If you are looking for new adult short dramas, start with three recent additions on HONG LUO: the supernatural comedy Ghost Tales of a Midnight Rental, the palace intrigue drama Storm Over the Shen Family and the workplace comedy The Golden Touch of a Bank Clerk. Each takes a different genre, all three are short enough to finish in one evening, and most series offer free preview episodes in any phone or computer browser, with English subtitles.
What these new adult short dramas have in common
Adult story-driven short dramas are often assumed to be romance only, but these three releases follow a ghost story, a palace power struggle and an office underdog. Each has its own plot, and the intimate moments are woven into the story rather than standing alone. Episodes are short and filmed vertically, so they fit naturally on a phone screen. All characters are adults, and the platform is for viewers aged 18 and over.
For a broader overview of the format, see the best adult short dramas of 2026, or browse all series.
Ghost Tales of a Midnight Rental: a haunted-flat comedy
Ghost Tales of a Midnight Rental has 5 episodes and belongs to the Supernatural Thriller genre. A security camera installer is evicted in the middle of the night and rents an old flat that is suspiciously cheap, only to find a gentle ghost already living there. After that, every installation job brings another strange encounter: stall doors that refuse to open in a haunted building, a domineering woman who visits his dreams and a female zombie on the outskirts of town who thanks him for his help.
The series treats the supernatural with a light comic touch, mixing scares with flirtation. It is also the shortest of the three, which makes it an easy place to start. If you enjoy the genre, continue with our supernatural thriller picks.
Storm Over the Shen Family: palace intrigue with a regent and an outcast daughter
Storm Over the Shen Family has 10 episodes and belongs to the Period Palace Drama genre. After three years guarding the frontier, Regent Gu Changjue returns to the capital stripped of his army and walks into a trap set by the Shen family and the Grand Princess. On the night he is set up, he chooses Shen Zhiwei, the family's mistreated daughter of a concubine, and the two form an alliance: he wants to bring down the Shen family, and she wants her dignity back.
The pace is fast and full of reversals, from defying an imperial decree and breaking open the Shen family's front gate for the wedding to exposing a crown princess who hired an assassin and uncovering stolen military pay. A late emperor's edict then raises questions about who Zhiwei really is. Fans of power struggles and underdog heroines can pair it with our period palace drama guide.
The Golden Touch of a Bank Clerk: an office underdog comedy
The Golden Touch of a Bank Clerk has 10 episodes and belongs to the Urban Romance genre. Yu Chao is a quiet thirty-year-old bank clerk who is pushed around by senior colleagues and secretly admires his coworker, Meng Yiran, without ever saying a word. On his birthday he makes a wish and suddenly gains astonishingly fast banknote-counting hands, and the office starts to treat him differently.
But Meng's family owes a large debt to an underground lender, and she comes under pressure because of it. When Yu Chao learns the truth, he decides to use his new skill to help her, and work, friendship and romance become tangled together. Viewers who like underdog stories set in the city can also read our urban romance picks.
Which of these new adult short dramas should you watch first?
- For something light with a supernatural twist: start with Ghost Tales of a Midnight Rental, which you can finish in 5 episodes.
- For power struggles, reversals and historical settings: choose Storm Over the Shen Family.
- For office life, a special ability and an underdog rising: choose The Golden Touch of a Bank Clerk.
The three feel very different, so it is worth trying the first episode of each before deciding which one to follow. For more recent releases, see new short dramas released in October 2026.
How to watch these three short dramas
Open a series page on HONG LUO and press play; there is no app to download. Most series offer free preview episodes. Paid episodes can be unlocked one at a time with coins, or you can join the monthly membership to watch every paid episode while it is active. The interface and subtitles are available in several languages, and the FAQ explains how viewing works.
Whichever one you choose, the easiest way in is the free first episode.
