In a turnaround from his announced retirement after The International 2014, xiao8 has tweeted that he will be returning to competitive and professional play in the coming new year. 

Zhang 'Xiao8' Ning, one of the most illustrious captains of Chinese Dota has announced his intentions to return to the competitive scene after a four month break. Previously captain of LGD and then winners of The International 2014 NewBee, he announced a temporary retirement upon his return to China after TI4. Xiao8 was known for his leadership skills in and out of the game, often being termed Director8 in terms of his intricate planning of movement in games, and led NewBee to win The International 4 against Vici Gaming. 

In his post on TieBa, the Chinese equivalent to Reddit, he stated that he would be casting the LGD vs CDEC G-League match on 27 December, followed by standing-in for Rabbit on NewBee for the ECL in Beijing on 28 December. He would then participate in the opening ceremony of NewBeeTV on 31st December, after which, his contract would be over and he intends to return to competitive play.