MSI ultrawide monitor (MD342CQPW) no audio via usb-C

Hello, I have an MSI ultrawide monitor (MD342CQPW) that I generally hook up with my laptop for work via USB-C. A couple of months back, the windows simply stopped playing audio via the monitor while using USB-C. I even swapped my USB-C cable with a TB4 cable from Anker but it didn’t work. Audio via HDMI plays perfectly however.

What am I doing wrong here? I love the one cable solution (power + video + audio) via USB-C and now instead am resorting to HDMI and laptop power adapter.

Any suggestions?