 On February 28, 2017, on a live Yizhibo broadcast, Zhang revealed that her contract with SM Entertainment will expire in April 2017 and she decided to pursue her career in China.On August 15, Zhang's Weibo profile was updated to indicate that she was now managed by Beijing-based talent agency Show City Times; however, the company did not officially announce her until December 31, 2018, when a Weibo post was shared with her image attached.On June 18, 2007, DR Music filed a lawsuit against Zhang and SM Entertainment to get compensation for ₩200 million from terminating their exclusive contract.