore, it explained that Kovalev was in charge of food distribution because the previous logistics minister, a notorious embezzler, had been executed by Kovalev.
It turns out that Kovalev was once Wei Bingkai's ideal "comrade," but he was gradually forced into this state by the ever-decreasing reality.
The script reaches a minor climax here, with Wei Bingkai constantly visiting Kovalev's men and factory workers. Each time she leaves, Kovalev comes to the people she visited and asks her what she had just said. The two continue their pursuit, only to repeatedly miss each other.
Wei Bingkai pieced together Kovalev's past from the words of others; Kovalev, in turn, pieced together his past self through Wei Bingkai's pursuit.
Wei Bingkai thought to himself: So this is what he used to be like.
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